NET Bible®

Genesis

Chapter 1

1 ¶ The Creation of the World In the beginning God created the heavens and the
earth.
2 Now the earth was without shape and empty, and darkness was over the surface
of the watery deep, but the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the
water.
3 God said,“Let there be light.” And there was light!
4 God saw that the light was good, so God separated the light from the darkness.
5 God called the light“day” and the darkness“night.” There was evening,
and there was morning, marking the first day.
6 God said,“Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters and let it
separate water from water.”
7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the
water above it. It was so.
8 God called the expanse“sky.” There was evening, and there was morning, a
second day.
9 God said,“Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place and let dry
ground appear.” It was so.
10 God called the dry ground“land” and the gathered waters he
called“seas.” God saw that it was good.
11 God said,“Let the land produce vegetation: plants yielding seeds and trees
on the land bearing fruit with seed in it, according to their kinds.” It was
so.
12 The land produced vegetation– plants yielding seeds according to their
kinds, and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. God saw
that it was good.
13 There was evening, and there was morning, a third day.
14 God said,“Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day
from the night, and let them be signs to indicate seasons and days and years,
15 and let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the
earth.” It was so.
16 God made two great lights– the greater light to rule over the day and the
lesser light to rule over the night. He made the stars also.
17 God placed the lights in the expanse of the sky to shine on the earth,
18 to preside over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the
darkness. God saw that it was good.
19 There was evening, and there was morning, a fourth day.
20 God said,“Let the water swarm with swarms of living creatures and let birds
fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.”
21 God created the great sea creatures and every living and moving thing with
which the water swarmed, according to their kinds, and every winged bird
according to its kind. God saw that it was good.
22 God blessed them and said,“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the water in
the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.”
23 There was evening, and there was morning, a fifth day.
24 God said,“Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds:
cattle, creeping things, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” It was
so.
25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the cattle according to
their kinds, and all the creatures that creep along the ground according to
their kinds. God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said,“Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness, so
they may rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the
cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move on the
earth.”
27 God created humankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them,
male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them,“Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth
and subdue it! Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every
creature that moves on the ground.”
29 Then God said,“I now give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the
entire earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours
for food.
30 And to all the animals of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to all
the creatures that move on the ground– everything that has the breath of life
in it– I give every green plant for food.” It was so.
31 God saw all that he had made– and it was very good! There was evening, and
there was morning, the sixth day.

Chapter 2

1 The heavens and the earth were completed with everything that was in them.
2 By the seventh day God finished the work that he had been doing, and he ceased
on the seventh day all the work that he had been doing.
3 God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because on it he ceased all the
work that he had been doing in creation.
4 The Creation of Man and Woman This is the account of the heavens and the earth
when they were created– when the LORD God made the earth and heavens.
5 Now no shrub of the field had yet grown on the earth, and no plant of the
field had yet sprouted, for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the earth,
and there was no man to cultivate the ground.
6 Springs would well up from the earth and water the whole surface of the
ground.
7 The LORD God formed the man from the soil of the ground and breathed into his
nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
8 The LORD God planted an orchard in the east, in Eden; and there he placed the
man he had formed.
9 The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow from the soil, every tree that was
pleasing to look at and good for food.(Now the tree of life and the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil were in the middle of the orchard.)
10 Now a river flows from Eden to water the orchard, and from there it divides
into four headstreams.
11 The name of the first is Pishon; it runs through the entire land of Havilah,
where there is gold.
12 (The gold of that land is pure; pearls and lapis lazuli are also there).
13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it runs through the entire land of
Cush.
14 The name of the third river is Tigris; it runs along the east side of
Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.
15 The LORD God took the man and placed him in the orchard in Eden to care for
it and to maintain it.
16 Then the LORD God commanded the man,“You may freely eat fruit from every
tree of the orchard,
17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for
when you eat from it you will surely die.”
18 The LORD God said,“It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a
companion for him who corresponds to him.”
19 The LORD God formed out of the ground every living animal of the field and
every bird of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name
them, and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.
20 So the man named all the animals, the birds of the air, and the living
creatures of the field, but for Adam no companion who corresponded to him was
found.
21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he was
asleep, he took part of the man’s side and closed up the place with flesh.
22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the part he had taken out of the man, and
he brought her to the man.
23 Then the man said,“This one at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my
flesh; this one will be called‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”
24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and unites with his wife, and
they become a new family.
25 The man and his wife were both naked, but they were not ashamed.

Chapter 3

1 The Temptation and the Fall Now the serpent was more shrewd than any of the
wild animals that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman,“Is it really
true that God said,‘You must not eat from any tree of the orchard’?”
2 The woman said to the serpent,“We may eat of the fruit from the trees of the
orchard;
3 but concerning the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the orchard God
said,‘You must not eat from it, and you must not touch it, or else you will
die.’”
4 The serpent said to the woman,“Surely you will not die,
5 for God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will open and you will be
like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 When the woman saw that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, was
attractive to the eye, and was desirable for making one wise, she took some of
its fruit and ate it. She also gave some of it to her husband who was with her,
and he ate it.
7 Then the eyes of both of them opened, and they knew they were naked; so they
sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
8 The Judgment Oracles of God at the Fall Then the man and his wife heard the
sound of the LORD God moving about in the orchard at the breezy time of the day,
and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the orchard.
9 But the LORD God called to the man and said to him,“Where are you?”
10 The man replied,“I heard you moving about in the orchard, and I was afraid
because I was naked, so I hid.”
11 And the LORD God said,“Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from
the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
12 The man said,“The woman whom you gave me, she gave me some fruit from the
tree and I ate it.”
13 So the LORD God said to the woman,“What is this you have done?” And the
woman replied,“The serpent tricked me, and I ate.”
14 The LORD God said to the serpent,“Because you have done this, cursed are
you above all the cattle and all the living creatures of the field! On your
belly you will crawl and dust you will eat all the days of your life.
15 And I will put hostility between you and the woman and between your offspring
and her offspring; her offspring will attack your head, and you will attack her
offspring’s heel.”
16 To the woman he said,“I will greatly increase your labor pains; with pain
you will give birth to children. You will want to control your husband, but he
will dominate you.”
17 But to Adam he said,“Because you obeyed your wife and ate from the tree
about which I commanded you,‘You must not eat from it,’ the ground is cursed
because of you; in painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.
18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, but you will eat the grain of
the field.
19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat food until you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you will return.”
20 The man named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all the living.
21 The LORD God made garments from skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.
22 And the LORD God said,“Now that the man has become like one of us, knowing
good and evil, he must not be allowed to stretch out his hand and take also from
the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”
23 So the LORD God expelled him from the orchard in Eden to cultivate the ground
from which he had been taken.
24 When he drove the man out, he placed on the eastern side of the orchard in
Eden angelic sentries who used the flame of a whirling sword to guard the way to
the tree of life.

Chapter 4

1 The Story of Cain and Abel Now the man was intimate with his wife Eve, and she
became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. Then she said,“I have created a man
just as the LORD did!”
2 Then she gave birth to his brother Abel. Abel took care of the flocks, while
Cain cultivated the ground.
3 At the designated time Cain brought some of the fruit of the ground for an
offering to the LORD.
4 But Abel brought some of the firstborn of his flock– even the fattest of
them. And the LORD was pleased with Abel and his offering,
5 but with Cain and his offering he was not pleased. So Cain became very angry,
and his expression was downcast.
6 Then the LORD said to Cain,“Why are you angry, and why is your expression
downcast?
7 Is it not true that if you do what is right, you will be fine? But if you do
not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. It desires to dominate you,
but you must subdue it.”
8 Cain said to his brother Abel,“Let’s go out to the field.” While they
were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
9 Then the LORD said to Cain,“Where is your brother Abel?” And he
replied,“I don’t know! Am I my brother’s guardian?”
10 But the LORD said,“What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood
is crying out to me from the ground!
11 So now, you are banished from the ground, which has opened its mouth to
receive your brother’s blood from your hand.
12 When you try to cultivate the ground it will no longer yield its best for
you. You will be a homeless wanderer on the earth.”
13 Then Cain said to the LORD,“My punishment is too great to endure!
14 Look! You are driving me off the land today, and I must hide from your
presence. I will be a homeless wanderer on the earth; whoever finds me will kill
me.”
15 But the LORD said to him,“All right then, if anyone kills Cain, Cain will
be avenged seven times as much.” Then the LORD put a special mark on Cain so
that no one who found him would strike him down.
16 So Cain went out from the presence of the LORD and lived in the land of Nod,
east of Eden.
17 The Beginning of Civilization Cain was intimate with his wife, and she became
pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was building a city, and he named the
city after his son Enoch.
18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael. Mehujael was the
father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech.
19 Lamech took two wives for himself; the name of the first was Adah, and the
name of the second was Zillah.
20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the first of those who live in tents and
keep livestock.
21 The name of his brother was Jubal; he was the first of all who play the harp
and the flute.
22 Now Zillah also gave birth to Tubal-Cain, who heated metal and shaped all
kinds of tools made of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.
23 Lamech said to his wives,“Adah and Zillah! Listen to me! You wives of
Lamech, hear my words! I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for
hurting me.
24 If Cain is to be avenged seven times as much, then Lamech seventy-seven
times!”
25 And Adam was intimate with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son. She
named him Seth, saying,“God has given me another child in place of Abel
because Cain killed him.”
26 And a son was also born to Seth, whom he named Enosh. At that time people
began to worship the LORD.

Chapter 5

1 From Adam to Noah This is the record of the family line of Adam.When God
created humankind, he made them in the likeness of God.
2 He created them male and female; when they were created, he blessed them and
named them“humankind.”
3 When Adam had lived 130 years he fathered a son in his own likeness, according
to his image, and he named him Seth.
4 The length of time Adam lived after he became the father of Seth was 800
years; during this time he had other sons and daughters.
5 The entire lifetime of Adam was 930 years, and then he died.
6 When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father of Enosh.
7 Seth lived 807 years after he became the father of Enosh, and he had other
sons and daughters.
8 The entire lifetime of Seth was 912 years, and then he died.
9 When Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kenan.
10 Enosh lived 815 years after he became the father of Kenan, and he had other
sons and daughters.
11 The entire lifetime of Enosh was 905 years, and then he died.
12 When Kenan had lived 70 years, he became the father of Mahalalel.
13 Kenan lived 840 years after he became the father of Mahalalel, and he had
other sons and daughters.
14 The entire lifetime of Kenan was 910 years, and then he died.
15 When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he became the father of Jared.
16 Mahalalel lived 830 years after he became the father of Jared, and he had
other sons and daughters.
17 The entire lifetime of Mahalalel was 895 years, and then he died.
18 When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch.
19 Jared lived 800 years after he became the father of Enoch, and he had other
sons and daughters.
20 The entire lifetime of Jared was 962 years, and then he died.
21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah.
22 After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God for 300
years, and he had other sons and daughters.
23 The entire lifetime of Enoch was 365 years.
24 Enoch walked with God, and then he disappeared because God took him away.
25 When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech.
26 Methuselah lived 782 years after he became the father of Lamech, and he had
other sons and daughters.
27 The entire lifetime of Methuselah was 969 years, and then he died.
28 When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son.
29 He named him Noah, saying,“This one will bring us comfort from our labor
and from the painful toil of our hands because of the ground that the LORD has
cursed.”
30 Lamech lived 595 years after he became the father of Noah, and he had other
sons and daughters.
31 The entire lifetime of Lamech was 777 years, and then he died.
32 After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Chapter 6

1 God’s Grief over Humankind’s Wickedness When humankind began to multiply
on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them,
2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of humankind were beautiful. Thus they
took wives for themselves from any they chose.
3 So the LORD said,“My Spirit will not remain in humankind indefinitely, since
they are mortal. They will remain for 120 more years.”
4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days(and also after this) when the
sons of God would sleep with the daughters of humankind, who gave birth to their
children. They were the mighty heroes of old, the famous men.
5 But the LORD saw that the wickedness of humankind had become great on the
earth. Every inclination of the thoughts of their minds was only evil all the
time.
6 The LORD regretted that he had made humankind on the earth, and he was highly
offended.
7 So the LORD said,“I will wipe humankind, whom I have created, from the face
of the earth– everything from humankind to animals, including creatures that
move on the ground and birds of the air, for I regret that I have made them.”
8 But Noah found favor in the sight of the LORD.
9 The Judgment of the Flood This is the account of Noah. Noah was a godly man;
he was blameless among his contemporaries. He walked with God.
10 Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 The earth was ruined in the sight of God; the earth was filled with violence.
12 God saw the earth, and indeed it was ruined, for all living creatures on the
earth were sinful.
13 So God said to Noah,“I have decided that all living creatures must die, for
the earth is filled with violence because of them. Now I am about to destroy
them and the earth.
14 Make for yourself an ark of cypress wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it
with pitch inside and out.
15 This is how you should make it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide,
and 45 feet high.
16 Make a roof for the ark and finish it, leaving 18 inches from the top. Put a
door in the side of the ark, and make lower, middle, and upper decks.
17 I am about to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy from under the sky
all the living creatures that have the breath of life in them. Everything that
is on the earth will die,
18 but I will confirm my covenant with you. You will enter the ark– you, your
sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.
19 You must bring into the ark two of every kind of living creature from all
flesh, male and female, to keep them alive with you.
20 Of the birds after their kinds, and of the cattle after their kinds, and of
every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind will come
to you so you can keep them alive.
21 And you must take for yourself every kind of food that is eaten, and gather
it together. It will be food for you and for them.”
22 And Noah did all that God commanded him– he did indeed.

Chapter 7

1 The LORD said to Noah,“Come into the ark, you and all your household, for I
consider you godly among this generation.
2 You must take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, the male and
its mate, two of every kind of unclean animal, the male and its mate,
3 and also seven pairs of every kind of bird in the sky, male and female, to
preserve their offspring on the face of the entire earth.
4 For in seven days I will cause it to rain on the earth for forty days and
forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the ground every living thing
that I have made.”
5 And Noah did all that the LORD commanded him.
6 Noah was 600 years old when the floodwaters engulfed the earth.
7 Noah entered the ark along with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives
because of the floodwaters.
8 Pairs of clean animals, of unclean animals, of birds, and of everything that
creeps along the ground,
9 male and female, came into the ark to Noah, just as God had commanded him.
10 And after seven days the floodwaters engulfed the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the
seventeenth day of the month– on that day all the fountains of the great deep
burst open and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.
12 And the rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.
13 On that very day Noah entered the ark, accompanied by his sons Shem, Ham, and
Japheth, along with his wife and his sons’ three wives.
14 They entered, along with every living creature after its kind, every animal
after its kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind,
and every bird after its kind, everything with wings.
15 Pairs of all creatures that have the breath of life came into the ark to
Noah.
16 Those that entered were male and female, just as God commanded him. Then the
LORD shut him in.
17 The flood engulfed the earth for forty days. As the waters increased, they
lifted the ark and raised it above the earth.
18 The waters completely overwhelmed the earth, and the ark floated on the
surface of the waters.
19 The waters completely inundated the earth so that even all the high mountains
under the entire sky were covered.
20 The waters rose more than twenty feet above the mountains.
21 And all living things that moved on the earth died, including the birds,
domestic animals, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and
all humankind.
22 Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died.
23 So the LORD destroyed every living thing that was on the surface of the
ground, including people, animals, creatures that creep along the ground, and
birds of the sky. They were wiped off the earth. Only Noah and those who were
with him in the ark survived.
24 The waters prevailed over the earth for 150 days.

Chapter 8

1 But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and domestic animals that
were with him in the ark. God caused a wind to blow over the earth and the
waters receded.
2 The fountains of the deep and the floodgates of heaven were closed, and the
rain stopped falling from the sky.
3 The waters kept receding steadily from the earth, so that they had gone down
by the end of the 150 days.
4 On the seventeenth day of the seventh month, the ark came to rest on one of
the mountains of Ararat.
5 The waters kept on receding until the tenth month. On the first day of the
tenth month, the tops of the mountains became visible.
6 At the end of forty days, Noah opened the window he had made in the ark
7 and sent out a raven; it kept flying back and forth until the waters had dried
up on the earth.
8 Then Noah sent out a dove to see if the waters had receded from the surface of
the ground.
9 The dove could not find a resting place for its feet because water still
covered the surface of the entire earth, and so it returned to Noah in the ark.
He stretched out his hand, took the dove, and brought it back into the ark.
10 He waited seven more days and then sent out the dove again from the ark.
11 When the dove returned to him in the evening, there was a freshly plucked
olive leaf in its beak! Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth.
12 He waited another seven days and sent the dove out again, but it did not
return to him this time.
13 In Noah’s six hundred and first year, in the first day of the first month,
the waters had dried up from the earth, and Noah removed the covering from the
ark and saw that the surface of the ground was dry.
14 And by the twenty-seventh day of the second month the earth was dry.
15 Then God spoke to Noah and said,
16 “Come out of the ark, you, your wife, your sons, and your sons’ wives
with you.
17 Bring out with you all the living creatures that are with you. Bring out
every living thing, including the birds, animals, and every creeping thing that
creeps on the earth. Let them increase and be fruitful and multiply on the
earth!”
18 Noah went out along with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives.
19 Every living creature, every creeping thing, every bird, and everything that
moves on the earth went out of the ark in their groups.
20 Noah built an altar to the LORD. He then took some of every kind of clean
animal and clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
21 And the LORD smelled the soothing aroma and said to himself,“I will never
again curse the ground because of humankind, even though the inclination of
their minds is evil from childhood on. I will never again destroy everything
that lives, as I have just done.
22 “While the earth continues to exist, planting time and harvest, cold and
heat, summer and winter, and day and night will not cease.”

Chapter 9

1 God’s Covenant with Humankind through Noah Then God blessed Noah and his
sons and said to them,“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.
2 Every living creature of the earth and every bird of the sky will be terrified
of you. Everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea are
under your authority.
3 You may eat any moving thing that lives. As I gave you the green plants, I now
give you everything.
4 But you must not eat meat with its life(that is, its blood) in it.
5 For your lifeblood I will surely exact punishment, from every living creature
I will exact punishment. From each person I will exact punishment for the life
of the individual since the man was his relative.
6 “Whoever sheds human blood, by other humans must his blood be shed; for in
God’s image God has made humankind.”
7 But as for you, be fruitful and multiply; increase abundantly on the earth and
multiply on it.”
8 God said to Noah and his sons,
9 “Look! I now confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you
10 and with every living creature that is with you, including the birds, the
domestic animals, and every living creature of the earth with you, all those
that came out of the ark with you– every living creature of the earth.
11 I confirm my covenant with you: Never again will all living things be wiped
out by the waters of a flood; never again will a flood destroy the earth.”
12 And God said,“This is the guarantee of the covenant I am making with you
and every living creature with you, a covenant for all subsequent generations:
13 I will place my rainbow in the clouds, and it will become a guarantee of the
covenant between me and the earth.
14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds,
15 then I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures of
all kinds. Never again will the waters become a flood and destroy all living
things.
16 When the rainbow is in the clouds, I will notice it and remember the
perpetual covenant between God and all living creatures of all kinds that are on
the earth.”
17 So God said to Noah,“This is the guarantee of the covenant that I am
confirming between me and all living things that are on the earth.”
18 The Curse of Canaan The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham,
and Japheth.(Now Ham was the father of Canaan.)
19 These were the three sons of Noah, and from them the whole earth was
populated.
20 Noah, a man of the soil, began to plant a vineyard.
21 When he drank some of the wine, he got drunk and uncovered himself inside his
tent.
22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two
brothers who were outside.
23 Shem and Japheth took the garment and placed it on their shoulders. Then they
walked in backwards and covered up their father’s nakedness. Their faces were
turned the other way so they did not see their father’s nakedness.
24 When Noah awoke from his drunken stupor he learned what his youngest son had
done to him.
25 So he said,“Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves he will be to his
brothers.”
26 He also said,“Worthy of praise is the LORD, the God of Shem! May Canaan be
the slave of Shem!
27 May God enlarge Japheth’s territory and numbers! May he live in the tents
of Shem and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth!”
28 After the flood Noah lived 350 years.
29 The entire lifetime of Noah was 950 years, and then he died.

Chapter 10

1 The Table of Nations This is the account of Noah’s sons: Shem, Ham, and
Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood.
2 The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and
Tiras.
3 The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.
4 The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittim, and the Dodanim.
5 From these the coastlands of the nations were separated into their lands,
every one according to its language, according to their families, by their
nations.
6 The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
7 The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of
Raamah were Sheba and Dedan.
8 Cush was the father of Nimrod; he began to be a valiant warrior on the earth.
9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD.(That is why it is said,“Like Nimrod,
a mighty hunter before the LORD.
10 The primary regions of his kingdom were Babel, Erech, Akkad, and Calneh in
the land of Shinar.
11 From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir,
Calah,
12 and Resen, which is between Nineveh and the great city Calah.
13 Mizraim was the father of the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites,
14 Pathrusites, Casluhites(from whom the Philistines came), and Caphtorites.
15 Canaan was the father of Sidon his firstborn, Heth,
16 the Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites,
17 Hivites, Arkites, Sinites,
18 Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites. Eventually the families of the
Canaanites were scattered
19 and the borders of Canaan extended from Sidon all the way to Gerar as far as
Gaza, and all the way to Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.
20 These are the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their
languages, by their lands, and by their nations.
21 And sons were also born to Shem(the older brother of Japheth), the father of
all the sons of Eber.
22 The sons of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.
23 The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash.
24 Arphaxad was the father of Shelah, and Shelah was the father of Eber.
25 Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg because in his days the earth
was divided, and his brother’s name was Joktan.
26 Joktan was the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah,
27 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah,
28 Obal, Abimael, Sheba,
29 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan.
30 Their dwelling place was from Mesha all the way to Sephar in the eastern
hills.
31 These are the sons of Shem according to their families, according to their
languages, by their lands, and according to their nations.
32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies,
by their nations, and from these the nations spread over the earth after the
flood.

Chapter 11

1 The Dispersion of the Nations at Babel The whole earth had a common language
and a common vocabulary.
2 When the people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled
there.
3 Then they said to one another,“Come, let’s make bricks and bake them
thoroughly.”(They had brick instead of stone and tar instead of mortar.)
4 Then they said,“Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its
top in the heavens so that we may make a name for ourselves. Otherwise we will
be scattered across the face of the entire earth.”
5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the people had
started building.
6 And the LORD said,“If as one people all sharing a common language they have
begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be beyond them.
7 Come, let’s go down and confuse their language so they won’t be able to
understand each other.”
8 So the LORD scattered them from there across the face of the entire earth, and
they stopped building the city.
9 That is why its name was called Babel– because there the LORD confused the
language of the entire world, and from there the LORD scattered them across the
face of the entire earth.
10 The Genealogy of Shem This is the account of Shem.Shem was 100 years old when
he became the father of Arphaxad, two years after the flood.
11 And after becoming the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other
sons and daughters.
12 When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah.
13 And after he became the father of Shelah, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had
other sons and daughters.
14 When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber.
15 And after he became the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other
sons and daughters.
16 When Eber had lived 34 years, he became the father of Peleg.
17 And after he became the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other
sons and daughters.
18 When Peleg had lived 30 years, he became the father of Reu.
19 And after he became the father of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other
sons and daughters.
20 When Reu had lived 32 years, he became the father of Serug.
21 And after he became the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other
sons and daughters.
22 When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor.
23 And after he became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other
sons and daughters.
24 When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah.
25 And after he became the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other
sons and daughters.
26 When Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and
Haran.
27 The Record of Terah This is the account of Terah.Terah became the father of
Abram, Nahor, and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot.
28 Haran died in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans, while his father
Terah was still alive.
29 And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was
Sarai. And the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah; she was the daughter of Haran,
who was the father of both Milcah and Iscah.
30 But Sarai was barren; she had no children.
31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot(the son of Haran), and his
daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and with them he set out from Ur
of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. When they came to Haran, they settled there.
32 The lifetime of Terah was 205 years, and he died in Haran.

Chapter 12

1 The Obedience of Abram Now the LORD said to Abram,“Go out from your country,
your relatives, and your father’s household to the land that I will show you.
2 Then I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will
make your name great, so that you will exemplify divine blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, but the one who treats you lightly I must
curse, so that all the families of the earth may receive blessing through
you.”
4 So Abram left, just as the LORD had told him to do, and Lot went with him.(Now
Abram was 75 years old when he departed from Haran.)
5 And Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the possessions they
had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they left for the
land of Canaan. They entered the land of Canaan.
6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the oak tree of Moreh at Shechem.(At
that time the Canaanites were in the land.)
7 The LORD appeared to Abram and said,“To your descendants I will give this
land.” So Abram built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
8 Then he moved from there to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his
tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the
LORD and worshiped the LORD.
9 Abram continually journeyed by stages down to the Negev.
10 The Promised Blessing Jeopardized There was a famine in the land, so Abram
went down to Egypt to stay for a while because the famine was severe.
11 As he approached Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai,“Look, I know that you
are a beautiful woman.
12 When the Egyptians see you they will say,‘This is his wife.’ Then they
will kill me but will keep you alive.
13 So tell them you are my sister so that it may go well for me because of you
and my life will be spared on account of you.”
14 When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very
beautiful.
15 When Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. So Abram’s
wife was taken into the household of Pharaoh,
16 and he did treat Abram well on account of her. Abram received sheep and
cattle, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and
camels.
17 But the LORD struck Pharaoh and his household with severe diseases because of
Sarai, Abram’s wife.
18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram and said,“What is this you have done to me? Why
didn’t you tell me that she was your wife?
19 Why did you say,‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife?
Now, here is your wife. Take her and go!”
20 Pharaoh gave his men orders about Abram, and so they expelled him, along with
his wife and all his possessions.

Chapter 13

1 Abram’s Solution to the Strife So Abram went up from Egypt into the Negev.
He took his wife and all his possessions with him, as well as Lot.
2 (Now Abram was very wealthy in livestock, silver, and gold.)
3 And he journeyed from place to place from the Negev as far as Bethel. He
returned to the place where he had pitched his tent at the beginning, between
Bethel and Ai.
4 This was the place where he had first built the altar, and there Abram
worshiped the LORD.
5 Now Lot, who was traveling with Abram, also had flocks, herds, and tents.
6 But the land could not support them while they were living side by side.
Because their possessions were so great, they were not able to live alongside
one another.
7 So there were quarrels between Abram’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen.(Now
the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at that time.)
8 Abram said to Lot,“Let there be no quarreling between me and you, and
between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are close relatives.
9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself now from me. If you go to
the left, then I’ll go to the right, but if you go to the right, then I’ll
go to the left.”
10 Lot looked up and saw the whole region of the Jordan. He noticed that all of
it was well-watered(before the LORD obliterated Sodom and Gomorrah) like the
garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, all the way to Zoar.
11 Lot chose for himself the whole region of the Jordan and traveled toward the
east. So the relatives separated from each other.
12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, but Lot settled among the cities of the
Jordan plain and pitched his tents next to Sodom.
13 (Now the people of Sodom were extremely wicked rebels against the LORD.)
14 After Lot had departed, the LORD said to Abram,“Look from the place where
you stand to the north, south, east, and west.
15 I will give all the land that you see to you and your descendants forever.
16 And I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth, so that if
anyone is able to count the dust of the earth, then your descendants also can be
counted.
17 Get up and walk throughout the land, for I will give it to you.”
18 So Abram moved his tents and went to live by the oaks of Mamre in Hebron, and
he built an altar to the LORD there.

Chapter 14

1 The Blessing of Victory for God’s People At that time Amraphel king of
Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of
nations
2 went to war against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king
of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela(that is, Zoar).
3 These last five kings joined forces in the Valley of Siddim(that is, the Salt
Sea).
4 For twelve years they had served Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they
rebelled.
5 In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings who were his allies came and
defeated the Rephaites in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in
Shaveh Kiriathaim,
6 and the Horites in their hill country of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is
near the desert.
7 Then they attacked En Mishpat(that is, Kadesh) again, and they conquered all
the territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who were living in
Hazazon Tamar.
8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of
Zeboiim, and the king of Bela(that is, Zoar) went out and prepared for battle.
In the Valley of Siddim they met
9 Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, Amraphel king of Shinar, and
Arioch king of Ellasar. Four kings fought against five.
10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits. When the kings of Sodom and
Gomorrah fled, they fell into them, but some survivors fled to the hills.
11 The four victorious kings took all the possessions and food of Sodom and
Gomorrah and left.
12 They also took Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions when they left, for
Lot was living in Sodom.
13 A fugitive came and told Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living by the oaks
of Mamre the Amorite, the brother of Eshcol and Aner.(All these were allied by
treaty with Abram.)
14 When Abram heard that his nephew had been taken captive, he mobilized his 318
trained men who had been born in his household, and he pursued the invaders as
far as Dan.
15 Then, during the night, Abram divided his forces against them and defeated
them. He chased them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus.
16 He retrieved all the stolen property. He also brought back his nephew Lot and
his possessions, as well as the women and the rest of the people.
17 After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with
him, the king of Sodom went out to meet Abram in the Valley of Shaveh(known as
the King’s Valley).
18 Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine.(Now he was the priest
of the Most High God.)
19 He blessed Abram, saying,“Blessed be Abram by the Most High God, Creator of
heaven and earth.
20 Worthy of praise is the Most High God, who delivered your enemies into your
hand.” Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything.
21 Then the king of Sodom said to Abram,“Give me the people and take the
possessions for yourself.”
22 But Abram replied to the king of Sodom,“I raise my hand to the LORD, the
Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth, and vow
23 that I will take nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of
a sandal. That way you can never say,‘It is I who made Abram rich.’
24 I will take nothing except compensation for what the young men have eaten. As
for the share of the men who went with me– Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre– let them
take their share.”

Chapter 15

1 The Cutting of the Covenant After these things the LORD’s message came to
Abram in a vision:“Fear not, Abram! I am your shield and the one who will
reward you in great abundance.”
2 But Abram said,“O Sovereign LORD, what will you give me since I continue to
be childless, and my heir is Eliezer of Damascus?”
3 Abram added,“Since you have not given me a descendant, then look, one born
in my house will be my heir!”
4 But look, the LORD’s message came to him:“This man will not be your heir,
but instead a son who comes from your own body will be your heir.”
5 The LORD took him outside and said,“Gaze into the sky and count the stars–
if you are able to count them!” Then he said to him,“So will your
descendants be.”
6 Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD credited it as righteousness to him.
7 The LORD said to him,“I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the
Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”
8 But Abram said,“O Sovereign LORD, by what can I know that I am to possess
it?”
9 The LORD said to him,“Take for me a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three
years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.”
10 So Abram took all these for him and then cut them in two and placed each half
opposite the other, but he did not cut the birds in half.
11 When birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
12 When the sun went down, Abram fell sound asleep, and great terror overwhelmed
him.
13 Then the LORD said to Abram,“Know for certain that your descendants will be
strangers in a foreign country. They will be enslaved and oppressed for four
hundred years.
14 But I will execute judgment on the nation that they will serve. Afterward
they will come out with many possessions.
15 But as for you, you will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a
good old age.
16 In the fourth generation your descendants will return here, for the sin of
the Amorites has not yet reached its limit.”
17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking firepot with a flaming
torch passed between the animal parts.
18 That day the LORD made a covenant with Abram:“To your descendants I give
this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates River–
19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites,
20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites,
21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.”

Chapter 16

1 The Birth of Ishmael Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not given birth to any
children, but she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar.
2 So Sarai said to Abram,“Since the LORD has prevented me from having
children, please sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have a family by her.”
Abram did what Sarai told him.
3 So after Abram had lived in Canaan for ten years, Sarai, Abram’s wife, gave
Hagar, her Egyptian servant, to her husband to be his wife.
4 He slept with Hagar, and she became pregnant. Once Hagar realized she was
pregnant, she despised Sarai.
5 Then Sarai said to Abram,“You have brought this wrong on me! I gave my
servant into your embrace, but when she realized that she was pregnant, she
despised me. May the LORD judge between you and me!”
6 Abram said to Sarai,“Since your servant is under your authority, do to her
whatever you think best.” Then Sarai treated Hagar harshly, so she ran away
from Sarai.
7 The LORD’s angel found Hagar near a spring of water in the wilderness– the
spring that is along the road to Shur.
8 He said,“Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are
you going?” She replied,“I’m running away from my mistress, Sarai.”
9 Then the LORD’s angel said to her,“Return to your mistress and submit to
her authority.
10 I will greatly multiply your descendants,” the LORD’s angel added,“so
that they will be too numerous to count.”
11 Then the LORD’s angel said to her,“You are now pregnant and are about to
give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard your
painful groans.
12 He will be a wild donkey of a man. He will be hostile to everyone, and
everyone will be hostile to him. He will live away from his brothers.”
13 So Hagar named the LORD who spoke to her,“You are the God who sees me,”
for she said,“Here I have seen one who sees me!”
14 That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi.(It is located between Kadesh
and Bered.)
15 So Hagar gave birth to Abram’s son, whom Abram named Ishmael.
16 (Now Abram was 86 years old when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.)

Chapter 17

1 The Sign of the Covenant When Abram was 99 years old, the LORD appeared to him
and said,“I am the Sovereign God. Walk before me and be blameless.
2 Then I will confirm my covenant between me and you, and I will give you a
multitude of descendants.”
3 Abram bowed down with his face to the ground, and God said to him,
4 “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of a
multitude of nations.
5 No longer will your name be Abram. Instead, your name will be Abraham because
I will make you the father of a multitude of nations.
6 I will make you extremely fruitful. I will make nations of you, and kings will
descend from you.
7 I will confirm my covenant as a perpetual covenant between me and you. It will
extend to your descendants after you throughout their generations. I will be
your God and the God of your descendants after you.
8 I will give the whole land of Canaan– the land where you are now residing–
to you and your descendants after you as a permanent possession. I will be their
God.”
9 Then God said to Abraham,“As for you, you must keep the covenantal
requirement I am imposing on you and your descendants after you throughout their
generations.
10 This is my requirement that you and your descendants after you must keep:
Every male among you must be circumcised.
11 You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskins. This will be a reminder of
the covenant between me and you.
12 Throughout your generations every male among you who is eight days old must
be circumcised, whether born in your house or bought with money from any
foreigner who is not one of your descendants.
13 They must indeed be circumcised, whether born in your house or bought with
money. The sign of my covenant will be visible in your flesh as a permanent
reminder.
14 Any uncircumcised male who has not been circumcised in the flesh of his
foreskin will be cut off from his people– he has failed to carry out my
requirement.”
15 Then God said to Abraham,“As for your wife, you must no longer call her
Sarai; Sarah will be her name.
16 I will bless her and will give you a son through her. I will bless her and
she will become a mother of nations. Kings of countries will come from her!”
17 Then Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground and laughed as he said to
himself,“Can a son be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah bear
a child at the age of ninety?”
18 Abraham said to God,“O that Ishmael might live before you!”
19 God said,“No, Sarah your wife is going to bear you a son, and you will name
him Isaac. I will confirm my covenant with him as a perpetual covenant for his
descendants after him.
20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will indeed bless him, make him fruitful,
and give him a multitude of descendants. He will become the father of twelve
princes; I will make him into a great nation.
21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at
this set time next year.”
22 When he finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.
23 Abraham took his son Ishmael and every male in his household(whether born in
his house or bought with money) and circumcised them on that very same day, just
as God had told him to do.
24 Now Abraham was 99 years old when he was circumcised;
25 his son Ishmael was thirteen years old when he was circumcised.
26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on the very same day.
27 All the men of his household, whether born in his household or bought with
money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

Chapter 18

1 Three Special Visitors The LORD appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre while
he was sitting at the entrance to his tent during the hottest time of the day.
2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing across from him. When he saw them
he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.
3 He said,“My lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by and
leave your servant.
4 Let a little water be brought so that you may all wash your feet and rest
under the tree.
5 And let me get a bit of food so that you may refresh yourselves since you have
passed by your servant’s home. After that you may be on your way.”“All
right,” they replied,“you may do as you say.”
6 So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah,“Quick! Take three
measures of fine flour, knead it, and make bread.”
7 Then Abraham ran to the herd and chose a fine, tender calf, and gave it to a
servant, who quickly prepared it.
8 Abraham then took some curds and milk, along with the calf that had been
prepared, and placed the food before them. They ate while he was standing near
them under a tree.
9 Then they asked him,“Where is Sarah your wife?” He replied,“There, in
the tent.”
10 One of them said,“I will surely return to you when the season comes round
again, and your wife Sarah will have a son!”(Now Sarah was listening at the
entrance to the tent, not far behind him.
11 Abraham and Sarah were old and advancing in years; Sarah had long since
passed menopause.)
12 So Sarah laughed to herself, thinking,“After I am worn out will I have
pleasure, especially when my husband is old too?”
13 The LORD said to Abraham,“Why did Sarah laugh and say,‘Will I really have
a child when I am old?’
14 Is anything impossible for the LORD? I will return to you when the season
comes round again and Sarah will have a son.”
15 Then Sarah lied, saying,“I did not laugh,” because she was afraid. But
the LORD said,“No! You did laugh.”
16 Abraham Pleads for Sodom When the men got up to leave, they looked out over
Sodom.(Now Abraham was walking with them to see them on their way.)
17 Then the LORD said,“Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?
18 After all, Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all
the nations on the earth may receive blessing through him.
19 I have chosen him so that he may command his children and his household after
him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just. Then the LORD
will give to Abraham what he promised him.”
20 So the LORD said,“The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and
their sin so blatant
21 that I must go down and see if they are as wicked as the outcry suggests. If
not, I want to know.”
22 The two men turned and headed toward Sodom, but Abraham was still standing
before the LORD.
23 Abraham approached and said,“Will you really sweep away the godly along
with the wicked?
24 What if there are fifty godly people in the city? Will you really wipe it out
and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty godly people who are in it?
25 Far be it from you to do such a thing– to kill the godly with the wicked,
treating the godly and the wicked alike! Far be it from you! Will not the judge
of the whole earth do what is right?”
26 So the LORD replied,“If I find in the city of Sodom fifty godly people, I
will spare the whole place for their sake.”
27 Then Abraham asked,“Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord(although I
am but dust and ashes),
28 what if there are five less than the fifty godly people? Will you destroy the
whole city because five are lacking?” He replied,“I will not destroy it if I
find forty-five there.”
29 Abraham spoke to him again,“What if forty are found there?” He
replied,“I will not do it for the sake of the forty.”
30 Then Abraham said,“May the Lord not be angry so that I may speak! What if
thirty are found there?” He replied,“I will not do it if I find thirty
there.”
31 Abraham said,“Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, what if only
twenty are found there?” He replied,“I will not destroy it for the sake of
the twenty.”
32 Finally Abraham said,“May the Lord not be angry so that I may speak just
once more. What if ten are found there?” He replied,“I will not destroy it
for the sake of the ten.”
33 The LORD went on his way when he had finished speaking to Abraham. Then
Abraham returned home.

Chapter 19

1 The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah The two angels came to Sodom in the
evening while Lot was sitting in the city’s gateway. When Lot saw them, he got
up to meet them and bowed down with his face toward the ground.
2 He said,“Here, my lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house. Stay
the night and wash your feet. Then you can be on your way early in the
morning.”“No,” they replied,“we’ll spend the night in the town
square.”
3 But he urged them persistently, so they turned aside with him and entered his
house. He prepared a feast for them, including bread baked without yeast, and
they ate.
4 Before they could lie down to sleep, all the men– both young and old, from
every part of the city of Sodom– surrounded the house.
5 They shouted to Lot,“Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them
out to us so we can take carnal knowledge of them!”
6 Lot went outside to them, shutting the door behind him.
7 He said,“No, my brothers! Don’t act so wickedly!
8 Look, I have two daughters who have never been intimate with a man. Let me
bring them out to you, and you can do to them whatever you please. Only don’t
do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.”
9 “Out of our way!” they cried, and“This man came to live here as a
foreigner, and now he dares to judge us! We’ll do more harm to you than to
them!” They kept pressing in on Lot until they were close enough to break down
the door.
10 So the men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house as they shut
the door.
11 Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, from the youngest
to the oldest, with blindness. The men outside wore themselves out trying to
find the door.
12 Then the two visitors said to Lot,“Who else do you have here? Do you have
any sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or other relatives in the city? Get them out
of this place
13 because we are about to destroy it. The outcry against this place is so great
before the LORD that he has sent us to destroy it.”
14 Then Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law who were going to marry his
daughters. He said,“Quick, get out of this place because the LORD is about to
destroy the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was ridiculing them.
15 At dawn the angels hurried Lot along, saying,“Get going! Take your wife and
your two daughters who are here, or else you will be destroyed when the city is
judged!”
16 When Lot hesitated, the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and
two daughters because the LORD had compassion on them. They led them away and
placed them outside the city.
17 When they had brought them outside, they said,“Run for your lives! Don’t
look behind you or stop anywhere in the valley! Escape to the mountains or you
will be destroyed!”
18 But Lot said to them,“No, please, Lord!
19 Your servant has found favor with you, and you have shown me great kindness
by sparing my life. But I am not able to escape to the mountains because this
disaster will overtake me and I’ll die.
20 Look, this town over here is close enough to escape to, and it’s just a
little one. Let me go there. It’s just a little place, isn’t it? Then I’ll
survive.”
21 “Very well,” he replied,“I will grant this request too and will not
overthrow the town you mentioned.
22 Run there quickly, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.”(This
incident explains why the town was called Zoar.)
23 The sun had just risen over the land as Lot reached Zoar.
24 Then the LORD rained down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah. It was sent
down from the sky by the LORD.
25 So he overthrew those cities and all that region, including all the
inhabitants of the cities and the vegetation that grew from the ground.
26 But Lot’s wife looked back longingly and was turned into a pillar of salt.
27 Abraham got up early in the morning and went to the place where he had stood
before the LORD.
28 He looked out toward Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of that region. As
he did so, he saw the smoke rising up from the land like smoke from a furnace.
29 So when God destroyed the cities of the region, God honored Abraham’s
request. He removed Lot from the midst of the destruction when he destroyed the
cities Lot had lived in.
30 Lot went up from Zoar with his two daughters and settled in the mountains
because he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he lived in a cave with his two
daughters.
31 Later the older daughter said to the younger,“Our father is old, and there
is no man in the country to sleep with us, the way everyone does.
32 Come, let’s make our father drunk with wine so we can go to bed with him
and preserve our family line through our father.”
33 So that night they made their father drunk with wine, and the older daughter
came in and went to bed with her father. But he was not aware of when she lay
down with him or when she got up.
34 So in the morning the older daughter said to the younger,“Since I went to
bed with my father last night, let’s make him drunk again tonight. Then you go
in and go to bed with him so we can preserve our family line through our
father.”
35 So they made their father drunk that night as well, and the younger one came
and went to bed with him. But he was not aware of when she lay down with him or
when she got up.
36 In this way both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father.
37 The older daughter gave birth to a son and named him Moab. He is the ancestor
of the Moabites of today.
38 The younger daughter also gave birth to a son and named him Ben Ammi. He is
the ancestor of the Ammonites of today.

Chapter 20

1 Abraham and Abimelech Abraham journeyed from there to the Negev region and
settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he lived as a temporary resident in
Gerar,
2 Abraham said about his wife Sarah,“She is my sister.” So Abimelech, king
of Gerar, sent for Sarah and took her.
3 But God appeared to Abimelech in a dream at night and said to him,“You are
as good as dead because of the woman you have taken, for she is someone else’s
wife.”
4 Now Abimelech had not gone near her. He said,“Lord, would you really
slaughter an innocent nation?
5 Did Abraham not say to me,‘She is my sister’? And she herself said,‘He
is my brother.’ I have done this with a clear conscience and with innocent
hands!”
6 Then in the dream God replied to him,“Yes, I know that you have done this
with a clear conscience. That is why I have kept you from sinning against me and
why I did not allow you to touch her.
7 But now give back the man’s wife. Indeed he is a prophet and he will pray
for you; thus you will live. But if you don’t give her back, know that you
will surely die along with all who belong to you.”
8 Early in the morning Abimelech summoned all his servants. When he told them
about all these things, they were terrified.
9 Abimelech summoned Abraham and said to him,“What have you done to us? What
sin did I commit against you that would cause you to bring such great guilt on
me and my kingdom? You have done things to me that should not be done!”
10 Then Abimelech asked Abraham,“What prompted you to do this thing?”
11 Abraham replied,“Because I thought,‘Surely no one fears God in this
place. They will kill me because of my wife.’
12 What’s more, she is indeed my sister, my father’s daughter, but not my
mother’s daughter. She became my wife.
13 When God made me wander from my father’s house, I told her,‘This is what
you can do to show your loyalty to me: Every place we go, say about me,“He is
my brother.”’”
14 So Abimelech gave sheep, cattle, and male and female servants to Abraham. He
also gave his wife Sarah back to him.
15 Then Abimelech said,“Look, my land is before you; live wherever you
please.”
16 To Sarah he said,“Look, I have given a thousand pieces of silver to
your‘brother.’ This is compensation for you so that you will stand
vindicated before all who are with you.”
17 Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, as well as his wife and
female slaves so that they were able to have children.
18 For the LORD had caused infertility to strike every woman in the household of
Abimelech because he took Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

Chapter 21

1 The Birth of Isaac The LORD visited Sarah just as he had said he would and did
for Sarah what he had promised.
2 So Sarah became pregnant and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the
appointed time that God had told him.
3 Abraham named his son– whom Sarah bore to him– Isaac.
4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him just as God had
commanded him to do.
5 (Now Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.)
6 Sarah said,“God has made me laugh. Everyone who hears about this will laugh
with me.”
7 She went on to say,“Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse
children? Yet I have given birth to a son for him in his old age!”
8 The child grew and was weaned. Abraham prepared a great feast on the day that
Isaac was weaned.
9 But Sarah noticed the son of Hagar the Egyptian– the son whom Hagar had
borne to Abraham– mocking.
10 So she said to Abraham,“Banish that slave woman and her son, for the son of
that slave woman will not be an heir along with my son Isaac!”
11 Sarah’s demand displeased Abraham greatly because Ishmael was his son.
12 But God said to Abraham,“Do not be upset about the boy or your slave wife.
Do all that Sarah is telling you because through Isaac your descendants will be
counted.
13 But I will also make the son of the slave wife into a great nation, for he is
your descendant too.”
14 Early in the morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them
to Hagar. He put them on her shoulders, gave her the child, and sent her away.
So she went wandering aimlessly through the wilderness of Beer Sheba.
15 When the water in the skin was gone, she shoved the child under one of the
shrubs.
16 Then she went and sat down by herself across from him at quite a distance,
about a bowshot, away; for she thought,“I refuse to watch the child die.” So
she sat across from him and wept uncontrollably.
17 But God heard the boy’s voice. The angel of God called to Hagar from heaven
and asked her,“What is the matter, Hagar? Don’t be afraid, for God has heard
the boy’s voice right where he is crying.
18 Get up! Help the boy up and hold him by the hand, for I will make him into a
great nation.”
19 Then God enabled Hagar to see a well of water. She went over and filled the
skin with water, and then gave the boy a drink.
20 God was with the boy as he grew. He lived in the wilderness and became an
archer.
21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran. His mother found a wife for him from the
land of Egypt.
22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to
Abraham,“God is with you in all that you do.
23 Now swear to me right here in God’s name that you will not deceive me, my
children, or my descendants. Show me, and the land where you are staying, the
same loyalty that I have shown you.”
24 Abraham said,“I swear to do this.”
25 But Abraham lodged a complaint against Abimelech concerning a well that
Abimelech’s servants had seized.
26 “I do not know who has done this thing,” Abimelech replied.“Moreover,
you did not tell me. I did not hear about it until today.”
27 Abraham took some sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech. The two of
them made a treaty.
28 Then Abraham set seven ewe lambs apart from the flock by themselves.
29 Abimelech asked Abraham,“What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs that
you have set apart?”
30 He replied,“You must take these seven ewe lambs from my hand as legal proof
that I dug this well.”
31 That is why he named that place Beer Sheba, because the two of them swore an
oath there.
32 So they made a treaty at Beer Sheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol, the commander
of his army, returned to the land of the Philistines.
33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beer Sheba. There he worshiped the LORD,
the eternal God.
34 So Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for quite some time.

Chapter 22

1 The Sacrifice of Isaac Some time after these things God tested Abraham. He
said to him,“Abraham!”“Here I am!” Abraham replied.
2 God said,“Take your son– your only son, whom you love, Isaac– and go to
the land of Moriah! Offer him up there as a burnt offering on one of the
mountains which I will indicate to you.”
3 Early in the morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took two of his
young servants with him, along with his son Isaac. When he had cut the wood for
the burnt offering, he started out for the place God had spoken to him about.
4 On the third day Abraham caught sight of the place in the distance.
5 So he said to his servants,“You two stay here with the donkey while the boy
and I go up there. We will worship and then return to you.”
6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and put it on his son Isaac. Then
he took the fire and the knife in his hand, and the two of them walked on
together.
7 Isaac said to his father Abraham,“My father?”“What is it, my son?” he
replied.“Here is the fire and the wood,” Isaac said,“but where is the lamb
for the burnt offering?”
8 “God will provide for himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son,”
Abraham replied. The two of them continued on together.
9 When they came to the place God had told him about, Abraham built the altar
there and arranged the wood on it. Next he tied up his son Isaac and placed him
on the altar on top of the wood.
10 Then Abraham reached out his hand, took the knife, and prepared to slaughter
his son.
11 But the LORD’s angel called to him from heaven,“Abraham!
Abraham!”“Here I am!” he answered.
12 “Do not harm the boy!” the angel said.“Do not do anything to him, for
now I know that you fear God because you did not withhold your son, your only
son, from me.”
13 Abraham looked up and saw behind him a ram caught in the bushes by its horns.
So he went over and got the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of
his son.
14 And Abraham called the name of that place“The LORD provides.” It is said
to this day,“In the mountain of the LORD provision will be made.”
15 The LORD’s angel called to Abraham a second time from heaven
16 and said,“‘I solemnly swear by my own name,’ decrees the LORD,‘that
because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,
17 I will indeed bless you, and I will greatly multiply your descendants so that
they will be as countless as the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the
seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the strongholds of their
enemies.
18 Because you have obeyed me, all the nations of the earth will pronounce
blessings on one another using the name of your descendants.’”
19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set out together for Beer
Sheba where Abraham stayed.
20 After these things Abraham was told,“Milcah also has borne children to your
brother Nahor–
21 Uz the firstborn, his brother Buz, Kemuel(the father of Aram),
22 Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.”
23 (Now Bethuel became the father of Rebekah.) These were the eight sons Milcah
bore to Abraham’s brother Nahor.
24 His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore him children– Tebah, Gaham,
Tahash, and Maacah.

Chapter 23

1 The Death of Sarah Sarah lived 127 years.
2 Then she died in Kiriath Arba(that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham
went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.
3 Then Abraham got up from mourning his dead wife and said to the sons of Heth,
4 “I am a foreign resident, a temporary settler, among you. Grant me ownership
of a burial site among you so that I may bury my dead.”
5 The sons of Heth answered Abraham,
6 “Listen, sir, you are a mighty prince among us! You may bury your dead in
the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb to prevent you
from burying your dead.”
7 Abraham got up and bowed down to the local people, the sons of Heth.
8 Then he said to them,“If you agree that I may bury my dead, then hear me
out. Ask Ephron the son of Zohar
9 if he will sell me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him; it is at the end
of his field. Let him sell it to me publicly for the full price, so that I may
own it as a burial site.”
10 (Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth.) Ephron the Hittite replied
to Abraham in the hearing of the sons of Heth– before all who entered the gate
of his city–
11 “No, my lord! Hear me out. I sell you both the field and the cave that is
in it. In the presence of my people I sell it to you. Bury your dead.”
12 Abraham bowed before the local people
13 and said to Ephron in their hearing,“Hear me, if you will. I pay to you the
price of the field. Take it from me so that I may bury my dead there.”
14 Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him,
15 “Hear me, my lord. The land is worth 400 pieces of silver, but what is that
between me and you? So bury your dead.”
16 So Abraham agreed to Ephron’s price and weighed out for him the price that
Ephron had quoted in the hearing of the sons of Heth– 400 pieces of silver,
according to the standard measurement at the time.
17 So Abraham secured Ephron’s field in Machpelah, next to Mamre, including
the field, the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were in the field and
all around its border,
18 as his property in the presence of the sons of Heth before all who entered
the gate of Ephron’s city.
19 After this Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of
Machpelah next to Mamre(that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.
20 So Abraham secured the field and the cave that was in it as a burial site
from the sons of Heth.

Chapter 24

1 The Wife for Isaac Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years, and the LORD
had blessed him in everything.
2 Abraham said to his servant, the senior one in his household who was in charge
of everything he had,“Put your hand under my thigh
3 so that I may make you solemnly promise by the LORD, the God of heaven and the
God of the earth: You must not acquire a wife for my son from the daughters of
the Canaanites, among whom I am living.
4 You must go instead to my country and to my relatives to find a wife for my
son Isaac.”
5 The servant asked him,“What if the woman is not willing to come back with me
to this land? Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?”
6 “Be careful never to take my son back there!” Abraham told him.
7 “The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and the
land of my relatives, promised me with a solemn oath,‘To your descendants I
will give this land.’ He will send his angel before you so that you may find a
wife for my son from there.
8 But if the woman is not willing to come back with you, you will be free from
this oath of mine. But you must not take my son back there!”
9 So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and gave
his solemn promise he would carry out his wishes.
10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed with all
kinds of gifts from his master at his disposal. He journeyed to the region of
Aram Naharaim and the city of Nahor.
11 He made the camels kneel down by the well outside the city. It was evening,
the time when the women would go out to draw water.
12 He prayed,“O LORD, God of my master Abraham, guide me today. Be faithful to
my master Abraham.
13 Here I am, standing by the spring, and the daughters of the people who live
in the town are coming out to draw water.
14 I will say to a young woman,‘Please lower your jar so I may drink.’ May
the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac reply,‘Drink, and I’ll give
your camels water too.’ In this way I will know that you have been faithful to
my master.”
15 Before he had finished praying, there came Rebekah with her water jug on her
shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah(Milcah was the wife of
Abraham’s brother Nahor).
16 Now the young woman was very beautiful. She was a virgin; no man had ever
been physically intimate with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jug,
and came back up.
17 Abraham’s servant ran to meet her and said,“Please give me a sip of water
from your jug.”
18 “Drink, my lord,” she replied, and quickly lowering her jug to her hands,
she gave him a drink.
19 When she had done so, she said,“I’ll draw water for your camels too,
until they have drunk as much as they want.”
20 She quickly emptied her jug into the watering trough and ran back to the well
to draw more water until she had drawn enough for all his camels.
21 Silently the man watched her with interest to determine if the LORD had made
his journey successful or not.
22 After the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring
weighing a beka and two gold wrist bracelets weighing ten shekels and gave them
to her.
23 “Whose daughter are you?” he asked.“Tell me, is there room in your
father’s house for us to spend the night?”
24 She said to him,“I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom
Milcah bore to Nahor.
25 We have plenty of straw and feed,” she added,“and room for you to spend
the night.”
26 The man bowed his head and worshiped the LORD,
27 saying“Praised be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not
abandoned his faithful love for my master! The LORD has led me to the house of
my master’s relatives!”
28 The young woman ran and told her mother’s household all about these things.
29 (Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban.) Laban rushed out to meet the man at
the spring.
30 When he saw the bracelets on his sister’s wrists and the nose ring and
heard his sister Rebekah say,“This is what the man said to me,” he went out
to meet the man. There he was, standing by the camels near the spring.
31 Laban said to him,“Come, you who are blessed by the LORD! Why are you
standing out here when I have prepared the house and a place for the camels?”
32 So Abraham’s servant went to the house and unloaded the camels. Straw and
feed were given to the camels, and water was provided so that he and the men who
were with him could wash their feet.
33 When food was served, he said,“I will not eat until I have said what I want
to say.”“Tell us,” Laban said.
34 “I am the servant of Abraham,” he began.
35 “The LORD has richly blessed my master and he has become very wealthy. The
Lord has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants,
and camels and donkeys.
36 My master’s wife Sarah bore a son to him when she was old, and my master
has given him everything he owns.
37 My master made me swear an oath. He said,‘You must not acquire a wife for
my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living,
38 but you must go to the family of my father and to my relatives to find a wife
for my son.’
39 But I said to my master,‘What if the woman does not want to go with me?’
40 He answered,‘The LORD, before whom I have walked, will send his angel with
you. He will make your journey a success and you will find a wife for my son
from among my relatives, from my father’s family.
41 You will be free from your oath if you go to my relatives and they will not
give her to you. Then you will be free from your oath.’
42 When I came to the spring today, I prayed,‘O LORD, God of my master
Abraham, if you have decided to make my journey successful, may events unfold as
follows:
43 Here I am, standing by the spring. When the young woman goes out to draw
water, I’ll say,“Please give me a little water to drink from your jug.”
44 Then she will reply to me,“Drink, and I’ll draw water for your camels
too.” May that woman be the one whom the LORD has chosen for my master’s
son.’
45 “Before I finished praying in my heart, along came Rebekah with her water
jug on her shoulder! She went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to
her,‘Please give me a drink.’
46 She quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and said,‘Drink, and I’ll
give your camels water too.’ So I drank, and she also gave the camels water.
47 Then I asked her,‘Whose daughter are you?’ She replied,‘The daughter of
Bethuel the son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to Nahor.’ I put the ring in her
nose and the bracelets on her wrists.
48 Then I bowed down and worshiped the LORD. I praised the LORD, the God of my
master Abraham, who had led me on the right path to find the granddaughter of my
master’s brother for his son.
49 Now, if you will show faithful love to my master, tell me. But if not, tell
me as well, so that I may go on my way.”
50 Then Laban and Bethuel replied,“This is the LORD’s doing. Our wishes are
of no concern.
51 Rebekah stands here before you. Take her and go so that she may become the
wife of your master’s son, just as the LORD has decided.”
52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground
before the LORD.
53 Then he brought out gold, silver jewelry, and clothing and gave them to
Rebekah. He also gave valuable gifts to her brother and to her mother.
54 After this, he and the men who were with him ate a meal and stayed there
overnight. When they got up in the morning, he said,“Let me leave now so I can
return to my master.”
55 But Rebekah’s brother and her mother replied,“Let the girl stay with us a
few more days, perhaps ten. Then she can go.”
56 But he said to them,“Don’t detain me– the LORD has granted me success
on my journey. Let me leave now so I may return to my master.”
57 Then they said,“We’ll call the girl and find out what she wants to do.”
58 So they called Rebekah and asked her,“Do you want to go with this man?”
She replied,“I want to go.”
59 So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, accompanied by her female
attendant, with Abraham’s servant and his men.
60 They blessed Rebekah with these words:“Our sister, may you become the
mother of thousands of ten thousands! May your descendants possess the
strongholds of their enemies.”
61 Then Rebekah and her female servants mounted the camels and rode away with
the man. So Abraham’s servant took Rebekah and left.
62 Now Isaac came from Beer Lahai Roi, for he was living in the Negev.
63 He went out to relax in the field in the early evening. Then he looked up and
saw that there were camels approaching.
64 Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel
65 and asked Abraham’s servant,“Who is that man walking in the field toward
us?”“That is my master,” the servant replied. So she took her veil and
covered herself.
66 The servant told Isaac everything that had happened.
67 Then Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother Sarah’s tent. He took her as his
wife and loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

Chapter 25

1 The Death of Abraham Abraham had taken another wife, named Keturah.
2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.
3 Jokshan became the father of Sheba and Dedan. The descendants of Dedan were
the Asshurites, Letushites, and Leummites.
4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these
were descendants of Keturah.
5 Everything he owned Abraham left to his son Isaac.
6 But while he was still alive, Abraham gave gifts to the sons of his concubines
and sent them off to the east, away from his son Isaac.
7 Abraham lived a total of 175 years.
8 Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man who had
lived a full life. He joined his ancestors.
9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in
the field of Ephron the son of Zohar, the Hittite.
10 This was the field Abraham had purchased from the sons of Heth. There Abraham
was buried with his wife Sarah.
11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac. Isaac lived near Beer
Lahai Roi.
12 The Sons of Ishmael This is the account of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom
Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s servant, bore to Abraham.
13 These are the names of Ishmael’s sons, by their names according to their
records: Nebaioth(Ishmael’s firstborn), Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,
14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa,
15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.
16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names by their settlements
and their camps– twelve princes according to their clans.
17 Ishmael lived a total of 137 years. He breathed his last and died; then he
joined his ancestors.
18 His descendants settled from Havilah to Shur, which runs next to Egypt all
the way to Asshur. They settled away from all their relatives.
19 Jacob and Esau This is the account of Isaac, the son of Abraham.Abraham
became the father of Isaac.
20 When Isaac was forty years old, he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel
the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean.
21 Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife because she was childless. The
LORD answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.
22 But the children struggled inside her, and she said,“Why is this happening
to me?” So she asked the LORD,
23 and the LORD said to her,“Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples
will be separated from within you. One people will be stronger than the other,
and the older will serve the younger.”
24 When the time came for Rebekah to give birth, there were twins in her womb.
25 The first came out reddish all over, like a hairy garment, so they named him
Esau.
26 When his brother came out with his hand clutching Esau’s heel, they named
him Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when they were born.
27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skilled hunter, a man of the open
fields, but Jacob was an even-tempered man, living in tents.
28 Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for fresh game, but Rebekah loved
Jacob.
29 Now Jacob cooked some stew, and when Esau came in from the open fields, he
was famished.
30 So Esau said to Jacob,“Feed me some of the red stuff– yes, this red
stuff– because I’m starving!”(That is why he was also called Edom.)
31 But Jacob replied,“First sell me your birthright.”
32 “Look,” said Esau,“I’m about to die! What use is the birthright to
me?”
33 But Jacob said,“Swear an oath to me now.” So Esau swore an oath to him
and sold his birthright to Jacob.
34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew; Esau ate and drank, then got
up and went out. So Esau despised his birthright.

Chapter 26

1 Isaac and Abimelech There was a famine in the land, subsequent to the earlier
famine that occurred in the days of Abraham. Isaac went to Abimelech king of the
Philistines at Gerar.
2 The LORD appeared to Isaac and said,“Do not go down to Egypt; settle down in
the land that I will point out to you.
3 Stay in this land. Then I will be with you and will bless you, for I will give
all these lands to you and to your descendants, and I will fulfill the solemn
promise I made to your father Abraham.
4 I will multiply your descendants so they will be as numerous as the stars in
the sky, and I will give them all these lands. All the nations of the earth will
pronounce blessings on one another using the name of your descendants.
5 All this will come to pass because Abraham obeyed me and kept my charge, my
commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”
6 So Isaac settled in Gerar.
7 When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he replied,“She is my
sister.” He was afraid to say,“She is my wife,” for he thought to
himself,“The men of this place will kill me to get Rebekah because she is very
beautiful.”
8 After Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines
happened to look out a window and observed Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah.
9 So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said,“She is really your wife! Why did you
say,‘She is my sister’?” Isaac replied,“Because I thought someone might
kill me to get her.”
10 Then Abimelech exclaimed,“What in the world have you done to us? One of the
men nearly took your wife to bed, and you would have brought guilt on us!”
11 So Abimelech commanded all the people,“Whoever touches this man or his wife
will surely be put to death.”
12 When Isaac planted in that land, he reaped in the same year a hundred times
what he had sown, because the LORD blessed him.
13 The man became wealthy. His influence continued to grow until he became very
prominent.
14 He had so many sheep and cattle and such a great household of servants that
the Philistines became jealous of him.
15 So the Philistines took dirt and filled up all the wells that his father’s
servants had dug back in the days of his father Abraham.
16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac,“Leave us and go elsewhere, for you have
become much more powerful than we are.”
17 So Isaac left there and settled in the Gerar Valley.
18 Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug back in the days of his father
Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up after Abraham died. Isaac gave
these wells the same names his father had given them.
19 When Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well with fresh
flowing water there,
20 the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying,“The water
belongs to us!” So Isaac named the well Esek because they argued with him
about it.
21 His servants dug another well, but they quarreled over it too, so Isaac named
it Sitnah.
22 Then he moved away from there and dug another well. They did not quarrel over
it, so Isaac named it Rehoboth, saying,“For now the LORD has made room for us,
and we will prosper in the land.”
23 From there Isaac went up to Beer Sheba.
24 The LORD appeared to him that night and said,“I am the God of your father
Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your
descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.”
25 Then Isaac built an altar there and worshiped the LORD. He pitched his tent
there, and his servants dug a well.
26 Now Abimelech had come to him from Gerar along with Ahuzzah his friend and
Phicol the commander of his army.
27 Isaac asked them,“Why have you come to me? You hate me and sent me away
from you.”
28 They replied,“We could plainly see that the LORD is with you. So we decided
there should be a pact between us– between us and you. Allow us to make a
treaty with you
29 so that you will not do us any harm, just as we have not harmed you, but have
always treated you well before sending you away in peace. Now you are blessed by
the LORD.”
30 So Isaac held a feast for them and they celebrated.
31 Early in the morning the men made a treaty with each other. Isaac sent them
off; they separated on good terms.
32 That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had
dug.“We’ve found water,” they reported.
33 So he named it Shibah; that is why the name of the city has been Beer Sheba
to this day.
34 When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith the daughter of Beeri the
Hittite, as well as Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite.
35 They caused Isaac and Rebekah great anxiety.

Chapter 27

1 Jacob Cheats Esau out of the Blessing When Isaac was old and his eyes were so
weak that he was almost blind, he called his older son Esau and said to
him,“My son!”“Here I am!” Esau replied.
2 Isaac said,“Since I am so old, I could die at any time.
3 Therefore, take your weapons– your quiver and your bow– and go out into
the open fields and hunt down some wild game for me.
4 Then prepare for me some tasty food, the kind I love, and bring it to me. Then
I will eat it so that I may bless you before I die.”
5 Now Rebekah had been listening while Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau
went out to the open fields to hunt down some wild game and bring it back,
6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob,“Look, I overheard your father tell your
brother Esau,
7 ‘Bring me some wild game and prepare for me some tasty food. Then I will eat
it and bless you in the presence of the LORD before I die.’
8 Now then, my son, do exactly what I tell you!
9 Go to the flock and get me two of the best young goats. I’ll prepare them in
a tasty way for your father, just the way he loves them.
10 Then you will take it to your father. Thus he will eat it and bless you
before he dies.”
11 “But Esau my brother is a hairy man,” Jacob protested to his mother
Rebekah,“and I have smooth skin!
12 My father may touch me! Then he’ll think I’m mocking him and I’ll bring
a curse on myself instead of a blessing.”
13 So his mother told him,“Any curse against you will fall on me, my son! Just
obey me! Go and get them for me!”
14 So he went and got the goats and brought them to his mother. She prepared
some tasty food, just the way his father loved it.
15 Then Rebekah took her older son Esau’s best clothes, which she had with her
in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob.
16 She put the skins of the young goats on his hands and the smooth part of his
neck.
17 Then she handed the tasty food and the bread she had made to her son Jacob.
18 He went to his father and said,“My father!” Isaac replied,“Here I am.
Which are you, my son?”
19 Jacob said to his father,“I am Esau, your firstborn. I’ve done as you
told me. Now sit up and eat some of my wild game so that you can bless me.”
20 But Isaac asked his son,“How in the world did you find it so quickly, my
son?”“Because the LORD your God brought it to me,” he replied.
21 Then Isaac said to Jacob,“Come closer so I can touch you, my son, and know
for certain if you really are my son Esau.”
22 So Jacob went over to his father Isaac, who felt him and said,“The voice is
Jacob’s, but the hands are Esau’s.”
23 He did not recognize him because his hands were hairy, like his brother
Esau’s hands. So Isaac blessed Jacob.
24 Then he asked,“Are you really my son Esau?”“I am,” Jacob replied.
25 Isaac said,“Bring some of the wild game for me to eat, my son. Then I will
bless you.” So Jacob brought it to him, and he ate it. He also brought him
wine, and Isaac drank.
26 Then his father Isaac said to him,“Come here and kiss me, my son.”
27 So Jacob went over and kissed him. When Isaac caught the scent of his
clothing, he blessed him, saying,“Yes, my son smells like the scent of an open
field which the LORD has blessed.
28 May God give you the dew of the sky and the richness of the earth, and plenty
of grain and new wine.
29 May peoples serve you and nations bow down to you. You will be lord over your
brothers, and the sons of your mother will bow down to you. May those who curse
you be cursed, and those who bless you be blessed.”
30 Isaac had just finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely left his
father’s presence, when his brother Esau returned from the hunt.
31 He also prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Esau said to
him,“My father, get up and eat some of your son’s wild game. Then you can
bless me.”
32 His father Isaac asked,“Who are you?”“I am your firstborn son,” he
replied,“Esau!”
33 Isaac began to shake violently and asked,“Then who else hunted game and
brought it to me? I ate all of it just before you arrived, and I blessed him. He
will indeed be blessed!”
34 When Esau heard his father’s words, he wailed loudly and bitterly. He said
to his father,“Bless me too, my father!”
35 But Isaac replied,“Your brother came in here deceitfully and took away your
blessing.”
36 Esau exclaimed,“‘Jacob is the right name for him! He has tripped me up
two times! He took away my birthright, and now, look, he has taken away my
blessing!” Then he asked,“Have you not kept back a blessing for me?”
37 Isaac replied to Esau,“Look! I have made him lord over you. I have made all
his relatives his servants and provided him with grain and new wine. What is
left that I can do for you, my son?”
38 Esau said to his father,“Do you have only that one blessing, my father?
Bless me too!” Then Esau wept loudly.
39 So his father Isaac said to him,“See here, your home will be by the
richness of the earth, and by the dew of the sky above.
40 You will live by your sword but you will serve your brother. When you grow
restless, you will tear off his yoke from your neck.”
41 So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing his father had given to his
brother. Esau said privately,“The time of mourning for my father is near; then
I will kill my brother Jacob!”
42 When Rebekah heard what her older son Esau had said, she quickly summoned her
younger son Jacob and told him,“Look, your brother Esau is planning to get
revenge by killing you.
43 Now then, my son, do what I say. Run away immediately to my brother Laban in
Haran.
44 Live with him for a little while until your brother’s rage subsides.
45 Stay there until your brother’s anger against you subsides and he forgets
what you did to him. Then I’ll send someone to bring you back from there. Why
should I lose both of you in one day?”
46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac,“I am deeply depressed because of the daughters
of Heth. If Jacob were to marry one of these daughters of Heth who live in this
land, I would want to die!”

Chapter 28

1 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Then he commanded him,“You must
not marry a Canaanite woman!
2 Leave immediately for Paddan Aram! Go to the house of Bethuel, your mother’s
father, and find yourself a wife there, among the daughters of Laban, your
mother’s brother.
3 May the Sovereign God bless you! May he make you fruitful and give you a
multitude of descendants! Then you will become a large nation.
4 May he give you and your descendants the blessing he gave to Abraham so that
you may possess the land God gave to Abraham, the land where you have been
living as a temporary resident.”
5 So Isaac sent Jacob on his way, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of
Bethuel the Aramean and brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.
6 Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him off to Paddan Aram to find
a wife there. As he blessed him, Isaac commanded him,“You must not marry a
Canaanite woman.”
7 Jacob obeyed his father and mother and left for Paddan Aram.
8 Then Esau realized that the Canaanite women were displeasing to his father
Isaac.
9 So Esau went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and
daughter of Abraham’s son Ishmael, along with the wives he already had.
10 Jacob’s Dream at Bethel Meanwhile Jacob left Beer Sheba and set out for
Haran.
11 He reached a certain place where he decided to camp because the sun had gone
down. He took one of the stones and placed it near his head. Then he fell asleep
in that place
12 and had a dream. He saw a stairway erected on the earth with its top reaching
to the heavens. The angels of God were going up and coming down it
13 and the LORD stood at its top. He said,“I am the LORD, the God of your
grandfather Abraham and the God of your father Isaac. I will give you and your
descendants the ground you are lying on.
14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out
to the west, east, north, and south. And so all the families of the earth may
receive blessings through you and through your descendants.
15 I am with you! I will protect you wherever you go and will bring you back to
this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you!”
16 Then Jacob woke up and thought,“Surely the LORD is in this place, but I did
not realize it!”
17 He was afraid and said,“What an awesome place this is! This is nothing else
than the house of God! This is the gate of heaven!”
18 Early in the morning Jacob took the stone he had placed near his head and set
it up as a sacred stone. Then he poured oil on top of it.
19 He called that place Bethel, although the former name of the town was Luz.
20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying,“If God is with me and protects me on this
journey I am taking and gives me food to eat and clothing to wear,
21 and I return safely to my father’s home, then the LORD will become my God.
22 Then this stone that I have set up as a sacred stone will be the house of
God, and I will surely give you back a tenth of everything you give me.”

Chapter 29

1 The Marriages of Jacob So Jacob moved on and came to the land of the eastern
people.
2 He saw in the field a well with three flocks of sheep lying beside it, because
the flocks were watered from that well. Now a large stone covered the mouth of
the well.
3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone
off the mouth of the well and water the sheep. Then they would put the stone
back in its place over the well’s mouth.
4 Jacob asked them,“My brothers, where are you from?” They
replied,“We’re from Haran.”
5 So he said to them,“Do you know Laban, the grandson of Nahor?”“We know
him,” they said.
6 “Is he well?” Jacob asked. They replied,“He is well. Now look, here
comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.”
7 Then Jacob said,“Since it is still the middle of the day, it is not time for
the flocks to be gathered. You should water the sheep and then go and let them
graze some more.”
8 “We can’t,” they said,“until all the flocks are gathered and the stone
is rolled off the mouth of the well. Then we water the sheep.”
9 While he was still speaking with them, Rachel arrived with her father’s
sheep, for she was tending them.
10 When Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his uncle Laban, and the sheep of his
uncle Laban, he went over and rolled the stone off the mouth of the well and
watered the sheep of his uncle Laban.
11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep loudly.
12 When Jacob explained to Rachel that he was a relative of her father and the
son of Rebekah, she ran and told her father.
13 When Laban heard this news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he rushed out to
meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Jacob
told Laban how he was related to him.
14 Then Laban said to him,“You are indeed my own flesh and blood.” So Jacob
stayed with him for a month.
15 Then Laban said to Jacob,“Should you work for me for nothing because you
are my relative? Tell me what your wages should be.”
16 (Now Laban had two daughters; the older one was named Leah, and the younger
one Rachel.
17 Leah’s eyes were tender, but Rachel had a lovely figure and beautiful
appearance.)
18 Since Jacob had fallen in love with Rachel, he said,“I’ll serve you seven
years in exchange for your younger daughter Rachel.”
19 Laban replied,“I’d rather give her to you than to another man. Stay with
me.”
20 So Jacob worked for seven years to acquire Rachel. But they seemed like only
a few days to him because his love for her was so great.
21 Finally Jacob said to Laban,“Give me my wife, for my time of service is up.
And I want to sleep with her.”
22 So Laban invited all the people of that place and prepared a feast.
23 In the evening he brought his daughter Leah to Jacob, and he slept with her.
24 (Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her
servant.)
25 In the morning Jacob discovered it was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban,“What
in the world have you done to me! Didn’t I work for you in exchange for
Rachel? Why have you tricked me?”
26 “It is not our custom here,” Laban replied,“to give the younger
daughter in marriage before the firstborn.
27 Complete my older daughter’s bridal week. Then we will give you the younger
one too, in exchange for seven more years of work.”
28 Jacob did as Laban said. When Jacob completed Leah’s bridal week, Laban
gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife.
29 (Laban gave his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her
servant.)
30 Jacob slept with Rachel as well. He also loved Rachel more than Leah. Then he
worked for Laban for seven more years.
31 The Family of Jacob When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, he enabled her
to become pregnant while Rachel remained childless.
32 So Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for
she said,“The LORD has looked with pity on my oppressed condition. Surely my
husband will love me now.”
33 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said,“Because the LORD
heard that I was unloved, he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon.
34 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said,“Now this time my
husband will show me affection, because I have given birth to three sons for
him.” That is why he was named Levi.
35 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said,“This time I will
praise the LORD.”That is why she named him Judah. Then she stopped having
children.

Chapter 30

1 When Rachel saw that she could not give Jacob children, she became jealous of
her sister. She said to Jacob,“Give me children or I’ll die!”
2 Jacob became furious with Rachel and exclaimed,“Am I in the place of God,
who has kept you from having children?”
3 She replied,“Here is my servant Bilhah! Sleep with her so that she can bear
children for me and I can have a family through her.”
4 So Rachel gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob slept with her.
5 Bilhah became pregnant and gave Jacob a son.
6 Then Rachel said,“God has vindicated me. He has responded to my prayer and
given me a son.” That is why she named him Dan.
7 Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, became pregnant again and gave Jacob another son.
8 Then Rachel said,“I have fought a desperate struggle with my sister, but I
have won.” So she named him Naphtali.
9 When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she gave her servant
Zilpah to Jacob as a wife.
10 Soon Leah’s servant Zilpah gave Jacob a son.
11 Leah said,“How fortunate!” So she named him Gad.
12 Then Leah’s servant Zilpah gave Jacob another son.
13 Leah said,“How happy I am, for women will call me happy!” So she named
him Asher.
14 At the time of the wheat harvest Reuben went out and found some mandrake
plants in a field and brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel said to
Leah,“Give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”
15 But Leah replied,“Wasn’t it enough that you’ve taken away my husband?
Would you take away my son’s mandrakes too?”“All right,” Rachel
said,“he may go to bed with you tonight in exchange for your son’s
mandrakes.”
16 When Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him
and said,“You must sleep with me because I have paid for your services with my
son’s mandrakes.” So he went to bed with her that night.
17 God paid attention to Leah; she became pregnant and gave Jacob a son for the
fifth time.
18 Then Leah said,“God has granted me a reward because I gave my servant to my
husband as a wife.” So she named him Issachar.
19 Leah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a son for the sixth time.
20 Then Leah said,“God has given me a good gift. Now my husband will honor me
because I have given him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.
21 After that she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.
22 Then God took note of Rachel. He paid attention to her and enabled her to
become pregnant.
23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. Then she said,“God has taken
away my shame.”
24 She named him Joseph, saying,“May the LORD give me yet another son.”
25 The Flocks of Jacob After Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to
Laban,“Send me on my way so that I can go home to my own country.
26 Let me take my wives and my children whom I have acquired by working for you.
Then I’ll depart, because you know how hard I’ve worked for you.”
27 But Laban said to him,“If I have found favor in your sight, please stay
here, for I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me on account
of you.”
28 He added,“Just name your wages– I’ll pay whatever you want.”
29 “You know how I have worked for you,” Jacob replied,“and how well your
livestock have fared under my care.
30 Indeed, you had little before I arrived, but now your possessions have
increased many times over. The LORD has blessed you wherever I worked. But now,
how long must it be before I do something for my own family too?”
31 So Laban asked,“What should I give you?”“You don’t need to give me a
thing,” Jacob replied,“but if you agree to this one condition, I will
continue to care for your flocks and protect them:
32 Let me walk among all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled
or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb, and the spotted or speckled goats.
These animals will be my wages.
33 My integrity will testify for me later on. When you come to verify that
I’ve taken only the wages we agreed on, if I have in my possession any goat
that is not speckled or spotted or any sheep that is not dark-colored, it will
be considered stolen.”
34 “Agreed!” said Laban,“It will be as you say.”
35 So that day Laban removed the male goats that were streaked or spotted, all
the female goats that were speckled or spotted(all that had any white on them),
and all the dark-colored lambs, and put them in the care of his sons.
36 Then he separated them from Jacob by a three-day journey, while Jacob was
taking care of the rest of Laban’s flocks.
37 But Jacob took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees. He
made white streaks by peeling them, making the white inner wood in the branches
visible.
38 Then he set up the peeled branches in all the watering troughs where the
flocks came to drink. He set up the branches in front of the flocks when they
were in heat and came to drink.
39 When the sheep mated in front of the branches, they gave birth to young that
were streaked or speckled or spotted.
40 Jacob removed these lambs, but he made the rest of the flock face the
streaked and completely dark-colored animals in Laban’s flock. So he made
separate flocks for himself and did not mix them with Laban’s flocks.
41 When the stronger females were in heat, Jacob would set up the branches in
the troughs in front of the flock, so they would mate near the branches.
42 But if the animals were weaker, he did not set the branches there. So the
weaker animals ended up belonging to Laban and the stronger animals to Jacob.
43 In this way Jacob became extremely prosperous. He owned large flocks, male
and female servants, camels, and donkeys.

Chapter 31

1 Jacob’s Flight from Laban Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were
complaining,“Jacob has taken everything that belonged to our father! He has
gotten rich at our father’s expense!”
2 When Jacob saw the look on Laban’s face, he could tell his attitude toward
him had changed.
3 The LORD said to Jacob,“Return to the land of your fathers and to your
relatives. I will be with you.”
4 So Jacob sent a message for Rachel and Leah to come to the field where his
flocks were.
5 There he said to them,“I can tell that your father’s attitude toward me
has changed, but the God of my father has been with me.
6 You know that I’ve worked for your father as hard as I could,
7 but your father has humiliated me and changed my wages ten times. But God has
not permitted him to do me any harm.
8 If he said,‘The speckled animals will be your wage,’ then the entire flock
gave birth to speckled offspring. But if he said,‘The streaked animals will be
your wage,’ then the entire flock gave birth to streaked offspring.
9 In this way God has snatched away your father’s livestock and given them to
me.
10 “Once during breeding season I saw in a dream that the male goats mating
with the flock were streaked, speckled, and spotted.
11 In the dream the angel of God said to me,‘Jacob!’‘Here I am!’ I
replied.
12 Then he said,‘Observe that all the male goats mating with the flock are
streaked, speckled, or spotted, for I have observed all that Laban has done to
you.
13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the sacred stone and made a vow to
me. Now leave this land immediately and return to your native land.’”
14 Then Rachel and Leah replied to him,“Do we still have any portion or
inheritance in our father’s house?
15 Hasn’t he treated us like foreigners? He not only sold us, but completely
wasted the money paid for us!
16 Surely all the wealth that God snatched away from our father belongs to us
and to our children. So now do everything God has told you.”
17 So Jacob immediately put his children and his wives on the camels.
18 He took away all the livestock he had acquired in Paddan Aram and all his
moveable property that he had accumulated. Then he set out toward the land of
Canaan to return to his father Isaac.
19 While Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole the household idols
that belonged to her father.
20 Jacob also deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was leaving.
21 He left with all he owned. He quickly crossed the Euphrates River and headed
for the hill country of Gilead.
22 Three days later Laban discovered Jacob had left.
23 So he took his relatives with him and pursued Jacob for seven days. He caught
up with him in the hill country of Gilead.
24 But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and warned him,“Be
careful that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.”
25 Laban overtook Jacob, and when Jacob pitched his tent in the hill country of
Gilead, Laban and his relatives set up camp there too.
26 “What have you done?” Laban demanded of Jacob.“You’ve deceived me and
carried away my daughters as if they were captives of war!
27 Why did you run away secretly and deceive me? Why didn’t you tell me so I
could send you off with a celebration complete with singing, tambourines, and
harps?
28 You didn’t even allow me to kiss my daughters and my grandchildren goodbye.
You have acted foolishly!
29 I have the power to do you harm, but the God of your father told me last
night,‘Be careful that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.’
30 Now I understand that you have gone away because you longed desperately for
your father’s house. Yet why did you steal my gods?”
31 “I left secretly because I was afraid!” Jacob replied to Laban.“I
thought you might take your daughters away from me by force.
32 Whoever has taken your gods will be put to death! In the presence of our
relatives identify whatever is yours and take it.”(Now Jacob did not know that
Rachel had stolen them.)
33 So Laban entered Jacob’s tent, and Leah’s tent, and the tent of the two
female servants, but he did not find the idols. Then he left Leah’s tent and
entered Rachel’s.
34 (Now Rachel had taken the idols and put them inside her camel’s saddle and
sat on them.) Laban searched the whole tent, but did not find them.
35 Rachel said to her father,“Don’t be angry, my lord. I cannot stand up in
your presence because I am having my period.” So he searched thoroughly, but
did not find the idols.
36 Jacob became angry and argued with Laban.“What did I do wrong?” he
demanded of Laban.“What sin of mine prompted you to chase after me in hot
pursuit?
37 When you searched through all my goods, did you find anything that belonged
to you? Set it here before my relatives and yours, and let them settle the
dispute between the two of us!
38 “I have been with you for the past twenty years. Your ewes and female goats
have not miscarried, nor have I eaten rams from your flocks.
39 Animals torn by wild beasts I never brought to you; I always absorbed the
loss myself. You always made me pay for every missing animal, whether it was
taken by day or at night.
40 I was consumed by scorching heat during the day and by piercing cold at
night, and I went without sleep.
41 This was my lot for twenty years in your house: I worked like a slave for
you– fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, but
you changed my wages ten times!
42 If the God of my father– the God of Abraham, the one whom Isaac fears–
had not been with me, you would certainly have sent me away empty-handed! But
God saw how I was oppressed and how hard I worked, and he rebuked you last
night.”
43 Laban replied to Jacob,“These women are my daughters, these children are my
grandchildren, and these flocks are my flocks. All that you see belongs to me.
But how can I harm these daughters of mine today or the children to whom they
have given birth?
44 So now, come, let’s make a formal agreement, you and I, and it will be
proof that we have made peace.”
45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a memorial pillar.
46 Then he said to his relatives,“Gather stones.” So they brought stones and
put them in a pile. They ate there by the pile of stones.
47 Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.
48 Laban said,“This pile of stones is a witness of our agreement today.”
That is why it was called Galeed.
49 It was also called Mizpah because he said,“May the LORD watch between us
when we are out of sight of one another.
50 If you mistreat my daughters or if you take wives besides my daughters,
although no one else is with us, realize that God is witness to your actions.”
51 “Here is this pile of stones and this pillar I have set up between me and
you,” Laban said to Jacob.
52 “This pile of stones and the pillar are reminders that I will not pass
beyond this pile to come to harm you and that you will not pass beyond this pile
and this pillar to come to harm me.
53 May the God of Abraham and the god of Nahor, the gods of their father, judge
between us.” Jacob took an oath by the God whom his father Isaac feared.
54 Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and invited his relatives to
eat the meal. They ate the meal and spent the night on the mountain.
55 (32:1) Early in the morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters
goodbye and blessed them. Then Laban left and returned home.

Chapter 32

1 Jacob Wrestles at Peniel So Jacob went on his way and the angels of God met
him.
2 When Jacob saw them, he exclaimed,“This is the camp of God!” So he named
that place Mahanaim.
3 Jacob sent messengers on ahead to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the
region of Edom.
4 He commanded them,“This is what you must say to my lord Esau:‘This is what
your servant Jacob says: I have been staying with Laban until now.
5 I have oxen, donkeys, sheep, and male and female servants. I have sent this
message to inform my lord, so that I may find favor in your sight.’”
6 The messengers returned to Jacob and said,“We went to your brother Esau. He
is coming to meet you and has four hundred men with him.”
7 Jacob was very afraid and upset. So he divided the people who were with him
into two camps, as well as the flocks, herds, and camels.
8 “If Esau attacks one camp,” he thought,“then the other camp will be able
to escape.”
9 Then Jacob prayed,“O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O
LORD, you said to me,‘Return to your land and to your relatives and I will
make you prosper.’
10 I am not worthy of all the faithful love you have shown your servant. With
only my walking stick I crossed the Jordan, but now I have become two camps.
11 Rescue me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will
come and attack me, as well as the mothers with their children.
12 But you said,‘I will certainly make you prosper and will make your
descendants like the sand on the seashore, too numerous to count.’”
13 Jacob stayed there that night. Then he sent as a gift to his brother Esau
14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty
rams,
15 thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty
female donkeys and ten male donkeys.
16 He entrusted them to his servants, who divided them into herds. He told his
servants,“Pass over before me, and keep some distance between one herd and the
next.”
17 He instructed the servant leading the first herd,“When my brother Esau
meets you and asks,‘To whom do you belong? Where are you going? Whose herds
are you driving?’
18 then you must say,‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They have been sent
as a gift to my lord Esau. In fact Jacob himself is behind us.’”
19 He also gave these instructions to the second and third servants, as well as
all those who were following the herds, saying,“You must say the same thing to
Esau when you meet him.
20 You must also say,‘In fact your servant Jacob is behind us.’” Jacob
thought,“I will first appease him by sending a gift ahead of me. After that I
will meet him. Perhaps he will accept me.”
21 So the gifts were sent on ahead of him while he spent that night in the camp.
22 During the night Jacob quickly took his two wives, his two female servants,
and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.
23 He took them and sent them across the stream along with all his possessions.
24 So Jacob was left alone. Then a man wrestled with him until daybreak.
25 When the man saw that he could not defeat Jacob, he struck the socket of his
hip so the socket of Jacob’s hip was dislocated while he wrestled with him.
26 Then the man said,“Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.”“I will not let
you go,” Jacob replied,“unless you bless me.”
27 The man asked him,“What is your name?” He answered,“Jacob.”
28 “No longer will your name be Jacob,” the man told him,“but Israel,
because you have fought with God and with men and have prevailed.”
29 Then Jacob asked,“Please tell me your name.”“Why do you ask my name?”
the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there.
30 So Jacob named the place Peniel, explaining,“Certainly I have seen God face
to face and have survived.”
31 The sun rose over him as he crossed over Penuel, but he was limping because
of his hip.
32 That is why to this day the Israelites do not eat the sinew which is attached
to the socket of the hip, because he struck the socket of Jacob’s hip near the
attached sinew.

Chapter 33

1 Jacob Meets Esau Jacob looked up and saw that Esau was coming along with four
hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two female
servants.
2 He put the servants and their children in front, with Leah and her children
behind them, and Rachel and Joseph behind them.
3 But Jacob himself went on ahead of them, and he bowed toward the ground seven
times as he approached his brother.
4 But Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, hugged his neck, and kissed him. Then
they both wept.
5 When Esau looked up and saw the women and the children, he asked,“Who are
these people with you?” Jacob replied,“The children whom God has graciously
given your servant.”
6 The female servants came forward with their children and bowed down.
7 Then Leah came forward with her children and they bowed down. Finally Joseph
and Rachel came forward and bowed down.
8 Esau then asked,“What did you intend by sending all these herds to meet
me?” Jacob replied,“To find favor in your sight, my lord.”
9 But Esau said,“I have plenty, my brother. Keep what belongs to you.”
10 “No, please take them,” Jacob said.“If I have found favor in your
sight, accept my gift from my hand. Now that I have seen your face and you have
accepted me, it is as if I have seen the face of God.
11 Please take my present that was brought to you, for God has been generous to
me and I have all I need.” When Jacob urged him, he took it.
12 Then Esau said,“Let’s be on our way! I will go in front of you.”
13 But Jacob said to him,“My lord knows that the children are young, and that
I have to look after the sheep and cattle that are nursing their young. If they
are driven too hard for even a single day, all the animals will die.
14 Let my lord go on ahead of his servant. I will travel more slowly, at the
pace of the herds and the children, until I come to my lord at Seir.”
15 So Esau said,“Let me leave some of my men with you.”“Why do that?”
Jacob replied.“My lord has already been kind enough to me.”
16 So that same day Esau made his way back to Seir.
17 But Jacob traveled to Succoth where he built himself a house and made
shelters for his livestock. That is why the place was called Succoth.
18 After he left Paddan Aram, Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem in the
land of Canaan, and he camped near the city.
19 Then he purchased the portion of the field where he had pitched his tent; he
bought it from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of
money.
20 There he set up an altar and called it“The God of Israel is God.”

Chapter 34

1 Dinah and the Shechemites Now Dinah, Leah’s daughter whom she bore to Jacob,
went to meet the young women of the land.
2 When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, who ruled that area, saw her, he grabbed
her, forced himself on her, and sexually assaulted her.
3 Then he became very attached to Dinah, Jacob’s daughter. He fell in love
with the young woman and spoke romantically to her.
4 Shechem said to his father Hamor,“Acquire this young girl as my wife.”
5 When Jacob heard that Shechem had violated his daughter Dinah, his sons were
with the livestock in the field. So Jacob remained silent until they came in.
6 Then Shechem’s father Hamor went to speak with Jacob about Dinah.
7 Now Jacob’s sons had come in from the field when they heard the news. They
were offended and very angry because Shechem had disgraced Israel by sexually
assaulting Jacob’s daughter, a crime that should not be committed.
8 But Hamor made this appeal to them:“My son Shechem is in love with your
daughter. Please give her to him as his wife.
9 Intermarry with us. Let us marry your daughters, and take our daughters as
wives for yourselves.
10 You may live among us, and the land will be open to you. Live in it, travel
freely in it, and acquire property in it.”
11 Then Shechem said to Dinah’s father and brothers,“Let me find favor in
your sight, and whatever you require of me I’ll give.
12 You can make the bride price and the gift I must bring very expensive, and
I’ll give whatever you ask of me. Just give me the young woman as my wife!”
13 Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully when they
spoke because Shechem had violated their sister Dinah.
14 They said to them,“We cannot give our sister to a man who is not
circumcised, for it would be a disgrace to us.
15 We will give you our consent on this one condition: You must become like us
by circumcising all your males.
16 Then we will give you our daughters to marry, and we will take your daughters
as wives for ourselves, and we will live among you and become one people.
17 But if you do not agree to our terms by being circumcised, then we will take
our sister and depart.”
18 Their offer pleased Hamor and his son Shechem.
19 The young man did not delay in doing what they asked because he wanted
Jacob’s daughter Dinah badly.(Now he was more important than anyone in his
father’s household.)
20 So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city and spoke to the
men of their city,
21 “These men are at peace with us. So let them live in the land and travel
freely in it, for the land is wide enough for them. We will take their daughters
for wives, and we will give them our daughters to marry.
22 Only on this one condition will these men consent to live with us and become
one people: They demand that every male among us be circumcised just as they are
circumcised.
23 If we do so, won’t their livestock, their property, and all their animals
become ours? So let’s consent to their demand, so they will live among us.”
24 All the men who assembled at the city gate agreed with Hamor and his son
Shechem. Every male who assembled at the city gate was circumcised.
25 In three days, when they were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon
and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword and went to the unsuspecting
city and slaughtered every male.
26 They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword, took Dinah from
Shechem’s house, and left.
27 Jacob’s sons killed them and looted the city because their sister had been
violated.
28 They took their flocks, herds, and donkeys, as well as everything in the city
and in the surrounding fields.
29 They captured as plunder all their wealth, all their little ones, and their
wives, including everything in the houses.
30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi,“You have brought ruin on me by making
me a foul odor among the inhabitants of the land– among the Canaanites and the
Perizzites. I am few in number; they will join forces against me and attack me,
and both I and my family will be destroyed!”
31 But Simeon and Levi replied,“Should he treat our sister like a common
prostitute?”

Chapter 35

1 The Return to Bethel Then God said to Jacob,“Go up at once to Bethel and
live there. Make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from
your brother Esau.”
2 So Jacob told his household and all who were with him,“Get rid of the
foreign gods you have among you. Purify yourselves and change your clothes.
3 Let us go up at once to Bethel. Then I will make an altar there to God, who
responded to me in my time of distress and has been with me wherever I went.”
4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their possession and the
rings that were in their ears. Jacob buried them under the oak near Shechem
5 and they started on their journey. The surrounding cities were afraid of God,
and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.
6 Jacob and all those who were with him arrived at Luz(that is, Bethel) in the
land of Canaan.
7 He built an altar there and named the place El Bethel because there God had
revealed himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother.
8 (Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel;
thus it was named Oak of Weeping.)
9 God appeared to Jacob again after he returned from Paddan Aram and blessed
him.
10 God said to him,“Your name is Jacob, but your name will no longer be called
Jacob; Israel will be your name.” So God named him Israel.
11 Then God said to him,“I am the Sovereign God. Be fruitful and multiply! A
nation– even a company of nations– will descend from you; kings will be
among your descendants!
12 The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you. To your descendants
I will also give this land.”
13 Then God went up from the place where he spoke with him.
14 So Jacob set up a sacred stone pillar in the place where God spoke with him.
He poured out a drink offering on it, and then he poured oil on it.
15 Jacob named the place where God spoke with him Bethel.
16 They traveled on from Bethel, and when Ephrath was still some distance away,
Rachel went into labor– and her labor was hard.
17 When her labor was at its hardest, the midwife said to her,“Don’t be
afraid, for you are having another son.”
18 With her dying breath, she named him Ben Oni. But his father called him
Benjamin instead.
19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath(that is, Bethlehem).
20 Jacob set up a marker over her grave; it is the Marker of Rachel’s Grave to
this day.
21 Then Israel traveled on and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder.
22 While Israel was living in that land, Reuben went to bed with Bilhah, his
father’s concubine, and Israel heard about it.Jacob had twelve sons:
23 The sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, as well as Simeon, Levi,
Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
24 The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
25 The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, were Dan and Naphtali.
26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant, were Gad and Asher.These were the sons
of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan Aram.
27 So Jacob came back to his father Isaac in Mamre, to Kiriath Arba(that is,
Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed.
28 Isaac lived to be 180 years old.
29 Then Isaac breathed his last and joined his ancestors. He died an old man who
had lived a full life. His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

Chapter 36

1 The Descendants of Esau What follows is the account of Esau(also known as
Edom).
2 Esau took his wives from the Canaanites: Adah the daughter of Elon the
Hittite, and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the
Hivite,
3 in addition to Basemath the daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.
4 Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath bore Reuel,
5 and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These were the sons of Esau who
were born to him in the land of Canaan.
6 Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, all the people in his household,
his livestock, his animals, and all his possessions which he had acquired in the
land of Canaan and went to a land some distance away from Jacob his brother
7 because they had too many possessions to be able to stay together and the land
where they had settled was not able to support them because of their livestock.
8 So Esau(also known as Edom) lived in the hill country of Seir.
9 This is the account of Esau, the father of the Edomites, in the hill country
of Seir.
10 These were the names of Esau’s sons:Eliphaz, the son of Esau’s wife Adah,
and Reuel, the son of Esau’s wife Basemath.
11 The sons of Eliphaz were:Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.
12 Timna, a concubine of Esau’s son Eliphaz, bore Amalek to Eliphaz. These
were the sons of Esau’s wife Adah.
13 These were the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were
the sons of Esau’s wife Basemath.
14 These were the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah the daughter of Anah and
granddaughter of Zibeon: She bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah to Esau.
15 These were the chiefs among the descendants of Esau, the sons of Eliphaz,
Esau’s firstborn: chief Teman, chief Omar, chief Zepho, chief Kenaz,
16 chief Korah, chief Gatam, chief Amalek. These were the chiefs descended from
Eliphaz in the land of Edom; these were the sons of Adah.
17 These were the sons of Esau’s son Reuel: chief Nahath, chief Zerah, chief
Shammah, chief Mizzah. These were the chiefs descended from Reuel in the land of
Edom; these were the sons of Esau’s wife Basemath.
18 These were the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah: chief Jeush, chief Jalam,
chief Korah. These were the chiefs descended from Esau’s wife Oholibamah, the
daughter of Anah.
19 These were the sons of Esau(also known as Edom), and these were their chiefs.
20 These were the sons of Seir the Horite, who were living in the land: Lotan,
Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,
21 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These were the chiefs of the Horites, the
descendants of Seir in the land of Edom.
22 The sons of Lotan were Hori and Homam; Lotan’s sister was Timna.
23 These were the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.
24 These were the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah(who discovered the hot springs
in the wilderness as he pastured the donkeys of his father Zibeon).
25 These were the children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah.
26 These were the sons of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Keran.
27 These were the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.
28 These were the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.
29 These were the chiefs of the Horites: chief Lotan, chief Shobal, chief
Zibeon, chief Anah,
30 chief Dishon, chief Ezer, chief Dishan. These were the chiefs of the Horites,
according to their chief lists in the land of Seir.
31 These were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king ruled
over the Israelites:
32 Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom; the name of his city was Dinhabah.
33 When Bela died, Jobab the son of Zerah from Bozrah reigned in his place.
34 When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites reigned in his place.
35 When Husham died, Hadad the son of Bedad, who defeated the Midianites in the
land of Moab, reigned in his place; the name of his city was Avith.
36 When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah reigned in his place.
37 When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth on the River reigned in his place.
38 When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place.
39 When Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor died, Hadad reigned in his place; the name
of his city was Pau. His wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred,
the daughter of Me-Zahab.
40 These were the names of the chiefs of Esau, according to their families,
according to their places, by their names: chief Timna, chief Alvah, chief
Jetheth,
41 chief Oholibamah, chief Elah, chief Pinon,
42 chief Kenaz, chief Teman, chief Mibzar,
43 chief Magdiel, chief Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom, according to their
settlements in the land they possessed. This was Esau, the father of the
Edomites.

Chapter 37

1 Joseph’s Dreams But Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, in
the land of Canaan.
2 This is the account of Jacob.Joseph, his seventeen-year-old son, was taking
care of the flocks with his brothers. Now he was a youngster working with the
sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. Joseph brought back a bad
report about them to their father.
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons because he was a son born to
him late in life, and he made a special tunic for him.
4 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of
them, they hated Joseph and were not able to speak to him kindly.
5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him
even more.
6 He said to them,“Listen to this dream I had:
7 There we were, binding sheaves of grain in the middle of the field. Suddenly
my sheaf rose up and stood upright and your sheaves surrounded my sheaf and
bowed down to it!”
8 Then his brothers asked him,“Do you really think you will rule over us or
have dominion over us?” They hated him even more because of his dream and
because of what he said.
9 Then he had another dream, and told it to his brothers.“Look,” he
said.“I had another dream. The sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing
down to me.”
10 When he told his father and his brothers, his father rebuked him,
saying,“What is this dream that you had? Will I, your mother, and your
brothers really come and bow down to you?”
11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept in mind what Joseph
said.
12 When his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem,
13 Israel said to Joseph,“Your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem.
Come, I will send you to them.”“I’m ready,” Joseph replied.
14 So Jacob said to him,“Go now and check on the welfare of your brothers and
of the flocks, and bring me word.” So Jacob sent him from the valley of
Hebron.
15 When Joseph reached Shechem, a man found him wandering in the field, so the
man asked him,“What are you looking for?”
16 He replied,“I’m looking for my brothers. Please tell me where they are
grazing their flocks.”
17 The man said,“They left this area, for I heard them say,‘Let’s go to
Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
18 Now Joseph’s brothers saw him from a distance, and before he reached them,
they plotted to kill him.
19 They said to one another,“Here comes this master of dreams!
20 Come now, let’s kill him, throw him into one of the cisterns, and then say
that a wild animal ate him. Then we’ll see how his dreams turn out!”
21 When Reuben heard this, he rescued Joseph from their hands, saying,“Let’s
not take his life!”
22 Reuben continued,“Don’t shed blood! Throw him into this cistern that is
here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.”(Reuben said this so he
could rescue Joseph from them and take him back to his father.)
23 When Joseph reached his brothers, they stripped him of his tunic, the special
tunic that he wore.
24 Then they took him and threw him into the cistern.(Now the cistern was empty;
there was no water in it.)
25 When they sat down to eat their food, they looked up and saw a caravan of
Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and
myrrh down to Egypt.
26 Then Judah said to his brothers,“What profit is there if we kill our
brother and cover up his blood?
27 Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let’s not lay a hand on him,
for after all, he is our brother, our own flesh.” His brothers agreed.
28 So when the Midianite merchants passed by, Joseph’s brothers pulled him out
of the cistern and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The
Ishmaelites then took Joseph to Egypt.
29 Later Reuben returned to the cistern to find that Joseph was not in it! He
tore his clothes,
30 returned to his brothers, and said,“The boy isn’t there! And I, where can
I go?”
31 So they took Joseph’s tunic, killed a young goat, and dipped the tunic in
the blood.
32 Then they brought the special tunic to their father and said,“We found
this. Determine now whether it is your son’s tunic or not.”
33 He recognized it and exclaimed,“It is my son’s tunic! A wild animal has
eaten him! Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!”
34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourned for his son many
days.
35 All his sons and daughters stood by him to console him, but he refused to be
consoled.“No,” he said,“I will go to the grave mourning my son.” So
Joseph’s father wept for him.
36 Now in Egypt the Midianites sold Joseph to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s
officials, the captain of the guard.

Chapter 38

1 Judah and Tamar At that time Judah left his brothers and stayed with an
Adullamite man named Hirah.
2 There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua. Judah acquired her
as a wife and slept with her.
3 She became pregnant and had a son. Judah named him Er.
4 She became pregnant again and had another son, whom she named Onan.
5 Then she had yet another son, whom she named Shelah. She gave birth to him in
Kezib.
6 Judah acquired a wife for Er his firstborn; her name was Tamar.
7 But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the LORD’s sight, so the LORD
killed him.
8 Then Judah said to Onan,“Sleep with your brother’s wife and fulfill the
duty of a brother-in-law to her so that you may raise up a descendant for your
brother.”
9 But Onan knew that the child would not be considered his. So whenever he slept
with his brother’s wife, he wasted his emission on the ground so as not to
give his brother a descendant.
10 What he did was evil in the LORD’s sight, so the LORD killed him too.
11 Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar,“Live as a widow in your
father’s house until Shelah my son grows up.” For he thought,“I don’t
want him to die like his brothers.” So Tamar went and lived in her father’s
house.
12 After some time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. After Judah was
consoled, he left for Timnah to visit his sheepshearers, along with his friend
Hirah the Adullamite.
13 Tamar was told,“Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his
sheep.”
14 So she removed her widow’s clothes and covered herself with a veil. She
wrapped herself and sat at the entrance to Enaim which is on the way to
Timnah.(She did this because she saw that she had not been given to Shelah as a
wife, even though he had now grown up.)
15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute because she had covered
her face.
16 He turned aside to her along the road and said,“Come, please, I want to
sleep with you.”(He did not realize it was his daughter-in-law.) She
asked,“What will you give me so that you may sleep with me?”
17 He replied,“I’ll send you a young goat from the flock.” She
asked,“Will you give me a pledge until you send it?”
18 He said,“What pledge should I give you?” She replied,“Your seal, your
cord, and the staff that’s in your hand.” So he gave them to her, then slept
with her, and she became pregnant by him.
19 She left immediately, removed her veil, and put on her widow’s clothes.
20 Then Judah had his friend Hirah the Adullamite take a young goat to get back
from the woman the items he had given in pledge, but Hirah could not find her.
21 He asked the men who were there,“Where is the cult prostitute who was at
Enaim by the road?” But they replied,“There has been no cult prostitute
here.”
22 So he returned to Judah and said,“I couldn’t find her. Moreover, the men
of the place said,‘There has been no cult prostitute here.’”
23 Judah said,“Let her keep the things for herself. Otherwise we will appear
to be dishonest. I did indeed send this young goat, but you couldn’t find
her.”
24 After three months Judah was told,“Your daughter-in-law Tamar has turned to
prostitution, and as a result she has become pregnant.” Judah said,“Bring
her out and let her be burned!”
25 While they were bringing her out, she sent word to her father-in-law:“I am
pregnant by the man to whom these belong.” Then she said,“Identify the one
to whom the seal, cord, and staff belong.”
26 Judah recognized them and said,“She is more upright than I am, because I
wouldn’t give her to Shelah my son.” He was not physically intimate with her
again.
27 When it was time for her to give birth, there were twins in her womb.
28 While she was giving birth, one child put out his hand, and the midwife took
a scarlet thread and tied it on his hand, saying,“This one came out first.”
29 But then he drew back his hand, and his brother came out before him. She
said,“How you have broken out of the womb!” So he was named Perez.
30 Afterward his brother came out– the one who had the scarlet thread on his
hand– and he was named Zerah.

Chapter 39

1 Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt. An
Egyptian named Potiphar, an official of Pharaoh and the captain of the guard,
purchased him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him there.
2 The LORD was with Joseph. He was successful and lived in the household of his
Egyptian master.
3 His master observed that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made
everything he was doing successful.
4 So Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal attendant. Potiphar
appointed Joseph overseer of his household and put him in charge of everything
he owned.
5 From the time Potiphar appointed him over his household and over all that he
owned, the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s household for Joseph’s sake. The
blessing of the LORD was on everything that he had, both in his house and in his
fields.
6 So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; he gave no thought to
anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well built and good-looking.
7 Soon after these things, his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and
said,“Come to bed with me.”
8 But he refused, saying to his master’s wife,“Look, my master does not give
any thought to his household with me here, and everything that he owns he has
put into my care.
9 There is no one greater in this household than I am. He has withheld nothing
from me except you because you are his wife. So how could I do such a great evil
and sin against God?”
10 Even though she continued to speak to Joseph day after day, he did not
respond to her invitation to go to bed with her.
11 One day he went into the house to do his work when none of the household
servants were there in the house.
12 She grabbed him by his outer garment, saying,“Come to bed with me!” But
he left his outer garment in her hand and ran outside.
13 When she saw that he had left his outer garment in her hand and had run
outside,
14 she called for her household servants and said to them,“See, my husband
brought in a Hebrew man to us to humiliate us. He tried to go to bed with me,
but I screamed loudly.
15 When he heard me raise my voice and scream, he left his outer garment beside
me and ran outside.”
16 So she laid his outer garment beside her until his master came home.
17 This is what she said to him:“That Hebrew slave you brought to us tried to
humiliate me,
18 but when I raised my voice and screamed, he left his outer garment and ran
outside.”
19 When his master heard his wife say,“This is the way your slave treated
me,” he became furious.
20 Joseph’s master took him and threw him into the prison, the place where the
king’s prisoners were confined. So he was there in the prison.
21 But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him kindness. He granted him favor in
the sight of the prison warden.
22 The warden put all the prisoners under Joseph’s care. He was in charge of
whatever they were doing.
23 The warden did not concern himself with anything that was in Joseph’s care
because the LORD was with him and whatever he was doing the LORD was making
successful.

Chapter 40

1 The Cupbearer and the Baker After these things happened, the cupbearer to the
king of Egypt and the royal baker offended their master, the king of Egypt.
2 Pharaoh was enraged with his two officials, the cupbearer and the baker,
3 so he imprisoned them in the house of the captain of the guard in the same
facility where Joseph was confined.
4 The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be their attendant, and he served
them. They spent some time in custody.
5 Both of them, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were
confined in the prison, had a dream the same night. Each man’s dream had its
own meaning.
6 When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were looking
depressed.
7 So he asked Pharaoh’s officials, who were with him in custody in his
master’s house,“Why do you look so sad today?”
8 They told him,“We both had dreams, but there is no one to interpret them.”
Joseph responded,“Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me.”
9 So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph:“In my dream, there was a
vine in front of me.
10 On the vine there were three branches. As it budded, its blossoms opened and
its clusters ripened into grapes.
11 Now Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, so I took the grapes, squeezed them into
his cup, and put the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.”
12 “This is its meaning,” Joseph said to him.“The three branches represent
three days.
13 In three more days Pharaoh will reinstate you and restore you to your office.
You will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you did before when you were
cupbearer.
14 But remember me when it goes well for you, and show me kindness. Make mention
of me to Pharaoh and bring me out of this prison,
15 for I really was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews and I have done
nothing wrong here for which they should put me in a dungeon.”
16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation of the first dream was
favorable, he said to Joseph,“I also appeared in my dream and there were three
baskets of white bread on my head.
17 In the top basket there were baked goods of every kind for Pharaoh, but the
birds were eating them from the basket that was on my head.”
18 Joseph replied,“This is its meaning: The three baskets represent three
days.
19 In three more days Pharaoh will decapitate you and impale you on a pole. Then
the birds will eat your flesh from you.”
20 On the third day it was Pharaoh’s birthday, so he gave a feast for all his
servants. He“lifted up” the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the
chief baker in the midst of his servants.
21 He restored the chief cupbearer to his former position so that he placed the
cup in Pharaoh’s hand,
22 but the chief baker he impaled, just as Joseph had predicted.
23 But the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph– he forgot him.

Chapter 41

1 Joseph’s Rise to Power At the end of two full years Pharaoh had a dream. As
he was standing by the Nile,
2 seven fine-looking, fat cows were coming up out of the Nile, and they grazed
in the reeds.
3 Then seven bad-looking, thin cows were coming up after them from the Nile, and
they stood beside the other cows at the edge of the river.
4 The bad-looking, thin cows ate the seven fine-looking, fat cows. Then Pharaoh
woke up.
5 Then he fell asleep again and had a second dream: There were seven heads of
grain growing on one stalk, healthy and good.
6 Then seven heads of grain, thin and burned by the east wind, were sprouting up
after them.
7 The thin heads swallowed up the seven healthy and full heads. Then Pharaoh
woke up and realized it was a dream.
8 In the morning he was troubled, so he called for all the diviner-priests of
Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could
interpret them for him.
9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh,“Today I recall my failures.
10 Pharaoh was enraged with his servants, and he put me in prison in the house
of the captain of the guards– me and the chief baker.
11 We each had a dream one night; each of us had a dream with its own meaning.
12 Now a young man, a Hebrew, a servant of the captain of the guards, was with
us there. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted the meaning of each of our
respective dreams for us.
13 It happened just as he had said to us– Pharaoh restored me to my office,
but he impaled the baker.”
14 Then Pharaoh summoned Joseph. So they brought him quickly out of the dungeon;
he shaved himself, changed his clothes, and came before Pharaoh.
15 Pharaoh said to Joseph,“I had a dream, and there is no one who can
interpret it. But I have heard about you, that you can interpret dreams.”
16 Joseph replied to Pharaoh,“It is not within my power, but God will speak
concerning the welfare of Pharaoh.”
17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph,“In my dream I was standing by the edge of the
Nile.
18 Then seven fat and fine-looking cows were coming up out of the Nile, and they
grazed in the reeds.
19 Then seven other cows came up after them; they were scrawny, very
bad-looking, and lean. I had never seen such bad-looking cows as these in all
the land of Egypt!
20 The lean, bad-looking cows ate up the seven fat cows.
21 When they had eaten them, no one would have known that they had done so, for
they were just as bad-looking as before. Then I woke up.
22 I also saw in my dream seven heads of grain growing on one stalk, full and
good.
23 Then seven heads of grain, withered and thin and burned with the east wind,
were sprouting up after them.
24 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads of grain. So I told
all this to the diviner-priests, but no one could tell me its meaning.”
25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh,“Both dreams of Pharaoh have the same meaning.
God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.
26 The seven good cows represent seven years, and the seven good heads of grain
represent seven years. Both dreams have the same meaning.
27 The seven lean, bad-looking cows that came up after them represent seven
years, as do the seven empty heads of grain burned with the east wind. They
represent seven years of famine.
28 This is just what I told Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to
do.
29 Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the whole land of Egypt.
30 But seven years of famine will occur after them, and all the abundance will
be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will devastate the land.
31 The previous abundance of the land will not be remembered because of the
famine that follows, for the famine will be very severe.
32 The dream was repeated to Pharaoh because the matter has been decreed by God,
and God will make it happen soon.
33 “So now Pharaoh should look for a wise and discerning man and give him
authority over all the land of Egypt.
34 Pharaoh should do this– he should appoint officials throughout the land to
collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven years of
abundance.
35 They should gather all the excess food during these good years that are
coming. By Pharaoh’s authority they should store up grain so the cities will
have food, and they should preserve it.
36 This food should be held in storage for the land in preparation for the seven
years of famine that will occur throughout the land of Egypt. In this way the
land will survive the famine.”
37 This advice made sense to Pharaoh and all his officials.
38 So Pharaoh asked his officials,“Can we find a man like Joseph, one in whom
the Spirit of God is present?”
39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph,“Because God has enabled you to know all this,
there is no one as wise and discerning as you are!
40 You will oversee my household, and all my people will submit to your
commands. Only I, the king, will be greater than you.
41 “See here,” Pharaoh said to Joseph,“I place you in authority over all
the land of Egypt.”
42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his own hand and put it on Joseph’s.
He clothed him with fine linen clothes and put a gold chain around his neck.
43 Pharaoh had him ride in the chariot used by his second-in-command, and they
cried out before him,“Kneel down!” So he placed him over all the land of
Egypt.
44 Pharaoh also said to Joseph,“I am Pharaoh, but without your permission no
one will move his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt.”
45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah. He also gave him Asenath
daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. So Joseph took charge of
all the land of Egypt.
46 Now Joseph was 30 years old when he began serving Pharaoh king of Egypt.
Joseph was commissioned by Pharaoh and was in charge of all the land of Egypt.
47 During the seven years of abundance the land produced large, bountiful
harvests.
48 Joseph collected all the excess food in the land of Egypt during the seven
years and stored it in the cities. In every city he put the food gathered from
the fields around it.
49 Joseph stored up a vast amount of grain, like the sand of the sea, until he
stopped measuring it because it was impossible to measure.
50 Two sons were born to Joseph before the famine came. Asenath daughter of
Potiphera, priest of On, was their mother.
51 Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, saying,“Certainly God has made me
forget all my trouble and all my father’s house.”
52 He named the second child Ephraim, saying,“Certainly God has made me
fruitful in the land of my suffering.”
53 The seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt came to an end.
54 Then the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had predicted. There was
famine in all the other lands, but throughout the land of Egypt there was food.
55 When all the land of Egypt experienced the famine, the people cried out to
Pharaoh for food. Pharaoh said to all the people of Egypt,“Go to Joseph and do
whatever he tells you.”
56 While the famine was over all the earth, Joseph opened the storehouses and
sold grain to the Egyptians. The famine was severe throughout the land of Egypt.
57 People from every country came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain because the
famine was severe throughout the earth.

Chapter 42

1 Joseph’s Brothers in Egypt When Jacob heard there was grain in Egypt, he
said to his sons,“Why are you looking at each other?”
2 He then said,“Look, I hear that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and
buy grain for us so that we may live and not die.”
3 So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.
4 But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he
said,“What if some accident happens to him?”
5 So Israel’s sons came to buy grain among the other travelers, for the famine
was severe in the land of Canaan.
6 Now Joseph was the ruler of the country, the one who sold grain to all the
people of the country. Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him with
their faces to the ground.
7 When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a
stranger to them and spoke to them harshly. He asked,“Where do you come
from?” They answered,“From the land of Canaan, to buy grain for food.”
8 Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.
9 Then Joseph remembered the dreams he had dreamed about them, and he said to
them,“You are spies; you have come to see if our land is vulnerable!”
10 But they exclaimed,“No, my lord! Your servants have come to buy grain for
food!
11 We are all the sons of one man; we are honest men! Your servants are not
spies.”
12 “No,” he insisted,“but you have come to see if our land is
vulnerable.”
13 They replied,“Your servants are from a family of twelve brothers. We are
the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is with our father at
this time, and one is no longer alive.”
14 But Joseph told them,“It is just as I said to you: You are spies!
15 You will be tested in this way: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not
depart from this place unless your youngest brother comes here.
16 One of you must go and get your brother, while the rest of you remain in
prison. In this way your words may be tested to see if you are telling the
truth. If not, then, as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!”
17 He imprisoned them all for three days.
18 On the third day Joseph said to them,“Do as I say and you will live, for I
fear God.
19 If you are honest men, leave one of your brothers confined here in prison
while the rest of you go and take grain back for your hungry families.
20 But you must bring your youngest brother to me. Then your words will be
verified and you will not die.” They did as he said.
21 They said to one another,“Surely we’re being punished because of our
brother, because we saw how distressed he was when he cried to us for mercy, but
we refused to listen. That is why this distress has come on us!”
22 Reuben said to them,“Didn’t I say to you,‘Don’t sin against the
boy,’ but you wouldn’t listen? So now we must pay for shedding his blood!”
23 (Now they did not know that Joseph could understand them, for he was speaking
through an interpreter.)
24 He turned away from them and wept. When he turned around and spoke to them
again, he had Simeon taken from them and tied up before their eyes.
25 Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to return each man’s
money to his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. His orders were
carried out.
26 So they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left.
27 When one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey at their resting
place, he saw his money in the mouth of his sack.
28 He said to his brothers,“My money was returned! Here it is in my sack!”
They were dismayed; they turned trembling to one another and said,“What in the
world has God done to us?”
29 They returned to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan and told him all
the things that had happened to them, saying,
30 “The man, the lord of the land, spoke harshly to us and treated us as if we
were spying on the land.
31 But we said to him,‘We are honest men; we are not spies!
32 We are from a family of twelve brothers; we are the sons of one father. One
is no longer alive, and the youngest is with our father at this time in the land
of Canaan.’
33 “Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us,‘This is how I will find
out if you are honest men. Leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain
for your hungry households and go.
34 But bring your youngest brother back to me so I will know that you are honest
men and not spies. Then I will give your brother back to you and you may move
about freely in the land.’”
35 When they were emptying their sacks, there was each man’s bag of money in
his sack! When they and their father saw the bags of money, they were afraid.
36 Their father Jacob said to them,“You are making me childless! Joseph is
gone. Simeon is gone. And now you want to take Benjamin! Everything is against
me.”
37 Then Reuben said to his father,“You may put my two sons to death if I do
not bring him back to you. Put him in my care and I will bring him back to
you.”
38 But Jacob replied,“My son will not go down there with you, for his brother
is dead and he alone is left. If an accident happens to him on the journey you
have to make, then you will bring down my gray hair in sorrow to the grave.”

Chapter 43

1 The Second Journey to Egypt Now the famine was severe in the land.
2 When they finished eating the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father
said to them,“Return, buy us a little more food.”
3 But Judah said to him,“The man solemnly warned us,‘You will not see my
face unless your brother is with you.’
4 If you send our brother with us, we’ll go down and buy food for you.
5 But if you will not send him, we won’t go down there because the man said to
us,‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.’”
6 Israel said,“Why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had
one more brother?”
7 They replied,“The man questioned us thoroughly about ourselves and our
family, saying,‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ So
we answered him in this way. How could we possibly know that he would
say,‘Bring your brother down’?”
8 Then Judah said to his father Israel,“Send the boy with me and we will go
immediately. Then we will live and not die– we and you and our little ones.
9 I myself pledge security for him; you may hold me liable. If I do not bring
him back to you and place him here before you, I will bear the blame before you
all my life.
10 But if we had not delayed, we could have traveled there and back twice by
now!”
11 Then their father Israel said to them,“If it must be so, then do this: Take
some of the best products of the land in your bags, and take a gift down to the
man– a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachios and
almonds.
12 Take double the money with you; you must take back the money that was
returned in the mouths of your sacks– perhaps it was an oversight.
13 Take your brother too, and go right away to the man.
14 May the Sovereign God grant you mercy before the man so that he may release
your other brother and Benjamin! As for me, if I lose my children I lose
them.”
15 So the men took these gifts, and they took double the money with them, along
with Benjamin. Then they hurried down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.
16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the servant who was over his
household,“Bring the men to the house. Slaughter an animal and prepare it, for
the men will eat with me at noon.”
17 The man did just as Joseph said; he brought the men into Joseph’s house.
18 But the men were afraid when they were brought to Joseph’s house. They
said,“We are being brought in because of the money that was returned in our
sacks last time. He wants to capture us, make us slaves, and take our
donkeys!”
19 So they approached the man who was in charge of Joseph’s household and
spoke to him at the entrance to the house.
20 They said,“My lord, we did indeed come down the first time to buy food.
21 But when we came to the place where we spent the night, we opened our sacks
and each of us found his money– the full amount– in the mouth of his sack.
So we have returned it.
22 We have brought additional money with us to buy food. We do not know who put
the money in our sacks!”
23 “Everything is fine,” the man in charge of Joseph’s household told
them.“Don’t be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you
treasure in your sacks. I had your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.
24 The servant in charge brought the men into Joseph’s house. He gave them
water, and they washed their feet. Then he gave food to their donkeys.
25 They got their gifts ready for Joseph’s arrival at noon, for they had heard
that they were to have a meal there.
26 When Joseph came home, they presented him with the gifts they had brought
inside, and they bowed down to the ground before him.
27 He asked them how they were doing. Then he said,“Is your aging father well,
the one you spoke about? Is he still alive?”
28 “Your servant our father is well,” they replied.“He is still alive.”
They bowed down in humility.
29 When Joseph looked up and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, he
said,“Is this your youngest brother, whom you told me about?” Then he
said,“May God be gracious to you, my son.”
30 Joseph hurried out, for he was overcome by affection for his brother and was
at the point of tears. So he went to his room and wept there.
31 Then he washed his face and came out. With composure he said,“Set out the
food.”
32 They set a place for him, a separate place for his brothers, and another for
the Egyptians who were eating with him.(The Egyptians are not able to eat with
Hebrews, for the Egyptians think it is disgusting to do so.)
33 They sat before him, arranged by order of birth, beginning with the firstborn
and ending with the youngest. The men looked at each other in astonishment.
34 He gave them portions of the food set before him, but the portion for
Benjamin was five times greater than the portions for any of the others. They
drank with Joseph until they all became drunk.

Chapter 44

1 The Final Test He instructed the servant who was over his household,“Fill
the sacks of the men with as much food as they can carry and put each man’s
money in the mouth of his sack.
2 Then put my cup– the silver cup– in the mouth of the youngest one’s
sack, along with the money for his grain.” He did as Joseph instructed.
3 When morning came, the men and their donkeys were sent off.
4 They had not gone very far from the city when Joseph said to the servant who
was over his household,“Pursue the men at once! When you overtake them, say to
them,‘Why have you repaid good with evil?
5 Doesn’t my master drink from this cup and use it for divination? You have
done wrong!’”
6 When the man overtook them, he spoke these words to them.
7 They answered him,“Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your
servants to do such a thing!
8 Look, the money that we found in the mouths of our sacks we brought back to
you from the land of Canaan. Why then would we steal silver or gold from your
master’s house?
9 If one of us has it, he will die, and the rest of us will become my lord’s
slaves!”
10 He replied,“You have suggested your own punishment! The one who has it will
become my slave, but the rest of you will go free.”
11 So each man quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it.
12 Then the man searched. He began with the oldest and finished with the
youngest. The cup was found in Benjamin’s sack!
13 They all tore their clothes! Then each man loaded his donkey, and they
returned to the city.
14 So Judah and his brothers came back to Joseph’s house. He was still there,
and they threw themselves to the ground before him.
15 Joseph said to them,“What did you think you were doing? Don’t you know
that a man like me can find out things like this by divination?”
16 Judah replied,“What can we say to my lord? What can we speak? How can we
clear ourselves? God has exposed the sin of your servants! We are now my
lord’s slaves, we and the one in whose possession the cup was found.”
17 But Joseph said,“Far be it from me to do this! The man in whose hand the
cup was found will become my slave, but the rest of you may go back to your
father in peace.”
18 Then Judah approached him and said,“My lord, please allow your servant to
speak a word with you. Please do not get angry with your servant, for you are
just like Pharaoh.
19 My lord asked his servants,‘Do you have a father or a brother?’
20 We said to my lord,‘We have an aged father, and there is a young boy who
was born when our father was old. The boy’s brother is dead. He is the only
one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’
21 “Then you told your servants,‘Bring him down to me so I can see him.’
22 We said to my lord,‘The boy cannot leave his father. If he leaves his
father, his father will die.’
23 But you said to your servants,‘If your youngest brother does not come down
with you, you will not see my face again.’
24 When we returned to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.
25 “Then our father said,‘Go back and buy us a little food.’
26 But we replied,‘We cannot go down there. If our youngest brother is with
us, then we will go, for we won’t be permitted to see the man’s face if our
youngest brother is not with us.’
27 “Then your servant my father said to us,‘You know that my wife gave me
two sons.
28 The first disappeared and I said,“He has surely been torn to pieces.” I
have not seen him since.
29 If you take this one from me too and an accident happens to him, then you
will bring down my gray hair in tragedy to the grave.’
30 “So now, when I return to your servant my father, and the boy is not with
us– his very life is bound up in his son’s life.
31 When he sees the boy is not with us, he will die, and your servants will
bring down the gray hair of your servant our father in sorrow to the grave.
32 Indeed, your servant pledged security for the boy with my father,
saying,‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I will bear the blame before
my father all my life.’
33 “So now, please let your servant remain as my lord’s slave instead of the
boy. As for the boy, let him go back with his brothers.
34 For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I couldn’t
bear to see my father’s pain.”

Chapter 45

1 The Reconciliation of the Brothers Joseph was no longer able to control
himself before all his attendants, so he cried out,“Make everyone go out from
my presence!” No one remained with Joseph when he made himself known to his
brothers.
2 He wept loudly; the Egyptians heard it and Pharaoh’s household heard about
it.
3 Joseph said to his brothers,“I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” His
brothers could not answer him because they were dumbfounded before him.
4 Joseph said to his brothers,“Come closer to me,” so they came near. Then
he said,“I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.
5 Now, do not be upset and do not be angry with yourselves because you sold me
here, for God sent me ahead of you to preserve life!
6 For these past two years there has been famine in the land and for five more
years there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.
7 God sent me ahead of you to preserve you on the earth and to save your lives
by a great deliverance.
8 So now, it is not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me an adviser to
Pharaoh, lord over all his household, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
9 Now go up to my father quickly and tell him,‘This is what your son Joseph
says:“God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; do not delay!
10 You will live in the land of Goshen, and you will be near me– you, your
children, your grandchildren, your flocks, your herds, and everything you have.
11 I will provide you with food there because there will be five more years of
famine. Otherwise you would become poor– you, your household, and everyone who
belongs to you.”’
12 You and my brother Benjamin can certainly see with your own eyes that I
really am the one who speaks to you.
13 So tell my father about all my honor in Egypt and about everything you have
seen. But bring my father down here quickly!”
14 Then he threw himself on the neck of his brother Benjamin and wept, and
Benjamin wept on his neck.
15 He kissed all his brothers and wept over them. After this his brothers talked
with him.
16 Now it was reported in the household of Pharaoh,“Joseph’s brothers have
arrived.” It pleased Pharaoh and his servants.
17 Pharaoh said to Joseph,“Say to your brothers,‘Do this: Load your animals
and go to the land of Canaan!
18 Get your father and your households and come to me! Then I will give you the
best land in Egypt and you will eat the best of the land.’
19 You are also commanded to say,‘Do this: Take for yourselves wagons from the
land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives. Bring your father and
come.
20 Don’t worry about your belongings, for the best of all the land of Egypt
will be yours.’”
21 So the sons of Israel did as he said. Joseph gave them wagons as Pharaoh had
instructed, and he gave them provisions for the journey.
22 He gave sets of clothes to each one of them, but to Benjamin he gave three
hundred pieces of silver and five sets of clothes.
23 To his father he sent the following: ten donkeys loaded with the best
products of Egypt and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, food, and provisions
for his father’s journey.
24 Then he sent his brothers on their way and they left. He said to them,“As
you travel don’t be overcome with fear.”
25 So they went up from Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of
Canaan.
26 They told him,“Joseph is still alive and he is ruler over all the land of
Egypt!” Jacob was stunned, for he did not believe them.
27 But when they related to him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he
saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to transport him, their father Jacob’s
spirit revived.
28 Then Israel said,“Enough! My son Joseph is still alive! I will go and see
him before I die.”

Chapter 46

1 The Family of Jacob goes to Egypt So Israel began his journey, taking with him
all that he had. When he came to Beer Sheba he offered sacrifices to the God of
his father Isaac.
2 God spoke to Israel in a vision during the night and said,“Jacob, Jacob!”
He replied,“Here I am!”
3 He said,“I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to
Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there.
4 I will go down with you to Egypt and I myself will certainly bring you back
from there. Joseph will close your eyes.”
5 Then Jacob started out from Beer Sheba, and the sons of Israel carried their
father Jacob, their little children, and their wives in the wagons that Pharaoh
had sent along to transport him.
6 Jacob and all his descendants took their livestock and the possessions they
had acquired in the land of Canaan, and they went to Egypt.
7 He brought with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons, his daughters and
granddaughters– all his descendants.
8 These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt– Jacob and his
sons: Reuben, the firstborn of Jacob.
9 The sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
10 The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul(the son of a
Canaanite woman).
11 The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
12 The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah(but Er and Onan died in
the land of Canaan). The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.
13 The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron.
14 The sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
15 These were the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram, along
with Dinah his daughter. His sons and daughters numbered thirty-three in all.
16 The sons of Gad: Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.
17 The sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and Serah their sister. The
sons of Beriah were Heber and Malkiel.
18 These were the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter. She bore
these to Jacob, sixteen in all.
19 The sons of Rachel the wife of Jacob: Joseph and Benjamin.
20 Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph in the land of Egypt. Asenath
daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, bore them to him.
21 The sons of Benjamin: Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim,
Huppim and Ard.
22 These were the sons of Rachel who were born to Jacob, fourteen in all.
23 The son of Dan: Hushim.
24 The sons of Naphtali: Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.
25 These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter. She
bore these to Jacob, seven in all.
26 All the direct descendants of Jacob who went to Egypt with him were sixty-six
in number.(This number does not include the wives of Jacob’s sons.)
27 Counting the two sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt, all the people
of the household of Jacob who were in Egypt numbered seventy.
28 Jacob sent Judah before him to Joseph to accompany him to Goshen. So they
came to the land of Goshen.
29 Joseph harnessed his chariot and went up to meet his father Israel in Goshen.
When he met him, he hugged his neck and wept on his neck for quite some time.
30 Israel said to Joseph,“Now let me die since I have seen your face and know
that you are still alive.”
31 Then Joseph said to his brothers and his father’s household,“I will go up
and tell Pharaoh,‘My brothers and my father’s household who were in the land
of Canaan have come to me.
32 The men are shepherds; they take care of livestock. They have brought their
flocks and their herds and all that they have.’
33 Pharaoh will summon you and say,‘What is your occupation?’
34 Tell him,‘Your servants have taken care of cattle from our youth until now,
both we and our fathers,’ so that you may live in the land of Goshen, for
everyone who takes care of sheep is disgusting to the Egyptians.”

Chapter 47

1 Joseph’s Wise Administration Joseph went and told Pharaoh,“My father, my
brothers, their flocks and herds, and all that they own have arrived from the
land of Canaan. They are now in the land of Goshen.”
2 He took five of his brothers and introduced them to Pharaoh.
3 Pharaoh said to Joseph’s brothers,“What is your occupation?” They said
to Pharaoh,“Your servants take care of flocks, just as our ancestors did.”
4 Then they said to Pharaoh,“We have come to live as temporary residents in
the land. There is no pasture for your servants’ flocks because the famine is
severe in the land of Canaan. So now, please let your servants live in the land
of Goshen.”
5 Pharaoh said to Joseph,“Your father and your brothers have come to you.
6 The land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the
best region of the land. They may live in the land of Goshen. If you know of any
highly capable men among them, put them in charge of my livestock.”
7 Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and presented him before Pharaoh.
Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
8 Pharaoh said to Jacob,“How long have you lived?”
9 Jacob said to Pharaoh,“All the years of my travels are 130. All the years of
my life have been few and painful; the years of my travels are not as long as
those of my ancestors.”
10 Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence.
11 So Joseph settled his father and his brothers. He gave them territory in the
land of Egypt, in the best region of the land, the land of Rameses, just as
Pharaoh had commanded.
12 Joseph also provided food for his father, his brothers, and all his
father’s household, according to the number of their little children.
13 But there was no food in all the land because the famine was very severe; the
land of Egypt and the land of Canaan wasted away because of the famine.
14 Joseph collected all the money that could be found in the land of Egypt and
in the land of Canaan as payment for the grain they were buying. Then Joseph
brought the money into Pharaoh’s palace.
15 When the money from the lands of Egypt and Canaan was used up, all the
Egyptians came to Joseph and said,“Give us food! Why should we die before your
very eyes because our money has run out?”
16 Then Joseph said,“If your money is gone, bring your livestock, and I will
give you food in exchange for your livestock.”
17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in
exchange for their horses, the livestock of their flocks and herds, and their
donkeys. He got them through that year by giving them food in exchange for all
their livestock.
18 When that year was over, they came to him the next year and said to him,“We
cannot hide from our lord that the money is used up and the livestock and the
animals belong to our lord. Nothing remains before our lord except our bodies
and our land.
19 Why should we die before your very eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our
land in exchange for food, and we, with our land, will become Pharaoh’s
slaves. Give us seed that we may live and not die. Then the land will not become
desolate.”
20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh. Each of the Egyptians
sold his field, for the famine was severe. So the land became Pharaoh’s.
21 Joseph made all the people slaves from one end of Egypt’s border to the
other end of it.
22 But he did not purchase the land of the priests because the priests had an
allotment from Pharaoh and they ate from their allotment that Pharaoh gave them.
That is why they did not sell their land.
23 Joseph said to the people,“Since I have bought you and your land today for
Pharaoh, here is seed for you. Cultivate the land.
24 When the crop comes in, give one-fifth of it to Pharaoh. The remaining
four-fifths will be yours for seed for the fields and for you to eat, including
those in your households and your little children.”
25 They replied,“You have saved our lives! You are showing us favor, and we
will be Pharaoh’s slaves.”
26 So Joseph made it a statute, which is in effect to this day throughout the
land of Egypt: One-fifth belongs to Pharaoh. Only the land of the priests did
not become Pharaoh’s.
27 Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen, and they owned
land there. They were fruitful and increased rapidly in number.
28 Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; the years of Jacob’s life
were 147 in all.
29 The time for Israel to die approached, so he called for his son Joseph and
said to him,“If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my
thigh and show me kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt,
30 but when I rest with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their
burial place.” Joseph said,“I will do as you say.”
31 Jacob said,“Swear to me that you will do so.” So Joseph gave him his
word. Then Israel bowed down at the head of his bed.

Chapter 48

1 Manasseh and Ephraim After these things Joseph was told,“Your father is
weakening.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim with him.
2 When Jacob was told,“Your son Joseph has just come to you,” Israel
regained strength and sat up on his bed.
3 Jacob said to Joseph,“The Sovereign God appeared to me at Luz in the land of
Canaan and blessed me.
4 He said to me,‘I am going to make you fruitful and will multiply you. I will
make you into a group of nations, and I will give this land to your descendants
as an everlasting possession.’
5 “Now, as for your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before
I came to you in Egypt, they will be mine. Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine
just as Reuben and Simeon are.
6 Any children that you father after them will be yours; they will be listed
under the names of their brothers in their inheritance.
7 But as for me, when I was returning from Paddan, Rachel died– to my
sorrow– in the land of Canaan. It happened along the way, some distance from
Ephrath. So I buried her there on the way to Ephrath”(that is, Bethlehem).
8 When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he asked,“Who are these?”
9 Joseph said to his father,“They are the sons God has given me in this
place.” His father said,“Bring them to me so I may bless them.”
10 Now Israel’s eyes were failing because of his age; he was not able to see
well. So Joseph brought his sons near to him, and his father kissed them and
embraced them.
11 Israel said to Joseph,“I never expected to see you again, but now God has
allowed me to see your children too.”
12 So Joseph moved them from Israel’s knees and bowed down with his face to
the ground.
13 Joseph positioned them; he put Ephraim on his right hand across from
Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh on his left hand across from Israel’s right
hand. Then Joseph brought them closer to his father.
14 Israel stretched out his right hand and placed it on Ephraim’s head,
although he was the younger. Crossing his hands, he put his left hand on
Manasseh’s head, for Manasseh was the firstborn.
15 Then he blessed Joseph and said,“May the God before whom my fathers Abraham
and Isaac walked– the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this
day,
16 the Angel who has protected me from all harm– bless these boys. May my name
be named in them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac. May they grow
into a multitude on the earth.”
17 When Joseph saw that his father placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, it
displeased him. So he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head
to Manasseh’s head.
18 Joseph said to his father,“Not so, my father, for this is the firstborn.
Put your right hand on his head.”
19 But his father refused and said,“I know, my son, I know. He too will become
a nation and he too will become great. In spite of this, his younger brother
will be even greater and his descendants will become a multitude of nations.”
20 So he blessed them that day, saying,“By you will Israel bless,
saying,‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’”So he put Ephraim
before Manasseh.
21 Then Israel said to Joseph,“I am about to die, but God will be with you and
will bring you back to the land of your fathers.
22 As one who is above your brothers, I give to you the mountain slope, which I
took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow.”

Chapter 49

1 The Blessing of Jacob Jacob called for his sons and said,“Gather together so
I can tell you what will happen to you in the future.
2 “Assemble and listen, you sons of Jacob; listen to Israel, your father.
3 Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might and the beginning of my strength,
outstanding in dignity, outstanding in power.
4 You are destructive like water and will not excel, for you got on your
father’s bed, then you defiled it– he got on my couch!
5 Simeon and Levi are brothers, weapons of violence are their knives!
6 O my soul, do not come into their council, do not be united to their assembly,
my heart, for in their anger they have killed men, and for pleasure they have
hamstrung oxen.
7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce, and their fury, for it was cruel. I
will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel!
8 Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be on the neck of your
enemies, your father’s sons will bow down before you.
9 You are a lion’s cub, Judah, from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He
crouches and lies down like a lion; like a lioness– who will rouse him?
10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between
his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs; the nations will obey him.
11 Binding his foal to the vine, and his colt to the choicest vine, he will wash
his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes.
12 His eyes will be red from wine, and his teeth white from milk.
13 Zebulun will live by the haven of the sea and become a haven for ships; his
border will extend to Sidon.
14 Issachar is a strong-boned donkey lying down between two saddlebags.
15 When he sees a good resting place, and the pleasant land, he will bend his
shoulder to the burden and become a slave laborer.
16 Dan will judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 May Dan be a snake beside the road, a viper by the path, that bites the heels
of the horse so that its rider falls backward.
18 I wait for your deliverance, O LORD.
19 Gad will be raided by marauding bands, but he will attack them at their
heels.
20 Asher’s food will be rich, and he will provide delicacies to royalty.
21 Naphtali is a free running doe, he speaks delightful words.
22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough near a spring whose branches
climb over the wall.
23 The archers will attack him, they will shoot at him and oppose him.
24 But his bow will remain steady, and his hands will be skillful; because of
the hands of the Powerful One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of
Israel,
25 because of the God of your father, who will help you, because of the
Sovereign God, who will bless you with blessings from the sky above, blessings
from the deep that lies below, and blessings of the breasts and womb.
26 The blessings of your father are greater than the blessings of the eternal
mountains or the desirable things of the age-old hills. They will be on the head
of Joseph and on the brow of the prince of his brothers.
27 Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning devouring the prey, and in the
evening dividing the plunder.”
28 These are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them
when he blessed them. He gave each of them an appropriate blessing.
29 Then he instructed them,“I am about to go to my people. Bury me with my
fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite.
30 It is the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in the land of Canaan,
which Abraham bought for a burial plot from Ephron the Hittite.
31 There they buried Abraham and his wife Sarah; there they buried Isaac and his
wife Rebekah; and there I buried Leah.
32 The field and the cave in it were acquired from the sons of Heth.”
33 When Jacob finished giving these instructions to his sons, he pulled his feet
up onto the bed, breathed his last breath, and went to his people.

Chapter 50

1 The Burials of Jacob and Joseph Then Joseph hugged his father’s face. He
wept over him and kissed him.
2 Joseph instructed the physicians in his service to embalm his father, so the
physicians embalmed Israel.
3 They took forty days, for that is the full time needed for embalming. The
Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.
4 When the days of mourning had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh’s royal
court,“If I have found favor in your sight, please say to Pharaoh,
5 ‘My father made me swear an oath. He said,“I am about to die. Bury me in
my tomb that I dug for myself there in the land of Canaan.” Now let me go and
bury my father; then I will return.’”
6 So Pharaoh said,“Go and bury your father, just as he made you swear to
do.”
7 So Joseph went up to bury his father; all Pharaoh’s officials went with
him– the senior courtiers of his household, all the senior officials of the
land of Egypt,
8 all Joseph’s household, his brothers, and his father’s household. But they
left their little children and their flocks and herds in the land of Goshen.
9 Chariots and horsemen also went up with him, so it was a very large entourage.
10 When they came to the threshing floor of Atad on the other side of the
Jordan, they mourned there with very great and bitter sorrow. There Joseph
observed a seven day period of mourning for his father.
11 When the Canaanites who lived in the land saw them mourning at the threshing
floor of Atad, they said,“This is a very sad occasion for the Egyptians.”
That is why its name was called Abel Mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan.
12 So the sons of Jacob did for him just as he had instructed them.
13 His sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the
field of Machpelah, near Mamre. This is the field Abraham purchased as a burial
plot from Ephron the Hittite.
14 After he buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, along with his brothers
and all who had accompanied him to bury his father.
15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said,“What if
Joseph bears a grudge and wants to repay us in full for all the harm we did to
him?”
16 So they sent word to Joseph, saying,“Your father gave these instructions
before he died:
17 ‘Tell Joseph this: Please forgive the sin of your brothers and the wrong
they did when they treated you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sin of the
servants of the God of your father.” When this message was reported to him,
Joseph wept.
18 Then his brothers also came and threw themselves down before him; they
said,“Here we are; we are your slaves.”
19 But Joseph answered them,“Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God?
20 As for you, you meant to harm me, but God intended it for a good purpose, so
he could preserve the lives of many people, as you can see this day.
21 So now, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your little
children.” Then he consoled them and spoke kindly to them.
22 Joseph lived in Egypt, along with his father’s family. Joseph lived 110
years.
23 Joseph saw the descendants of Ephraim to the third generation. He also saw
the children of Makir the son of Manasseh; they were given special inheritance
rights by Joseph.
24 Then Joseph said to his brothers,“I am about to die. But God will surely
come to you and lead you up from this land to the land he swore on oath to give
to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
25 Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath. He said,“God will surely come
to you. Then you must carry my bones up from this place.”
26 So Joseph died at the age of 110. After they embalmed him, his body was
placed in a coffin in Egypt.


Exodus

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Blessing during Bondage in Egypt These are the names of the sons of Israel
who entered Egypt– each man with his household entered with Jacob:
2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,
3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,
4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.
5 All the people who were directly descended from Jacob numbered seventy. But
Joseph was already in Egypt,
6 and in time Joseph and his brothers and all that generation died.
7 The Israelites, however, were fruitful, increased greatly, multiplied, and
became extremely strong, so that the land was filled with them.
8 Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power over Egypt.
9 He said to his people,“Look at the Israelite people, more numerous and
stronger than we are!
10 Come, let’s deal wisely with them. Otherwise they will continue to
multiply, and if a war breaks out, they will ally themselves with our enemies
and fight against us and leave the country.”
11 So they put foremen over the Israelites to oppress them with hard labor. As a
result they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh.
12 But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more they multiplied and
spread. As a result the Egyptians loathed the Israelites,
13 and they made the Israelites serve rigorously.
14 They made their lives bitter by hard service with mortar and bricks and by
all kinds of service in the fields. Every kind of service the Israelites were
required to give was rigorous.
15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah
and the other Puah,
16 “When you assist the Hebrew women in childbirth, observe at the delivery:
If it is a son, kill him, but if it is a daughter, she may live.”
17 But the midwives feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told
them; they let the boys live.
18 Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them,“Why have you
done this and let the boys live?”
19 The midwives said to Pharaoh,“Because the Hebrew women are not like the
Egyptian women– for the Hebrew women are vigorous; they give birth before the
midwife gets to them!”
20 So God treated the midwives well, and the people multiplied and became very
strong.
21 And because the midwives feared God, he made households for them.
22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people,“All sons that are born you must
throw into the river, but all daughters you may let live.”

Chapter 2

1 The Birth of the Deliverer A man from the household of Levi married a woman
who was a descendant of Levi.
2 The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a
healthy child, she hid him for three months.
3 But when she was no longer able to hide him, she took a papyrus basket for him
and sealed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and set it among
the reeds along the edge of the Nile.
4 His sister stationed herself at a distance to find out what would happen to
him.
5 Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself by the Nile, while her
attendants were walking alongside the river, and she saw the basket among the
reeds. She sent one of her attendants, took it,
6 opened it, and saw the child– a boy, crying!– and she felt compassion for
him and said,“This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”
7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter,“Shall I go and get a nursing
woman for you from the Hebrews, so that she may nurse the child for you?”
8 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her,“Yes, do so.” So the young girl went and
got the child’s mother.
9 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her,“Take this child and nurse him for me, and
I will pay your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him.
10 When the child grew older she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he
became her son. She named him Moses, saying,“Because I drew him from the
water.”
11 The Presumption of the Deliverer In those days, when Moses had grown up, he
went out to his people and observed their hard labor, and he saw an Egyptian man
attacking a Hebrew man, one of his own people.
12 He looked this way and that and saw that no one was there, and then he
attacked the Egyptian and concealed the body in the sand.
13 When he went out the next day, there were two Hebrew men fighting. So he said
to the one who was in the wrong,“Why are you attacking your fellow Hebrew?”
14 The man replied,“Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? Are you planning
to kill me like you killed that Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid,
thinking,“Surely what I did has become known.”
15 When Pharaoh heard about this event, he sought to kill Moses. So Moses fled
from Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, and he settled by a certain
well.
16 Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and began to draw
water and fill the troughs in order to water their father’s flock.
17 When some shepherds came and drove them away, Moses came up and defended them
and then watered their flock.
18 So when they came home to their father Reuel, he asked,“Why have you come
home so early today?”
19 They said,“An Egyptian man rescued us from the shepherds, and he actually
drew water for us and watered the flock!”
20 He said to his daughters,“So where is he? Why in the world did you leave
the man? Call him, so that he may eat a meal with us.”
21 Moses agreed to stay with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses
in marriage.
22 When she bore a son, Moses named him Gershom, for he said,“I have become a
resident foreigner in a foreign land.”
23 The Call of the Deliverer During that long period of time the king of Egypt
died, and the Israelites groaned because of the slave labor. They cried out, and
their desperate cry because of their slave labor went up to God.
24 God heard their groaning, God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with
Isaac, and with Jacob,
25 God saw the Israelites, and God understood.

Chapter 3

1 Now Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of
Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to the
mountain of God, to Horeb.
2 The angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from within a bush.
He looked– and the bush was ablaze with fire, but it was not being consumed!
3 So Moses thought,“I will turn aside to see this amazing sight. Why does the
bush not burn up?”
4 When the LORD saw that he had turned aside to look, God called to him from
within the bush and said,“Moses, Moses!” And Moses said,“Here I am.”
5 God said,“Do not approach any closer! Take your sandals off your feet, for
the place where you are standing is holy ground.”
6 He added,“I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look
at God.
7 The LORD said,“I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in
Egypt. I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their
sorrows.
8 I have come down to deliver them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring
them up from that land to a land that is both good and spacious, to a land
flowing with milk and honey, to the region of the Canaanites, Hittites,
Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
9 And now indeed the cry of the Israelites has come to me, and I have also seen
how severely the Egyptians oppress them.
10 So now go, and I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites,
out of Egypt.”
11 Moses said to God,“Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, or that I should
bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
12 He replied,“Surely I will be with you, and this will be the sign to you
that I have sent you: When you bring the people out of Egypt, you and they will
serve God at this mountain.”
13 Moses said to God,“If I go to the Israelites and tell them,‘The God of
your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me,‘What is his name?’–
what should I say to them?”
14 God said to Moses,“I AM that I AM.” And he said,“You must say this to
the Israelites,‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
15 God also said to Moses,“You must say this to the Israelites,‘The LORD–
the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of
Jacob– has sent me to you. This is my name forever, and this is my memorial
from generation to generation.’
16 “Go and bring together the elders of Israel and tell them,‘The LORD, the
God of your fathers, appeared to me– the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob–
saying,“I have attended carefully to you and to what has been done to you in
Egypt,
17 and I have promised that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt
to the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and
Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’
18 “The elders will listen to you, and then you and the elders of Israel must
go to the king of Egypt and tell him,‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has
met with us. So now, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, so
that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.’
19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go, not even under force.
20 So I will extend my hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders that I will do
among them, and after that he will release you.
21 “I will grant this people favor with the Egyptians, so that when you depart
you will not leave empty-handed.
22 Every woman will ask her neighbor and the one who happens to be staying in
her house for items of silver and gold and for clothing. You will put these
articles on your sons and daughters– thus you will plunder Egypt!”

Chapter 4

1 The Source of Sufficiency Moses answered again,“And if they do not believe
me or pay attention to me, but say,‘The LORD has not appeared to you’?”
2 The LORD said to him,“What is that in your hand?” He said,“A staff.”
3 The LORD said,“Throw it to the ground.” So he threw it to the ground, and
it became a snake, and Moses ran from it.
4 But the LORD said to Moses,“Put out your hand and grab it by the tail”–
so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand–
5 “that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers, the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”
6 The LORD also said to him,“Put your hand into your robe.” So he put his
hand into his robe, and when he brought it out– there was his hand, leprous
like snow!
7 He said,“Put your hand back into your robe.” So he put his hand back into
his robe, and when he brought it out from his robe– there it was, restored
like the rest of his skin!
8 “If they do not believe you or pay attention to the former sign, then they
may believe the latter sign.
9 And if they do not believe even these two signs or listen to you, then take
some water from the Nile and pour it out on the dry ground. The water you take
out of the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.”
10 Then Moses said to the LORD,“O my Lord, I am not an eloquent man, neither
in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant, for I am slow of speech
and slow of tongue.”
11 The LORD said to him,“Who gave a mouth to man, or who makes a person mute
or deaf or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the LORD?
12 So now go, and I will be with your mouth and will teach you what you must
say.”
13 But Moses said,“O my Lord, please send anyone else whom you wish to
send!”
14 Then the LORD became angry with Moses, and he said,“What about your brother
Aaron the Levite? I know that he can speak very well. Moreover, he is coming to
meet you, and when he sees you he will be glad in his heart.
15 “So you are to speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And as for me,
I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you both what you
must do.
16 He will speak for you to the people, and it will be as if he were your mouth
and as if you were his God.
17 You will also take in your hand this staff, with which you will do the
signs.”
18 The Return of Moses So Moses went back to his father-in-law Jethro and said
to him,“Let me go, so that I may return to my relatives in Egypt and see if
they are still alive.” Jethro said to Moses,“Go in peace.”
19 The LORD said to Moses in Midian,“Go back to Egypt, because all the men who
were seeking your life are dead.”
20 Then Moses took his wife and sons and put them on a donkey and headed back to
the land of Egypt, and Moses took the staff of God in his hand.
21 The LORD said to Moses,“When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before
Pharaoh all the wonders I have put under your control. But I will harden his
heart and he will not let the people go.
22 You must say to Pharaoh,‘This is what the LORD has said,“Israel is my
son, my firstborn,
23 and I said to you,‘Let my son go that he may serve me,’ but since you
have refused to let him go, I will surely kill your son, your
firstborn!”’”
24 Now on the way, at a place where they stopped for the night, the LORD met
Moses and sought to kill him.
25 But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off the foreskin of her son and touched
it to Moses’ feet, and said,“Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me.”
26 So the LORD let him alone.(At that time she said,“A bridegroom of blood,”
referring to the circumcision.)
27 The LORD said to Aaron,“Go to the wilderness to meet Moses. So he went and
met him at the mountain of God and greeted him with a kiss.
28 Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him and all the signs
that he had commanded him.
29 Then Moses and Aaron went and brought together all the Israelite elders.
30 Aaron spoke all the words that the LORD had spoken to Moses and did the signs
in the sight of the people,
31 and the people believed. When they heard that the LORD had attended to the
Israelites and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed down close to the
ground.

Chapter 5

1 Opposition to the Plan of God Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and
said,“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, has said,‘Release my people
so that they may hold a pilgrim feast to me in the wilderness.’”
2 But Pharaoh said,“Who is the LORD that I should obey him by releasing
Israel? I do not know the LORD, and I will not release Israel!”
3 And they said,“The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Let us go a three-day
journey into the wilderness so that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God, so
that he does not strike us with plague or the sword.”
4 The king of Egypt said to them,“Moses and Aaron, why do you cause the people
to refrain from their work? Return to your labor!”
5 Pharaoh was thinking,“The people of the land are now many, and you are
giving them rest from their labor.”
6 That same day Pharaoh commanded the slave masters and foremen who were over
the people:
7 “You must no longer give straw to the people for making bricks as before.
Let them go and collect straw for themselves.
8 But you must require of them the same quota of bricks that they were making
before. Do not reduce it, for they are slackers. That is why they are
crying,‘Let us go sacrifice to our God.’
9 Make the work harder for the men so they will keep at it and pay no attention
to lying words!”
10 So the slave masters of the people and their foremen went to the Israelites
and said,“Thus says Pharaoh:‘I am not giving you straw.
11 You go get straw for yourselves wherever you can find it, because there will
be no reduction at all in your workload.’”
12 So the people spread out through all the land of Egypt to collect stubble for
straw.
13 The slave masters were pressuring them, saying,“Complete your work for each
day, just like when there was straw!”
14 The Israelite foremen whom Pharaoh’s slave masters had set over them were
beaten and were asked,“Why did you not complete your requirement for
brickmaking as in the past– both yesterday and today?”
15 The Israelite foremen went and cried out to Pharaoh,“Why are you treating
your servants this way?
16 No straw is given to your servants, but we are told,‘Make bricks!’ Your
servants are even being beaten, but the fault is with your people.”
17 But Pharaoh replied,“You are slackers! Slackers! That is why you are
saying,‘Let us go sacrifice to the LORD.’”
18 So now, get back to work! You will not be given straw, but you must still
produce your quota of bricks!”
19 The Israelite foremen saw that they were in trouble when they were
told,“You must not reduce the daily quota of your bricks.”
20 When they went out from Pharaoh, they encountered Moses and Aaron standing
there to meet them,
21 and they said to them,“May the LORD look on you and judge, because you have
made us stink in the opinion of Pharaoh and his servants, so that you have given
them an excuse to kill us!”
22 The Assurance of Deliverance Moses returned to the LORD, and said,“Lord,
why have you caused trouble for this people? Why did you ever send me?
23 From the time I went to speak to Pharaoh in your name, he has caused trouble
for this people, and you have certainly not rescued them!”

Chapter 6

1 Then the LORD said to Moses,“Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh, for
compelled by my strong hand he will release them, and by my strong hand he will
drive them out of his land.”
2 God spoke to Moses and said to him,“I am the LORD.
3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my
name‘the LORD’ I was not known to them.
4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan,
where they were living as resident foreigners.
5 I have also heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are
enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.
6 Therefore, tell the Israelites,‘I am the LORD. I will bring you out from
your enslavement to the Egyptians, I will rescue you from the hard labor they
impose, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.
7 I will take you to myself for a people, and I will be your God. Then you will
know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from your enslavement to
the Egyptians.
8 I will bring you to the land I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to
Jacob– and I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD.’”
9 Moses told this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of
their discouragement and hard labor.
10 Then the LORD said to Moses,
11 “Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt that he must release the Israelites from
his land.”
12 But Moses replied to the LORD,“If the Israelites did not listen to me, then
how will Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with difficulty?”
13 The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them a charge for the Israelites
and Pharaoh king of Egypt to bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt.
14 The Ancestry of the Deliverer These are the heads of their fathers’
households: The sons of Reuben, the firstborn son of Israel, were Hanoch and
Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. These were the clans of Reuben.
15 The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son
of a Canaanite woman. These were the clans of Simeon.
16 Now these are the names of the sons of Levi, according to their records:
Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.(The length of Levi’s life was 137 years.)
17 The sons of Gershon, by their families, were Libni and Shimei.
18 The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.(The length of
Kohath’s life was 133 years.)
19 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These were the clans of Levi,
according to their records.
20 Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and
Moses.(The length of Amram’s life was 137 years.)
21 The sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg, and Zikri.
22 The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.
23 Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon, and
she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
24 The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These were the Korahite
clans.
25 Now Eleazar son of Aaron married one of the daughters of Putiel and she bore
him Phinehas.These are the heads of the fathers’ households of Levi according
to their clans.
26 It was the same Aaron and Moses to whom the LORD said,“Bring the Israelites
out of the land of Egypt by their regiments.”
27 They were the men who were speaking to Pharaoh king of Egypt, in order to
bring the Israelites out of Egypt. It was the same Moses and Aaron.
28 The Authentication of the Word When the LORD spoke to Moses in the land of
Egypt,
29 he said to him,“I am the LORD. Tell Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I am
telling you.”
30 But Moses said before the LORD,“Since I speak with difficulty, why should
Pharaoh listen to me?”

Chapter 7

1 So the LORD said to Moses,“See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and
your brother Aaron will be your prophet.
2 You are to speak everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell
Pharaoh that he must release the Israelites from his land.
3 But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and although I will multiply my signs and
my wonders in the land of Egypt,
4 Pharaoh will not listen to you. I will reach into Egypt and bring out my
regiments, my people the Israelites, from the land of Egypt with great acts of
judgment.
5 Then the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD, when I extend my hand over
Egypt and bring the Israelites out from among them.
6 And Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as the LORD commanded them.
7 Now Moses was eighty years old and Aaron was eighty-three years old when they
spoke to Pharaoh.
8 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
9 “When Pharaoh says to you,‘Do a miracle,’ and you say to Aaron,‘Take
your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ it will become a snake.”
10 When Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh, they did so, just as the LORD had
commanded them– Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants and
it became a snake.
11 Then Pharaoh also summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the magicians of Egypt
by their secret arts did the same thing.
12 Each man threw down his staff, and the staffs became snakes. But Aaron’s
staff swallowed up their staffs.
13 Yet Pharaoh’s heart became hard, and he did not listen to them, just as the
LORD had predicted.
14 The First Blow: Water to Blood The LORD said to Moses,“Pharaoh’s heart is
hard; he refuses to release the people.
15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning when he goes out to the water. Position yourself
to meet him by the edge of the Nile, and take in your hand the staff that was
turned into a snake.
16 Tell him,‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you to
say,“Release my people, that they may serve me in the wilderness!” But until
now you have not listened.
17 This is what the LORD has said:“By this you will know that I am the LORD: I
am going to strike the water of the Nile with the staff that is in my hand, and
it will be turned into blood.
18 Fish in the Nile will die, the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will be
unable to drink water from the Nile.”’”
19 Then the LORD said to Moses,“Tell Aaron,‘Take your staff and stretch out
your hand over Egypt’s waters– over their rivers, over their canals, over
their ponds, and over all their reservoirs– so that it becomes blood.’ There
will be blood everywhere in the land of Egypt, even in wooden and stone
containers.”
20 Moses and Aaron did so, just as the LORD had commanded. He raised the staff
and struck the water that was in the Nile right before the eyes of Pharaoh and
his servants, and all the water that was in the Nile was turned to blood.
21 When the fish that were in the Nile died, the Nile began to stink, so that
the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. There was blood everywhere in
the land of Egypt!
22 But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts, and so
Pharaoh’s heart remained hard, and he refused to listen to Moses and Aaron–
just as the LORD had predicted.
23 And Pharaoh turned and went into his house. He did not pay any attention to
this.
24 All the Egyptians dug around the Nile for water to drink, because they could
not drink the water of the Nile.
25 The Second Blow: Frogs Seven full days passed after the LORD struck the Nile.

Chapter 8

1 (7:26) Then the LORD said to Moses,“Go to Pharaoh and tell him,‘This is
what the LORD has said:“Release my people in order that they may serve me!
2 But if you refuse to release them, then I am going to plague all your
territory with frogs.
3 The Nile will swarm with frogs, and they will come up and go into your house,
in your bedroom, and on your bed, and into the houses of your servants and your
people, and into your ovens and your kneading troughs.
4 Frogs will come up against you, your people, and all your servants.”’”
5 The LORD spoke to Moses,“Tell Aaron,‘Extend your hand with your staff over
the rivers, over the canals, and over the ponds, and bring the frogs up over the
land of Egypt.’”
6 So Aaron extended his hand over the waters of Egypt, and frogs came up and
covered the land of Egypt.
7 The magicians did the same with their secret arts and brought up frogs on the
land of Egypt too.
8 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said,“Pray to the LORD that he may
take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will release the people that
they may sacrifice to the LORD.”
9 Moses said to Pharaoh,“You may have the honor over me– when shall I pray
for you, your servants, and your people, for the frogs to be removed from you
and your houses, so that they will be left only in the Nile?”
10 He said,“Tomorrow.” And Moses said,“It will be as you say, so that you
may know that there is no one like the LORD our God.
11 The frogs will depart from you, your houses, your servants, and your people;
they will be left only in the Nile.”
12 Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried to the LORD
because of the frogs that he had brought on Pharaoh.
13 The LORD did as Moses asked– the frogs died out of the houses, the
villages, and the fields.
14 The Egyptians piled them in countless heaps, and the land stank.
15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not
listen to them, just as the LORD had predicted.
16 The Third Blow: Gnats The LORD said to Moses,“Tell Aaron,‘Extend your
staff and strike the dust of the ground, and it will become gnats throughout all
the land of Egypt.’”
17 They did so; Aaron extended his hand with his staff, he struck the dust of
the ground, and it became gnats on people and on animals. All the dust of the
ground became gnats throughout all the land of Egypt.
18 When the magicians attempted to bring forth gnats by their secret arts, they
could not. So there were gnats on people and on animals.
19 The magicians said to Pharaoh,“It is the finger of God!” But Pharaoh’s
heart remained hard, and he did not listen to them, just as the LORD had
predicted.
20 The Fourth Blow: Flies The LORD said to Moses,“Get up early in the morning
and position yourself before Pharaoh as he goes out to the water, and tell
him,‘This is what the LORD has said,“Release my people that they may serve
me!
21 If you do not release my people, then I am going to send swarms of flies on
you and on your servants and on your people and in your houses. The houses of
the Egyptians will be full of flies, and even the ground they stand on.
22 But on that day I will mark off the land of Goshen, where my people are
staying, so that no swarms of flies will be there, that you may know that I am
the LORD in the midst of this land.
23 I will put a division between my people and your people. This sign will take
place tomorrow.”’”
24 The LORD did so; a thick swarm of flies came into Pharaoh’s house and into
the houses of his servants, and throughout the whole land of Egypt the land was
ruined because of the swarms of flies.
25 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said,“Go, sacrifice to your God
within the land.”
26 But Moses said,“That would not be the right thing to do, for the sacrifices
we make to the LORD our God would be an abomination to the Egyptians. If we make
sacrifices that are an abomination to the Egyptians right before their eyes,
will they not stone us?
27 We must go on a three-day journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the
LORD our God, just as he is telling us.”
28 Pharaoh said,“I will release you so that you may sacrifice to the LORD your
God in the wilderness. Only you must not go very far. Do pray for me.”
29 Moses said,“I am going to go out from you and pray to the LORD, and the
swarms of flies will go away from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his
people tomorrow. Only do not let Pharaoh deal falsely again by not releasing the
people to sacrifice to the LORD.”
30 So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the LORD,
31 and the LORD did as Moses asked– he removed the swarms of flies from
Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. Not one remained!
32 But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also and did not release the people.

Chapter 9

1 The Fifth Blow: Disease Then the LORD said to Moses,“Go to Pharaoh and tell
him,‘This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has said,“Release my
people that they may serve me!
2 For if you refuse to release them and continue holding them,
3 then the hand of the LORD will surely bring a very terrible plague on your
livestock in the field, on the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and
the flocks.
4 But the LORD will distinguish between the livestock of Israel and the
livestock of Egypt, and nothing will die of all that the Israelites
have.”’”
5 The LORD set an appointed time, saying,“Tomorrow the LORD will do this in
the land.”
6 And the LORD did this on the next day; all the livestock of the Egyptians
died, but of the Israelites’ livestock not one died.
7 Pharaoh sent representatives to investigate, and indeed, not even one of the
livestock of Israel had died. But Pharaoh’s heart remained hard, and he did
not release the people.
8 The Sixth Blow: Boils Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron,“Take handfuls
of soot from a furnace, and have Moses throw it into the air while Pharaoh is
watching.
9 It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt and will cause boils to
break out and fester on both people and animals in all the land of Egypt.”
10 So they took soot from a furnace and stood before Pharaoh, Moses threw it
into the air, and it caused festering boils to break out on both people and
animals.
11 The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for boils
were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians.
12 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not listen to them, just
as the LORD had predicted to Moses.
13 The Seventh Blow: Hail The LORD said to Moses,“Get up early in the morning,
stand before Pharaoh, and tell him,‘This is what the LORD, the God of the
Hebrews, has said:“Release my people so that they may serve me!
14 For this time I will send all my plagues on your very self and on your
servants and your people, so that you may know that there is no one like me in
all the earth.
15 For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people
with plague, and you would have been destroyed from the earth.
16 But for this purpose I have caused you to stand: to show you my strength, and
so that my name may be declared in all the earth.
17 You are still exalting yourself against my people by not releasing them.
18 I am going to cause very severe hail to rain down about this time tomorrow,
such hail as has never occurred in Egypt from the day it was founded until now.
19 So now, send instructions to gather your livestock and all your possessions
in the fields to a safe place. Every person or animal caught in the field and
not brought into the house– the hail will come down on them, and they will
die!”’”
20 Those of Pharaoh’s servants who feared the LORD’s message hurried to
bring their servants and livestock into the houses,
21 but those who did not take the LORD’s message seriously left their servants
and their cattle in the field.
22 Then the LORD said to Moses,“Extend your hand toward the sky that there may
be hail in all the land of Egypt, on people and on animals, and on everything
that grows in the field in the land of Egypt.”
23 When Moses extended his staff toward the sky, the LORD sent thunder and hail,
and fire fell to the earth; so the LORD caused hail to rain down on the land of
Egypt.
24 Hail fell and fire mingled with the hail; the hail was so severe that there
had not been any like it in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation.
25 The hail struck everything in the open fields, both people and animals,
throughout all the land of Egypt. The hail struck everything that grows in the
field, and it broke all the trees of the field to pieces.
26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived, was there no hail.
27 So Pharaoh sent and summoned Moses and Aaron and said to them,“I have
sinned this time! The LORD is righteous, and I and my people are guilty.
28 Pray to the LORD, for the mighty thunderings and hail are too much! I will
release you and you will stay no longer.”
29 Moses said to him,“When I leave the city I will spread my hands to the
LORD, the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may
know that the earth belongs to the LORD.
30 But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the LORD
God.”
31 (Now the flax and the barley were struck by the hail, for the barley had
ripened and the flax was in bud.
32 But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they are later crops.)
33 So Moses left Pharaoh, went out of the city, and spread out his hands to the
LORD, and the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain stopped pouring on the
earth.
34 When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder ceased, he sinned again:
both he and his servants hardened their hearts.
35 So Pharaoh’s heart remained hard, and he did not release the Israelites, as
the LORD had predicted through Moses.

Chapter 10

1 The Eighth Blow: Locusts The LORD said to Moses,“Go to Pharaoh, for I have
hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, in order to display these
signs of mine before him,
2 and in order that in the hearing of your son and your grandson you may tell
how I made fools of the Egyptians and about my signs that I displayed among
them, so that you may know that I am the Lord.”
3 So Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh and told him,“This is what the LORD, the
God of the Hebrews, has said:‘How long do you refuse to humble yourself before
me? Release my people so that they may serve me!
4 But if you refuse to release my people, I am going to bring locusts into your
territory tomorrow.
5 They will cover the surface of the earth, so that you will be unable to see
the ground. They will eat the remainder of what escaped– what is left over for
you– from the hail, and they will eat every tree that grows for you from the
field.
6 They will fill your houses, the houses of your servants, and all the houses of
Egypt, such as neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen since they
have been in the land until this day!’” Then Moses turned and went out from
Pharaoh.
7 Pharaoh’s servants said to him,“How long will this man be a menace to us?
Release the people so that they may serve the LORD their God. Do you not know
that Egypt is destroyed?”
8 So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them,“Go,
serve the LORD your God. Exactly who is going with you?”
9 Moses said,“We will go with our young and our old, with our sons and our
daughters, and with our sheep and our cattle we will go, because we are to hold
a pilgrim feast for the LORD.”
10 He said to them,“The LORD will need to be with you if I release you and
your dependents! Watch out! Trouble is right in front of you!
11 No! Go, you men only, and serve the LORD, for that is what you want.” Then
Moses and Aaron were driven out of Pharaoh’s presence.
12 The LORD said to Moses,“Extend your hand over the land of Egypt for the
locusts, that they may come up over the land of Egypt and eat everything that
grows in the ground, everything that the hail has left.”
13 So Moses extended his staff over the land of Egypt, and then the LORD brought
an east wind on the land all that day and all night. The morning came, and the
east wind had brought up the locusts!
14 The locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and settled down in all the
territory of Egypt. It was very severe; there had been no locusts like them
before, nor will there be such ever again.
15 They covered the surface of all the ground, so that the ground became dark
with them, and they ate all the vegetation of the ground and all the fruit of
the trees that the hail had left. Nothing green remained on the trees or on
anything that grew in the fields throughout the whole land of Egypt.
16 Then Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and said,“I have sinned
against the LORD your God and against you!
17 So now, forgive my sin this time only, and pray to the LORD your God that he
would only take this death away from me.”
18 Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the LORD,
19 and the LORD turned a very strong west wind, and it picked up the locusts and
blew them into the Red Sea. Not one locust remained in all the territory of
Egypt.
20 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not release the
Israelites.
21 The Ninth Blow: Darkness The LORD said to Moses,“Extend your hand toward
heaven so that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness so thick
it can be felt.”
22 So Moses extended his hand toward heaven, and there was absolute darkness
throughout the land of Egypt for three days.
23 No one could see another person, and no one could rise from his place for
three days. But the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.
24 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and said,“Go, serve the LORD– only your
flocks and herds will be detained. Even your families may go with you.”
25 But Moses said,“Will you also provide us with sacrifices and burnt
offerings that we may present them to the LORD our God?
26 Our livestock must also go with us! Not a hoof is to be left behind! For we
must take these animals to serve the LORD our God. Until we arrive there, we do
not know what we must use to serve the LORD.”
27 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was not willing to release
them.
28 Pharaoh said to him,“Go from me! Watch out for yourself! Do not appear
before me again, for when you see my face you will die!”
29 Moses said,“As you wish! I will not see your face again.”

Chapter 11

1 The Tenth Blow: Death The LORD said to Moses,“I will bring one more plague
on Pharaoh and on Egypt; after that he will release you from this place. When he
releases you, he will drive you out completely from this place.
2 Instruct the people that each man and each woman is to request from his or her
neighbor items of silver and gold.”
3 (Now the LORD granted the people favor with the Egyptians. Moreover, the man
Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, respected by Pharaoh’s servants and
by the Egyptian people.)
4 Moses said,“This is what the LORD has said:‘About midnight I will go
throughout Egypt,
5 and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of
Pharaoh who sits on his throne, to the firstborn son of the slave girl who is at
her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle.
6 There will be a great cry throughout the whole land of Egypt, such as there
has never been, nor ever will be again.
7 But against any of the Israelites not even a dog will bark against either
people or animals, so that you may know that the LORD distinguishes between
Egypt and Israel.’
8 All these your servants will come down to me and bow down to me, saying,‘Go,
you and all the people who follow you,’ and after that I will go out.” Then
Moses went out from Pharaoh in great anger.
9 The LORD said to Moses,“Pharaoh will not listen to you, so that my wonders
may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”
10 So Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the LORD
hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not release the Israelites from his land.

Chapter 12

1 The Institution of the Passover The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land
of Egypt,
2 “This month is to be your beginning of months; it will be your first month
of the year.
3 Tell the whole community of Israel,‘In the tenth day of this month they each
must take a lamb for themselves according to their families– a lamb for each
household.
4 If any household is too small for a lamb, the man and his next-door neighbor
are to take a lamb according to the number of people– you will make your count
for the lamb according to how much each one can eat.
5 Your lamb must be perfect, a male, one year old; you may take it from the
sheep or from the goats.
6 You must care for it until the fourteenth day of this month, and then the
whole community of Israel will kill it around sundown.
7 They will take some of the blood and put it on the two side posts and top of
the doorframe of the houses where they will eat it.
8 They will eat the meat the same night; they will eat it roasted over the fire
with bread made without yeast and with bitter herbs.
9 Do not eat it raw or boiled in water, but roast it over the fire with its
head, its legs, and its entrails.
10 You must leave nothing until morning, but you must burn with fire whatever
remains of it until morning.
11 This is how you are to eat it– dressed to travel, your sandals on your
feet, and your staff in your hand. You are to eat it in haste. It is the
LORD’s Passover.
12 I will pass through the land of Egypt in the same night, and I will attack
all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both of humans and of animals, and on
all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment. I am the LORD.
13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, so that when I
see the blood I will pass over you, and this plague will not fall on you to
destroy you when I attack the land of Egypt.
14 This day will become a memorial for you, and you will celebrate it as a
festival to the LORD– you will celebrate it perpetually as a lasting
ordinance.
15 For seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. Surely on the first day
you must put away yeast from your houses because anyone who eats bread made with
yeast from the first day to the seventh day will be cut off from Israel.
16 On the first day there will be a holy convocation, and on the seventh day
there will be a holy convocation for you. You must do no work of any kind on
them, only what every person will eat– that alone may be prepared for you.
17 So you will keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because on this very day I
brought your regiments out from the land of Egypt, and so you must keep this day
perpetually as a lasting ordinance.
18 In the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month, in the evening, you
will eat bread made without yeast until the twenty-first day of the month in the
evening.
19 For seven days yeast must not be found in your houses, for whoever eats what
is made with yeast– that person will be cut off from the community of Israel,
whether a resident foreigner or one born in the land.
20 You will not eat anything made with yeast; in all the places where you live
you must eat bread made without yeast.’”
21 Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel, and told them,“Go and select
for yourselves a lamb or young goat for your families, and kill the Passover
animals.
22 Take a branch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and apply
to the top of the doorframe and the two side posts some of the blood that is in
the basin. Not one of you is to go out the door of his house until morning.
23 For the LORD will pass through to strike Egypt, and when he sees the blood on
the top of the doorframe and the two side posts, then the LORD will pass over
the door, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses to strike
you.
24 You must observe this event as an ordinance for you and for your children
forever.
25 When you enter the land that the LORD will give to you, just as he said, you
must observe this ceremony.
26 When your children ask you,‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’–
27 then you will say,‘It is the sacrifice of the LORD’s Passover, when he
passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt, when he struck Egypt and
delivered our households.’” The people bowed down low to the ground,
28 and the Israelites went away and did exactly as the LORD had commanded Moses
and Aaron.
29 The Deliverance from Egypt It happened at midnight– the LORD attacked all
the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his
throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the prison, and all the
firstborn of the cattle.
30 Pharaoh got up in the night, along with all his servants and all Egypt, and
there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was no house in which there was not
someone dead.
31 Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron in the night and said,“Get up, get out
from among my people, both you and the Israelites! Go, serve the LORD as you
have requested!
32 Also, take your flocks and your herds, just as you have requested, and leave.
But bless me also.”
33 The Egyptians were urging the people on, in order to send them out of the
land quickly, for they were saying,“We are all dead!”
34 So the people took their dough before the yeast was added, with their
kneading troughs bound up in their clothing on their shoulders.
35 Now the Israelites had done as Moses told them– they had requested from the
Egyptians silver and gold items and clothing.
36 The LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, and they gave
them whatever they wanted, and so they plundered Egypt.
37 The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Sukkoth. There were about 600,000
men on foot, plus their dependents.
38 A mixed multitude also went up with them, and flocks and herds– a very
large number of cattle.
39 They baked cakes of bread without yeast using the dough they had brought from
Egypt, for it was made without yeast– because they were thrust out of Egypt
and were not able to delay, they could not prepare food for themselves either.
40 Now the length of time the Israelites lived in Egypt was 430 years.
41 At the end of the 430 years, on the very day, all the regiments of the LORD
went out of the land of Egypt.
42 It was a night of vigil for the LORD to bring them out from the land of
Egypt, and so on this night all Israel is to keep the vigil to the LORD for
generations to come.
43 Participation in the Passover The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,“This is the
ordinance of the Passover. No foreigner may share in eating it.
44 But everyone’s servant who is bought for money, after you have circumcised
him, may eat it.
45 A foreigner and a hired worker must not eat it.
46 It must be eaten in one house; you must not bring any of the meat outside the
house, and you must not break a bone of it.
47 The whole community of Israel must observe it.
48 “When a resident foreigner lives with you and wants to observe the Passover
to the LORD, all his males must be circumcised, and then he may approach and
observe it, and he will be like one who is born in the land– but no
uncircumcised person may eat of it.
49 The same law will apply to the person who is native-born and to the resident
foreigner who lives among you.”
50 So all the Israelites did exactly as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron.
51 And on this very day the LORD brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt
by their regiments.

Chapter 13

1 The Law of the Firstborn The LORD spoke to Moses:
2 “Set apart to me every firstborn male– the first offspring of every womb
among the Israelites, whether human or animal; it is mine.”
3 Moses said to the people,“Remember this day on which you came out from
Egypt, from the place where you were enslaved, for the LORD brought you out of
there with a mighty hand– and no bread made with yeast may be eaten.
4 On this day, in the month of Abib, you are going out.
5 When the LORD brings you to the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites,
Hivites, and Jebusites, which he swore to your fathers to give you, a land
flowing with milk and honey, then you will keep this ceremony in this month.
6 For seven days you must eat bread made without yeast, and on the seventh day
there is to be a festival to the LORD.
7 Bread made without yeast must be eaten for seven days; no bread made with
yeast shall be seen among you, and you must have no yeast among you within any
of your borders.
8 You are to tell your son on that day,‘It is because of what the LORD did for
me when I came out of Egypt.’
9 It will be a sign for you on your hand and a memorial on your forehead, so
that the law of the LORD may be in your mouth, for with a mighty hand the LORD
brought you out of Egypt.
10 So you must keep this ordinance at its appointed time from year to year.
11 When the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you
and to your fathers, and gives it to you,
12 then you must give over to the LORD the first offspring of every womb. Every
firstling of a beast that you have– the males will be the LORD’s.
13 Every firstling of a donkey you must redeem with a lamb, and if you do not
redeem it, then you must break its neck. Every firstborn of your sons you must
redeem.
14 In the future, when your son asks you‘What is this?’ you are to tell
him,‘With a mighty hand the LORD brought us out from Egypt, from the land of
slavery.
15 When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to release us, the LORD killed all the
firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of people to the firstborn of
animals. That is why I am sacrificing to the LORD the first male offspring of
every womb, but all my firstborn sons I redeem.’
16 It will be for a sign on your hand and for frontlets on your forehead, for
with a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.”
17 The Leading of God When Pharaoh released the people, God did not lead them by
the way to the land of the Philistines, although that was nearby, for God
said,“Lest the people change their minds and return to Egypt when they
experience war.”
18 So God brought the people around by the way of the wilderness to the Red Sea,
and the Israelites went up from the land of Egypt prepared for battle.
19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the Israelites
solemnly swear,“God will surely attend to you, and you will carry my bones up
from this place with you.”
20 They journeyed from Sukkoth and camped in Etham, on the edge of the desert.
21 Now the LORD was going before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them
in the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they
could travel day or night.
22 He did not remove the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night
from before the people.

Chapter 14

1 The Victory at the Red Sea The LORD spoke to Moses:
2 “Tell the Israelites that they must turn and camp before Pi-hahiroth,
between Migdol and the sea; you are to camp by the sea before Baal Zephon
opposite it.
3 Pharaoh will think regarding the Israelites,‘They are wandering around
confused in the land– the desert has closed in on them.’
4 I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will chase after them. I will gain
honor because of Pharaoh and because of all his army, and the Egyptians will
know that I am the LORD.” So this is what they did.
5 When it was reported to the king of Egypt that the people had fled, the heart
of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people, and the king and his
servants said,“What in the world have we done? For we have released the people
of Israel from serving us!”
6 Then he prepared his chariots and took his army with him.
7 He took six hundred select chariots, and all the rest of the chariots of
Egypt, and officers on all of them.
8 But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he chased after
the Israelites. Now the Israelites were going out defiantly.
9 The Egyptians chased after them, and all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh
and his horsemen and his army overtook them camping by the sea, beside
Pi-hahiroth, before Baal Zephon.
10 When Pharaoh got closer, the Israelites looked up, and there were the
Egyptians marching after them, and they were terrified. The Israelites cried out
to the LORD,
11 and they said to Moses,“Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you
have taken us away to die in the desert? What in the world have you done to us
by bringing us out of Egypt?
12 Isn’t this what we told you in Egypt,‘Leave us alone so that we can serve
the Egyptians, because it is better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in
the desert!’”
13 Moses said to the people,“Do not fear! Stand firm and see the salvation of
the LORD that he will provide for you today; for the Egyptians that you see
today you will never, ever see again.
14 The LORD will fight for you, and you can be still.”
15 The LORD said to Moses,“Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to
move on.
16 And as for you, lift up your staff and extend your hand toward the sea and
divide it, so that the Israelites may go through the middle of the sea on dry
ground.
17 And as for me, I am going to harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they
will come after them, that I may be honored because of Pharaoh and his army and
his chariots and his horsemen.
18 And the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I have gained my honor
because of Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”
19 The angel of God, who was going before the camp of Israel, moved and went
behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind
them.
20 It came between the Egyptian camp and the Israelite camp; it was a dark cloud
and it lit up the night so that one camp did not come near the other the whole
night.
21 Moses stretched out his hand toward the sea, and the LORD drove the sea apart
by a strong east wind all that night, and he made the sea into dry land, and the
water was divided.
22 So the Israelites went through the middle of the sea on dry ground, the water
forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.
23 The Egyptians chased them and followed them into the middle of the sea– all
the horses of Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.
24 In the morning watch the LORD looked down on the Egyptian army through the
pillar of fire and cloud, and he threw the Egyptian army into a panic.
25 He jammed the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving,
and the Egyptians said,“Let’s flee from Israel, for the LORD fights for them
against Egypt!”
26 The LORD said to Moses,“Extend your hand toward the sea, so that the waters
may flow back on the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen!”
27 So Moses extended his hand toward the sea, and the sea returned to its normal
state when the sun began to rise. Now the Egyptians were fleeing before it, but
the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the middle of the sea.
28 The water returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen and all the army
of Pharaoh that was coming after the Israelites into the sea– not so much as
one of them survived!
29 But the Israelites walked on dry ground in the middle of the sea, the water
forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.
30 So the LORD saved Israel on that day from the power of the Egyptians, and
Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the shore of the sea.
31 When Israel saw the great power that the LORD had exercised over the
Egyptians, they feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in his
servant Moses.

Chapter 15

1 The Song of Triumph Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD.
They said,“I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously, the horse
and its rider he has thrown into the sea.
2 The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation. This is
my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
3 The LORD is a warrior, the LORD is his name.
4 The chariots of Pharaoh and his army he has thrown into the sea, and his
chosen officers were drowned in the Red Sea.
5 The depths have covered them, they went down to the bottom like a stone.
6 Your right hand, O LORD, was majestic in power, your right hand, O LORD,
shattered the enemy.
7 In the abundance of your majesty you have overthrown those who rise up against
you. You sent forth your wrath; it consumed them like stubble.
8 By the blast of your nostrils the waters were piled up, the flowing water
stood upright like a heap, and the deep waters were solidified in the heart of
the sea.
9 The enemy said,‘I will chase, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my
desire will be satisfied on them. I will draw my sword, my hand will destroy
them.’
10 But you blew with your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead
in the mighty waters.
11 Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you?– majestic in
holiness, fearful in praises, working wonders?
12 You stretched out your right hand, the earth swallowed them.
13 By your loyal love you will lead the people whom you have redeemed; you will
guide them by your strength to your holy dwelling place.
14 The nations will hear and tremble; anguish will seize the inhabitants of
Philistia.
15 Then the chiefs of Edom will be terrified, trembling will seize the leaders
of Moab, and the inhabitants of Canaan will shake.
16 Fear and dread will fall on them; by the greatness of your arm they will be
as still as stone until your people pass by, O LORD, until the people whom you
have bought pass by.
17 You will bring them in and plant them in the mountain of your inheritance, in
the place you made for your residence, O LORD, the sanctuary, O Lord, that your
hands have established.
18 The LORD will reign forever and ever!
19 For the horses of Pharaoh came with his chariots and his footmen into the
sea, and the LORD brought back the waters of the sea on them, but the Israelites
walked on dry land in the middle of the sea.”
20 Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a hand-drum in her hand, and
all the women went out after her with hand-drums and with dances.
21 Miriam sang in response to them,“Sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed
gloriously; the horse and its rider he has thrown into the sea.”
22 The Bitter Water Then Moses led Israel to journey away from the Red Sea. They
went out to the wilderness of Shur, walked for three days into the wilderness,
and found no water.
23 Then they came to Marah, but they were not able to drink the waters of Marah,
because they were bitter.(That is why its name was Marah.)
24 So the people murmured against Moses, saying,“What can we drink?”
25 He cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree. When Moses threw it
into the water, the water became safe to drink. There the LORD made for them a
binding ordinance, and there he tested them.
26 He said,“If you will diligently obey the LORD your God, and do what is
right in his sight, and pay attention to his commandments, and keep all his
statutes, then all the diseases that I brought on the Egyptians I will not bring
on you, for I, the LORD, am your healer.”
27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy
palm trees, and they camped there by the water.

Chapter 16

1 The Provision of Manna When they journeyed from Elim, the entire company of
Israelites came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on
the fifteenth day of the second month after their exodus from the land of Egypt.
2 The entire company of Israelites murmured against Moses and Aaron in the
wilderness.
3 The Israelites said to them,“If only we had died by the hand of the LORD in
the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the
full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole
assembly with hunger!”
4 Then the LORD said to Moses,“I am going to rain bread from heaven for you,
and the people will go out and gather the amount for each day, so that I may
test them. Will they walk in my law or not?
5 On the sixth day they will prepare what they bring in, and it will be twice as
much as they gather every other day.”
6 Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites,“In the evening you will know
that the LORD has brought you out of the land of Egypt,
7 and in the morning you will see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard
your murmurings against the LORD. As for us, what are we, that you should murmur
against us?”
8 Moses said,“You will know this when the LORD gives you meat to eat in the
evening and bread in the morning to satisfy you, because the LORD has heard your
murmurings that you are murmuring against him. As for us, what are we? Your
murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD.”
9 Then Moses said to Aaron,“Tell the whole community of the Israelites,‘Come
before the LORD, because he has heard your murmurings.’”
10 As Aaron spoke to the whole community of the Israelites and they looked
toward the wilderness, there the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud,
11 and the LORD spoke to Moses:
12 “I have heard the murmurings of the Israelites. Tell them,‘During the
evening you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be satisfied with bread,
so that you may know that I am the LORD your God.’”
13 In the evening the quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning a
layer of dew was all around the camp.
14 When the layer of dew had evaporated, there on the surface of the wilderness
was a thin flaky substance, thin like frost on the earth.
15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another,“What is it?”
because they did not know what it was. Moses said to them,“It is the bread
that the LORD has given you for food.
16 “This is what the LORD has commanded:‘Each person is to gather from it
what he can eat, an omer per person according to the number of your people; each
one will pick it up for whoever lives in his tent.’”
17 The Israelites did so, and they gathered– some more, some less.
18 When they measured with an omer, the one who gathered much had nothing left
over, and the one who gathered little lacked nothing; each one had gathered what
he could eat.
19 Moses said to them,“No one is to keep any of it until morning.”
20 But they did not listen to Moses; some kept part of it until morning, and it
was full of worms and began to stink, and Moses was angry with them.
21 So they gathered it each morning, each person according to what he could eat,
and when the sun got hot, it would melt.
22 And on the sixth day they gathered twice as much food, two omers per person;
and all the leaders of the community came and told Moses.
23 He said to them,“This is what the LORD has said:‘Tomorrow is a time of
cessation from work, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. Whatever you want to bake, bake
today; whatever you want to boil, boil today; whatever is left put aside for
yourselves to be kept until morning.’”
24 So they put it aside until the morning, just as Moses had commanded, and it
did not stink, nor were there any worms in it.
25 Moses said,“Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the LORD; today you
will not find it in the area.
26 Six days you will gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will
not be any.”
27 On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather it, but they found
nothing.
28 So the LORD said to Moses,“How long do you refuse to obey my commandments
and my instructions?
29 See, because the LORD has given you the Sabbath, that is why he is giving you
food for two days on the sixth day. Each of you stay where you are; let no one
go out of his place on the seventh day.”
30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
31 The house of Israel called its name“manna.” It was like coriander seed
and was white, and it tasted like wafers with honey.
32 Moses said,“This is what the LORD has commanded:‘Fill an omer with it to
be kept for generations to come, so that they may see the food I fed you in the
wilderness when I brought you out from the land of Egypt.’”
33 Moses said to Aaron,“Take a jar and put in it an omer full of manna, and
place it before the LORD to be kept for generations to come.”
34 Just as the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the Testimony for
safekeeping.
35 Now the Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was
inhabited; they ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.
36 (Now an omer is one tenth of an ephah.)

Chapter 17

1 Water at Massa and Meribah The whole community of the Israelites traveled on
their journey from the wilderness of Sin according to the LORD’s instruction,
and they pitched camp in Rephidim. Now there was no water for the people to
drink.
2 So the people contended with Moses, and they said,“Give us water to
drink!” Moses said to them,“Why do you contend with me? Why do you test the
LORD?”
3 But the people were very thirsty there for water, and they murmured against
Moses and said,“Why in the world did you bring us up from Egypt– to kill us
and our children and our cattle with thirst?”
4 Then Moses cried out to the LORD,“What will I do with this people?– a
little more and they will stone me!”
5 The LORD said to Moses,“Go over before the people; take with you some of the
elders of Israel and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile
and go.
6 I will be standing before you there on the rock in Horeb, and you will strike
the rock, and water will come out of it so that the people may drink.” And
Moses did so in plain view of the elders of Israel.
7 He called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the contending
of the Israelites and because of their testing the LORD, saying,“Is the LORD
among us or not?”
8 Victory over the Amalekites Amalek came and attacked Israel in Rephidim.
9 So Moses said to Joshua,“Choose some of our men and go out, fight against
Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my
hand.”
10 So Joshua fought against Amalek just as Moses had instructed him, and Moses
and Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
11 Whenever Moses would raise his hands, then Israel prevailed, but whenever he
would rest his hands, then Amalek prevailed.
12 When the hands of Moses became heavy, they took a stone and put it under him,
and Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side and one on the other, and
so his hands were steady until the sun went down.
13 So Joshua destroyed Amalek and his army with the sword.
14 The LORD said to Moses,“Write this as a memorial in the book, and rehearse
it in Joshua’s hearing; for I will surely wipe out the remembrance of Amalek
from under heaven.
15 Moses built an altar, and he called it“The LORD is my Banner,”
16 for he said,“For a hand was lifted up to the throne of the LORD– that the
LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

Chapter 18

1 The Advice of Jethro Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law,
heard about all that God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, that the
LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt.
2 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took Moses’ wife Zipporah after he had sent
her back,
3 and her two sons, one of whom was named Gershom(for Moses had said,“I have
been a foreigner in a foreign land”),
4 and the other Eliezer(for Moses had said,“The God of my father has been my
help and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”).
5 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’ sons and his wife, came
to Moses in the wilderness where he was camping by the mountain of God.
6 He said to Moses,“I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you, along with
your wife and her two sons with her.”
7 Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him; they
each asked about the other’s welfare, and then they went into the tent.
8 Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and to
Egypt for Israel’s sake, and all the hardship that had come on them along the
way, and how the LORD had delivered them.
9 Jethro rejoiced because of all the good that the LORD had done for Israel,
whom he had delivered from the hand of Egypt.
10 Jethro said,“Blessed be the LORD who has delivered you from the hand of
Egypt, and from the hand of Pharaoh, who has delivered the people from the
Egyptians’ control!
11 Now I know that the LORD is greater than all the gods, for in the thing in
which they dealt proudly against them he has destroyed them.”
12 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices
for God, and Aaron and all the elders of Israel came to eat food with the
father-in-law of Moses before God.
13 On the next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around
Moses from morning until evening.
14 When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he
said,“What is this that you are doing for the people? Why are you sitting by
yourself, and all the people stand around you from morning until evening?”
15 Moses said to his father-in-law,“Because the people come to me to inquire
of God.
16 When they have a dispute, it comes to me and I decide between a man and his
neighbor, and I make known the decrees of God and his laws.”
17 Moses’ father-in-law said to him,“What you are doing is not good!
18 You will surely wear out, both you and these people who are with you, for
this is too heavy a burden for you; you are not able to do it by yourself.
19 Now listen to me, I will give you advice, and may God be with you: You be a
representative for the people to God, and you bring their disputes to God;
20 warn them of the statutes and the laws, and make known to them the way in
which they must walk and the work they must do.
21 But you choose from the people capable men, God-fearing, men of truth, those
who hate bribes, and put them over the people as rulers of thousands, rulers of
hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
22 They will judge the people under normal circumstances, and every difficult
case they will bring to you, but every small case they themselves will judge, so
that you may make it easier for yourself, and they will bear the burden with
you.
23 If you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to
endure, and all these people will be able to go home satisfied.”
24 Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he had said.
25 Moses chose capable men from all Israel, and he made them heads over the
people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers
of tens.
26 They judged the people under normal circumstances; the difficult cases they
would bring to Moses, but every small case they would judge themselves.
27 Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and so Jethro went to his own
land.

Chapter 19

1 Israel at Sinai In the third month after the Israelites went out from the land
of Egypt, on the very day, they came to the desert of Sinai.
2 After they journeyed from Rephidim, they came to the desert of Sinai, and they
camped in the desert; Israel camped there in front of the mountain.
3 Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain,“Thus you
will tell the house of Jacob, and declare to the people of Israel:
4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I lifted you on
eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.
5 And now, if you will diligently listen to me and keep my covenant, then you
will be my special possession out of all the nations, for all the earth is mine,
6 and you will be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the
words that you will speak to the Israelites.”
7 So Moses came and summoned the elders of Israel. He set before them all these
words that the LORD had commanded him,
8 and all the people answered together,“All that the LORD has commanded we
will do!” So Moses brought the words of the people back to the LORD.
9 The LORD said to Moses,“I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that
the people may hear when I speak with you and so that they will always believe
in you.” And Moses told the words of the people to the LORD.
10 The LORD said to Moses,“Go to the people and sanctify them today and
tomorrow, and make them wash their clothes
11 and be ready for the third day, for on the third day the LORD will come down
on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.
12 You must set boundaries for the people all around, saying,‘Take heed to
yourselves not to go up on the mountain nor touch its edge. Whoever touches the
mountain will surely be put to death!
13 No hand will touch him– but he will surely be stoned or shot through,
whether a beast or a human being; he must not live.’ When the ram’s horn
sounds a long blast they may go up on the mountain.”
14 Then Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified the
people, and they washed their clothes.
15 He said to the people,“Be ready for the third day. Do not approach your
wives for marital relations.”
16 On the third day in the morning there was thunder and lightning and a dense
cloud on the mountain, and the sound of a very loud horn; all the people who
were in the camp trembled.
17 Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their
place at the foot of the mountain.
18 Now Mount Sinai was completely covered with smoke because the LORD had
descended on it in fire, and its smoke went up like the smoke of a great
furnace, and the whole mountain shook violently.
19 When the sound of the horn grew louder and louder, Moses was speaking and God
was answering him with a voice.
20 The LORD came down on Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain, and the LORD
summoned Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.
21 The LORD said to Moses,“Go down and solemnly warn the people, lest they
force their way through to the LORD to look, and many of them perish.
22 Let the priests also, who approach the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the
LORD break through against them.”
23 Moses said to the LORD,“The people are not able to come up to Mount Sinai,
because you solemnly warned us,‘Set boundaries for the mountain and set it
apart.’”
24 The LORD said to him,“Go, get down, and come up, and Aaron with you, but do
not let the priests and the people force their way through to come up to the
LORD, lest he break through against them.”
25 So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.

Chapter 20

1 The Decalogue God spoke all these words:
2 “I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you from the land of Egypt, from the
house of slavery.
3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything
that is in heaven above or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water
below.
5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the LORD, your God, am a
jealous God, responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children
to the third and fourth generations of those who reject me,
6 and showing covenant faithfulness to a thousand generations of those who love
me and keep my commandments.
7 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will
not hold guiltless anyone who takes his name in vain.
8 “Remember the Sabbath day to set it apart as holy.
9 For six days you may labor and do all your work,
10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God; on it you shall not do
any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, or your male servant, or your
female servant, or your cattle, or the resident foreigner who is in your gates.
11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all
that is in them, and he rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed
the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
12 “Honor your father and your mother, that you may live a long time in the
land the LORD your God is giving to you.
13 “You shall not murder.
14 “You shall not commit adultery.
15 “You shall not steal.
16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your
neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor
his donkey, nor anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
18 All the people were seeing the thundering and the lightning, and heard the
sound of the horn, and saw the mountain smoking– and when the people saw it
they trembled with fear and kept their distance.
19 They said to Moses,“You speak to us and we will listen, but do not let God
speak with us, lest we die.”
20 Moses said to the people,“Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that
the fear of him may be before you so that you do not sin.”
21 The people kept their distance, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where
God was.
22 The Altar The LORD said to Moses:“Thus you will tell the Israelites:‘You
yourselves have seen that I have spoken with you from heaven.
23 You must not make gods of silver alongside me, nor make gods of gold for
yourselves.
24 ‘You must make for me an altar made of earth, and you will sacrifice on it
your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your cattle. In
every place where I cause my name to be honored I will come to you and I will
bless you.
25 If you make me an altar of stone, you must not build it of stones shaped with
tools, for if you use your tool on it you have defiled it.
26 And you must not go up by steps to my altar, so that your nakedness is not
exposed.’

Chapter 21

1 The Decisions“These are the decisions that you will set before them:
2 Hebrew Servants“If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six
years, but in the seventh year he will go out free without paying anything.
3 If he came in by himself he will go out by himself; if he had a wife when he
came in, then his wife will go out with him.
4 If his master gave him a wife, and she bore sons or daughters, the wife and
the children will belong to her master, and he will go out by himself.
5 But if the servant should declare,‘I love my master, my wife, and my
children; I will not go out free,’
6 then his master must bring him to the judges, and he will bring him to the
door or the doorpost, and his master will pierce his ear with an awl, and he
shall serve him forever.
7 “If a man sells his daughter as a female servant, she will not go out as the
male servants do.
8 If she does not please her master, who has designated her for himself, then he
must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to a foreign nation,
because he has dealt deceitfully with her.
9 If he designated her for his son, then he will deal with her according to the
customary rights of daughters.
10 If he takes another wife, he must not diminish the first one’s food, her
clothing, or her marital rights.
11 If he does not provide her with these three things, then she will go out
free, without paying money.
12 Personal Injuries“Whoever strikes someone so that he dies must surely be
put to death.
13 But if he does not do it with premeditation, but it happens by accident, then
I will appoint for you a place where he may flee.
14 But if a man willfully attacks his neighbor to kill him cunningly, you will
take him even from my altar that he may die.
15 “Whoever strikes his father or his mother must surely be put to death.
16 “Whoever kidnaps someone and sells him, or is caught still holding him,
must surely be put to death.
17 “Whoever treats his father or his mother disgracefully must surely be put
to death.
18 “If men fight, and one strikes his neighbor with a stone or with his fist
and he does not die, but must remain in bed,
19 and then if he gets up and walks about outside on his staff, then the one who
struck him is innocent, except he must pay for the injured person’s loss of
time and see to it that he is fully healed.
20 “If a man strikes his male servant or his female servant with a staff so
that he or she dies as a result of the blow, he will surely be punished.
21 However, if the injured servant survives one or two days, the owner will not
be punished, for he has suffered the loss.
22 “If men fight and hit a pregnant woman and her child is born prematurely,
but there is no serious injury, he will surely be punished in accordance with
what the woman’s husband demands of him, and he will pay what the court
decides.
23 But if there is serious injury, then you will give a life for a life,
24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.
26 “If a man strikes the eye of his male servant or his female servant so that
he destroys it, he will let the servant go free as compensation for the eye.
27 If he knocks out the tooth of his male servant or his female servant, he will
let the servant go free as compensation for the tooth.
28 Laws about Animals“If an ox gores a man or a woman so that either dies,
then the ox must surely be stoned and its flesh must not be eaten, but the owner
of the ox will be acquitted.
29 But if the ox had the habit of goring, and its owner was warned, and he did
not take the necessary precautions, and then it killed a man or a woman, the ox
must be stoned and the man must be put to death.
30 If a ransom is set for him, then he must pay the redemption for his life
according to whatever amount was set for him.
31 If the ox gores a son or a daughter, the owner will be dealt with according
to this rule.
32 If the ox gores a male servant or a female servant, the owner must pay thirty
shekels of silver, and the ox must be stoned.
33 “If a man opens a pit or if a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an
ox or a donkey falls into it,
34 the owner of the pit must repay the loss. He must give money to its owner,
and the dead animal will become his.
35 If the ox of one man injures the ox of his neighbor so that it dies, then
they will sell the live ox and divide its proceeds, and they will also divide
the dead ox.
36 Or if it is known that the ox had the habit of goring, and its owner did not
take the necessary precautions, he must surely pay ox for ox, and the dead
animal will become his.

Chapter 22

1 Laws about Property(21:37)“If a man steals an ox or a sheep and kills it or
sells it, he must pay back five head of cattle for the ox, and four sheep for
the one sheep.
2 “If a thief is caught breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there will
be no blood guilt for him.
3 If the sun has risen on him, then there is blood guilt for him. A thief must
surely make full restitution; if he has nothing, then he will be sold for his
theft.
4 If the stolen item should in fact be found alive in his possession, whether it
be an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he must pay back double.
5 “If a man grazes his livestock in a field or a vineyard, and he lets the
livestock loose and they graze in the field of another man, he must make
restitution from the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard.
6 “If a fire breaks out and spreads to thorn bushes, so that stacked grain or
standing grain or the whole field is consumed, the one who started the fire must
surely make restitution.
7 “If a man gives his neighbor money or articles for safekeeping, and it is
stolen from the man’s house, if the thief is caught, he must repay double.
8 If the thief is not caught, then the owner of the house will be brought before
the judges to see whether he has laid his hand on his neighbor’s goods.
9 In all cases of illegal possessions, whether for an ox, a donkey, a sheep, a
garment, or any kind of lost item, about which someone says‘This belongs to
me,’ the matter of the two of them will come before the judges, and the one
whom the judges declare guilty must repay double to his neighbor.
10 If a man gives his neighbor a donkey or an ox or a sheep or any beast to
keep, and it dies or is injured or is carried away without anyone seeing it,
11 then there will be an oath to the LORD between the two of them, that he has
not laid his hand on his neighbor’s goods, and its owner will accept this, and
he will not have to pay.
12 But if it was stolen from him, he will pay its owner.
13 If it is torn in pieces, then he will bring it for evidence, and he will not
have to pay for what was torn.
14 “If a man borrows an animal from his neighbor, and it is hurt or dies when
its owner was not with it, the man who borrowed it will surely pay.
15 If its owner was with it, he will not have to pay; if it was hired, what was
paid for the hire covers it.
16 Moral and Ceremonial Laws“If a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged and
goes to bed with her, he must surely pay the marriage price for her to be his
wife.
17 If her father refuses to give her to him, he must pay money for the bride
price of virgins.
18 “You must not allow a sorceress to live.
19 “Whoever has sexual relations with a beast must surely be put to death.
20 “Whoever sacrifices to a god other than the LORD alone must be utterly
destroyed.
21 “You must not wrong a resident foreigner nor oppress him, for you were
foreigners in the land of Egypt.
22 “You must not afflict any widow or orphan.
23 If you afflict them in any way and they cry to me, I will surely hear their
cry,
24 and my anger will burn and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives
will be widows and your children will be fatherless.
25 “If you lend money to any of my people who are needy among you, do not be
like a moneylender to him; do not charge him interest.
26 If you do take the garment of your neighbor in pledge, you must return it to
him by the time the sun goes down,
27 for it is his only covering– it is his garment for his body. What else can
he sleep in? And when he cries out to me, I will hear, for I am gracious.
28 “You must not blaspheme God or curse the ruler of your people.
29 “Do not hold back offerings from your granaries or your vats. You must give
me the firstborn of your sons.
30 You must also do this for your oxen and for your sheep; seven days they may
remain with their mothers, but give them to me on the eighth day.
31 “You will be holy people to me; you must not eat any meat torn by animals
in the field. You must throw it to the dogs.

Chapter 23

1 Justice“You must not give a false report. Do not make common cause with the
wicked to be a malicious witness.
2 “You must not follow a crowd in doing evil things; in a lawsuit you must not
offer testimony that agrees with a crowd so as to pervert justice,
3 and you must not show partiality to a poor man in his lawsuit.
4 “If you encounter your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering off, you must by all
means return it to him.
5 If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen under its load, you must
not ignore him, but be sure to help him with it.
6 “You must not turn away justice for your poor people in their lawsuits.
7 Keep your distance from a false charge– do not kill the innocent and the
righteous, for I will not justify the wicked.
8 “You must not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and subverts
the words of the righteous.
9 “You must not oppress a resident foreigner, since you know the life of a
foreigner, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
10 Sabbaths and Feasts“For six years you are to sow your land and gather in
its produce.
11 But in the seventh year you must let it lie fallow and leave it alone so that
the poor of your people may eat, and what they leave any animal in the field may
eat; you must do likewise with your vineyard and your olive grove.
12 For six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you must cease,
in order that your ox and your donkey may rest and that your female servant’s
son and the resident foreigner may refresh themselves.
13 “Pay attention to do everything I have told you, and do not even mention
the names of other gods– do not let them be heard on your lips.
14 “Three times in the year you must make a pilgrim feast to me.
15 You are to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread; seven days you must eat
bread made without yeast, as I commanded you, at the appointed time of the month
of Abib, for at that time you came out of Egypt. No one may appear before me
empty-handed.
16 “You are also to observe the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your
labors that you have sown in the field, and the Feast of Ingathering at the end
of the year when you have gathered in your harvest out of the field.
17 At three times in the year all your males will appear before the Sovereign
LORD.
18 “You must not offer the blood of my sacrifice with bread containing yeast;
the fat of my festal sacrifice must not remain until morning.
19 The first of the firstfruits of your soil you must bring to the house of the
LORD your God.“You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.
20 The Angel of the Presence“I am going to send an angel before you to protect
you as you journey and to bring you into the place that I have prepared.
21 Take heed because of him, and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for
he will not pardon your transgressions, for my name is in him.
22 But if you diligently obey him and do all that I command, then I will be an
enemy to your enemies, and I will be an adversary to your adversaries.
23 For my angel will go before you and bring you to the Amorites, the Hittites,
the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I will
destroy them completely.
24 “You must not bow down to their gods; you must not serve them or do
according to their practices. Instead you must completely overthrow them and
smash their standing stones to pieces.
25 You must serve the LORD your God, and he will bless your bread and your
water, and I will remove sickness from your midst.
26 No woman will miscarry her young or be barren in your land. I will fulfill
the number of your days.
27 “I will send my terror before you, and I will alarm all the people whom you
encounter; I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you.
28 I will send hornets before you that will drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite,
and the Hittite before you.
29 I will not drive them out before you in one year, lest the land become
desolate and the wild animals multiply against you.
30 Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you become fruitful
and inherit the land.
31 I will set your boundaries from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines,
and from the desert to the River, for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land
into your hand, and you will drive them out before you.
32 “You must make no covenant with them or with their gods.
33 They must not live in your land, lest they make you sin against me, for if
you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”

Chapter 24

1 The Lord Ratifies the Covenant But to Moses the LORD said,“Come up to the
LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and
worship from a distance.
2 Moses alone may come near the LORD, but the others must not come near, nor may
the people go up with him.”
3 Moses came and told the people all the LORD’s words and all the decisions.
All the people answered together,“We are willing to do all the words that the
LORD has said,”
4 and Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. Early in the morning he built
an altar at the foot of the mountain and arranged twelve standing stones–
according to the twelve tribes of Israel.
5 He sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed
young bulls for peace offerings to the LORD.
6 Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and half of the blood he
splashed on the altar.
7 He took the Book of the Covenant and read it aloud to the people, and they
said,“We are willing to do and obey all that the LORD has spoken.”
8 So Moses took the blood and splashed it on the people and said,“This is the
blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all
these words.”
9 Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up,
10 and they saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there was something like a
pavement made of sapphire, clear like the sky itself.
11 But he did not lay a hand on the leaders of the Israelites, so they saw God,
and they ate and they drank.
12 The LORD said to Moses,“Come up to me on the mountain and remain there, and
I will give you the stone tablets with the law and the commandments that I have
written, so that you may teach them.”
13 So Moses set out with Joshua his attendant, and Moses went up the mountain of
God.
14 He told the elders,“Wait for us in this place until we return to you. Here
are Aaron and Hur with you. Whoever has any matters of dispute can approach
them.”
15 Moses went up the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.
16 The glory of the LORD resided on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for
six days. On the seventh day he called to Moses from within the cloud.
17 Now the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a devouring fire on the
top of the mountain in plain view of the people.
18 Moses went into the cloud when he went up the mountain, and Moses was on the
mountain forty days and forty nights.

Chapter 25

1 The Materials for the Sanctuary The LORD spoke to Moses:
2 “Tell the Israelites to take an offering for me; from every person motivated
by a willing heart you are to receive my offering.
3 This is the offering you are to accept from them: gold, silver, bronze,
4 blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, goat’s hair,
5 ram skins dyed red, fine leather, acacia wood,
6 oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for fragrant incense,
7 onyx stones, and other gems to be set in the ephod and in the breastpiece.
8 Let them make for me a sanctuary, so that I may live among them.
9 According to all that I am showing you– the pattern of the tabernacle and
the pattern of all its furnishings– you must make it exactly so.
10 The Ark of the Covenant“They are to make an ark of acacia wood– its
length is to be three feet nine inches, its width two feet three inches, and its
height two feet three inches.
11 You are to overlay it with pure gold– both inside and outside you must
overlay it, and you are to make a surrounding border of gold over it.
12 You are to cast four gold rings for it and put them on its four feet, with
two rings on one side and two rings on the other side.
13 You are to make poles of acacia wood, overlay them with gold,
14 and put the poles into the rings at the sides of the ark in order to carry
the ark with them.
15 The poles must remain in the rings of the ark; they must not be removed from
it.
16 You are to put into the ark the testimony that I will give to you.
17 “You are to make an atonement lid of pure gold; its length is to be three
feet nine inches, and its width is to be two feet three inches.
18 You are to make two cherubim of gold; you are to make them of hammered metal
on the two ends of the atonement lid.
19 Make one cherub on one end and one cherub on the other end; from the
atonement lid you are to make the cherubim on the two ends.
20 The cherubim are to be spreading their wings upward, overshadowing the
atonement lid with their wings, and the cherubim are to face each other, looking
toward the atonement lid.
21 You are to put the atonement lid on top of the ark, and in the ark you are to
put the testimony I am giving you.
22 I will meet with you there, and from above the atonement lid, from between
the two cherubim that are over the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you
about all that I will command you for the Israelites.
23 The Table for the Bread of the Presence“You are to make a table of acacia
wood; its length is to be three feet, its width one foot six inches, and its
height two feet three inches.
24 You are to overlay it with pure gold, and you are to make a surrounding
border of gold for it.
25 You are to make a surrounding frame for it about three inches broad, and you
are to make a surrounding border of gold for its frame.
26 You are to make four rings of gold for it and attach the rings at the four
corners where its four legs are.
27 The rings are to be close to the frame to provide places for the poles to
carry the table.
28 You are to make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, so that
the table may be carried with them.
29 You are to make its plates, its ladles, its pitchers, and its bowls, to be
used in pouring out offerings; you are to make them of pure gold.
30 You are to set the Bread of the Presence on the table before me continually.
31 The Lampstand“You are to make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand is to
be made of hammered metal; its base and its shaft, its cups, its buds, and its
blossoms are to be from the same piece.
32 Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand, three branches of
the lampstand from one side of it and three branches of the lampstand from the
other side of it.
33 Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one
branch, and three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to
be on the next branch, and the same for the six branches extending from the
lampstand.
34 On the lampstand there are to be four cups shaped like almond flowers with
buds and blossoms,
35 with a bud under the first two branches from it, and a bud under the next two
branches from it, and a bud under the third two branches from it, according to
the six branches that extend from the lampstand.
36 Their buds and their branches will be one piece, all of it one hammered piece
of pure gold.
37 “You are to make its seven lamps, and then set its lamps up on it, so that
it will give light to the area in front of it.
38 Its trimmers and its trays are to be of pure gold.
39 About seventy-five pounds of pure gold is to be used for it and for all these
utensils.
40 Now be sure to make them according to the pattern you were shown on the
mountain.

Chapter 26

1 The Tabernacle“The tabernacle itself you are to make with ten curtains of
fine twisted linen and blue and purple and scarlet; you are to make them with
cherubim that are the work of an artistic designer.
2 The length of each curtain is to be forty-two feet, and the width of each
curtain is to be six feet– the same size for each of the curtains.
3 Five curtains are to be joined, one to another, and the other five curtains
are to be joined, one to another.
4 You are to make loops of blue material along the edge of the end curtain in
one set, and in the same way you are to make loops in the outer edge of the end
curtain in the second set.
5 You are to make fifty loops on the one curtain, and you are to make fifty
loops on the end curtain which is on the second set, so that the loops are
opposite one to another.
6 You are to make fifty gold clasps and join the curtains together with the
clasps, so that the tabernacle is a unit.
7 “You are to make curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle;
you are to make eleven curtains.
8 The length of each curtain is to be forty-five feet, and the width of each
curtain is to be six feet– the same size for the eleven curtains.
9 You are to join five curtains by themselves and six curtains by themselves.
You are to double over the sixth curtain at the front of the tent.
10 You are to make fifty loops along the edge of the end curtain in one set and
fifty loops along the edge of the curtain that joins the second set.
11 You are to make fifty bronze clasps and put the clasps into the loops and
join the tent together so that it is a unit.
12 Now the part that remains of the curtains of the tent– the half curtain
that remains will hang over at the back of the tabernacle.
13 The foot and a half on the one side and the foot and a half on the other side
of what remains in the length of the curtains of the tent will hang over the
sides of the tabernacle, on one side and the other side, to cover it.
14 “You are to make a covering for the tent out of ram skins dyed red and over
that a covering of fine leather.
15 “You are to make the frames for the tabernacle out of acacia wood as
uprights.
16 Each frame is to be fifteen feet long, and each frame is to be two feet three
inches wide,
17 with two projections per frame parallel one to another. You are to make all
the frames of the tabernacle in this way.
18 So you are to make the frames for the tabernacle: twenty frames for the south
side,
19 and you are to make forty silver bases to go under the twenty frames– two
bases under the first frame for its two projections, and likewise two bases
under the next frame for its two projections;
20 and for the second side of the tabernacle, the north side, twenty frames,
21 and their forty silver bases, two bases under the first frame, and two bases
under the next frame.
22 And for the back of the tabernacle on the west you will make six frames.
23 You are to make two frames for the corners of the tabernacle on the back.
24 At the two corners they must be doubled at the lower end and finished
together at the top in one ring. So it will be for both.
25 So there are to be eight frames and their silver bases, sixteen bases, two
bases under the first frame, and two bases under the next frame.
26 “You are to make bars of acacia wood, five for the frames on one side of
the tabernacle,
27 and five bars for the frames on the second side of the tabernacle, and five
bars for the frames on the back of the tabernacle on the west.
28 The middle bar in the center of the frames will reach from end to end.
29 You are to overlay the frames with gold and make their rings of gold to
provide places for the bars, and you are to overlay the bars with gold.
30 You are to set up the tabernacle according to the plan that you were shown on
the mountain.
31 “You are to make a special curtain of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and
fine twisted linen; it is to be made with cherubim, the work of an artistic
designer.
32 You are to hang it with gold hooks on four posts of acacia wood overlaid with
gold, set in four silver bases.
33 You are to hang this curtain under the clasps and bring the ark of the
testimony in there behind the curtain. The curtain will make a division for you
between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place.
34 You are to put the atonement lid on the ark of the testimony in the Most Holy
Place.
35 You are to put the table outside the curtain and the lampstand on the south
side of the tabernacle, opposite the table, and you are to place the table on
the north side.
36 “You are to make a hanging for the entrance of the tent of blue, purple,
and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen, the work of an embroiderer.
37 You are to make for the hanging five posts of acacia wood and overlay them
with gold, and their hooks will be gold, and you are to cast five bronze bases
for them.

Chapter 27

1 The Altar“You are to make the altar of acacia wood, seven feet six inches
long, and seven feet six inches wide; the altar is to be square, and its height
is to be four feet six inches.
2 You are to make its four horns on its four corners; its horns will be part of
it, and you are to overlay it with bronze.
3 You are to make its pots for the ashes, its shovels, its tossing bowls, its
meat hooks, and its fire pans– you are to make all its utensils of bronze.
4 You are to make a grating for it, a network of bronze, and you are to make on
the network four bronze rings on its four corners.
5 You are to put it under the ledge of the altar below, so that the network will
come halfway up the altar.
6 You are to make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and you are to
overlay them with bronze.
7 The poles are to be put into the rings so that the poles will be on two sides
of the altar when carrying it.
8 You are to make the altar hollow, out of boards. Just as it was shown you on
the mountain, so they must make it.
9 The Courtyard“You are to make the courtyard of the tabernacle. For the south
side there are to be hangings for the courtyard of fine twisted linen, one
hundred fifty feet long for one side,
10 with twenty posts and their twenty bronze bases, with the hooks of the posts
and their bands of silver.
11 Likewise for its length on the north side, there are to be hangings for one
hundred fifty feet, with twenty posts and their twenty bronze bases, with silver
hooks and bands on the posts.
12 The width of the court on the west side is to be seventy-five feet with
hangings, with their ten posts and their ten bases.
13 The width of the court on the east side, toward the sunrise, is to be
seventy-five feet.
14 The hangings on one side of the gate are to be twenty-two and a half feet
long, with their three posts and their three bases.
15 On the second side there are to be hangings twenty-two and a half feet long,
with their three posts and their three bases.
16 For the gate of the courtyard there is to be a curtain of thirty feet, of
blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen, the work of an
embroiderer, with four posts and their four bases.
17 All the posts around the courtyard are to have silver bands; their hooks are
to be silver, and their bases bronze.
18 The length of the courtyard is to be one hundred fifty feet and the width
seventy-five feet, and the height of the fine twisted linen hangings is to be
seven and a half feet, with their bronze bases.
19 All the utensils of the tabernacle used in all its service, all its tent
pegs, and all the tent pegs of the courtyard are to be made of bronze.
20 Offering the Oil“You are to command the Israelites that they bring to you
pure oil of pressed olives for the light, so that the lamps will burn regularly.
21 In the tent of meeting outside the curtain that is before the testimony,
Aaron and his sons are to arrange it from evening to morning before the LORD.
This is to be a lasting ordinance among the Israelites for generations to come.

Chapter 28

1 The Clothing of the Priests“And you, bring near to you your brother Aaron
and his sons with him from among the Israelites, so that they may minister as my
priests– Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons.
2 You must make holy garments for your brother Aaron, for glory and for beauty.
3 You are to speak to all who are specially skilled, whom I have filled with the
spirit of wisdom, so that they may make Aaron’s garments to set him apart to
minister as my priest.
4 Now these are the garments that they are to make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a
robe, a fitted tunic, a turban, and a sash. They are to make holy garments for
your brother Aaron and for his sons, that they may minister as my priests.
5 The artisans are to use the gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine linen.
6 “They are to make the ephod of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted
linen, the work of an artistic designer.
7 It is to have two shoulder pieces attached to two of its corners, so it can be
joined together.
8 The artistically woven waistband of the ephod that is on it is to be like it,
of one piece with the ephod, of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted
linen.
9 “You are to take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons
of Israel,
10 six of their names on one stone, and the six remaining names on the second
stone, according to the order of their birth.
11 You are to engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel with
the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a seal; you are to have
them set in gold filigree settings.
12 You are to put the two stones on the shoulders of the ephod, stones of
memorial for the sons of Israel, and Aaron will bear their names before the LORD
on his two shoulders for a memorial.
13 You are to make filigree settings of gold
14 and two braided chains of pure gold, like a cord, and attach the chains to
the settings.
15 “You are to make a breastpiece for use in making decisions, the work of an
artistic designer; you are to make it in the same fashion as the ephod; you are
to make it of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted linen.
16 It is to be square when doubled, nine inches long and nine inches wide.
17 You are to set in it a setting for stones, four rows of stones, a row with a
ruby, a topaz, and a beryl– the first row;
18 and the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald;
19 and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;
20 and the fourth row, a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper. They are to be
enclosed in gold in their filigree settings.
21 The stones are to be for the names of the sons of Israel, twelve, according
to the number of their names. Each name according to the twelve tribes is to be
like the engravings of a seal.
22 “You are to make for the breastpiece braided chains like cords of pure
gold,
23 and you are to make for the breastpiece two gold rings and attach the two
rings to the upper two ends of the breastpiece.
24 You are to attach the two gold chains to the two rings at the ends of the
breastpiece;
25 the other two ends of the two chains you will attach to the two settings and
then attach them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front of it.
26 You are to make two rings of gold and put them on the other two ends of the
breastpiece, on its edge that is on the inner side of the ephod.
27 You are to make two more gold rings and attach them to the bottom of the two
shoulder pieces on the front of the ephod, close to the juncture above the
waistband of the ephod.
28 They are to tie the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod by
blue cord, so that it may be above the waistband of the ephod, and so that the
breastpiece will not be loose from the ephod.
29 Aaron will bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of
decision over his heart when he goes into the holy place, for a memorial before
the LORD continually.
30 “You are to put the Urim and the Thummim into the breastpiece of decision;
and they are to be over Aaron’s heart when he goes in before the LORD. Aaron
is to bear the decisions of the Israelites over his heart before the LORD
continually.
31 “You are to make the robe of the ephod completely blue.
32 There is to be an opening in its top in the center of it, with an edge all
around the opening, the work of a weaver, like the opening of a collar, so that
it cannot be torn.
33 You are to make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet all around its hem
and bells of gold between them all around.
34 The pattern is to be a gold bell and a pomegranate, a gold bell and a
pomegranate, all around the hem of the robe.
35 The robe is to be on Aaron as he ministers, and his sound will be heard when
he enters the Holy Place before the LORD and when he leaves, so that he does not
die.
36 “You are to make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it the way a seal is
engraved:“Holiness to the LORD.”
37 You are to attach to it a blue cord so that it will be on the turban; it is
to be on the front of the turban.
38 It will be on Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron will bear the iniquity of the
holy things, which the Israelites are to sanctify by all their holy gifts; it
will always be on his forehead, for their acceptance before the LORD.
39 You are to weave the tunic of fine linen and make the turban of fine linen,
and make the sash the work of an embroiderer.
40 “For Aaron’s sons you are to make tunics, sashes, and headbands for glory
and for beauty.
41 “You are to clothe them– your brother Aaron and his sons with him– and
anoint them and ordain them and set them apart as holy, so that they may
minister as my priests.
42 Make for them linen undergarments to cover their naked bodies; they must
cover from the waist to the thighs.
43 These must be on Aaron and his sons when they enter to the tent of meeting,
or when they approach the altar to minister in the Holy Place, so that they bear
no iniquity and die. It is to be a perpetual ordinance for him and for his
descendants after him.

Chapter 29

1 The Consecration of Aaron and His Sons“Now this is what you are to do for
them to consecrate them so that they may minister as my priests. Take a young
bull and two rams without blemish;
2 and bread made without yeast, and perforated cakes without yeast mixed with
oil, and wafers without yeast spread with oil– you are to make them using fine
wheat flour.
3 You are to put them in one basket and present them in the basket, along with
the bull and the two rams.
4 “You are to present Aaron and his sons at the entrance of the tent of
meeting. You are to wash them with water
5 and take the garments and clothe Aaron with the tunic, the robe of the ephod,
the ephod, and the breastpiece; you are to fasten the ephod on him by using the
skillfully woven waistband.
6 You are to put the turban on his head and put the holy diadem on the turban.
7 You are to take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him.
8 You are to present his sons and clothe them with tunics
9 and wrap the sashes around Aaron and his sons and put headbands on them, and
so the ministry of priesthood will belong to them by a perpetual ordinance. Thus
you are to consecrate Aaron and his sons.
10 “You are to present the bull at the front of the tent of meeting, and Aaron
and his sons are to put their hands on the head of the bull.
11 You are to kill the bull before the LORD at the entrance to the tent of
meeting
12 and take some of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar
with your finger; all the rest of the blood you are to pour out at the base of
the altar.
13 You are to take all the fat that covers the entrails, and the lobe that is
above the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, and burn them
on the altar.
14 But the meat of the bull, its skin, and its dung you are to burn up outside
the camp. It is the purification offering.
15 “You are to take one ram, and Aaron and his sons are to lay their hands on
the ram’s head,
16 and you are to kill the ram and take its blood and splash it all around on
the altar.
17 Then you are to cut the ram into pieces and wash the entrails and its legs
and put them on its pieces and on its head
18 and burn the whole ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the LORD, a
soothing aroma; it is an offering made by fire to the LORD.
19 “You are to take the second ram, and Aaron and his sons are to lay their
hands on the ram’s head,
20 and you are to kill the ram and take some of its blood and put it on the tip
of the right ear of Aaron, on the tip of the right ear of his sons, on the thumb
of their right hand, and on the big toe of their right foot, and then splash the
blood all around on the altar.
21 You are to take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the
anointing oil and sprinkle it on Aaron, on his garments, on his sons, and on his
sons’ garments with him, so that he may be holy, he and his garments along
with his sons and his sons’ garments.
22 “You are to take from the ram the fat, the fat tail, the fat that covers
the entrails, the lobe of the liver, the two kidneys and the fat that is on
them, and the right thigh– for it is the ram for consecration–
23 and one round flat cake of bread, one perforated cake of oiled bread, and one
wafer from the basket of bread made without yeast that is before the LORD.
24 You are to put all these in Aaron’s hands and in his sons’ hands, and you
are to wave them as a wave offering before the LORD.
25 Then you are to take them from their hands and burn them on the altar for a
burnt offering, for a soothing aroma before the LORD. It is an offering made by
fire to the LORD.
26 You are to take the breast of the ram of Aaron’s consecration; you are to
wave it as a wave offering before the LORD, and it is to be your share.
27 You are to sanctify the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the
contribution, which were waved and lifted up as a contribution from the ram of
consecration, from what belongs to Aaron and to his sons.
28 It is to belong to Aaron and to his sons from the Israelites, by a perpetual
ordinance, for it is a contribution. It is to be a contribution from the
Israelites from their peace offerings, their contribution to the LORD.
29 “The holy garments that belong to Aaron are to belong to his sons after
him, so that they may be anointed in them and consecrated in them.
30 The priest who succeeds him from his sons, when he first comes to the tent of
meeting to minister in the Holy Place, is to wear them for seven days.
31 “You are to take the ram of the consecration and cook its meat in a holy
place.
32 Aaron and his sons are to eat the meat of the ram and the bread that was in
the basket at the entrance of the tent of meeting.
33 They are to eat those things by which atonement was made to consecrate and to
set them apart, but no one else may eat them, for they are holy.
34 If any of the meat from the consecration offerings or any of the bread is
left over until morning, then you are to burn up what is left over. It must not
be eaten, because it is holy.
35 “Thus you are to do for Aaron and for his sons, according to all that I
have commanded you; you are to consecrate them for seven days.
36 Every day you are to prepare a bull for a purification offering for
atonement. You are to purify the altar by making atonement for it, and you are
to anoint it to set it apart as holy.
37 For seven days you are to make atonement for the altar and set it apart as
holy. Then the altar will be most holy. Anything that touches the altar will be
holy.
38 “Now this is what you are to prepare on the altar every day continually:
two lambs a year old.
39 The first lamb you are to prepare in the morning, and the second lamb you are
to prepare around sundown.
40 With the first lamb offer a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a
fourth of a hin of oil from pressed olives, and a fourth of a hin of wine as a
drink offering.
41 The second lamb you are to offer around sundown; you are to prepare for it
the same meal offering as for the morning and the same drink offering, for a
soothing aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD.
42 “This will be a regular burnt offering throughout your generations at the
entrance of the tent of meeting before the LORD, where I will meet with you to
speak to you there.
43 There I will meet with the Israelites, and it will be set apart as holy by my
glory.
44 “So I will set apart as holy the tent of meeting and the altar, and I will
set apart as holy Aaron and his sons, that they may minister as priests to me.
45 I will reside among the Israelites, and I will be their God,
46 and they will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out from
the land of Egypt, so that I may reside among them. I am the LORD their God.

Chapter 30

1 The Altar of Incense“You are to make an altar for burning incense; you are
to make it of acacia wood.
2 Its length is to be a foot and a half and its width a foot and a half; it will
be square. Its height is to be three feet, with its horns of one piece with it.
3 You are to overlay it with pure gold– its top, its four walls, and its
horns– and make a surrounding border of gold for it.
4 You are to make two gold rings for it under its border, on its two flanks; you
are to make them on its two sides. The rings will be places for poles to carry
it with.
5 You are to make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.
6 “You are to put it in front of the curtain that is before the ark of the
testimony(before the atonement lid that is over the testimony), where I will
meet you.
7 Aaron is to burn sweet incense on it morning by morning; when he attends to
the lamps he is to burn incense.
8 When Aaron sets up the lamps around sundown he is to burn incense on it; it is
to be a regular incense offering before the LORD throughout your generations.
9 You must not offer strange incense on it, nor burnt offering, nor meal
offering, and you must not pour out a drink offering on it.
10 Aaron is to make atonement on its horns once in the year with some of the
blood of the sin offering for atonement; once in the year he is to make
atonement on it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD.”
11 The Ransom Money The LORD spoke to Moses:
12 “When you take a census of the Israelites according to their number, then
each man is to pay a ransom for his life to the LORD when you number them, so
that there will be no plague among them when you number them.
13 Everyone who crosses over to those who are numbered is to pay this: a half
shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary(a shekel weighs twenty gerahs).
The half shekel is to be an offering to the LORD.
14 Everyone who crosses over to those numbered, from twenty years old and up, is
to pay an offering to the LORD.
15 The rich are not to pay more and the poor are not to pay less than the half
shekel when giving the offering of the LORD, to make atonement for your lives.
16 You are to receive the atonement money from the Israelites and give it for
the service of the tent of meeting. It will be a memorial for the Israelites
before the LORD, to make atonement for your lives.”
17 The Bronze Laver The LORD spoke to Moses:
18 “You are also to make a large bronze basin with a bronze stand for washing.
You are to put it between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it,
19 and Aaron and his sons must wash their hands and their feet from it.
20 When they enter the tent of meeting, they must wash with water so that they
do not die. Also, when they approach the altar to minister by burning incense as
an offering made by fire to the LORD,
21 they must wash their hands and their feet so that they do not die. And this
will be a perpetual ordinance for them and for their descendants throughout
their generations.”
22 Oil and Incense The LORD spoke to Moses:
23 “Take choice spices: twelve and a half pounds of free-flowing myrrh, half
that– about six and a quarter pounds– of sweet-smelling cinnamon, six and a
quarter pounds of sweet-smelling cane,
24 and twelve and a half pounds of cassia, all weighed according to the
sanctuary shekel, and four quarts of olive oil.
25 You are to make this into a sacred anointing oil, a perfumed compound, the
work of a perfumer. It will be sacred anointing oil.
26 “With it you are to anoint the tent of meeting, the ark of the testimony,
27 the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and its utensils, the altar of
incense,
28 the altar for the burnt offering and all its utensils, and the laver and its
base.
29 So you are to sanctify them, and they will be most holy; anything that
touches them will be holy.
30 “You are to anoint Aaron and his sons and sanctify them, so that they may
minister as my priests.
31 And you are to tell the Israelites:‘This is to be my sacred anointing oil
throughout your generations.
32 It must not be applied to people’s bodies, and you must not make any like
it with the same recipe. It is holy, and it must be holy to you.
33 Whoever makes perfume like it and whoever puts any of it on someone not a
priest will be cut off from his people.’”
34 The LORD said to Moses:“Take spices, gum resin, onycha, galbanum, and pure
frankincense of equal amounts
35 and make it into an incense, a perfume, the work of a perfumer. It is to be
finely ground, and pure and sacred.
36 You are to beat some of it very fine and put some of it before the ark of the
testimony in the tent of meeting where I will meet with you; it is to be most
holy to you.
37 And the incense that you are to make, you must not make for yourselves using
the same recipe; it is to be most holy to you, belonging to the LORD.
38 Whoever makes anything like it, to use as perfume, will be cut off from his
people.”

Chapter 31

1 Willing Artisans The LORD spoke to Moses:
2 “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of
Judah,
3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God in skill, in understanding, in
knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship,
4 to make artistic designs for work with gold, with silver, and with bronze,
5 and with cutting and setting stone, and with cutting wood, to work in all
kinds of craftsmanship.
6 Moreover, I have also given him Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan,
and I have given ability to all the specially skilled, that they may make
everything I have commanded you:
7 the tent of meeting, the ark of the testimony, the atonement lid that is on
it, all the furnishings of the tent,
8 the table with its utensils, the pure lampstand with all its utensils, the
altar of incense,
9 the altar for the burnt offering with all its utensils, the large basin with
its base,
10 the woven garments, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments
for his sons, to minister as priests,
11 the anointing oil, and sweet incense for the Holy Place. They will make all
these things just as I have commanded you.”
12 Sabbath Observance The LORD said to Moses,
13 “Tell the Israelites,‘Surely you must keep my Sabbaths, for it is a sign
between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the
LORD who sanctifies you.
14 So you must keep the Sabbath, for it is holy for you. Everyone who defiles it
must surely be put to death; indeed, if anyone does any work on it, then that
person will be cut off from among his people.
15 Six days work may be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete
rest, holy to the LORD; anyone who does work on the Sabbath day must surely be
put to death.
16 The Israelites must keep the Sabbath by observing the Sabbath throughout
their generations as a perpetual covenant.
17 It is a sign between me and the Israelites forever; for in six days the LORD
made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was
refreshed.’”
18 He gave Moses two tablets of testimony when he had finished speaking with him
on Mount Sinai, tablets of stone written by the finger of God.

Chapter 32

1 The Sin of the Golden Calf When the people saw that Moses delayed in coming
down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said to him,“Get up,
make us gods that will go before us. As for this fellow Moses, the man who
brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him!”
2 So Aaron said to them,“Break off the gold earrings that are on the ears of
your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.”
3 So all the people broke off the gold earrings that were on their ears and
brought them to Aaron.
4 He accepted the gold from them, fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made
a molten calf. Then they said,“These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you
up out of Egypt.”
5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it, and Aaron made a
proclamation and said,“Tomorrow will be a feast to the LORD.”
6 So they got up early on the next day and offered up burnt offerings and
brought peace offerings, and the people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose
up to play.
7 The LORD spoke to Moses:“Go quickly, descend, because your people, whom you
brought up from the land of Egypt, have acted corruptly.
8 They have quickly turned aside from the way that I commanded them– they have
made for themselves a molten calf and have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it
and said,‘These are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of
Egypt.’”
9 Then the LORD said to Moses:“I have seen this people. Look what a
stiff-necked people they are!
10 So now, leave me alone so that my anger can burn against them and I can
destroy them, and I will make from you a great nation.”
11 But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God and said,“O LORD, why does
your anger burn against your people, whom you have brought out from the land of
Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?
12 Why should the Egyptians say,‘For evil he led them out to kill them in the
mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your
burning anger, and relent of this evil against your people.
13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel your servants, to whom you swore by
yourself and told them,‘I will multiply your descendants like the stars of
heaven, and all this land that I have spoken about I will give to your
descendants, and they will inherit it forever.’”
14 Then the LORD relented over the evil that he had said he would do to his
people.
15 Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the
testimony in his hands. The tablets were written on both sides– they were
written on the front and on the back.
16 Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God,
engraved on the tablets.
17 When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to
Moses,“It is the sound of war in the camp!”
18 Moses said,“It is not the sound of those who shout for victory, nor is it
the sound of those who cry because they are overcome, but the sound of singing I
hear.”
19 When he approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses became
extremely angry. He threw the tablets from his hands and broke them to pieces at
the bottom of the mountain.
20 He took the calf they had made and burned it in the fire, ground it to
powder, poured it out on the water, and made the Israelites drink it.
21 Moses said to Aaron,“What did this people do to you, that you have brought
on them so great a sin?”
22 Aaron said,“Do not let your anger burn hot, my lord; you know these people,
that they tend to evil.
23 They said to me,‘Make us gods that will go before us, for as for this
fellow Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know
what has happened to him.’
24 So I said to them,‘Whoever has gold, break it off.’ So they gave it to
me, and I threw it into the fire, and this calf came out.”
25 Moses saw that the people were running wild, for Aaron had let them get
completely out of control, causing derision from their enemies.
26 So Moses stood at the entrance of the camp and said,“Whoever is for the
LORD, come to me.” All the Levites gathered around him,
27 and he said to them,“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, has
said‘Each man fasten his sword on his side, and go back and forth from
entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and each one kill his brother, his
friend, and his neighbor.’”
28 The Levites did what Moses ordered, and that day about three thousand men of
the people died.
29 Moses said,“You have been consecrated today for the LORD, for each of you
was against his son or against his brother, so he has given a blessing to you
today.”
30 The next day Moses said to the people,“You have committed a very serious
sin, but now I will go up to the LORD– perhaps I can make atonement on behalf
of your sin.”
31 So Moses returned to the LORD and said,“Alas, this people has committed a
very serious sin, and they have made for themselves gods of gold.
32 But now, if you will forgive their sin…, but if not, wipe me out from your
book that you have written.”
33 The LORD said to Moses,“Whoever has sinned against me– that person I will
wipe out of my book.
34 So now go, lead the people to the place I have spoken to you about. See, my
angel will go before you. But on the day that I punish, I will indeed punish
them for their sin.”
35 And the LORD sent a plague on the people because they had made the calf–
the one Aaron made.

Chapter 33

1 The LORD said to Moses,“Go up from here, you and the people whom you brought
up out of the land of Egypt, to the land I promised on oath to Abraham, to
Isaac, and to Jacob, saying,‘I will give it to your descendants.’
2 I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite, the
Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
3 Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go up among you,
for you are a stiff-necked people, and I might destroy you on the way.”
4 When the people heard this troubling word they mourned; no one put on his
ornaments.
5 For the LORD had said to Moses,“Tell the Israelites,‘You are a
stiff-necked people. If I went up among you for a moment, I might destroy you.
Now take off your ornaments, that I may know what I should do to you.’”
6 So the Israelites stripped off their ornaments by Mount Horeb.
7 The Presence of the Lord Moses took the tent and pitched it outside the camp,
at a good distance from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. Anyone
seeking the LORD would go out to the tent of meeting that was outside the camp.
8 And when Moses went out to the tent, all the people would get up and stand at
the entrance to their tents and watch Moses until he entered the tent.
9 And whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and
stand at the entrance of the tent, and the LORD would speak with Moses.
10 When all the people would see the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of
the tent, all the people, each one at the entrance of his own tent, would rise
and worship.
11 The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, the way a person speaks to a
friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his servant, Joshua son of Nun,
a young man, did not leave the tent.
12 Moses said to the LORD,“See, you have been saying to me,‘Bring this
people up,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. But you
said,‘I know you by name, and also you have found favor in my sight.’
13 Now if I have found favor in your sight, show me your way, that I may know
you, that I may continue to find favor in your sight. And see that this nation
is your people.”
14 And the LORD said,“My presence will go with you, and I will give you
rest.”
15 And Moses said to him,“If your presence does not go with us, do not take us
up from here.
16 For how will it be known then that I have found favor in your sight, I and
your people? Is it not by your going with us, so that we will be distinguished,
I and your people, from all the people who are on the face of the earth?”
17 The LORD said to Moses,“I will do this thing also that you have requested,
for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.”
18 And Moses said,“Show me your glory.”
19 And the LORD said,“I will make all my goodness pass before your face, and I
will proclaim the LORD by name before you; I will be gracious to whom I will be
gracious, I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy.”
20 But he added,“You cannot see my face, for no one can see me and live.”
21 The LORD said,“Here is a place by me; you will station yourself on a rock.
22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and will cover
you with my hand while I pass by.
23 Then I will take away my hand, and you will see my back, but my face must not
be seen.”

Chapter 34

1 The New Tablets of the Covenant The LORD said to Moses,“Cut out two tablets
of stone like the first, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on
the first tablets, which you smashed.
2 Be prepared in the morning, and go up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and
station yourself for me there on the top of the mountain.
3 No one is to come up with you; do not let anyone be seen anywhere on the
mountain; not even the flocks or the herds may graze in front of that
mountain.”
4 So Moses cut out two tablets of stone like the first; early in the morning he
went up to Mount Sinai, just as the LORD had commanded him, and he took in his
hand the two tablets of stone.
5 The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the
LORD by name.
6 The LORD passed by before him and proclaimed:“The LORD, the LORD, the
compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love and
faithfulness,
7 keeping loyal love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and
sin. But he by no means leaves the guilty unpunished, responding to the
transgression of fathers by dealing with children and children’s children, to
the third and fourth generation.”
8 Moses quickly bowed to the ground and worshiped
9 and said,“If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, let my Lord go
among us, for we are a stiff-necked people; pardon our iniquity and our sin, and
take us for your inheritance.”
10 He said,“See, I am going to make a covenant before all your people. I will
do wonders such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation. All
the people among whom you live will see the work of the LORD, for it is a
fearful thing that I am doing with you.
11 “Obey what I am commanding you this day. I am going to drive out before you
the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the
Jebusite.
12 Be careful not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you
are going, lest it become a snare among you.
13 Rather you must destroy their altars, smash their images, and cut down their
Asherah poles.
14 For you must not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous,
is a jealous God.
15 Be careful not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, for when
they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and
someone invites you, you will eat from his sacrifice;
16 and you then take his daughters for your sons, and when his daughters
prostitute themselves to their gods, they will make your sons prostitute
themselves to their gods as well.
17 You must not make yourselves molten gods.
18 “You must keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days you must eat
bread made without yeast, as I commanded you; do this at the appointed time of
the month Abib, for in the month Abib you came out of Egypt.
19 “Every firstborn of the womb belongs to me, even every firstborn of your
cattle that is a male, whether ox or sheep.
20 Now the firstling of a donkey you may redeem with a lamb, but if you do not
redeem it, then break its neck. You must redeem all the firstborn of your
sons.“No one will appear before me empty-handed.
21 “On six days you may labor, but on the seventh day you must rest; even at
the time of plowing and of harvest you are to rest.
22 “You must observe the Feast of Weeks– the firstfruits of the harvest of
wheat– and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year.
23 At three times in the year all your men must appear before the Sovereign
LORD, the God of Israel.
24 For I will drive out the nations before you and enlarge your borders; no one
will covet your land when you go up to appear before the LORD your God three
times in the year.
25 “You must not offer the blood of my sacrifice with yeast; the sacrifice
from the Feast of Passover must not remain until the following morning.
26 “The first of the firstfruits of your soil you must bring to the house of
the LORD your God.You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”
27 The LORD said to Moses,“Write down these words, for in accordance with
these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.”
28 So he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did not eat
bread, and he did not drink water. He wrote on the tablets the words of the
covenant, the ten commandments.
29 The Radiant Face of Moses Now when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the
two tablets of the testimony in his hand– when he came down from the mountain,
Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.
30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face shone; and
they were afraid to approach him.
31 But Moses called to them, so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came
back to him, and Moses spoke to them.
32 After this all the Israelites approached, and he commanded them all that the
LORD had spoken to him on Mount Sinai.
33 When Moses finished speaking with them, he would put a veil on his face.
34 But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he would remove the
veil until he came out. Then he would come out and tell the Israelites what he
had been commanded.
35 When the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’
face shone, Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to
speak with the LORD.

Chapter 35

1 Sabbath Regulations Moses assembled the whole community of the Israelites and
said to them,“These are the things that the LORD has commanded you to do.
2 In six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there must be a holy day
for you, a Sabbath of complete rest to the LORD. Anyone who does work on it will
be put to death.
3 You must not kindle a fire in any of your homes on the Sabbath day.”
4 Willing Workers Moses spoke to the whole community of the Israelites,“This
is the word that the LORD has commanded:
5 ‘Take an offering for the LORD. Let everyone who has a willing heart bring
an offering to the LORD: gold, silver, bronze,
6 blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, fine linen, goat’s hair,
7 ram skins dyed red, fine leather, acacia wood,
8 olive oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant
incense,
9 onyx stones, and other gems for mounting on the ephod and the breastpiece.
10 Every skilled person among you is to come and make all that the LORD has
commanded:
11 the tabernacle with its tent, its covering, its clasps, its frames, its
crossbars, its posts, and its bases;
12 the ark, with its poles, the atonement lid, and the special curtain that
conceals it;
13 the table with its poles and all its vessels, and the Bread of the Presence;
14 the lampstand for the light and its accessories, its lamps, and oil for the
light;
15 and the altar of incense with its poles, the anointing oil, and the fragrant
incense; the hanging for the door at the entrance of the tabernacle;
16 the altar for the burnt offering with its bronze grating that is on it, its
poles, and all its utensils; the large basin and its pedestal;
17 the hangings of the courtyard, its posts and its bases, and the curtain for
the gateway to the courtyard;
18 tent pegs for the tabernacle and tent pegs for the courtyard and their ropes;
19 the woven garments for serving in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron
the priest, and the garments for his sons to minister as priests.”
20 So the whole community of the Israelites went out from the presence of Moses.
21 Everyone whose heart stirred him to action and everyone whose spirit was
willing came and brought the offering for the LORD for the work of the tent of
meeting, for all its service, and for the holy garments.
22 They came, men and women alike, all who had willing hearts. They brought
brooches, earrings, rings and ornaments, all kinds of gold jewelry, and everyone
came who waved a wave offering of gold to the LORD.
23 Everyone who had blue, purple, or scarlet yarn, fine linen, goats’ hair,
ram skins dyed red, or fine leather brought them.
24 Everyone making an offering of silver or bronze brought it as an offering to
the LORD, and everyone who had acacia wood for any work of the service brought
it.
25 Every woman who was skilled spun with her hands and brought what she had
spun, blue, purple, or scarlet yarn, or fine linen,
26 and all the women whose heart stirred them to action and who were skilled
spun goats’ hair.
27 The leaders brought onyx stones and other gems to be mounted for the ephod
and the breastpiece,
28 and spices and olive oil for the light, for the anointing oil, and for the
fragrant incense.
29 The Israelites brought a freewill offering to the LORD, every man and woman
whose heart was willing to bring materials for all the work that the LORD
through Moses had commanded them to do.
30 Moses said to the Israelites,“See, the LORD has chosen Bezalel son of Uri,
the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.
31 He has filled him with the Spirit of God– with skill, with understanding,
with knowledge, and in all kinds of work,
32 to design artistic designs, to work in gold, in silver, and in bronze,
33 and in cutting stones for their setting, and in cutting wood, to do work in
every artistic craft.
34 And he has put it in his heart to teach, he and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of
the tribe of Dan.
35 He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as craftsmen, as
designers, as embroiderers in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and in fine linen,
and as weavers. They are craftsmen in all the work and artistic designers.

Chapter 36

1 So Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person in whom the LORD has put skill
and ability to know how to do all the work for the service of the sanctuary are
to do the work according to all that the LORD has commanded.”
2 Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person in whom the LORD
had put skill– everyone whose heart stirred him to volunteer to do the work,
3 and they received from Moses all the offerings the Israelites had brought to
do the work for the service of the sanctuary, and they still continued to bring
him a freewill offering each morning.
4 So all the skilled people who were doing all the work on the sanctuary came
from the work they were doing
5 and told Moses,“The people are bringing much more than is needed for the
completion of the work which the LORD commanded us to do!”
6 Moses instructed them to take his message throughout the camp, saying,“Let
no man or woman do any more work for the offering for the sanctuary.” So the
people were restrained from bringing any more.
7 Now the materials were more than enough for them to do all the work.
8 The Building of the Tabernacle All the skilled among those who were doing the
work made the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twisted linen and blue and
purple and scarlet; they were made with cherubim that were the work of an
artistic designer.
9 The length of one curtain was forty-two feet, and the width of one curtain was
six feet– the same size for each of the curtains.
10 He joined five of the curtains to one another, and the other five curtains he
joined to one another.
11 He made loops of blue material along the edge of the end curtain in the first
set; he did the same along the edge of the end curtain in the second set.
12 He made fifty loops on the first curtain, and he made fifty loops on the end
curtain that was in the second set, with the loops opposite one another.
13 He made fifty gold clasps and joined the curtains together to one another
with the clasps, so that the tabernacle was a unit.
14 He made curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle; he made
eleven curtains.
15 The length of one curtain was forty-five feet, and the width of one curtain
was six feet– one size for all eleven curtains.
16 He joined five curtains by themselves and six curtains by themselves.
17 He made fifty loops along the edge of the end curtain in the first set and
fifty loops along the edge of the curtain that joined the second set.
18 He made fifty bronze clasps to join the tent together so that it might be a
unit.
19 He made a covering for the tent out of ram skins dyed red and over that a
covering of fine leather.
20 He made the frames for the tabernacle of acacia wood as uprights.
21 The length of each frame was fifteen feet, the width of each frame was two
and a quarter feet,
22 with two projections per frame parallel one to another. He made all the
frames of the tabernacle in this way.
23 So he made frames for the tabernacle: twenty frames for the south side.
24 He made forty silver bases under the twenty frames– two bases under the
first frame for its two projections, and likewise two bases under the next frame
for its two projections,
25 and for the second side of the tabernacle, the north side, he made twenty
frames
26 and their forty silver bases, two bases under the first frame and two bases
under the next frame.
27 And for the back of the tabernacle on the west he made six frames.
28 He made two frames for the corners of the tabernacle on the back.
29 At the two corners they were doubled at the lower end and finished together
at the top in one ring. So he did for both.
30 So there were eight frames and their silver bases, sixteen bases, two bases
under each frame.
31 He made bars of acacia wood, five for the frames on one side of the
tabernacle
32 and five bars for the frames on the second side of the tabernacle, and five
bars for the frames of the tabernacle for the back side on the west.
33 He made the middle bar to reach from end to end in the center of the frames.
34 He overlaid the frames with gold and made their rings of gold to provide
places for the bars, and he overlaid the bars with gold.
35 He made the special curtain of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine
twisted linen; he made it with cherubim, the work of an artistic designer.
36 He made for it four posts of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold, with
gold hooks, and he cast for them four silver bases.
37 He made a hanging for the entrance of the tent of blue, purple, and scarlet
yarn and fine twisted linen, the work of an embroiderer,
38 and its five posts and their hooks. He overlaid their tops and their bands
with gold, but their five bases were bronze.

Chapter 37

1 The Making of the Ark Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood; its length was
three feet nine inches, its width two feet three inches, and its height two feet
three inches.
2 He overlaid it with pure gold, inside and out, and he made a surrounding
border of gold for it.
3 He cast four gold rings for it that he put on its four feet, with two rings on
one side and two rings on the other side.
4 He made poles of acacia wood, overlaid them with gold,
5 and put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark in order to carry the
ark.
6 He made an atonement lid of pure gold; its length was three feet nine inches,
and its width was two feet three inches.
7 He made two cherubim of gold; he made them of hammered metal on the two ends
of the atonement lid,
8 one cherub on one end and one cherub on the other end. He made the cherubim
from the atonement lid on its two ends.
9 The cherubim were spreading their wings upward, overshadowing the atonement
lid with their wings. The cherubim faced each other, looking toward the
atonement lid.
10 The Making of the Table He made the table of acacia wood; its length was
three feet, its width one foot six inches, and its height two feet three inches.
11 He overlaid it with pure gold, and he made a surrounding border of gold for
it.
12 He made a surrounding frame for it about three inches wide, and he made a
surrounding border of gold for its frame.
13 He cast four gold rings for it and attached the rings at the four corners
where its four legs were.
14 The rings were close to the frame to provide places for the poles to carry
the table.
15 He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold, to carry the
table.
16 He made the vessels which were on the table out of pure gold, its plates, its
ladles, its pitchers, and its bowls, to be used in pouring out offerings.
17 The Making of the Lampstand He made the lampstand of pure gold. He made the
lampstand of hammered metal; its base and its shaft, its cups, its buds, and its
blossoms were from the same piece.
18 Six branches were extending from its sides, three branches of the lampstand
from one side of it, and three branches of the lampstand from the other side of
it.
19 Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms were on the
first branch, and three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms
were on the next branch, and the same for the six branches that were extending
from the lampstand.
20 On the lampstand there were four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds
and blossoms,
21 with a bud under the first two branches from it, and a bud under the next two
branches from it, and a bud under the third two branches from it; according to
the six branches that extended from it.
22 Their buds and their branches were of one piece; all of it was one hammered
piece of pure gold.
23 He made its seven lamps, its trimmers, and its trays of pure gold.
24 He made the lampstand and all its accessories with seventy-five pounds of
pure gold.
25 The Making of the Altar of Incense He made the incense altar of acacia wood.
Its length was a foot and a half and its width a foot and a half– a square–
and its height was three feet. Its horns were of one piece with it.
26 He overlaid it with pure gold– its top, its four walls, and its horns–
and he made a surrounding border of gold for it.
27 He also made two gold rings for it under its border, on its two sides, on
opposite sides, as places for poles to carry it with.
28 He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.
29 He made the sacred anointing oil and the pure fragrant incense, the work of a
perfumer.

Chapter 38

1 The Making of the Altar for the Burnt Offering He made the altar for the burnt
offering of acacia wood seven feet six inches long and seven feet six inches
wide– it was square– and its height was four feet six inches.
2 He made its horns on its four corners; its horns were part of it, and he
overlaid it with bronze.
3 He made all the utensils of the altar– the pots, the shovels, the tossing
bowls, the meat hooks, and the fire pans– he made all its utensils of bronze.
4 He made a grating for the altar, a network of bronze under its ledge, halfway
up from the bottom.
5 He cast four rings for the four corners of the bronze grating, to provide
places for the poles.
6 He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze.
7 He put the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar, with which to carry
it. He made the altar hollow, out of boards.
8 He made the large basin of bronze and its pedestal of bronze from the mirrors
of the women who served at the entrance of the tent of meeting.
9 The Construction of the Courtyard He made the courtyard. For the south side
the hangings of the courtyard were of fine twisted linen, one hundred fifty feet
long,
10 with their twenty posts and their twenty bronze bases, with the hooks of the
posts and their bands of silver.
11 For the north side the hangings were one hundred fifty feet, with their
twenty posts and their twenty bronze bases, with the hooks of the posts and
their bands of silver.
12 For the west side there were hangings seventy-five feet long, with their ten
posts and their ten bases, with the hooks of the posts and their bands of
silver.
13 For the east side, toward the sunrise, it was seventy-five feet wide,
14 with hangings on one side of the gate that were twenty-two and a half feet
long, with their three posts and their three bases,
15 and for the second side of the gate of the courtyard, just like the other,
the hangings were twenty-two and a half feet long, with their three posts and
their three bases.
16 All the hangings around the courtyard were of fine twisted linen.
17 The bases for the posts were bronze. The hooks of the posts and their bands
were silver, their tops were overlaid with silver, and all the posts of the
courtyard had silver bands.
18 The curtain for the gate of the courtyard was of blue, purple, and scarlet
yarn and fine twisted linen, the work of an embroiderer. It was thirty feet
long, and like the hangings in the courtyard, it was seven and a half feet high,
19 with four posts and their four bronze bases. Their hooks and their bands were
silver, and their tops were overlaid with silver.
20 All the tent pegs of the tabernacle and of the courtyard all around were
bronze.
21 The Materials of the Construction This is the inventory of the tabernacle,
the tabernacle of the testimony, which was counted by the order of Moses, being
the work of the Levites under the direction of Ithamar, son of Aaron the priest.
22 Now Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made
everything that the LORD had commanded Moses;
23 and with him was Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an artisan, a
designer, and an embroiderer in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen.
24 All the gold that was used for the work, in all the work of the
sanctuary(namely, the gold of the wave offering) was twenty-nine talents and 730
shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel.
25 The silver of those who were numbered of the community was one hundred
talents and 1,775 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel,
26 one beka per person, that is, a half shekel, according to the sanctuary
shekel, for everyone who crossed over to those numbered, from twenty years old
or older, 603,550 in all.
27 The one hundred talents of silver were used for casting the bases of the
sanctuary and the bases of the special curtain– one hundred bases for one
hundred talents, one talent per base.
28 From the remaining 1,775 shekels he made hooks for the posts, overlaid their
tops, and made bands for them.
29 The bronze of the wave offering was seventy talents and 2,400 shekels.
30 With it he made the bases for the door of the tent of meeting, the bronze
altar, the bronze grating for it, and all the utensils of the altar,
31 the bases for the courtyard all around, the bases for the gate of the
courtyard, all the tent pegs of the tabernacle, and all the tent pegs of the
courtyard all around.

Chapter 39

1 The Making of the Priestly Garments From the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn
they made woven garments for serving in the sanctuary; they made holy garments
that were for Aaron, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
2 The Ephod He made the ephod of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted
linen.
3 They hammered the gold into thin sheets and cut it into narrow strips to weave
them into the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and into the fine linen, the work
of an artistic designer.
4 They made shoulder pieces for it, attached to two of its corners, so it could
be joined together.
5 The artistically woven waistband of the ephod that was on it was like it, of
one piece with it, of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted
linen, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
6 They set the onyx stones in gold filigree settings, engraved as with the
engravings of a seal with the names of the sons of Israel.
7 He put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as stones of memorial for the
Israelites, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
8 The Breastpiece of Decision He made the breastpiece, the work of an artistic
designer, in the same fashion as the ephod, of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet,
and fine twisted linen.
9 It was square– they made the breastpiece doubled, nine inches long and nine
inches wide when doubled.
10 They set on it four rows of stones: a row with a ruby, a topaz, and a
beryl– the first row;
11 and the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald;
12 and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;
13 and the fourth row, a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper. They were enclosed
in gold filigree settings.
14 The stones were for the names of the sons of Israel, twelve, corresponding to
the number of their names. Each name corresponding to one of the twelve tribes
was like the engravings of a seal.
15 They made for the breastpiece braided chains like cords of pure gold,
16 and they made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings, and they
attached the two rings to the upper two ends of the breastpiece.
17 They attached the two gold chains to the two rings at the ends of the
breastpiece;
18 the other two ends of the two chains they attached to the two settings, and
they attached them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front of it.
19 They made two rings of gold and put them on the other two ends of the
breastpiece on its edge, which is on the inner side of the ephod.
20 They made two more gold rings and attached them to the bottom of the two
shoulder pieces on the front of the ephod, close to the juncture above the
waistband of the ephod.
21 They tied the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod by blue
cord, so that it was above the waistband of the ephod, so that the breastpiece
would not be loose from the ephod, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
22 The Other Garments He made the robe of the ephod completely blue, the work of
a weaver.
23 There was an opening in the center of the robe, like the opening of a collar,
with an edge all around the opening so that it could not be torn.
24 They made pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and twisted linen
around the hem of the robe.
25 They made bells of pure gold and attached the bells between the pomegranates
around the hem of the robe between the pomegranates.
26 There was a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, all around the
hem of the robe, to be used in ministering, just as the LORD had commanded
Moses.
27 They made tunics of fine linen– the work of a weaver, for Aaron and for his
sons–
28 and the turban of fine linen, the headbands of fine linen, and the
undergarments of fine twisted linen.
29 The sash was of fine twisted linen and blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, the
work of an embroiderer, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
30 They made a plate, the holy diadem, of pure gold and wrote on it an
inscription, as on the engravings of a seal,“Holiness to the LORD.”
31 They attached to it a blue cord, to attach it to the turban above, just as
the LORD had commanded Moses.
32 Moses Inspects the Sanctuary So all the work of the tabernacle, the tent of
meeting, was completed, and the Israelites did according to all that the LORD
had commanded Moses– they did it exactly so.
33 They brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all its furnishings,
clasps, frames, bars, posts, and bases;
34 and the coverings of ram skins dyed red, the covering of fine leather, and
the protecting curtain;
35 the ark of the testimony and its poles, and the atonement lid;
36 the table, all its utensils, and the Bread of the Presence;
37 the pure lampstand, its lamps, with the lamps set in order, and all its
accessories, and oil for the light;
38 and the gold altar, and the anointing oil, and the fragrant incense; and the
curtain for the entrance to the tent;
39 the bronze altar and its bronze grating, its poles, and all its utensils; the
large basin with its pedestal;
40 the hangings of the courtyard, its posts and its bases, and the curtain for
the gateway of the courtyard, its ropes and its tent pegs, and all the
furnishings for the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of meeting;
41 the woven garments for serving in the sanctuary, the holy garments for Aaron
the priest, and the garments for his sons to minister as priests.
42 The Israelites did all the work according to all that the LORD had commanded
Moses.
43 Moses inspected all the work– and they had done it just as the LORD had
commanded– they had done it exactly– and Moses blessed them.

Chapter 40

1 Setting Up the Sanctuary Then the LORD spoke to Moses:
2 “On the first day of the first month you are to set up the tabernacle, the
tent of meeting.
3 You are to place the ark of the testimony in it and shield the ark with the
special curtain.
4 You are to bring in the table and set out the things that belong on it; then
you are to bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps.
5 You are to put the gold altar for incense in front of the ark of the testimony
and put the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle.
6 You are to put the altar for the burnt offering in front of the entrance to
the tabernacle, the tent of meeting.
7 You are to put the large basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and
put water in it.
8 You are to set up the courtyard around it and put the curtain at the gate of
the courtyard.
9 And take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it,
and sanctify it and all its furnishings, and it will be holy.
10 Then you are to anoint the altar for the burnt offering with all its
utensils; you are to sanctify the altar, and it will be the most holy altar.
11 You must also anoint the large basin and its pedestal, and you are to
sanctify it.
12 “You are to bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting
and wash them with water.
13 Then you are to clothe Aaron with the holy garments and anoint him and
sanctify him so that he may minister as my priest.
14 You are to bring his sons and clothe them with tunics
15 and anoint them just as you anointed their father, so that they may minister
as my priests; their anointing will make them a priesthood that will continue
throughout their generations.”
16 This is what Moses did, according to all the LORD had commanded him– so he
did.
17 So the tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month, in the
second year.
18 When Moses set up the tabernacle and put its bases in place, he set up its
frames, attached its bars, and set up its posts.
19 Then he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent
over it, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
20 He took the testimony and put it in the ark, attached the poles to the ark,
and then put the atonement lid on the ark.
21 And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, hung the protecting curtain, and
shielded the ark of the testimony from view, just as the LORD had commanded
Moses.
22 And he put the table in the tent of meeting, on the north side of the
tabernacle, outside the curtain.
23 And he set the bread in order on it before the LORD, just as the LORD had
commanded Moses.
24 And he put the lampstand in the tent of meeting opposite the table, on the
south side of the tabernacle.
25 Then he set up the lamps before the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded
Moses.
26 And he put the gold altar in the tent of meeting in front of the curtain,
27 and he burned fragrant incense on it, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
28 Then he put the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle.
29 He also put the altar for the burnt offering by the entrance to the
tabernacle, the tent of meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the
meal offering, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
30 Then he put the large basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and put
water in it for washing.
31 Moses and Aaron and his sons would wash their hands and their feet from it.
32 Whenever they entered the tent of meeting, and whenever they approached the
altar, they would wash, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
33 And he set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and the altar, and put the
curtain at the gate of the courtyard. So Moses finished the work.
34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled
the tabernacle.
35 Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on
it and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
36 But when the cloud was lifted up from the tabernacle, the Israelites would
set out on all their journeys;
37 but if the cloud was not lifted up, then they would not journey further until
the day it was lifted up.
38 For the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, but fire would be on
it at night, in plain view of all the house of Israel, throughout all their
journeys.


Leviticus

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Introduction to the Sacrificial Regulations Then the LORD called to Moses
and spoke to him from the Meeting Tent:
2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them,‘When someone among you presents an
offering to the LORD, you must present your offering from the domesticated
animals, either from the herd or from the flock.
3 Burnt Offering Regulations: Animal from the Herd“‘If his offering is a
burnt offering from the herd he must present it as a flawless male; he must
present it at the entrance of the Meeting Tent for its acceptance before the
LORD.
4 He must lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be
accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf.
5 Then the one presenting the offering must slaughter the bull before the LORD,
and the sons of Aaron, the priests, must present the blood and splash the blood
against the sides of the altar which is at the entrance of the Meeting Tent.
6 Next, the one presenting the offering must skin the burnt offering and cut it
into parts,
7 and the sons of Aaron, the priest, must put fire on the altar and arrange wood
on the fire.
8 Then the sons of Aaron, the priests, must arrange the parts with the head and
the suet on the wood that is in the fire on the altar.
9 Finally, the one presenting the offering must wash its entrails and its legs
in water and the priest must offer all of it up in smoke on the altar– it is a
burnt offering, a gift of a soothing aroma to the LORD.
10 Animal from the Flock“‘If his offering is from the flock for a burnt
offering– from the sheep or the goats– he must present a flawless male,
11 and must slaughter it on the north side of the altar before the LORD, and the
sons of Aaron, the priests, will splash its blood against the altar’s sides.
12 Next, the one presenting the offering must cut it into parts, with its head
and its suet, and the priest must arrange them on the wood which is in the fire,
on the altar.
13 Then the one presenting the offering must wash the entrails and the legs in
water, and the priest must present all of it and offer it up in smoke on the
altar– it is a burnt offering, a gift of a soothing aroma to the LORD.
14 From the Birds“‘If his offering to the LORD is a burnt offering from the
birds, he must present his offering from the turtledoves or from the young
pigeons.
15 The priest must present it at the altar, pinch off its head and offer the
head up in smoke on the altar, and its blood must be drained out against the
side of the altar.
16 Then the priest must remove its entrails by cutting off its tail feathers,
and throw them to the east side of the altar into the place of fatty ashes,
17 and tear it open by its wings without dividing it into two parts. Finally,
the priest must offer it up in smoke on the altar on the wood which is in the
fire– it is a burnt offering, a gift of a soothing aroma to the LORD.

Chapter 2

1 Grain Offering Regulations: Offering of Raw Flour“‘When a person presents
a grain offering to the LORD, his offering must consist of choice wheat flour,
and he must pour olive oil on it and put frankincense on it.
2 Then he must bring it to the sons of Aaron, the priests, and the priest must
scoop out from there a handful of its choice wheat flour and some of its olive
oil in addition to all of its frankincense, and the priest must offer its
memorial portion up in smoke on the altar– it is a gift of a soothing aroma to
the LORD.
3 The remainder of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and to his sons– it is
most holy from the gifts of the LORD.
4 Processed Grain Offerings“‘When you present an offering of grain baked in
an oven, it must be made of choice wheat flour baked into unleavened loaves
mixed with olive oil or unleavened wafers smeared with olive oil.
5 If your offering is a grain offering made on the griddle, it must be choice
wheat flour mixed with olive oil, unleavened.
6 Crumble it in pieces and pour olive oil on it– it is a grain offering.
7 If your offering is a grain offering made in a pan, it must be made of choice
wheat flour deep fried in olive oil.
8 “‘You must bring the grain offering that must be made from these to the
LORD. Present it to the priest, and he will bring it to the altar.
9 Then the priest must take up from the grain offering its memorial portion and
offer it up in smoke on the altar– it is a gift of a soothing aroma to the
LORD.
10 The remainder of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and to his sons– it is
most holy from the gifts of the LORD.
11 Additional Grain Offering Regulations“‘No grain offering which you
present to the LORD can be made with yeast, for you must not offer up in smoke
any yeast or honey as a gift to the LORD.
12 You can present them to the LORD as an offering of first fruit, but they must
not go up to the altar for a soothing aroma.
13 Moreover, you must season every one of your grain offerings with salt; you
must not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be missing from your
grain offering– on every one of your grain offerings you must present salt.
14 “‘If you present a grain offering of first ripe grain to the LORD, you
must present your grain offering of first ripe grain as soft kernels roasted in
fire– crushed bits of fresh grain.
15 And you must put olive oil on it and set frankincense on it– it is a grain
offering.
16 Then the priest must offer its memorial portion up in smoke– some of its
crushed bits, some of its olive oil, in addition to all of its frankincense–
it is a gift to the LORD.

Chapter 3

1 Peace Offering Regulations: Animal from the Herd“‘Now if his offering is a
peace offering sacrifice, if he presents an offering from the herd, he must
present before the LORD a flawless male or a female.
2 He must lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it at the
entrance of the Meeting Tent, and the sons of Aaron, the priests, must splash
the blood against the altar’s sides.
3 Then the one presenting the offering must present a gift to the LORD from the
peace offering sacrifice: He must remove the fat that covers the entrails and
all the fat that surrounds the entrails,
4 the two kidneys with the fat on their sinews, and the protruding lobe on the
liver(which he is to remove along with the kidneys).
5 Then the sons of Aaron must offer it up in smoke on the altar atop the burnt
offering that is on the wood in the fire as a gift of a soothing aroma to the
LORD.
6 Animal from the Flock“‘If his offering for a peace offering sacrifice to
the LORD is from the flock, he must present a flawless male or female.
7 If he presents a sheep as his offering, he must present it before the LORD.
8 He must lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it before the
Meeting Tent, and the sons of Aaron must splash its blood against the altar’s
sides.
9 Then he must present a gift to the LORD from the peace offering sacrifice: He
must remove all the fatty tail up to the end of the spine, the fat covering the
entrails, and all the fat on the entrails,
10 the two kidneys with the fat on their sinews, and the protruding lobe on the
liver(which he is to remove along with the kidneys).
11 Then the priest must offer it up in smoke on the altar as a food gift to the
LORD.
12 “‘If his offering is a goat he must present it before the LORD,
13 lay his hand on its head, and slaughter it before the Meeting Tent, and the
sons of Aaron must splash its blood against the altar’s sides.
14 Then he must present from it his offering as a gift to the LORD: the fat
which covers the entrails and all the fat on the entrails,
15 the two kidneys with the fat on their sinews, and the protruding lobe on the
liver(which he is to remove along with the kidneys).
16 Then the priest must offer them up in smoke on the altar as a food gift for a
soothing aroma– all the fat belongs to the LORD.
17 This is a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all the places
where you live: You must never eat any fat or any blood.’”

Chapter 4

1 Sin Offering Regulations Then the LORD spoke to Moses:
2 “Tell the Israelites,‘When a person sins by straying unintentionally from
any of the LORD’s commandments which must not be violated, and violates any
one of them–
3 For the Priest“‘If the high priest sins so that the people are guilty, on
account of the sin he has committed he must present a flawless young bull to the
LORD for a sin offering.
4 He must bring the bull to the entrance of the Meeting Tent before the LORD,
lay his hand on the head of the bull, and slaughter the bull before the LORD.
5 Then that high priest must take some of the blood of the bull and bring it to
the Meeting Tent.
6 The priest must dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of it seven
times before the LORD toward the front of the special curtain of the sanctuary.
7 The priest must put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant
incense that is before the LORD in the Meeting Tent, and all the rest of the
bull’s blood he must pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering that
is at the entrance of the Meeting Tent.
8 “‘Then he must take up all the fat from the sin offering bull: the fat
covering the entrails and all the fat surrounding the entrails,
9 the two kidneys with the fat on their sinews, and the protruding lobe on the
liver(which he is to remove along with the kidneys)
10 – just as it is taken from the ox of the peace offering sacrifice– and
the priest must offer them up in smoke on the altar of burnt offering.
11 But the hide of the bull, all its flesh along with its head and its legs, its
entrails, and its dung–
12 all the rest of the bull– he must bring outside the camp to a ceremonially
clean place, to the fatty ash pile, and he must burn it on a wood fire; it must
be burned on the fatty ash pile.
13 For the Whole Congregation“‘If the whole congregation of Israel strays
unintentionally and the matter is not noticed by the assembly, and they violate
one of the LORD’s commandments, which must not be violated, so they become
guilty,
14 the assembly must present a young bull for a sin offering when the sin they
have committed becomes known. They must bring it before the Meeting Tent,
15 the elders of the congregation must lay their hands on the head of the bull
before the LORD, and someone must slaughter the bull before the LORD.
16 Then the high priest must bring some of the blood of the bull to the Meeting
Tent,
17 and that priest must dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the
blood seven times before the LORD toward the front of the curtain.
18 He must put some of the blood on the horns of the altar which is before the
LORD in the Meeting Tent, and all the rest of the blood he must pour out at the
base of the altar of burnt offering that is at the entrance of the Meeting Tent.
19 “‘Then the priest must take all its fat and offer the fat up in smoke on
the altar.
20 He must do with the rest of the bull just as he did with the bull of the sin
offering; this is what he must do with it. So the priest will make atonement on
their behalf and they will be forgiven.
21 He must bring the rest of the bull outside the camp and burn it just as he
burned the first bull– it is the sin offering of the assembly.
22 For the Leader“‘Whenever a leader, by straying unintentionally, sins and
violates one of the commandments of the LORD his God which must not be violated,
and he pleads guilty,
23 or his sin that he committed is made known to him, he must bring a flawless
male goat as his offering.
24 He must lay his hand on the head of the male goat and slaughter it in the
place where the burnt offering is slaughtered before the LORD– it is a sin
offering.
25 Then the priest must take some of the blood of the sin offering with his
finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and he must pour
out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering.
26 Then the priest must offer all of its fat up in smoke on the altar like the
fat of the peace offering sacrifice. So the priest will make atonement on his
behalf for his sin and he will be forgiven.
27 For the Common Person“‘If an ordinary individual sins by straying
unintentionally when he violates one of the LORD’s commandments which must not
be violated, and he pleads guilty
28 or his sin that he committed is made known to him, he must bring a flawless
female goat as his offering for the sin that he committed.
29 He must lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter the sin
offering in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered.
30 Then the priest must take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the
horns of the altar of burnt offering, and he must pour out all the rest of its
blood at the base of the altar.
31 Then he must remove all of its fat(just as fat was removed from the peace
offering sacrifice) and the priest must offer it up in smoke on the altar for a
soothing aroma to the LORD. So the priest will make atonement on his behalf and
he will be forgiven.
32 “‘But if he brings a sheep as his offering, for a sin offering, he must
bring a flawless female.
33 He must lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it for a
sin offering in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered.
34 Then the priest must take some of the blood of the sin offering with his
finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and he must pour
out all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar.
35 Then the one who brought the offering must remove all its fat(just as the fat
of the sheep is removed from the peace offering sacrifice) and the priest must
offer them up in smoke on the altar on top of the other gifts of the LORD. So
the priest will make atonement on his behalf for his sin which he has committed
and he will be forgiven.

Chapter 5

1 Additional Sin Offering Regulations“‘When a person sins in that he hears a
public curse against one who fails to testify and he is a witness(he either saw
or knew what had happened) and he does not make it known, then he will bear his
punishment for iniquity.
2 Or when there is a person who touches anything ceremonially unclean, whether
the carcass of an unclean wild animal, or the carcass of an unclean domesticated
animal, or the carcass of an unclean creeping thing, even if he did not realize
it, but he himself has become unclean and is guilty;
3 or when he touches human uncleanness with regard to anything by which he can
become unclean, even if he did not realize it, but he himself has later come to
know it and is guilty;
4 or when a person swears an oath, speaking thoughtlessly with his lips, whether
to do evil or to do good, with regard to anything which the individual might
speak thoughtlessly in an oath, even if he did not realize it, but he himself
has later come to know it and is guilty with regard to one of these oaths–
5 when an individual becomes guilty with regard to one of these things he must
confess how he has sinned,
6 and he must bring his penalty for guilt to the LORD for his sin that he has
committed, a female from the flock, whether a female sheep or a female goat, for
a sin offering. So the priest will make atonement on his behalf for his sin.
7 “‘If he cannot afford an animal from the flock, he must bring his penalty
for guilt for his sin that he has committed, two turtledoves or two young
pigeons, to the LORD, one for a sin offering and one for a burnt offering.
8 He must bring them to the priest and present first the one that is for a sin
offering. The priest must pinch its head at the nape of its neck, but must not
sever the head from the body.
9 Then he must sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the wall of the
altar, and the remainder of the blood must be squeezed out at the base of the
altar– it is a sin offering.
10 The second bird he must make a burnt offering according to the standard
regulation. So the priest will make atonement on behalf of this person for his
sin which he has committed, and he will be forgiven.
11 “‘If he cannot afford two turtledoves or two young pigeons, he must bring
as his offering for his sin which he has committed a tenth of an ephah of choice
wheat flour for a sin offering. He must not place olive oil on it and he must
not put frankincense on it, because it is a sin offering.
12 He must bring it to the priest and the priest must scoop out from it a
handful as its memorial portion and offer it up in smoke on the altar on top of
the other gifts of the LORD– it is a sin offering.
13 So the priest will make atonement on his behalf for his sin which he has
committed by doing one of these things, and he will be forgiven. The remainder
of the offering will belong to the priest like the grain offering.’”
14 Guilt Offering Regulations: Known Trespass Then the LORD spoke to Moses:
15 “When a person commits a trespass and sins by straying unintentionally from
the regulations about the LORD’s holy things, then he must bring his penalty
for guilt to the LORD, a flawless ram from the flock, convertible into silver
shekels according to the standard of the sanctuary shekel, for a guilt offering.
16 And whatever holy thing he violated he must restore and must add one fifth to
it and give it to the priest. So the priest will make atonement on his behalf
with the guilt offering ram and he will be forgiven.”
17 Unknown trespass“If a person sins and violates any of the LORD’s
commandments which must not be violated(although he did not know it at the time,
but later realizes he is guilty), then he will bear his punishment for iniquity
18 and must bring a flawless ram from the flock, convertible into silver
shekels, for a guilt offering to the priest. So the priest will make atonement
on his behalf for his error which he committed(although he himself had not known
it) and he will be forgiven.
19 It is a guilt offering; he was surely guilty before the LORD.”

Chapter 6

1 Trespass by Deception and False Oath(5:20) Then the LORD spoke to Moses:
2 “When a person sins and commits a trespass against the LORD by deceiving his
fellow citizen in regard to something held in trust, or a pledge, or something
stolen, or by extorting something from his fellow citizen,
3 or has found something lost and denies it and swears falsely concerning any
one of the things that someone might do to sin–
4 when it happens that he sins and he is found guilty, then he must return
whatever he had stolen, or whatever he had extorted, or the thing that he had
held in trust, or the lost thing that he had found,
5 or anything about which he swears falsely. He must restore it in full and add
one fifth to it; he must give it to its owner when he is found guilty.
6 Then he must bring his guilt offering to the LORD, a flawless ram from the
flock, convertible into silver shekels, for a guilt offering to the priest.
7 So the priest will make atonement on his behalf before the LORD and he will be
forgiven for whatever he has done to become guilty.”
8 Sacrificial Instructions for the Priests: The Burnt Offering(6:1) Then the
LORD spoke to Moses:
9 “Command Aaron and his sons,‘This is the law of the burnt offering. The
burnt offering is to remain on the hearth on the altar all night until morning,
and the fire of the altar must be kept burning on it.
10 Then the priest must put on his linen robe and must put linen leggings over
his bare flesh, and he must take up the fatty ashes of the burnt offering that
the fire consumed on the altar, and he must place them beside the altar.
11 Then he must take off his clothes and put on other clothes, and he must bring
the fatty ashes outside the camp to a ceremonially clean place,
12 but the fire which is on the altar must be kept burning on it. It must not be
extinguished. So the priest must kindle wood on it morning by morning, and he
must arrange the burnt offering on it and offer the fat of the peace offering up
in smoke on it.
13 A continual fire must be kept burning on the altar. It must not be
extinguished.
14 The Grain Offering of the Common Person“‘This is the law of the grain
offering. The sons of Aaron are to present it before the LORD in front of the
altar,
15 and the priest must take up with his hand some of the choice wheat flour of
the grain offering and some of its olive oil, and all of the frankincense that
is on the grain offering, and he must offer its memorial portion up in smoke on
the altar as a soothing aroma to the LORD.
16 Aaron and his sons are to eat what is left over from it. It must be eaten
unleavened in a holy place; they are to eat it in the courtyard of the Meeting
Tent.
17 It must not be baked with yeast. I have given it as their portion from my
gifts. It is most holy, like the sin offering and the guilt offering.
18 Every male among the sons of Aaron may eat it. It is a perpetual allotted
portion throughout your generations from the gifts of the LORD. Anyone who
touches these gifts must be holy.’”
19 The Grain Offering of the Priests Then the LORD spoke to Moses:
20 “This is the offering of Aaron and his sons which they must present to the
LORD on the day when he is anointed: a tenth of an ephah of choice wheat flour
as a continual grain offering, half of it in the morning and half of it in the
evening.
21 It must be made with olive oil on a griddle and you must bring it well
soaked, so you must present a grain offering of broken pieces as a soothing
aroma to the LORD.
22 The high priest who succeeds him from among his sons must do it. It is a
perpetual statute; it must be offered up in smoke as a whole offering to the
LORD.
23 Every grain offering of a priest must be a whole offering; it must not be
eaten.”
24 The Sin Offering Then the LORD spoke to Moses:
25 “Tell Aaron and his sons,‘This is the law of the sin offering. In the
place where the burnt offering is slaughtered the sin offering must be
slaughtered before the LORD. It is most holy.
26 The priest who offers it for sin is to eat it. It must be eaten in a holy
place, in the court of the Meeting Tent.
27 Anyone who touches its meat must be holy, and whoever spatters some of its
blood on a garment, you must wash whatever he spatters it on in a holy place.
28 Any clay vessel it is boiled in must be broken, and if it was boiled in a
bronze vessel, then that vessel must be rubbed out and rinsed in water.
29 Any male among the priests may eat it. It is most holy.
30 But any sin offering from which some of its blood is brought into the Meeting
Tent to make atonement in the sanctuary must not be eaten. It must be burned up
in the fire.

Chapter 7

1 The Guilt Offering“‘This is the law of the guilt offering. It is most
holy.
2 In the place where they slaughter the burnt offering they must slaughter the
guilt offering, and the officiating priest must splash the blood against the
altar’s sides.
3 Then the one making the offering must present all its fat: the fatty tail, the
fat covering the entrails,
4 the two kidneys and the fat on their sinews, and the protruding lobe on the
liver(which he must remove along with the kidneys).
5 Then the priest must offer them up in smoke on the altar as a gift to the
LORD. It is a guilt offering.
6 Any male among the priests may eat it. It must be eaten in a holy place. It is
most holy.
7 The law is the same for the sin offering and the guilt offering; it belongs to
the priest who makes atonement with it.
8 Priestly Portions of Burnt and Grain Offerings“‘As for the priest who
presents someone’s burnt offering, the hide of that burnt offering which he
presented belongs to him.
9 Every grain offering which is baked in the oven or made in the pan or on the
griddle belongs to the priest who presented it.
10 Every grain offering, whether mixed with olive oil or dry, belongs to all the
sons of Aaron, each one alike.
11 The Peace Offering“‘This is the law of the peace offering sacrifice which
he is to present to the LORD.
12 If he presents it on account of thanksgiving, along with the thank offering
sacrifice he must present unleavened loaves mixed with olive oil, unleavened
wafers smeared with olive oil, and well soaked ring-shaped loaves made of choice
wheat flour mixed with olive oil.
13 He must present this grain offering in addition to ring-shaped loaves of
leavened bread which regularly accompany the sacrifice of his thanksgiving peace
offering.
14 He must present one of each kind of grain offering as a contribution offering
to the LORD; it belongs to the priest who splashes the blood of the peace
offering.
15 The meat of his thanksgiving peace offering must be eaten on the day of his
offering; he must not set any of it aside until morning.
16 “‘If his offering is a votive or freewill sacrifice, it may be eaten on
the day he presents his sacrifice, and also the leftovers from it may be eaten
on the next day,
17 but the leftovers from the meat of the sacrifice must be burned up in the
fire on the third day.
18 If some of the meat of his peace offering sacrifice is ever eaten on the
third day it will not be accepted; it will not be accounted to the one who
presented it, since it is spoiled, and the person who eats from it will bear his
punishment for iniquity.
19 The meat which touches anything ceremonially unclean must not be eaten; it
must be burned up in the fire. As for ceremonially clean meat, everyone who is
ceremonially clean may eat the meat.
20 The person who eats meat from the peace offering sacrifice which belongs to
the LORD while his uncleanness persists will be cut off from his people.
21 When a person touches anything unclean(whether human uncleanness, or an
unclean animal, or an unclean detestable creature) and eats some of the meat of
the peace offering sacrifice which belongs to the LORD, that person will be cut
off from his people.’”
22 Sacrificial Instructions for the Common People: Fat and Blood Then the LORD
spoke to Moses:
23 “Tell the Israelites,‘You must not eat any fat of an ox, sheep, or goat.
24 Moreover, the fat of an animal that has died of natural causes and the fat of
an animal torn by beasts may be used for any other purpose, but you must
certainly never eat it.
25 If anyone eats fat from the animal from which he presents a gift to the LORD,
that person will be cut off from his people.
26 And you must not eat any blood of the birds or the domesticated land animals
in any of the places where you live.
27 Any person who eats any blood– that person will be cut off from his
people.’”
28 Priestly Portions of Peace Offerings Then the LORD spoke to Moses:
29 “Tell the Israelites,‘The one who presents his peace offering sacrifice
to the LORD must bring his offering to the LORD from his peace offering
sacrifice.
30 With his own hands he must bring the LORD’s gifts. He must bring the fat
with the breast to wave the breast as a wave offering before the LORD,
31 and the priest must offer the fat up in smoke on the altar, but the breast
will belong to Aaron and his sons.
32 The right thigh you must give as a contribution offering to the priest from
your peace offering sacrifices.
33 The one from Aaron’s sons who presents the blood of the peace offering and
fat will have the right thigh as his share,
34 for the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the contribution
offering I have taken from the Israelites out of their peace offering sacrifices
and have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons from the people of
Israel as a perpetual allotted portion.’”
35 This is the allotment of Aaron and the allotment of his sons from the
LORD’s gifts on the day Moses presented them to serve as priests to the LORD.
36 This is what the LORD commanded to give to them from the Israelites on the
day Moses anointed them– a perpetual allotted portion throughout their
generations.
37 Summary of Sacrificial Regulations in Leviticus 6:8-7:36 This is the law for
the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering,
the ordination offering, and the peace offering sacrifice,
38 which the LORD commanded Moses on Mount Sinai on the day he commanded the
Israelites to present their offerings to the LORD in the desert of Sinai.

Chapter 8

1 Ordination of the Priests Then the LORD spoke to Moses:
2 “Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, the anointing oil, the
sin offering bull, the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread,
3 and assemble the whole congregation at the entrance of the Meeting Tent.”
4 So Moses did just as the LORD commanded him, and the congregation assembled at
the entrance of the Meeting Tent.
5 Then Moses said to the congregation:“This is what the LORD has commanded to
be done.”
6 Clothing Aaron So Moses brought Aaron and his sons forward and washed them
with water.
7 Then he put the tunic on Aaron, wrapped the sash around him, and clothed him
with the robe. Next he put the ephod on him and placed on him the decorated band
of the ephod, and fastened the ephod closely to him with the band.
8 He then set the breastpiece on him and put the Urim and Thummim into the
breastpiece.
9 Finally, he set the turban on his head and attached the gold plate, the holy
diadem, to the front of the turban just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
10 Anointing the Tabernacle and Aaron, and Clothing Aaron’s Sons Then Moses
took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and everything in it, and so
consecrated them.
11 Next he sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times and so anointed the
altar, all its vessels, and the washbasin and its stand to consecrate them.
12 He then poured some of the anointing oil on the head of Aaron and anointed
him to consecrate him.
13 Moses also brought forward Aaron’s sons, clothed them with tunics, wrapped
sashes around them, and wrapped headbands on them just as the LORD had commanded
Moses.
14 Consecration Offerings Then he brought near the sin offering bull and Aaron
and his sons laid their hands on the head of the sin offering bull,
15 and he slaughtered it. Moses then took the blood and put it all around on the
horns of the altar with his finger and purified the altar, and he poured out the
rest of the blood at the base of the altar and so consecrated it to make
atonement on it.
16 Then he took all the fat on the entrails, the protruding lobe of the liver,
and the two kidneys and their fat, and Moses offered it all up in smoke on the
altar,
17 but the rest of the bull– its hide, its flesh, and its dung– he
completely burned up outside the camp just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
18 Then he presented the burnt offering ram and Aaron and his sons laid their
hands on the head of the ram,
19 and he slaughtered it. Moses then splashed the blood against the altar’s
sides.
20 Then he cut the ram into parts, and Moses offered the head, the parts, and
the suet up in smoke,
21 but the entrails and the legs he washed with water, and Moses offered the
whole ram up in smoke on the altar– it was a burnt offering for a soothing
aroma, a gift to the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
22 Then he presented the second ram, the ram of ordination, and Aaron and his
sons laid their hands on the head of the ram
23 and he slaughtered it. Moses then took some of its blood and put it on
Aaron’s right earlobe, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of
his right foot.
24 Next he brought Aaron’s sons forward, and Moses put some of the blood on
their right earlobes, on their right thumbs, and on the big toes of their right
feet, and Moses splashed the rest of the blood against the altar’s sides.
25 Then he took the fat(the fatty tail, all the fat on the entrails, the
protruding lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and their fat) and the right
thigh,
26 and from the basket of unleavened bread that was before the LORD he took one
unleavened loaf, one loaf of bread mixed with olive oil, and one wafer, and
placed them on the fat parts and on the right thigh.
27 He then put all of them on the palms of Aaron and his sons, who waved them as
a wave offering before the LORD.
28 Moses then took them from their palms and offered them up in smoke on the
altar on top of the burnt offering– they were an ordination offering for a
soothing aroma; it was a gift to the LORD.
29 Finally, Moses took the breast and waved it as a wave offering before the
LORD from the ram of ordination. It was Moses’ share just as the LORD had
commanded Moses.
30 Anointing Aaron, his Sons, and their Garments Then Moses took some of the
anointing oil and some of the blood which was on the altar and sprinkled it on
Aaron and his garments, and on his sons and his sons’ garments with him. So he
consecrated Aaron, his garments, and his sons and his sons’ garments with him.
31 Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons,“Boil the meat at the entrance of the
Meeting Tent, and there you are to eat it and the bread which is in the
ordination offering basket, just as I have commanded, saying,‘Aaron and his
sons are to eat it,’
32 but the remainder of the meat and the bread you must burn with fire.
33 And you must not go out from the entrance of the Meeting Tent for seven days,
until the day when your days of ordination are completed, because you must be
ordained over a seven-day period.
34 What has been done on this day the LORD has commanded to be done to make
atonement for you.
35 You must reside at the entrance of the Meeting Tent day and night for seven
days and keep the charge of the LORD so that you will not die, for this is what
I have been commanded.”
36 So Aaron and his sons did all the things the LORD had commanded through
Moses.

Chapter 9

1 Inauguration of Tabernacle Worship On the eighth day Moses summoned Aaron and
his sons and the elders of Israel,
2 and said to Aaron,“Take for yourself a bull calf for a sin offering and a
ram for a burnt offering, both flawless, and present them before the LORD.
3 Then tell the Israelites:‘Take a male goat for a sin offering and a calf and
lamb, both a year old and flawless, for a burnt offering,
4 and an ox and a ram for peace offerings to sacrifice before the LORD, and a
grain offering mixed with olive oil, for today the LORD is going to appear to
you.’”
5 So they took what Moses had commanded to the front of the Meeting Tent and the
whole congregation presented them and stood before the LORD.
6 Then Moses said,“This is what the LORD has commanded you to do so that the
glory of the LORD may appear to you.”
7 Moses then said to Aaron,“Approach the altar and make your sin offering and
your burnt offering, and make atonement on behalf of yourself and on behalf of
the people; and also make the people’s offering and make atonement on behalf
of them just as the LORD has commanded.”
8 The Sin Offering for the Priests So Aaron approached the altar and slaughtered
the sin offering calf which was for himself.
9 Then Aaron’s sons presented the blood to him and he dipped his finger in the
blood and put it on the horns of the altar, and the rest of the blood he poured
out at the base of the altar.
10 The fat and the kidneys and the protruding lobe of the liver from the sin
offering he offered up in smoke on the altar just as the LORD had commanded
Moses,
11 but the flesh and the hide he completely burned up outside the camp.
12 The Burnt Offering for the Priests He then slaughtered the burnt offering,
and his sons handed the blood to him and he splashed it against the altar’s
sides.
13 The burnt offering itself they handed to him by its parts, including the
head, and he offered them up in smoke on the altar,
14 and he washed the entrails and the legs and offered them up in smoke on top
of the burnt offering on the altar.
15 The Offerings for the People Then he presented the people’s offering. He
took the sin offering male goat which was for the people, slaughtered it, and
performed a purification rite with it like the first one.
16 He then presented the burnt offering, and did it according to the standard
regulation.
17 Next he presented the grain offering, filled his hand with some of it, and
offered it up in smoke on the altar in addition to the morning burnt offering.
18 Then he slaughtered the ox and the ram– the peace offering sacrifices which
were for the people– and Aaron’s sons handed the blood to him and he
splashed it against the altar’s sides.
19 As for the fat parts from the ox and from the ram(the fatty tail, the fat
covering the entrails, the kidneys, and the protruding lobe of the liver),
20 they set those on the breasts and he offered the fat parts up in smoke on the
altar.
21 Finally Aaron waved the breasts and the right thigh as a wave offering before
the LORD just as Moses had commanded.
22 Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them and
descended from making the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace
offering.
23 Moses and Aaron then entered into the Meeting Tent. When they came out, they
blessed the people, and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people.
24 Then fire went out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt
offering and the fat parts on the altar, and all the people saw it, so they
shouted loudly and fell down with their faces to the ground.

Chapter 10

1 Nadab and Abihu Then Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, each took his fire pan
and put fire in it, set incense on it, and presented strange fire before the
LORD, which he had not commanded them to do.
2 So fire went out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them so that they
died before the LORD.
3 Moses then said to Aaron,“This is what the LORD spoke:‘Among the ones
close to me I will show myself holy, and in the presence of all the people I
will be honored.’” So Aaron kept silent.
4 Moses then called to Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel, Aaron’s
uncle, and said to them,“Come near, carry your brothers from the front of the
sanctuary to a place outside the camp.”
5 So they came near and carried them away in their tunics to a place outside the
camp just as Moses had spoken.
6 Then Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar his other two sons,“Do
not dishevel the hair of your heads and do not tear your garments, so that you
do not die and so that wrath does not come on the whole congregation. Your
brothers, all the house of Israel, are to mourn the burning which the LORD has
caused,
7 but you must not go out from the entrance of the Meeting Tent lest you die,
for the LORD’s anointing oil is on you.” So they acted according to the word
of Moses.
8 Perpetual Statutes the Lord Spoke to Aaron Then the LORD spoke to Aaron,
9 “Do not drink wine or strong drink, you and your sons with you, when you
enter into the Meeting Tent, so that you do not die, which is a perpetual
statute throughout your generations,
10 as well as to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the
unclean and the clean,
11 and to teach the Israelites all the statutes that the LORD has spoken to them
through Moses.”
12 Perpetual Statutes Moses spoke to Aaron Then Moses spoke to Aaron and to
Eleazar and Ithamar, his remaining sons,“Take the grain offering which remains
from the gifts of the LORD and eat it unleavened beside the altar, for it is
most holy.
13 You must eat it in a holy place because it is your allotted portion and the
allotted portion of your sons from the gifts of the LORD, for this is what I
have been commanded.
14 Also, the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the contribution
offering you must eat in a ceremonially clean place, you and your sons and
daughters with you, for they have been given as your allotted portion and the
allotted portion of your sons from the peace offering sacrifices of the
Israelites.
15 The thigh of the contribution offering and the breast of the wave offering
they must bring in addition to the gifts of the fat parts to wave them as a wave
offering before the LORD, and it will belong to you and your sons with you for a
perpetual statute just as the LORD has commanded.”
16 The Problem with the Inaugural Sin Offering Later Moses sought diligently for
the sin offering male goat, but it had actually been burnt. So he became angry
at Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s remaining sons, saying,
17 “Why did you not eat the sin offering in the sanctuary? For it is most holy
and he gave it to you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make
atonement on their behalf before the LORD.
18 See here! Its blood was not brought into the holy place within! You should
certainly have eaten it in the sanctuary just as I commanded!”
19 But Aaron spoke to Moses,“See here! Just today they presented their sin
offering and their burnt offering before the LORD and such things as these have
happened to me! If I had eaten a sin offering today would the LORD have been
pleased?”
20 When Moses heard this explanation, he was satisfied.

Chapter 11

1 Clean and Unclean Land Creatures The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to
them,
2 “Tell the Israelites:‘This is the kind of creature you may eat from among
all the animals that are on the land.
3 You may eat any among the animals that has a divided hoof(the hooves are
completely split in two) and that also chews the cud.
4 However, you must not eat these from among those that chew the cud and have
divided hooves: The camel is unclean to you because it chews the cud even though
its hoof is not divided.
5 The rock badger is unclean to you because it chews the cud even though its
hoof is not divided.
6 The hare is unclean to you because it chews the cud even though its hoof is
not divided.
7 The pig is unclean to you because its hoof is divided(the hoof is completely
split in two), even though it does not chew the cud.
8 You must not eat from their meat and you must not touch their carcasses; they
are unclean to you.
9 Clean and Unclean Water Creatures“‘These you can eat from all creatures
that are in the water: Any creatures in the water that have both fins and
scales, whether in the seas or in the streams, you may eat.
10 But any creatures that do not have both fins and scales, whether in the seas
or in the streams, from all the swarming things of the water and from all the
living creatures that are in the water, are detestable to you.
11 Since they are detestable to you, you must not eat their meat and their
carcass you must detest.
12 Any creature in the water that does not have both fins and scales is
detestable to you.
13 Clean and Unclean Birds“‘These you are to detest from among the birds–
they must not be eaten, because they are detestable: the griffon vulture, the
bearded vulture, the black vulture,
14 the kite, the buzzard of any kind,
15 every kind of crow,
16 the eagle owl, the short-eared owl, the long-eared owl, the hawk of any kind,
17 the little owl, the cormorant, the screech owl,
18 the white owl, the scops owl, the osprey,
19 the stork, the heron of any kind, the hoopoe, and the bat.
20 Clean and Unclean Insects“‘Every winged swarming thing that walks on all
fours is detestable to you.
21 However, this you may eat from all the winged swarming things that walk on
all fours, which have jointed legs to hop with on the land.
22 These you may eat from them: the locust of any kind, the bald locust of any
kind, the cricket of any kind, the grasshopper of any kind.
23 But any other winged swarming thing that has four legs is detestable to you.
24 Carcass Uncleanness“‘By these you defile yourselves; anyone who touches
their carcass will be unclean until the evening,
25 and anyone who carries their carcass must wash his clothes and will be
unclean until the evening.
26 Inedible Land Quadrupeds“‘All animals that divide the hoof but it is not
completely split in two and do not chew the cud are unclean to you; anyone who
touches them becomes unclean.
27 All that walk on their paws among all the creatures that walk on all fours
are unclean to you. Anyone who touches their carcass will be unclean until the
evening,
28 and the one who carries their carcass must wash his clothes and be unclean
until the evening; they are unclean to you.
29 Creatures that Swarm on the Land“‘Now this is what is unclean to you
among the swarming things that swarm on the land: the rat, the mouse, the large
lizard of any kind,
30 the Mediterranean gecko, the spotted lizard, the wall gecko, the skink, and
the chameleon.
31 These are the ones that are unclean to you among all the swarming things.
Anyone who touches them when they die will be unclean until evening.
32 Also, anything they fall on when they die will become unclean– any wood
vessel or garment or article of leather or sackcloth. Any such vessel with which
work is done must be immersed in water and will be unclean until the evening.
Then it will become clean.
33 As for any clay vessel they fall into, everything in it will become unclean
and you must break it.
34 Any food that may be eaten which becomes soaked with water will become
unclean. Anything drinkable in any such vessel will become unclean.
35 Anything their carcass may fall on will become unclean. An oven or small
stove must be smashed to pieces; they are unclean, and they will stay unclean to
you.
36 However, a spring or a cistern which collects water will be clean, but one
who touches their carcass will be unclean.
37 Now, if such a carcass falls on any sowing seed which is to be sown, it is
clean,
38 but if water is put on the seed and such a carcass falls on it, it is unclean
to you.
39 Edible Land Quadrupeds“‘Now if an animal that you may eat dies, whoever
touches its carcass will be unclean until the evening.
40 One who eats from its carcass must wash his clothes and be unclean until the
evening, and whoever carries its carcass must wash his clothes and be unclean
until the evening.
41 Every swarming thing that swarms on the land is detestable; it must not be
eaten.
42 You must not eat anything that crawls on its belly or anything that walks on
all fours or on any number of legs of all the swarming things that swarm on the
land, because they are detestable.
43 Do not make yourselves detestable by any of the swarming things. You must not
defile yourselves by them and become unclean by them,
44 for I am the LORD your God and you are to sanctify yourselves and be holy
because I am holy. You must not defile yourselves by any of the swarming things
that creep on the ground,
45 for I am the LORD who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God,
and you are to be holy because I am holy.
46 This is the law of the land animals, the birds, all the living creatures that
move in the water, and all the creatures that swarm on the land,
47 to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between the living
creatures that may be eaten and the living creatures that must not be
eaten.’”

Chapter 12

1 Purification of a Woman after Childbirth The LORD spoke to Moses:
2 “Tell the Israelites,‘When a woman produces offspring and bears a male
child, she will be unclean seven days, as she is unclean during the days of her
menstruation.
3 On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin must be circumcised.
4 Then she will remain thirty-three days in blood purity. She must not touch
anything holy and she must not enter the sanctuary until the days of her
purification are fulfilled.
5 If she bears a female child, she will be impure fourteen days as during her
menstrual flow, and she will remain sixty-six days in blood purity.
6 “‘When the days of her purification are completed for a son or for a
daughter, she must bring a one-year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young
pigeon or turtledove for a sin offering to the entrance of the Meeting Tent, to
the priest.
7 The priest is to present it before the LORD and make atonement on her behalf,
and she will be clean from her flow of blood. This is the law of the one who
bears a child, for the male or the female child.
8 If she cannot afford a sheep, then she must take two turtledoves or two young
pigeons, one for a burnt offering and one for a sin offering, and the priest is
to make atonement on her behalf, and she will be clean.’”

Chapter 13

1 Infections on the Skin The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron:
2 “When someone has a swelling or a scab or a bright spot on the skin of his
body that may become a diseased infection, he must be brought to Aaron the
priest or one of his sons, the priests.
3 The priest must then examine the infection on the skin of the body, and if the
hair in the infection has turned white and the infection appears to be deeper
than the skin of the body, then it is a diseased infection, so when the priest
examines it he must pronounce the person unclean.
4 A Bright Spot on the Skin“If it is a white bright spot on the skin of his
body, but it does not appear to be deeper than the skin, and the hair has not
turned white, then the priest is to quarantine the person with the infection for
seven days.
5 The priest must then examine it on the seventh day, and if, as far as he can
see, the infection has stayed the same and has not spread on the skin, then the
priest is to quarantine the person for another seven days.
6 The priest must then examine it again on the seventh day, and if the infection
has faded and has not spread on the skin, then the priest is to pronounce the
person clean. It is a scab, so he must wash his clothes and be clean.
7 If, however, the scab is spreading further on the skin after he has shown
himself to the priest for his purification, then he must show himself to the
priest a second time.
8 The priest must then examine it, and if the scab has spread on the skin, then
the priest is to pronounce the person unclean. It is a disease.
9 A Swelling on the Skin“When someone has a diseased infection, he must be
brought to the priest.
10 The priest will then examine it, and if a white swelling is on the skin, it
has turned the hair white, and there is raw flesh in the swelling,
11 it is a chronic disease on the skin of his body, so the priest is to
pronounce him unclean. The priest must not merely quarantine him, for he is
unclean.
12 If, however, the disease breaks out on the skin so that the disease covers
all the skin of the person with the infection from his head to his feet, as far
as the priest can see,
13 the priest must then examine it, and if the disease covers his whole body, he
is to pronounce the person with the infection clean. He has turned all white, so
he is clean.
14 But whenever raw flesh appears in it he will be unclean,
15 so the priest is to examine the raw flesh and pronounce him unclean– it is
diseased.
16 If, however, the raw flesh once again turns white, then he must come to the
priest.
17 The priest will then examine it, and if the infection has turned white, the
priest is to pronounce the person with the infection clean– he is clean.
18 A Boil on the Skin“When someone’s body has a boil on its skin and it
heals,
19 and in the place of the boil there is a white swelling or a reddish white
bright spot, he must show himself to the priest.
20 The priest will then examine it, and if it appears to be deeper than the skin
and its hair has turned white, then the priest is to pronounce the person
unclean. It is a diseased infection that has broken out in the boil.
21 If, however, the priest examines it, and there is no white hair in it, it is
not deeper than the skin, and it has faded, then the priest is to quarantine him
for seven days.
22 If it is spreading further on the skin, then the priest is to pronounce him
unclean. It is an infection.
23 But if the bright spot stays in its place and has not spread, it is the scar
of the boil, so the priest is to pronounce him clean.
24 A Burn on the Skin“When a body has a burn on its skin and the raw area of
the burn becomes a reddish white or white bright spot,
25 the priest must examine it, and if the hair has turned white in the bright
spot and it appears to be deeper than the skin, it is a disease that has broken
out in the burn. The priest is to pronounce the person unclean. It is a diseased
infection.
26 If, however, the priest examines it and there is no white hair in the bright
spot, it is not deeper than the skin, and it has faded, then the priest is to
quarantine him for seven days.
27 The priest must then examine it on the seventh day, and if it is spreading
further on the skin, then the priest is to pronounce him unclean. It is a
diseased infection.
28 But if the bright spot stays in its place, has not spread on the skin, and it
has faded, then it is the swelling of the burn, so the priest is to pronounce
him clean, because it is the scar of the burn.
29 Scall on the Head or in the Beard“When a man or a woman has an infection on
the head or in the beard,
30 the priest is to examine the infection, and if it appears to be deeper than
the skin and the hair in it is reddish yellow and thin, then the priest is to
pronounce the person unclean. It is scall, a disease of the head or the beard.
31 But if the priest examines the scall infection and it does not appear to be
deeper than the skin, and there is no black hair in it, then the priest is to
quarantine the person with the scall infection for seven days.
32 The priest must then examine the infection on the seventh day, and if the
scall has not spread, there is no reddish yellow hair in it, and the scall does
not appear to be deeper than the skin,
33 then the individual is to shave himself, but he must not shave the area
affected by the scall, and the priest is to quarantine the person with the scall
for another seven days.
34 The priest must then examine the scall on the seventh day, and if the scall
has not spread on the skin and it does not appear to be deeper than the skin,
then the priest is to pronounce him clean. So he is to wash his clothes and be
clean.
35 If, however, the scall spreads further on the skin after his purification,
36 then the priest is to examine it, and if the scall has spread on the skin the
priest is not to search further for reddish yellow hair. The person is unclean.
37 If, as far as the priest can see, the scall has stayed the same and black
hair has sprouted in it, the scall has been healed; the person is clean. So the
priest is to pronounce him clean.
38 Bright White Spots on the Skin“When a man or a woman has bright spots–
white bright spots– on the skin of their body,
39 the priest is to examine them, and if the bright spots on the skin of their
body are faded white, it is a harmless rash that has broken out on the skin. The
person is clean.
40 Baldness on the Head“When a man’s head is bare so that he is balding in
back, he is clean.
41 If his head is bare on the forehead so that he is balding in front, he is
clean.
42 But if there is a reddish white infection in the back or front bald area, it
is a disease breaking out in his back or front bald area.
43 The priest is to examine it, and if the swelling of the infection is reddish
white in the back or front bald area like the appearance of a disease on the
skin of the body,
44 he is a diseased man. He is unclean. The priest must surely pronounce him
unclean because of his infection on his head.
45 The Life of the Person with Skin Disease“As for the diseased person who has
the infection, his clothes must be torn, the hair of his head must be unbound,
he must cover his mustache, and he must call out‘Unclean! Unclean!’
46 The whole time he has the infection he will be continually unclean. He must
live in isolation, and his place of residence must be outside the camp.
47 Infections in Garments, Cloth, or Leather“When a garment has a diseased
infection in it, whether a wool or linen garment,
48 or in the warp or woof of the linen or the wool, or in leather or anything
made of leather,
49 if the infection in the garment or leather or warp or woof or any article of
leather is yellowish green or reddish, it is a diseased infection and it must be
shown to the priest.
50 The priest is to examine and then quarantine the article with the infection
for seven days.
51 He must then examine the infection on the seventh day. If the infection has
spread in the garment, or in the warp, or in the woof, or in the leather–
whatever the article into which the leather was made– the infection is a
malignant disease. It is unclean.
52 He must burn the garment or the warp or the woof, whether wool or linen, or
any article of leather which has the infection in it. Because it is a malignant
disease it must be burned up in the fire.
53 But if the priest examines it and the infection has not spread in the garment
or in the warp or in the woof or in any article of leather,
54 the priest is to command that they wash whatever has the infection and
quarantine it for another seven days.
55 The priest must then examine it after the infection has been washed out, and
if the infection has not changed its appearance even though the infection has
not spread, it is unclean. You must burn it up in the fire. It is a fungus,
whether on the back side or front side of the article.
56 But if the priest has examined it and the infection has faded after it has
been washed, he is to tear it out of the garment or the leather or the warp or
the woof.
57 Then if it still appears again in the garment or the warp or the woof, or in
any article of leather, it is an outbreak. Whatever has the infection in it you
must burn up in the fire.
58 But the garment or the warp or the woof or any article of leather which you
wash and infection disappears from it is to be washed a second time and it will
be clean.”
59 Summary of Infection Regulations This is the law of the diseased infection in
the garment of wool or linen, or the warp or woof, or any article of leather,
for pronouncing it clean or unclean.

Chapter 14

1 Purification of Diseased Skin Infections The LORD spoke to Moses:
2 “This is the law of the diseased person on the day of his purification, when
he is brought to the priest.
3 The priest is to go outside the camp and examine the infection. If the
infection of the diseased person has been healed,
4 then the priest will command that two live clean birds, a piece of cedar wood,
a scrap of crimson fabric, and some twigs of hyssop be taken up for the one
being cleansed.
5 The priest will then command that one bird be slaughtered into a clay vessel
over fresh water.
6 Then he is to take the live bird along with the piece of cedar wood, the scrap
of crimson fabric, and the twigs of hyssop, and he is to dip them and the live
bird in the blood of the bird slaughtered over the fresh water,
7 and sprinkle it seven times on the one being cleansed from the disease,
pronounce him clean, and send the live bird away over the open countryside.
8 The Seven Days of Purification“The one being cleansed must then wash his
clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe in water, and so be clean. Then
afterward he may enter the camp, but he must live outside his tent seven days.
9 When the seventh day comes he must shave all his hair– his head, his beard,
his eyebrows, all his hair– and he must wash his clothes, bathe his body in
water, and so be clean.
10 The Eighth Day Atonement Rituals“On the eighth day he must take two
flawless male lambs, one flawless yearling female lamb, three-tenths of an ephah
of choice wheat flour as a grain offering mixed with olive oil, and one log of
olive oil,
11 and the priest who pronounces him clean will have the man who is being
cleansed stand along with these offerings before the LORD at the entrance of the
Meeting Tent.
12 “The priest is to take one male lamb and present it for a guilt offering
along with the log of olive oil and present them as a wave offering before the
LORD.
13 He must then slaughter the male lamb in the place where the sin offering and
the burnt offering are slaughtered, in the sanctuary, because, like the sin
offering, the guilt offering belongs to the priest; it is most holy.
14 Then the priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it
on the right earlobe of the one being cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand,
and on the big toe of his right foot.
15 The priest will then take some of the log of olive oil and pour it into his
own left hand.
16 Then the priest is to dip his right forefinger into the olive oil that is in
his left hand, and sprinkle some of the olive oil with his finger seven times
before the LORD.
17 The priest will then put some of the rest of the olive oil that is in his
hand on the right earlobe of the one being cleansed, on the thumb of his right
hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on the blood of the guilt offering,
18 and the remainder of the olive oil that is in his hand the priest is to put
on the head of the one being cleansed. So the priest is to make atonement for
him before the LORD.
19 “The priest must then perform the sin offering and make atonement for the
one being cleansed from his impurity. After that he is to slaughter the burnt
offering,
20 and the priest is to offer the burnt offering and the grain offering on the
altar. So the priest is to make atonement for him and he will be clean.
21 The Eighth Day Atonement Rituals for the Poor Person“If the person is poor
and does not have sufficient means, he must take one male lamb as a guilt
offering for a wave offering to make atonement for himself, one-tenth of an
ephah of choice wheat flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering, a log of
olive oil,
22 and two turtledoves or two young pigeons, which are within his means. One
will be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering.
23 “On the eighth day he must bring them for his purification to the priest at
the entrance of the Meeting Tent before the LORD,
24 and the priest is to take the male lamb of the guilt offering and the log of
olive oil and wave them as a wave offering before the LORD.
25 Then he is to slaughter the male lamb of the guilt offering, and the priest
is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the right
earlobe of the one being cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the
big toe of his right foot.
26 The priest will then pour some of the olive oil into his own left hand,
27 and sprinkle some of the olive oil that is in his left hand with his right
forefinger seven times before the LORD.
28 Then the priest is to put some of the olive oil that is in his hand on the
right earlobe of the one being cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on
the big toe of his right foot, on the place of the blood of the guilt offering,
29 and the remainder of the olive oil that is in the hand of the priest he is to
put on the head of the one being cleansed to make atonement for him before the
LORD.
30 “He will then make one of the turtledoves or young pigeons, which are
within his means,
31 a sin offering and the other a burnt offering along with the grain offering.
So the priest is to make atonement for the one being cleansed before the LORD.
32 This is the law of the one in whom there is a diseased infection, who does
not have sufficient means for his purification.”
33 Purification of Disease-Infected Houses The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron:
34 “When you enter the land of Canaan which I am about to give to you for a
possession, and I put a diseased infection in a house in the land you are to
possess,
35 then whoever owns the house must come and declare to the priest,‘Something
like an infection is visible to me in the house.’
36 Then the priest will command that the house be cleared before the priest
enters to examine the infection so that everything in the house does not become
unclean, and afterward the priest will enter to examine the house.
37 He is to examine the infection, and if the infection in the walls of the
house consists of yellowish green or reddish eruptions, and it appears to be
deeper than the surface of the wall,
38 then the priest is to go out of the house to the doorway of the house and
quarantine the house for seven days.
39 The priest must return on the seventh day and examine it, and if the
infection has spread in the walls of the house,
40 then the priest is to command that the stones that had the infection in them
be pulled and thrown outside the city into an unclean place.
41 Then they shall scrape the house all around on the inside, and the plaster
which they have scraped off must be dumped outside the city into an unclean
place.
42 They are then to take other stones and replace those stones, and he is to
take other plaster and replaster the house.
43 “If the infection returns and breaks out in the house after he has pulled
out the stones, scraped the house, and it is replastered,
44 the priest is to come and examine it, and if the infection has spread in the
house, it is a malignant disease in the house. It is unclean.
45 He must tear down the house, its stones, its wood, and all the plaster of the
house, and bring all of it outside the city to an unclean place.
46 Anyone who enters the house all the days the priest has quarantined it will
be unclean until evening.
47 Anyone who lies down in the house must wash his clothes. Anyone who eats in
the house must wash his clothes.
48 “If, however, the priest enters and examines it, and the infection has not
spread in the house after the house has been replastered, then the priest is to
pronounce the house clean because the infection has been healed.
49 Then he is to take two birds, a piece of cedar wood, a scrap of crimson
fabric, and some twigs of hyssop to purify the house,
50 and he is to slaughter one bird into a clay vessel over fresh water.
51 He must then take the piece of cedar wood, the twigs of hyssop, the scrap of
crimson fabric, and the live bird, and dip them in the blood of the slaughtered
bird and in the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times.
52 So he is to purify the house with the blood of the bird, the fresh water, the
live bird, the piece of cedar wood, the twigs of hyssop, and the scrap of
crimson fabric,
53 and he is to send the live bird away outside the city into the open
countryside. So he is to make atonement for the house and it will be clean.
54 Summary of Purification Regulations for Infections“This is the law for all
diseased infections, for scall,
55 for the diseased garment, for the house,
56 for the swelling, for the scab, and for the bright spot,
57 to teach when something is unclean and when it is clean. This is the law for
dealing with infectious disease.”

Chapter 15

1 Male Bodily Discharges The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron:
2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them,‘When any man has a discharge from
his body, his discharge is unclean.
3 Now this is his uncleanness in regard to his discharge– whether his body
secretes his discharge or blocks his discharge, he is unclean. All the days that
his body has a discharge or his body blocks his discharge, this is his
uncleanness.
4 “‘Any bed the man with a discharge lies on will be unclean, and any
furniture he sits on will be unclean.
5 Anyone who touches his bed must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be
unclean until evening.
6 The one who sits on the furniture the man with a discharge sits on must wash
his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.
7 The one who touches the body of the man with a discharge must wash his
clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.
8 If the man with a discharge spits on a person who is ceremonially clean, that
person must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.
9 Any means of riding the man with a discharge rides on will be unclean.
10 Anyone who touches anything that was under him will be unclean until evening,
and the one who carries those items must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and
be unclean until evening.
11 Anyone whom the man with the discharge touches without having rinsed his
hands in water must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until
evening.
12 A clay vessel which the man with the discharge touches must be broken, and
any wooden utensil must be rinsed in water.
13 Purity Regulations for Male Bodily Discharges“‘When the man with the
discharge becomes clean from his discharge he is to count off for himself seven
days for his purification, and he must wash his clothes, bathe in fresh water,
and be clean.
14 Then on the eighth day he is to take for himself two turtledoves or two young
pigeons, and he is to present himself before the LORD at the entrance of the
Meeting Tent and give them to the priest,
15 and the priest is to make one of them a sin offering and the other a burnt
offering. So the priest is to make atonement for him before the LORD for his
discharge.
16 “‘When a man has a seminal emission, he must bathe his whole body in
water and be unclean until evening,
17 and he must wash in water any clothing or leather that has semen on it, and
it will be unclean until evening.
18 As for a woman whom a man goes to bed with, then has a seminal emission, they
must bathe in water and be unclean until evening.
19 Female Bodily Discharges“‘When a woman has a discharge and her discharge
is blood from her body, she is to be in her menstruation seven days, and anyone
who touches her will be unclean until evening.
20 Anything she lies on during her menstruation will be unclean, and anything
she sits on will be unclean.
21 Anyone who touches her bed must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be
unclean until evening.
22 Anyone who touches any furniture she sits on must wash his clothes, bathe in
water, and be unclean until evening.
23 If there is something on the bed or on the furniture she sits on, when he
touches it he will be unclean until evening,
24 and if a man actually goes to bed with her so that her menstrual impurity
touches him, then he will be unclean seven days and any bed he lies on will be
unclean.
25 “‘When a woman’s discharge of blood flows many days not at the time of
her menstruation, or if it flows beyond the time of her menstruation, all the
days of her discharge of impurity will be like the days of her menstruation–
she is unclean.
26 Any bed she lies on all the days of her discharge will be to her like the bed
of her menstruation, any furniture she sits on will be unclean like the impurity
of her menstruation,
27 and anyone who touches them will be unclean, and he must wash his clothes,
bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.
28 Purity Regulations from Female Bodily Discharges“‘If she becomes clean
from her discharge, then she is to count off for herself seven days, and
afterward she will be clean.
29 Then on the eighth day she must take for herself two turtledoves or two young
pigeons and she must bring them to the priest at the entrance of the Meeting
Tent,
30 and the priest is to make one a sin offering and the other a burnt offering.
So the priest is to make atonement for her before the LORD from her discharge of
impurity.
31 Summary of Purification Regulations for Bodily Discharges“‘Thus you are
to set the Israelites apart from their impurity so that they do not die in their
impurity by defiling my tabernacle which is in their midst.
32 This is the law for the one with a discharge: for the one who has a seminal
emission and becomes unclean by it,
33 for the one who is sick in her menstruation, for the one with a discharge,
whether male or female, and for a man who goes to bed with an unclean
woman.’”

Chapter 16

1 The Day of Atonement The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron’s two
sons when they approached the presence of the LORD and died,
2 and the LORD said to Moses:“Tell Aaron your brother that he must not enter
at any time into the holy place inside the special curtain in front of the
atonement lid that is on the ark so that he may not die, for I will appear in
the cloud over the atonement lid.
3 Day of Atonement Offerings“In this way Aaron is to enter into the
sanctuary– with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt
offering.
4 He must put on a holy linen tunic, linen leggings are to cover his body, and
he is to wrap himself with a linen sash and wrap his head with a linen turban.
They are holy garments, so he must bathe his body in water and put them on.
5 He must also take two male goats from the congregation of the Israelites for a
sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering.
6 Then Aaron is to present the sin offering bull which is for himself and is to
make atonement on behalf of himself and his household.
7 He must then take the two goats and stand them before the LORD at the entrance
of the Meeting Tent,
8 and Aaron is to cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the LORD and one lot
for Azazel.
9 Aaron must then present the goat which has been designated by lot for the
LORD, and he is to make it a sin offering,
10 but the goat which has been designated by lot for Azazel is to be stood alive
before the LORD to make atonement on it by sending it away to Azazel into the
desert.
11 The Sin Offering Sacrificial Procedures“Aaron is to present the sin
offering bull which is for himself, and he is to make atonement on behalf of
himself and his household. He is to slaughter the sin offering bull which is for
himself,
12 and take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the LORD and a
full double handful of finely ground fragrant incense, and bring them inside the
curtain.
13 He must then put the incense on the fire before the LORD, and the cloud of
incense will cover the atonement lid which is above the ark of the testimony, so
that he will not die.
14 Then he is to take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his
finger on the eastern face of the atonement lid, and in front of the atonement
lid he is to sprinkle some of the blood seven times with his finger.
15 “He must then slaughter the sin offering goat which is for the people. He
is to bring its blood inside the curtain, and he is to do with its blood just as
he did to the blood of the bull: He is to sprinkle it on the atonement lid and
in front of the atonement lid.
16 So he is to make atonement for the holy place from the impurities of the
Israelites and from their transgressions with regard to all their sins, and thus
he is to do for the Meeting Tent which resides with them in the midst of their
impurities.
17 Nobody is to be in the Meeting Tent when he enters to make atonement in the
holy place until he goes out, and he has made atonement on his behalf, on behalf
of his household, and on behalf of the whole assembly of Israel.
18 “Then he is to go out to the altar which is before the LORD and make
atonement for it. He is to take some of the blood of the bull and some of the
blood of the goat, and put it all around on the horns of the altar.
19 Then he is to sprinkle on it some of the blood with his finger seven times,
and cleanse and consecrate it from the impurities of the Israelites.
20 The Live Goat Ritual Procedures“When he has finished purifying the holy
place, the Meeting Tent, and the altar, he is to present the live goat.
21 Aaron is to lay his two hands on the head of the live goat and confess over
it all the iniquities of the Israelites and all their transgressions in regard
to all their sins, and thus he is to put them on the head of the goat and send
it away into the desert by the hand of a man standing ready.
22 The goat is to bear on itself all their iniquities into an inaccessible land,
so he is to send the goat away in the desert.
23 The Concluding Rituals“Aaron must then enter the Meeting Tent and take off
the linen garments which he had put on when he entered the sanctuary, and leave
them there.
24 Then he must bathe his body in water in a holy place, put on his clothes, and
go out and make his burnt offering and the people’s burnt offering. So he is
to make atonement on behalf of himself and the people.
25 “Then he is to offer up the fat of the sin offering in smoke on the altar,
26 and the one who sent the goat away to Azazel must wash his clothes, bathe his
body in water, and afterward he may reenter the camp.
27 The bull of the sin offering and the goat of the sin offering, whose blood
was brought to make atonement in the holy place, must be brought outside the
camp and their hide, their flesh, and their dung must be burned up,
28 and the one who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water,
and afterward he may reenter the camp.
29 Review of the Day of Atonement“This is to be a perpetual statute for you.
In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you must humble yourselves
and do no work of any kind, both the native citizen and the resident foreigner
who lives in your midst,
30 for on this day atonement is to be made for you to cleanse you from all your
sins; you must be clean before the LORD.
31 It is to be a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you must humble
yourselves. It is a perpetual statute.
32 “The priest who is anointed and ordained to act as high priest in place of
his father is to make atonement. He is to put on the linen garments, the holy
garments,
33 and he is to purify the Most Holy Place, he is to purify the Meeting Tent and
the altar, and he is to make atonement for the priests and for all the people of
the assembly.
34 This is to be a perpetual statute for you to make atonement for the
Israelites for all their sins once a year.” So he did just as the LORD had
commanded Moses.

Chapter 17

1 The Slaughter of Animals The LORD spoke to Moses:
2 “Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites, and tell them:‘This is
the word that the LORD has commanded:
3 “Blood guilt will be accounted to any man from the house of Israel who
slaughters an ox or a lamb or a goat inside the camp or outside the camp,
4 but has not brought it to the entrance of the Meeting Tent to present it as an
offering to the LORD before the tabernacle of the LORD. He has shed blood, so
that man will be cut off from the midst of his people.
5 This is so that the Israelites will bring their sacrifices that they are
sacrificing in the open field to the LORD at the entrance of the Meeting Tent to
the priest and sacrifice them there as peace offering sacrifices to the LORD.
6 The priest is to splash the blood on the altar of the LORD at the entrance of
the Meeting Tent, and offer the fat up in smoke for a soothing aroma to the
LORD.
7 So they must no longer offer their sacrifices to the goat demons, acting like
prostitutes by going after them. This is to be a perpetual statute for them
throughout their generations.
8 “You are to say to them:‘Any man from the house of Israel or from the
resident foreigners who live in their midst, who offers a burnt offering or a
sacrifice
9 but does not bring it to the entrance of the Meeting Tent to offer it to the
LORD– that person will be cut off from his people.
10 Prohibition against Eating Blood“‘Any man from the house of Israel or
from the resident foreigners who live in their midst who eats any blood, I will
set my face against that person who eats the blood, and I will cut him off from
the midst of his people,
11 for the life of every living thing is in the blood. So I myself have assigned
it to you on the altar to make atonement for your lives, for the blood makes
atonement by means of the life.
12 Therefore, I have said to the Israelites: No person among you is to eat
blood, and no resident foreigner who lives among you is to eat blood.
13 “‘Any man from the Israelites or from the resident foreigners who live in
their midst who hunts a wild animal or a bird that may be eaten must pour out
its blood and cover it with soil,
14 for the life of all flesh is its blood. So I have said to the Israelites: You
must not eat the blood of any living thing because the life of every living
thing is its blood– all who eat it will be cut off.
15 Regulations for Eating Carcasses“‘Any person who eats an animal that has
died of natural causes or an animal torn by beasts, whether a native citizen or
a resident foreigner, must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean
until evening; then he becomes clean.
16 But if he does not wash his clothes and does not bathe his body, he will bear
his punishment for iniquity.’”

Chapter 18

1 Exhortation to Obedience and Life The LORD spoke to Moses:
2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them,‘I am the LORD your God!
3 You must not do as they do in the land of Egypt where you have been living,
and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan into which I am about to
bring you; you must not walk in their statutes.
4 You must observe my regulations and you must be sure to walk in my statutes. I
am the LORD your God.
5 So you must keep my statutes and my regulations; anyone who does so will live
by keeping them. I am the LORD.
6 Laws of Sexual Relations“‘No man is to approach any close relative to have
sexual relations with her. I am the LORD.
7 You must not expose your father’s nakedness by having sexual relations with
your mother. She is your mother; you must not have sexual relations with her.
8 You must not have sexual relations with your father’s wife; she is your
father’s nakedness.
9 You must not have sexual relations with your sister, whether she is your
father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she is born in the same
household or born outside it; you must not have sexual relations with either of
them.
10 You must not expose the nakedness of your son’s daughter or your
daughter’s daughter by having sexual relations with them, because they are
your own nakedness.
11 You must not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father’s wife
born of your father; she is your sister. You must not have sexual relations with
her.
12 You must not have sexual relations with your father’s sister; she is your
father’s flesh.
13 You must not have sexual relations with your mother’s sister, because she
is your mother’s flesh.
14 You must not expose the nakedness of your father’s brother; you must not
approach his wife to have marital relations with her. She is your aunt.
15 You must not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law; she is your
son’s wife. You must not have sexual relations with her.
16 You must not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife; she is your
brother’s nakedness.
17 You must not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter; you
must not take as wife either her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter
to have sexual relations with them. They are closely related to her– it is
lewdness.
18 You must not take a woman in marriage and then marry her sister as a rival
wife while she is still alive, to have sexual relations with her.
19 “‘You must not approach a woman in her menstrual impurity to have sexual
relations with her.
20 You must not have sexual relations with the wife of your fellow citizen to
become unclean with her.
21 You must not give any of your children as an offering to Molech, so that you
do not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD!
22 You must not have sexual relations with a male as one has sexual relations
with a woman; it is a detestable act.
23 You must not have sexual relations with any animal to become defiled with it,
and a woman must not stand before an animal to have sexual relations with it; it
is a perversion.
24 Warning against the Abominations of the Nations“‘Do not defile yourselves
with any of these things, for the nations which I am about to drive out before
you have been defiled with all these things.
25 Therefore the land has become unclean and I have brought the punishment for
its iniquity upon it, so that the land has vomited out its inhabitants.
26 You yourselves must obey my statutes and my regulations and must not do any
of these abominations, both the native citizen and the resident foreigner in
your midst,
27 for the people who were in the land before you have done all these
abominations, and the land has become unclean.
28 So do not make the land vomit you out because you defile it just as it has
vomited out the nations that were before you.
29 For if anyone does any of these abominations, the persons who do them will be
cut off from the midst of their people.
30 You must obey my charge not to practice any of the abominable statutes that
have been done before you, so that you do not defile yourselves by them. I am
the LORD your God.’”

Chapter 19

1 Religious and Social Regulations The LORD spoke to Moses:
2 “Speak to the whole congregation of the Israelites and tell them,‘You must
be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.
3 Each of you must respect his mother and his father, and you must keep my
Sabbaths. I am the LORD your God.
4 Do not turn to idols, and you must not make for yourselves gods of cast metal.
I am the LORD your God.
5 Eating the Peace Offering“‘When you sacrifice a peace offering sacrifice
to the LORD, you must sacrifice it so that it is accepted for you.
6 It must be eaten on the day of your sacrifice and on the following day, but
what is left over until the third day must be burned up.
7 If, however, it is eaten on the third day, it is spoiled, it will not be
accepted,
8 and the one who eats it will bear his punishment for iniquity because he has
profaned what is holy to the LORD. That person will be cut off from his people.
9 Leaving the Gleanings“‘When you gather in the harvest of your land, you
must not completely harvest the corner of your field, and you must not gather up
the gleanings of your harvest.
10 You must not pick your vineyard bare, and you must not gather up the fallen
grapes of your vineyard. You must leave them for the poor and the resident
foreigner. I am the LORD your God.
11 Dealing Honestly“‘You must not steal, you must not tell lies, and you
must not deal falsely with your fellow citizen.
12 You must not swear falsely in my name, so that you do not profane the name of
your God. I am the LORD.
13 You must not oppress your neighbor or commit robbery against him. You must
not withhold the wages of the hired laborer overnight until morning.
14 You must not curse a deaf person or put a stumbling block in front of a blind
person. You must fear your God; I am the LORD.
15 Justice, Love, and Propriety“‘You must not deal unjustly in judgment: you
must neither show partiality to the poor nor honor the rich. You must judge your
fellow citizen fairly.
16 You must not go about as a slanderer among your people. You must not stand
idly by when your neighbor’s life is at stake. I am the LORD.
17 You must not hate your brother in your heart. You must surely reprove your
fellow citizen so that you do not incur sin on account of him.
18 You must not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the children of your
people, but you must love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
19 You must keep my statutes. You must not allow two different kinds of your
animals to breed, you must not sow your field with two different kinds of seed,
and you must not wear a garment made of two different kinds of fabric.
20 Lying with a Slave Woman“‘When a man goes to bed with a woman for
intercourse, although she is a slave woman designated for another man and she
has not yet been ransomed, or freedom has not been granted to her, there will be
an obligation to pay compensation. They must not be put to death, because she
was not free.
21 He must bring his guilt offering to the LORD at the entrance of the Meeting
Tent, a guilt offering ram,
22 and the priest is to make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt
offering before the LORD for his sin that he has committed, and he will be
forgiven of his sin that he has committed.
23 The Produce of Fruit Trees“‘When you enter the land and plant any fruit
tree, you must consider its fruit to be forbidden. Three years it will be
forbidden to you; it must not be eaten.
24 In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy, praise offerings to the LORD.
25 Then in the fifth year you may eat its fruit to add its produce to your
harvest. I am the LORD your God.
26 Blood, Hair, and Body“‘You must not eat anything with the blood still in
it. You must not practice either divination or soothsaying.
27 You must not round off the corners of the hair on your head or ruin the
corners of your beard.
28 You must not slash your body for a dead person or incise a tattoo on
yourself. I am the LORD.
29 Do not profane your daughter by making her a prostitute, so that the land
does not practice prostitution and become full of lewdness.
30 Purity, Honor, Respect, and Honesty“‘You must keep my Sabbaths and fear
my sanctuary. I am the LORD.
31 Do not turn to the spirits of the dead and do not seek familiar spirits to
become unclean by them. I am the LORD your God.
32 You must stand up in the presence of the aged, honor the presence of an
elder, and fear your God. I am the LORD.
33 When a resident foreigner lives with you in your land, you must not oppress
him.
34 The resident foreigner who lives with you must be to you like a native
citizen among you; so you must love him as yourself, because you were foreigners
in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
35 You must not do injustice in the regulation of measures, whether of length,
weight, or volume.
36 You must have honest balances, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest
hin. I am the LORD your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt.
37 You must be sure to obey all my statutes and regulations. I am the LORD.

Chapter 20

1 Prohibitions against Illegitimate Family Worship The LORD spoke to Moses:
2 “You are to say to the Israelites,‘Any man from the Israelites or from the
resident foreigners who live in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech
must be put to death; the people of the land must pelt him with stones.
3 I myself will set my face against that man and cut him off from the midst of
his people, because he has given some of his children to Molech and thereby
defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name.
4 If, however, the people of the land shut their eyes to that man when he gives
some of his children to Molech so that they do not put him to death,
5 I myself will set my face against that man and his clan. I will cut off from
the midst of their people both him and all who follow after him in spiritual
prostitution, to commit prostitution by worshiping Molech.
6 Prohibition against Spiritists and Mediums“‘The person who turns to the
spirits of the dead and familiar spirits to commit prostitution by going after
them, I will set my face against that person and cut him off from the midst of
his people.
7 Exhortation to Holiness and Obedience“‘You must sanctify yourselves and be
holy, because I am the LORD your God.
8 You must be sure to obey my statutes. I am the LORD who sanctifies you.
9 Family Life and Sexual Prohibitions“‘If anyone curses his father and
mother he must be put to death. He has cursed his father and mother; his blood
guilt is on himself.
10 If a man commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, both the adulterer and
the adulteress must be put to death.
11 If a man goes to bed with his father’s wife, he has exposed his father’s
nakedness. Both of them must be put to death; their blood guilt is on
themselves.
12 If a man goes to bed with his daughter-in-law, both of them must be put to
death. They have committed perversion; their blood guilt is on themselves.
13 If a man goes to bed with a male as one goes to bed with a woman, the two of
them have committed an abomination. They must be put to death; their blood guilt
is on themselves.
14 If a man has marital relations with both a woman and her mother, it is
lewdness. Both he and they must be burned to death, so there is no lewdness in
your midst.
15 If a man has sexual relations with any animal, he must be put to death, and
you must kill the animal.
16 If a woman approaches any animal to copulate with it, you must kill the
woman, and the animal must be put to death; their blood guilt is on themselves.
17 “‘If a man has marital relations with his sister, whether the daughter of
his father or his mother, so that he sees her nakedness and she sees his
nakedness, it is a disgrace. They must be cut off in the sight of the children
of their people. He has exposed his sister’s nakedness; he will bear his
punishment for iniquity.
18 If a man goes to bed with a menstruating woman and uncovers her nakedness, he
has laid bare her fountain of blood and she has exposed the fountain of her
blood, so both of them must be cut off from the midst of their people.
19 You must not expose the nakedness of your mother’s sister and your
father’s sister, for such a person has laid bare his own close relative. They
must bear their punishment for iniquity.
20 If a man goes to bed with his aunt, he has exposed his uncle’s nakedness;
they must bear responsibility for their sin, they will die childless.
21 If a man has marital relations with his brother’s wife, it is indecency. He
has exposed his brother’s nakedness; they will be childless.
22 Exhortation to Holiness and Obedience“‘You must be sure to obey all my
statutes and regulations, so that the land to which I am about to bring you to
take up residence there does not vomit you out.
23 You must not walk in the statutes of the nation which I am about to drive out
before you, because they have done all these things and I am filled with disgust
against them.
24 So I have said to you: You yourselves will possess their land and I myself
will give it to you for a possession, a land flowing with milk and honey. I am
the LORD your God who has set you apart from the other peoples.
25 Therefore you must distinguish between the clean animal and the unclean, and
between the unclean bird and the clean, and you must not make yourselves
detestable by means of an animal or bird or anything that creeps on the
ground– creatures I have distinguished for you as unclean.
26 You must be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart
from the other peoples to be mine.
27 Prohibition against Spiritists and Mediums“‘A man or woman who has in
them a spirit of the dead or a familiar spirit must be put to death. They must
pelt them with stones; their blood guilt is on themselves.’”

Chapter 21

1 Rules for the Priests The LORD said to Moses:“Say to the priests, the sons
of Aaron– say to them,‘For a dead person no priest is to defile himself
among his people,
2 except for his close relative who is near to him: his mother, his father, his
son, his daughter, his brother,
3 and his virgin sister who is near to him, who has no husband; he may defile
himself for her.
4 He must not defile himself as a husband among his people so as to profane
himself.
5 Priests must not have a bald spot shaved on their head, they must not shave
the corner of their beard, and they must not cut slashes in their body.
6 “‘They must be holy to their God, and they must not profane the name of
their God, because they are the ones who present the LORD’s gifts, the food of
their God. Therefore they must be holy.
7 They must not take a wife defiled by prostitution, nor are they to take a wife
divorced from her husband, for the priest is holy to his God.
8 You must sanctify him because he presents the food of your God. He must be
holy to you because I, the LORD who sanctifies you all, am holy.
9 If a daughter of a priest profanes herself by engaging in prostitution, she is
profaning her father. She must be burned to death.
10 Rules for the High Priest“‘The high priest– who is greater than his
brothers, on whose head the anointing oil is poured, who has been ordained to
wear the priestly garments– must neither dishevel the hair of his head nor
tear his garments.
11 He must not go where there is any dead person; he must not defile himself
even for his father and his mother.
12 He must not go out from the sanctuary and must not profane the sanctuary of
his God, because the dedication of the anointing oil of his God is on him. I am
the LORD.
13 He must take a wife who is a virgin.
14 He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or one profaned by prostitution;
he may only take a virgin from his people as a wife.
15 He must not profane his children among his people, for I am the LORD who
sanctifies him.’”
16 Rules for the Priesthood The LORD spoke to Moses:
17 “Tell Aaron,‘No man from your descendants throughout their generations
who has a physical flaw is to approach to present the food of his God.
18 Certainly no man who has a physical flaw is to approach: a blind man, or one
who is lame, or one with a slit nose, or a limb too long,
19 or a man who has had a broken leg or arm,
20 or a hunchback, or a dwarf, or one with a spot in his eye, or a festering
eruption, or a feverish rash, or a crushed testicle.
21 No man from the descendants of Aaron the priest who has a physical flaw may
step forward to present the LORD’s gifts; he has a physical flaw, so he must
not step forward to present the food of his God.
22 He may eat both the most holy and the holy food of his God,
23 but he must not go near the special curtain or step forward to the altar
because he has a physical flaw. Thus he must not profane my holy places, for I
am the LORD who sanctifies them.’”
24 So Moses spoke these things to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites.

Chapter 22

1 Regulations for the Eating of Priestly Stipends The LORD spoke to Moses:
2 “Tell Aaron and his sons that they must deal respectfully with the holy
offerings of the Israelites, which they consecrate to me, so that they do not
profane my holy name. I am the LORD.
3 Say to them,‘Throughout your generations, if any man from all your
descendants approaches the holy offerings which the Israelites consecrate to the
LORD while he is impure, that person must be cut off from before me. I am the
LORD.
4 No man from the descendants of Aaron who is diseased or has a discharge may
eat the holy offerings until he becomes clean. The one who touches anything made
unclean by contact with a dead person, or a man who has a seminal emission,
5 or a man who touches a swarming thing by which he becomes unclean, or touches
a person by which he becomes unclean, whatever that person’s impurity–
6 the person who touches any of these will be unclean until evening and must not
eat from the holy offerings unless he has bathed his body in water.
7 When the sun goes down he will be clean, and afterward he may eat from the
holy offerings, because they are his food.
8 He must not eat an animal that has died of natural causes or an animal torn by
beasts and thus become unclean by it. I am the LORD.
9 They must keep my charge so that they do not incur sin on account of it and
therefore die because they profane it. I am the LORD who sanctifies them.
10 “‘No lay person may eat anything holy. Neither a priest’s lodger nor a
hired laborer may eat anything holy,
11 but if a priest buys a person with his own money, that person may eat the
holy offerings, and those born in the priest’s own house may eat his food.
12 If a priest’s daughter marries a lay person, she may not eat the holy
contribution offerings,
13 but if a priest’s daughter is a widow or divorced, and she has no children
so that she returns to live in her father’s house as in her youth, she may eat
from her father’s food, but no lay person may eat it.
14 “‘If a man eats a holy offering by mistake, he must add one fifth to it
and give the holy offering to the priest.
15 They must not profane the holy offerings which the Israelites contribute to
the LORD,
16 and so cause them to incur a penalty for guilt when they eat their holy
offerings, for I am the LORD who sanctifies them.’”
17 Regulations for Offering Votive and Freewill Offerings The LORD spoke to
Moses:
18 “Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites and tell them,‘When any
man from the house of Israel or from the resident foreigners in Israel presents
his offering for any of the votive or freewill offerings which they present to
the LORD as a burnt offering,
19 if it is to be acceptable for your benefit it must be a flawless male from
the cattle, sheep, or goats.
20 You must not present anything that has a flaw, because it will not be
acceptable for your benefit.
21 If a man presents a peace offering sacrifice to the LORD for a special votive
offering or for a freewill offering from the herd or the flock, it must be
flawless to be acceptable; it must have no flaw.
22 “‘You must not present to the LORD something blind, or with a broken
bone, or mutilated, or with a running sore, or with a festering eruption, or
with a feverish rash. You must not give any of these as a gift on the altar to
the LORD.
23 As for an ox or a sheep with a limb too long or stunted, you may present it
as a freewill offering, but it will not be acceptable for a votive offering.
24 You must not present to the LORD something with testicles that are bruised,
crushed, torn, or cut off; you must not do this in your land.
25 Even from a foreigner you must not present the food of your God from such
animals as these, for they are ruined and flawed; they will not be acceptable
for your benefit.’”
26 The LORD spoke to Moses:
27 “When an ox, lamb, or goat is born, it must be under the care of its mother
seven days, but from the eighth day onward it will be acceptable as an offering
gift to the LORD.
28 You must not slaughter an ox or a sheep and its young on the same day.
29 When you sacrifice a thanksgiving offering to the LORD, you must sacrifice it
so that it is acceptable for your benefit.
30 On that very day it must be eaten; you must not leave any part of it over
until morning. I am the LORD.
31 “You must be sure to do my commandments. I am the LORD.
32 You must not profane my holy name, and I will be sanctified in the midst of
the Israelites. I am the LORD who sanctifies you,
33 the one who brought you out from the land of Egypt to be your God. I am the
LORD.

Chapter 23

1 Regulations for Israel’s Appointed Times The LORD spoke to Moses:
2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them,‘These are the LORD’s appointed
times which you must proclaim as holy assemblies– my appointed times:
3 The Weekly Sabbath“‘Six days work may be done, but on the seventh day
there must be a Sabbath of complete rest, a holy assembly. You must not do any
work; it is a Sabbath to the LORD in all the places where you live.
4 The Festival of Passover and Unleavened Bread“‘These are the LORD’s
appointed times, holy assemblies, which you must proclaim at their appointed
time.
5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, is a
Passover offering to the LORD.
6 Then on the fifteenth day of the same month will be the Feast of Unleavened
Bread to the LORD; seven days you must eat unleavened bread.
7 On the first day there will be a holy assembly for you; you must not do any
regular work.
8 You must present a gift to the LORD for seven days, and the seventh day is a
holy assembly; you must not do any regular work.’”
9 The Presentation of First Fruits The LORD spoke to Moses:
10 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them,‘When you enter the land that I am
about to give to you and you gather in its harvest, then you must bring the
sheaf of the first portion of your harvest to the priest,
11 and he must wave the sheaf before the LORD to be accepted for your benefit–
on the day after the Sabbath the priest is to wave it.
12 On the day you wave the sheaf you must also offer a flawless yearling lamb
for a burnt offering to the LORD,
13 along with its grain offering, two tenths of an ephah of choice wheat flour
mixed with olive oil, as a gift to the LORD, a soothing aroma, and its drink
offering, one fourth of a hin of wine.
14 You must not eat bread, roasted grain, or fresh grain until this very day,
until you bring the offering of your God. This is a perpetual statute throughout
your generations in all the places where you live.
15 The Festival of Weeks“‘You must count for yourselves seven weeks from the
day after the Sabbath, from the day you bring the wave offering sheaf; they must
be complete weeks.
16 You must count fifty days– until the day after the seventh Sabbath– and
then you must present a new grain offering to the LORD.
17 From the places where you live you must bring two loaves of bread for a wave
offering; they must be made from two tenths of an ephah of fine wheat flour,
baked with yeast, as first fruits to the LORD.
18 Along with the loaves of bread, you must also present seven flawless yearling
lambs, one young bull, and two rams. They are to be a burnt offering to the LORD
along with their grain offering and drink offerings, a gift of a soothing aroma
to the LORD.
19 You must also offer one male goat for a sin offering and two yearling lambs
for a peace offering sacrifice,
20 and the priest is to wave them– the two lambs– along with the bread of
the first fruits, as a wave offering before the LORD; they will be holy to the
LORD for the priest.
21 “‘On this very day you must proclaim an assembly; it is to be a holy
assembly for you. You must not do any regular work. This is a perpetual statute
in all the places where you live throughout your generations.
22 When you gather in the harvest of your land, you must not completely harvest
the corner of your field, and you must not gather up the gleanings of your
harvest. You must leave them for the poor and the resident foreigner. I am the
LORD your God.’”
23 The Festival of Horn Blasts The LORD spoke to Moses:
24 “Tell the Israelites,‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the
month, you must have a complete rest, a memorial announced by loud horn blasts,
a holy assembly.
25 You must not do any regular work, but you must present a gift to the LORD.
26 The Day of Atonement The LORD spoke to Moses:
27 “The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It is to be a
holy assembly for you, and you must humble yourselves and present a gift to the
LORD.
28 You must not do any work on this particular day, because it is a day of
atonement to make atonement for yourselves before the LORD your God.
29 Indeed, any person who does not behave with humility on this particular day
will be cut off from his people.
30 As for any person who does any work on this particular day, I will
exterminate that person from the midst of his people!
31 You must not do any work. This is a perpetual statute throughout your
generations in all the places where you live.
32 It is a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you must humble yourselves on
the ninth day of the month in the evening, from evening until evening you must
observe your Sabbath.”
33 The Festival of Temporary Shelters The LORD spoke to Moses:
34 “Tell the Israelites,‘On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the
Feast of Shelters for seven days to the LORD.
35 On the first day is a holy assembly; you must do no regular work.
36 For seven days you must present a gift to the LORD. On the eighth day there
is to be a holy assembly for you, and you must present a gift to the LORD. It is
a solemn assembly day; you must not do any regular work.
37 “‘These are the appointed times of the LORD that you must proclaim as
holy assemblies to present a gift to the LORD– burnt offering, grain offering,
sacrifice, and drink offerings, each day according to its regulation,
38 besides the Sabbaths of the LORD and all your gifts, votive offerings, and
freewill offerings which you must give to the LORD.
39 “‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you gather in the
produce of the land, you must celebrate a pilgrim festival of the LORD for seven
days. On the first day is a complete rest and on the eighth day is complete
rest.
40 On the first day you must take for yourselves branches from majestic trees–
palm branches, branches of leafy trees, and willows of the brook– and you must
rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days.
41 You must celebrate it as a pilgrim festival to the LORD for seven days in the
year. This is a perpetual statute throughout your generations; you must
celebrate it in the seventh month.
42 You must live in temporary shelters for seven days; every native citizen in
Israel must live in shelters,
43 so that your future generations may know that I made the Israelites live in
shelters when I brought them out from the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your
God.’”
44 So Moses spoke to the Israelites about the appointed times of the LORD.

Chapter 24

1 Regulations for the Lampstand and Table of Bread The LORD spoke to Moses:
2 “Command the Israelites to bring to you pure oil of beaten olives for the
light, to make a lamp burn continually.
3 Outside the special curtain of the congregation in the Meeting Tent Aaron must
arrange it from evening until morning before the LORD continually. This is a
perpetual statute throughout your generations.
4 On the ceremonially pure lampstand he must arrange the lamps before the LORD
continually.
5 “You must take choice wheat flour and bake twelve loaves; there must be two
tenths of an ephah of flour in each loaf,
6 and you must set them in two rows, six in a row, on the ceremonially pure
table before the LORD.
7 You must put pure frankincense on each row, and it will become a memorial
portion for the bread, a gift to the LORD.
8 Each Sabbath day Aaron must arrange it before the LORD continually; this
portion is from the Israelites as a perpetual covenant.
9 It will belong to Aaron and his sons, and they must eat it in a holy place
because it is most holy to him, a perpetual allotted portion from the gifts of
the LORD.
10 A Case of Blaspheming the Name Now an Israelite woman’s son whose father
was an Egyptian went out among the Israelites, and the Israelite woman’s son
and an Israelite man had a fight in the camp.
11 The Israelite woman’s son misused the Name and cursed, so they brought him
to Moses.(Now his mother’s name was Shelomith daughter of Dibri, of the tribe
of Dan.)
12 So they placed him in custody until they were able to make a clear legal
decision for themselves based on words from the mouth of the LORD.
13 Then the LORD spoke to Moses:
14 “Bring the one who cursed outside the camp, and all who heard him are to
lay their hands on his head, and the whole congregation is to stone him to
death.
15 Moreover, you are to tell the Israelites,‘If any man curses his God he will
bear responsibility for his sin,
16 and one who misuses the name of the LORD must surely be put to death. The
whole congregation must surely stone him, whether he is a resident foreigner or
a native citizen; when he misuses the Name he must be put to death.
17 “‘If a man beats any person to death, he must be put to death.
18 One who beats an animal to death must make restitution for it, life for life.
19 If a man inflicts an injury on his fellow citizen, just as he has done it
must be done to him–
20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth– just as he inflicts an
injury on another person that same injury must be inflicted on him.
21 One who beats an animal to death must make restitution for it, but one who
beats a person to death must be put to death.
22 There will be one regulation for you, whether a resident foreigner or a
native citizen, for I am the LORD your God.’”
23 Then Moses spoke to the Israelites and they brought the one who cursed
outside the camp and stoned him with stones. So the Israelites did just as the
LORD had commanded Moses.

Chapter 25

1 Regulations for the Sabbatical Year The LORD spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai:
2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them,‘When you enter the land that I am
giving you, the land must observe a Sabbath to the LORD.
3 Six years you may sow your field, and six years you may prune your vineyard
and gather the produce,
4 but in the seventh year the land must have a Sabbath of complete rest– a
Sabbath to the LORD. You must not sow your field or prune your vineyard.
5 You must not gather in the aftergrowth of your harvest and you must not pick
the grapes of your unpruned vines; the land must have a year of complete rest.
6 You may have the Sabbath produce of the land to eat– you, your male servant,
your female servant, your hired worker, the resident foreigner who stays with
you,
7 your cattle, and the wild animals that are in your land– all its produce
will be for you to eat.
8 Regulations for the Jubilee Year of Release“‘You must count off seven
weeks of years, seven times seven years, and the days of the seven weeks of
years will amount to forty-nine years.
9 You must sound loud horn blasts– in the seventh month, on the tenth day of
the month, on the Day of Atonement– you must sound the horn in your entire
land.
10 So you must consecrate the fiftieth year, and you must proclaim a release in
the land for all its inhabitants. That year will be your jubilee; each one of
you must return to his property and each one of you must return to his clan.
11 That fiftieth year will be your jubilee; you must not sow the land, harvest
its aftergrowth, or pick the grapes of its unpruned vines.
12 Because that year is a jubilee, it will be holy to you– you may eat its
produce from the field.
13 Release of Landed Property“‘In this year of jubilee you must each return
to your property.
14 If you make a sale to your fellow citizen or buy from your fellow citizen, no
one is to wrong his brother.
15 You may buy it from your fellow citizen according to the number of years
since the last jubilee; he may sell it to you according to the years of produce
that are left.
16 The more years there are, the more you may make its purchase price, and the
fewer years there are, the less you must make its purchase price, because he is
only selling to you a number of years of produce.
17 No one is to oppress his fellow citizen, but you must fear your God, because
I am the LORD your God.
18 You must obey my statutes and my regulations; you must be sure to keep them
so that you may live securely in the land.
19 “‘The land will give its fruit and you may eat until you are satisfied,
and you may live securely in the land.
20 If you say,‘What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not sow and
gather our produce?’
21 I will command my blessing for you in the sixth year so that it may yield the
produce for three years,
22 and you may sow the eighth year and eat from that sixth year’s produce–
old produce. Until you bring in the ninth year’s produce, you may eat old
produce.
23 The land must not be sold without reclaim because the land belongs to me, for
you are foreign residents, temporary settlers, with me.
24 In all your landed property you must provide for the right of redemption of
the land.
25 “‘If your brother becomes impoverished and sells some of his property,
his near redeemer is to come to you and redeem what his brother sold.
26 If a man has no redeemer, but he prospers and gains enough for its
redemption,
27 he is to calculate the value of the years it was sold, refund the balance to
the man to whom he had sold it, and return to his property.
28 If he has not prospered enough to refund a balance to him, then what he sold
will belong to the one who bought it until the jubilee year, but it must revert
in the jubilee and the original owner may return to his property.
29 Release of Houses“‘If a man sells a residential house in a walled city,
its right of redemption must extend until one full year from its sale; its right
of redemption must extend to a full calendar year.
30 If it is not redeemed before the full calendar year is ended, the house in
the walled city will belong without reclaim to the one who bought it throughout
his generations; it will not revert in the jubilee.
31 The houses of villages, however, which have no wall surrounding them must be
considered as the field of the land; they will have the right of redemption and
must revert in the jubilee.
32 As for the cities of the Levites, the houses in the cities which they
possess, the Levites must have a perpetual right of redemption.
33 Whatever someone among the Levites might redeem– the sale of a house which
is his property in a city– must revert in the jubilee, because the houses of
the cities of the Levites are their property in the midst of the Israelites.
34 Moreover, the open field areas of their cities must not be sold, because that
is their perpetual possession.
35 Debt and Slave Regulations“‘If your brother becomes impoverished and is
indebted to you, you must support him; he must live with you like a foreign
resident.
36 Do not take interest or profit from him, but you must fear your God and your
brother must live with you.
37 You must not lend him your money at interest and you must not sell him food
for profit.
38 I am the LORD your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt to give you
the land of Canaan– to be your God.
39 “‘If your brother becomes impoverished with regard to you so that he
sells himself to you, you must not subject him to slave service.
40 He must be with you as a hired worker, as a resident foreigner; he must serve
with you until the year of jubilee,
41 but then he may go free, he and his children with him, and may return to his
family and to the property of his ancestors.
42 Since they are my servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt, they
must not be sold in a slave sale.
43 You must not rule over him harshly, but you must fear your God.
44 “‘As for your male and female slaves who may belong to you– you may buy
male and female slaves from the nations all around you.
45 Also you may buy slaves from the children of the foreigners who reside with
you, and from their families that are with you, whom they have fathered in your
land, they may become your property.
46 You may give them as inheritance to your children after you to possess as
property. You may enslave them perpetually. However, as for your brothers the
Israelites, no man may rule over his brother harshly.
47 “‘If a resident foreigner who is with you prospers and your brother
becomes impoverished with regard to him so that he sells himself to a resident
foreigner who is with you or to a member of a foreigner’s family,
48 after he has sold himself he retains a right of redemption. One of his
brothers may redeem him,
49 or his uncle or his cousin may redeem him, or anyone of the rest of his blood
relatives– his family– may redeem him, or if he prospers he may redeem
himself.
50 He must calculate with the one who bought him the number of years from the
year he sold himself to him until the jubilee year, and the cost of his sale
must correspond to the number of years, according to the rate of wages a hired
worker would have earned while with him.
51 If there are still many years, in keeping with them he must refund most of
the cost of his purchase for his redemption,
52 but if only a few years remain until the jubilee, he must calculate for
himself in keeping with the remaining years and refund it for his redemption.
53 He must be with the one who bought him like a yearly hired worker. The one
who bought him must not rule over him harshly in your sight.
54 If, however, he is not redeemed in these ways, he must go free in the jubilee
year, he and his children with him,
55 because the Israelites are my own servants; they are my servants whom I
brought out from the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

Chapter 26

1 Exhortation to Obedience“‘You must not make for yourselves idols, so you
must not set up for yourselves a carved image or a pillar, and you must not
place a sculpted stone in your land to bow down before it, for I am the LORD
your God.
2 You must keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary. I am the LORD.
3 The Benefits of Obedience“‘If you walk in my statutes and are sure to obey
my commandments,
4 I will give you your rains in their time so that the land will give its yield
and the trees of the field will produce their fruit.
5 Threshing season will extend for you until the season for harvesting grapes,
and the season for harvesting grapes will extend until sowing season, so you
will eat your bread until you are satisfied, and you will live securely in your
land.
6 I will grant peace in the land so that you will lie down to sleep without
anyone terrifying you. I will remove harmful animals from the land, and no sword
of war will pass through your land.
7 You will pursue your enemies and they will fall before you by the sword.
8 Five of you will pursue a hundred, and a hundred of you will pursue ten
thousand, and your enemies will fall before you by the sword.
9 I will turn to you, make you fruitful, multiply you, and maintain my covenant
with you.
10 You will still be eating stored produce from the previous year and will have
to clean out what is stored from the previous year to make room for new.
11 “‘I will put my tabernacle in your midst and I will not abhor you.
12 I will walk among you, and I will be your God and you will be my people.
13 I am the LORD your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, from being
their slaves, and I broke the bars of your yoke and caused you to walk upright.
14 The Consequences of Disobedience“‘If, however, you do not obey me and
keep all these commandments–
15 if you reject my statutes and abhor my regulations so that you do not keep
all my commandments and you break my covenant–
16 I for my part will do this to you: I will inflict horror on you, consumption
and fever, which diminish eyesight and drain away the vitality of life. You will
sow your seed in vain because your enemies will eat it.
17 I will set my face against you. You will be struck down before your enemies,
those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee when there is no one
pursuing you.
18 “‘If, in spite of all these things, you do not obey me, I will discipline
you seven times more on account of your sins.
19 I will break your strong pride and make your sky like iron and your land like
bronze.
20 Your strength will be used up in vain, your land will not give its yield, and
the trees of the land will not produce their fruit.
21 “‘If you walk in hostility against me and are not willing to obey me, I
will increase your affliction seven times according to your sins.
22 I will send the wild animals against you and they will bereave you of your
children, annihilate your cattle, and diminish your population so that your
roads will become deserted.
23 “‘If in spite of these things you do not allow yourselves to be
disciplined and you walk in hostility against me,
24 I myself will also walk in hostility against you and strike you seven times
on account of your sins.
25 I will bring on you an avenging sword, a covenant vengeance. Although you
will gather together into your cities, I will send pestilence among you and you
will be given into enemy hands.
26 When I break off your supply of bread, ten women will bake your bread in one
oven; they will ration your bread by weight, and you will eat and not be
satisfied.
27 “‘If in spite of this you do not obey me but walk in hostility against
me,
28 I will walk in hostile rage against you and I myself will also discipline you
seven times on account of your sins.
29 You will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters.
30 I will destroy your high places and cut down your incense altars, and I will
stack your dead bodies on top of the lifeless bodies of your idols. I will abhor
you.
31 I will lay your cities waste and make your sanctuaries desolate, and I will
refuse to smell your soothing aromas.
32 I myself will make the land desolate and your enemies who live in it will be
appalled.
33 I will scatter you among the nations and unsheathe the sword after you, so
your land will become desolate and your cities will become a waste.
34 “‘Then the land will make up for its Sabbaths all the days it lies
desolate while you are in the land of your enemies; then the land will rest and
make up its Sabbaths.
35 All the days of the desolation it will have the rest it did not have on your
Sabbaths when you lived on it.
36 “‘As for the ones who remain among you, I will bring despair into their
hearts in the lands of their enemies. The sound of a blowing leaf will pursue
them, and they will flee as one who flees the sword and fall down even though
there is no pursuer.
37 They will stumble over each other as those who flee before a sword, though
there is no pursuer, and there will be no one to take a stand for you before
your enemies.
38 You will perish among the nations; the land of your enemies will consume you.
39 Restoration through Confession and Repentance“‘As for the ones who remain
among you, they will rot away because of their iniquity in the lands of your
enemies, and they will also rot away because of their ancestors’ iniquities
which are with them.
40 However, when they confess their iniquity and their ancestors’ iniquity
which they committed by trespassing against me, by which they also walked in
hostility against me
41 (and I myself will walk in hostility against them and bring them into the
land of their enemies), and then their uncircumcised hearts become humbled and
they make up for their iniquity,
42 I will remember my covenant with Jacob and also my covenant with Isaac and
also my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.
43 The land will be abandoned by them in order that it may make up for its
Sabbaths while it is made desolate without them, and they will make up for their
iniquity because they have rejected my regulations and have abhorred my
statutes.
44 In spite of this, however, when they are in the land of their enemies I will
not reject them and abhor them to make a complete end of them, to break my
covenant with them, for I am the LORD their God.
45 I will remember for them the covenant with their ancestors whom I brought out
from the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God. I am the
LORD.
46 Summary Colophon These are the statutes, regulations, and instructions which
the LORD established between himself and the Israelites at Mount Sinai through
Moses.

Chapter 27

1 Redemption of Vowed People The LORD spoke to Moses:
2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them,‘When a man makes a special votive
offering based on the conversion value of persons to the LORD,
3 the conversion value of the male from twenty years old up to sixty years old
is fifty shekels by the standard of the sanctuary shekel.
4 If the person is a female, the conversion value is thirty shekels.
5 If the person is from five years old up to twenty years old, the conversion
value of the male is twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels.
6 If the person is one month old up to five years old, the conversion value of
the male is five shekels of silver, and for the female the conversion value is
three shekels of silver.
7 If the person is from sixty years old and older, if he is a male the
conversion value is fifteen shekels, and for the female ten shekels.
8 If he is too poor to pay the conversion value, he must stand the person before
the priest and the priest will establish his conversion value; according to what
the man who made the vow can afford, the priest will establish his conversion
value.
9 Redemption of Vowed Animals“‘If what is vowed is a kind of animal from
which an offering may be presented to the LORD, anything which he gives to the
LORD from this kind of animal will be holy.
10 He must not replace or exchange it, good for bad or bad for good, and if he
does indeed exchange one animal for another animal, then both the original
animal and its substitute will be holy.
11 If what is vowed is an unclean animal from which an offering must not be
presented to the LORD, then he must stand the animal before the priest,
12 and the priest will establish its conversion value, whether good or bad.
According to the assessed conversion value of the priest, thus it will be.
13 If, however, the person who made the vow redeems the animal, he must add one
fifth to its conversion value.
14 Redemption of Vowed Houses“‘If a man consecrates his house as holy to the
LORD, the priest will establish its conversion value, whether good or bad. Just
as the priest establishes its conversion value, thus it will stand.
15 If the one who consecrates it redeems his house, he must add to it one fifth
of its conversion value in silver, and it will belong to him.
16 Redemption of Vowed Fields“‘If a man consecrates to the LORD some of his
own landed property, the conversion value must be calculated in accordance with
the amount of seed needed to sow it, a homer of barley seed being priced at
fifty shekels of silver.
17 If he consecrates his field in the jubilee year, the conversion value will
stand,
18 but if he consecrates his field after the jubilee, the priest will calculate
the price for him according to the years that are left until the next jubilee
year, and it will be deducted from the conversion value.
19 If, however, the one who consecrated the field redeems it, he must add to it
one fifth of the conversion price and it will belong to him.
20 If he does not redeem the field, but sells the field to someone else, he may
never redeem it.
21 When it reverts in the jubilee, the field will be holy to the LORD like a
permanently dedicated field; it will become the priest’s property.
22 “‘If he consecrates to the LORD a field he has purchased, which is not
part of his own landed property,
23 the priest will calculate for him the amount of its conversion value until
the jubilee year, and he must pay the conversion value on that jubilee day as
something that is holy to the LORD.
24 In the jubilee year the field will return to the one from whom he bought it,
the one to whom it belongs as landed property.
25 Every conversion value must be calculated by the standard of the sanctuary
shekel; twenty gerahs to the shekel.
26 Redemption of the Firstborn“‘Surely no man may consecrate a firstborn
that already belongs to the LORD as a firstborn among the animals; whether it is
an ox or a sheep, it belongs to the LORD.
27 If, however, it is among the unclean animals, he may ransom it according to
its conversion value and must add one fifth to it, but if it is not redeemed it
must be sold according to its conversion value.
28 Things Permanently Dedicated to the Lord“‘Surely anything which a man
permanently dedicates to the LORD from all that belongs to him, whether from
people, animals, or his landed property, must be neither sold nor redeemed;
anything permanently dedicated is most holy to the LORD.
29 Any human being who is permanently dedicated must not be ransomed; such a
person must be put to death.
30 Redemption of the Tithe“‘Any tithe of the land, from the grain of the
land or from the fruit of the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the
LORD.
31 If a man redeems part of his tithe, however, he must add one fifth to it.
32 All the tithe of herd or flock, everything which passes under the rod, the
tenth one will be holy to the LORD.
33 The owner must not examine the animals to distinguish between good and bad,
and he must not exchange it. If, however, he does exchange it, both the original
animal and its substitute will be holy. It must not be redeemed.’”
34 Final Colophon These are the commandments which the LORD commanded Moses to
tell the Israelites at Mount Sinai.


Numbers

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Organizing the Census of the Israelites Now the LORD spoke to Moses in the
tent of meeting in the desert of Sinai on the first day of the second month of
the second year after the Israelites departed from the land of Egypt. He said:
2 “Take a census of the entire Israelite community by their clans and
families, counting the name of every individual male.
3 You and Aaron are to number all in Israel who can serve in the army, those who
are twenty years old or older, by their divisions.
4 And to help you there is to be a man from each tribe, each man the head of his
family.
5 Now these are the names of the men who are to help you: from Reuben, Elizur
son of Shedeur;
6 from Simeon, Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai;
7 from Judah, Nahshon son of Amminadab;
8 from Issachar, Nethanel son of Zuar;
9 from Zebulun, Eliab son of Helon;
10 from the sons of Joseph: from Ephraim, Elishama son of Ammihud; from
Manasseh, Gamaliel son of Pedahzur;
11 from Benjamin, Abidan son of Gideoni;
12 from Dan, Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai;
13 from Asher, Pagiel son of Ocran;
14 from Gad, Eliasaph son of Deuel;
15 from Naphtali, Ahira son of Enan.”
16 The Census of the Tribes These were the ones chosen from the community,
leaders of their ancestral tribes. They were the heads of the thousands of
Israel.
17 So Moses and Aaron took these men who had been mentioned specifically by
name,
18 and they assembled the entire community together on the first day of the
second month. Then the people recorded their ancestry by their clans and
families, and the men who were twenty years old or older were listed by name
individually,
19 just as the LORD had commanded Moses. And so he numbered them in the desert
of Sinai.
20 And they were as follows:The descendants of Reuben, the firstborn son of
Israel: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males
twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name
individually.
21 Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Reuben were 46,500.
22 From the descendants of Simeon: According to the records of their clans and
families, all the males numbered of them twenty years old or older who could
serve in the army were listed by name individually.
23 Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Simeon were 59,300.
24 From the descendants of Gad: According to the records of their clans and
families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army
were listed by name.
25 Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Gad were 45,650.
26 From the descendants of Judah: According to the records of their clans and
families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army
were listed by name.
27 Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Judah were 74,600.
28 From the descendants of Issachar: According to the records of their clans and
families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army
were listed by name.
29 Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Issachar were 54,400.
30 From the descendants of Zebulun: According to the records of their clans and
families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army
were listed by name.
31 Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Zebulun were 57,400.
32 From the sons of Joseph: From the descendants of Ephraim: According to the
records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who
could serve in the army were listed by name.
33 Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Ephraim were 40,500.
34 From the descendants of Manasseh: According to the records of their clans and
families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army
were listed by name.
35 Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Manasseh were 32,200.
36 From the descendants of Benjamin: According to the records of their clans and
families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army
were listed by name.
37 Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Benjamin were 35,400.
38 From the descendants of Dan: According to the records of their clans and
families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army
were listed by name.
39 Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Dan were 62,700.
40 From the descendants of Asher: According to the records of their clans and
families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army
were listed by name.
41 Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Asher were 41,500.
42 From the descendants of Naphtali: According to the records of their clans and
families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army
were listed by name.
43 Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Naphtali were 53,400.
44 These were the men whom Moses and Aaron numbered along with the twelve
leaders of Israel, each of whom was from his own family.
45 All the Israelites who were twenty years old or older, who could serve in
Israel’s army, were numbered according to their families.
46 And all those numbered totaled 603,550.
47 The Exemption of the Levites But the Levites, according to the tribe of their
fathers, were not numbered among them.
48 The LORD had said to Moses,
49 “Only the tribe of Levi you must not number or count with the other
Israelites.
50 But appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, over all its
furnishings and over everything in it. They must carry the tabernacle and all
its furnishings; and they must attend to it and camp around it.
51 Whenever the tabernacle is to move, the Levites must take it down, and
whenever the tabernacle is to be reassembled, the Levites must set it up. Any
unauthorized person who approaches it must be killed.
52 “The Israelites will camp according to their divisions, each man in his
camp, and each man by his standard.
53 But the Levites must camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, so that the
LORD’s anger will not fall on the Israelite community. The Levites are
responsible for the care of the tabernacle of the testimony.”
54 The Israelites did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses– that is
what they did.

Chapter 2

1 The Arrangement of the Tribes The LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron:
2 “Every one of the Israelites must camp under his standard with the emblems
of his family; they must camp at some distance around the tent of meeting.
3 The Tribes on the East“Now those who will be camping on the east, toward the
sunrise, are the divisions of the camp of Judah under their standard. The leader
of the people of Judah is Nahshon son of Amminadab.
4 Those numbered in his division are 74,600.
5 Those who will be camping next to them are the tribe of Issachar. The leader
of the people of Issachar is Nethanel son of Zuar.
6 Those numbered in his division are 54,400.
7 Next will be the tribe of Zebulun. The leader of the people of Zebulun is
Eliab son of Helon.
8 Those numbered in his division are 57,400.
9 All those numbered of the camp of Judah, according to their divisions, are
186,400. They will travel at the front.
10 The Tribes on the South“On the south will be the divisions of the camp of
Reuben under their standard. The leader of the people of Reuben is Elizur son of
Shedeur.
11 Those numbered in his division are 46,500.
12 Those who will be camping next to them are the tribe of Simeon. The leader of
the people of Simeon is Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai.
13 Those numbered in his division are 59,300.
14 Next will be the tribe of Gad. The leader of the people of Gad is Eliasaph
son of Deuel.
15 Those numbered in his division are 45,650.
16 All those numbered of the camp of Reuben, according to their divisions, are
151,450. They will travel second.
17 The Tribe in the Center“Then the tent of meeting with the camp of the
Levites will travel in the middle of the camps. They will travel in the same
order as they camped, each in his own place under his standard.
18 The Tribes on the West“On the west will be the divisions of the camp of
Ephraim under their standard. The leader of the people of Ephraim is Elishama
son of Ammihud.
19 Those numbered in his division are 40,500.
20 Next to them will be the tribe of Manasseh. The leader of the people of
Manasseh is Gamaliel son of Pedahzur.
21 Those numbered in his division are 32,200.
22 Next will be the tribe of Benjamin. The leader of the people of Benjamin is
Abidan son of Gideoni.
23 Those numbered in his division are 35,400.
24 All those numbered of the camp of Ephraim, according to their divisions, are
108,100. They will travel third.
25 The Tribes on the North“On the north will be the divisions of the camp of
Dan, under their standards. The leader of the people of Dan is Ahiezer son of
Ammishaddai.
26 Those numbered in his division are 62,700.
27 Those who will be camping next to them are the tribe of Asher. The leader of
the people of Asher is Pagiel son of Ocran.
28 Those numbered in his division are 41,500.
29 Next will be the tribe of Naphtali. The leader of the people of Naphtali is
Ahira son of Enan.
30 Those numbered in his division are 53,400.
31 All those numbered of the camp of Dan are 157,600. They will travel last,
under their standards.”
32 Summary These are the Israelites, numbered according to their families. All
those numbered in the camps, by their divisions, are 603,550.
33 But the Levites were not numbered among the other Israelites, as the LORD
commanded Moses.
34 So the Israelites did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses; that is
the way they camped under their standards, and that is the way they traveled,
each with his clan and family.

Chapter 3

1 The Sons of Aaron Now these are the records of Aaron and Moses when the LORD
spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.
2 These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab, the firstborn, and Abihu,
Eleazar, and Ithamar.
3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whom he
consecrated to minister as priests.
4 Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD when they offered strange fire before the
LORD in the desert of Sinai, and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar
ministered as priests in the presence of Aaron their father.
5 The Assignment of the Levites The LORD spoke to Moses:
6 “Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest,
that they may serve him.
7 They are responsible for his needs and the needs of the whole community before
the tent of meeting, by attending to the service of the tabernacle.
8 And they are responsible for all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and
for the needs of the Israelites, as they serve in the tabernacle.
9 You are to assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they will be assigned
exclusively to him out of all the Israelites.
10 So you are to appoint Aaron and his sons, and they will be responsible for
their priesthood, but the unauthorized person who comes near must be put to
death.”
11 Then the LORD spoke to Moses:
12 “Look, I myself have taken the Levites from among the Israelites instead of
every firstborn who opens the womb among the Israelites. So the Levites belong
to me,
13 because all the firstborn are mine. When I destroyed all the firstborn in the
land of Egypt, I set apart for myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and
beast. They belong to me. I am the LORD.”
14 The Numbering of the Levites Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the desert of
Sinai:
15 “Number the Levites by their clans and their families; every male from a
month old and upward you are to number.”
16 So Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, just as he had been
commanded.
17 The Summary of Families These were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon,
Kohath, and Merari.
18 These are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and
Shimei.
19 The sons of Kohath by their families were: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
20 The sons of Merari by their families were Mahli and Mushi. These are the
families of the Levites by their clans.
21 The Numbering of the Gershonites From Gershon came the family of the Libnites
and the family of the Shimeites; these were the families of the Gershonites.
22 Those of them who were numbered, counting every male from a month old and
upward, were 7,500.
23 The families of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle toward the
west.
24 Now the leader of the clan of the Gershonites was Eliasaph son of Lael.
25 And the responsibilities of the Gershonites in the tent of meeting included
the tabernacle, the tent with its covering, the curtain at the entrance of the
tent of meeting,
26 the hangings of the courtyard, the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard
that surrounded the tabernacle and the altar, and their ropes, plus all the
service connected with these things.
27 The Numbering of the Kohathites From Kohath came the family of the Amramites,
the family of the Izharites, the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the
Uzzielites; these were the families of the Kohathites.
28 Counting every male from a month old and upward, there were 8,600. They were
responsible for the care of the sanctuary.
29 The families of the Kohathites were to camp on the south side of the
tabernacle.
30 Now the leader of the clan of the families of the Kohathites was Elizaphan
son of Uzziel.
31 Their responsibilities included the ark, the table, the lampstand, the
altars, and the utensils of the sanctuary with which they ministered, the
curtain, and all their service.
32 Now the head of all the Levitical leaders was Eleazar son of Aaron the
priest. He was appointed over those who were responsible for the sanctuary.
33 The Numbering of Merari From Merari came the family of the Mahlites and the
family of the Mushites; these were the families of Merari.
34 Those of them who were numbered, counting every male from a month old and
upward, were 6,200.
35 Now the leader of the clan of the families of Merari was Zuriel son of
Abihail. These were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle.
36 The appointed responsibilities of the Merarites included the frames of the
tabernacle, its crossbars, its posts, its sockets, its utensils, plus all the
service connected with these things,
37 and the pillars of the courtyard all around, with their sockets, their pegs,
and their ropes.
38 But those who were to camp in front of the tabernacle on the east, in front
of the tent of meeting, were Moses, Aaron, and his sons. They were responsible
for the needs of the sanctuary and for the needs of the Israelites, but the
unauthorized person who approached was to be put to death.
39 All who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered by the
word of the LORD, according to their families, every male from a month old and
upward, were 22,000.
40 The Substitution for the Firstborn Then the LORD said to Moses,“Number all
the firstborn males of the Israelites from a month old and upward, and take the
number of their names.
41 And take the Levites for me– I am the LORD– instead of all the firstborn
males among the Israelites, and the livestock of the Levites instead of all the
firstborn of the livestock of the Israelites.”
42 So Moses numbered all the firstborn males among the Israelites, as the LORD
had commanded him.
43 And all the firstborn males, by the number of the names from a month old and
upward, totaled 22,273.
44 Then the LORD spoke to Moses:
45 “Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn males among the Israelites,
and the livestock of the Levites instead of their livestock. And the Levites
will be mine. I am the LORD.
46 And for the redemption of the 273 firstborn males of the Israelites who
exceed the number of the Levites,
47 collect five shekels for each one individually; you are to collect this
amount in the currency of the sanctuary shekel(this shekel is twenty gerahs).
48 And give the money for the redemption of the excess number of them to Aaron
and his sons.”
49 So Moses took the redemption money from those who were in excess of those
redeemed by the Levites.
50 From the firstborn males of the Israelites he collected the money, 1,365
shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel.
51 Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, according to the word
of the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

Chapter 4

1 The Service of the Kohathites Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron:
2 “Take a census of the Kohathites from among the Levites, by their families
and by their clans,
3 from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old, all who enter the company
to do the work in the tent of meeting.
4 This is the service of the Kohathites in the tent of meeting, relating to the
most holy things.
5 When it is time for the camp to journey, Aaron and his sons must come and take
down the screening curtain and cover the ark of the testimony with it.
6 Then they must put over it a covering of fine leather and spread over that a
cloth entirely of blue, and then they must insert its poles.
7 “On the table of the presence they must spread a blue cloth, and put on it
the dishes, the pans, the bowls, and the pitchers for pouring, and the Bread of
the Presence must be on it continually.
8 They must spread over them a scarlet cloth, and cover the same with a covering
of fine leather; and they must insert its poles.
9 “They must take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand of the light, with its
lamps, its wick-trimmers, its trays, and all its oil vessels, with which they
service it.
10 Then they must put it with all its utensils in a covering of fine leather,
and put it on a carrying beam.
11 “They must spread a blue cloth on the gold altar, and cover it with a
covering of fine leather; and they must insert its poles.
12 Then they must take all the utensils of the service, with which they serve in
the sanctuary, put them in a blue cloth, cover them with a covering of fine
leather, and put them on a carrying beam.
13 Also, they must take away the ashes from the altar and spread a purple cloth
over it.
14 Then they must place on it all its implements with which they serve there–
the trays, the meat forks, the shovels, the basins, and all the utensils of the
altar– and they must spread on it a covering of fine leather, and then insert
its poles.
15 “When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the
furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is ready to journey, then the
Kohathites will come to carry them; but they must not touch any holy thing, or
they will die. These are the responsibilities of the Kohathites with the tent of
meeting.
16 “The appointed responsibility of Eleazar son of Aaron the priest is for the
oil for the light, and the spiced incense, and the daily grain offering, and the
anointing oil; he also has the appointed responsibility over all the tabernacle
with all that is in it, over the sanctuary and over all its furnishings.”
17 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron:
18 “Do not allow the tribe of the families of the Kohathites to be cut off
from among the Levites;
19 but in order that they will live and not die when they approach the most holy
things, do this for them: Aaron and his sons will go in and appoint each man to
his service and his responsibility.
20 But the Kohathites are not to go in to watch while the holy things are being
covered, or they will die.”
21 The Service of the Gershonites Then the LORD spoke to Moses:
22 “Also take a census of the Gershonites, by their clans and by their
families.
23 You must number them from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old, all
who enter the company to do the work of the tent of meeting.
24 This is the service of the families of Gershonites, as they serve and carry
it.
25 They must carry the curtains for the tabernacle and the tent of meeting with
its covering, the covering of fine leather that is over it, the curtains for the
entrance of the tent of meeting,
26 the hangings for the courtyard, the curtain for the entrance of the gate of
the court, which is around the tabernacle and the altar, and their ropes, along
with all the furnishings for their service and everything that is made for them.
So they are to serve.
27 “All the service of the Gershonites, whether carrying loads or for any of
their work, will be at the direction of Aaron and his sons. You will assign them
all their tasks as their responsibility.
28 This is the service of the families of the Gershonites concerning the tent of
meeting. Their responsibilities will be under the authority of Ithamar son of
Aaron the priest.
29 The Service of the Merarites“As for the sons of Merari, you are to number
them by their families and by their clans.
30 You must number them from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old, all
who enter the company to do the work of the tent of meeting.
31 This is what they are responsible to carry as their entire service in the
tent of meeting: the frames of the tabernacle, its crossbars, its posts, its
sockets,
32 and the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their sockets, tent pegs, and
ropes, along with all their furnishings and everything for their service. You
are to assign by names the items that each man is responsible to carry.
33 This is the service of the families of the Merarites, their entire service
concerning the tent of meeting, under the authority of Ithamar son of Aaron the
priest.”
34 Summary So Moses and Aaron and the leaders of the community numbered the
Kohathites by their families and by clans,
35 from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old, everyone who entered the
company for the work in the tent of meeting;
36 and those of them numbered by their families were 2,750.
37 These were those numbered from the families of the Kohathites, everyone who
served in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the
word of the LORD by the authority of Moses.
38 Those numbered from the Gershonites, by their families and by their clans,
39 from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old, everyone who entered the
company for the work in the tent of meeting–
40 those of them numbered by their families, by their clans, were 2,630.
41 These were those numbered from the families of the Gershonites, everyone who
served in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the
word of the LORD.
42 Those numbered from the families of the Merarites, by their families, by
their clans,
43 from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old, everyone who entered the
company for the work in the tent of meeting–
44 those of them numbered by their families were 3,200.
45 These are those numbered from the families of the Merarites, whom Moses and
Aaron numbered according to the word of the LORD by the authority of Moses.
46 All who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of
Israel numbered by their families and by their clans,
47 from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old, everyone who entered to
do the work of service and the work of carrying relating to the tent of
meeting–
48 those of them numbered were 8,580.
49 According to the word of the LORD they were numbered, by the authority of
Moses, each according to his service and according to what he was to carry. Thus
were they numbered by him, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

Chapter 5

1 Separation of the Unclean Then the LORD spoke to Moses:
2 “Command the Israelites to expel from the camp every leper, everyone who has
a discharge, and whoever becomes defiled by a corpse.
3 You must expel both men and women; you must put them outside the camp, so that
they will not defile their camps, among which I live.”
4 So the Israelites did so, and expelled them outside the camp. As the LORD had
spoken to Moses, so the Israelites did.
5 Restitution for Sin Then the LORD spoke to Moses:
6 “Tell the Israelites,‘When a man or a woman commits any sin that people
commit, thereby breaking faith with the LORD, and that person is found guilty,
7 then he must confess his sin that he has committed and must make full
reparation, add one fifth to it, and give it to whomever he wronged.
8 But if the individual has no close relative to whom reparation can be made for
the wrong, the reparation for the wrong must be paid to the LORD for the priest,
in addition to the ram of atonement by which atonement is made for him.
9 Every offering of all the Israelites’ holy things that they bring to the
priest will be his.
10 Every man’s holy things will be his; whatever any man gives the priest will
be his.’”
11 The Jealousy Ordeal The LORD spoke to Moses:
12 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them,‘If any man’s wife goes astray
and behaves unfaithfully toward him,
13 and a man goes to bed with her, for sexual relations, without her husband
knowing it, and it is hidden that she has defiled herself, since there was no
witness against her, nor was she caught–
14 and if jealous feelings come over him and he becomes suspicious of his wife,
when she is defiled; or if jealous feelings come over him and he becomes
suspicious of his wife, when she is not defiled–
15 then the man must bring his wife to the priest, and he must bring the
offering required for her, one tenth of an ephah of barley meal; he must not
pour olive oil on it or put frankincense on it, because it is a grain offering
of suspicion, a grain offering for remembering, for bringing iniquity to
remembrance.
16 “‘Then the priest will bring her near and have her stand before the LORD.
17 The priest will then take holy water in a pottery jar, and take some of the
dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle, and put it into the water.
18 Then the priest will have the woman stand before the LORD, uncover the
woman’s head, and put the grain offering for remembering in her hands, which
is the grain offering of suspicion. The priest will hold in his hand the bitter
water that brings a curse.
19 Then the priest will put the woman under oath and say to her,“If no other
man has gone to bed with you, and if you have not gone astray and become defiled
while under your husband’s authority, may you be free from this bitter water
that brings a curse.
20 But if you have gone astray while under your husband’s authority, and if
you have defiled yourself and some man other than your husband has had sexual
relations with you….”
21 Then the priest will put the woman under the oath of the curse and will say
to her,“The LORD make you an attested curse among your people, if the LORD
makes your thigh fall away and your abdomen swell;
22 and this water that causes the curse will go into your stomach, and make your
abdomen swell and your thigh rot.” Then the woman must say,“Amen, amen.”
23 “‘Then the priest will write these curses on a scroll and then scrape
them off into the bitter water.
24 He will make the woman drink the bitter water that brings a curse, and the
water that brings a curse will enter her to produce bitterness.
25 The priest will take the grain offering of suspicion from the woman’s hand,
wave the grain offering before the LORD, and bring it to the altar.
26 Then the priest will take a handful of the grain offering as its memorial
portion, burn it on the altar, and afterward make the woman drink the water.
27 When he has made her drink the water, then, if she has defiled herself and
behaved unfaithfully toward her husband, the water that brings a curse will
enter her to produce bitterness– her abdomen will swell, her thigh will fall
away, and the woman will become a curse among her people.
28 But if the woman has not defiled herself, and is clean, then she will be free
of ill effects and will be able to bear children.
29 “‘This is the law for cases of jealousy, when a wife, while under her
husband’s authority, goes astray and defiles herself,
30 or when jealous feelings come over a man and he becomes suspicious of his
wife; then he must have the woman stand before the LORD, and the priest will
carry out all this law upon her.
31 Then the man will be free from iniquity, but that woman will bear the
consequences of her iniquity.’”

Chapter 6

1 The Nazirite Vow Then the LORD spoke to Moses:
2 “Speak to the Israelites, and tell them,‘When either a man or a woman
takes a special vow, to take a vow as a Nazirite, to separate himself to the
LORD,
3 he must separate himself from wine and strong drink, he must drink neither
vinegar made from wine nor vinegar made from strong drink, nor may he drink any
juice of grapes, nor eat fresh grapes or raisins.
4 All the days of his separation he must not eat anything that is produced by
the grapevine, from seed to skin.
5 “‘All the days of the vow of his separation no razor may be used on his
head until the time is fulfilled for which he separated himself to the LORD. He
will be holy, and he must let the locks of hair on his head grow long.
6 “‘All the days that he separates himself to the LORD he must not contact a
dead body.
7 He must not defile himself even for his father or his mother or his brother or
his sister if they die, because the separation for his God is on his head.
8 All the days of his separation he must be holy to the LORD.
9 Contingencies for Defilement“‘If anyone dies very suddenly beside him and
he defiles his consecrated head, then he must shave his head on the day of his
purification– on the seventh day he must shave it.
10 On the eighth day he is to bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the
priest, to the entrance to the tent of meeting.
11 Then the priest will offer one for a purification offering and the other as a
burnt offering, and make atonement for him, because of his transgression in
regard to the corpse. So he must reconsecrate his head on that day.
12 He must rededicate to the LORD the days of his separation and bring a male
lamb in its first year as a reparation offering, but the former days will not be
counted because his separation was defiled.
13 Fulfilling the Vows“‘Now this is the law of the Nazirite: When the days
of his separation are fulfilled, he must be brought to the entrance of the tent
of meeting,
14 and he must present his offering to the LORD: one male lamb in its first year
without blemish for a burnt offering, one ewe lamb in its first year without
blemish for a purification offering, one ram without blemish for a peace
offering,
15 and a basket of bread made without yeast, cakes of fine flour mixed with
olive oil, wafers made without yeast and smeared with olive oil, and their grain
offering and their drink offerings.
16 “‘Then the priest must present all these before the LORD and offer his
purification offering and his burnt offering.
17 Then he must offer the ram as a peace offering to the LORD, with the basket
of bread made without yeast; the priest must also offer his grain offering and
his drink offering.
18 “‘Then the Nazirite must shave his consecrated head at the entrance to
the tent of meeting and must take the hair from his consecrated head and put it
on the fire where the peace offering is burning.
19 And the priest must take the boiled shoulder of the ram, one cake made
without yeast from the basket, and one wafer made without yeast, and put them on
the hands of the Nazirite after he has shaved his consecrated head;
20 then the priest must wave them as a wave offering before the LORD; it is a
holy portion for the priest, together with the breast of the wave offering and
the thigh of the raised offering. After this the Nazirite may drink wine.’
21 “This is the law of the Nazirite who vows to the LORD his offering
according to his separation, as well as whatever else he can provide. Thus he
must fulfill his vow that he makes, according to the law of his separation.”
22 The Priestly Benediction The LORD spoke to Moses:
23 “Tell Aaron and his sons,‘This is the way you are to bless the
Israelites. Say to them:
24 “The LORD bless you and protect you;
25 The LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;
26 The LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”’
27 So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

Chapter 7

1 The Leader’s Offerings When Moses had completed setting up the tabernacle,
he anointed it and consecrated it and all its furnishings, and he anointed and
consecrated the altar and all its utensils.
2 Then the leaders of Israel, the heads of their clans, made an offering. They
were the leaders of the tribes; they were the ones who had been supervising the
numbering.
3 They brought their offering before the LORD, six covered carts and twelve
oxen– one cart for every two of the leaders, and an ox for each one; and they
presented them in front of the tabernacle.
4 The Distribution of the Gifts Then the LORD spoke to Moses:
5 “Receive these gifts from them, that they may be used in doing the work of
the tent of meeting; and you must give them to the Levites, to every man as his
service requires.”
6 So Moses accepted the carts and the oxen and gave them to the Levites.
7 He gave two carts and four oxen to the Gershonites, as their service required;
8 and he gave four carts and eight oxen to the Merarites, as their service
required, under the authority of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.
9 But to the Kohathites he gave none, because the service of the holy things,
which they carried on their shoulders, was their responsibility.
10 The Time of Presentation The leaders offered gifts for the dedication of the
altar when it was anointed. And the leaders presented their offering before the
altar.
11 For the LORD said to Moses,“They must present their offering, one leader
for each day, for the dedication of the altar.”
12 The Tribal Offerings The one who presented his offering on the first day was
Nahshon son of Amminadab, from the tribe of Judah.
13 His offering was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels, and one silver
sprinkling bowl weighing 70 shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel,
each of them full of fine flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering;
14 one gold pan weighing 10 shekels, full of incense;
15 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, for a burnt
offering;
16 one male goat for a purification offering;
17 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two bulls, five rams, five male
goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Nahshon
son of Amminadab.
18 On the second day Nethanel son of Zuar, leader of Issachar, presented an
offering.
19 He offered for his offering one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one
silver sprinkling bowl weighing 70 shekels, both according to the sanctuary
shekel, each of them full of fine flour mixed with olive oil as a grain
offering;
20 one gold pan weighing 10 shekels, full of incense;
21 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, for a burnt
offering;
22 one male goat for a purification offering;
23 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two bulls, five rams, five male
goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of
Nethanel son of Zuar.
24 On the third day Eliab son of Helon, leader of the Zebulunites, presented an
offering.
25 His offering was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver
sprinkling bowl weighing 70 shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel,
each of them full of fine flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering;
26 one gold pan weighing 10 shekels, full of incense;
27 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, for a burnt
offering;
28 one male goat for a purification offering;
29 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two bulls, five rams, five male
goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Eliab
son of Helon.
30 On the fourth day Elizur son of Shedeur, leader of the Reubenites, presented
an offering.
31 His offering was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver
sprinkling bowl weighing 70 shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel,
each of them full of fine flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering;
32 one gold pan weighing 10 shekels, full of incense;
33 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, for a burnt
offering;
34 one male goat for a purification offering;
35 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two bulls, five rams, five male
goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Elizur son
of Shedeur.
36 On the fifth day Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai, leader of the Simeonites,
presented an offering.
37 His offering was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver
sprinkling bowl weighing 70 shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel,
each of them full of fine flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering;
38 one gold pan weighing 10 shekels, full of incense;
39 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, for a burnt
offering;
40 one male goat for a purification offering;
41 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two bulls, five rams, five male
goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Shelumiel
son of Zurishaddai.
42 On the sixth day Eliasaph son of Deuel, leader of the Gadites, presented an
offering.
43 His offering was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver
sprinkling bowl weighing 70 shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel,
each of them full of fine flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering;
44 one gold pan weighing 10 shekels, full of incense;
45 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, for a burnt
offering;
46 one male goat for a purification offering;
47 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two bulls, five rams, five male
goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Eliasaph son
of Deuel.
48 On the seventh day Elishama son of Ammihud, leader of the Ephraimites,
presented an offering.
49 His offering was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver
sprinkling bowl weighing 70 shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel,
each of them full of fine flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering;
50 one gold pan weighing 10 shekels, full of incense;
51 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, for a burnt
offering;
52 one male goat for a purification offering;
53 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two bulls, five rams, five male
goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Elishama son
of Ammihud.
54 On the eighth day Gamaliel son of Pedahzur, leader of the Manassehites,
presented an offering.
55 His offering was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver
sprinkling bowl weighing 70 shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel,
each of them full of fine flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering;
56 one gold pan weighing 10 shekels, full of incense;
57 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, for a burnt
offering;
58 one male goat for a purification offering;
59 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two bulls, five rams, five male
goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Gamaliel son
of Pedahzur.
60 On the ninth day Abidan son of Gideoni, leader of the Benjaminites, presented
an offering.
61 His offering was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver
sprinkling bowl weighing 70 shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel,
each of them full of fine flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering;
62 one gold pan weighing 10 shekels, full of incense;
63 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, for a burnt
offering;
64 one male goat for a purification offering;
65 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two bulls, five rams, five male
goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Abidan son
of Gideoni.
66 On the tenth day Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai, leader of the Danites, presented
an offering.
67 His offering was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver
sprinkling bowl weighing 70 shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel,
each of them full of fine flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering;
68 one gold pan weighing 10 shekels, full of incense;
69 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, for a burnt
offering;
70 one male goat for a purification offering;
71 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two bulls, five rams, five male
goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Ahiezer son
of Ammishaddai.
72 On the eleventh day Pagiel son of Ocran, leader of the Asherites, presented
an offering.
73 His offering was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver
sprinkling bowl weighing 70 shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel,
each of them full of fine flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering;
74 one gold pan weighing 10 shekels, full of incense;
75 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, for a burnt
offering;
76 one male goat for a purification offering;
77 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two bulls, five rams, five male
goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Pagiel son
of Ocran.
78 On the twelfth day Ahira son of Enan, leader of the Naphtalites, presented an
offering.
79 His offering was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver
sprinkling bowl weighing 70 shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel,
each of them full of fine flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering;
80 one gold pan weighing 10 shekels, full of incense;
81 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, for a burnt
offering;
82 one male goat for a purification offering;
83 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two bulls, five rams, five male
goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Ahira son of
Enan.
84 Summary This was the dedication for the altar from the leaders of Israel,
when it was anointed: twelve silver platters, twelve silver sprinkling bowls,
and twelve gold pans.
85 Each silver platter weighed 130 shekels, and each silver sprinkling bowl
weighed 70 shekels. All the silver of the vessels weighed 2,400 shekels,
according to the sanctuary shekel.
86 The twelve gold pans full of incense weighed 10 shekels each, according to
the sanctuary shekel; all the gold of the pans weighed 120 shekels.
87 All the animals for the burnt offering were 12 young bulls, 12 rams, 12 male
lambs in their first year, with their grain offering, and 12 male goats for a
purification offering.
88 All the animals for the sacrifice for the peace offering were 24 young bulls,
60 rams, 60 male goats, and 60 lambs in their first year. These were the
dedication offerings for the altar after it was anointed.
89 Now when Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak with the LORD, he heard
the voice speaking to him from above the atonement lid that was on the ark of
the testimony, from between the two cherubim. Thus he spoke to him.

Chapter 8

1 Lighting the Lamps The LORD spoke to Moses:
2 “Speak to Aaron and tell him,‘When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps
are to give light in front of the lampstand.’”
3 And Aaron did so; he set up the lamps to face toward the front of the
lampstand, as the LORD commanded Moses.
4 This is how the lampstand was made: It was beaten work in gold; from its shaft
to its flowers it was beaten work. According to the pattern which the LORD had
shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.
5 The Separation of the Levites Then the LORD spoke to Moses:
6 “Take the Levites from among the Israelites and purify them.
7 And do this to them to purify them: Sprinkle water of purification on them;
then have them shave all their body and wash their clothes, and so purify
themselves.
8 Then they are to take a young bull with its grain offering of fine flour mixed
with olive oil; and you are to take a second young bull for a purification
offering.
9 You are to bring the Levites before the tent of meeting and assemble the
entire community of the Israelites.
10 Then you are to bring the Levites before the LORD, and the Israelites are to
lay their hands on the Levites;
11 and Aaron is to offer the Levites before the LORD as a wave offering from the
Israelites, that they may do the work of the LORD.
12 When the Levites lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, offer the one for
a purification offering and the other for a whole burnt offering to the LORD, to
make atonement for the Levites.
13 You are to have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons, and then offer
them as a wave offering to the LORD.
14 And so you are to separate the Levites from among the Israelites, and the
Levites will be mine.
15 “After this, the Levites will go in to do the work of the tent of meeting.
So you must cleanse them and offer them like a wave offering.
16 For they are entirely given to me from among the Israelites. I have taken
them for myself instead of all who open the womb, the firstborn sons of all the
Israelites.
17 For all the firstborn males among the Israelites are mine, both humans and
animals; when I destroyed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I set them
apart for myself.
18 So I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn sons among the
Israelites.
19 I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the
Israelites, to do the work for the Israelites in the tent of meeting, and to
make atonement for the Israelites, so there will be no plague among the
Israelites when the Israelites come near the sanctuary.”
20 So Moses and Aaron and the entire community of the Israelites did this with
the Levites. According to all that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the
Levites, this is what the Israelites did with them.
21 The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothing; then Aaron
presented them like a wave offering before the LORD, and Aaron made atonement
for them to purify them.
22 After this, the Levites went in to do their work in the tent of meeting
before Aaron and before his sons. As the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the
Levites, so they did.
23 The Work of the Levites Then the LORD spoke to Moses:
24 “This is what pertains to the Levites: At the age of twenty-five years and
upward one may begin to join the company in the work of the tent of meeting,
25 and at the age of fifty years they must retire from performing the work and
may no longer work.
26 They may assist their colleagues in the tent of meeting, to attend to needs,
but they must do no work. This is the way you must establish the Levites
regarding their duties.”

Chapter 9

1 Passover Regulations The LORD spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai, in the
first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt:
2 “The Israelites are to observe the Passover at its appointed time.
3 In the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, you are to observe it at its
appointed time; you must keep it in accordance with all its statutes and all its
customs.”
4 So Moses instructed the Israelites to observe the Passover.
5 And they observed the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at
twilight in the desert of Sinai; in accordance with all that the LORD had
commanded Moses, so the Israelites did.
6 It happened that some men who were ceremonially defiled by the dead body of a
man could not keep the Passover on that day, so they came before Moses and
before Aaron on that day.
7 And those men said to him,“We are ceremonially defiled by the dead body of a
man; why are we kept back from offering the LORD’s offering at its appointed
time among the Israelites?”
8 So Moses said to them,“Remain here and I will hear what the LORD will
command concerning you.”
9 The LORD spoke to Moses:
10 “Tell the Israelites,‘If any of you or of your posterity become
ceremonially defiled by touching a dead body, or are on a journey far away, then
he may observe the Passover to the LORD.
11 They may observe it on the fourteenth day of the second month at twilight;
they are to eat it with bread made without yeast and with bitter herbs.
12 They must not leave any of it until morning, nor break any of its bones; they
must observe it in accordance with every statute of the Passover.
13 But the man who is ceremonially clean, and was not on a journey, and fails to
keep the Passover, that person must be cut off from his people. Because he did
not bring the LORD’s offering at its appointed time, that man must bear his
sin.
14 If a resident foreigner lives among you and wants to keep the Passover to the
LORD, he must do so according to the statute of the Passover, and according to
its custom. You must have the same statute for the resident foreigner and for
the one who was born in the land.’”
15 The Leading of the Lord On the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud
covered the tabernacle– the tent of the testimony– and from evening until
morning there was a fiery appearance over the tabernacle.
16 This is the way it used to be continually: The cloud would cover it by day,
and there was a fiery appearance by night.
17 Whenever the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, then after that the
Israelites would begin their journey; and in whatever place the cloud settled,
there the Israelites would make camp.
18 At the commandment of the LORD the Israelites would begin their journey, and
at the commandment of the LORD they would make camp; as long as the cloud
remained settled over the tabernacle they would camp.
19 When the cloud remained over the tabernacle many days, then the Israelites
obeyed the instructions of the LORD and did not journey.
20 When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a number of days, they remained
camped according to the LORD’s commandment, and according to the LORD’s
commandment they would journey.
21 And when the cloud remained only from evening until morning, when the cloud
was taken up the following morning, then they traveled on. Whether by day or by
night, when the cloud was taken up they traveled.
22 Whether it was for two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud prolonged
its stay over the tabernacle, the Israelites remained camped without traveling;
but when it was taken up, they traveled on.
23 At the commandment of the LORD they camped, and at the commandment of the
LORD they traveled on; they kept the instructions of the LORD according to the
commandment of the LORD, by the authority of Moses.

Chapter 10

1 The Blowing of Trumpets The LORD spoke to Moses:
2 “Make two trumpets of silver; you are to make them from a single hammered
piece. You will use them for assembling the community and for directing the
traveling of the camps.
3 When they blow them both, all the community must come to you to the entrance
of the tent of meeting.
4 “But if they blow with one trumpet, then the leaders, the heads of the
thousands of Israel, must come to you.
5 When you blow an alarm, then the camps that are located on the east side must
begin to travel.
6 And when you blow an alarm the second time, then the camps that are located on
the south side must begin to travel. An alarm must be sounded for their
journeys.
7 But when you assemble the community, you must blow, but you must not sound an
alarm.
8 The sons of Aaron, the priests, must blow the trumpets; and they will be to
you for an eternal ordinance throughout your generations.
9 If you go to war in your land against an adversary who opposes you, then you
must sound an alarm with the trumpets, and you will be remembered before the
LORD your God, and you will be saved from your enemies.
10 “Also in the time when you rejoice, such as on your appointed festivals or
at the beginnings of your months, you must blow with your trumpets over your
burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings, so that they
may become a memorial for you before your God: I am the LORD your God.”
11 The Journey From Sinai to Kadesh On the twentieth day of the second month, in
the second year, the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle of the testimony.
12 So the Israelites set out on their journeys from the desert of Sinai; and the
cloud settled in the wilderness of Paran.
13 Judah Begins the Journey This was the first time they set out on their
journey according to the commandment of the LORD, by the authority of Moses.
14 The standard of the camp of the Judahites set out first according to their
companies, and over his company was Nahshon son of Amminadab.
15 Over the company of the tribe of Issacharites was Nathanel son of Zuar,
16 and over the company of the tribe of the Zebulunites was Eliab son of Helon.
17 Then the tabernacle was dismantled, and the sons of Gershon and the sons of
Merari set out, carrying the tabernacle.
18 Journey Arrangements for the Tribes The standard of the camp of Reuben set
out according to their companies; over his company was Elizur son of Shedeur.
19 Over the company of the tribe of the Simeonites was Shelumiel son of
Zurishaddai,
20 and over the company of the tribe of the Gadites was Eliasaph son of Deuel.
21 And the Kohathites set out, carrying the articles for the sanctuary; the
tabernacle was to be set up before they arrived.
22 And the standard of the camp of the Ephraimites set out according to their
companies; over his company was Elishama son of Ammihud.
23 Over the company of the tribe of the Manassehites was Gamaliel son of
Pedahzur,
24 and over the company of the tribe of Benjaminites was Abidan son of Gideoni.
25 The standard of the camp of the Danites set out, which was the rear guard of
all the camps by their companies; over his company was Ahiezer son of
Ammishaddai.
26 Over the company of the tribe of the Asherites was Pagiel son of Ocran,
27 and over the company of the tribe of the Naphtalites was Ahira son of Enan.
28 These were the traveling arrangements of the Israelites according to their
companies when they traveled.
29 The Appeal to Hobab Moses said to Hobab son of Reuel, the Midianite, Moses’
father-in-law,“We are journeying to the place about which the LORD said,‘I
will give it to you.’ Come with us and we will treat you well, for the LORD
has promised good things for Israel.”
30 But Hobab said to him,“I will not go, but I will go instead to my own land
and to my kindred.”
31 Moses said,“Do not leave us, because you know places for us to camp in the
wilderness, and you could be our guide.
32 And if you come with us, it is certain that whatever good things the LORD
will favor us with, we will share with you as well.”
33 So they traveled from the mountain of the LORD three days’ journey; and the
ark of the covenant of the LORD was traveling before them during the three
days’ journey, to find a resting place for them.
34 And the cloud of the LORD was over them by day, when they traveled from the
camp.
35 And when the ark traveled, Moses would say,“Rise up, O LORD! May your
enemies be scattered, and may those who hate you flee before you!”
36 And when it came to rest he would say,“Return, O LORD, to the many
thousands of Israel!”

Chapter 11

1 The Israelites Complain When the people complained, it displeased the LORD.
When the LORD heard it, his anger burned, and so the fire of the LORD burned
among them and consumed some of the outer parts of the camp.
2 When the people cried to Moses, he prayed to the LORD, and the fire died out.
3 So he called the name of that place Taberah because there the fire of the LORD
burned among them.
4 Complaints about Food Now the mixed multitude who were among them craved more
desirable foods, and so the Israelites wept again and said,“If only we had
meat to eat!
5 We remember the fish we used to eat freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the
melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.
6 But now we are dried up, and there is nothing at all before us except this
manna!”
7 (Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its color like the color of
bdellium.
8 And the people went about and gathered it, and ground it with mills or pounded
it in mortars; they baked it in pans and made cakes of it. It tasted like fresh
olive oil.
9 And when the dew came down on the camp in the night, the manna fell with it.)
10 Moses’ Complaint to the Lord Moses heard the people weeping throughout
their families, everyone at the door of his tent; and when the anger of the LORD
was kindled greatly, Moses was also displeased.
11 And Moses said to the LORD,“Why have you afflicted your servant? Why have I
not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of this entire people on
me?
12 Did I conceive this entire people? Did I give birth to them, that you should
say to me,‘Carry them in your arms, as a foster father bears a nursing
child,’ to the land which you swore to their fathers?
13 From where shall I get meat to give to this entire people, for they cry to
me,‘Give us meat, that we may eat!’
14 I am not able to bear this entire people alone, because it is too heavy for
me!
15 But if you are going to deal with me like this, then kill me immediately. If
I have found favor in your sight then do not let me see my trouble.”
16 The Response of God The LORD said to Moses,“Gather to me seventy men of the
elders of Israel, whom you know are elders of the people and officials over
them, and bring them to the tent of meeting; let them take their position there
with you.
17 Then I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take part of the
Spirit that is on you, and will put it on them, and they will bear some of the
burden of the people with you, so that you do not bear it all by yourself.
18 “And say to the people,‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, and you will
eat meat, for you have wept in the hearing of the LORD, saying,“Who will give
us meat to eat, for life was good for us in Egypt?” Therefore the LORD will
give you meat, and you will eat.
19 You will eat, not just one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days,
nor twenty days,
20 but a whole month, until it comes out your nostrils and makes you sick,
because you have despised the LORD who is among you and have wept before him,
saying,“Why did we ever come out of Egypt?”’”
21 Moses said,“The people around me are 600,000 on foot; but you say,‘I will
give them meat, that they may eat for a whole month.’
22 Would they have enough if the flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? If
all the fish of the sea were caught for them, would they have enough?”
23 And the LORD said to Moses,“Is the LORD’s hand shortened? Now you will
see whether my word to you will come true or not!”
24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the LORD. He then gathered
seventy men of the elders of the people and had them stand around the
tabernacle.
25 And the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to them, and he took some of
the Spirit that was on Moses and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit
rested on them, they prophesied, but did not do so again.
26 Eldad and Medad But two men remained in the camp; one’s name was Eldad, and
the other’s name was Medad. And the Spirit rested on them.(Now they were among
those in the registration, but had not gone to the tabernacle.) So they
prophesied in the camp.
27 And a young man ran and told Moses,“Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the
camp!”
28 Joshua son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his choice young men,
said,“My lord Moses, stop them!”
29 Moses said to him,“Are you jealous for me? I wish that all the LORD’s
people were prophets, that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!”
30 Then Moses returned to the camp along with the elders of Israel.
31 Provision of Quail Now a wind went out from the LORD and brought quail from
the sea, and let them fall near the camp, about a day’s journey on this side,
and about a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp, and about
three feet high on the surface of the ground.
32 And the people stayed up all that day, all that night, and all the next day,
and gathered the quail. The one who gathered the least gathered ten homers, and
they spread them out for themselves all around the camp.
33 But while the meat was still between their teeth, before they chewed it, the
anger of the LORD burned against the people, and the LORD struck the people with
a very great plague.
34 So the name of that place was called Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they
buried the people that craved different food.
35 The people traveled from Kibroth Hattaavah to Hazeroth, and they stayed at
Hazeroth.

Chapter 12

1 Miriam and Aaron Oppose Moses Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses
because of the Cushite woman he had married(for he had married an Ethiopian
woman).
2 They said,“Has the LORD spoken only through Moses? Has he not also spoken
through us?” And the LORD heard it.
3 (Now the man Moses was very humble, more so than any man on the face of the
earth.)
4 The Response of the Lord The LORD spoke immediately to Moses, Aaron, and
Miriam:“The three of you come to the tent of meeting.” So the three of them
went.
5 And the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the
tent; he then called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward.
6 The LORD said,“Hear now my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the
LORD will make myself known to him in a vision; I will speak with him in a
dream.
7 My servant Moses is not like this; he is faithful in all my house.
8 With him I will speak face to face, openly, and not in riddles; and he will
see the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my
servant Moses?”
9 The anger of the LORD burned against them, and he departed.
10 After the cloud had departed from above the tent, there was Miriam, leprous
like snow. Then Aaron turned toward Miriam, and realized that she was leprous!
11 The Intercession of Moses So Aaron said to Moses,“O my lord, please do not
hold this sin against us, in which we have acted foolishly and have sinned!
12 Do not let her be like a baby born dead, whose flesh is half-consumed when it
comes out of its mother’s womb!”
13 Then Moses cried to the LORD,“Heal her now, O God.”
14 The LORD said to Moses,“If her father had only spit in her face, would she
not have been disgraced for seven days? Shut her out from the camp seven days,
and afterward she can be brought back in again.”
15 So Miriam was shut outside of the camp for seven days, and the people did not
journey on until Miriam was brought back in.
16 After that the people moved from Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of
Paran.

Chapter 13

1 Spies Sent Out The LORD spoke to Moses:
2 “Send out men to investigate the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the
Israelites. You are to send one man from each ancestral tribe, each one a leader
among them.”
3 So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran at the command of the LORD.
All of them were leaders of the Israelites.
4 Now these were their names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua son of Zaccur;
5 from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat son of Hori;
6 from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh;
7 from the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of Joseph;
8 from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea son of Nun;
9 from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti son of Raphu;
10 from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel son of Sodi;
11 from the tribe of Joseph, namely, the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi son of Susi;
12 from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of Gemalli;
13 from the tribe of Asher, Sethur son of Michael;
14 from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi son of Vopshi;
15 from the tribe of Gad, Geuel son of Maki.
16 These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to investigate the land. And
Moses gave Hoshea son of Nun the name Joshua.
17 The Spies’ Instructions When Moses sent them to investigate the land of
Canaan, he told them,“Go up through the Negev, and then go up into the hill
country
18 and see what the land is like, and whether the people who live in it are
strong or weak, few or many,
19 and whether the land they live in is good or bad, and whether the cities they
inhabit are like camps or fortified cities,
20 and whether the land is rich or poor, and whether or not there are forests in
it. And be brave, and bring back some of the fruit of the land.” Now it was
the time of year for the first ripe grapes.
21 The Spies’ Activities So they went up and investigated the land from the
wilderness of Zin to Rehob, at Lebo Hamath.
22 When they went up through the Negev, they came to Hebron where Ahiman,
Sheshai, and Talmai, descendants of Anak, were living.(Now Hebron had been built
seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)
23 When they came to the valley of Eshcol, they cut down from there a branch
with one cluster of grapes, and they carried it on a staff between two men, as
well as some of the pomegranates and the figs.
24 That place was called the Eshcol Valley, because of the cluster of grapes
that the Israelites cut from there.
25 They returned from investigating the land after forty days.
26 The Spies’ Reports They came back to Moses and Aaron and to the whole
community of the Israelites in the wilderness of Paran at Kadesh. They reported
to the whole community and showed the fruit of the land.
27 They told Moses,“We went to the land where you sent us. It is indeed
flowing with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.
28 But the inhabitants are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large.
Moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there.
29 The Amalekites live in the land of the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites, and
Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live by the sea and along
the banks of the Jordan.”
30 Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses, saying,“Let us go up and
occupy it, for we are well able to conquer it.”
31 But the men who had gone up with him said,“We are not able to go up against
these people, because they are stronger than we are!”
32 Then they presented the Israelites with a discouraging report of the land
they had investigated, saying,“The land that we passed through to investigate
is a land that devours its inhabitants. All the people we saw there are of great
stature.
33 We even saw the Nephilim there(the descendants of Anak came from the
Nephilim), and we seemed like grasshoppers both to ourselves and to them.”

Chapter 14

1 The Israelites Respond in Unbelief Then all the community raised a loud cry,
and the people wept that night.
2 And all the Israelites murmured against Moses and Aaron, and the whole
congregation said to them,“If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if
only we had perished in this wilderness!
3 Why has the LORD brought us into this land only to be killed by the sword,
that our wives and our children should become plunder? Wouldn’t it be better
for us to return to Egypt?”
4 So they said to one another,“Let’s appoint a leader and return to
Egypt.”
5 Then Moses and Aaron fell down with their faces to the ground before the whole
assembled community of the Israelites.
6 And Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, two of those who had
investigated the land, tore their garments.
7 They said to the whole community of the Israelites,“The land we passed
through to investigate is an exceedingly good land.
8 If the LORD delights in us, then he will bring us into this land and give it
to us– a land that is flowing with milk and honey.
9 Only do not rebel against the LORD, and do not fear the people of the land,
for they are bread for us. Their protection has turned aside from them, but the
LORD is with us. Do not fear them!”
10 However, the whole community threatened to stone them. But the glory of the
LORD appeared to all the Israelites at the tent of meeting.
11 The Punishment from God The LORD said to Moses,“How long will this people
despise me, and how long will they not believe in me, in spite of the signs that
I have done among them?
12 I will strike them with the pestilence, and I will disinherit them; I will
make you into a nation that is greater and mightier than they!”
13 Moses said to the LORD,“When the Egyptians hear it– for you brought up
this people by your power from among them–
14 then they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that
you, LORD, are among this people, that you, LORD, are seen face to face, that
your cloud stands over them, and that you go before them by day in a pillar of
cloud and in a pillar of fire by night.
15 If you kill this entire people at once, then the nations that have heard of
your fame will say,
16 ‘Because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land that he
swore to them, he killed them in the wilderness.’
17 So now, let the power of my Lord be great, just as you have said,
18 ‘The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in loyal love, forgiving iniquity
and transgression, but by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of
the fathers on the children until the third and fourth generations.’
19 Please forgive the iniquity of this people according to your great loyal
love, just as you have forgiven this people from Egypt even until now.”
20 Then the LORD said,“I have forgiven them as you asked.
21 But truly, as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the
LORD.
22 For all the people have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in
the wilderness, and yet have tempted me now these ten times, and have not obeyed
me,
23 they will by no means see the land that I swore to their fathers, nor will
any of them who despised me see it.
24 Only my servant Caleb, because he had a different spirit and has followed me
fully– I will bring him into the land where he had gone, and his descendants
will possess it.
25 (Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites were living in the valleys.) Tomorrow,
turn and journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea.”
26 The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron:
27 “How long must I bear with this evil congregation that murmurs against me?
I have heard the complaints of the Israelites that they murmured against me.
28 Say to them,‘As I live, says the LORD, I will surely do to you just what
you have spoken in my hearing.
29 Your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness– all those of you who were
numbered, according to your full number, from twenty years old and upward, who
have murmured against me.
30 You will by no means enter into the land where I swore to settle you. The
only exceptions are Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.
31 But I will bring in your little ones, whom you said would become victims of
war, and they will enjoy the land that you have despised.
32 But as for you, your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness,
33 and your children will wander in the wilderness forty years and suffer for
your unfaithfulness, until your dead bodies lie finished in the wilderness.
34 According to the number of the days you have investigated this land, forty
days– one day for a year– you will suffer for your iniquities, forty years,
and you will know what it means to thwart me.
35 I, the LORD, have said,“I will surely do so to all this evil congregation
that has gathered together against me. In this wilderness they will be finished,
and there they will die!”’”
36 The men whom Moses sent to investigate the land, who returned and made the
whole community murmur against him by producing an evil report about the land,
37 those men who produced the evil report about the land, died by the plague
before the LORD.
38 But Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among the men who
went to investigate the land, lived.
39 When Moses told these things to all the Israelites, the people mourned
greatly.
40 And early in the morning they went up to the crest of the hill country,
saying,“Here we are, and we will go up to the place that the LORD commanded,
for we have sinned.”
41 But Moses said,“Why are you now transgressing the commandment of the LORD?
It will not succeed!
42 Do not go up, for the LORD is not among you, and you will be defeated before
your enemies.
43 For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you will fall
by the sword. Because you have turned away from the LORD, the LORD will not be
with you.”
44 But they dared to go up to the crest of the hill, although neither the ark of
the covenant of the LORD nor Moses departed from the camp.
45 So the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country swooped
down and attacked them as far as Hormah.

Chapter 15

1 Sacrificial Rulings The LORD spoke to Moses:
2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them,‘When you enter the land where you
are to live, which I am giving you,
3 and you make an offering by fire to the LORD from the herd or from the
flock(whether a burnt offering or a sacrifice for discharging a vow or as a
freewill offering or in your solemn feasts) to create a pleasing aroma to the
LORD,
4 then the one who presents his offering to the LORD must bring a grain offering
of one-tenth of an ephah of finely ground flour mixed with one fourth of a hin
of olive oil.
5 You must also prepare one-fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering with
the burnt offering or the sacrifice for each lamb.
6 Or for a ram, you must prepare as a grain offering two-tenths of an ephah of
finely ground flour mixed with one-third of a hin of olive oil,
7 and for a drink offering you must offer one-third of a hin of wine as a
pleasing aroma to the LORD.
8 And when you prepare a young bull as a burnt offering or a sacrifice for
discharging a vow or as a peace offering to the LORD,
9 then a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of finely ground flour mixed
with half a hin of olive oil must be presented with the young bull,
10 and you must present as the drink offering half a hin of wine with the fire
offering as a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
11 This is what is to be done for each ox, or each ram, or each of the male
lambs or the goats.
12 You must do so for each one according to the number that you prepare.
13 “‘Every native-born person must do these things in this way to present an
offering made by fire as a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
14 If a resident foreigner is living with you– or whoever is among you in
future generations– and prepares an offering made by fire as a pleasing aroma
to the LORD, he must do it the same way you are to do it.
15 One statute must apply to you who belong to the congregation and to the
resident foreigner who is living among you, as a permanent statute for your
future generations. You and the resident foreigner will be alike before the
LORD.
16 One law and one custom must apply to you and to the resident foreigner who
lives alongside you.’”
17 Rules for First Fruits The LORD spoke to Moses:
18 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them,‘When you enter the land to which
I am bringing you
19 and you eat some of the food of the land, you must offer up a raised offering
to the LORD.
20 You must offer up a cake of the first of your finely ground flour as a raised
offering; as you offer the raised offering of the threshing floor, so you must
offer it up.
21 You must give to the LORD some of the first of your finely ground flour as a
raised offering in your future generations.
22 Rules for Unintentional Offenses“‘If you sin unintentionally and do not
observe all these commandments that the LORD has spoken to Moses–
23 all that the LORD has commanded you by the authority of Moses, from the day
that the LORD commanded Moses and continuing through your future generations–
24 then if anything is done unintentionally without the knowledge of the
community, the whole community must prepare one young bull for a burnt
offering– for a pleasing aroma to the LORD– along with its grain offering
and its customary drink offering, and one male goat for a purification offering.
25 And the priest is to make atonement for the whole community of the
Israelites, and they will be forgiven, because it was unintentional and they
have brought their offering, an offering made by fire to the LORD, and their
purification offering before the LORD, for their unintentional offense.
26 And the whole community of the Israelites and the resident foreigner who
lives among them will be forgiven, since all the people were involved in the
unintentional offense.
27 “‘If any person sins unintentionally, then he must bring a yearling
female goat for a purification offering.
28 And the priest must make atonement for the person who sins unintentionally–
when he sins unintentionally before the LORD– to make atonement for him, and
he will be forgiven.
29 You must have one law for the person who sins unintentionally, both for the
native-born among the Israelites and for the resident foreigner who lives among
them.
30 Deliberate Sin“‘But the person who acts defiantly, whether native-born or
a resident foreigner, insults the LORD. That person must be cut off from among
his people.
31 Because he has despised the LORD’s message and has broken his commandment,
that person must be completely cut off. His iniquity will be on him.’”
32 When the Israelites were in the wilderness they found a man gathering wood on
the Sabbath day.
33 Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and to the
whole community.
34 They put him in custody, because there was no clear instruction about what
should be done to him.
35 Then the LORD said to Moses,“The man must surely be put to death; the whole
community must stone him with stones outside the camp.”
36 So the whole community took him outside the camp and stoned him to death,
just as the LORD commanded Moses.
37 Rules for Tassels The LORD spoke to Moses:
38 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them to make tassels for themselves on
the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and put a blue
thread on the tassel of the corners.
39 You must have this tassel so that you may look at it and remember all the
commandments of the LORD and obey them and so that you do not follow after your
own heart and your own eyes that lead you to unfaithfulness.
40 Thus you will remember and obey all my commandments and be holy to your God.
41 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your
God. I am the LORD your God.”

Chapter 16

1 The Rebellion of Korah Now Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of
Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth, who were
Reubenites, took men
2 and rebelled against Moses, along with some of the Israelites, 250 leaders of
the community, chosen from the assembly, famous men.
3 And they assembled against Moses and Aaron, saying to them,“You take too
much upon yourselves, seeing that the whole community is holy, every one of
them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the
community of the LORD.
4 When Moses heard it he fell down with his face to the ground.
5 Then he said to Korah and to all his company,“In the morning the LORD will
make known who are his, and who is holy. He will cause that person to approach
him; the person he has chosen he will cause to approach him.
6 Do this, Korah, you and all your company: Take censers,
7 put fire in them, and set incense on them before the LORD tomorrow, and the
man whom the LORD chooses will be holy. You take too much upon yourselves, you
sons of Levi!”
8 Moses said to Korah,“Listen now, you sons of Levi!
9 Does it seem too small a thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you
from the community of Israel to bring you near to himself, to perform the
service of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the community to
minister to them?
10 He has brought you near and all your brothers, the sons of Levi, with you. Do
you now seek the priesthood also?
11 Therefore you and all your company have assembled together against the LORD!
And Aaron– what is he that you murmur against him?”
12 Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, but they said,“We
will not come up.
13 Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of the land that flows
with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness? Now do you want to make
yourself a prince over us?
14 Moreover, you have not brought us into a land that flows with milk and honey,
nor given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Do you think you can blind
these men? We will not come up.”
15 Moses was very angry, and he said to the LORD,“Have no respect for their
offering! I have not taken so much as one donkey from them, nor have I harmed
any one of them!”
16 Then Moses said to Korah,“You and all your company present yourselves
before the LORD– you and they, and Aaron– tomorrow.
17 And each of you take his censer, put incense in it, and then each of you
present his censer before the LORD: 250 censers, along with you, and Aaron–
each of you with his censer.”
18 So everyone took his censer, put fire in it, and set incense on it, and stood
at the entrance of the tent of meeting, with Moses and Aaron.
19 When Korah assembled the whole community against them at the entrance of the
tent of meeting, then the glory of the LORD appeared to the whole community.
20 The Judgment on the Rebels The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron:
21 “Separate yourselves from among this community, that I may consume them in
an instant.”
22 Then they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground and said,“O
God, the God of the spirits of all people, will you be angry with the whole
community when only one man sins?”
23 So the LORD spoke to Moses:
24 “Tell the community:‘Get away from around the homes of Korah, Dathan, and
Abiram.’”
25 Then Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel
went after him.
26 And he said to the community,“Move away from the tents of these wicked men,
and do not touch anything they have, lest you be destroyed because of all their
sins.”
27 So they got away from the homes of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram on every side,
and Dathan and Abiram came out and stationed themselves in the entrances of
their tents with their wives, their children, and their toddlers.
28 Then Moses said,“This is how you will know that the LORD has sent me to do
all these works, for I have not done them of my own will.
29 If these men die a natural death, or if they share the fate of all men, then
the LORD has not sent me.
30 But if the LORD does something entirely new, and the earth opens its mouth
and swallows them up along with all that they have, and they go down alive to
the grave, then you will know that these men have despised the LORD.
31 When he had finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them
split open,
32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, along with their
households, and all Korah’s men, and all their goods.
33 They and all that they had went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed
over them. So they perished from among the community.
34 All the Israelites who were around them fled at their cry, for they
said,“What if the earth swallows us too?”
35 Then a fire went out from the LORD and devoured the 250 men who offered
incense.
36 The Atonement for the Rebellion(17:1) The LORD spoke to Moses:
37 “Tell Eleazar son of Aaron the priest to pick up the censers out of the
flame, for they are holy, and then scatter the coals of fire at a distance.
38 As for the censers of these men who sinned at the cost of their lives, they
must be made into hammered sheets for covering the altar, because they presented
them before the LORD and sanctified them. They will become a sign to the
Israelites.”
39 So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers presented by those who had been
burned up, and they were hammered out as a covering for the altar.
40 It was a memorial for the Israelites, that no outsider who is not a
descendant of Aaron should approach to burn incense before the LORD, that he
might not become like Korah and his company– just as the LORD had spoken by
the authority of Moses.
41 But on the next day the whole community of Israelites murmured against Moses
and Aaron, saying,“You have killed the LORD’s people!”
42 When the community assembled against Moses and Aaron, they turned toward the
tent of meeting– and the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared.
43 Then Moses and Aaron stood before the tent of meeting.
44 The LORD spoke to Moses:
45 “Get away from this community, so that I can consume them in an instant!”
But they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground.
46 Then Moses said to Aaron,“Take the censer, put burning coals from the altar
in it, place incense on it, and go quickly into the assembly and make atonement
for them, for wrath has gone out from the LORD– the plague has begun!”
47 So Aaron did as Moses commanded and ran into the middle of the assembly,
where the plague was just beginning among the people. So he placed incense on
the coals and made atonement for the people.
48 He stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped.
49 Now 14,700 people died in the plague, in addition to those who died in the
event with Korah.
50 Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and the
plague was stopped.

Chapter 17

1 The Budding of Aaron’s Staff The LORD spoke to Moses:
2 “Speak to the Israelites, and receive from them a staff from each tribe, one
from every tribal leader, twelve staffs; you must write each man’s name on his
staff.
3 You must write Aaron’s name on the staff of Levi; for one staff is for the
head of every tribe.
4 You must place them in the tent of meeting before the ark of the covenant
where I meet with you.
5 And the staff of the man whom I choose will blossom; so I will rid myself of
the complaints of the Israelites, which they murmur against you.”
6 So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and each of their leaders gave him a staff,
one for each leader, according to their tribes– twelve staffs; the staff of
Aaron was among their staffs.
7 Then Moses placed the staffs before the LORD in the tent of the testimony.
8 On the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony– and the staff of
Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted, and brought forth buds, and produced
blossoms, and yielded almonds!
9 So Moses brought out all the staffs from before the LORD to all the
Israelites. They looked at them, and each man took his staff.
10 The Memorial The LORD said to Moses,“Bring Aaron’s staff back before the
testimony to be preserved for a sign to the rebels, so that you may bring their
murmurings to an end before me, that they will not die.”
11 So Moses did as the LORD commanded him– this is what he did.
12 The Israelites said to Moses,“We are bound to die! We perish, we all
perish!
13 (17:28) Anyone who even comes close to the tabernacle of the LORD will die!
Are we all to die?”

Chapter 18

1 Responsibilities of the Priests The LORD said to Aaron,“You and your sons
and your tribe with you must bear the iniquity of the sanctuary, and you and
your sons with you must bear the iniquity of your priesthood.
2 “Bring with you your brothers, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father,
so that they may join with you and minister to you while you and your sons with
you are before the tent of the testimony.
3 They must be responsible to care for you and to care for the entire
tabernacle. However, they must not come near the furnishings of the sanctuary
and the altar, or both they and you will die.
4 They must join with you, and they will be responsible for the care of the tent
of meeting, for all the service of the tent, but no unauthorized person may
approach you.
5 You will be responsible for the care of the sanctuary and the care of the
altar, so that there will be no more wrath on the Israelites.
6 I myself have chosen your brothers the Levites from among the Israelites. They
are given to you as a gift from the LORD, to perform the duties of the tent of
meeting.
7 But you and your sons with you are responsible for your priestly duties, for
everything at the altar and within the curtain. And you must serve. I give you
the priesthood as a gift for service, but the unauthorized person who approaches
must be put to death.”
8 The Portion of the Priests The LORD spoke to Aaron,“See, I have given you
the responsibility for my raised offerings; I have given all the holy things of
the Israelites to you as your priestly portion and to your sons as a perpetual
ordinance.
9 Of all the most holy offerings reserved from the fire this will be yours:
Every offering of theirs, whether from every grain offering or from every
purification offering or from every reparation offering which they bring to me,
will be most holy for you and for your sons.
10 You are to eat it as a most holy offering; every male may eat it. It will be
holy to you.
11 “And this is yours: the raised offering of their gift, along with all the
wave offerings of the Israelites. I have given them to you and to your sons and
daughters with you as a perpetual ordinance. Everyone who is ceremonially clean
in your household may eat of it.
12 “All the best of the olive oil and all the best of the wine and of the
wheat, the first fruits of these things that they give to the LORD, I have given
to you.
13 And whatever first ripe fruit in their land they bring to the LORD will be
yours; everyone who is ceremonially clean in your household may eat of it.
14 “Everything devoted in Israel will be yours.
15 The firstborn of every womb which they present to the LORD, whether human or
animal, will be yours. Nevertheless, the firstborn sons you must redeem, and the
firstborn males of unclean animals you must redeem.
16 And those that must be redeemed you are to redeem when they are a month old,
according to your estimation, for five shekels of silver according to the
sanctuary shekel(which is twenty gerahs).
17 But you must not redeem the firstborn of a cow or a sheep or a goat; they are
holy. You must splash their blood on the altar and burn their fat for an
offering made by fire for a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
18 And their meat will be yours, just as the breast and the right hip of the
raised offering is yours.
19 All the raised offerings of the holy things that the Israelites offer to the
LORD, I have given to you, and to your sons and daughters with you, as a
perpetual ordinance. It is a covenant of salt forever before the LORD for you
and for your descendants with you.”
20 Duties of the Levites The LORD spoke to Aaron,“You will have no inheritance
in their land, nor will you have any portion of property among them– I am your
portion and your inheritance among the Israelites.
21 See, I have given the Levites all the tithes in Israel for an inheritance,
for their service which they perform– the service of the tent of meeting.
22 No longer may the Israelites approach the tent of meeting, or else they will
bear their sin and die.
23 But the Levites must perform the service of the tent of meeting, and they
must bear their iniquity. It will be a perpetual ordinance throughout your
generations that among the Israelites the Levites have no inheritance.
24 But I have given to the Levites for an inheritance the tithes of the
Israelites that are offered to the LORD as a raised offering. That is why I said
to them that among the Israelites they are to have no inheritance.”
25 Instructions for the Levites The LORD spoke to Moses:
26 “You are to speak to the Levites, and you must tell them,‘When you
receive from the Israelites the tithe that I have given you from them as your
inheritance, then you are to offer up from it as a raised offering to the LORD a
tenth of the tithe.
27 And your raised offering will be credited to you as though it were grain from
the threshing floor or as new wine from the winepress.
28 Thus you are to offer up a raised offering to the LORD of all your tithes
which you receive from the Israelites; and you must give the LORD’s raised
offering from it to Aaron the priest.
29 From all your gifts you must offer up every raised offering due the LORD,
from all the best of it, and the holiest part of it.’
30 “Therefore you will say to them,‘When you offer up the best of it, then
it will be credited to the Levites as the product of the threshing floor and as
the product of the winepress.
31 And you may eat it in any place, you and your household, because it is your
wages for your service in the tent of meeting.
32 And you will bear no sin concerning it when you offer up the best of it. And
you must not profane the holy things of the Israelites, or else you will
die.’”

Chapter 19

1 The Red Heifer Ritual The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron:
2 “This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD has commanded:‘Instruct
the Israelites to bring you a red heifer without blemish, which has no defect
and has never carried a yoke.
3 You must give it to Eleazar the priest so that he can take it outside the
camp, and it must be slaughtered before him.
4 Eleazar the priest is to take some of its blood with his finger, and sprinkle
some of the blood seven times directly in front of the tent of meeting.
5 Then the heifer must be burned in his sight– its skin, its flesh, its blood,
and its offal is to be burned.
6 And the priest must take cedar wood, hyssop, and scarlet wool and throw them
into the midst of the fire where the heifer is burning.
7 Then the priest must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and
afterward he may come into the camp, but the priest will be ceremonially unclean
until evening.
8 The one who burns it must wash his clothes in water and bathe himself in
water. He will be ceremonially unclean until evening.
9 “‘Then a man who is ceremonially clean must gather up the ashes of the red
heifer and put them in a ceremonially clean place outside the camp. They must be
kept for the community of the Israelites for use in the water of purification–
it is a purification for sin.
10 The one who gathers the ashes of the heifer must wash his clothes and be
ceremonially unclean until evening. This will be a permanent ordinance both for
the Israelites and the resident foreigner who lives among them.
11 Purification from Uncleanness“‘Whoever touches the corpse of any person
will be ceremonially unclean seven days.
12 He must purify himself with water on the third day and on the seventh day,
and so will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on the third day and the
seventh day, then he will not be clean.
13 Anyone who touches the corpse of any dead person and does not purify himself
defiles the tabernacle of the LORD. And that person must be cut off from Israel,
because the water of purification was not sprinkled on him. He will be unclean;
his uncleanness remains on him.
14 “‘This is the law: When a man dies in a tent, anyone who comes into the
tent and all who are in the tent will be ceremonially unclean seven days.
15 And every open container that has no covering fastened on it is unclean.
16 And whoever touches the body of someone killed with a sword in the open
fields, or the body of someone who died of natural causes, or a human bone, or a
grave, will be unclean seven days.
17 “‘For a ceremonially unclean person you must take some of the ashes of
the heifer burnt for purification from sin and pour fresh running water over
them in a vessel.
18 Then a ceremonially clean person must take hyssop, dip it in the water, and
sprinkle it on the tent, on all its furnishings, and on the people who were
there, or on the one who touched a bone, or one killed, or one who died, or a
grave.
19 And the clean person must sprinkle the unclean on the third day and on the
seventh day; and on the seventh day he must purify him, and then he must wash
his clothes, and bathe in water, and he will be clean in the evening.
20 But the man who is unclean and does not purify himself, that person must be
cut off from among the community, because he has polluted the sanctuary of the
LORD; the water of purification was not sprinkled on him, so he is unclean.
21 “‘So this will be a perpetual ordinance for them: The one who sprinkles
the water of purification must wash his clothes, and the one who touches the
water of purification will be unclean until evening.
22 And whatever the unclean person touches will be unclean, and the person who
touches it will be unclean until evening.’”

Chapter 20

1 The Israelites Complain Again Then the entire community of Israel entered the
wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh. Miriam
died and was buried there.
2 And there was no water for the community, and so they gathered themselves
together against Moses and Aaron.
3 The people contended with Moses, saying,“If only we had died when our
brothers died before the LORD!
4 Why have you brought up the LORD’s community into this wilderness? So that
we and our cattle should die here?
5 Why have you brought us up from Egypt only to bring us to this dreadful place?
It is no place for grain, or figs, or vines, or pomegranates; nor is there any
water to drink!”
6 Moses Responds So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to
the entrance to the tent of meeting. They then threw themselves down with their
faces to the ground, and the glory of the LORD appeared to them.
7 Then the LORD spoke to Moses:
8 “Take the staff and assemble the community, you and Aaron your brother, and
then speak to the rock before their eyes. It will pour forth its water, and you
will bring water out of the rock for them, and so you will give the community
and their beasts water to drink.”
9 So Moses took the staff from before the LORD, just as he commanded him.
10 Then Moses and Aaron gathered the community together in front of the rock,
and he said to them,“Listen, you rebels, must we bring water out of this rock
for you?”
11 Then Moses raised his hand, and struck the rock twice with his staff. And
water came out abundantly. So the community drank, and their beasts drank too.
12 The Lord’s Judgment Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron,“Because you
did not trust me enough to show me as holy before the Israelites, therefore you
will not bring this community into the land I have given them.”
13 These are the waters of Meribah, because the Israelites contended with the
LORD, and his holiness was maintained among them.
14 Rejection by the Edomites Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of
Edom:“Thus says your brother Israel:‘You know all the hardships we have
experienced,
15 how our ancestors went down into Egypt, and we lived in Egypt a long time,
and the Egyptians treated us and our ancestors badly.
16 So when we cried to the LORD, he heard our voice and sent a messenger, and
has brought us up out of Egypt. Now we are here in Kadesh, a town on the edge of
your country.
17 Please let us pass through your country. We will not pass through the fields
or through the vineyards, nor will we drink water from any well. We will go by
the King’s Highway; we will not turn to the right or the left until we have
passed through your region.’”
18 But Edom said to him,“You will not pass through me, or I will come out
against you with the sword.”
19 Then the Israelites said to him,“We will go along the highway, and if we or
our cattle drink any of your water, we will pay for it. We will only pass
through on our feet, without doing anything else.”
20 But he said,“You may not pass through.” Then Edom came out against them
with a large and powerful force.
21 So Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border; therefore Israel
turned away from him.
22 Aaron’s Death So the entire company of Israelites traveled from Kadesh and
came to Mount Hor.
23 And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor, by the border of the land
of Edom. He said:
24 “Aaron will be gathered to his ancestors, for he will not enter into the
land I have given to the Israelites because both of you rebelled against my word
at the waters of Meribah.
25 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up on Mount Hor.
26 Remove Aaron’s priestly garments and put them on Eleazar his son, and Aaron
will be gathered to his ancestors and will die there.”
27 So Moses did as the LORD commanded; and they went up Mount Hor in the sight
of the whole community.
28 And Moses removed Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar. So
Aaron died there on the top of the mountain. And Moses and Eleazar came down
from the mountain.
29 When all the community saw that Aaron was dead, the whole house of Israel
mourned for Aaron thirty days.

Chapter 21

1 Victory at Hormah When the Canaanite king of Arad who lived in the Negev heard
that Israel was approaching along the road to Atharim, he fought against Israel
and took some of them prisoner.
2 So Israel made a vow to the LORD and said,“If you will indeed deliver this
people into our hand, then we will utterly destroy their cities.”
3 The LORD listened to the voice of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites, and
they utterly destroyed them and their cities. So the name of the place was
called Hormah.
4 Fiery Serpents Then they traveled from Mount Hor by the road to the Red Sea,
to go around the land of Edom, but the people became impatient along the way.
5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses,“Why have you brought us
up from Egypt to die in the wilderness, for there is no bread or water, and we
detest this worthless food.”
6 So the LORD sent venomous snakes among the people, and they bit the people;
many people of Israel died.
7 Then the people came to Moses and said,“We have sinned, for we have spoken
against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD that he would take away the
snakes from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.
8 The LORD said to Moses,“Make a poisonous snake and set it on a pole. When
anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will live.”
9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it on a pole, so that if a snake had
bitten someone, when he looked at the bronze snake he lived.
10 The Approach to Moab The Israelites traveled on and camped in Oboth.
11 Then they traveled on from Oboth and camped at Iye Abarim, in the wilderness
that is before Moab, on the eastern side.
12 From there they moved on and camped in the valley of Zered.
13 From there they moved on and camped on the other side of the Arnon, in the
wilderness that extends from the regions of the Amorites, for Arnon is the
border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.
14 This is why it is said in the Book of the Wars of the LORD,“Waheb in Suphah
and the wadis, the Arnon
15 and the slope of the valleys that extends to the dwelling of Ar, and falls
off at the border of Moab.”
16 And from there they traveled to Beer; that is the well where the LORD spoke
to Moses,“Gather the people and I will give them water.”
17 Then Israel sang this song:“Spring up, O well, sing to it!
18 The well which the princes dug, which the leaders of the people opened with
their scepters and their staffs.”And from the wilderness they traveled to
Mattanah;
19 and from Mattanah to Nahaliel; and from Nahaliel to Bamoth;
20 and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the country of Moab, near the top of
Pisgah, which overlooks the wastelands.
21 The Victory over Sihon and Og Then Israel sent messengers to King Sihon of
the Amorites, saying,
22 “Let us pass through your land; we will not turn aside into the fields or
into the vineyards, nor will we drink water from any well, but we will go along
the King’s Highway until we pass your borders.”
23 But Sihon did not permit Israel to pass through his border; he gathered all
his forces together and went out against Israel into the wilderness. When he
came to Jahaz, he fought against Israel.
24 But the Israelites defeated him in battle and took possession of his land
from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as the Ammonites, for the border of the
Ammonites was strongly defended.
25 So Israel took all these cities; and Israel settled in all the cities of the
Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all its villages.
26 For Heshbon was the city of King Sihon of the Amorites. Now he had fought
against the former king of Moab and had taken all of his land from his control,
as far as the Arnon.
27 That is why those who speak in proverbs say,“Come to Heshbon, let it be
built. Let the city of Sihon be established!
28 For fire went out from Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon. It has
consumed Ar of Moab and the lords of the high places of Arnon.
29 Woe to you, Moab. You are ruined, O people of Chemosh! He has made his sons
fugitives, and his daughters the prisoners of King Sihon of the Amorites.
30 We have overpowered them; Heshbon has perished as far as Dibon. We have
shattered them as far as Nophah, which reaches to Medeba.”
31 So the Israelites lived in the land of the Amorites.
32 Moses sent spies to reconnoiter Jaazer, and they captured its villages and
dispossessed the Amorites who were there.
33 Then they turned and went up by the road to Bashan. And King Og of Bashan and
all his forces marched out against them to do battle at Edrei.
34 And the LORD said to Moses,“Do not fear him, for I have delivered him and
all his people and his land into your hand. You will do to him what you did to
King Sihon of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon.”
35 So they defeated Og, his sons, and all his people, until there were no
survivors, and they possessed his land.

Chapter 22

1 Balaam Refuses to Curse Israel The Israelites traveled on and camped in the
rift valley plains of Moab on the side of the Jordan River across from Jericho.
2 Balak son of Zippor saw all that the Israelites had done to the Amorites.
3 And the Moabites were greatly afraid of the people, because they were so
numerous. The Moabites were sick with fear because of the Israelites.
4 So the Moabites said to the elders of Midian,“Now this mass of people will
lick up everything around us, as the bull devours the grass of the field.” Now
Balak son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at this time.
5 And he sent messengers to Balaam son of Beor at Pethor, which is by the
Euphrates River in the land of Amaw, to summon him, saying,“Look, a nation has
come out of Egypt. They cover the face of the earth, and they are settling next
to me.
6 So now, please come and curse this nation for me, for they are too powerful
for me. Perhaps I will prevail so that we may conquer them and drive them out of
the land. For I know that whoever you bless is blessed, and whoever you curse is
cursed.”
7 So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fee for
divination in their hand. They came to Balaam and reported to him the words of
Balak.
8 He replied to them,“Stay here tonight, and I will bring back to you whatever
word the LORD may speak to me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam.
9 And God came to Balaam and said,“Who are these men with you?”
10 Balaam said to God,“Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent a message
to me, saying,
11 “Look, a nation has come out of Egypt, and it covers the face of the earth.
Come now and put a curse on them for me; perhaps I will be able to defeat them
and drive them out.”
12 But God said to Balaam,“You must not go with them; you must not curse the
people, for they are blessed.”
13 So Balaam got up in the morning, and said to the princes of Balak,“Go to
your land, for the LORD has refused to permit me to go with you.”
14 So the princes of Moab departed and went back to Balak and said,“Balaam
refused to come with us.”
15 Balaam Accompanies the Moabite Princes Balak again sent princes, more
numerous and more distinguished than the first.
16 And they came to Balaam and said to him,“Thus says Balak son of
Zippor:‘Please do not let anything hinder you from coming to me.
17 For I will honor you greatly, and whatever you tell me I will do. So come,
put a curse on this nation for me.’”
18 Balaam replied to the servants of Balak,“Even if Balak would give me his
palace full of silver and gold, I could not transgress the commandment of the
LORD my God to do less or more.
19 Now therefore, please stay the night here also, that I may know what more the
LORD might say to me.”
20 God came to Balaam that night, and said to him,“If the men have come to
call you, get up and go with them, but the word that I will say to you, that you
must do.”
21 So Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the
princes of Moab.
22 God Opposes Balaam Then God’s anger was kindled because he went, and the
angel of the LORD stood in the road to oppose him. Now he was riding on his
donkey and his two servants were with him.
23 And the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with his sword
drawn in his hand, so the donkey turned aside from the road and went into the
field. But Balaam beat the donkey, to make her turn back to the road.
24 Then the angel of the LORD stood in a path among the vineyards, where there
was a wall on either side.
25 And when the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she pressed herself into the
wall, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So he beat her again.
26 Then the angel of the LORD went farther, and stood in a narrow place, where
there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left.
27 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she crouched down under Balaam.
Then Balaam was angry, and he beat his donkey with a staff.
28 Then the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam,“What
have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?”
29 And Balaam said to the donkey,“You have made me look stupid; I wish there
were a sword in my hand, for I would kill you right now.”
30 The donkey said to Balaam,“Am I not your donkey that you have ridden ever
since I was yours until this day? Have I ever attempted to treat you this
way?” And he said,“No.”
31 Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the LORD
standing in the way with his sword drawn in his hand; so he bowed his head and
threw himself down with his face to the ground.
32 The angel of the LORD said to him,“Why have you beaten your donkey these
three times? Look, I came out to oppose you because what you are doing is
perverse before me.
33 The donkey saw me and turned from me these three times. If she had not turned
from me, I would have killed you but saved her alive.”
34 Balaam said to the angel of the LORD,“I have sinned, for I did not know
that you stood against me in the road. So now, if it is evil in your sight, I
will go back home.”
35 But the angel of the LORD said to Balaam,“Go with the men, but you may only
speak the word that I will speak to you.” So Balaam went with the princes of
Balak.
36 Balaam Meets Balak When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to
meet him at a city of Moab which was on the border of the Arnon at the boundary
of his territory.
37 Balak said to Balaam,“Did I not send again and again to you to summon you?
Why did you not come to me? Am I not able to honor you?”
38 Balaam said to Balak,“Look, I have come to you. Now, am I able to speak
just anything? I must speak only the word that God puts in my mouth.”
39 So Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth.
40 And Balak sacrificed bulls and sheep, and sent some to Balaam, and to the
princes who were with him.
41 Then on the next morning Balak took Balaam, and brought him up to Bamoth
Baal. From there he saw the extent of the nation.

Chapter 23

1 Balaam Blesses Israel Balaam said to Balak,“Build me seven altars here, and
prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.”
2 So Balak did just as Balaam had said. Balak and Balaam then offered on each
altar a bull and a ram.
3 Balaam said to Balak,“Station yourself by your burnt offering, and I will go
off; perhaps the LORD will come to meet me, and whatever he reveals to me I will
tell you.” Then he went to a deserted height.
4 Then God met Balaam, who said to him,“I have prepared seven altars, and I
have offered on each altar a bull and a ram.”
5 Then the LORD put a message in Balaam’s mouth and said,“Return to Balak,
and speak what I tell you.”
6 So he returned to him, and he was still standing by his burnt offering, he and
all the princes of Moab.
7 Then Balaam uttered his oracle, saying,“Balak, the king of Moab, brought me
from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying,‘Come, pronounce a curse
on Jacob for me; come, denounce Israel.’
8 How can I curse one whom God has not cursed, or how can I denounce one whom
the LORD has not denounced?
9 For from the top of the rocks I see them; from the hills I watch them. Indeed,
a nation that lives alone, and it will not be reckoned among the nations.
10 Who can count the dust of Jacob, or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me
die the death of the upright, and let the end of my life be like theirs.”
11 Balaam Relocates Then Balak said to Balaam,“What have you done to me? I
brought you to curse my enemies, but on the contrary you have only blessed
them!”
12 Balaam replied,“Must I not be careful to speak what the LORD has put in my
mouth?”
13 Balak said to him,“Please come with me to another place from which you can
observe them. You will see only a part of them, but you will not see all of
them. Curse them for me from there.”
14 So Balak brought Balaam to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, where
he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
15 And Balaam said to Balak,“Station yourself here by your burnt offering,
while I meet the LORD there.”
16 Then the LORD met Balaam and put a message in his mouth and said,“Return to
Balak, and speak what I tell you.”
17 When Balaam came to him, he was still standing by his burnt offering, along
with the princes of Moab. And Balak said to him,“What has the LORD spoken?”
18 Balaam Prophesies Again Balaam uttered his oracle, and said,“Rise up,
Balak, and hear; Listen to me, son of Zippor:
19 God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a human being, that he should
change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will
he not make it happen?
20 Indeed, I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot
reverse it.
21 He has not looked on iniquity in Jacob, nor has he seen trouble in Israel.
The LORD their God is with them; his acclamation as king is among them.
22 God brought them out of Egypt. They have, as it were, the strength of a wild
bull.
23 For there is no spell against Jacob, nor is there any divination against
Israel. At this time it must be said of Jacob and of Israel,‘Look at what God
has done!’
24 Indeed, the people will rise up like a lioness, and like a lion raises
himself up; they will not lie down until they eat their prey, and drink the
blood of the slain.”
25 Balaam Relocates Yet Again Balak said to Balaam,“Neither curse them at all
nor bless them at all!”
26 But Balaam replied to Balak,“Did I not tell you,‘All that the LORD
speaks, I must do’?”
27 Balak said to Balaam,“Come, please; I will take you to another place.
Perhaps it will please God to let you curse them for me from there.”
28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, that looks toward the wastelands.
29 Then Balaam said to Balak,“Build seven altars here for me, and prepare
seven bulls and seven rams.”
30 So Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

Chapter 24

1 Balaam Prophesies Yet Again When Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless
Israel, he did not go as at the other times to seek for omens, but he set his
face toward the wilderness.
2 When Balaam lifted up his eyes, he saw Israel camped tribe by tribe; and the
Spirit of God came upon him.
3 Then he uttered this oracle:“The oracle of Balaam son of Beor; the oracle of
the man whose eyes are open;
4 the oracle of the one who hears the words of God, who sees a vision from the
Almighty, although falling flat on the ground with eyes open:
5 ‘How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob, and your dwelling places, O Israel!
6 They are like valleys stretched forth, like gardens by the river’s side,
like aloes that the LORD has planted, and like cedar trees beside the waters.
7 He will pour the water out of his buckets, and their descendants will be like
abundant water; their king will be greater than Agag, and their kingdom will be
exalted.
8 God brought them out of Egypt. They have, as it were, the strength of a young
bull; they will devour hostile people and will break their bones and will pierce
them through with arrows.
9 They crouch and lie down like a lion, and as a lioness, who can stir him?
Blessed is the one who blesses you, and cursed is the one who curses you!’”
10 Then Balak became very angry at Balaam, and he struck his hands together.
Balak said to Balaam,“I called you to curse my enemies, and look, you have
done nothing but bless them these three times!
11 So now, go back where you came from! I said that I would greatly honor you,
but now the LORD has stood in the way of your honor.”
12 Balaam said to Balak,“Did I not also tell your messengers whom you sent to
me,
13 ‘If Balak would give me his palace full of silver and gold, I cannot go
beyond the commandment of the LORD to do either good or evil of my own will, but
whatever the LORD tells me I must speak’?
14 And now, I am about to go back to my own people. Come now, and I will advise
you as to what this people will do to your people in the future.”
15 Balaam Prophesies a Fourth Time Then he uttered this oracle:“The oracle of
Balaam son of Beor; the oracle of the man whose eyes are open;
16 the oracle of the one who hears the words of God, and who knows the knowledge
of the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, although falling flat on
the ground with eyes open:
17 ‘I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not close at hand. A star will
march forth out of Jacob, and a scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush
the skulls of Moab, and the heads of all the sons of Sheth.
18 Edom will be a possession, Seir, his enemies, will also be a possession; but
Israel will act valiantly.
19 A ruler will be established from Jacob; he will destroy the remains of the
city.’”
20 Balaam’s Final Prophecies Then Balaam looked on Amalek and delivered this
oracle:“Amalek was the first of the nations, but his end will be that he will
perish.”
21 Then he looked on the Kenites and uttered this oracle:“Your dwelling place
seems strong, and your nest is set on a rocky cliff.
22 Nevertheless the Kenite will be consumed. How long will Asshur take you away
captive?”
23 Then he uttered this oracle:“O, who will survive when God does this!
24 Ships will come from the coast of Kittim, and will afflict Asshur, and will
afflict Eber, and he will also perish forever.”
25 Balaam got up and departed and returned to his home, and Balak also went his
way.

Chapter 25

1 Israel’s Sin with the Moabite Women When Israel lived in Shittim, the people
began to commit sexual immorality with the daughters of Moab.
2 These women invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods; then the
people ate and bowed down to their gods.
3 When Israel joined themselves to Baal-peor, the anger of the LORD flared up
against Israel.
4 God’s Punishment The LORD said to Moses,“Arrest all the leaders of the
people, and hang them up before the LORD in broad daylight, so that the fierce
anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel.”
5 So Moses said to the judges of Israel,“Each of you must execute those of his
men who were joined to Baal-peor.”
6 Just then one of the Israelites came and brought to his brothers a Midianite
woman in the plain view of Moses and of the whole community of the Israelites,
while they were weeping at the entrance of the tent of meeting.
7 When Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he got up
from among the assembly, took a javelin in his hand,
8 and went after the Israelite man into the tent and thrust through the
Israelite man and into the woman’s abdomen. So the plague was stopped from the
Israelites.
9 Those that died in the plague were 24,000.
10 The Aftermath The LORD spoke to Moses:
11 “Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned my anger
away from the Israelites, when he manifested such zeal for my sake among them,
so that I did not consume the Israelites in my zeal.
12 Therefore, announce:‘I am going to give to him my covenant of peace.
13 So it will be to him and his descendants after him a covenant of a permanent
priesthood, because he has been zealous for his God, and has made atonement for
the Israelites.’”
14 Now the name of the Israelite who was stabbed– the one who was stabbed with
the Midianite woman– was Zimri son of Salu, a leader of a clan of the
Simeonites.
15 The name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi daughter of Zur. He
was a leader over the people of a clan of Midian.
16 Then the LORD spoke to Moses:
17 “Bring trouble to the Midianites, and destroy them,
18 because they bring trouble to you by their treachery with which they have
deceived you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of
a prince of Midian, their sister, who was killed on the day of the plague that
happened as a result of Peor.”

Chapter 26

1 A Second Census Required After the plague the LORD said to Moses and to
Eleazar son of Aaron the priest,
2 “Take a census of the whole community of Israelites, from twenty years old
and upward, by their clans, everyone who can serve in the army of Israel.”
3 So Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them in the rift valley plains of
Moab, along the Jordan River across from Jericho. They said,
4 “Number the people from twenty years old and upward, just as the LORD
commanded Moses and the Israelites who went out from the land of Egypt.”
5 Reuben Reuben was the firstborn of Israel. The Reubenites: from Hanoch, the
family of the Hanochites; from Pallu, the family of the Palluites;
6 from Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; from Carmi, the family of the
Carmites.
7 These were the families of the Reubenites; and those numbered of them were
43,730.
8 Pallu’s descendant was Eliab.
9 Eliab’s descendants were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. It was Dathan and
Abiram who as leaders of the community rebelled against Moses and Aaron with the
followers of Korah when they rebelled against the LORD.
10 The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and Korah at the time that
company died, when the fire consumed 250 men. So they became a warning.
11 But the descendants of Korah did not die.
12 Simeon The Simeonites by their families: from Nemuel, the family of the
Nemuelites; from Jamin, the family of the Jaminites; from Jakin, the family of
the Jakinites;
13 from Zerah, the family of the Zerahites; and from Shaul, the family of the
Shaulites.
14 These were the families of the Simeonites, 22,200.
15 Gad The Gadites by their families: from Zephon, the family of the Zephonites;
from Haggi, the family of the Haggites; from Shuni, the family of the Shunites;
16 from Ozni, the family of the Oznites; from Eri, the family of the Erites;
17 from Arod, the family of the Arodites; and from Areli, the family of the
Arelites.
18 These were the families of the Gadites according to those numbered of them,
40,500.
19 Judah The descendants of Judah were Er and Onan, but Er and Onan died in the
land of Canaan.
20 And the Judahites by their families were: from Shelah, the family of the
Shelahites; from Perez, the family of the Perezites; and from Zerah, the family
of the Zerahites.
21 And the Perezites were: from Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; from
Hamul, the family of the Hamulites.
22 These were the families of Judah according to those numbered of them, 76,500.
23 Issachar The Issacharites by their families: from Tola, the family of the
Tolaites; from Puah, the family of the Puites;
24 from Jashub, the family of the Jashubites; and from Shimron, the family of
the Shimronites.
25 These were the families of Issachar, according to those numbered of them,
64,300.
26 Zebulun The Zebulunites by their families: from Sered, the family of the
Sardites; from Elon, the family of the Elonites; from Jahleel, the family of the
Jahleelites.
27 These were the families of the Zebulunites, according to those numbered of
them, 60,500.
28 Manasseh The descendants of Joseph by their families: Manasseh and Ephraim.
29 The Manassehites: from Machir, the family of the Machirites(now Machir became
the father of Gilead); from Gilead, the family of the Gileadites.
30 These were the Gileadites: from Iezer, the family of the Iezerites; from
Helek, the family of the Helekites;
31 from Asriel, the family of the Asrielites; from Shechem, the family of the
Shechemites;
32 from Shemida, the family of the Shemidaites; from Hepher, the family of the
Hepherites.
33 Now Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons, but only daughters; and the names
of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
34 These were the families of Manasseh; those numbered of them were 52,700.
35 Ephraim These are the Ephraimites by their families: from Shuthelah, the
family of the Shuthelahites; from Beker, the family of the Bekerites; from
Tahan, the family of the Tahanites.
36 Now these were the Shuthelahites: from Eran, the family of the Eranites.
37 These were the families of the Ephraimites, according to those numbered of
them, 32,500. These were the descendants of Joseph by their families.
38 Benjamin The Benjaminites by their families: from Bela, the family of the
Belaites; from Ashbel, the family of the Ashbelites; from Ahiram, the family of
the Ahiramites;
39 from Shupham, the family of the Shuphamites; from Hupham, the family of the
Huphamites.
40 The descendants of Bela were Ard and Naaman. From Ard, the family of the
Ardites; from Naaman, the family of the Naamanites.
41 These are the Benjaminites, according to their families, and according to
those numbered of them, 45,600.
42 Dan These are the Danites by their families: from Shuham, the family of the
Shuhamites. These were the families of Dan, according to their families.
43 All the families of the Shuhamites according to those numbered of them were
64,400.
44 Asher The Asherites by their families: from Imnah, the family of the
Imnahites; from Ishvi, the family of the Ishvites; from Beriah, the family of
the Beriahites.
45 From the Beriahites: from Heber, the family of the Heberites; from Malkiel,
the family of the Malkielites.
46 Now the name of the daughter of Asher was Serah.
47 These are the families of the Asherites, according to those numbered of them,
53,400.
48 Naphtali The Naphtalites by their families: from Jahzeel, the family of the
Jahzeelites; from Guni, the family of the Gunites;
49 from Jezer, the family of the Jezerites; from Shillem, the family of the
Shillemites.
50 These were the families of Naphtali according to their families; and those
numbered of them were 45,400.
51 Total Number and Division of the Land These were those numbered of the
Israelites, 601,730.
52 Then the LORD spoke to Moses:
53 “To these the land must be divided as an inheritance according to the
number of the names.
54 To a larger group you will give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group
you will give a smaller inheritance. To each one its inheritance must be given
according to the number of people in it.
55 The land must be divided by lot; and they will inherit in accordance with the
names of their ancestral tribes.
56 Their inheritance must be apportioned by lot among the larger and smaller
groups.”
57 And these are the Levites who were numbered according to their families: from
Gershon, the family of the Gershonites; of Kohath, the family of the Kohathites;
from Merari, the family of the Merarites.
58 These are the families of the Levites: the family of the Libnites, the family
of the Hebronites, the family of the Mahlites, the family of the Mushites, the
family of the Korahites. Kohath became the father of Amram.
59 Now the name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, daughter of Levi, who was born
to Levi in Egypt. And to Amram she bore Aaron, Moses, and Miriam their sister.
60 And to Aaron were born Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
61 But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered strange fire before the LORD.
62 Those of them who were numbered were 23,000, all males from a month old and
upward, for they were not numbered among the Israelites; no inheritance was
given to them among the Israelites.
63 These are those who were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who
numbered the Israelites in the rift valley plains of Moab along the Jordan River
opposite Jericho.
64 But there was not a man among these who had been among those numbered by
Moses and Aaron the priest when they numbered the Israelites in the desert of
Sinai.
65 For the LORD had said of them,“They will surely die in the wilderness.”
And there was not left a single man of them, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and
Joshua son of Nun.

Chapter 27

1 Special Inheritance Laws Then the daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, the
son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh of the families of
Manasseh, the son of Joseph came forward. Now these are the names of his
daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
2 And they stood before Moses and Eleazar the priest and the leaders of the
whole assembly at the entrance to the tent of meeting and said,
3 “Our father died in the wilderness, although he was not part of the company
of those that gathered themselves together against the LORD in the company of
Korah, but he died for his own sin, and he had no sons.
4 Why should the name of our father be lost from among his family because he had
no son? Give us a possession among the relatives of our father.”
5 So Moses brought their case before the LORD.
6 The LORD said to Moses:
7 “The daughters of Zelophehad have a valid claim. You must indeed give them
possession of an inheritance among their father’s relatives, and you must
transfer the inheritance of their father to them.
8 And you must tell the Israelites,‘If a man dies and has no son, then you
must transfer his inheritance to his daughter;
9 and if he has no daughter, then you are to give his inheritance to his
brothers;
10 and if he has no brothers, then you are to give his inheritance to his
father’s brothers;
11 and if his father has no brothers, then you are to give his inheritance to
his relative nearest to him from his family, and he will possess it. This will
be for the Israelites a legal requirement, as the LORD commanded Moses.’”
12 Leadership Change Then the LORD said to Moses,“Go up this mountain of the
Abarim range, and see the land I have given to the Israelites.
13 When you have seen it, you will be gathered to your ancestors, as Aaron your
brother was gathered to his ancestors.
14 For in the wilderness of Zin when the community rebelled against me, you
rebelled against my command to show me as holy before their eyes over the
water– the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.”
15 Then Moses spoke to the LORD:
16 “Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all humankind, appoint a man over
the community,
17 who will go out before them, and who will come in before them, and who will
lead them out, and who will bring them in, so that the community of the LORD may
not be like sheep that have no shepherd.”
18 The LORD replied to Moses,“Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the
Spirit, and lay your hand on him;
19 set him before Eleazar the priest and before the whole community, and
commission him publicly.
20 Then you must delegate some of your authority to him, so that the whole
community of the Israelites will be obedient.
21 And he will stand before Eleazar the priest, who will seek counsel for him
before the LORD by the decision of the Urim. At his command they will go out,
and at his command they will come in, he and all the Israelites with him, the
whole community.”
22 So Moses did as the LORD commanded him; he took Joshua and set him before
Eleazar the priest and before the whole community.
23 He laid his hands on him and commissioned him, just as the LORD commanded, by
the authority of Moses.

Chapter 28

1 Daily Offerings The LORD spoke to Moses:
2 “Command the Israelites:‘With regard to my offering, be sure to offer my
food for my offering made by fire, as a pleasing aroma to me at its appointed
time.’
3 You will say to them,‘This is the offering made by fire which you must offer
to the LORD: two unblemished lambs one year old each day for a continual burnt
offering.
4 The first lamb you must offer in the morning, and the second lamb you must
offer in the late afternoon,
5 with one-tenth of an ephah of finely ground flour as a grain offering mixed
with one quarter of a hin of pressed olive oil.
6 It is a continual burnt offering that was instituted on Mount Sinai as a
pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD.
7 “‘And its drink offering must be one quarter of a hin for each lamb. You
must pour out the strong drink as a drink offering to the LORD in the holy
place.
8 And the second lamb you must offer in the late afternoon; just as you offered
the grain offering and drink offering in the morning, you must offer it as an
offering made by fire, as a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
9 Weekly Offerings“‘On the Sabbath day, you must offer two unblemished lambs
a year old, and two-tenths of an ephah of finely ground flour as a grain
offering, mixed with olive oil, along with its drink offering.
10 This is the burnt offering for every Sabbath, besides the continual burnt
offering and its drink offering.
11 Monthly Offerings“‘On the first day of each month you must offer as a
burnt offering to the LORD two young bulls, one ram, and seven unblemished lambs
a year old,
12 with three-tenths of an ephah of finely ground flour mixed with olive oil as
a grain offering for each bull, and two-tenths of an ephah of finely ground
flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering for the ram,
13 and one-tenth of an ephah of finely ground flour mixed with olive oil as a
grain offering for each lamb, as a burnt offering for a pleasing aroma, an
offering made by fire to the LORD.
14 For their drink offerings, include half a hin of wine with each bull,
one-third of a hin for the ram, and one-fourth of a hin for each lamb. This is
the burnt offering for each month throughout the months of the year.
15 And one male goat must be offered to the LORD as a purification offering, in
addition to the continual burnt offering and its drink offering.
16 Passover and Unleavened Bread“‘On the fourteenth day of the first month
is the LORD’s Passover.
17 And on the fifteenth day of this month is the festival. For seven days bread
made without yeast must be eaten.
18 And on the first day there is to be a holy assembly; you must do no ordinary
work on it.
19 “‘But you must offer to the LORD an offering made by fire, a burnt
offering of two young bulls, one ram, and seven lambs one year old; they must
all be unblemished.
20 And their grain offering is to be of finely ground flour mixed with olive
oil. For each bull you must offer three-tenths of an ephah, and two-tenths for
the ram.
21 For each of the seven lambs you are to offer one-tenth of an ephah,
22 as well as one goat for a purification offering, to make atonement for you.
23 You must offer these in addition to the burnt offering in the morning which
is for a continual burnt offering.
24 In this manner you must offer daily throughout the seven days the food of the
sacrifice made by fire as a sweet aroma to the LORD. It is to be offered in
addition to the continual burnt offering and its drink offering.
25 On the seventh day you are to have a holy assembly, you must do no regular
work.
26 Firstfruits“‘Also, on the day of the first fruits, when you bring a new
grain offering to the LORD during your Feast of Weeks, you are to have a holy
assembly. You must do no ordinary work.
27 But you must offer as the burnt offering, as a sweet aroma to the LORD, two
young bulls, one ram, seven lambs one year old,
28 with their grain offering of finely ground flour mixed with olive oil:
three-tenths of an ephah for each bull, two-tenths for the one ram,
29 with one-tenth for each of the seven lambs,
30 as well as one male goat to make an atonement for you.
31 You are to offer them with their drink offerings in addition to the continual
burnt offering and its grain offering– they must be unblemished.

Chapter 29

1 Blowing Trumpets“‘On the first day of the seventh month, you are to hold a
holy assembly. You must not do your ordinary work, for it is a day of blowing
trumpets for you.
2 You must offer a burnt offering as a sweet aroma to the LORD: one young bull,
one ram, and seven lambs one year old without blemish.
3 “‘Their grain offering is to be of finely ground flour mixed with olive
oil, three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths of an ephah for the ram,
4 and one-tenth for each of the seven lambs,
5 with one male goat for a purification offering to make an atonement for you;
6 this is in addition to the monthly burnt offering and its grain offering, and
the daily burnt offering with its grain offering and their drink offerings as
prescribed, as a sweet aroma, a sacrifice made by fire to the LORD.
7 The Day of Atonement“‘On the tenth day of this seventh month you are to
have a holy assembly. You must humble yourselves; you must not do any work on
it.
8 But you must offer a burnt offering as a pleasing aroma to the LORD, one young
bull, one ram, and seven lambs one year old, all of them without blemish.
9 Their grain offering must be of finely ground flour mixed with olive oil,
three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the ram,
10 and one-tenth for each of the seven lambs,
11 along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the
purification offering for atonement and the continual burnt offering with its
grain offering and their drink offerings.
12 The Feast of Temporary Shelters“‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh
month you are to have a holy assembly; you must do no ordinary work, and you
must keep a festival to the LORD for seven days.
13 You must offer a burnt offering, an offering made by fire as a pleasing aroma
to the LORD: thirteen young bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs each one year
old, all of them without blemish.
14 Their grain offering must be of finely ground flour mixed with olive oil,
three-tenths of an ephah for each of the thirteen bulls, two-tenths of an ephah
for each of the two rams,
15 and one-tenth for each of the fourteen lambs,
16 along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the
continual burnt offering with its grain offering and its drink offering.
17 “‘On the second day you must offer twelve young bulls, two rams, fourteen
lambs one year old, all without blemish,
18 and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the
rams, and for the lambs, according to their number as prescribed,
19 along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the
continual burnt offering with its grain offering and their drink offerings.
20 “‘On the third day you must offer eleven bulls, two rams, fourteen lambs
one year old, all without blemish,
21 and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the
rams, and for the lambs, according to their number as prescribed,
22 along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the
continual burnt offering with its grain offering and its drink offering.
23 “‘On the fourth day you must offer ten bulls, two rams, and fourteen
lambs one year old, all without blemish,
24 and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the
rams, and for the lambs, according to their number as prescribed,
25 along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the
continual burnt offering with its grain offering and its drink offering.
26 “‘On the fifth day you must offer nine bulls, two rams, and fourteen
lambs one year old, all without blemish,
27 and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the
rams, and for the lambs, according to their number as prescribed,
28 along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the
continual burnt offering with its grain offering and its drink offering.
29 “‘On the sixth day you must offer eight bulls, two rams, and fourteen
lambs one year old, all without blemish,
30 and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the
rams, and for the lambs, according to their number as prescribed,
31 along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the
continual burnt offering with its grain offering and its drink offering.
32 “‘On the seventh day you must offer seven bulls, two rams, and fourteen
lambs one year old, all without blemish,
33 and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the
rams, and for the lambs, according to their number as prescribed,
34 along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the
continual burnt offering with its grain offering and its drink offering.
35 “‘On the eighth day you are to have a holy assembly; you must do no
ordinary work on it.
36 But you must offer a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, as a pleasing
aroma to the LORD, one bull, one ram, seven lambs one year old, all of them
without blemish,
37 and with their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bull, for the
ram, and for the lambs, according to their number as prescribed,
38 along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the
continual burnt offering with its grain offering and its drink offering.
39 “‘These things you must present to the LORD at your appointed times, in
addition to your vows and your freewill offerings, as your burnt offerings, your
grain offerings, your drink offerings, and your peace offerings.’”
40 (30:1) So Moses told the Israelites everything, just as the LORD had
commanded him.

Chapter 30

1 Vows Made by Men Moses told the leaders of the tribes concerning the
Israelites,“This is what the LORD has commanded:
2 If a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath of binding obligation on
himself, he must not break his word, but must do whatever he has promised.
3 Vows Made by Single Women“If a young woman who is still living in her
father’s house makes a vow to the LORD or places herself under an obligation,
4 and her father hears of her vow or the obligation to which she has pledged
herself, and her father remains silent about her, then all her vows will stand,
and every obligation to which she has pledged herself will stand.
5 But if her father overrules her when he hears about it, then none of her vows
or her obligations which she has pledged for herself will stand. And the LORD
will release her from it, because her father overruled her.
6 Vows Made by Married Women“And if she marries a husband while under a vow,
or she uttered anything impulsively by which she has pledged herself,
7 and her husband hears about it, but remains silent about her when he hears
about it, then her vows will stand and her obligations which she has pledged for
herself will stand.
8 But if when her husband hears it he overrules her, then he will nullify the
vow she has taken, and whatever she uttered impulsively which she has pledged
for herself. And the LORD will release her from it.
9 Vows Made by Widows“But every vow of a widow or of a divorced woman which
she has pledged for herself will remain intact.
10 If she made the vow in her husband’s house or put herself under obligation
with an oath,
11 and her husband heard about it, but remained silent about her, and did not
overrule her, then all her vows will stand, and every obligation which she
pledged for herself will stand.
12 But if her husband clearly nullifies them when he hears them, then whatever
she says by way of vows or obligations will not stand. Her husband has made them
void, and the LORD will release her from them.
13 “Any vow or sworn obligation that would bring affliction to her, her
husband can confirm or nullify.
14 But if her husband remains completely silent about her from day to day, he
thus confirms all her vows or all her obligations which she is under; he
confirms them because he remained silent about her when he heard them.
15 But if he should nullify them after he has heard them, then he will bear her
iniquity.”
16 These are the statutes that the LORD commanded Moses, relating to a man and
his wife, and a father and his young daughter who is still living in her
father’s house.

Chapter 31

1 The Midianite War The LORD spoke to Moses:
2 “Exact vengeance for the Israelites from the Midianites– after that you
will be gathered to your people.”
3 So Moses spoke to the people:“Arm men from among you for the war, to attack
the Midianites and to execute the LORD’s vengeance on Midian.
4 You must send to the battle a thousand men from every tribe throughout all the
tribes of Israel.”
5 So a thousand from every tribe, twelve thousand armed for battle in all, were
provided out of the thousands of Israel.
6 Campaign Against the Midianites So Moses sent them to the war, one thousand
from every tribe, with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, who was in charge of
the holy articles and the signal trumpets.
7 They fought against the Midianites, as the LORD commanded Moses, and they
killed every male.
8 They killed the kings of Midian in addition to those slain– Evi, Rekem, Zur,
Hur, and Reba– five Midianite kings. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with
the sword.
9 The Israelites took the women of Midian captive along with their little ones,
and took all their herds, all their flocks, and all their goods as plunder.
10 They burned all their towns where they lived and all their encampments.
11 They took all the plunder and all the spoils, both people and animals.
12 They brought the captives and the spoils and the plunder to Moses, to Eleazar
the priest, and to the Israelite community, to the camp on the rift valley
plains of Moab, along the Jordan River across from Jericho.
13 Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the community went out to
meet them outside the camp.
14 The Death of the Midianite Women But Moses was furious with the officers of
the army, the commanders over thousands and commanders over hundreds, who had
come from service in the war.
15 Moses said to them,“Have you allowed all the women to live?
16 Look, these people through the counsel of Balaam caused the Israelites to act
treacherously against the LORD in the matter of Peor– which resulted in the
plague among the community of the LORD!
17 Now therefore kill every boy, and kill every woman who has been intimate with
a man in bed.
18 But all the young women who have not experienced a man’s bed will be yours.
19 Purification After Battle“Any of you who has killed anyone or touched any
of the dead, remain outside the camp for seven days; purify yourselves and your
captives on the third day, and on the seventh day.
20 You must purify each garment and everything that is made of skin, everything
made of goat’s hair, and everything made of wood.”
21 Then Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who had gone into the
battle,“This is the ordinance of the law that the LORD commanded Moses:
22 ‘Only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead,
23 everything that may stand the fire, you are to pass through the fire, and it
will be ceremonially clean, but it must still be purified with the water of
purification. Anything that cannot withstand the fire you must pass through the
water.
24 You must wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you will be ceremonially
clean, and afterward you may enter the camp.’”
25 The Distribution of Spoils Then the LORD spoke to Moses:
26 “You and Eleazar the priest, and all the family leaders of the community,
take the sum of the plunder that was captured, both people and animals.
27 Divide the plunder into two parts, one for those who took part in the war–
who went out to battle– and the other for all the community.
28 “You must exact a tribute for the LORD from the fighting men who went out
to battle: one life out of five hundred, from the people, the cattle, and from
the donkeys and the sheep.
29 You are to take it from their half-share and give it to Eleazar the priest
for a raised offering to the LORD.
30 From the Israelites’ half-share you are to take one portion out of fifty of
the people, the cattle, the donkeys, and the sheep– from every kind of
animal– and you are to give them to the Levites, who are responsible for the
care of the LORD’s tabernacle.”
31 So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD commanded Moses.
32 The spoil that remained of the plunder which the fighting men had gathered
was 675,000 sheep,
33 72,000 cattle,
34 61,000 donkeys,
35 and 32,000 young womenwho had not experienced a man’s bed.
36 The half-portion of those who went to war numbered 337,500 sheep;
37 the LORD’s tribute from the sheep was 675.
38 The cattle numbered 36,000; the LORD’s tribute was 72.
39 The donkeys were 30,500, of which the LORD’s tribute was 61.
40 The people were 16,000, of which the LORD’s tribute was 32 people.
41 So Moses gave the tribute, which was the LORD’s raised offering, to Eleazar
the priest, as the LORD commanded Moses.
42 From the Israelites’ half-share that Moses had separated from the fighting
men,
43 there were 337,500 sheep from the portion belonging to the community,
44 36,000 cattle,
45 30,500 donkeys,
46 and 16,000 people.
47 From the Israelites’ share Moses took one of every fifty people and animals
and gave them to the Levites who were responsible for the care of the LORD’s
tabernacle, just as the LORD commanded Moses.
48 Then the officers who were over the thousands of the army, the commanders
over thousands and the commanders over hundreds, approached Moses
49 and said to him,“Your servants have taken a count of the men who were in
the battle, who were under our authority, and not one is missing.
50 So we have brought as an offering for the LORD what each man found: gold
ornaments, armlets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces, to make
atonement for ourselves before the LORD.”
51 Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, all of it in the form
of ornaments.
52 All the gold of the offering they offered up to the LORD from the commanders
of thousands and the commanders of hundreds weighed 16,750 shekels.
53 Each soldier had taken plunder for himself.
54 So Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the commanders of
thousands and commanders of hundreds and brought it into the tent of meeting as
a memorial for the Israelites before the LORD.

Chapter 32

1 The Petition of the Reubenites and Gadites Now the Reubenites and the Gadites
possessed a very large number of cattle. When they saw that the lands of Jazer
and Gilead were ideal for cattle,
2 the Gadites and the Reubenites came and addressed Moses, Eleazar the priest,
and the leaders of the community. They said,
3 “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon,
4 the land that the LORD subdued before the community of Israel, is ideal for
cattle, and your servants have cattle.”
5 So they said,“If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given
to your servants for our inheritance. Do not have us cross the Jordan River.”
6 Moses’ Response Moses said to the Gadites and the Reubenites,“Must your
brothers go to war while you remain here?
7 Why do you frustrate the intent of the Israelites to cross over into the land
which the LORD has given them?
8 Your fathers did the same thing when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to see the
land.
9 When they went up to the Eshcol Valley and saw the land, they frustrated the
intent of the Israelites so that they did not enter the land that the LORD had
given them.
10 So the anger of the LORD was kindled that day, and he swore,
11 ‘Because they have not followed me wholeheartedly, not one of the men
twenty years old and upward who came from Egypt will see the land that I swore
to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
12 except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua son of Nun, for they
followed the LORD wholeheartedly.’
13 So the LORD’s anger was kindled against the Israelites, and he made them
wander in the wilderness for forty years, until all that generation that had
done wickedly before the LORD was finished.
14 Now look, you are standing in your fathers’ place, a brood of sinners, to
increase still further the fierce wrath of the LORD against the Israelites.
15 For if you turn away from following him, he will once again abandon them in
the wilderness, and you will be the reason for their destruction.”
16 The Offer of the Reubenites and Gadites Then they came very close to him and
said,“We will build sheep folds here for our flocks and cities for our
families,
17 but we will maintain ourselves in armed readiness and go before the
Israelites until whenever we have brought them to their place. Our descendants
will be living in fortified towns as a protection against the inhabitants of the
land.
18 We will not return to our homes until every Israelite has his inheritance.
19 For we will not accept any inheritance on the other side of the Jordan River
and beyond, because our inheritance has come to us on this eastern side of the
Jordan.”
20 Then Moses replied,“If you will do this thing, and if you will arm
yourselves for battle before the LORD,
21 and if all your armed men cross the Jordan before the LORD until he drives
out his enemies from his presence
22 and the land is subdued before the LORD, then afterward you may return and be
free of your obligation to the LORD and to Israel. This land will then be your
possession in the LORD’s sight.
23 “But if you do not do this, then look, you will have sinned against the
LORD. And know that your sin will find you out.
24 So build cities for your descendants and pens for your sheep, but do what you
have said you would do.”
25 So the Gadites and the Reubenites replied to Moses,“Your servants will do
as my lord commands.
26 Our children, our wives, our flocks, and all our livestock will be there in
the cities of Gilead,
27 but your servants will cross over, every man armed for war, to do battle in
the LORD’s presence, just as my lord says.”
28 So Moses gave orders about them to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua son of Nun,
and to the heads of the families of the Israelite tribes.
29 Moses said to them:“If the Gadites and the Reubenites cross the Jordan with
you, each one equipped for battle in the LORD’s presence, and you conquer the
land, then you must allot them the territory of Gilead as their possession.
30 But if they do not cross over with you armed, they must receive possessions
among you in Canaan.”
31 Then the Gadites and the Reubenites answered,“Your servants will do what
the LORD has spoken.
32 We will cross armed in the LORD’s presence into the land of Canaan, and
then the possession of our inheritance that we inherit will be ours on this side
of the Jordan River.”
33 Land Assignment So Moses gave to the Gadites, the Reubenites, and to half the
tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph the realm of King Sihon of the Amorites, and the
realm of King Og of Bashan, the entire land with its cities and the territory
surrounding them.
34 The Gadites rebuilt Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,
35 Atroth Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah,
36 Beth Nimrah, and Beth Haran as fortified cities, and constructed pens for
their flocks.
37 The Reubenites rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim,
38 Nebo, Baal Meon(with a change of name), and Sibmah. They renamed the cities
they built.
39 The descendants of Machir son of Manasseh went to Gilead, took it, and
dispossessed the Amorites who were in it.
40 So Moses gave Gilead to Machir, son of Manasseh, and he lived there.
41 Now Jair son of Manasseh went and captured their small towns and named them
Havvoth Jair.
42 Then Nobah went and captured Kenath and its villages and called it Nobah
after his own name.

Chapter 33

1 Wanderings from Egypt to Sinai These are the journeys of the Israelites, who
went out of the land of Egypt by their divisions under the authority of Moses
and Aaron.
2 Moses recorded their departures according to their journeys, by the
commandment of the LORD; now these are their journeys according to their
departures.
3 They departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the
first month; on the day after the Passover the Israelites went out defiantly in
plain sight of all the Egyptians.
4 Now the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn, whom the LORD had killed
among them; the LORD also executed judgments on their gods.
5 The Israelites traveled from Rameses and camped in Succoth.
6 They traveled from Succoth, and camped in Etham, which is on the edge of the
desert.
7 They traveled from Etham, and turned again to Pi-hahiroth, which is before
Baal-Zephon; and they camped before Migdal.
8 They traveled from Pi-hahiroth, and passed through the middle of the sea into
the wilderness, and went three days’ journey in the wilderness of Etham, and
camped in Marah.
9 They traveled from Marah and came to Elim; in Elim there are twelve fountains
of water and seventy palm trees, so they camped there.
10 They traveled from Elim, and camped by the Red Sea.
11 They traveled from the Red Sea and camped in the wilderness of Sin.
12 They traveled from the wilderness of Sin and camped in Dophkah.
13 And they traveled from Dophkah, and camped in Alush.
14 They traveled from Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for
the people to drink.
15 They traveled from Rephidim and camped in the desert of Sinai.
16 Wanderings in the Wilderness They traveled from the desert of Sinai and
camped at Kibroth Hattaavah.
17 They traveled from Kibroth Hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth.
18 They traveled from Hazeroth and camped in Rithmah.
19 They traveled from Rithmah and camped at Rimmon-perez.
20 They traveled from Rimmon-perez and camped in Libnah.
21 They traveled from Libnah and camped at Rissah.
22 They traveled from Rissah and camped in Kehelathah.
23 They traveled from Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher.
24 They traveled from Mount Shepher and camped in Haradah.
25 They traveled from Haradah and camped in Makheloth.
26 They traveled from Makheloth and camped at Tahath.
27 They traveled from Tahath and camped at Terah.
28 They traveled from Terah and camped in Mithcah.
29 They traveled from Mithcah and camped in Hashmonah.
30 They traveled from Hashmonah and camped in Moseroth.
31 They traveled from Moseroth and camped in Bene Jaakan.
32 They traveled from Bene Jaakan and camped at Hor-haggidgad.
33 They traveled from Hor-haggidgad and camped in Jotbathah.
34 They traveled from Jotbathah and camped in Abronah.
35 They traveled from Abronah and camped at Ezion Geber.
36 They traveled from Ezion Geber and camped in the wilderness of Zin, which is
Kadesh.
37 Wanderings from Kadesh to Moab They traveled from Kadesh and camped in Mount
Hor at the edge of the land of Edom.
38 Aaron the priest ascended Mount Hor at the command of the LORD, and he died
there in the fortieth year after the Israelites had come out of the land of
Egypt on the first day of the fifth month.
39 Now Aaron was 123 years old when he died in Mount Hor.
40 The king of Arad, the Canaanite king who lived in the south of the land of
Canaan, heard about the approach of the Israelites.
41 They traveled from Mount Hor and camped in Zalmonah.
42 They traveled from Zalmonah and camped in Punon.
43 They traveled from Punon and camped in Oboth.
44 They traveled from Oboth and camped in Iye Abarim, on the border of Moab.
45 They traveled from Iim and camped in Dibon-gad.
46 They traveled from Dibon-gad and camped in Almon-diblathaim.
47 They traveled from Almon-diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim
before Nebo.
48 They traveled from the mountains of Abarim and camped in the rift valley
plains by Moab along the Jordan River across from Jericho.
49 They camped by the Jordan, from Beth Jeshimoth as far as Abel-shittim in the
rift valley plains of Moab.
50 At the Border of Canaan The LORD spoke to Moses in the rift valley plains of
Moab along the Jordan, across from Jericho. He said:
51 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them,‘When you have crossed the Jordan
into the land of Canaan,
52 you must drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all
their carved images, all their molten images, and demolish their high places.
53 You must dispossess the inhabitants of the land and live in it, for I have
given you the land to possess it.
54 You must divide the land by lot for an inheritance among your families. To a
larger group you must give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group you must
give a smaller inheritance. Everyone’s inheritance must be in the place where
his lot falls. You must inherit according to your ancestral tribes.
55 But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, then
those whom you allow to remain will be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your
side, and will cause you trouble in the land where you will be living.
56 And what I intended to do to them I will do to you.”

Chapter 34

1 The Southern Border of the Land Then the LORD spoke to Moses:
2 “Give these instructions to the Israelites, and tell them:‘When you enter
Canaan, the land that has been assigned to you as an inheritance, the land of
Canaan with its borders,
3 your southern border will extend from the wilderness of Zin along the Edomite
border, and your southern border will run eastward to the extremity of the Salt
Sea,
4 and then the border will turn from the south to the Scorpion Ascent, continue
to Zin, and then its direction will be from the south to Kadesh Barnea. Then it
will go to Hazar Addar and pass over to Azmon.
5 There the border will turn from Azmon to the Stream of Egypt, and then its
direction is to the sea.
6 The Western Border of the Land“‘And for a western border you will have the
Great Sea. This will be your western border.
7 The Northern Border of the Land“‘And this will be your northern border:
From the Great Sea you will draw a line to Mount Hor;
8 from Mount Hor you will draw a line to Lebo Hamath, and the direction of the
border will be to Zedad.
9 The border will continue to Ziphron, and its direction will be to Hazar Enan.
This will be your northern border.
10 The Eastern Border of the Land“‘For your eastern border you will draw a
line from Hazar Enan to Shepham.
11 The border will run down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain, and
the border will descend and reach the eastern side of the Sea of Kinnereth.
12 Then the border will continue down the Jordan River and its direction will be
to the Salt Sea. This will be your land by its borders that surround it.’”
13 Then Moses commanded the Israelites:“This is the land which you will
inherit by lot, which the LORD has commanded to be given to the nine and a half
tribes,
14 because the tribe of the Reubenites by their families, the tribe of the
Gadites by their families, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their
inheritance.
15 The two and a half tribes have received their inheritance on this side of the
Jordan, east of Jericho, toward the sunrise.”
16 Appointed Officials The LORD said to Moses:
17 “These are the names of the men who are to allocate the land to you as an
inheritance: Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun.
18 You must take one leader from every tribe to assist in allocating the land as
an inheritance.
19 These are the names of the men: from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of
Jephunneh;
20 from the tribe of the Simeonites, Shemuel son of Ammihud;
21 from the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad son of Kislon;
22 and from the tribe of the Danites, a leader, Bukki son of Jogli.
23 From the Josephites, Hanniel son of Ephod, a leader from the tribe of
Manasseh;
24 from the tribe of the Ephraimites, a leader, Kemuel son of Shiphtan;
25 from the tribe of the Zebulunites, a leader, Elizaphan son of Parnach;
26 from the tribe of the Issacharites, a leader, Paltiel son of Azzan;
27 from the tribe of the Asherites, a leader, Ahihud son of Shelomi;
28 and from the tribe of the Naphtalites, a leader, Pedahel son of Ammihud.”
29 These are the ones whom the LORD commanded to divide up the inheritance among
the Israelites in the land of Canaan.

Chapter 35

1 The Levitical Cities Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the rift valley plains of
Moab along the Jordan near Jericho. He said:
2 “Instruct the Israelites to give the Levites towns to live in from the
inheritance the Israelites will possess. You must also give the Levites grazing
land around the towns.
3 Thus they will have towns in which to live, and their grazing lands will be
for their cattle, for their possessions, and for all their animals.
4 The grazing lands around the towns that you will give to the Levites must
extend to a distance of 500 yards from the town wall.
5 “You must measure from outside the wall of the town on the east 1,000 yards,
and on the south side 1,000 yards, and on the west side 1,000 yards, and on the
north side 1,000 yards, with the town in the middle. This territory must belong
to them as grazing land for the towns.
6 Now from these towns that you will give to the Levites you must select six
towns of refuge to which a person who has killed someone may flee. And you must
give them forty-two other towns.
7 “So the total of the towns you will give the Levites is forty-eight. You
must give these together with their grazing lands.
8 The towns you will give must be from the possession of the Israelites. From
the larger tribes you must give more; and from the smaller tribes fewer. Each
must contribute some of its own towns to the Levites in proportion to the
inheritance allocated to each.
9 The Cities of Refuge Then the LORD spoke to Moses:
10 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them,‘When you cross over the Jordan
River into the land of Canaan,
11 you must then designate some towns as towns of refuge for you, to which a
person who has killed someone unintentionally may flee.
12 And they must stand as your towns of refuge from the avenger in order that
the killer may not die until he has stood trial before the community.
13 These towns that you must give shall be your six towns for refuge.
14 “You must give three towns on this side of the Jordan, and you must give
three towns in the land of Canaan; they must be towns of refuge.
15 These six towns will be places of refuge for the Israelites, and for the
resident foreigner, and for the settler among them, so that anyone who kills any
person accidentally may flee there.
16 “But if he hits someone with an iron tool so that he dies, he is a
murderer. The murderer must surely be put to death.
17 If he strikes him by throwing a stone large enough that he could die, and he
dies, he is a murderer. The murderer must surely be put to death.
18 Or if he strikes him with a wooden hand weapon so that he could die, and he
dies, he is a murderer. The murderer must surely be put to death.
19 The avenger of blood himself must kill the murderer; when he meets him, he
must kill him.
20 “But if he strikes him out of hatred or throws something at him
intentionally so that he dies,
21 or with enmity he strikes him with his hand and he dies, the one who struck
him must surely be put to death, for he is a murderer. The avenger of blood must
kill the murderer when he meets him.
22 “But if he strikes him suddenly, without enmity, or throws anything at him
unintentionally,
23 or with any stone large enough that a man could die, without seeing him, and
throws it at him, and he dies, even though he was not his enemy nor sought his
harm,
24 then the community must judge between the slayer and the avenger of blood
according to these decisions.
25 The community must deliver the slayer out of the hand of the avenger of
blood, and the community must restore him to the town of refuge to which he
fled, and he must live there until the death of the high priest, who was
anointed with the consecrated oil.
26 But if the slayer at any time goes outside the boundary of the town to which
he had fled,
27 and the avenger of blood finds him outside the borders of the town of refuge,
and the avenger of blood kills the slayer, he will not be guilty of blood,
28 because the slayer should have stayed in his town of refuge until the death
of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest, the slayer may
return to the land of his possessions.
29 So these things must be a statutory ordinance for you throughout your
generations, in all the places where you live.
30 “Whoever kills any person, the murderer must be put to death by the
testimony of witnesses, but one witness cannot testify against any person to
cause him to be put to death.
31 Moreover, you must not accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who is
guilty of death; he must surely be put to death.
32 And you must not accept a ransom for anyone who has fled to a town of refuge,
to allow him to return home and live on his own land before the death of the
high priest.
33 “You must not pollute the land where you live, for blood defiles the land,
and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed there, except by the
blood of the person who shed it.
34 Therefore do not defile the land that you will inhabit, in which I live, for
I the LORD live among the Israelites.”

Chapter 36

1 Women and Land Inheritance Then the heads of the family groups of the
Gileadites, the descendant of Machir, the descendant of Manasseh, who were from
the Josephite families, approached and spoke before Moses and the leaders who
were the heads of the Israelite families.
2 They said,“The LORD commanded my lord to give the land as an inheritance by
lot to the Israelites; and my lord was commanded by the LORD to give the
inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters.
3 Now if they should be married to one of the men from another Israelite tribe,
their inheritance would be taken from the inheritance of our fathers and added
to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry. As a result, it will be
taken from the lot of our inheritance.
4 And when the Jubilee of the Israelites is to take place, their inheritance
will be added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry. So their
inheritance will be taken away from the inheritance of our ancestral tribe.”
5 Moses’ Decision Then Moses gave a ruling to the Israelites by the word of
the LORD:“What the tribe of the Josephites is saying is right.
6 This is what the LORD has commanded for Zelophehad’s daughters:‘Let them
marry whomever they think best, only they must marry within the family of their
father’s tribe.
7 In this way the inheritance of the Israelites will not be transferred from
tribe to tribe. But every one of the Israelites must retain the ancestral
heritage.
8 And every daughter who possesses an inheritance from any of the tribes of the
Israelites must become the wife of a man from any family in her father’s
tribe, so that every Israelite may retain the inheritance of his fathers.
9 No inheritance may pass from tribe to tribe. But every one of the tribes of
the Israelites must retain its inheritance.”
10 As the LORD had commanded Moses, so the daughters of Zelophehad did.
11 For the daughters of Zelophehad– Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and
Noah– were married to the sons of their uncles.
12 They were married into the families of the Manassehites, the descendants of
Joseph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe of their father’s family.
13 These are the commandments and the decisions that the LORD commanded the
Israelites through the authority of Moses, in the rift valley plains by Moab
along the Jordan River opposite Jericho.


Deuteronomy

Chapter 1

1 ¶ The Covenant Setting This is what Moses said to all of Israel in the
Transjordanian wilderness, the arid rift valley opposite Suph, between Paran and
Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Di Zahab.
2 Now it is ordinarily an eleven-day journey from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by way
of Mount Seir.
3 However, it was not until the first day of the eleventh month of the fortieth
year that Moses addressed the Israelites just as the LORD had instructed him to
do.
4 This took place after the defeat of King Sihon of the Amorites, whose capital
was in Heshbon, and King Og of Bashan, whose capital was in Ashtaroth,
specifically in Edrei.
5 So it was in the Transjordan, in Moab, that Moses began to deliver these
words:
6 Events at Horeb The LORD our God spoke to us at Horeb and said,“You have
stayed in the area of this mountain long enough.
7 Head out and resume your journey. Enter the Amorite hill country, and into all
its neighboring areas, including the rift valley, the hill country, the
foothills, the Negev, and the coastal plain– all of Canaan and Lebanon as far
as the Great River, that is, the Euphrates.
8 Look! I have already given the land to you. Go, occupy the territory that I,
the LORD, promised to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to
their descendants.”
9 I also said to you at that time,“I am no longer able to sustain you by
myself.
10 The LORD your God has increased your population to the point that you are now
as numerous as the very stars of the sky.
11 Indeed, may the LORD, the God of your ancestors, make you a thousand times
more numerous than you are now, blessing you just as he said he would!
12 But how can I alone bear up under the burden of your hardship and strife?
13 Select wise and practical men, those known among your tribes, whom I may
appoint as your leaders.”
14 You replied to me that what I had said to you was good.
15 So I chose as your tribal leaders wise and well-known men, placing them over
you as administrators of groups of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, and
also as other tribal officials.
16 I furthermore admonished your judges at that time that they should pay
attention to issues among your fellow citizens and judge fairly, whether between
one person and a native Israelite or a resident foreigner.
17 They must not discriminate in judgment, but hear the lowly and the great
alike. Nor should they be intimidated by human beings, for judgment belongs to
God. If the matter being adjudicated is too difficult for them, they should
bring it before me for a hearing.
18 Instructions at Kadesh Barnea So I instructed you at that time regarding
everything you should do.
19 Then we left Horeb and passed through all that immense, forbidding wilderness
that you saw on the way to the Amorite hill country as the LORD our God had
commanded us to do, finally arriving at Kadesh Barnea.
20 Then I said to you,“You have come to the Amorite hill country which the
LORD our God is about to give us.
21 Look, he has placed the land in front of you! Go up, take possession of it,
just as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, said to do. Do not be afraid or
discouraged!”
22 So all of you approached me and said,“Let’s send some men ahead of us to
scout out the land and bring us back word as to how we should attack it and what
the cities are like there.”
23 I thought this was a good idea, so I sent twelve men from among you, one from
each tribe.
24 They left and went up to the hill country, coming to the Eshcol Valley, which
they scouted out.
25 Then they took some of the produce of the land and carried it back down to
us. They also brought a report to us, saying,“The land that the LORD our God
is about to give us is good.”
26 Disobedience at Kadesh Barnea You were not willing to go up, however, but
instead rebelled against the LORD your God.
27 You complained among yourselves privately and said,“Because the LORD hates
us he brought us from Egypt to deliver us over to the Amorites so they could
destroy us!
28 What is going to happen to us? Our brothers have drained away our courage by
describing people who are more numerous and taller than we are, and great cities
whose defenses appear to be as high as heaven itself! Moreover, they said they
saw Anakites there.”
29 So I responded to you,“Do not be terrified of them!
30 The LORD your God is about to go ahead of you; he will fight for you, just as
you saw him do in Egypt
31 and in the wilderness, where you saw him carrying you along like a man
carries his son. This he did everywhere you went until you came to this very
place.”
32 However, through all this you did not have confidence in the LORD your God,
33 the one who would go before you on the way to find places for you to camp,
appearing in a fire at night and in a cloud by day to show you the way you ought
to go.
34 Judgment at Kadesh Barnea When the LORD heard you, he became angry and made
this vow:
35 “Not a single person of this evil generation will see the good land that I
promised to give to your ancestors!
36 The exception is Caleb son of Jephunneh; he will see it and I will give him
and his descendants the territory on which he has walked, because he has
wholeheartedly followed me.”
37 As for me, the LORD was also angry with me on your account. He said,“You
also will not be able to go there.
38 However, Joshua son of Nun, your assistant, will go. Encourage him, because
he will enable Israel to inherit the land.
39 Also, your infants, who you thought would die on the way, and your children,
who as yet do not know good from bad, will go there; I will give them the land
and they will possess it.
40 But as for you, turn back and head for the wilderness by the way to the Red
Sea.”
41 Unsuccessful Conquest of Canaan Then you responded to me and admitted,“We
have sinned against the LORD. We will now go up and fight as the LORD our God
has told us to do.” So you each put on your battle gear and prepared to go up
to the hill country.
42 But the LORD told me:“Tell them this:‘Do not go up and fight, because I
will not be with you and you will be defeated by your enemies.’”
43 I spoke to you, but you did not listen. Instead you rebelled against the LORD
and recklessly went up to the hill country.
44 The Amorite inhabitants of that area confronted you and chased you like a
swarm of bees, striking you down from Seir as far as Hormah.
45 Then you came back and wept before the LORD, but he paid no attention to you
whatsoever.
46 Therefore, you remained at Kadesh for a long time– indeed, for the full
time.

Chapter 2

1 The Journey from Kadesh Barnea to Moab Then we turned and set out toward the
wilderness on the way to the Red Sea just as the LORD told me to do, detouring
around Mount Seir for a long time.
2 At this point the LORD said to me,
3 “You have circled around this mountain long enough; now turn north.
4 Instruct these people as follows:‘You are about to cross the border of your
relatives the descendants of Esau, who inhabit Seir. They will be afraid of you,
so watch yourselves carefully.
5 Do not be hostile toward them, because I am not giving you any of their land,
not even a footprint, for I have given Mount Seir as an inheritance for Esau.
6 You may purchase food to eat and water to drink from them.
7 All along the way I, the LORD your God, have blessed your every effort. I have
been attentive to your travels through this great wilderness. These forty years
I have been with you; you have lacked for nothing.’”
8 So we turned away from our relatives the descendants of Esau, the inhabitants
of Seir, turning from the route of the rift valley which comes up from Elat and
Ezion Geber, and traveling the way of the wilderness of Moab.
9 Then the LORD said to me,“Do not harass Moab and provoke them to war, for I
will not give you any of their land as your territory. This is because I have
given Ar to the descendants of Lot as their possession.
10 (The Emites used to live there, a people as powerful, numerous, and tall as
the Anakites.
11 These people, as well as the Anakites, are also considered Rephaites; the
Moabites call them Emites.
12 Previously the Horites lived in Seir but the descendants of Esau dispossessed
and destroyed them and settled in their place, just as Israel did to the land it
came to possess, the land the LORD gave them.)
13 Now, get up and cross the Wadi Zered.” So we did so.
14 Now the length of time it took for us to go from Kadesh Barnea to the
crossing of Wadi Zered was thirty-eight years, time for all the military men of
that generation to die, just as the LORD had vowed to them.
15 Indeed, it was the very hand of the LORD that eliminated them from within the
camp until they were all gone.
16 Instructions Concerning Ammon So it was that after all the military men had
been eliminated from the community,
17 the LORD said to me,
18 “Today you are going to cross the border of Moab, that is, of Ar.
19 But when you come close to the Ammonites, do not harass or provoke them
because I am not giving you any of the Ammonites’ land as your possession; I
have already given it to Lot’s descendants as their possession.”
20 (That also is considered to be a land of the Rephaites. The Rephaites lived
there originally; the Ammonites call them Zamzummites.
21 They are a people as powerful, numerous, and tall as the Anakites. But the
LORD destroyed the Rephaites in advance of the Ammonites, so they dispossessed
them and settled down in their place.
22 This is exactly what he did for the descendants of Esau who lived in Seir
when he destroyed the Horites before them so that they could dispossess them and
settle in their area to this very day.
23 As for the Avvites who lived in settlements as far west as Gaza, Caphtorites
who came from Crete destroyed them and settled down in their place.)
24 “Get up, make your way across Wadi Arnon. Look! I have already delivered
over to you Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Go ahead! Take it!
Engage him in war!
25 This very day I will begin to fill all the people of the earth with dread and
to terrify them when they hear about you. They will shiver and shake in
anticipation of your approach.”
26 Defeat of Sihon, King of Heshbon Then I sent messengers from the Kedemoth
wilderness to King Sihon of Heshbon with an offer of peace:
27 “Let me pass through your land; I will keep strictly to the roadway. I will
not turn aside to the right or the left.
28 Sell me food for cash so that I can eat and sell me water to drink. Just
allow me to go through on foot,
29 just as the descendants of Esau who live at Seir and the Moabites who live in
Ar did for me, until I cross the Jordan to the land the LORD our God is giving
us.”
30 But King Sihon of Heshbon was unwilling to allow us to pass near him because
the LORD our God had made him obstinate and stubborn so that he might deliver
him over to you this very day.
31 The LORD said to me,“Look! I have already begun to give over Sihon and his
land to you. Start right now to take his land as your possession.”
32 When Sihon and all his troops emerged to encounter us in battle at Jahaz,
33 the LORD our God delivered him over to us and we struck him down, along with
his sons and everyone else.
34 At that time we seized all his cities and put every one of them under divine
judgment, including even the women and children; we left no survivors.
35 We kept only the livestock and plunder from the cities for ourselves.
36 From Aroer, which is at the edge of Wadi Arnon(it is the city in the wadi),
all the way to Gilead there was not a town able to resist us– the LORD our God
gave them all to us.
37 However, you did not approach the land of the Ammonites, the Wadi Jabbok, the
cities of the hill country, or any place else forbidden by the LORD our God.

Chapter 3

1 Defeat of King Og of Bashan Next we set out on the route to Bashan, but King
Og of Bashan and his whole army came out to meet us in battle at Edrei.
2 The LORD, however, said to me,“Don’t be afraid of him because I have
already given him, his whole army, and his land to you. You will do to him
exactly what you did to King Sihon of the Amorites who lived in Heshbon.”
3 So the LORD our God did indeed give over to us King Og of Bashan and his whole
army and we struck them down until not a single survivor was left.
4 We captured all his cities at that time– there was not a town we did not
take from them– sixty cities, all the region of Argob, the dominion of Og in
Bashan.
5 All of these cities were fortified by high walls, gates, and locking bars; in
addition there were a great many open villages.
6 We put all of these under divine judgment just as we had done to King Sihon of
Heshbon– every occupied city, including women and children.
7 But all the livestock and plunder from the cities we kept for ourselves.
8 So at that time we took the land of the two Amorite kings in the Transjordan
from Wadi Arnon to Mount Hermon
9 (the Sidonians call Hermon Sirion and the Amorites call it Senir),
10 all the cities of the plateau, all of Gilead and Bashan as far as Salecah and
Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan.
11 Only King Og of Bashan was left of the remaining Rephaites.(It is noteworthy
that his sarcophagus was made of iron. Does it not, indeed, still remain in
Rabbath of the Ammonites? It is thirteen and a half feet long and six feet wide
according to standard measure.)
12 Distribution of the Transjordanian Allotments This is the land we brought
under our control at that time: The territory extending from Aroer by the Wadi
Arnon and half the Gilead hill country with its cities I gave to the Reubenites
and Gadites.
13 The rest of Gilead and all of Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to half the
tribe of Manasseh.(All the region of Argob, that is, all Bashan, is called the
land of Rephaim.
14 Jair, son of Manasseh, took all the Argob region as far as the border with
the Geshurites and Maacathites(namely Bashan) and called it by his name, Havvoth
Jair, which it retains to this very day.)
15 I gave Gilead to Machir.
16 To the Reubenites and Gadites I allocated the territory extending from Gilead
as far as Wadi Arnon(the exact middle of the wadi was a boundary) all the way to
the Wadi Jabbok, the Ammonite border.
17 The rift valley and the Jordan River were also a border, from the sea of
Kinnereth to the sea of the rift valley(that is, the Salt Sea), beneath the
slopes of Pisgah to the east.
18 Instructions to the Transjordanian Tribes At that time I instructed you as
follows:“The LORD your God has given you this land for your possession. You
warriors are to cross over before your fellow Israelites equipped for battle.
19 But your wives, children, and livestock(of which I know you have many) may
remain in the cities I have given you.
20 You must fight until the LORD gives your countrymen victory as he did you and
they take possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving them on the
other side of the Jordan River. Then each of you may return to his own territory
that I have given you.”
21 I also commanded Joshua at the same time,“You have seen everything the LORD
your God did to these two kings; he will do the same to all the kingdoms where
you are going.
22 Do not be afraid of them, for the LORD your God will personally fight for
you.”
23 Denial to Moses of the Promised Land Moreover, at that time I pleaded with
the LORD,
24 “O, Sovereign LORD, you have begun to show me your greatness and
strength.(What god in heaven or earth can rival your works and mighty deeds?)
25 Let me please cross over to see the good land on the other side of the Jordan
River– this good hill country and the Lebanon!”
26 But the LORD was angry at me because of you and would not listen to me.
Instead, he said to me,“Enough of that! Do not speak to me anymore about this
matter.
27 Go up to the top of Pisgah and take a good look to the west, north, south,
and east, for you will not be allowed to cross the Jordan.
28 Commission Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, because he will lead
these people over and will enable them to inherit the land you will see.”
29 So we settled down in the valley opposite Beth Peor.

Chapter 4

1 The Privileges of the Covenant Now, Israel, pay attention to the statutes and
ordinances I am about to teach you, so that you might live and go on to enter
and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, is
giving you.
2 Do not add a thing to what I command you nor subtract from it, so that you may
keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I am delivering to you.
3 You have witnessed what the LORD did at Baal Peor, how he eradicated from your
midst everyone who followed Baal Peor.
4 But you who remained faithful to the LORD your God are still alive to this
very day, every one of you.
5 Look! I have taught you statutes and ordinances just as the LORD my God told
me to do, so that you might carry them out in the land you are about to enter
and possess.
6 So be sure to do them, because this will testify of your wise understanding to
the people who will learn of all these statutes and say,“Indeed, this great
nation is a very wise people.”
7 In fact, what other great nation has a god so near to them like the LORD our
God whenever we call on him?
8 And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just as this whole
law that I am about to share with you today?
9 Reminder of the Horeb Covenant Again, however, pay very careful attention,
lest you forget the things you have seen and disregard them for the rest of your
life; instead teach them to your children and grandchildren.
10 You stood before the LORD your God at Horeb and he said to me,“Assemble the
people before me so that I can tell them my commands. Then they will learn to
revere me all the days they live in the land, and they will instruct their
children.”
11 You approached and stood at the foot of the mountain, a mountain ablaze to
the sky above it and yet dark with a thick cloud.
12 Then the LORD spoke to you from the middle of the fire; you heard speech but
you could not see anything– only a voice was heard.
13 And he revealed to you the covenant he has commanded you to keep, the ten
commandments, writing them on two stone tablets.
14 Moreover, at that same time the LORD commanded me to teach you statutes and
ordinances for you to keep in the land which you are about to enter and possess.
15 The Nature of Israel’s God Be very careful, then, because you saw no form
at the time the LORD spoke to you at Horeb from the middle of the fire.
16 I say this so you will not corrupt yourselves by making an image in the form
of any kind of figure. This includes the likeness of a human male or female,
17 any kind of land animal, any bird that flies in the sky,
18 anything that crawls on the ground, or any fish in the deep waters of the
earth.
19 When you look up to the sky and see the sun, moon, and stars– the whole
heavenly creation– you must not be seduced to worship and serve them, for the
LORD your God has assigned them to all the people of the world.
20 You, however, the LORD has selected and brought from Egypt, that
iron-smelting furnace, to be his special people as you are today.
21 But the LORD became angry with me because of you and vowed that I would never
cross the Jordan nor enter the good land that he is about to give you.
22 So I must die here in this land; I will not cross the Jordan. But you are
going over and will possess that good land.
23 Be on guard so that you do not forget the covenant of the LORD your God that
he has made with you, and that you do not make an image of any kind, just as he
has forbidden you.
24 For the LORD your God is a consuming fire; he is a jealous God.
25 Threat and Blessing following Covenant Disobedience After you have produced
children and grandchildren and have been in the land a long time, if you become
corrupt and make an image of any kind and do other evil things before the LORD
your God that enrage him,
26 I invoke heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that you will surely
and swiftly be removed from the very land you are about to cross the Jordan to
possess. You will not last long there because you will surely be annihilated.
27 Then the LORD will scatter you among the peoples and there will be very few
of you among the nations where the LORD will drive you.
28 There you will worship gods made by human hands– wood and stone that can
neither see, hear, eat, nor smell.
29 But if you seek the LORD your God from there, you will find him, if, indeed,
you seek him with all your heart and soul.
30 In your distress when all these things happen to you in the latter days, if
you return to the LORD your God and obey him
31 (for he is a merciful God), he will not let you down or destroy you, for he
cannot forget the covenant with your ancestors that he confirmed by oath to
them.
32 The Uniqueness of Israel’s God Indeed, ask about the distant past, starting
from the day God created humankind on the earth, and ask from one end of heaven
to the other, whether there has ever been such a great thing as this, or even a
rumor of it.
33 Have a people ever heard the voice of God speaking from the middle of fire,
as you yourselves have, and lived to tell about it?
34 Or has God ever before tried to deliver a nation from the middle of another
nation, accompanied by judgments, signs, wonders, war, strength, power, and
other very terrifying things like the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before
your very eyes?
35 You have been taught that the LORD alone is God– there is no other besides
him.
36 From heaven he spoke to you in order to teach you, and on earth he showed you
his great fire from which you also heard his words.
37 Moreover, because he loved your ancestors, he chose their descendants who
followed them and personally brought you out of Egypt with his great power
38 to dispossess nations greater and stronger than you and brought you here this
day to give you their land as your property.
39 Today realize and carefully consider that the LORD is God in heaven above and
on earth below– there is no other!
40 Keep his statutes and commandments that I am setting forth today so that it
may go well with you and your descendants and that you may enjoy longevity in
the land that the LORD your God is about to give you as a permanent
possession.”
41 The Narrative Concerning Cities of Refuge Then Moses selected three cities in
the Transjordan, toward the east.
42 Anyone who accidentally killed someone without hating him at the time of the
accident could flee to one of those cities and be safe.
43 These cities are Bezer, in the wilderness plateau, for the Reubenites; Ramoth
in Gilead for the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan for the Manassehites.
44 The Setting and Introduction of the Covenant This is the law that Moses set
before the Israelites.
45 These are the stipulations, statutes, and ordinances that Moses spoke to the
Israelites after he had brought them out of Egypt,
46 in the Transjordan, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, in the land of King
Sihon of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon.(It is he whom Moses and the
Israelites attacked after they came out of Egypt.
47 They possessed his land and that of King Og of Bashan– both of whom were
Amorite kings in the Transjordan, to the east.
48 Their territory extended from Aroer at the edge of the Arnon valley as far as
Mount Siyon– that is, Hermon–
49 including all the rift valley of the Transjordan in the east to the sea of
the rift valley, beneath the slopes of Pisgah.)

Chapter 5

1 The Opening Exhortation Then Moses called all the people of Israel together
and said to them:“Listen, Israel, to the statutes and ordinances that I am
about to deliver to you today; learn them and be careful to keep them!
2 The LORD our God made a covenant with us at Horeb.
3 He did not make this covenant with our ancestors but with us, we who are here
today, all of us living now.
4 The LORD spoke face to face with you at the mountain, from the middle of the
fire.
5 (I was standing between the LORD and you at that time to reveal the LORD’s
message to you, because you were afraid of the fire and would not go up the
mountain.) He said:
6 The Ten Commandments“I am the LORD your God, he who brought you from the
land of Egypt, from the place of slavery.
7 You must not have any other gods besides me.
8 You must not make for yourself an image of anything in heaven above, on earth
below, or in the waters beneath.
9 You must not worship or serve them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous
God. I punish the sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons for the sin of the
fathers who reject me,
10 but I show covenant faithfulness to the thousands who choose me and keep my
commandments.
11 You must not make use of the name of the LORD your God for worthless
purposes, for the LORD will not exonerate anyone who abuses his name that way.
12 Be careful to observe the Sabbath day just as the LORD your God has commanded
you.
13 You are to work and do all your tasks in six days,
14 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. On that day you must
not do any work, you, your son, your daughter, your male slave, your female
slave, your ox, your donkey, any other animal, or the resident foreigner who
lives with you, so that your male and female slaves, like yourself, may have
rest.
15 Recall that you were slaves in the land of Egypt and that the LORD your God
brought you out of there by strength and power. That is why the LORD your God
has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.
16 Honor your father and your mother just as the LORD your God has commanded you
to do, so that your days may be extended and that it may go well with you in the
land that he is about to give you.
17 You must not murder.
18 You must not commit adultery.
19 You must not steal.
20 You must not offer false testimony against another.
21 You must not desire another man’s wife, nor should you crave his house, his
field, his male and female servants, his ox, his donkey, or anything else he
owns.”
22 The Narrative of the Sinai Revelation and Israel’s Response The LORD said
these things to your entire assembly at the mountain from the middle of the
fire, the cloud, and the darkness with a loud voice, and that was all he said.
Then he inscribed the words on two stone tablets and gave them to me.
23 Then, when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness while the
mountain was ablaze, all your tribal leaders and elders approached me.
24 You said,“The LORD our God has shown us his great glory and we have heard
him speak from the middle of the fire. It is now clear to us that God can speak
to human beings and they can keep on living.
25 But now, why should we die, because this intense fire will consume us! If we
keep hearing the voice of the LORD our God we will die!
26 Who is there from the entire human race who has heard the voice of the living
God speaking from the middle of the fire as we have, and has lived?
27 You go near so that you can hear everything the LORD our God is saying and
then you can tell us whatever he says to you; then we will pay attention and do
it.”
28 When the LORD heard you speaking to me, he said to me,“I have heard what
these people have said to you– they have spoken well.
29 If only it would really be their desire to fear me and obey all my
commandments in the future, so that it may go well with them and their
descendants forever.
30 Go and tell them,‘Return to your tents!’
31 But as for you, remain here with me so I can declare to you all the
commandments, statutes, and ordinances that you are to teach them, so that they
can carry them out in the land I am about to give them.”
32 Be careful, therefore, to do exactly what the LORD your God has commanded
you; do not turn right or left!
33 Walk just as he has commanded you so that you may live, that it may go well
with you, and that you may live long in the land you are going to possess.

Chapter 6

1 Exhortation to Keep the Covenant Principles Now these are the commandments,
statutes, and ordinances that the LORD your God instructed me to teach you so
that you may carry them out in the land where you are headed
2 and that you may so revere the LORD your God that you will keep all his
statutes and commandments that I am giving you– you, your children, and your
grandchildren– all your lives, to prolong your days.
3 Pay attention, Israel, and be careful to do this so that it may go well with
you and that you may increase greatly in number– as the LORD, God of your
ancestors, said to you, you will have a land flowing with milk and honey.
4 The Essence of the Covenant Principles Listen, Israel: The LORD is our God,
the LORD is one!
5 You must love the LORD your God with your whole mind, your whole being, and
all your strength.
6 Exhortation to Teach the Covenant Principles These words I am commanding you
today must be kept in mind,
7 and you must teach them to your children and speak of them as you sit in your
house, as you walk along the road, as you lie down, and as you get up.
8 You should tie them as a reminder on your forearm and fasten them as symbols
on your forehead.
9 Inscribe them on the doorframes of your houses and gates.
10 Exhortation to Worship the Lord Exclusively Then when the LORD your God
brings you to the land he promised your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to
give you– a land with large, fine cities you did not build,
11 houses filled with choice things you did not accumulate, hewn out cisterns
you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant– and you eat
your fill,
12 be careful not to forget the LORD who brought you out of Egypt, that place of
slavery.
13 You must revere the LORD your God, serve him, and take oaths using only his
name.
14 You must not go after other gods, those of the surrounding peoples,
15 for the LORD your God, who is present among you, is a jealous God and his
anger will erupt against you and remove you from the land.
16 Exhortation to Obey the Lord Exclusively You must not put the LORD your God
to the test as you did at Massah.
17 Keep his commandments very carefully, as well as the stipulations and
statutes he commanded you to observe.
18 Do whatever is proper and good before the LORD so that it may go well with
you and that you may enter and occupy the good land that he promised your
ancestors,
19 and that you may drive out all your enemies just as the LORD said.
20 Exhortation to Remember the Past When your children ask you later on,“What
are the stipulations, statutes, and ordinances that the LORD our God commanded
you?”
21 you must say to them,“We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the LORD
brought us out of Egypt in a powerful way.
22 And he brought signs and great, devastating wonders on Egypt, on Pharaoh, and
on his whole family before our very eyes.
23 He delivered us from there so that he could give us the land he had promised
our ancestors.
24 The LORD commanded us to obey all these statutes and to revere him so that it
may always go well for us and he may preserve us, as he has to this day.
25 We will be innocent if we carefully keep all these commandments before the
LORD our God, just as he demands.”

Chapter 7

1 The Dispossession of Nonvassals When the LORD your God brings you to the land
that you are going to occupy and forces out many nations before you– Hittites,
Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, seven
nations more numerous and powerful than you–
2 and he delivers them over to you and you attack them, you must utterly
annihilate them. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy!
3 You must not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or
take their daughters for your sons,
4 for they will turn your sons away from me to worship other gods. Then the
anger of the LORD will erupt against you and he will quickly destroy you.
5 Instead, this is what you must do to them: You must tear down their altars,
shatter their sacred pillars, cut down their sacred Asherah poles, and burn up
their idols.
6 For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. He has chosen you to be his
people, prized above all others on the face of the earth.
7 The Basis of Israel’s Election It is not because you were more numerous than
all the other peoples that the LORD favored and chose you– for in fact you
were the least numerous of all peoples.
8 Rather it is because of his love for you and his faithfulness to the promise
he solemnly vowed to your ancestors that the LORD brought you out with great
power, redeeming you from the place of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king
of Egypt.
9 So realize that the LORD your God is the true God, the faithful God who keeps
covenant faithfully with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a
thousand generations,
10 but who pays back those who hate him as they deserve and destroys them. He
will not ignore those who hate him but will repay them as they deserve!
11 So keep the commandments, statutes, and ordinances that I today am commanding
you to do.
12 Promises of Good for Covenant Obedience If you obey these ordinances and are
careful to do them, the LORD your God will faithfully keep covenant with you as
he promised your ancestors.
13 He will love and bless you, and make you numerous. He will bless you with
many children, with the produce of your soil, your grain, your new wine, your
oil, the offspring of your oxen, and the young of your flocks in the land which
he promised your ancestors to give you.
14 You will be blessed beyond all peoples; there will be no barrenness among you
or your livestock.
15 The LORD will protect you from all sickness, and you will not experience any
of the terrible diseases that you knew in Egypt; instead he will inflict them on
all those who hate you.
16 Exhortation to Destroy Canaanite Paganism You must destroy all the people
whom the LORD your God is about to deliver over to you; you must not pity them
or worship their gods, for that will be a snare to you.
17 If you think,“These nations are more numerous than I– how can I
dispossess them?”
18 you must not fear them. You must carefully recall what the LORD your God did
to Pharaoh and all Egypt,
19 the great judgments you saw, the signs and wonders, the strength and power by
which he brought you out– thus the LORD your God will do to all the people you
fear.
20 Furthermore, the LORD your God will release hornets among them until the very
last ones who hide from you perish.
21 You must not tremble in their presence, for the LORD your God, who is present
among you, is a great and awesome God.
22 He, the God who leads you, will expel the nations little by little. You will
not be allowed to destroy them all at once lest the wild animals overrun you.
23 The LORD your God will give them over to you; he will throw them into a great
panic until they are destroyed.
24 He will hand over their kings to you and you will erase their very names from
memory. Nobody will be able to resist you until you destroy them.
25 You must burn the images of their gods, but do not covet the silver and gold
that covers them so much that you take it for yourself and thus become ensnared
by it; for it is abhorrent to the LORD your God.
26 You must not bring any abhorrent thing into your house and thereby become an
object of divine wrath along with it. You must absolutely detest and abhor it,
for it is an object of divine wrath.

Chapter 8

1 The Lord’s Provision in the Desert You must keep carefully all these
commandments I am giving you today so that you may live, increase in number, and
go in and occupy the land that the LORD promised to your ancestors.
2 Remember the whole way by which he has brought you these forty years through
the wilderness so that he might, by humbling you, test you to see if you have it
within you to keep his commandments or not.
3 So he humbled you by making you hungry and then feeding you with unfamiliar
manna. He did this to teach you that humankind cannot live by bread alone, but
also by everything that comes from the LORD’s mouth.
4 Your clothing did not wear out nor did your feet swell all these forty years.
5 Be keenly aware that just as a parent disciplines his child, the LORD your God
disciplines you.
6 So you must keep his commandments, live according to his standards, and revere
him.
7 For the LORD your God is bringing you to a good land, a land of brooks,
springs, and fountains flowing forth in valleys and hills,
8 a land of wheat, barley, vines, fig trees, and pomegranates, of olive trees
and honey,
9 a land where you may eat food in plenty and find no lack of anything, a land
whose stones are iron and from whose hills you can mine copper.
10 You will eat your fill and then praise the LORD your God because of the good
land he has given you.
11 Exhortation to Remember That Blessing Comes from God Be sure you do not
forget the LORD your God by not keeping his commandments, ordinances, and
statutes that I am giving you today.
12 When you eat your fill, when you build and occupy good houses,
13 when your cattle and flocks increase, when you have plenty of silver and
gold, and when you have abundance of everything,
14 be sure you do not feel self-important and forget the LORD your God who
brought you from the land of Egypt, the place of slavery,
15 and who brought you through the great, fearful wilderness of venomous
serpents and scorpions, an arid place with no water. He made water flow from a
flint rock and
16 fed you in the wilderness with manna(which your ancestors had never before
known) so that he might by humbling you test you and eventually bring good to
you.
17 Be careful not to say,“My own ability and skill have gotten me this
wealth.”
18 You must remember the LORD your God, for he is the one who gives ability to
get wealth; if you do this he will confirm his covenant that he made by oath to
your ancestors, even as he has to this day.
19 Now if you forget the LORD your God at all and follow other gods, worshiping
and prostrating yourselves before them, I testify to you today that you will
surely be annihilated.
20 Just like the nations the LORD is about to destroy from your sight, so he
will do to you because you would not obey him.

Chapter 9

1 Theological Justification of the Conquest Listen, Israel: Today you are about
to cross the Jordan so you can dispossess the nations there, people greater and
stronger than you who live in large cities with extremely high fortifications.
2 They include the Anakites, a numerous and tall people whom you know about and
of whom it is said,“Who is able to resist the Anakites?”
3 Understand today that the LORD your God who goes before you is a devouring
fire; he will defeat and subdue them before you. You will dispossess and destroy
them quickly just as he has told you.
4 Do not think to yourself after the LORD your God has driven them out before
you,“Because of my own righteousness the LORD has brought me here to possess
this land.” It is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is
driving them out ahead of you.
5 It is not because of your righteousness, or even your inner uprightness, that
you have come here to possess their land. Instead, because of the wickedness of
these nations the LORD your God is driving them out ahead of you in order to
confirm the promise he made on oath to your ancestors, to Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob.
6 Understand, therefore, that it is not because of your righteousness that the
LORD your God is about to give you this good land as a possession, for you are a
stubborn people!
7 The History of Israel’s Stubbornness Remember– don’t ever forget– how
you provoked the LORD your God in the wilderness; from the time you left the
land of Egypt until you came to this place you were constantly rebelling against
him.
8 At Horeb you provoked him and he was angry enough with you to destroy you.
9 When I went up the mountain to receive the stone tablets, the tablets of the
covenant that the LORD made with you, I remained there forty days and nights,
eating and drinking nothing.
10 The LORD gave me the two stone tablets, written by the very finger of God,
and on them was everything he said to you at the mountain from the midst of the
fire at the time of that assembly.
11 Now at the end of the forty days and nights the LORD presented me with the
two stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant.
12 And he said to me,“Get up, go down at once from here because your people
whom you brought out of Egypt have sinned! They have quickly turned from the way
I commanded them and have made for themselves a cast metal image.”
13 Moreover, he said to me,“I have taken note of these people; they are a
stubborn lot!
14 Stand aside and I will destroy them, obliterating their very name from
memory, and I will make you into a stronger and more numerous nation than they
are.”
15 So I turned and went down the mountain while it was blazing with fire; the
two tablets of the covenant were in my hands.
16 When I looked, you had indeed sinned against the LORD your God and had cast
for yourselves a metal calf; you had quickly turned aside from the way he had
commanded you!
17 I grabbed the two tablets, threw them down, and shattered them before your
very eyes.
18 Then I again fell down before the LORD for forty days and nights; I ate and
drank nothing because of all the sin you had committed, doing such evil before
the LORD as to enrage him.
19 For I was terrified at the LORD’s intense anger that threatened to destroy
you. But he listened to me this time as well.
20 The LORD was also angry enough at Aaron to kill him, but at that time I
prayed for him too.
21 As for your sinful thing that you had made, the calf, I took it, melted it
down, ground it up until it was as fine as dust, and tossed the dust into the
stream that flows down the mountain.
22 Moreover, you continued to provoke the LORD at Taberah, Massah, and
Kibroth-Hattaavah.
23 And when he sent you from Kadesh-Barnea and told you,“Go up and possess the
land I have given you,” you rebelled against the LORD your God and would
neither believe nor obey him.
24 You have been rebelling against him from the very first day I knew you!
25 Moses’ Plea on Behalf of God’s Reputation I lay flat on the ground before
the LORD for forty days and nights, for he had said he would destroy you.
26 I prayed to him: O, Sovereign LORD, do not destroy your people, your valued
property that you have powerfully redeemed, whom you brought out of Egypt by
your strength.
27 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; ignore the stubbornness,
wickedness, and sin of these people.
28 Otherwise the people of the land from which you brought us will say,“The
LORD was unable to bring them to the land he promised them, and because of his
hatred for them he has brought them out to kill them in the wilderness.”
29 They are your people, your valued property, whom you brought out with great
strength and power.

Chapter 10

1 The Opportunity to Begin Again At that same time the LORD said to me,“Carve
out for yourself two stone tablets like the first ones and come up the mountain
to me; also make for yourself a wooden ark.
2 I will write on the tablets the same words that were on the first tablets you
broke, and you must put them into the ark.”
3 So I made an ark of acacia wood and carved out two stone tablets just like the
first ones. Then I went up the mountain with the two tablets in my hands.
4 The LORD then wrote on the tablets the same words, the ten commandments, which
he had spoken to you at the mountain from the middle of the fire at the time of
that assembly, and he gave them to me.
5 Then I turned, went down the mountain, and placed the tablets into the ark I
had made– they are still there, just as the LORD commanded me.
6 Conclusion of the Historical Resume“During those days the Israelites
traveled from Beeroth Bene Jaakan to Moserah. There Aaron died and was buried,
and his son Eleazar became priest in his place.
7 From there they traveled to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a place
of flowing streams.
8 At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the
LORD’s covenant, to stand before the LORD to serve him, and to formulate
blessings in his name, as they do to this very day.
9 Therefore Levi has no allotment or inheritance among his brothers; the LORD is
his inheritance just as the LORD your God told him.
10 As for me, I stayed at the mountain as I did the first time, forty days and
nights. The LORD listened to me that time as well and decided not to destroy
you.
11 Then he said to me,“Get up, set out leading the people so they may go and
possess the land I promised to give to their ancestors.”
12 An Exhortation to Love Both God and People Now, Israel, what does the LORD
your God require of you except to revere him, to obey all his commandments, to
love him, to serve him with all your mind and being,
13 and to keep the LORD’s commandments and statutes that I am giving you today
for your own good?
14 The heavens– indeed the highest heavens– belong to the LORD your God, as
does the earth and everything in it.
15 However, only to your ancestors did he show his loving favor, and he chose
you, their descendants, from all peoples– as is apparent today.
16 Therefore, cleanse your heart and stop being so stubborn!
17 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty,
and awesome God who is unbiased and takes no bribe,
18 who justly treats the orphan and widow, and who loves resident foreigners,
giving them food and clothing.
19 So you must love the resident foreigner because you were foreigners in the
land of Egypt.
20 Revere the LORD your God, serve him, be loyal to him and take oaths only in
his name.
21 He is the one you should praise; he is your God, the one who has done these
great and awesome things for you that you have seen.
22 When your ancestors went down to Egypt, they numbered only seventy, but now
the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars of the sky.

Chapter 11

1 Reiteration of the Call to Obedience You must love the LORD your God and do
what he requires; keep his statutes, ordinances, and commandments at all times.
2 Bear in mind today that I am not speaking to your children who have not
personally experienced the judgments of the LORD your God, which revealed his
greatness, strength, and power.
3 They did not see the awesome deeds he performed in the midst of Egypt against
Pharaoh king of Egypt and his whole land,
4 or what he did to the army of Egypt, including their horses and chariots, when
he made the waters of the Red Sea overwhelm them while they were pursuing you
and he annihilated them.
5 They did not see what he did to you in the wilderness before you reached this
place,
6 or what he did to Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab the Reubenite, when the
earth opened its mouth in the middle of the Israelite camp and swallowed them,
their families, their tents, and all the property they brought with them.
7 I am speaking to you because you are the ones who saw all the great deeds of
the LORD!
8 The Abundance of the Land of Promise Now pay attention to all the commandments
I am giving you today, so that you may be strong enough to enter and possess the
land where you are headed,
9 and that you may enjoy long life in the land the LORD promised to give to your
ancestors and their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey.
10 For the land where you are headed is not like the land of Egypt from which
you came, a land where you planted seed and which you irrigated by hand like a
vegetable garden.
11 Instead, the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy is one of hills and
valleys, a land that drinks in water from the rains,
12 a land the LORD your God looks after. He is constantly attentive to it from
the beginning to the end of the year.
13 Now, if you pay close attention to my commandments that I am giving you today
and love the LORD your God and serve him with all your mind and being,
14 then he promises,“I will send rain for your land in its season, the autumn
and the spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine, and olive
oil.
15 I will provide pasture for your livestock and you will eat your fill.”
16 Exhortation to Instruction and Obedience Make sure you do not turn away to
serve and worship other gods!
17 Then the anger of the LORD will erupt against you and he will close up the
sky so that it does not rain. The land will not yield its produce, and you will
soon be removed from the good land that the LORD is about to give you.
18 Fix these words of mine into your mind and being, and tie them as a reminder
on your hands and let them be symbols on your forehead.
19 Teach them to your children and speak of them as you sit in your house, as
you walk along the road, as you lie down, and as you get up.
20 Inscribe them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates
21 so that your days and those of your descendants may be extended in the land
which the LORD promised to give to your ancestors, like the days of heaven
itself.
22 For if you carefully observe all of these commandments I am giving you and
love the LORD your God, live according to his standards, and remain loyal to
him,
23 then he will drive out all these nations ahead of you, and you will
dispossess nations greater and stronger than you.
24 Every place you set your foot will be yours; your border will extend from the
desert to Lebanon and from the River(that is, the Euphrates) as far as the
Mediterranean Sea.
25 Nobody will be able to resist you; the LORD your God will spread the fear and
terror of you over the whole land on which you walk, just as he promised you.
26 Anticipation of a Blessing and Cursing Ceremony Take note– I am setting
before you today a blessing and a curse:
27 the blessing if you take to heart the commandments of the LORD your God that
I am giving you today,
28 and the curse if you pay no attention to his commandments and turn from the
way I am setting before you today to pursue other gods you have not known.
29 When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are to possess, you must
pronounce the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal.
30 Are they not across the Jordan River, toward the west, in the land of the
Canaanites who live in the rift valley opposite Gilgal near the oak of Moreh?
31 For you are about to cross the Jordan to possess the land the LORD your God
is giving you, and you will possess and inhabit it.
32 Be certain to keep all the statutes and ordinances that I am presenting to
you today.

Chapter 12

1 The Central Sanctuary These are the statutes and ordinances you must be
careful to obey as long as you live in the land the LORD, the God of your
ancestors, has given you to possess.
2 You must by all means destroy all the places where the nations you are about
to dispossess worship their gods– on the high mountains and hills and under
every leafy tree.
3 You must tear down their altars, shatter their sacred pillars, burn up their
sacred Asherah poles, and cut down the images of their gods; you must eliminate
their very memory from that place.
4 You must not worship the LORD your God the way they worship.
5 But you must seek only the place he chooses from all your tribes to establish
his name as his place of residence, and you must go there.
6 And there you must take your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes,
the personal offerings you have prepared, your votive offerings, your freewill
offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.
7 Both you and your families must feast there before the LORD your God and
rejoice in all the output of your labor with which he has blessed you.
8 You must not do like we are doing here today, with everyone doing what seems
best to him,
9 for you have not yet come to the final stop and inheritance the LORD your God
is giving you.
10 When you do go across the Jordan River and settle in the land he is granting
you as an inheritance and you find relief from all the enemies who surround you,
you will live in safety.
11 Then you must come to the place the LORD your God chooses for his name to
reside, bringing everything I am commanding you– your burnt offerings,
sacrifices, tithes, the personal offerings you have prepared, and all your
choice votive offerings which you devote to him.
12 You shall rejoice in the presence of the LORD your God, along with your sons,
daughters, male and female servants, and the Levites in your villages(since they
have no allotment or inheritance with you).
13 Make sure you do not offer burnt offerings in any place you wish,
14 for you may do so only in the place the LORD chooses in one of your tribal
areas– there you may do everything I am commanding you.
15 Regulations for Profane Slaughter On the other hand, you may slaughter and
eat meat as you please when the LORD your God blesses you in all your villages.
Both the ritually pure and impure may eat it, whether it is a gazelle or an
ibex.
16 However, you must not eat blood– pour it out on the ground like water.
17 You will not be allowed to eat in your villages your tithe of grain, new
wine, olive oil, the firstborn of your herd and flock, any votive offerings you
have vowed, or your freewill and personal offerings.
18 Only in the presence of the LORD your God may you eat these, in the place he
chooses. This applies to you, your son, your daughter, your male and female
servants, and the Levites in your villages. In that place you will rejoice
before the LORD your God in all the output of your labor.
19 Be careful not to overlook the Levites as long as you live in the land.
20 The Sanctity of Blood When the LORD your God extends your borders as he said
he would do and you say,“I want to eat meat just as I please,” you may do so
as you wish.
21 If the place he chooses to locate his name is too far for you, you may
slaughter any of your herd and flock he has given you just as I have stipulated;
you may eat them in your villages just as you wish.
22 Like you eat the gazelle or ibex, so you may eat these; the ritually impure
and pure alike may eat them.
23 However, by no means eat the blood, for the blood is life itself– you must
not eat the life with the meat!
24 You must not eat it! You must pour it out on the ground like water.
25 You must not eat it so that it may go well with you and your children after
you; you will be doing what is right in the LORD’s sight.
26 Only the holy things and votive offerings that belong to you, you must pick
up and take to the place the LORD will choose.
27 You must offer your burnt offerings, both meat and blood, on the altar of the
LORD your God; the blood of your other sacrifices you must pour out on his altar
while you eat the meat.
28 Pay careful attention to all these things I am commanding you so that it may
always go well with you and your children after you when you do what is good and
right in the sight of the LORD your God.
29 The Abomination of Pagan Gods When the LORD your God eliminates the nations
from the place where you are headed and you dispossess them, you will settle
down in their land.
30 After they have been destroyed from your presence, be careful not to be
ensnared like they are; do not pursue their gods and say,“How do these nations
serve their gods? I will do the same.”
31 You must not worship the LORD your God the way they do! For everything that
is abhorrent to him, everything he hates, they have done when worshiping their
gods. They even burn up their sons and daughters before their gods!
32 Idolatry and False Prophets(13:1) You must be careful to do everything I am
commanding you. Do not add to it or subtract from it!

Chapter 13

1 Suppose a prophet or one who foretells by dreams should appear among you and
show you a sign or wonder,
2 and the sign or wonder should come to pass concerning what he said to you,
namely,“Let us follow other gods”– gods whom you have not previously
known–“and let us serve them.”
3 You must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer, for the LORD your
God will be testing you to see if you love him with all your mind and being.
4 You must follow the LORD your God and revere only him; and you must observe
his commandments, obey him, serve him, and remain loyal to him.
5 As for that prophet or dreamer, he must be executed because he encouraged
rebellion against the LORD your God who brought you from the land of Egypt,
redeeming you from that place of slavery, and because he has tried to entice you
from the way the LORD your God has commanded you to go. In this way you must
purge out evil from within.
6 False Prophets in the Family Suppose your own full brother, your son, your
daughter, your beloved wife, or your closest friend should seduce you secretly
and encourage you to go and serve other gods that neither you nor your ancestors
have previously known,
7 the gods of the surrounding people(whether near you or far from you, from one
end of the earth to the other).
8 You must not give in to him or even listen to him; do not feel sympathy for
him or spare him or cover up for him.
9 Instead, you must kill him without fail! Your own hand must be the first to
strike him, and then the hands of the whole community.
10 You must stone him to death because he tried to entice you away from the LORD
your God, who delivered you from the land of Egypt, that place of slavery.
11 Thus all Israel will hear and be afraid; no longer will they continue to do
evil like this among you.
12 Punishment of Community Idolatry Suppose you should hear in one of your
cities, which the LORD your God is giving you as a place to live, that
13 some evil people have departed from among you to entice the inhabitants of
their cities, saying,“Let’s go and serve other gods”(whom you have not
known before).
14 You must investigate thoroughly and inquire carefully. If it is indeed true
that such a disgraceful thing is being done among you,
15 you must by all means slaughter the inhabitants of that city with the sword;
annihilate with the sword everyone in it, as well as the livestock.
16 You must gather all of its plunder into the middle of the plaza and burn the
city and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the LORD your God. It will
be an abandoned ruin forever– it must never be rebuilt again.
17 You must not take for yourself anything that has been placed under judgment.
Then the LORD will relent from his intense anger, show you compassion, have
mercy on you, and multiply you as he promised your ancestors.
18 Thus you must obey the LORD your God, keeping all his commandments that I am
giving you today and doing what is right before him.

Chapter 14

1 The Holy and the Profane You are children of the LORD your God. Do not cut
yourselves or shave your forehead bald for the sake of the dead.
2 For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. He has chosen you to be his
people, prized above all others on the face of the earth.
3 You must not eat any forbidden thing.
4 These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat,
5 the ibex, the gazelle, the deer, the wild goat, the antelope, the wild oryx,
and the mountain sheep.
6 You may eat any animal that has hooves divided into two parts and that chews
the cud.
7 However, you may not eat the following animals among those that chew the cud
or those that have divided hooves: the camel, the hare, and the rock
badger.(Although they chew the cud, they do not have divided hooves and are
therefore ritually impure to you).
8 Also the pig is ritually impure to you; though it has divided hooves, it does
not chew the cud. You may not eat their meat or even touch their remains.
9 These you may eat from among water creatures: anything with fins and scales
you may eat,
10 but whatever does not have fins and scales you may not eat; it is ritually
impure to you.
11 All ritually clean birds you may eat.
12 These are the ones you may not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the black
vulture,
13 the kite, the black kite, the dayyah after its species,
14 every raven after its species,
15 the ostrich, the owl, the seagull, the falcon after its species,
16 the little owl, the long-eared owl, the white owl,
17 the jackdaw, the carrion vulture, the cormorant,
18 the stork, the heron after its species, the hoopoe, the bat.
19 And any swarming winged thing is impure to you– they may not be eaten.
20 You may eat any clean winged creature.
21 You may not eat any corpse, though you may give it to the resident foreigner
who is living in your villages and he may eat it, or you may sell it to a
foreigner. You are a people holy to the LORD your God. Do not boil a young goat
in its mother’s milk.
22 The Offering of Tribute You must be certain to tithe all the produce of your
seed that comes from the field year after year.
23 In the presence of the LORD your God you must eat from the tithe of your
grain, your new wine, your olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks
in the place he chooses to locate his name, so that you may learn to revere the
LORD your God always.
24 When he blesses you, if the place where he chooses to locate his name is
distant,
25 you may convert the tithe into money, secure the money, and travel to the
place the LORD your God chooses for himself.
26 Then you may spend the money however you wish for cattle, sheep, wine, beer,
or whatever you desire. You and your household may eat there in the presence of
the LORD your God and enjoy it.
27 As for the Levites in your villages, you must not ignore them, for they have
no allotment or inheritance along with you.
28 At the end of every three years you must bring all the tithe of your produce,
in that very year, and you must store it up in your villages.
29 Then the Levites(because they have no allotment or inheritance with you), the
resident foreigners, the orphans, and the widows of your villages may come and
eat their fill so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work you do.

Chapter 15

1 Release for Debt Slaves At the end of every seven years you must declare a
cancellation of debts.
2 This is the nature of the cancellation: Every creditor must remit what he has
loaned to another person; he must not force payment from his fellow Israelite,
for it is to be recognized as“the LORD’s cancellation of debts.”
3 You may exact payment from a foreigner, but whatever your fellow Israelite
owes you, you must remit.
4 However, there should not be any poor among you, for the LORD will surely
bless you in the land that he is giving you as an inheritance,
5 if you carefully obey him by keeping all these commandments that I am giving
you today.
6 For the LORD your God will bless you just as he has promised; you will lend to
many nations but will not borrow from any, and you will rule over many nations
but they will not rule over you.
7 The Spirit of Liberality If a fellow Israelite from one of your villages in
the land that the LORD your God is giving you should be poor, you must not
harden your heart or be insensitive to his impoverished condition.
8 Instead, you must be sure to open your hand to him and generously lend him
whatever he needs.
9 Be careful lest you entertain the wicked thought that the seventh year, the
year of cancellation of debts, has almost arrived, and your attitude be wrong
toward your impoverished fellow Israelite and you do not lend him anything; he
will cry out to the LORD against you and you will be regarded as having sinned.
10 You must by all means lend to him and not be upset by doing it, for because
of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you
attempt.
11 There will never cease to be some poor people in the land; therefore, I am
commanding you to make sure you open your hand to your fellow Israelites who are
needy and poor in your land.
12 Release of Debt Slaves If your fellow Hebrew– whether male or female– is
sold to you and serves you for six years, then in the seventh year you must let
that servant go free.
13 If you set them free, you must not send them away empty-handed.
14 You must supply them generously from your flock, your threshing floor, and
your winepress– as the LORD your God has blessed you, you must give to them.
15 Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt and the LORD your God
redeemed you; therefore, I am commanding you to do this thing today.
16 However, if the servant says to you,“I do not want to leave you,” because
he loves you and your household, since he is well off with you,
17 you shall take an awl and pierce a hole through his ear to the door. Then he
will become your servant permanently(this applies to your female servant as
well).
18 You should not consider it difficult to let him go free, for he will have
served you for six years, twice the time of a hired worker; the LORD your God
will bless you in everything you do.
19 Giving God the Best You must set apart for the LORD your God every firstborn
male born to your herds and flocks. You must not work the firstborn of your
bulls or shear the firstborn of your flocks.
20 You and your household must eat them annually before the LORD your God in the
place he chooses.
21 If they have any kind of blemish– lameness, blindness, or anything else–
you may not offer them as a sacrifice to the LORD your God.
22 You may eat it in your villages, whether you are ritually impure or clean,
just as you would eat a gazelle or an ibex.
23 However, you must not eat its blood; you must pour it out on the ground like
water.

Chapter 16

1 The Passover-Unleavened Bread Festival Observe the month Abib and keep the
Passover to the LORD your God, for in that month he brought you out of Egypt by
night.
2 You must sacrifice the Passover animal(from the flock or the herd) to the LORD
your God in the place where he chooses to locate his name.
3 You must not eat any yeast with it; for seven days you must eat bread made
without yeast, as symbolic of affliction, for you came out of Egypt hurriedly.
You must do this so you will remember for the rest of your life the day you came
out of the land of Egypt.
4 There must not be a scrap of yeast within your land for seven days, nor can
any of the meat you sacrifice on the evening of the first day remain until the
next morning.
5 You may not sacrifice the Passover in just any of your villages that the LORD
your God is giving you,
6 but you must sacrifice it in the evening in the place where he chooses to
locate his name, at sunset, the time of day you came out of Egypt.
7 You must cook and eat it in the place the LORD your God chooses; you may
return the next morning to your tents.
8 You must eat bread made without yeast for six days. The seventh day you are to
hold an assembly for the LORD your God; you must not do any work on that day.
9 The Festival of Weeks You must count seven weeks; you must begin to count them
from the time you begin to harvest the standing grain.
10 Then you are to celebrate the Feast of Weeks before the LORD your God with
the voluntary offering that you will bring, in proportion to how he has blessed
you.
11 You shall rejoice before him– you, your son, your daughter, your male and
female slaves, the Levites in your villages, the resident foreigners, the
orphans, and the widows among you– in the place where the LORD chooses to
locate his name.
12 Furthermore, remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and so be careful to
observe these statutes.
13 The Festival of Temporary Shelters You must celebrate the Feast of Shelters
for seven days, at the time of the grain and grape harvest.
14 You are to rejoice in your festival, you, your son, your daughter, your male
and female slaves, the Levites, the resident foreigners, the orphans, and the
widows who are in your villages.
15 You are to celebrate the festival seven days before the LORD your God in the
place he chooses, for he will bless you in all your productivity and in whatever
you do; so you will indeed rejoice!
16 Three times a year all your males must appear before the LORD your God in the
place he chooses for the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the
Feast of Shelters; and they must not appear before him empty-handed.
17 Every one of you must give as you are able, according to the blessing of the
LORD your God that he has given you.
18 Provision for Justice You must appoint judges and civil servants for each
tribe in all your villages that the LORD your God is giving you, and they must
judge the people fairly.
19 You must not pervert justice or show favor. Do not take a bribe, for bribes
blind the eyes of the wise and distort the words of the righteous.
20 You must pursue justice alone so that you may live and inherit the land the
LORD your God is giving you.
21 Examples of Legal Cases You must not plant any kind of tree as a sacred
Asherah pole near the altar of the LORD your God which you build for yourself.
22 You must not erect a sacred pillar, a thing the LORD your God detests.

Chapter 17

1 You must not sacrifice to him a bull or sheep that has a blemish or any other
defect, because that is considered offensive to the LORD your God.
2 Suppose a man or woman is discovered among you– in one of your villages that
the LORD your God is giving you– who sins before the Lord your God and breaks
his covenant
3 by serving other gods and worshiping them– the sun, moon, or any other
heavenly bodies which I have not permitted you to worship.
4 When it is reported to you and you hear about it, you must investigate
carefully. If it is indeed true that such a disgraceful thing is being done in
Israel,
5 you must bring to your city gates that man or woman who has done this wicked
thing– that very man or woman– and you must stone that person to death.
6 At the testimony of two or three witnesses they must be executed. They cannot
be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.
7 The witnesses must be first to begin the execution, and then all the people
are to join in afterward. In this way you will purge evil from among you.
8 Appeal to a Higher Court If a matter is too difficult for you to judge–
bloodshed, legal claim, or assault– matters of controversy in your villages–
you must leave there and go up to the place the LORD your God chooses.
9 You will go to the Levitical priests and the judge in office in those days and
seek a solution; they will render a verdict.
10 You must then do as they have determined at that place the LORD chooses. Be
careful to do just as you are taught.
11 You must do what you are instructed, and the verdict they pronounce to you,
without fail. Do not deviate right or left from what they tell you.
12 The person who pays no attention to the priest currently serving the LORD
your God there, or to the judge– that person must die, so that you may purge
evil from Israel.
13 Then all the people will hear and be afraid, and not be so presumptuous
again.
14 Provision for Kingship When you come to the land the LORD your God is giving
you and take it over and live in it and then say,“I will select a king like
all the nations surrounding me,”
15 you must select without fail a king whom the LORD your God chooses. From
among your fellow citizens you must appoint a king– you may not designate a
foreigner who is not one of your fellow Israelites.
16 Moreover, he must not accumulate horses for himself or allow the people to
return to Egypt to do so, for the LORD has said you must never again return that
way.
17 Furthermore, he must not marry many wives lest his affections turn aside, and
he must not accumulate much silver and gold.
18 When he sits on his royal throne he must make a copy of this law on a scroll
given to him by the Levitical priests.
19 It must be with him constantly and he must read it as long as he lives, so
that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and observe all the words of this
law and these statutes and carry them out.
20 Then he will not exalt himself above his fellow citizens or turn from the
commandments to the right or left, and he and his descendants will enjoy many
years ruling over his kingdom in Israel.

Chapter 18

1 Provision for Priests and Levites The Levitical priests– indeed, the entire
tribe of Levi– will have no allotment or inheritance with Israel; they may eat
the burnt offerings of the LORD and of his inheritance.
2 They will have no inheritance in the midst of their fellow Israelites; the
LORD alone is their inheritance, just as he had told them.
3 This shall be the priests’ fair allotment from the people who offer
sacrifices, whether bull or sheep– they must give to the priest the shoulder,
the jowls, and the stomach.
4 You must give them the best of your grain, new wine, and olive oil, as well as
the best of your wool when you shear your flocks.
5 For the LORD your God has chosen them and their sons from all your tribes to
stand and serve in his name permanently.
6 Suppose a Levite comes by his own free will from one of your villages, from
any part of Israel where he is living, to the place the LORD chooses
7 and serves in the name of the LORD his God like his fellow Levites who stand
there before the LORD.
8 He must eat the same share they do, despite any profits he may gain from the
sale of his family’s inheritance.
9 Provision for Prophetism When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving
you, you must not learn the abhorrent practices of those nations.
10 There must never be found among you anyone who sacrifices his son or daughter
in the fire, anyone who practices divination, an omen reader, a soothsayer, a
sorcerer,
11 one who casts spells, one who conjures up spirits, a practitioner of the
occult, or a necromancer.
12 Whoever does these things is abhorrent to the LORD and because of these
detestable things the LORD your God is about to drive them out from before you.
13 You must be blameless before the LORD your God.
14 Those nations that you are about to dispossess listen to omen readers and
diviners, but the LORD your God has not given you permission to do such things.
15 The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you–
from your fellow Israelites; you must listen to him.
16 This accords with what happened at Horeb in the day of the assembly. You
asked the LORD your God:“Please do not make us hear the voice of the LORD our
God any more or see this great fire any more lest we die.”
17 The LORD then said to me,“What they have said is good.
18 I will raise up a prophet like you for them from among their fellow
Israelites. I will put my words in his mouth and he will speak to them whatever
I command.
19 I will personally hold responsible anyone who then pays no attention to the
words that prophet speaks in my name.
20 “But if any prophet presumes to speak anything in my name that I have not
authorized him to speak, or speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must
die.
21 Now if you say to yourselves,‘How can we tell that a message is not from
the LORD?’–
22 whenever a prophet speaks in my name and the prediction is not fulfilled,
then I have not spoken it; the prophet has presumed to speak it, so you need not
fear him.”

Chapter 19

1 Laws Concerning Manslaughter When the LORD your God destroys the nations whose
land he is about to give you and you dispossess them and settle in their cities
and houses,
2 you must set apart for yourselves three cities in the middle of your land that
the LORD your God is giving you as a possession.
3 You shall build a roadway and divide into thirds the whole extent of your land
that the LORD your God is providing as your inheritance; anyone who kills
another person should flee to the closest of these cities.
4 Now this is the law pertaining to one who flees there in order to live, if he
has accidentally killed another without hating him at the time of the accident.
5 Suppose he goes with someone else to the forest to cut wood and when he raises
the ax to cut the tree, the ax head flies loose from the handle and strikes his
fellow worker so hard that he dies. The person responsible may then flee to one
of these cities to save himself.
6 Otherwise the blood avenger will chase after the killer in the heat of his
anger, eventually overtake him, and kill him, though this is not a capital case
since he did not hate him at the time of the accident.
7 Therefore, I am commanding you to set apart for yourselves three cities.
8 If the LORD your God enlarges your borders as he promised your ancestors and
gives you all the land he pledged to them,
9 and then you are careful to observe all these commandments I am giving you
today(namely, to love the LORD your God and to always walk in his ways), then
you must add three more cities to these three.
10 You must not shed innocent blood in your land that the LORD your God is
giving you as an inheritance, for that would make you guilty.
11 However, suppose a person hates someone else and stalks him, attacks him,
kills him, and then flees to one of these cities.
12 The elders of his own city must send for him and remove him from there to
deliver him over to the blood avenger to die.
13 You must not pity him, but purge out the blood of the innocent from Israel,
so that it may go well with you.
14 Laws Concerning Witnesses You must not encroach on your neighbor’s
property, which will have been defined in the inheritance you will obtain in the
land the LORD your God is giving you.
15 A single witness may not testify against another person for any trespass or
sin that he commits. A matter may be legally established only on the testimony
of two or three witnesses.
16 If a false witness testifies against another person and accuses him of a
crime,
17 then both parties to the controversy must stand before the LORD, that is,
before the priests and judges who will be in office in those days.
18 The judges will thoroughly investigate the matter, and if the witness should
prove to be false and to have given false testimony against the accused,
19 you must do to him what he had intended to do to the accused. In this way you
will purge evil from among you.
20 The rest of the people will hear and become afraid to keep doing such evil
among you.
21 You must not show pity; the principle will be a life for a life, an eye for
an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, and a foot for a foot.

Chapter 20

1 Laws Concerning War with Distant Enemies When you go to war against your
enemies and see chariotry and troops who outnumber you, do not be afraid of
them, for the LORD your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, is
with you.
2 As you move forward for battle, the priest will approach and say to the
soldiers,
3 “Listen, Israel! Today you are moving forward to do battle with your
enemies. Do not be fainthearted. Do not fear and tremble or be terrified because
of them,
4 for the LORD your God goes with you to fight on your behalf against your
enemies to give you victory.”
5 Moreover, the officers are to say to the troops,“Who among you has built a
new house and not dedicated it? He may go home, lest he die in battle and
someone else dedicate it.
6 Or who among you has planted a vineyard and not benefited from it? He may go
home, lest he die in battle and someone else benefit from it.
7 Or who among you has become engaged to a woman but has not married her? He may
go home, lest he die in battle and someone else marry her.”
8 In addition, the officers are to say to the troops,“Who among you is afraid
and fainthearted? He may go home so that he will not make his fellow soldier’s
heart as fearful as his own.”
9 Then, when the officers have finished speaking, they must appoint unit
commanders to lead the troops.
10 When you approach a city to wage war against it, offer it terms of peace.
11 If it accepts your terms and submits to you, all the people found in it will
become your slaves.
12 If it does not accept terms of peace but makes war with you, then you are to
lay siege to it.
13 The LORD your God will deliver it over to you and you must kill every single
male by the sword.
14 However, the women, little children, cattle, and anything else in the city–
all its plunder– you may take for yourselves as spoil. You may take from your
enemies the plunder that the LORD your God has given you.
15 This is how you are to deal with all those cities located far from you, those
that do not belong to these nearby nations.
16 Laws Concerning War with Canaanite Nations As for the cities of these peoples
that the LORD your God is going to give you as an inheritance, you must not
allow a single living thing to survive.
17 Instead you must utterly annihilate them– the Hittites, Amorites,
Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites– just as the LORD your God has
commanded you,
18 so that they cannot teach you all the abhorrent ways they worship their gods,
causing you to sin against the LORD your God.
19 If you besiege a city for a long time while attempting to capture it, you
must not chop down its trees, for you may eat fruit from them and should not cut
them down. A tree in the field is not human that you should besiege it!
20 However, you may chop down any tree you know is not suitable for food, and
you may use it to build siege works against the city that is making war with you
until that city falls.

Chapter 21

1 Laws Concerning Unsolved Murder If a homicide victim should be found lying in
a field in the land the LORD your God is giving you, and no one knows who killed
him,
2 your elders and judges must go out and measure how far it is to the cities in
the vicinity of the corpse.
3 Then the elders of the city nearest to the corpse must take from the herd a
heifer that has not been worked– that has never pulled with the yoke–
4 and bring the heifer down to a wadi with flowing water, to a valley that is
neither plowed nor sown. There at the wadi they are to break the heifer’s
neck.
5 Then the Levitical priests will approach(for the LORD your God has chosen them
to serve him and to pronounce blessings in his name, and to decide every
judicial verdict)
6 and all the elders of that city nearest the corpse must wash their hands over
the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley.
7 Then they must proclaim,“Our hands have not spilled this blood, nor have we
witnessed the crime.
8 Do not blame your people Israel whom you redeemed, O LORD, and do not hold
them accountable for the bloodshed of an innocent person.” Then atonement will
be made for the bloodshed.
9 In this manner you will purge out the guilt of innocent blood from among you,
for you must do what is right before the LORD.
10 Laws Concerning Wives When you go out to do battle with your enemies and the
LORD your God allows you to prevail and you take prisoners,
11 if you should see among them an attractive woman whom you wish to take as a
wife,
12 you may bring her back to your house. She must shave her head, trim her
nails,
13 discard the clothing she was wearing when captured, and stay in your house,
lamenting for her father and mother for a full month. After that you may sleep
with her and become her husband and she your wife.
14 If you are not pleased with her, then you must let her go where she pleases.
You cannot in any case sell her; you must not take advantage of her, since you
have already humiliated her.
15 Laws Concerning Children Suppose a man has two wives, one whom he loves more
than the other, and they both bear him sons, with the firstborn being the child
of the less loved wife.
16 In the day he divides his inheritance he must not appoint as firstborn the
son of the favorite wife in place of the other wife’s son who is actually the
firstborn.
17 Rather, he must acknowledge the son of the less loved wife as firstborn and
give him the double portion of all he has, for that son is the beginning of his
father’s procreative power– to him should go the right of the firstborn.
18 If a person has a stubborn, rebellious son who pays no attention to his
father or mother, and they discipline him to no avail,
19 his father and mother must seize him and bring him to the elders at the gate
of his city.
20 They must declare to the elders of his city,“Our son is stubborn and
rebellious and pays no attention to what we say– he is a glutton and
drunkard.”
21 Then all the men of his city must stone him to death. In this way you will
purge out wickedness from among you, and all Israel will hear about it and be
afraid.
22 Disposition of a Criminal’s Remains If a person commits a sin punishable by
death and is executed, and you hang the corpse on a tree,
23 his body must not remain all night on the tree; instead you must make certain
you bury him that same day, for the one who is left exposed on a tree is cursed
by God. You must not defile your land which the LORD your God is giving you as
an inheritance.

Chapter 22

1 Laws Concerning Preservation of Life When you see your neighbor’s ox or
sheep going astray, do not ignore it; you must return it without fail to your
neighbor.
2 If the owner does not live near you or you do not know who the owner is, then
you must corral the animal at your house and let it stay with you until the
owner looks for it; then you must return it to him.
3 You shall do the same to his donkey, his clothes, or anything else your
neighbor has lost and you have found; you must not refuse to get involved.
4 When you see your neighbor’s donkey or ox fallen along the road, do not
ignore it; instead, you must be sure to help him get the animal on its feet
again.
5 A woman must not wear men’s clothing, nor should a man dress up in women’s
clothing, for anyone who does this is offensive to the LORD your God.
6 If you happen to notice a bird’s nest along the road, whether in a tree or
on the ground, and there are chicks or eggs with the mother bird sitting on
them, you must not take the mother from the young.
7 You must be sure to let the mother go, but you may take the young for
yourself. Do this so that it may go well with you and you may have a long life.
8 If you build a new house, you must construct a guard rail around your roof to
avoid being culpable in the event someone should fall from it.
9 Illustrations of the Principle of Purity You must not plant your vineyard with
two kinds of seed; otherwise the entire yield, both of the seed you plant and
the produce of the vineyard, will be defiled.
10 You must not plow with an ox and a donkey harnessed together.
11 You must not wear clothing made with wool and linen meshed together.
12 You shall make yourselves tassels for the four corners of the clothing you
wear.
13 Purity in the Marriage Relationship Suppose a man marries a woman, sleeps
with her, and then rejects her,
14 accusing her of impropriety and defaming her reputation by saying,“I
married this woman but when I approached her for marital relations I discovered
she was not a virgin!”
15 Then the father and mother of the young woman must produce the evidence of
virginity for the elders of the city at the gate.
16 The young woman’s father must say to the elders,“I gave my daughter to
this man and he has rejected her.
17 Moreover, he has raised accusations of impropriety by saying,‘I discovered
your daughter was not a virgin,’ but this is the evidence of my daughter’s
virginity!” The cloth must then be spread out before the city’s elders.
18 The elders of that city must then seize the man and punish him.
19 They will fine him one hundred shekels of silver and give them to the young
woman’s father, for the man who made the accusation ruined the reputation of
an Israelite virgin. She will then become his wife and he may never divorce her
as long as he lives.
20 But if the accusation is true and the young woman was not a virgin,
21 the men of her city must bring the young woman to the door of her father’s
house and stone her to death, for she has done a disgraceful thing in Israel by
behaving like a prostitute while living in her father’s house. In this way you
will purge evil from among you.
22 If a man is discovered in bed with a married woman both the man lying in bed
with the woman and the woman herself must die; in this way you will purge evil
from Israel.
23 If a virgin is engaged to a man and another man meets her in the city and
goes to bed with her,
24 you must bring the two of them to the gate of that city and stone them to
death, the young woman because she did not cry out though in the city and the
man because he violated his neighbor’s fiancée; in this way you will purge
evil from among you.
25 But if the man came across the engaged woman in the field and overpowered her
and raped her, then only the rapist must die.
26 You must not do anything to the young woman– she has done nothing deserving
of death. This case is the same as when someone attacks another person and
murders him,
27 for the man met her in the field and the engaged woman cried out, but there
was no one to rescue her.
28 Suppose a man comes across a virgin who is not engaged and takes hold of her
and sleeps with her and they are discovered.
29 The man who has slept with her must pay her father fifty shekels of silver
and she must become his wife. Because he has humiliated her, he may never
divorce her as long as he lives.
30 (23:1) A man may not marry his father’s former wife and in this way
dishonor his father.

Chapter 23

1 Purity in Public Worship A man with crushed or severed genitals may not enter
the assembly of the LORD.
2 A person of illegitimate birth may not enter the assembly of the LORD; to the
tenth generation no one related to him may do so.
3 An Ammonite or Moabite may not enter the assembly of the LORD; to the tenth
generation none of their descendants shall ever do so,
4 for they did not meet you with food and water on the way as you came from
Egypt, and furthermore, they hired Balaam son of Beor of Pethor in Aram Naharaim
to curse you.
5 But the LORD your God refused to listen to Balaam and changed the curse to a
blessing, for the LORD your God loves you.
6 You must not seek peace and prosperity for them through all the ages to come.
7 You must not hate an Edomite, for he is your relative; you must not hate an
Egyptian, for you lived as a foreigner in his land.
8 Children of the third generation born to them may enter the assembly of the
LORD.
9 Purity in Personal Hygiene When you go out as an army against your enemies,
guard yourselves against anything impure.
10 If there is someone among you who is impure because of some nocturnal
emission, he must leave the camp; he may not reenter it immediately.
11 When evening arrives he must wash himself with water and then at sunset he
may reenter the camp.
12 You are to have a place outside the camp to serve as a latrine.
13 You must have a spade among your other equipment and when you relieve
yourself outside you must dig a hole with the spade and then turn and cover your
excrement.
14 For the LORD your God walks about in the middle of your camp to deliver you
and defeat your enemies for you. Therefore your camp should be holy, so that he
does not see anything indecent among you and turn away from you.
15 Purity in the Treatment of the Nonprivileged You must not return an escaped
slave to his master when he has run away to you.
16 Indeed, he may live among you in any place he chooses, in whichever of your
villages he prefers; you must not oppress him.
17 Purity in Cultic Personnel There must never be a sacred prostitute among the
young women of Israel nor a sacred male prostitute among the young men of
Israel.
18 You must never bring the pay of a female prostitute or the wage of a male
prostitute into the temple of the LORD your God in fulfillment of any vow, for
both of these are abhorrent to the LORD your God.
19 Respect for Others’ Property You must not charge interest on a loan to your
fellow Israelite, whether on money, food, or anything else that has been loaned
with interest.
20 You may lend with interest to a foreigner, but not to your fellow Israelite;
if you keep this command the LORD your God will bless you in all you undertake
in the land you are about to enter to possess.
21 When you make a vow to the LORD your God you must not delay in fulfilling it,
for otherwise he will surely hold you accountable as a sinner.
22 If you refrain from making a vow, it will not be sinful.
23 Whatever you vow, you must be careful to do what you have promised, such as
what you have vowed to the LORD your God as a freewill offering.
24 When you enter the vineyard of your neighbor you may eat as many grapes as
you please, but you must not take away any in a container.
25 When you go into the ripe grain fields of your neighbor you may pluck off the
kernels with your hand, but you must not use a sickle on your neighbor’s ripe
grain.

Chapter 24

1 If a man marries a woman and she does not please him because he has found
something indecent in her, then he may draw up a divorce document, give it to
her, and evict her from his house.
2 When she has left him she may go and become someone else’s wife.
3 If the second husband rejects her and then divorces her, gives her the papers,
and evicts her from his house, or if the second husband who married her dies,
4 her first husband who divorced her is not permitted to remarry her after she
has become ritually impure, for that is offensive to the LORD. You must not
bring guilt on the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.
5 When a man is newly married, he need not go into the army nor be obligated in
any way; he must be free to stay at home for a full year and bring joy to the
wife he has married.
6 One must not take either lower or upper millstones as security on a loan, for
that is like taking a life itself as security.
7 If a man is found kidnapping a person from among his fellow Israelites, and
regards him as mere property and sells him, that kidnapper must die. In this way
you will purge evil from among you.
8 Respect for Human Dignity Be careful during an outbreak of leprosy to follow
precisely all that the Levitical priests instruct you; as I have commanded them,
so you should do.
9 Remember what the LORD your God did to Miriam along the way after you left
Egypt.
10 When you make any kind of loan to your neighbor, you may not go into his
house to claim what he is offering as security.
11 You must stand outside and the person to whom you are making the loan will
bring out to you what he is offering as security.
12 If the person is poor you may not use what he gives you as security for a
covering.
13 You must by all means return to him at sunset the item he gave you as
security so that he may sleep in his outer garment and bless you for it; it will
be considered a just deed by the LORD your God.
14 You must not oppress a lowly and poor servant, whether one from among your
fellow Israelites or from the resident foreigners who are living in your land
and villages.
15 You must pay his wage that very day before the sun sets, for he is poor and
his life depends on it. Otherwise he will cry out to the LORD against you, and
you will be guilty of sin.
16 Fathers must not be put to death for what their children do, nor children for
what their fathers do; each must be put to death for his own sin.
17 You must not pervert justice due a resident foreigner or an orphan, or take a
widow’s garment as security for a loan.
18 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God redeemed
you from there; therefore I am commanding you to do all this.
19 Whenever you reap your harvest in your field and leave some unraked grain
there, you must not return to get it; it should go to the resident foreigner,
orphan, and widow so that the LORD your God may bless all the work you do.
20 When you beat your olive tree you must not repeat the procedure; the
remaining olives belong to the resident foreigner, orphan, and widow.
21 When you gather the grapes of your vineyard you must not do so a second time;
they should go to the resident foreigner, orphan, and widow.
22 Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt; therefore, I am
commanding you to do all this.

Chapter 25

1 If controversy arises between people, they should go to court for judgment.
When the judges hear the case, they shall exonerate the innocent but condemn the
guilty.
2 Then, if the guilty person is sentenced to a beating, the judge shall force
him to lie down and be beaten in his presence with the number of blows his
wicked behavior deserves.
3 The judge may sentence him to forty blows, but no more. If he is struck with
more than these, you might view your fellow Israelite with contempt.
4 You must not muzzle your ox when it is treading grain.
5 Respect for the Sanctity of Others If brothers live together and one of them
dies without having a son, the dead man’s wife must not remarry someone
outside the family. Instead, her late husband’s brother must go to her, marry
her, and perform the duty of a brother-in-law.
6 Then the first son she bears will continue the name of the dead brother, thus
preventing his name from being blotted out of Israel.
7 But if the man does not want to marry his brother’s widow, then she must go
to the elders at the town gate and say,“My husband’s brother refuses to
preserve his brother’s name in Israel; he is unwilling to perform the duty of
a brother-in-law to me!”
8 Then the elders of his city must summon him and speak to him. If he persists,
saying,“I don’t want to marry her,”
9 then his sister-in-law must approach him in view of the elders, remove his
sandal from his foot, and spit in his face. She will then respond,“Thus may it
be done to any man who does not maintain his brother’s family line!”
10 His family name will be referred to in Israel as“the family of the one
whose sandal was removed.”
11 If two men get into a hand-to-hand fight, and the wife of one of them gets
involved to help her husband against his attacker, and she reaches out her hand
and grabs his private parts,
12 then you must cut off her hand– do not pity her.
13 You must not have in your bag different stone weights, a heavy and a light
one.
14 You must not have in your house different measuring containers, a large and a
small one.
15 You must have an accurate and correct stone weight and an accurate and
correct measuring container, so that your life may be extended in the land the
LORD your God is about to give you.
16 For anyone who acts dishonestly in these ways is abhorrent to the LORD your
God.
17 Treatment of the Amalekites Remember what the Amalekites did to you on your
way from Egypt,
18 how they met you along the way and cut off all your stragglers in the rear of
the march when you were exhausted and tired; they were unafraid of God.
19 So when the LORD your God gives you relief from all the enemies who surround
you in the land he is giving you as an inheritance, you must wipe out the memory
of the Amalekites from under heaven– do not forget!

Chapter 26

1 Presentation of the First Fruits When you enter the land that the LORD your
God is giving you as an inheritance, and you occupy it and live in it,
2 you must take the first of all the ground’s produce you harvest from the
land the LORD your God is giving you, place it in a basket, and go to the place
where he chooses to locate his name.
3 You must go to the priest in office at that time and say to him,“I declare
today to the LORD your God that I have come into the land that the LORD promised
to our ancestors to give us.”
4 The priest will then take the basket from you and set it before the altar of
the LORD your God.
5 Then you must affirm before the LORD your God,“A wandering Aramean was my
ancestor, and he went down to Egypt and lived there as a foreigner with a
household few in number, but there he became a great, powerful, and numerous
people.
6 But the Egyptians mistreated and oppressed us, forcing us to do burdensome
labor.
7 So we cried out to the LORD, the God of our ancestors, and he heard us and saw
our humiliation, toil, and oppression.
8 Therefore the LORD brought us out of Egypt with tremendous strength and power,
as well as with great awe-inspiring signs and wonders.
9 Then he brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with
milk and honey.
10 So now, look! I have brought the first of the ground’s produce that you,
LORD, have given me.” Then you must set it down before the LORD your God and
worship before him.
11 You will celebrate all the good things that the LORD your God has given you
and your family, along with the Levites and the resident foreigners among you.
12 Presentation of the Third-year Tithe When you finish tithing all your income
in the third year(the year of tithing), you must give it to the Levites, the
resident foreigners, the orphans, and the widows so that they may eat to their
satisfaction in your villages.
13 Then you shall say before the LORD your God,“I have removed the sacred
offering from my house and given it to the Levites, the resident foreigners, the
orphans, and the widows just as you have commanded me. I have not violated or
forgotten your commandments.
14 I have not eaten anything when I was in mourning, or removed any of it while
ceremonially unclean, or offered any of it to the dead; I have obeyed you and
have done everything you have commanded me.
15 Look down from your holy dwelling place in heaven and bless your people
Israel and the land you have given us, just as you promised our ancestors– a
land flowing with milk and honey.”
16 Narrative Interlude Today the LORD your God is commanding you to keep these
statutes and ordinances, something you must do with all your heart and soul.
17 Today you have declared the LORD to be your God, and that you will walk in
his ways, keep his statutes, commandments, and ordinances, and obey him.
18 And today the LORD has declared you to be his special people(as he already
promised you) so you may keep all his commandments.
19 Then he will elevate you above all the nations he has made and you will
receive praise, fame, and honor. You will be a people holy to the LORD your God,
as he has said.

Chapter 27

1 The Assembly at Shechem Then Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the
people:“Pay attention to all the commandments I am giving you today.
2 When you cross the Jordan River to the land the LORD your God is giving you,
you must erect great stones and cover them with plaster.
3 Then you must inscribe on them all the words of this law when you cross over,
so that you may enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, a land flowing
with milk and honey just as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, said to you.
4 So when you cross the Jordan you must erect on Mount Ebal these stones about
which I am commanding you today, and you must cover them with plaster.
5 Then you must build an altar there to the LORD your God, an altar of stones–
do not use an iron tool on them.
6 You must build the altar of the LORD your God with whole stones and offer
burnt offerings on it to the LORD your God.
7 Also you must offer fellowship offerings and eat them there, rejoicing before
the LORD your God.
8 You must inscribe on the stones all the words of this law, making them
clear.”
9 Then Moses and the Levitical priests spoke to all Israel:“Be quiet and pay
attention, Israel. Today you have become the people of the LORD your God.
10 You must obey him and keep his commandments and statutes that I am giving you
today.”
11 Moreover, Moses commanded the people that day:
12 “The following tribes must stand to bless the people on Mount Gerizim when
you cross the Jordan: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin.
13 And these other tribes must stand for the curse on Mount Ebal: Reuben, Gad,
Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.
14 The Covenant Curses“The Levites will call out to every Israelite with a
loud voice:
15 ‘Cursed is the one who makes a carved or metal image– something abhorrent
to the LORD, the work of the craftsman– and sets it up in a secret place.’
Then all the people will say,‘Amen!’
16 ‘Cursed is the one who disrespects his father and mother.’ Then all the
people will say,‘Amen!’
17 ‘Cursed is the one who moves his neighbor’s boundary marker.’ Then all
the people will say,‘Amen!’
18 ‘Cursed is the one who misleads a blind person on the road.’ Then all the
people will say,‘Amen!’
19 ‘Cursed is the one who perverts justice for the resident foreigner, the
orphan, and the widow.’ Then all the people will say,‘Amen!’
20 ‘Cursed is the one who goes to bed with his father’s former wife, for he
dishonors his father.’ Then all the people will say,‘Amen!’
21 ‘Cursed is the one who commits bestiality.’ Then all the people will
say,‘Amen!’
22 ‘Cursed is the one who goes to bed with his sister, the daughter of either
his father or mother.’ Then all the people will say,‘Amen!’
23 ‘Cursed is the one who goes to bed with his mother-in-law.’ Then all the
people will say,‘Amen!’
24 ‘Cursed is the one who kills his neighbor in private.’ Then all the
people will say,‘Amen!’
25 ‘Cursed is the one who takes a bribe to kill an innocent person.’ Then
all the people will say,‘Amen!’
26 ‘Cursed is the one who refuses to keep the words of this law.’ Then all
the people will say,‘Amen!’

Chapter 28

1 The Covenant Blessings“If you indeed obey the LORD your God and are careful
to observe all his commandments I am giving you today, the LORD your God will
elevate you above all the nations of the earth.
2 All these blessings will come to you in abundance if you obey the LORD your
God:
3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the field.
4 Your children will be blessed, as well as the produce of your soil, the
offspring of your livestock, the calves of your herds, and the lambs of your
flocks.
5 Your basket and your mixing bowl will be blessed.
6 You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.
7 The LORD will cause your enemies who attack you to be struck down before you;
they will attack you from one direction but flee from you in seven different
directions.
8 The LORD will decree blessing for you with respect to your barns and in
everything you do– yes, he will bless you in the land he is giving you.
9 The LORD will designate you as his holy people just as he promised you, if you
keep his commandments and obey him.
10 Then all the peoples of the earth will see that you belong to the LORD, and
they will respect you.
11 The LORD will greatly multiply your children, the offspring of your
livestock, and the produce of your soil in the land which he promised your
ancestors he would give you.
12 The LORD will open for you his good treasure house, the heavens, to give you
rain for the land in its season and to bless all you do; you will lend to many
nations but you will not borrow from any.
13 The LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always end up
at the top and not at the bottom, if you obey his commandments which I am urging
you today to be careful to do.
14 But you must not turn away from all the commandments I am giving you today,
to either the right or left, nor pursue other gods and worship them.
15 Curses as Reversal of Blessings“But if you ignore the LORD your God and are
not careful to keep all his commandments and statutes I am giving you today,
then all these curses will come upon you in full force:
16 You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the field.
17 Your basket and your mixing bowl will be cursed.
18 Your children will be cursed, as well as the produce of your soil, the calves
of your herds, and the lambs of your flocks.
19 You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out.
20 Curses by Disease and Drought“The LORD will send on you a curse, confusing
you and opposing you in everything you undertake until you are destroyed and
quickly perish because of the evil of your deeds, in that you have forsaken me.
21 The LORD will plague you with deadly diseases until he has completely removed
you from the land you are about to possess.
22 He will afflict you with weakness, fever, inflammation, infection, sword,
blight, and mildew; these will attack you until you perish.
23 The sky above your heads will be bronze and the earth beneath you iron.
24 The LORD will make the rain of your land powder and dust; it will come down
on you from the sky until you are destroyed.
25 Curses by Defeat and Deportation“The LORD will allow you to be struck down
before your enemies; you will attack them from one direction but flee from them
in seven directions and will become an object of terror to all the kingdoms of
the earth.
26 Your carcasses will be food for every bird of the sky and wild animal of the
earth, and there will be no one to chase them off.
27 The LORD will afflict you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors, eczema,
and scabies, all of which cannot be healed.
28 The LORD will also subject you to madness, blindness, and confusion of mind.
29 You will feel your way along at noon like the blind person does in darkness
and you will not succeed in anything you do; you will be constantly oppressed
and continually robbed, with no one to save you.
30 You will be engaged to a woman and another man will rape her. You will build
a house but not live in it. You will plant a vineyard but not even begin to use
it.
31 Your ox will be slaughtered before your very eyes but you will not eat of it.
Your donkey will be stolen from you as you watch and will not be returned to
you. Your flock of sheep will be given to your enemies and there will be no one
to save you.
32 Your sons and daughters will be given to another people while you look on in
vain all day, and you will be powerless to do anything about it.
33 As for the produce of your land and all your labor, a people you do not know
will consume it, and you will be nothing but oppressed and crushed for the rest
of your lives.
34 You will go insane from seeing all this.
35 The LORD will afflict you in your knees and on your legs with painful,
incurable boils– from the soles of your feet to the top of your head.
36 The LORD will force you and your king whom you will appoint over you to go
away to a people whom you and your ancestors have not known, and you will serve
other gods of wood and stone there.
37 You will become an occasion of horror, a proverb, and an object of ridicule
to all the peoples to whom the LORD will drive you.
38 The Curse of Reversed Status“You will take much seed to the field but
gather little harvest, because locusts will consume it.
39 You will plant vineyards and cultivate them, but you will not drink wine or
gather in grapes, because worms will eat them.
40 You will have olive trees throughout your territory but you will not anoint
yourself with olive oil, because the olives will drop off the trees while still
unripe.
41 You will bear sons and daughters but not keep them, because they will be
taken into captivity.
42 Whirring locusts will take over every tree and all the produce of your soil.
43 The resident foreigners who reside among you will become higher and higher
over you and you will become lower and lower.
44 They will lend to you but you will not lend to them; they will become the
head and you will become the tail!
45 All these curses will fall on you, pursuing and overtaking you until you are
destroyed, because you would not obey the LORD your God by keeping his
commandments and statutes that he has given you.
46 These curses will be a perpetual sign and wonder with reference to you and
your descendants.
47 The Curse of Military Siege“Because you have not served the LORD your God
joyfully and wholeheartedly with the abundance of everything you have,
48 instead in hunger, thirst, nakedness, and poverty you will serve your enemies
whom the LORD will send against you. They will place an iron yoke on your neck
until they have destroyed you.
49 The LORD will raise up a distant nation against you, one from the other side
of the earth as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not
understand,
50 a nation of stern appearance that will have no regard for the elderly or pity
for the young.
51 They will devour the offspring of your livestock and the produce of your soil
until you are destroyed. They will not leave you with any grain, new wine, olive
oil, calves of your herds, or lambs of your flocks until they have destroyed
you.
52 They will besiege all of your villages until all of your high and fortified
walls collapse– those in which you put your confidence throughout the land.
They will besiege all your villages throughout the land the LORD your God has
given you.
53 You will then eat your own offspring, the flesh of the sons and daughters the
LORD your God has given you, because of the severity of the siege by which your
enemies will constrict you.
54 The man among you who is by nature tender and sensitive will turn against his
brother, his beloved wife, and his remaining children.
55 He will withhold from all of them his children’s flesh that he is
eating(since there is nothing else left), because of the severity of the siege
by which your enemy will constrict you in your villages.
56 Likewise, the most tender and delicate of your women, who would never think
of putting even the sole of her foot on the ground because of her daintiness,
will turn against her beloved husband, her sons and daughters,
57 and will secretly eat her afterbirth and her newborn children(since she has
nothing else), because of the severity of the siege by which your enemy will
constrict you in your villages.
58 The Curse of Covenant Termination“If you refuse to obey all the words of
this law, the things written in this scroll, and refuse to fear this glorious
and awesome name, the LORD your God,
59 then the LORD will increase your punishments and those of your descendants–
great and long-lasting afflictions and severe, enduring illnesses.
60 He will infect you with all the diseases of Egypt that you dreaded, and they
will persistently afflict you.
61 Moreover, the LORD will bring upon you every kind of sickness and plague not
mentioned in this scroll of commandments, until you have perished.
62 There will be very few of you left, though at one time you were as numerous
as the stars in the sky, because you will have disobeyed the LORD your God.
63 This is what will happen: Just as the LORD delighted to do good for you and
make you numerous, he will take delight in destroying and decimating you. You
will be uprooted from the land you are about to possess.
64 The LORD will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the
other. There you will worship other gods that neither you nor your ancestors
have known, gods of wood and stone.
65 Among those nations you will have no rest nor will there be a place of
peaceful rest for the soles of your feet, for there the LORD will give you an
anxious heart, failing eyesight, and a spirit of despair.
66 Your life will hang in doubt before you; you will be terrified by night and
day and will have no certainty of surviving from one day to the next.
67 In the morning you will say,‘If only it were evening!’ And in the evening
you will say,‘I wish it were morning!’ because of the things you will fear
and the things you will see.
68 Then the LORD will make you return to Egypt by ship, over a route I said to
you that you would never see again. There you will sell yourselves to your
enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you.”

Chapter 29

1 Narrative Interlude(28:69) These are the words of the covenant that the LORD
commanded Moses to make with the people of Israel in the land of Moab, in
addition to the covenant he had made with them at Horeb.
2 The Exodus, Wandering, and Conquest Reviewed Moses proclaimed to all Israel as
follows:“You have seen all that the LORD did in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh,
all his servants, and his land.
3 Your eyes have seen the great judgments, those signs and mighty wonders.
4 But to this very day the LORD has not given you an understanding mind,
perceptive eyes, or discerning ears!
5 I have led you through the wilderness for forty years. Your clothing has not
worn out nor have your sandals deteriorated.
6 You have eaten no bread and drunk no wine or beer– all so that you might
know that I am the LORD your God!
7 When you came to this place King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan came
out to make war and we defeated them.
8 Then we took their land and gave it as an inheritance to Reuben, Gad, and half
the tribe of Manasseh.
9 The Present Covenant Setting“Therefore, keep the terms of this covenant and
obey them so that you may be successful in everything you do.
10 You are standing today, all of you, before the LORD your God– the heads of
your tribes, your elders, your officials, every Israelite man,
11 your infants, your wives, and the resident foreigners living in your
encampment, those who chop wood and those who carry water–
12 so that you may enter by oath into the covenant the LORD your God is making
with you today.
13 Today he will affirm that you are his people and that he is your God, just as
he promised you and as he swore by oath to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob.
14 It is not with you alone that I am making this covenant by oath,
15 but with whoever stands with us here today before the LORD our God as well as
those not with us here today.
16 The Results of Disobedience“(For you know how we lived in the land of Egypt
and how we crossed through the nations as we traveled.
17 You have seen their detestable things and idols of wood, stone, silver, and
gold.)
18 Beware that the heart of no man, woman, clan, or tribe among you turns away
from the LORD our God today to pursue and serve the gods of those nations;
beware that there is among you no root producing poisonous and bitter fruit.
19 When such a person hears the words of this oath he secretly blesses himself
and says,“I will have peace though I continue to walk with a stubborn
spirit.” This will destroy the watered ground with the parched.
20 The LORD will be unwilling to forgive him, and his intense anger will rage
against that man; all the curses written in this scroll will fall upon him and
the LORD will obliterate his name from memory.
21 The LORD will single him out for judgment from all the tribes of Israel
according to all the curses of the covenant written in this scroll of the law.
22 The generation to come– your descendants who will rise up after you, as
well as the foreigner who will come from distant places– will see the
afflictions of that land and the illnesses that the LORD has brought on it.
23 The whole land will be covered with brimstone, salt, and burning debris; it
will not be planted nor will it sprout or produce grass. It will resemble the
destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD destroyed
in his intense anger.
24 Then all the nations will ask,“Why has the LORD done all this to this land?
What is this fierce, heated display of anger all about?”
25 Then people will say,“Because they abandoned the covenant of the LORD, the
God of their ancestors, which he made with them when he brought them out of the
land of Egypt.
26 They went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods they did not know
and that he did not permit them to worship.
27 That is why the LORD’s anger erupted against this land, bringing on it all
the curses written in this scroll.
28 So the LORD has uprooted them from their land in anger, wrath, and great rage
and has deported them to another land, as is clear today.”
29 Secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those that are revealed belong
to us and our descendants forever, so that we might obey all the words of this
law.

Chapter 30

1 The Results of Covenant Reaffirmation“When you have experienced all these
things, both the blessings and the curses I have set before you, you will
reflect upon them in all the nations where the LORD your God has banished you.
2 Then if you and your descendants turn to the LORD your God and obey him with
your whole mind and being just as I am commanding you today,
3 the LORD your God will reverse your captivity and have pity on you. He will
turn and gather you from all the peoples among whom he has scattered you.
4 Even if your exiles are in the most distant land, from there the LORD your God
will gather you and bring you back.
5 Then he will bring you to the land your ancestors possessed and you also will
possess it; he will do better for you and multiply you more than he did your
ancestors.
6 The LORD your God will also cleanse your heart and the hearts of your
descendants so that you may love him with all your mind and being and so that
you may live.
7 Then the LORD your God will put all these curses on your enemies, on those who
hate you and persecute you.
8 You will return and obey the LORD, keeping all his commandments I am giving
you today.
9 The LORD your God will make the labor of your hands abundantly successful and
multiply your children, the offspring of your cattle, and the produce of your
soil. For the LORD will once more rejoice over you to make you prosperous just
as he rejoiced over your ancestors,
10 if you obey the LORD your God and keep his commandments and statutes that are
written in this scroll of the law. But you must turn to him with your whole mind
and being.
11 Exhortation to Covenant Obedience“This commandment I am giving you today is
not too difficult for you, nor is it too remote.
12 It is not in heaven, as though one must say,“Who will go up to heaven to
get it for us and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?”
13 And it is not across the sea, as though one must say,“Who will cross over
to the other side of the sea and get it for us and proclaim it to us so we may
obey it?”
14 For the thing is very near you– it is in your mouth and in your mind so
that you can do it.
15 “Look! I have set before you today life and prosperity on the one hand, and
death and disaster on the other.
16 What I am commanding you today is to love the LORD your God, to walk in his
ways, and to obey his commandments, his statutes, and his ordinances. Then you
will live and become numerous and the LORD your God will bless you in the land
which you are about to possess.
17 However, if you turn aside and do not obey, but are lured away to worship and
serve other gods,
18 I declare to you this very day that you will certainly perish! You will not
extend your time in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.
19 Today I invoke heaven and earth as a witness against you that I have set life
and death, blessing and curse, before you. Therefore choose life so that you and
your descendants may live!
20 I also call on you to love the LORD your God, to obey him and be loyal to
him, for he gives you life and enables you to live continually in the land the
LORD promised to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

Chapter 31

1 Succession of Moses by Joshua Then Moses went and spoke these words to all
Israel.
2 He said to them,“Today I am a hundred and twenty years old. I am no longer
able to get about, and the LORD has said to me,‘You will not cross the
Jordan.’
3 As for the LORD your God, he is about to cross over before you; he will
destroy these nations before you and you will dispossess them. As for Joshua, he
is about to cross before you just as the LORD has said.
4 The LORD will do to them just what he did to Sihon and Og, the Amorite kings,
and to their land, which he destroyed.
5 The LORD will deliver them over to you and you will do to them according to
the whole commandment I have given you.
6 Be strong and courageous! Do not fear or tremble before them, for the LORD
your God is the one who is going with you. He will not fail you or abandon
you!”
7 Then Moses called out to Joshua in the presence of all Israel,“Be strong and
courageous, for you will accompany these people to the land that the LORD
promised to give their ancestors, and you will enable them to inherit it.
8 The LORD is indeed going before you– he will be with you; he will not fail
you or abandon you. Do not be afraid or discouraged!”
9 The Deposit of the Covenant Text Then Moses wrote down this law and gave it to
the Levitical priests, who carry the ark of the LORD’s covenant, and to all
Israel’s elders.
10 He commanded them:“At the end of seven years, at the appointed time of the
cancellation of debts, at the Feast of Shelters,
11 when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God in the place he
chooses, you must read this law before them within their hearing.
12 Gather the people– men, women, and children, as well as the resident
foreigners in your villages– so they may hear and thus learn about and fear
the LORD your God and carefully obey all the words of this law.
13 Then their children, who have not known this law, will also hear about and
learn to fear the LORD your God for as long as you live in the land you are
crossing the Jordan to possess.”
14 The Commissioning of Joshua Then the LORD said to Moses,“The day of your
death is near. Summon Joshua and present yourselves in the tent of meeting so
that I can commission him.” So Moses and Joshua presented themselves in the
tent of meeting.
15 The LORD appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud that stood above the door
of the tent.
16 Then the LORD said to Moses,“You are about to die, and then these people
will begin to prostitute themselves with the foreign gods of the land into which
they are going. They will reject me and break my covenant that I have made with
them.
17 At that time my anger will erupt against them and I will abandon them and
hide my face from them until they are devoured. Many disasters and distresses
will overcome them so that they will say at that time,‘Have not these
disasters overcome us because our God is not among us?’
18 But I will certainly hide myself at that time because of all the wickedness
they will have done by turning to other gods.
19 Now write down for yourselves the following song and teach it to the
Israelites. Put it into their very mouths so that this song may serve as my
witness against the Israelites!
20 For after I have brought them to the land I promised to their ancestors–
one flowing with milk and honey– and they eat their fill and become fat, then
they will turn to other gods and worship them; they will reject me and break my
covenant.
21 Then when many disasters and distresses overcome them this song will testify
against them, for their descendants will not forget it. I know the intentions
they have in mind today, even before I bring them to the land I have
promised.”
22 So on that day Moses wrote down this song and taught it to the Israelites,
23 and the LORD commissioned Joshua son of Nun,“Be strong and courageous, for
you will take the Israelites to the land I have promised them, and I will be
with you.”
24 Anticipation of Disobedience When Moses finished writing on a scroll the
words of this law in their entirety,
25 he commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the LORD’s covenant,
26 “Take this scroll of the law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of
the LORD your God. It will remain there as a witness against you,
27 for I know about your rebellion and stubbornness. Indeed, even while I have
been living among you to this very day, you have rebelled against the LORD; you
will be even more rebellious after my death!
28 Gather to me all your tribal elders and officials so I can speak to them
directly about these things and call the heavens and the earth to witness
against them.
29 For I know that after I die you will totally corrupt yourselves and turn away
from the path I have commanded you to walk. Disaster will confront you in the
days to come because you will act wickedly before the LORD, inciting him to
anger because of your actions.”
30 Then Moses recited the words of this song from start to finish in the hearing
of the whole assembly of Israel.

Chapter 32

1 Invocation of Witnesses Listen, O heavens, and I will speak; hear, O earth,
the words of my mouth.
2 My teaching will drop like the rain, my sayings will drip like the dew, as
rain drops upon the grass, and showers upon new growth.
3 For I will proclaim the name of the LORD; you must acknowledge the greatness
of our God.
4 As for the Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are just. He is a
reliable God who is never unjust, he is fair and upright.
5 His people have been unfaithful to him; they have not acted like his
children– this is their sin. They are a perverse and deceitful generation.
6 Is this how you repay the LORD, you foolish, unwise people? Is he not your
father, your Creator? He has made you and established you.
7 Remember the ancient days; bear in mind the years of past generations. Ask
your father and he will inform you, your elders, and they will tell you.
8 When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided up
humankind, he set the boundaries of the peoples, according to the number of the
heavenly assembly.
9 For the LORD’s allotment is his people, Jacob is his special possession.
10 The LORD found him in a desolate land, in an empty wasteland where animals
howl. He continually guarded him and taught him; he continually protected him
like the pupil of his eye.
11 Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that hovers over its young, so the LORD
spread out his wings and took him, he lifted him up on his pinions.
12 The LORD alone was guiding him, no foreign god was with him.
13 He enabled him to travel over the high terrain of the land, and he ate of the
produce of the fields. He provided honey for him from the cliffs, and olive oil
from the hardest of rocks,
14 butter from the herd and milk from the flock, along with the fat of lambs,
rams and goats of Bashan, along with the best of the kernels of wheat; and from
the juice of grapes you drank wine.
15 Israel’s Rebellion But Jeshurun became fat and kicked, you got fat, thick,
and stuffed! Then he deserted the God who made him, and treated the Rock who
saved him with contempt.
16 They made him jealous with other gods, they enraged him with abhorrent idols.
17 They sacrificed to demons, not God, to gods they had not known; to new gods
who had recently come along, gods your ancestors had not known about.
18 You have forgotten the Rock who fathered you, and put out of mind the God who
gave you birth.
19 A Word of Judgment But the LORD took note and despised them because his sons
and daughters enraged him.
20 He said,“I will reject them, I will see what will happen to them; for they
are a perverse generation, children who show no loyalty.
21 They have made me jealous with false gods, enraging me with their worthless
gods; so I will make them jealous with a people they do not recognize, with a
nation slow to learn I will enrage them.
22 For a fire has been kindled by my anger, and it burns to lowest Sheol; it
consumes the earth and its produce, and ignites the foundations of the
mountains.
23 I will increase their disasters, I will use up my arrows on them.
24 They will be starved by famine, eaten by plague, and bitterly stung; I will
send the teeth of wild animals against them, along with the poison of creatures
that crawl in the dust.
25 The sword will make people childless outside, and terror will do so inside;
they will destroy both the young man and the virgin, the infant and the
gray-haired man.
26 The Weakness of Other Gods“I said,‘I want to cut them in pieces. I want
to make people forget they ever existed.
27 But I fear the reaction of their enemies, for their adversaries would
misunderstand and say,“Our power is great, and the LORD has not done all
this!”’
28 They are a nation devoid of wisdom, and there is no understanding among them.
29 I wish that they were wise and could understand this, and that they could
comprehend what will happen to them.”
30 How can one man chase a thousand of them, and two pursue ten thousand; unless
their Rock had delivered them up, and the LORD had handed them over?
31 For our enemies’ rock is not like our Rock, as even our enemies concede.
32 For their vine is from the stock of Sodom, and from the fields of Gomorrah.
Their grapes contain venom, their clusters of grapes are bitter.
33 Their wine is snakes’ poison, the deadly venom of cobras.
34 “Is this not stored up with me?” says the LORD,“Is it not sealed up in
my storehouses?
35 I will get revenge and pay them back at the time their foot slips; for the
day of their disaster is near, and the impending judgment is rushing upon
them!”
36 The LORD will judge his people, and will change his plans concerning his
servants; when he sees that their power has disappeared, and that no one is
left, whether confined or set free.
37 He will say,“Where are their gods, the rock in whom they sought security,
38 who ate the best of their sacrifices, and drank the wine of their drink
offerings? Let them rise and help you; let them be your refuge!
39 The Vindication of the Lord“See now that I, indeed I, am he!” says the
LORD,“and there is no other god besides me. I kill and give life, I smash and
I heal, and none can resist my power.
40 For I raise up my hand to heaven, and say,‘As surely as I live forever,
41 I will sharpen my lightning-like sword, and my hand will grasp hold of the
weapon of judgment; I will execute vengeance on my foes, and repay those who
hate me!
42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood, and my sword will devour flesh– the
blood of the slaughtered and captured, the chief of the enemy’s leaders!’”
43 Cry out, O nations, with his people, for he will avenge his servants’
blood; he will take vengeance against his enemies, and make atonement for his
land and people.
44 Narrative Interlude Then Moses went with Joshua son of Nun and recited all
the words of this song to the people.
45 When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel
46 he said to them,“Keep in mind all the words I am solemnly proclaiming to
you today; you must command your children to observe carefully all the words of
this law.
47 For this is no idle word for you– it is your life! By this word you will
live a long time in the land you are about to cross the Jordan to possess.”
48 Instructions about Moses’ Death Then the LORD said to Moses that same day,
49 “Go up to this Abarim hill country, to Mount Nebo(which is in the land of
Moab opposite Jericho) and look at the land of Canaan that I am giving to the
Israelites as a possession.
50 You will die on the mountain that you ascend and join your deceased
ancestors, just as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor and joined his deceased
ancestors,
51 for both of you rebelled against me among the Israelites at the waters of
Meribah Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin when you did not show me proper respect
among the Israelites.
52 You will see the land before you, but you will not enter the land that I am
giving to the Israelites.”

Chapter 33

1 Introduction to the Blessing of Moses This is the blessing Moses the man of
God pronounced upon the Israelites before his death.
2 He said:A Historical Review The LORD came from Sinai and revealed himself to
Israel from Seir. He appeared in splendor from Mount Paran, and came forth with
ten thousand holy ones. With his right hand he gave a fiery law to them.
3 Surely he loves the people; all your holy ones are in your power. And they sit
at your feet, each receiving your words.
4 Moses delivered to us a law, an inheritance for the assembly of Jacob.
5 The LORD was king over Jeshurun, when the leaders of the people assembled, the
tribes of Israel together.
6 Blessing on Reuben May Reuben live and not die, and may his people multiply.
7 Blessing on Judah And this is the blessing to Judah. He said, Listen, O LORD,
to Judah’s voice, and bring him to his people. May his power be great, and may
you help him against his foes.
8 Blessing on Levi Of Levi he said: Your Thummim and Urim belong to your godly
one, whose authority you challenged at Massah, and with whom you argued at the
waters of Meribah.
9 He said to his father and mother,“I have not seen him,” and he did not
acknowledge his own brothers or know his own children, for they kept your word,
and guarded your covenant.
10 They will teach Jacob your ordinances and Israel your law; they will offer
incense as a pleasant odor, and a whole offering on your altar.
11 Bless, O LORD, his goods, and be pleased with his efforts; undercut the legs
of any who attack him, and of those who hate him, so that they cannot stand.
12 Blessing on Benjamin Of Benjamin he said: The beloved of the LORD will live
safely by him; he protects him all the time, and the LORD places him on his
chest.
13 Blessing on Joseph Of Joseph he said: May the LORD bless his land with the
harvest produced by the sky, by the dew, and by the depths crouching beneath;
14 with the harvest produced by the daylight and by the moonlight;
15 with the best of the ancient mountains and the harvest produced by the
age-old hills;
16 with the harvest of the earth and its fullness and the pleasure of him who
resided in the burning bush. May blessing rest on Joseph’s head, and on the
top of the head of the one set apart from his brothers.
17 May the firstborn of his bull bring him honor, and may his horns be those of
a wild ox; with them may he gore all peoples, all the far reaches of the earth.
They are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.
18 Blessing on Zebulun and Issachar Of Zebulun he said: Rejoice, Zebulun, when
you go outside, and Issachar, when you are in your tents.
19 They will summon peoples to the mountain, there they will sacrifice proper
sacrifices; for they will enjoy the abundance of the seas, and the hidden
treasures of the shores.
20 Blessing on Gad Of Gad he said: Blessed be the one who enlarges Gad. Like a
lioness he will dwell; he will tear at an arm– indeed, a scalp.
21 He has selected the best part for himself, for the portion of the ruler is
set aside there; he came with the leaders of the people, he obeyed the righteous
laws of the LORD and his ordinances with Israel.
22 Blessing on Dan Of Dan he said: Dan is a lion’s cub; he will leap forth
from Bashan.
23 Blessing on Naphtali Of Naphtali he said: O Naphtali, overflowing with favor,
and full of the LORD’s blessing, possess the west and south.
24 Blessing on Asher Of Asher he said: Asher is blessed with children, may he be
favored by his brothers and may he dip his foot in olive oil.
25 The bars of your gates will be made of iron and bronze, and may you have
lifelong strength.
26 General Praise and Blessing There is no one like God, O Jeshurun, who rides
through the sky to help you, on the clouds in majesty.
27 The everlasting God is a refuge, and underneath you are his eternal arms; he
has driven out enemies before you, and has said,“Destroy!”
28 Israel lives in safety, the fountain of Jacob is quite secure, in a land of
grain and new wine; indeed, its heavens rain down dew.
29 You have joy, Israel! Who is like you? You are a people delivered by the
LORD, your protective shield and your exalted sword. May your enemies cringe
before you; may you trample on their backs.

Chapter 34

1 The Death of Moses Then Moses ascended from the rift valley plains of Moab to
Mount Nebo, to the summit of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. The LORD showed
him the whole land– Gilead to Dan,
2 and all of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah
as far as the distant sea,
3 the Negev, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of date palm
trees, as far as Zoar.
4 Then the LORD said to him,“This is the land I promised to Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob when I said,‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you
see it, but you will not cross over there.”
5 So Moses, the servant of the LORD, died there in the land of Moab as the LORD
had said.
6 He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab near Beth Peor, but no one
knows his exact burial place to this very day.
7 Moses was 120 years old when he died, but his eye was not dull nor had his
vitality departed.
8 The Israelites mourned for Moses in the rift valley plains of Moab for thirty
days; then the days of mourning for Moses ended.
9 The Epitaph of Moses Now Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom,
for Moses had placed his hands on him; and the Israelites listened to him and
did just what the LORD had commanded Moses.
10 No prophet ever again arose in Israel like Moses, who knew the LORD face to
face.
11 He did all the signs and wonders the LORD had sent him to do in the land of
Egypt, to Pharaoh, all his servants, and the whole land,
12 and he displayed great power and awesome might in view of all Israel.


Joshua

Chapter 1

1 ¶ The Lord Commissions Joshua After Moses the LORD’s servant died, the LORD
said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant:
2 “Moses my servant is dead. Get ready! Cross the Jordan River! Lead these
people into the land which I am ready to hand over to them.
3 I am handing over to you every place you set foot, as I promised Moses.
4 Your territory will extend from the desert in the south to Lebanon in the
north. It will extend all the way to the great River Euphrates in the
east(including all of Syria) and all the way to the Mediterranean Sea in the
west.
5 No one will be able to resist you all the days of your life. As I was with
Moses, so I will be with you. I will not abandon you or leave you alone.
6 Be strong and brave! You must lead these people in the conquest of this land
that I solemnly promised their ancestors I would hand over to them.
7 Make sure you are very strong and brave! Carefully obey all the law my servant
Moses charged you to keep! Do not swerve from it to the right or to the left, so
that you may be successful in all you do.
8 This law scroll must not leave your lips! You must memorize it day and night
so you can carefully obey all that is written in it. Then you will prosper and
be successful.
9 I repeat, be strong and brave! Don’t be afraid and don’t panic, for I, the
LORD your God, am with you in all you do.”
10 Joshua Prepares for the Invasion Joshua instructed the leaders of the people:
11 “Go through the camp and command the people,‘Prepare your supplies, for
within three days you will cross the Jordan River and begin the conquest of the
land the LORD your God is ready to hand over to you.’”
12 Joshua told the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh:
13 “Remember what Moses the LORD’s servant commanded you. The LORD your God
is giving you a place to settle and is handing this land over to you.
14 Your wives, children and cattle may stay in the land that Moses assigned to
you east of the Jordan River. But all you warriors must cross over armed for
battle ahead of your brothers. You must help them
15 until the LORD gives your brothers a place like yours to settle and they
conquer the land the LORD your God is ready to hand over to them. Then you may
go back to your allotted land and occupy the land Moses the LORD’s servant
assigned you east of the Jordan.”
16 They told Joshua,“We will do everything you say. We will go wherever you
send us.
17 Just as we obeyed Moses, so we will obey you. But may the LORD your God be
with you as he was with Moses!
18 Any man who rebels against what you say and does not obey all your commands
will be executed. But be strong and brave!”

Chapter 2

1 Joshua Sends Spies into the Land Joshua son of Nun sent two spies out from
Shittim secretly and instructed them:“Find out what you can about the land,
especially Jericho.” They stopped at the house of a prostitute named Rahab and
spent the night there.
2 The king of Jericho received this report:“Note well! Israelite men have come
here tonight to spy on the land.”
3 So the king of Jericho sent this order to Rahab:“Turn over the men who came
to you– the ones who came to your house– for they have come to spy on the
whole land!”
4 But the woman hid the two men and replied,“Yes, these men were clients of
mine, but I didn’t know where they came from.
5 When it was time to shut the city gate for the night, the men left. I don’t
know where they were heading. Chase after them quickly, for you have time to
catch them!”
6 (Now she had taken them up to the roof and had hidden them in the stalks of
flax she had spread out on the roof.)
7 Meanwhile the king’s men tried to find them on the road to the Jordan River
near the fords. The city gate was shut as soon as they set out in pursuit of
them.
8 Now before the spies went to sleep, Rahab went up to the roof.
9 She said to the men,“I know the LORD is handing this land over to you. We
are absolutely terrified of you, and all who live in the land are cringing
before you.
10 For we heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when
you left Egypt and how you annihilated the two Amorite kings, Sihon and Og, on
the other side of the Jordan.
11 When we heard the news we lost our courage and no one could even breathe for
fear of you. For the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on earth below!
12 So now, promise me this with an oath sworn in the LORD’s name. Because I
have shown allegiance to you, show allegiance to my family. Give me a solemn
pledge
13 that you will spare the lives of my father, mother, brothers, sisters, and
all who belong to them, and rescue us from death.”
14 The men said to her,“If you die, may we die too! If you do not report what
we’ve been up to, then, when the LORD hands the land over to us, we will show
unswerving allegiance to you.”
15 Then Rahab let them down by a rope through the window.(Her house was built as
part of the city wall; she lived in the wall.)
16 She told them,“Head to the hill country, so the ones chasing you don’t
find you. Hide from them there for three days, long enough for those chasing you
to return. Then you can be on your way.”
17 The men said to her,“We are not bound by this oath you made us swear unless
the following conditions are met:
18 When we invade the land, tie this red rope in the window through which you
let us down, and gather together in your house your father, mother, brothers,
and all who live in your father’s house.
19 Anyone who leaves your house will be responsible for his own death– we are
innocent in that case! But if anyone with you in the house is harmed, we will be
responsible.
20 If you should report what we’ve been up to, we are not bound by this oath
you made us swear.”
21 She said,“I agree to these conditions.” She sent them on their way and
then tied the red rope in the window.
22 They went to the hill country and stayed there for three days, long enough
for those chasing them to return. Their pursuers looked all along the way but
did not find them.
23 Then the two men returned– they came down from the hills, crossed the
river, came to Joshua son of Nun, and reported to him all they had discovered.
24 They told Joshua,“Surely the LORD is handing over all the land to us! All
who live in the land are cringing before us!”

Chapter 3

1 Israel Crosses the Jordan Bright and early the next morning Joshua and the
Israelites left Shittim and came to the Jordan. They camped there before
crossing the river.
2 After three days the leaders went through the camp
3 and commanded the people:“When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD
your God being carried by the Levitical priests, you must leave here and walk
behind it.
4 But stay about three thousand feet behind it. Keep your distance so you can
see which way you should go, for you have not traveled this way before.”
5 Joshua told the people,“Ritually consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the
LORD will perform miraculous deeds among you.”
6 Joshua told the priests,“Pick up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead
of the people.” So they picked up the ark of the covenant and went ahead of
the people.
7 The LORD told Joshua,“This very day I will begin to honor you before all
Israel so they will know that I am with you just as I was with Moses.
8 Instruct the priests carrying the ark of the covenant,‘When you reach the
bank of the Jordan River, wade into the water.’”
9 Joshua told the Israelites,“Come here and listen to the words of the LORD
your God!”
10 Joshua continued,“This is how you will know the living God is among you and
that he will truly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites,
Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites.
11 Look! The ark of the covenant of the Lord of the whole earth is ready to
enter the Jordan ahead of you.
12 Now select for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one per
tribe.
13 When the feet of the priests carrying the ark of the LORD, the Lord of the
whole earth, touch the water of the Jordan, the water coming downstream toward
you will stop flowing and pile up.”
14 So when the people left their tents to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying
the ark of the covenant went ahead of them.
15 When the ones carrying the ark reached the Jordan and the feet of the priests
carrying the ark touched the surface of the water–(the Jordan is at flood
stage all during harvest time)–
16 the water coming downstream toward them stopped flowing. It piled up far
upstream at Adam(the city near Zarethan); there was no water at all flowing to
the sea of the rift valley(the Salt Sea). The people crossed the river opposite
Jericho.
17 The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firmly on dry
ground in the middle of the Jordan. All Israel crossed over on dry ground until
the entire nation was on the other side.

Chapter 4

1 Israel Commemorates the Crossing When the entire nation was on the other side,
the LORD told Joshua,
2 “Select for yourselves twelve men from the people, one per tribe.
3 Instruct them,‘Pick up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from the
very place where the priests stand firmly, and carry them over with you and put
them in the place where you camp tonight.’”
4 Joshua summoned the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one per
tribe.
5 Joshua told them,“Go in front of the ark of the LORD your God to the middle
of the Jordan. Each of you is to put a stone on his shoulder, according to the
number of the Israelite tribes.
6 The stones will be a reminder to you. When your children ask someday,‘Why
are these stones important to you?’
7 tell them how the water of the Jordan stopped flowing before the ark of the
covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the water of the Jordan
stopped flowing. These stones will be a lasting memorial for the Israelites.”
8 The Israelites did just as Joshua commanded. They picked up twelve stones,
according to the number of the Israelite tribes, from the middle of the Jordan
as the LORD had instructed Joshua. They carried them over with them to the camp
and put them there.
9 Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan in the very place
where the priests carrying the ark of the covenant stood. They remain there to
this very day.
10 Now the priests carrying the ark of the covenant were standing in the middle
of the Jordan until everything the Lord had commanded Joshua to tell the people
was accomplished, in accordance with all that Moses had commanded Joshua. The
people went across quickly,
11 and when all the people had finished crossing, the ark of the LORD and the
priests crossed as the people looked on.
12 The Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over armed
for battle ahead of the Israelites, just as Moses had instructed them.
13 About forty thousand battle-ready troops marched past the LORD to fight on
the rift valley plains of Jericho.
14 That day the LORD brought honor to Joshua before all Israel. They respected
him all his life, just as they had respected Moses.
15 The LORD told Joshua,
16 “Instruct the priests carrying the ark of the covenantal laws to come up
from the Jordan.”
17 So Joshua instructed the priests,“Come up from the Jordan!”
18 The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD came up from the
middle of the Jordan, and as soon as they set foot on dry land, the water of the
Jordan flowed again and returned to flood stage.
19 The people went up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month and
camped in Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho.
20 Now Joshua set up in Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan.
21 He told the Israelites,“When your children someday ask their
fathers,‘What do these stones represent?’
22 explain to your children,‘Israel crossed the Jordan River on dry ground.’
23 For the LORD your God dried up the water of the Jordan before you while you
crossed over. It was just like when the LORD your God dried up the Red Sea
before us while we crossed it.
24 He has done this so all the nations of the earth might recognize the LORD’s
power and so you might always obey the LORD your God.”

Chapter 5

1 When all the Amorite kings on the west side of the Jordan and all the
Canaanite kings along the seacoast heard how the LORD had dried up the water of
the Jordan before the Israelites while they crossed, they lost their courage and
could not even breathe for fear of the Israelites.
2 A New Generation is Circumcised At that time the LORD told Joshua,“Make
flint knives and circumcise the Israelites once again.”
3 So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites on the Hill of the
Foreskins.
4 This is why Joshua had to circumcise them: All the men old enough to fight
when they left Egypt died on the journey through the wilderness after they left
Egypt.
5 Now all the men who left were circumcised, but all the sons born on the
journey through the wilderness after they left Egypt were uncircumcised.
6 Indeed, for forty years the Israelites traveled through the wilderness until
all the men old enough to fight when they left Egypt, the ones who had disobeyed
the LORD, died off. For the LORD had sworn a solemn oath to them that he would
not let them see the land he had sworn by oath to their ancestors to give them,
a land rich in milk and honey.
7 He replaced them with their sons, whom Joshua circumcised. They were
uncircumcised; their fathers had not circumcised them along the way.
8 When all the men had been circumcised, they stayed there in the camp until
they had healed.
9 The LORD said to Joshua,“Today I have taken away the disgrace of Egypt from
you.” So that place is called Gilgal even to this day.
10 So the Israelites camped in Gilgal and celebrated the Passover in the evening
of the fourteenth day of the month in the rift valley plains of Jericho.
11 They ate some of the produce of the land the day after the Passover,
including unleavened bread and roasted grain.
12 The manna stopped appearing the day they ate some of the produce of the land;
the Israelites never ate manna again. They ate from the produce of the land of
Canaan that year.
13 Israel Conquers Jericho When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a
man standing in front of him holding a drawn sword. Joshua approached him and
asked him,“Are you on our side or allied with our enemies?”
14 He answered,“Truly I am the commander of the LORD’s army. Now I have
arrived!” Joshua bowed down with his face to the ground and asked,“What does
my master want to say to his servant?”
15 The commander of the LORD’s army answered Joshua,“Remove your sandals
from your feet, because the place where you stand is holy.” Joshua did so.

Chapter 6

1 Now Jericho was shut tightly because of the Israelites. No one was allowed to
leave or enter.
2 The LORD told Joshua,“See, I am about to defeat Jericho for you, along with
its king and its warriors.
3 Have all the warriors march around the city one time; do this for six days.
4 Have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the
seventh day march around the city seven times, while the priests blow the horns.
5 When you hear the signal from the ram’s horn, have the whole army give a
loud battle cry. Then the city wall will collapse and the warriors should charge
straight ahead.”
6 So Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and instructed them,“Pick up the
ark of the covenant, and seven priests must carry seven rams’ horns in front
of the ark of the LORD.”
7 And he told the army,“Move ahead and march around the city, with armed
troops going ahead of the ark of the LORD.”
8 When Joshua gave the army its orders, the seven priests carrying the seven
rams’ horns before the LORD moved ahead and blew the horns as the ark of the
covenant of the LORD followed behind.
9 Armed troops marched ahead of the priests blowing the horns, while the rear
guard followed along behind the ark blowing rams’ horns.
10 Now Joshua had instructed the army,“Do not give a battle cry or raise your
voices; say nothing until the day I tell you,‘Give the battle cry.’ Then
give the battle cry!”
11 So Joshua made sure they marched the ark of the LORD around the city one
time. Then they went back to the camp and spent the night there.
12 Bright and early the next morning Joshua had the priests pick up the ark of
the LORD.
13 The seven priests carrying the seven rams’ horns before the ark of the LORD
marched along blowing their horns. Armed troops marched ahead of them, while the
rear guard followed along behind the ark of the LORD blowing rams’ horns.
14 They marched around the city one time on the second day, then returned to the
camp. They did this six days in all.
15 On the seventh day they were up at the crack of dawn and marched around the
city as before– only this time they marched around it seven times.
16 The seventh time around, the priests blew the rams’ horns and Joshua told
the army,“Give the battle cry, for the LORD is handing the city over to you!
17 The city and all that is in it must be set apart for the LORD; only Rahab the
prostitute and all who are with her in her house will live, because she hid the
spies we sent.
18 But be careful when you are setting apart the riches for God. If you take any
of it, you will make the Israelite camp subject to annihilation and cause a
disaster.
19 All the silver and gold, as well as bronze and iron items, belong to the
LORD. They must go into the LORD’s treasury.”
20 The rams’ horns sounded and when the army heard the signal, they gave a
loud battle cry. The wall collapsed and the warriors charged straight ahead into
the city and captured it.
21 They annihilated with the sword everything that breathed in the city,
including men and women, young and old, as well as cattle, sheep, and donkeys.
22 Joshua told the two men who had spied on the land,“Enter the prostitute’s
house and bring out the woman and all who belong to her as you promised her.”
23 So the young spies went and brought out Rahab, her father, mother, brothers,
and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and took them to
a place outside the Israelite camp.
24 But they burned the city and all that was in it, except for the silver, gold,
and bronze and iron items they put in the treasury of the LORD’s house.
25 Yet Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, her father’s family, and all who
belonged to her. She lives in Israel to this very day because she hid the
messengers Joshua sent to spy on Jericho.
26 At that time Joshua made this solemn declaration:“The man who attempts to
rebuild this city of Jericho will stand condemned before the LORD. He will lose
his firstborn son when he lays its foundations and his youngest son when he
erects its gates!”
27 The LORD was with Joshua and he became famous throughout the land.

Chapter 7

1 Achan Sins and is Punished But the Israelites disobeyed the command about the
city’s riches. Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, from the tribe
of Judah, stole some of the riches. The LORD was furious with the Israelites.
2 Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai(which is located near Beth Aven, east of
Bethel) and instructed them,“Go up and spy on the land.” So the men went up
and spied on Ai.
3 They returned and reported to Joshua,“Don’t send the whole army. About two
or three thousand men are adequate to defeat Ai. Don’t tire out the whole
army, for Ai is small.”
4 So about three thousand men went up, but they fled from the men of Ai.
5 The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them and chased them from in front of
the city gate all the way to the fissures and defeated them on the steep slope.
The people’s courage melted away like water.
6 Joshua tore his clothes; he and the leaders of Israel lay face down on the
ground before the ark of the LORD until evening and threw dirt on their heads.
7 Joshua prayed,“O, Sovereign LORD! Why did you bring these people across the
Jordan to hand us over to the Amorites so they could destroy us? If only we had
been satisfied to live on the other side of the Jordan!
8 O Lord, what can I say now that Israel has retreated before its enemies?
9 When the Canaanites and all who live in the land hear about this, they will
turn against us and destroy the very memory of us from the earth. What will you
do to protect your great reputation?”
10 The LORD responded to Joshua,“Get up! Why are you lying there face down?
11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenantal commandment! They have
taken some of the riches; they have stolen them and deceitfully put them among
their own possessions.
12 The Israelites are unable to stand before their enemies; they retreat because
they have become subject to annihilation. I will no longer be with you, unless
you destroy what has contaminated you.
13 Get up! Ritually consecrate the people and tell them this:‘Ritually
consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, because this is what the LORD God of Israel
has said,“You are contaminated, O Israel! You will not be able to stand before
your enemies until you remove what is contaminating you.”
14 In the morning you must approach in tribal order. The tribe the LORD selects
must approach by clans. The clan the LORD selects must approach by families. The
family the LORD selects must approach man by man.
15 The one caught with the riches must be burned up along with all who belong to
him, because he violated the LORD’s covenant and did such a disgraceful thing
in Israel.’”
16 Bright and early the next morning Joshua made Israel approach in tribal
order, and the tribe of Judah was selected.
17 He then made the clans of Judah approach, and the clan of the Zerahites was
selected. He made the clan of the Zerahites approach, and Zabdi was selected.
18 He then made Zabdi’s family approach man by man and Achan son of Carmi, son
of Zabdi, son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, was selected.
19 So Joshua said to Achan,“My son, honor the LORD God of Israel and give him
praise! Tell me what you did; don’t hide anything from me!”
20 Achan told Joshua,“It is true. I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel
in this way:
21 I saw among the goods we seized a nice robe from Babylon, two hundred silver
pieces, and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels. I wanted them, so I took them.
They are hidden in the ground right in the middle of my tent with the silver
underneath.”
22 Joshua sent messengers who ran to the tent. The things were hidden right in
his tent, with the silver underneath.
23 They took it all from the middle of the tent, brought it to Joshua and all
the Israelites, and placed it before the LORD.
24 Then Joshua and all Israel took Achan, son of Zerah, along with the silver,
the robe, the bar of gold, his sons, daughters, ox, donkey, sheep, tent, and all
that belonged to him and brought them up to the Valley of Disaster.
25 Joshua said,“Why have you brought disaster on us? The LORD will bring
disaster on you today!” All Israel stoned him to death.(They also stoned and
burned the others.)
26 Then they erected over him a large pile of stones(it remains to this very
day) and the LORD’s anger subsided. So that place is called the Valley of
Disaster to this very day.

Chapter 8

1 Israel Conquers Ai The LORD told Joshua,“Don’t be afraid and don’t
panic! Take the whole army with you and march against Ai! See, I am handing over
to you the king of Ai, along with his people, city, and land.
2 Do to Ai and its king what you did to Jericho and its king, except you may
plunder its goods and cattle. Set an ambush behind the city!”
3 Joshua and the whole army marched against Ai. Joshua selected thirty thousand
brave warriors and sent them out at night.
4 He ordered them,“Look, set an ambush behind the city. Don’t go very far
from the city; all of you be ready!
5 I and all the troops who are with me will approach the city. When they come
out to fight us like before, we will retreat from them.
6 They will attack us until we have lured them from the city, for they will
say,‘They are retreating from us like before.’ We will retreat from them.
7 Then you rise up from your hiding place and seize the city. The LORD your God
will hand it over to you.
8 When you capture the city, set it on fire in keeping with the Lord’s
message. See, I have given you orders.”
9 Joshua sent them away and they went to their hiding place west of Ai, between
Bethel and Ai. Joshua spent that night with the army.
10 Bright and early the next morning Joshua gathered the army, and he and the
leaders of Israel marched at the head of it to Ai.
11 All the troops that were with him marched up and drew near the city. They
camped north of Ai on the other side of the valley.
12 He took five thousand men and set an ambush west of the city between Bethel
and Ai.
13 The army was in position– the main army north of the city and the rear
guard west of the city. That night Joshua went into the middle of the valley.
14 When the king of Ai saw Israel, they rushed to get up early. Then the men of
the city went out to meet Israel in battle, he and all his people, at the
meeting place near the rift valley. But he did not realize an ambush was waiting
for him behind the city.
15 Joshua and all Israel pretended to be defeated by them and they retreated
along the way to the wilderness.
16 All the reinforcements in Ai were ordered to chase them; they chased Joshua
and were lured away from the city.
17 No men were left in Ai or Bethel; they all went out after Israel. They left
the city wide open and chased Israel.
18 The LORD told Joshua,“Hold out toward Ai the curved sword in your hand, for
I am handing the city over to you.” So Joshua held out toward Ai the curved
sword in his hand.
19 When he held out his hand, the men waiting in ambush rose up quickly from
their place and attacked. They entered the city, captured it, and immediately
set it on fire.
20 When the men of Ai turned around, they saw the smoke from the city ascending
into the sky and were so shocked they were unable to flee in any direction. In
the meantime the men who were retreating to the wilderness turned against their
pursuers.
21 When Joshua and all Israel saw that the men in ambush had captured the city
and that the city was going up in smoke, they turned around and struck down the
men of Ai.
22 At the same time the men who had taken the city came out to fight, and the
men of Ai were trapped in the middle. The Israelites struck them down, leaving
no survivors or refugees.
23 But they captured the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.
24 When Israel had finished killing all the men of Ai who had chased them toward
the wilderness(they all fell by the sword), all Israel returned to Ai and put
the sword to it.
25 Twelve thousand men and women died that day, including all the men of Ai.
26 Joshua kept holding out his curved sword until Israel had annihilated all who
lived in Ai.
27 But Israel did plunder the cattle and the goods of the city, in keeping with
the LORD’s orders to Joshua.
28 Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanently uninhabited mound(it remains that
way to this very day).
29 He hung the king of Ai on a tree, leaving him exposed until evening. At
sunset Joshua ordered that his corpse be taken down from the tree. They threw it
down at the entrance of the city gate and erected over it a large pile of
stones(it remains to this very day).
30 Covenant Renewal Then Joshua built an altar for the LORD God of Israel on
Mount Ebal,
31 just as Moses the LORD’s servant had commanded the Israelites. As described
in the law scroll of Moses, it was made with uncut stones untouched by an iron
tool. On it they offered burnt sacrifices to the LORD and sacrificed tokens of
peace.
32 There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua inscribed on the stones a
duplicate of the law written by Moses.
33 All the people, rulers, leaders, and judges were standing on either side of
the ark, in front of the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant
of the LORD. Both resident foreigners and native Israelites were there. Half the
people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and the other half in front of Mount
Ebal, as Moses the LORD’s servant had previously instructed to them to do for
the formal blessing ceremony.
34 Then Joshua read aloud all the words of the law, including the blessings and
the curses, just as they are written in the law scroll.
35 Joshua read aloud every commandment Moses had given before the whole assembly
of Israel, including the women, children, and resident foreigners who lived
among them.

Chapter 9

1 The Gibeonites Deceive Israel When the news reached all the kings on the west
side of the Jordan– in the hill country, the foothills, and all along the
Mediterranean coast as far as Lebanon(including the Hittites, Amorites,
Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites)–
2 they formed an alliance to fight against Joshua and Israel.
3 When the residents of Gibeon heard what Joshua did to Jericho and Ai,
4 they did something clever. They collected some provisions and put worn-out
sacks on their donkeys, along with worn-out wineskins that were ripped and
patched.
5 They had worn-out, patched sandals on their feet and dressed in worn-out
clothes. All their bread was dry and hard.
6 They came to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal and said to him and the men of
Israel,“We have come from a distant land. Make a treaty with us.”
7 The men of Israel said to the Hivites,“Perhaps you live near us. So how can
we make a treaty with you?”
8 But they said to Joshua,“We are willing to be your subjects.” So Joshua
said to them,“Who are you and where do you come from?”
9 They told him,“Your subjects have come from a very distant land because of
the reputation of the LORD your God, for we have heard the news about all he did
in Egypt
10 and all he did to the two Amorite kings on the other side of the Jordan–
King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan in Ashtaroth.
11 Our leaders and all who live in our land told us,‘Take provisions for your
journey and go meet them. Tell them,“We are willing to be your subjects. Make
a treaty with us.”’
12 This bread of ours was warm when we packed it in our homes the day we started
out to meet you, but now it is dry and hard.
13 These wineskins we filled were brand new, but look how they have ripped. Our
clothes and sandals have worn out because it has been a very long journey.”
14 The men examined some of their provisions, but they failed to ask the
LORD’s advice.
15 Joshua made a peace treaty with them and agreed to let them live. The leaders
of the community sealed it with an oath.
16 Three days after they made the treaty with them, the Israelites found out
they were from the local area and lived nearby.
17 So the Israelites set out and on the third day arrived at their cities–
Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim.
18 The Israelites did not attack them because the leaders of the community had
sworn an oath to them in the name of the LORD God of Israel. The whole community
criticized the leaders,
19 but all the leaders told the whole community,“We swore an oath to them in
the name of the LORD God of Israel. So now we can’t hurt them!
20 We must let them live so we can escape the curse attached to the oath we
swore to them.”
21 The leaders then added,“Let them live.” So they became woodcutters and
water carriers for the whole community, as the leaders had decided.
22 Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and said to them,“Why did you trick us by
saying,‘We live far away from you,’ when you really live nearby?
23 Now you are condemned to perpetual servitude as woodcutters and water
carriers for the house of my God.”
24 They said to Joshua,“It was carefully reported to your subjects how the
LORD your God commanded Moses his servant to assign you the whole land and to
destroy all who live in the land from before you. Because of you we were
terrified we would lose our lives, so we did this thing.
25 So now we are in your power. Do to us what you think is good and
appropriate.”
26 Joshua did as they said; he kept the Israelites from killing them
27 and that day made them woodcutters and water carriers for the community and
for the altar of the LORD at the divinely chosen site.(They continue in that
capacity to this very day.)

Chapter 10

1 Israel Defeats an Amorite Coalition Adoni-Zedek, king of Jerusalem, heard how
Joshua captured Ai and annihilated it and its king as he did Jericho and its
king. He also heard how the people of Gibeon made peace with Israel and lived
among them.
2 All Jerusalem was terrified because Gibeon was a large city, like one of the
royal cities. It was larger than Ai and all its men were warriors.
3 So King Adoni-Zedek of Jerusalem sent this message to King Hoham of Hebron,
King Piram of Jarmuth, King Japhia of Lachish, and King Debir of Eglon:
4 “Come to my aid so we can attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua
and the Israelites.”
5 So the five Amorite kings(the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish,
and Eglon) and all their troops gathered together and advanced. They deployed
their troops and fought against Gibeon.
6 The men of Gibeon sent this message to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal,“Do not
abandon your subjects! Come up here quickly and rescue us! Help us! For all the
Amorite kings living in the hill country are attacking us.”
7 So Joshua and his whole army, including the bravest warriors, marched up from
Gilgal.
8 The LORD told Joshua,“Don’t be afraid of them, for I am handing them over
to you. Not one of them can resist you.”
9 Joshua attacked them by surprise after marching all night from Gilgal.
10 The LORD routed them before Israel. Israel thoroughly defeated them at
Gibeon. They chased them up the road to the pass of Beth Horon and struck them
down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah.
11 As they fled from Israel on the slope leading down from Beth Horon, the LORD
threw down on them large hailstones from the sky, all the way to Azekah. They
died– in fact, more died from the hailstones than the Israelites killed with
the sword.
12 The day the LORD delivered the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua prayed
to the LORD before Israel:“O sun, stand still over Gibeon! O moon, over the
Valley of Aijalon!”
13 The sun stood still and the moon stood motionless while the nation took
vengeance on its enemies. The event is recorded in the Scroll of the Upright
One. The sun stood motionless in the middle of the sky and did not set for about
a full day.
14 There has not been a day like it before or since. The LORD obeyed a man, for
the LORD fought for Israel!
15 Then Joshua and all Israel returned to the camp at Gilgal.
16 The five Amorite kings ran away and hid in the cave at Makkedah.
17 Joshua was told,“The five kings have been found hiding in the cave at
Makkedah.”
18 Joshua said,“Roll large stones over the mouth of the cave and post guards
in front of it.
19 But don’t you delay! Chase your enemies and catch them! Don’t allow them
to retreat to their cities, for the LORD your God is handing them over to
you.”
20 Joshua and the Israelites almost totally wiped them out, but some survivors
did escape to the fortified cities.
21 Then the whole army safely returned to Joshua at the camp in Makkedah. No one
dared threaten the Israelites.
22 Joshua said,“Open the cave’s mouth and bring the five kings out of the
cave to me.”
23 They did as ordered; they brought the five kings out of the cave to him–
the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon.
24 When they brought the kings out to Joshua, he summoned all the men of Israel
and said to the commanders of the troops who accompanied him,“Come here and
put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So they came up and put their feet
on their necks.
25 Then Joshua said to them,“Don’t be afraid and don’t panic! Be strong
and brave, for the LORD will do the same thing to all your enemies you fight.”
26 Then Joshua executed them and hung them on five trees. They were left hanging
on the trees until evening.
27 At sunset Joshua ordered his men to take them down from the trees. They threw
them into the cave where they had hidden and piled large stones over the mouth
of the cave.(They remain to this very day.)
28 Joshua Launches a Southern Campaign That day Joshua captured Makkedah and put
the sword to it and its king. He annihilated everyone who lived in it; he left
no survivors. He did to its king what he had done to the king of Jericho.
29 Joshua and all Israel marched from Makkedah to Libnah and fought against it.
30 The LORD handed it and its king over to Israel, and Israel put the sword to
all who lived there; they left no survivors. They did to its king what they had
done to the king of Jericho.
31 Joshua and all Israel marched from Libnah to Lachish. He deployed his troops
and fought against it.
32 The LORD handed Lachish over to Israel and they captured it on the second
day. They put the sword to all who lived there, just as they had done to Libnah.
33 Then King Horam of Gezer came up to help Lachish, but Joshua struck him down,
as well as his army, until no survivors remained.
34 Joshua and all Israel marched from Lachish to Eglon. They deployed troops and
fought against it.
35 That day they captured it and put the sword to all who lived there. That day
they annihilated it just as they had done to Lachish.
36 Joshua and all Israel marched up from Eglon to Hebron and fought against it.
37 They captured it and put the sword to its king, all its surrounding cities,
and all who lived in it; they left no survivors. As they had done at Eglon, they
annihilated it and all who lived there.
38 Joshua and all Israel turned to Debir and fought against it.
39 They captured it, its king, and all its surrounding cities and put the sword
to them. They annihilated everyone who lived there; they left no survivors. They
did to Debir and its king what they had done to Libnah and its king and to
Hebron.
40 Joshua defeated the whole land, including the hill country, the Negev, the
foothills, the slopes, and all their kings. He left no survivors. He annihilated
everything that breathed, just as the LORD God of Israel had commanded.
41 Joshua conquered the area between Kadesh Barnea and Gaza and the whole region
of Goshen, all the way to Gibeon.
42 Joshua captured in one campaign all these kings and their lands, for the LORD
God of Israel fought for Israel.
43 Then Joshua and all Israel returned to the camp at Gilgal.

Chapter 11

1 Israel Defeats a Northern Coalition When King Jabin of Hazor heard the news,
he organized a coalition, including King Jobab of Madon, the king of Shimron,
the king of Acshaph,
2 and the northern kings who ruled in the hill country, the rift valley south of
Kinnereth, the foothills, and the heights of Dor to the west.
3 Canaanites came from the east and west; Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, and
Jebusites from the hill country; and Hivites from below Hermon in the area of
Mizpah.
4 These kings came out with their armies; they were as numerous as the sand on
the seashore and had a large number of horses and chariots.
5 All these kings gathered and joined forces at the Waters of Merom to fight
Israel.
6 The LORD told Joshua,“Don’t be afraid of them, for about this time
tomorrow I will cause all of them to lie dead before Israel. You must hamstring
their horses and burn their chariots.”
7 Joshua and his whole army caught them by surprise at the Waters of Merom and
attacked them.
8 The LORD handed them over to Israel and they struck them down and chased them
all the way to Greater Sidon, Misrephoth Maim, and the Mizpah Valley to the
east. They struck them down until no survivors remained.
9 Joshua did to them as the LORD had commanded him; he hamstrung their horses
and burned their chariots.
10 At that time Joshua turned, captured Hazor, and struck down its king with the
sword, for Hazor was at that time the leader of all these kingdoms.
11 They annihilated everyone who lived there with the sword– no one who
breathed remained– and burned Hazor.
12 Joshua captured all these royal cities and all their kings and annihilated
them with the sword, as Moses the LORD’s servant had commanded.
13 But Israel did not burn any of the cities located on mounds, except for
Hazor; it was the only one Joshua burned.
14 The Israelites plundered all the goods of these cities and the cattle, but
they totally destroyed all the people and allowed no one who breathed to live.
15 Moses the LORD’s servant passed on the LORD’s commands to Joshua, and
Joshua did as he was told. He did not ignore any of the commands the LORD had
given Moses.
16 A Summary of Israel’s Victories Joshua conquered the whole land, including
the hill country, all the Negev, all the land of Goshen, the foothills, the rift
valley, the hill country of Israel and its foothills,
17 from Mount Halak on up to Seir, as far as Baal Gad in the Lebanon Valley
below Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings and executed them.
18 Joshua campaigned against these kings for quite some time.
19 No city made peace with the Israelites(except the Hivites living in Gibeon);
they had to conquer all of them,
20 for the LORD determined to make them obstinate so they would attack Israel.
He wanted Israel to annihilate them without mercy, as he had instructed Moses.
21 At that time Joshua attacked and eliminated the Anakites from the hill
country– from Hebron, Debir, Anab, and all the hill country of Judah and
Israel. Joshua annihilated them and their cities.
22 No Anakites were left in Israelite territory, though some remained in Gaza,
Gath, and Ashdod.
23 Joshua conquered the whole land, just as the LORD had promised Moses, and he
assigned Israel their tribal portions. Then the land was free of war.

Chapter 12

1 Now these are the kings of the land whom the Israelites defeated and drove
from their land on the east side of the Jordan, from the Arnon Valley to Mount
Hermon, including all the eastern rift valley:
2 King Sihon of the Amorites who lived in Heshbon and ruled from Aroer(on the
edge of the Arnon Valley)– including the city in the middle of the valley and
half of Gilead– all the way to the Jabbok Valley bordering Ammonite territory.
3 His kingdom included the eastern rift valley from the Sea of Kinnereth to the
sea of the rift valley(the Salt Sea), including the route to Beth Jeshimoth and
the area southward below the slopes of Pisgah.
4 The territory of King Og of Bashan, one of the few remaining Rephaites, who
lived in Ashtaroth and Edrei
5 and ruled over Mount Hermon, Salecah, all of Bashan to the border of the
Geshurites and Maacathites, and half of Gilead as far as the border of King
Sihon of Heshbon.
6 Moses the LORD’s servant and the Israelites defeated them and Moses the
LORD’s servant assigned their land to Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of
Manasseh.
7 These are the kings of the land whom Joshua and the Israelites defeated on the
west side of the Jordan, from Baal Gad in the Lebanon Valley to Mount Halak on
up to Seir. Joshua assigned this territory to the Israelite tribes,
8 including the hill country, the foothills, the rift valley, the slopes, the
wilderness, and the Negev– the land of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites,
Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites:
9 the king of Jericho(one), the king of Ai– located near Bethel–(one),
10 the king of Jerusalem(one), the king of Hebron(one),
11 the king of Jarmuth(one), the king of Lachish(one),
12 the king of Eglon(one), the king of Gezer(one),
13 the king of Debir(one), the king of Geder(one),
14 the king of Hormah(one), the king of Arad(one),
15 the king of Libnah(one), the king of Adullam(one),
16 the king of Makkedah(one), the king of Bethel(one),
17 the king of Tappuah(one), the king of Hepher(one),
18 the king of Aphek(one), the king of Lasharon(one),
19 the king of Madon(one), the king of Hazor(one),
20 the king of Shimron Meron(one), the king of Acshaph(one),
21 the king of Taanach(one), the king of Megiddo(one),
22 the king of Kedesh(one), the king of Jokneam near Carmel(one),
23 the king of Dor– near Naphath Dor–(one), the king of Goyim– near
Gilgal–(one),
24 the king of Tirzah(one), a total of thirty-one kings.

Chapter 13

1 The Lord Speaks to Joshua When Joshua was very old, the LORD told him,“You
are very old, and a great deal of land remains to be conquered.
2 This is the land that remains: all the territory of the Philistines and all
the Geshurites,
3 from the Shihor River east of Egypt northward to the territory of Ekron(it is
regarded as Canaanite territory), including the area belonging to the five
Philistine lords who ruled in Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron, as well
as Avvite land
4 to the south; all the Canaanite territory, from Arah in the region of Sidon to
Aphek, as far as Amorite territory;
5 the territory of Byblos and all Lebanon to the east, from Baal Gad below Mount
Hermon to Lebo Hamath.
6 I will drive out before the Israelites all who live in the hill country from
Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim, all the Sidonians; you be sure to parcel it out to
Israel as I instructed you.
7 Now, divide up this land among the nine tribes and the half-tribe of
Manasseh.”
8 Tribal Lands East of the Jordan The other half of Manasseh, Reuben, and Gad
received their allotted tribal lands on east side of the Jordan, just as Moses,
the LORD’s servant, had assigned them.
9 Their territory started from Aroer(on the edge of the Arnon Valley), included
the city in the middle of the valley, the whole plain of Medeba as far as Dibon,
10 and all the cities of King Sihon of the Amorites who ruled in Heshbon, and
ended at the Ammonite border.
11 Their territory also included Gilead, Geshurite and Maacathite territory, all
Mount Hermon, and all Bashan to Salecah–
12 the whole kingdom of Og in Bashan, who ruled in Ashtaroth and Edrei.(He was
one of the few remaining Rephaites.) Moses defeated them and took their lands.
13 But the Israelites did not conquer the Geshurites and Maacathites; Geshur and
Maacah live among Israel to this very day.
14 However, Moses did not assign land as an inheritance to the Levites; their
inheritance is the sacrificial offerings made to the LORD God of Israel, as he
instructed them.
15 Moses assigned land to the tribe of Reuben by its clans.
16 Their territory started at Aroer(on the edge of the Arnon Valley) and
included the city in the middle of the valley, the whole plain of Medeba,
17 Heshbon and all its surrounding cities on the plain, including Dibon, Bamoth
Baal, Beth Baal Meon,
18 Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath,
19 Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth Shahar on the hill in the valley,
20 Beth Peor, the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth Jeshimoth.
21 It encompassed all the cities of the plain and the whole realm of King Sihon
of the Amorites who ruled in Heshbon. Moses defeated him and the Midianite
leaders Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba(they were subjects of Sihon and lived in
his territory).
22 The Israelites killed Balaam son of Beor, the omen reader, along with the
others.
23 The border of the tribe of Reuben was the Jordan. The land allotted to the
tribe of Reuben by its clans included these cities and their towns.
24 Moses assigned land to the tribe of Gad by its clans.
25 Their territory included Jazer, all the cities of Gilead, and half of
Ammonite territory as far as Aroer near Rabbah.
26 Their territory ran from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpah and Betonim, and from
Mahanaim to the territory of Debir.
27 It included the valley of Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, and
the rest of the realm of King Sihon of Heshbon, the area east of the Jordan to
the end of the Sea of Kinnereth.
28 The land allotted to the tribe of Gad by its clans included these cities and
their towns.
29 Moses assigned land to the half-tribe of Manasseh by its clans.
30 Their territory started at Mahanaim and encompassed all Bashan, the whole
realm of King Og of Bashan, including all sixty cities in Havvoth Jair in
Bashan.
31 Half of Gilead, Ashtaroth, and Edrei, cities in the kingdom of Og in Bashan,
were assigned to the descendants of Makir son of Manasseh, to half the
descendants of Makir by their clans.
32 These are the land assignments made by Moses in the rift valley plains of
Moab east of the Jordan River opposite Jericho.
33 However, Moses did not assign land as an inheritance to the Levites; their
inheritance is the LORD God of Israel, as he instructed them.

Chapter 14

1 Judah’s Tribal Lands The following is a record of the territory assigned to
the Israelites in the land of Canaan by Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun,
and the Israelite tribal leaders.
2 The land assignments to the nine and a half tribes were made by drawing lots,
as the LORD had instructed Moses.
3 Now Moses had assigned land to the two and a half tribes east of the Jordan,
but he assigned no land to the Levites.
4 The descendants of Joseph were considered as two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim.
The Levites were allotted no territory, though they were assigned cities in
which to live, along with the grazing areas for their cattle and possessions.
5 The Israelites followed the LORD’s instructions to Moses and divided up the
land.
6 The men of Judah approached Joshua in Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the
Kenizzite said to him,“You know what the LORD said about you and me to Moses,
the man of God, at Kadesh Barnea.
7 I was forty years old when Moses, the LORD’s servant, sent me from Kadesh
Barnea to spy on the land and I brought back to him an honest report.
8 My countrymen who accompanied me frightened the people, but I remained loyal
to the LORD my God.
9 That day Moses made this solemn promise:‘Surely the land on which you walked
will belong to you and your descendants permanently, for you remained loyal to
the LORD your God.’
10 So now, look, the LORD has preserved my life, just as he promised, these past
forty-five years since the LORD spoke these words to Moses, during which Israel
traveled through the wilderness. Now look, I am today eighty-five years old.
11 Today I am still as strong as when Moses sent me out. I can fight and go
about my daily activities with the same energy I had then.
12 Now, assign me this hill country which the LORD promised me at that time! No
doubt you heard at that time that the Anakites live there in large, fortified
cities. But, assuming the LORD is with me, I will conquer them, as the LORD
promised.”
13 Joshua asked God to empower Caleb son of Jephunneh and assigned him Hebron.
14 So Hebron remains the assigned land of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite
to this very day because he remained loyal to the LORD God of Israel.
15 (Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba. Arba was a famous Anakite.) Then the
land was free of war.

Chapter 15

1 The land allotted to the tribe of Judah by its clans reached to the border of
Edom, to the wilderness of Zin in the Negev far to the south.
2 Their southern border started at the southern tip of the Salt Sea,
3 extended south of the Scorpion Ascent, crossed to Zin, went up from the south
to Kadesh Barnea, crossed to Hezron, went up to Addar, and turned toward Karka.
4 It then crossed to Azmon, extended to the Stream of Egypt, and ended at the
sea. This was their southern border.
5 The eastern border was the Salt Sea to the mouth of the Jordan River. The
northern border started north of the Salt Sea at the mouth of the Jordan,
6 went up to Beth Hoglah, crossed north of Beth Arabah, and went up to the Stone
of Bohan son of Reuben.
7 It then went up to Debir from the Valley of Achor, turning northward to
Gilgal(which is opposite the Pass of Adummim south of the valley), crossed to
the waters of En Shemesh and extended to En Rogel.
8 It then went up the Valley of Ben Hinnom to the slope of the Jebusites on the
south(that is, Jerusalem), going up to the top of the hill opposite the Valley
of Ben Hinnom to the west, which is at the end of the Valley of the Rephaites to
the north.
9 It then went from the top of the hill to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah,
extended to the cities of Mount Ephron, and went to Baalah(that is, Kiriath
Jearim).
10 It then turned from Baalah westward to Mount Seir, crossed to the slope of
Mount Jearim on the north(that is Kesalon), descended to Beth Shemesh, and
crossed to Timnah.
11 It then extended to the slope of Ekron to the north, went toward Shikkeron,
crossed to Mount Baalah, extended to Jabneel, and ended at the sea.
12 The western border was the Mediterranean Sea. These were the borders of the
tribe of Judah and its clans.
13 Caleb son of Jephunneh was assigned Kiriath Arba(that is Hebron) within the
tribe of Judah, according to the LORD’s instructions to Joshua.(Arba was the
father of Anak.)
14 Caleb drove out from there three Anakites– Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai,
descendants of Anak.
15 From there he attacked the people of Debir.(Debir used to be called Kiriath
Sepher.)
16 Caleb said,“To the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher I will give
my daughter Achsah as a wife.”
17 When Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s brother, captured it, Caleb gave Achsah
his daughter to him as a wife.
18 One time Achsah came and charmed her father so that she could ask him for
some land. When she got down from her donkey, Caleb said to her,“What would
you like?”
19 She answered,“Please give me a special present. Since you have given me
land in the Negev, now give me springs of water.” So he gave her both upper
and lower springs.
20 This is the land assigned to the tribe of Judah by its clans:
21 These cities were located at the southern extremity of Judah’s tribal land
near the border of Edom: Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur,
22 Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah,
23 Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan,
24 Ziph, Telem, Bealoth,
25 Hazor Hadattah, Kerioth Hezron(that is, Hazor),
26 Amam, Shema, Moladah,
27 Hazar Gaddah, Heshbon, Beth Pelet,
28 Hazar Shual, Beer Sheba, Biziothiah,
29 Baalah, Iim, Ezem,
30 Eltolad, Kesil, Hormah,
31 Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah,
32 Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon– a total of twenty-nine cities and their
towns.
33 These cities were in the foothills: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah,
34 Zanoah, En Gannim, Tappuah, Enam,
35 Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah,
36 Shaaraim, Adithaim, and Gederah(or Gederothaim)– a total of fourteen cities
and their towns.
37 Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal Gad,
38 Dilean, Mizpah, Joktheel,
39 Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon,
40 Cabbon, Lahmas, Kitlish,
41 Gederoth, Beth Dagon, Naamah, and Makkedah– a total of sixteen cities and
their towns.
42 Libnah, Ether, Ashan,
43 Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib,
44 Keilah, Achzib, and Mareshah– a total of nine cities and their towns.
45 Ekron and its surrounding towns and settlements;
46 from Ekron westward, all those in the vicinity of Ashdod and their towns;
47 Ashdod with its surrounding towns and settlements, and Gaza with its
surrounding towns and settlements, as far as the Stream of Egypt and the border
at the Mediterranean Sea.
48 These cities were in the hill country: Shamir, Jattir, Socoh,
49 Dannah, Kiriath Sannah(that is, Debir),
50 Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim,
51 Goshen, Holon, and Giloh– a total of eleven cities and their towns.
52 Arab, Dumah, Eshan,
53 Janim, Beth Tappuah, Aphekah,
54 Humtah, Kiriath Arba(that is, Hebron), and Zior– a total of nine cities and
their towns.
55 Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah,
56 Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah,
57 Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah– a total of ten cities and their towns.
58 Halhul, Beth Zur, Gedor,
59 Maarath, Beth Anoth, and Eltekon– a total of six cities and their towns.
60 Kiriath Baal(that is, Kiriath Jearim) and Rabbah– a total of two cities and
their towns.
61 These cities were in the wilderness: Beth Arabah, Middin, Secacah,
62 Nibshan, the city of Salt, and En Gedi– a total of six cities and their
towns.
63 The men of Judah were unable to conquer the Jebusites living in Jerusalem.
The Jebusites live with the people of Judah in Jerusalem to this very day.

Chapter 16

1 Joseph’s Tribal Lands The land allotted to Joseph’s descendants extended
from the Jordan at Jericho to the waters of Jericho to the east, through the
desert and on up from Jericho into the hill country of Bethel.
2 The southern border extended from Bethel to Luz, and crossed to Arkite
territory at Ataroth.
3 It then descended westward to Japhletite territory, as far as the territory of
lower Beth Horon and Gezer, and ended at the sea.
4 Joseph’s descendants, Manasseh and Ephraim, were assigned their land.
5 The territory of the tribe of Ephraim by its clans included the following: The
border of their assigned land to the east was Ataroth Addar as far as upper Beth
Horon.
6 It then extended on to the sea, with Micmethath on the north. It turned
eastward to Taanath Shiloh and crossed it on the east to Janoah.
7 It then descended from Janoah to Ataroth and Naarah, touched Jericho, and
extended to the Jordan River.
8 From Tappuah it went westward to the Valley of Kanah and ended at the sea.
This is the land assigned to the tribe of Ephraim by its clans.
9 Also included were the cities set apart for the tribe of Ephraim within
Manasseh’s territory, along with their towns.
10 The Ephraimites did not conquer the Canaanites living in Gezer. The
Canaanites live among the Ephraimites to this very day and do hard labor as
their servants.

Chapter 17

1 The tribe of Manasseh, Joseph’s firstborn son, was also allotted land. The
descendants of Makir, Manasseh’s firstborn and the father of Gilead, received
land, for they were warriors. They were assigned Gilead and Bashan.
2 The rest of Manasseh’s descendants were also assigned land by their clans,
including the descendants of Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and
Shemida. These are the male descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph by their
clans.
3 Now Zelophehad son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Makir, son of Manasseh,
had no sons, only daughters. These are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah,
Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
4 They went before Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders and
said,“The LORD told Moses to assign us land among our relatives.” So Joshua
assigned them land among their uncles, as the LORD had commanded.
5 Manasseh was allotted ten shares of land, in addition to the land of Gilead
and Bashan east of the Jordan,
6 for the daughters of Manasseh were assigned land among his sons. The land of
Gilead belonged to the rest of the descendants of Manasseh.
7 The border of Manasseh went from Asher to Micmethath which is near Shechem. It
then went south toward those who live by En Tappuah.
8 (The land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but Tappuah, located on the border
of Manasseh, belonged to the tribe of Ephraim.)
9 The border then descended southward to the Valley of Kanah. Ephraim was
assigned cities there among the cities of Manasseh, but the border of Manasseh
was north of the valley and ended at the sea.
10 Ephraim’s territory was to the south, and Manasseh’s to the north. The
sea was Manasseh’s western border and their territory touched Asher on the
north and Issachar on the east.
11 Within Issachar’s and Asher’s territory Manasseh was assigned Beth Shean,
Ibleam, the residents of Dor, the residents of En Dor, the residents of Taanach,
the residents of Megiddo, the three of Napheth, and the towns surrounding all
these cities.
12 But the men of Manasseh were unable to conquer these cities; the Canaanites
managed to remain in those areas.
13 Whenever the Israelites were strong militarily, they forced the Canaanites to
do hard labor, but they never totally conquered them.
14 The descendants of Joseph said to Joshua,“Why have you assigned us only one
tribal allotment? After all, we have many people, for until now the LORD has
enabled us to increase in number.”
15 Joshua replied to them,“Since you have so many people, go up into the
forest and clear out a place to live in the land of the Perizzites and
Rephaites, for the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you.”
16 The descendants of Joseph said,“The whole hill country is inadequate for
us, and the Canaanites living down in the valley in Beth Shean and its
surrounding towns and in the Valley of Jezreel have chariots with iron-rimmed
wheels.”
17 Joshua said to the family of Joseph– to both Ephraim and Manasseh:“You
have many people and great military strength. You will not have just one tribal
allotment.
18 The whole hill country will be yours; though it is a forest, you can clear it
and it will be entirely yours. You can conquer the Canaanites, though they have
chariots with iron-rimmed wheels and are strong.”

Chapter 18

1 The Tribes Meet at Shiloh The entire Israelite community assembled at Shiloh
and there they set up the tent of meeting. Though they had subdued the land,
2 seven Israelite tribes had not been assigned their allotted land.
3 So Joshua said to the Israelites:“How long do you intend to put off
occupying the land the LORD God of your ancestors has given you?
4 Pick three men from each tribe. I will send them out to walk through the land
and make a map of it for me.
5 Divide it into seven regions. Judah will stay in its territory in the south,
and the family of Joseph in its territory in the north.
6 But as for you, map out the land into seven regions and bring it to me. I will
draw lots for you here before the LORD our God.
7 But the Levites will not have an allotted portion among you, for their
inheritance is to serve the LORD. Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh
have already received their allotted land east of the Jordan which Moses the
LORD’s servant assigned them.”
8 When the men started out, Joshua told those going to map out the land,“Go,
walk through the land, map it out, and return to me. Then I will draw lots for
you before the LORD here in Shiloh.”
9 The men journeyed through the land and mapped it and its cities out into seven
regions on a scroll. Then they came to Joshua at the camp in Shiloh.
10 Joshua drew lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD and divided the land
among the Israelites according to their allotted portions.
11 Benjamin’s Tribal Lands The first lot belonged to the tribe of Benjamin by
its clans. Their allotted territory was between Judah and Joseph.
12 Their northern border started at the Jordan, went up to the slope of Jericho
on the north, ascended westward to the hill country, and extended to the
wilderness of Beth Aven.
13 It then crossed from there to Luz, to the slope of Luz to the south(that is,
Bethel), and descended to Ataroth Addar located on the hill that is south of
lower Beth Horon.
14 It then turned on the west side southward from the hill near Beth Horon on
the south and extended to Kiriath Baal(that is, Kiriath Jearim), a city
belonging to the tribe of Judah. This is the western border.
15 The southern side started on the edge of Kiriath Jearim and extended westward
to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah.
16 The border then descended to the edge of the hill country near the Valley of
Ben Hinnom located in the Valley of the Rephaites to the north. It descended
through the Valley of Hinnom to the slope of the Jebusites to the south and then
down to En Rogel.
17 It went northward, extending to En Shemesh and Geliloth opposite the Pass of
Adummim, and descended to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben.
18 It crossed to the slope in front of the rift valley to the north and
descended into the rift valley.
19 It then crossed to the slope of Beth Hoglah to the north and ended at the
northern tip of the Salt Sea at the mouth of the Jordan River. This was the
southern border.
20 The Jordan River borders it on the east. These were the borders of the land
assigned to the tribe of Benjamin by its clans.
21 These cities belonged to the tribe of Benjamin by its clans: Jericho, Beth
Hoglah, Emek Keziz,
22 Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,
23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,
24 Kephar Ammoni, Ophni, and Geba– a total of twelve cities and their towns.
25 Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,
26 Mizpah, Kephirah, Mozah,
27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,
28 Zelah, Haeleph, the Jebusite city(that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath–
a total of fourteen cities and their towns. This was the land assigned to the
tribe of Benjamin by its clans.

Chapter 19

1 Simeon’s Tribal Lands The second lot belonged to the tribe of Simeon by its
clans. Their assigned land was in the middle of Judah’s assigned land.
2 Their assigned land included Beer Sheba, Moladah,
3 Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem,
4 Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah,
5 Ziklag, Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susah,
6 Beth Lebaoth, and Sharuhen– a total of thirteen cities and their towns,
7 Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan– a total of four cities and their towns,
8 as well as all the towns around these cities as far as Baalath Beer(Ramah of
the Negev). This was the land assigned to the tribe of Simeon by its clans.
9 Simeon’s assigned land was taken from Judah’s allotted portion, for
Judah’s territory was too large for them; so Simeon was assigned land within
Judah.
10 Zebulun’s Tribal Lands The third lot belonged to the tribe of Zebulun by
its clans. The border of their territory extended to Sarid.
11 Their border went up westward to Maralah and touched Dabbesheth and the
valley near Jokneam.
12 From Sarid it turned eastward to the territory of Kisloth Tabor, extended to
Daberath, and went up to Japhia.
13 From there it crossed eastward to Gath Hepher and Eth Kazin and extended to
Rimmon, turning toward Neah.
14 It then turned on the north to Hannathon and ended at the Valley of Iphtah
El.
15 Their territory included Kattah, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem; in
all they had twelve cities and their towns.
16 This was the land assigned to the tribe of Zebulun by its clans, including
these cities and their towns.
17 Issachar’s Tribal Lands The fourth lot belonged to the tribe of Issachar by
its clans.
18 Their assigned land included Jezreel, Kesulloth, Shunem,
19 Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath,
20 Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez,
21 Remeth, En Gannim, En Haddah and Beth Pazzez.
22 Their border touched Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth Shemesh, and ended at the
Jordan. They had sixteen cities and their towns.
23 This was the land assigned to the tribe of Issachar by its clans, including
the cities and their towns.
24 Asher’s Tribal Lands The fifth lot belonged to the tribe of Asher by its
clans.
25 Their territory included Helkath, Hali, Beten, Acshaph,
26 Alammelech, Amad, and Mishal. Their border touched Carmel to the west and
Shihor Libnath.
27 It turned eastward toward Beth Dagon, touched Zebulun and the Valley of
Iphtah El to the north, as well as Beth Emek and Neiel, and extended to Cabul on
the north
28 and on to Ebron, Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah, as far as Greater Sidon.
29 It then turned toward Ramah as far as the fortified city of Tyre, turned to
Hosah, and ended at the sea near Hebel, Achzib,
30 Umah, Aphek, and Rehob. In all they had twenty-two cities and their towns.
31 This was the land assigned to the tribe of Asher by its clans, including
these cities and their towns.
32 Naphtali’s Tribal Lands The sixth lot belonged to the tribe of Naphtali by
its clans.
33 Their border started at Heleph and the oak of Zaanannim, went to Adami Nekeb,
Jabneel and on to Lakkum, and ended at the Jordan River.
34 It turned westward to Aznoth Tabor, extended from there to Hukok, touched
Zebulun on the south, Asher on the west, and the Jordan on the east.
35 The fortified cities included Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Kinnereth,
36 Adamah, Ramah, Hazor,
37 Kedesh, Edrei, En Hazor,
38 Yiron, Migdal El, Horem, Beth Anath, and Beth Shemesh. In all they had
nineteen cities and their towns.
39 This was the land assigned to the tribe of Naphtali by its clans, including
the cities and their towns.
40 Dan’s Tribal Lands The seventh lot belonged to the tribe of Dan by its
clans.
41 Their assigned land included Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir Shemesh,
42 Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah,
43 Elon, Timnah, Ekron,
44 Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath,
45 Jehud, Bene Berak, Gath Rimmon,
46 the waters of Jarkon, and Rakkon, including the territory in front of Joppa.
47 (The Danites failed to conquer their territory, so they went up and fought
with Leshem and captured it. They put the sword to it, took possession of it,
and lived in it. They renamed it Dan after their ancestor.)
48 This was the land assigned to the tribe of Dan by its clans, including these
cities and their towns.
49 Joshua Receives Land When they finished dividing the land into its regions,
the Israelites gave Joshua son of Nun some land.
50 As the LORD had instructed, they gave him the city he requested– Timnath
Serah in the Ephraimite hill country. He built up the city and lived in it.
51 These are the land assignments which Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun,
and the Israelite tribal leaders made by drawing lots in Shiloh before the LORD
at the entrance of the tent of meeting. So they finished dividing up the land.

Chapter 20

1 Israel Designates Cities of Refuge The LORD instructed Joshua:
2 “Have the Israelites select the cities of refuge that I told you about
through Moses.
3 Anyone who accidentally kills someone can escape there; these cities will be a
place of asylum from the avenger of blood.
4 The one who committed manslaughter should escape to one of these cities, stand
at the entrance of the city gate, and present his case to the leaders of that
city. They should then bring him into the city, give him a place to stay, and
let him live there.
5 When the avenger of blood comes after him, they must not hand over to him the
one who committed manslaughter, for he accidentally killed his fellow man
without premeditation.
6 He must remain in that city until his case is decided by the assembly and the
high priest dies. Then the one who committed manslaughter may return home to the
city from which he escaped.”
7 So they selected Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in
the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba(that is, Hebron) in the hill
country of Judah.
8 Beyond the Jordan east of Jericho they selected Bezer in the wilderness on the
plain belonging to the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead belonging to the tribe
of Gad, and Golan in Bashan belonging to the tribe of Manasseh.
9 These were the cities of refuge appointed for all the Israelites and for
resident foreigners living among them. Anyone who accidentally killed someone
could escape there and not be executed by the avenger of blood, at least until
his case was reviewed by the assembly.

Chapter 21

1 Levitical Cities The tribal leaders of the Levites went before Eleazar the
priest and Joshua son of Nun and the Israelite tribal leaders
2 in Shiloh in the land of Canaan and said,“The LORD told Moses to assign us
cities in which to live along with the grazing areas for our cattle.”
3 So the Israelites assigned these cities and their grazing areas to the Levites
from their own holdings, as the LORD had instructed.
4 The first lot belonged to the Kohathite clans. The Levites who were
descendants of Aaron the priest were allotted thirteen cities from the tribes of
Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
5 The rest of Kohath’s descendants were allotted ten cities from the clans of
the tribe of Ephraim, and from the tribe of Dan and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
6 Gershon’s descendants were allotted thirteen cities from the clans of the
tribe of Issachar, and from the tribes of Asher and Naphtali and the half-tribe
of Manasseh in Bashan.
7 Merari’s descendants by their clans were allotted twelve cities from the
tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.
8 So the Israelites assigned to the Levites by lot these cities and their
grazing areas, as the LORD had instructed Moses.
9 They assigned from the tribes of Judah and Simeon the cities listed below.
10 They were assigned to the Kohathite clans of the Levites who were descendants
of Aaron, for the first lot belonged to them.
11 They assigned them Kiriath Arba(Arba was the father of Anak), that is,
Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, along with its surrounding grazing areas.
12 (Now the city’s fields and surrounding towns they had assigned to Caleb son
of Jephunneh as his property.)
13 So to the descendants of Aaron the priest they assigned Hebron(a city of
refuge for one who committed manslaughter), Libnah,
14 Jattir, Eshtemoa,
15 Holon, Debir,
16 Ain, Juttah, and Beth Shemesh, along with the grazing areas of each– a
total of nine cities taken from these two tribes.
17 From the tribe of Benjamin they assigned Gibeon, Geba,
18 Anathoth, and Almon, along with the grazing areas of each– a total of four
cities.
19 The priests descended from Aaron received thirteen cities and their grazing
areas.
20 The rest of the Kohathite clans of the Levites were allotted cities from the
tribe of Ephraim.
21 They assigned them Shechem(a city of refuge for one who committed
manslaughter) in the hill country of Ephraim, Gezer,
22 Kibzaim, and Beth Horon, along with the grazing areas of each– a total of
four cities.
23 From the tribe of Dan they assigned Eltekeh, Gibbethon,
24 Aijalon, and Gath Rimmon, along with the grazing areas of each– a total of
four cities.
25 From the half-tribe of Manasseh they assigned Taanach and Gath Rimmon, along
with the grazing areas of each– a total of two cities.
26 The rest of the Kohathite clans received ten cities and their grazing areas.
27 They assigned to the Gershonite clans of the Levites the following cities:
from the half-tribe of Manasseh: Golan in Bashan(a city of refuge for one who
committed manslaughter) and Beeshtarah, along with the grazing areas of each–
a total of two cities;
28 from the tribe of Issachar: Kishon, Daberath,
29 Jarmuth, and En Gannim, along with the grazing areas of each– a total of
four cities;
30 from the tribe of Asher: Mishal, Abdon,
31 Helkath, and Rehob, along with the grazing areas of each– a total of four
cities;
32 from the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee(a city of refuge for one who
committed manslaughter), Hammoth Dor, and Kartan, along with the grazing areas
of each– a total of three cities.
33 The Gershonite clans received thirteen cities and their grazing areas.
34 They assigned to the Merarite clans(the remaining Levites) the following
cities: from the tribe of Zebulun: Jokneam, Kartah,
35 Dimnah, and Nahalal, along with the grazing areas of each– a total of four
cities;
36 from the tribe of Reuben: Bezer, Jahaz,
37 Kedemoth, and Mephaath, along with the grazing areas of each– a total of
four cities;
38 from the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead(a city of refuge for one who
committed manslaughter), Mahanaim,
39 Heshbon, and Jazer, along with the grazing areas of each– a total of four
cities.
40 The Merarite clans(the remaining Levites) were allotted twelve cities.
41 The Levites received within the land owned by the Israelites forty-eight
cities in all and their grazing areas.
42 Each of these cities had grazing areas around it; they were alike in this
regard.
43 So the LORD gave Israel all the land he had solemnly promised to their
ancestors, and they conquered it and lived in it.
44 The LORD made them secure, in fulfillment of all he had solemnly promised
their ancestors. None of their enemies could resist them. The LORD handed all
their enemies over to them.
45 Not one of the LORD’s faithful promises to the family of Israel was left
unfulfilled; every one was realized.

Chapter 22

1 Joshua Sends Home the Eastern Tribes Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites,
Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh
2 and told them:“You have carried out all the instructions of Moses the
LORD’s servant, and you have obeyed all I have told you.
3 You have not abandoned your fellow Israelites this entire time, right up to
this very day. You have completed the task given you by the LORD your God.
4 Now the LORD your God has made your fellow Israelites secure, just as he
promised them. So now you may turn around and go to your homes in your own land
which Moses the LORD’s servant assigned to you east of the Jordan.
5 But carefully obey the commands and instructions Moses the LORD’s servant
gave you. Love the LORD your God, follow all his instructions, obey his
commands, be loyal to him, and serve him with all your heart and being!”
6 Joshua rewarded them and sent them on their way; they returned to their homes.
7 (Now to one half-tribe of Manasseh, Moses had assigned land in Bashan; and to
the other half Joshua had assigned land on the west side of the Jordan with
their fellow Israelites.) When Joshua sent them home, he rewarded them,
8 saying,“Take home great wealth, a lot of cattle, silver, gold, bronze, iron,
and a lot of clothing. Divide up the goods captured from your enemies with your
brothers.”
9 So the Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites in
Shiloh in the land of Canaan and headed home to their own land in Gilead, which
they acquired by the LORD’s command through Moses.
10 Civil War is Averted The Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh came
to Geliloth near the Jordan in the land of Canaan and built there, near the
Jordan, an impressive altar.
11 The Israelites received this report:“Look, the Reubenites, Gadites, and
half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar at the entrance to the land of
Canaan, at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side.”
12 When the Israelites heard this, the entire Israelite community assembled at
Shiloh to launch an attack against them.
13 The Israelites sent Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the priest, to the land of
Gilead to the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
14 He was accompanied by ten leaders, one from each of the Israelite tribes,
each one a family leader among the Israelite clans.
15 They went to the land of Gilead to the Reubenites, Gadites, and the
half-tribe of Manasseh, and said to them:
16 “The entire community of the LORD says,‘Why have you disobeyed the God of
Israel by turning back today from following the LORD? You built an altar for
yourselves and have rebelled today against the LORD.
17 The sin we committed at Peor was bad enough. To this very day we have not
purified ourselves; it even brought a plague on the community of the LORD.
18 Now today you dare to turn back from following the LORD! You are rebelling
today against the LORD; tomorrow he may break out in anger against the entire
community of Israel.
19 But if your own land is impure, cross over to the LORD’s own land, where
the LORD himself lives, and settle down among us. But don’t rebel against the
LORD or us by building for yourselves an altar aside from the altar of the LORD
our God.
20 When Achan son of Zerah disobeyed the command about the city’s riches, the
entire Israelite community was judged, though only one man had sinned. He most
certainly died for his sin!’”
21 The Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered the leaders
of the Israelite clans:
22 “El, God, the LORD! El, God, the LORD! He knows the truth! Israel must also
know! If we have rebelled or disobeyed the LORD, don’t spare us today!
23 If we have built an altar for ourselves to turn back from following the LORD
by making burnt sacrifices and grain offerings on it, or by offering tokens of
peace on it, the LORD himself will punish us.
24 We swear we have done this because we were worried that in the future your
descendants would say to our descendants,‘What relationship do you have with
the LORD God of Israel?
25 The LORD made the Jordan a boundary between us and you Reubenites and
Gadites. You have no right to worship the LORD.’ In this way your descendants
might cause our descendants to stop obeying the LORD.
26 So we decided to build this altar, not for burnt offerings and sacrifices,
27 but as a reminder to us and you, and to our descendants who follow us, that
we will honor the LORD in his very presence with burnt offerings, sacrifices,
and tokens of peace. Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say
to our descendants,‘You have no right to worship the LORD.’
28 We said,‘If in the future they say such a thing to us or to our
descendants, we will reply,“See the model of the LORD’s altar that our
ancestors made, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices, but as a reminder to us
and you.”’
29 Far be it from us to rebel against the LORD by turning back today from
following after the LORD by building an altar for burnt offerings, sacrifices,
and tokens of peace aside from the altar of the LORD our God located in front of
his dwelling place!”
30 When Phinehas the priest and the community leaders and Israel’s clan
leaders who accompanied him heard the defense of the Reubenites, Gadites, and
the Manassehites, they were satisfied.
31 Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the priest, said to the Reubenites, Gadites, and
the Manassehites,“Today we know that the LORD is among us, because you have
not disobeyed the LORD in this. Now you have rescued the Israelites from the
LORD’s judgment.”
32 Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the priest, and the leaders left the Reubenites and
Gadites in the land of Gilead and reported back to the Israelites in the land of
Canaan.
33 The Israelites were satisfied with their report and gave thanks to God. They
said nothing more about launching an attack to destroy the land in which the
Reubenites and Gadites lived.
34 The Reubenites and Gadites named the altar,“Surely it is a Reminder to us
that the LORD is God.”

Chapter 23

1 Joshua Challenges Israel to be Faithful A long time passed after the LORD made
Israel secure from all their enemies, and Joshua was very old.
2 So Joshua summoned all Israel, including the elders, rulers, judges, and
leaders, and told them:“I am very old.
3 You saw everything the LORD your God did to all these nations on your behalf,
for the LORD your God fights for you.
4 See, I have parceled out to your tribes these remaining nations, from the
Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, including all the nations I
defeated.
5 The LORD your God will drive them out from before you and remove them, so you
can occupy their land as the LORD your God promised you.
6 Be very strong! Carefully obey all that is written in the law scroll of Moses
so you won’t swerve from it to the right or the left,
7 or associate with these nations that remain near you. You must not invoke or
make solemn declarations by the names of their gods! You must not worship or bow
down to them!
8 But you must be loyal to the LORD your God, as you have been to this very day.
9 “The LORD drove out from before you great and mighty nations; no one has
been able to resist you to this very day.
10 One of you makes a thousand run away, for the LORD your God fights for you as
he promised you he would.
11 Watch yourselves carefully! Love the LORD your God!
12 But if you ever turn away and make alliances with these nations that remain
near you, and intermarry with them and establish friendly relations with them,
13 know for certain that the LORD our God will no longer drive out these nations
from before you. They will trap and ensnare you; they will be a whip that tears
your sides and thorns that blind your eyes until you disappear from this good
land the LORD your God gave you.
14 “Look, today I am about to die. You know with all your heart and being that
not even one of all the faithful promises the LORD your God made to you is left
unfulfilled; every one was realized– not one promise is unfulfilled!
15 But in the same way every faithful promise the LORD your God made to you has
been realized, it is just as certain, if you disobey, that the LORD will bring
on you every judgment until he destroys you from this good land which the LORD
your God gave you.
16 If you violate the covenantal laws of the LORD your God which he commanded
you to keep, and follow, worship, and bow down to other gods, the LORD will be
very angry with you and you will disappear quickly from the good land which he
gave to you.”

Chapter 24

1 Israel Renews its Commitment to the Lord Joshua assembled all the Israelite
tribes at Shechem. He summoned Israel’s elders, rulers, judges, and leaders,
and they appeared before God.
2 Joshua told all the people,“This is what the LORD God of Israel has
said:‘In the distant past your ancestors lived beyond the Euphrates River,
including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor. They worshiped other gods,
3 but I took your father Abraham from beyond the Euphrates and brought him into
the entire land of Canaan. I made his descendants numerous; I gave him Isaac,
4 and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I assigned Mount Seir, while Jacob
and his sons went down to Egypt.
5 I sent Moses and Aaron, and I struck Egypt down when I intervened in their
land. Then I brought you out.
6 When I brought your fathers out of Egypt, you arrived at the sea. The
Egyptians chased your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea.
7 Your fathers cried out for help to the LORD; he made the area between you and
the Egyptians dark, and then drowned them in the sea. You witnessed with your
very own eyes what I did in Egypt. You lived in the wilderness for a long time.
8 Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan.
They fought with you, but I handed them over to you; you conquered their land
and I destroyed them from before you.
9 Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, launched an attack against Israel. He
summoned Balaam son of Beor to call down judgment on you.
10 I refused to respond to Balaam; he kept prophesying good things about you,
and I rescued you from his power.
11 You crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The leaders of Jericho, as well
as the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and
Jebusites, fought with you, but I handed them over to you.
12 I sent terror ahead of you to drive out before you the two Amorite kings. I
gave you the victory; it was not by your swords or bows.
13 I gave you a land in which you had not worked hard; you took up residence in
cities you did not build and you are eating the produce of vineyards and olive
groves you did not plant.’
14 Now obey the LORD and worship him with integrity and loyalty. Put aside the
gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates and in Egypt and worship the
LORD.
15 If you have no desire to worship the LORD, choose today whom you will
worship, whether it be the gods whom your ancestors worshiped beyond the
Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But I and
my family will worship the LORD.
16 The people responded,“Far be it from us to abandon the LORD so we can
worship other gods!
17 For the LORD our God took us and our fathers out of slavery in the land of
Egypt and performed these awesome miracles before our very eyes. He continually
protected us as we traveled and when we passed through nations.
18 The LORD drove out from before us all the nations, including the Amorites who
lived in the land. So we too will worship the LORD, for he is our God!”
19 Joshua warned the people,“You will not keep worshiping the LORD, for he is
a holy God. He is a jealous God who will not forgive your rebellion or your
sins.
20 If you abandon the LORD and worship foreign gods, he will turn against you;
he will bring disaster on you and destroy you, though he once treated you
well.”
21 The people said to Joshua,“No! We really will worship the LORD.
22 Joshua said to the people,“Do you agree to be witnesses against yourselves
that you have chosen to worship the LORD?” They replied,“We are
witnesses!”
23 Joshua said,“Now put aside the foreign gods that are among you and submit
to the LORD God of Israel.”
24 The people said to Joshua,“We will worship the LORD our God and obey
him.”
25 That day Joshua drew up an agreement for the people, and he established rules
and regulations for them in Shechem.
26 Joshua wrote these words in the Law Scroll of God. He then took a large stone
and set it up there under the oak tree near the LORD’s shrine.
27 Joshua said to all the people,“Look, this stone will be a witness against
us, for it has heard everything the LORD said to us. It will be a witness
against you if you deny your God.”
28 When Joshua dismissed the people, they went to their allotted portions of
land.
29 An Era Ends After all this Joshua son of Nun, the LORD’s servant, died at
the age of one hundred ten.
30 They buried him in his allotted territory in Timnath Serah in the hill
country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
31 Israel worshiped the LORD throughout Joshua’s lifetime and as long as the
elderly men who outlived him remained alive. These men had experienced firsthand
everything the LORD had done for Israel.
32 The bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were
buried at Shechem in the part of the field that Jacob bought from the sons of
Hamor, the father of Shechem, for one hundred pieces of money. So it became the
inheritance of the tribe of Joseph.
33 Eleazar son of Aaron died, and they buried him in Gibeah in the hill country
of Ephraim, where his son Phinehas had been assigned land.


Judges

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Judah Takes the Lead After Joshua died, the Israelites asked the
LORD,“Who should lead the invasion against the Canaanites and launch the
attack?”
2 The LORD said,“The men of Judah should take the lead. Be sure of this! I am
handing the land over to them.”
3 The men of Judah said to their relatives, the men of Simeon,“Invade our
allotted land with us and help us attack the Canaanites. Then we will go with
you into your allotted land.” So the men of Simeon went with them.
4 The men of Judah attacked, and the LORD handed the Canaanites and Perizzites
over to them. They killed ten thousand men at Bezek.
5 They met Adoni-Bezek at Bezek and fought him. They defeated the Canaanites and
Perizzites.
6 When Adoni-Bezek ran away, they chased him and captured him. Then they cut off
his thumbs and big toes.
7 Adoni-Bezek said,“Seventy kings, with thumbs and big toes cut off, used to
lick up food scraps under my table. God has repaid me for what I did to them.”
They brought him to Jerusalem, where he died.
8 The men of Judah attacked Jerusalem and captured it. They put the sword to it
and set the city on fire.
9 Later the men of Judah went down to attack the Canaanites living in the hill
country, the Negev, and the foothills.
10 The men of Judah attacked the Canaanites living in Hebron.(Hebron used to be
called Kiriath Arba.) They killed Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.
11 From there they attacked the people of Debir.(Debir used to be called Kiriath
Sepher.)
12 Caleb said,“To the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher I will give
my daughter Achsah as a wife.”
13 When Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, captured it, Caleb gave
him his daughter Achsah as a wife.
14 One time Achsah came and charmed her father so she could ask him for some
land. When she got down from her donkey, Caleb said to her,“What would you
like?”
15 She answered,“Please give me a special present. Since you have given me
land in the Negev, now give me springs of water.” So Caleb gave her both the
upper and lower springs.
16 Now the descendants of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up with the
people of Judah from the city of date palm trees to Arad in the wilderness of
Judah, located in the Negev. They went and lived with the people of Judah.
17 The men of Judah went with their brothers the men of Simeon and defeated the
Canaanites living in Zephath. They wiped out Zephath. So people now call the
city Hormah.
18 The men of Judah captured Gaza, Ashkelon, Ekron, and the territory
surrounding each of these cities.
19 The LORD was with the men of Judah. They conquered the hill country, but they
could not conquer the people living in the coastal plain, because they had
chariots with iron-rimmed wheels.
20 Caleb received Hebron, just as Moses had promised. He drove out the three
Anakites.
21 The men of Benjamin, however, did not conquer the Jebusites living in
Jerusalem. The Jebusites live with the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this
very day.
22 Partial Success When the men of Joseph attacked Bethel, the LORD was with
them.
23 When the men of Joseph spied out Bethel(it used to be called Luz),
24 the spies spotted a man leaving the city. They said to him,“If you show us
a secret entrance into the city, we will reward you.”
25 He showed them a secret entrance into the city, and they put the city to the
sword. But they let the man and his extended family leave safely.
26 He moved to Hittite country and built a city. He named it Luz, and it has
kept that name to this very day.
27 The men of Manasseh did not conquer Beth Shean, Taanach, or their surrounding
towns. Nor did they conquer the people living in Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo or their
surrounding towns. The Canaanites managed to remain in those areas.
28 Whenever Israel was strong militarily, they forced the Canaanites to do hard
labor, but they never totally conquered them.
29 The men of Ephraim did not conquer the Canaanites living in Gezer. The
Canaanites lived among them in Gezer.
30 The men of Zebulun did not conquer the people living in Kitron and Nahalol.
The Canaanites lived among them and were forced to do hard labor.
31 The men of Asher did not conquer the people living in Acco or Sidon, nor did
they conquer Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphek, or Rehob.
32 The people of Asher live among the Canaanites residing in the land because
they did not conquer them.
33 The men of Naphtali did not conquer the people living in Beth Shemesh or Beth
Anath. They live among the Canaanites residing in the land. The Canaanites
living in Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath were forced to do hard labor for them.
34 The Amorites forced the people of Dan to live in the hill country. They did
not allow them to live in the coastal plain.
35 The Amorites managed to remain in Har Heres, Aijalon, and Shaalbim. Whenever
the tribe of Joseph was strong militarily, the Amorites were forced to do hard
labor.
36 The border of Amorite territory ran from the Scorpion Ascent to Sela and on
up.

Chapter 2

1 Confrontation and Repentance at Bokim The LORD’s angel went up from Gilgal
to Bokim. He said,“I brought you up from Egypt and led you into the land I had
solemnly promised to give to your ancestors. I said,‘I will never break my
covenant with you,
2 but you must not make an agreement with the people who live in this land. You
should tear down the altars where they worship.’ But you have disobeyed me.
Why would you do such a thing?
3 At that time I also warned you,‘If you disobey, I will not drive out the
Canaanites before you. They will ensnare you and their gods will lure you
away.’”
4 When the LORD’s angel finished speaking these words to all the Israelites,
the people wept loudly.
5 They named that place Bokim and offered sacrifices to the LORD there.
6 The End of an Era When Joshua dismissed the people, the Israelites went to
their allotted portions of territory, intending to take possession of the land.
7 The people worshiped the LORD throughout Joshua’s lifetime and as long as
the elderly men who outlived him remained alive. These men had witnessed all the
great things the LORD had done for Israel.
8 Joshua son of Nun, the LORD’s servant, died at the age of one hundred ten.
9 The people buried him in his allotted land in Timnath Heres in the hill
country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
10 That entire generation passed away; a new generation grew up that had not
personally experienced the LORD’s presence or seen what he had done for
Israel.
11 A Monotonous Cycle The Israelites did evil before the LORD by worshiping the
Baals.
12 They abandoned the LORD God of their ancestors who brought them out of the
land of Egypt. They followed other gods– the gods of the nations who lived
around them. They worshiped them and made the LORD angry.
13 They abandoned the LORD and worshiped Baal and the Ashtoreths.
14 The LORD was furious with Israel and handed them over to robbers who
plundered them. He turned them over to their enemies who lived around them. They
could no longer withstand their enemies’ attacks.
15 Whenever they went out to fight, the LORD did them harm, just as he had
warned and solemnly vowed he would do. They suffered greatly.
16 The LORD raised up leaders who delivered them from these robbers.
17 But they did not obey their leaders. Instead they prostituted themselves to
other gods and worshiped them. They quickly turned aside from the path their
ancestors had walked. Their ancestors had obeyed the LORD’s commands, but they
did not.
18 When the LORD raised up leaders for them, the LORD was with each leader and
delivered the people from their enemies while the leader remained alive. The
LORD felt sorry for them when they cried out in agony because of what their
harsh oppressors did to them.
19 When a leader died, the next generation would again act more wickedly than
the previous one. They would follow after other gods, worshiping them and bowing
down to them. They did not give up their practices or their stubborn ways.
20 A Divine Decision The LORD was furious with Israel. He said,“This nation
has violated the terms of the covenant I made with their ancestors by disobeying
me.
21 So I will no longer remove before them any of the nations that Joshua left
unconquered when he died,
22 in order to test Israel. I want to see whether or not the people will
carefully walk in the path marked out by the LORD, as their ancestors were
careful to do.”
23 This is why the LORD permitted these nations to remain and did not conquer
them immediately; he did not hand them over to Joshua.

Chapter 3

1 These were the nations the LORD permitted to remain so he could use them to
test Israel– he wanted to test all those who had not experienced battle
against the Canaanites.
2 He left those nations simply because he wanted to teach the subsequent
generations of Israelites, who had not experienced the earlier battles, how to
conduct holy war.
3 These were the nations: the five lords of the Philistines, all the Canaanites,
the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon
to Lebo Hamath.
4 They were left to test Israel, so the LORD would know if his people would obey
the commands he gave their ancestors through Moses.
5 The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites,
Hivites, and Jebusites.
6 They took the Canaanites’ daughters as wives and gave their daughters to the
Canaanites; they worshiped their gods as well.
7 Othniel: A Model Leader The Israelites did evil in the LORD’s sight. They
forgot the LORD their God and worshiped the Baals and the Asherahs.
8 The LORD was furious with Israel and turned them over to King
Cushan-Rishathaim of Armon-Haraim. They were Cushan-Rishathaim’s subjects for
eight years.
9 When the Israelites cried out for help to the LORD, he raised up a deliverer
for the Israelites who rescued them. His name was Othniel son of Kenaz,
Caleb’s younger brother.
10 The LORD’s Spirit empowered him and he led Israel. When he went to do
battle, the LORD handed over to him King Cushan-Rishathaim of Armon and he
overpowered him.
11 The land had rest for forty years; then Othniel son of Kenaz died.
12 Deceit, Assassination, and Deliverance The Israelites again did evil in the
LORD’s sight. The LORD gave King Eglon of Moab control over Israel because
they had done evil in the LORD’s sight.
13 Eglon formed alliances with the Ammonites and Amalekites. He came and
defeated Israel, and they seized the city of date palm trees.
14 The Israelites were subject to King Eglon of Moab for eighteen years.
15 When the Israelites cried out for help to the LORD, he raised up a deliverer
for them. His name was Ehud son of Gera the Benjaminite, a left-handed man. The
Israelites sent him to King Eglon of Moab with their tribute payment.
16 Ehud made himself a sword– it had two edges and was eighteen inches long.
He strapped it under his coat on his right thigh.
17 He brought the tribute payment to King Eglon of Moab.(Now Eglon was a very
fat man.)
18 After Ehud brought the tribute payment, he dismissed the people who had
carried it.
19 But he went back once he reached the carved images at Gilgal. He said to
Eglon,“I have a secret message for you, O king.” Eglon said,“Be quiet!”
All his attendants left.
20 When Ehud approached him, he was sitting in his well-ventilated upper room
all by himself. Ehud said,“I have a message from God for you.” When Eglon
rose up from his seat,
21 Ehud reached with his left hand, pulled the sword from his right thigh, and
drove it into Eglon’s belly.
22 The handle went in after the blade, and the fat closed around the blade, for
Ehud did not pull the sword out of his belly.
23 As Ehud went out into the vestibule, he closed the doors of the upper room
behind him and locked them.
24 When Ehud had left, Eglon’s servants came and saw the locked doors of the
upper room. They said,“He must be relieving himself in the well-ventilated
inner room.”
25 They waited so long they were embarrassed, but he still did not open the
doors of the upper room. Finally they took the key and opened the doors. Right
before their eyes was their master, sprawled out dead on the floor!
26 Now Ehud had escaped while they were delaying. When he passed the carved
images, he escaped to Seirah.
27 When he reached Seirah, he blew a trumpet in the Ephraimite hill country. The
Israelites went down with him from the hill country, with Ehud in the lead.
28 He said to them,“Follow me, for the LORD is about to defeat your enemies,
the Moabites!” They followed him, captured the fords of the Jordan River
opposite Moab, and did not let anyone cross.
29 That day they killed about ten thousand Moabites– all strong, capable
warriors; not one escaped.
30 Israel humiliated Moab that day, and the land had rest for eighty years.
31 After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath. He killed six hundred Philistines with
an oxgoad. So he also delivered Israel.

Chapter 4

1 Deborah Summons Barak The Israelites again did evil in the LORD’s sight
after Ehud’s death.
2 The LORD turned them over to King Jabin of Canaan, who ruled in Hazor. The
general of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth Haggoyim.
3 The Israelites cried out for help to the LORD, because Sisera had nine hundred
chariots with iron-rimmed wheels, and he cruelly oppressed the Israelites for
twenty years.
4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time.
5 She would sit under the Date Palm Tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in
the Ephraimite hill country. The Israelites would come up to her to have their
disputes settled.
6 She summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali. She said to
him,“Is it not true that the LORD God of Israel is commanding you? Go, march
to Mount Tabor! Take with you ten thousand men from Naphtali and Zebulun!
7 I will bring Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to you at the Kishon
River, along with his chariots and huge army. I will hand him over to you.”
8 Barak said to her,“If you go with me, I will go. But if you do not go with
me, I will not go.”
9 She said,“I will indeed go with you. But you will not gain fame on the
expedition you are undertaking, for the LORD will turn Sisera over to a
woman.” Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh.
10 Barak summoned men from Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh. Ten thousand men
followed him; Deborah went up with him as well.
11 Now Heber the Kenite had moved away from the Kenites, the descendants of
Hobab, Moses’ father-in-law. He lived near the great tree in Zaanannim near
Kedesh.
12 When Sisera heard that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor,
13 he ordered all his chariotry– nine hundred chariots with iron-rimmed
wheels– and all the troops he had with him to go from Harosheth Haggoyim to
the River Kishon.
14 Deborah said to Barak,“Spring into action, for this is the day the LORD is
handing Sisera over to you! Has the LORD not taken the lead?” So Barak went
down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him.
15 The LORD routed Sisera, all his chariotry, and all his army with the edge of
the sword. Sisera jumped out of his chariot and ran away on foot.
16 Now Barak chased the chariots and the army all the way to Harosheth Haggoyim.
Sisera’s whole army died by the edge of the sword; not even one survived!
17 Now Sisera ran away on foot to the tent of Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite,
for King Jabin of Hazor and the family of Heber the Kenite had made a peace
treaty.
18 Jael came out to welcome Sisera. She said to him,“Stop and rest, my lord.
Stop and rest with me. Don’t be afraid.” So Sisera stopped to rest in her
tent, and she put a blanket over him.
19 He said to her,“Give me a little water to drink, because I’m thirsty.”
She opened a goatskin container of milk and gave him some milk to drink. Then
she covered him up again.
20 He said to her,“Stand watch at the entrance to the tent. If anyone comes
along and asks you,‘Is there a man here?’ say,‘No.’”
21 Then Jael wife of Heber took a tent peg in one hand and a hammer in the
other. She crept up on him, drove the tent peg through his temple into the
ground while he was asleep from exhaustion, and he died.
22 Now Barak was chasing Sisera. Jael went out to welcome him. She said to
him,“Come here and I will show you the man you are searching for.” He went
with her into the tent, and there he saw Sisera sprawled out dead with the tent
peg in his temple.
23 That day God humiliated King Jabin of Canaan before the Israelites.
24 Israel’s power continued to overwhelm King Jabin of Canaan until they did
away with him.

Chapter 5

1 Celebrating the Victory in Song On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam
sang this victory song:
2 “When the leaders took the lead in Israel, When the people answered the call
to war– Praise the LORD!
3 Hear, O kings! Pay attention, O rulers! I will sing to the LORD! I will sing
to the LORD God of Israel!
4 O LORD, when you departed from Seir, when you marched from Edom’s plains,
the earth shook, the heavens poured down, the clouds poured down rain.
5 The mountains trembled before the LORD, the God of Sinai; before the LORD God
of Israel.
6 In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael caravans disappeared;
travelers had to go on winding side roads.
7 Warriors were scarce, they were scarce in Israel, until you arose, Deborah,
until you arose as a motherly protector in Israel.
8 God chose new leaders, then fighters appeared in the city gates; but, I swear,
not a shield or spear could be found, among forty military units in Israel.
9 My heart went out to Israel’s leaders, to the people who answered the call
to war. Praise the LORD!
10 You who ride on light-colored female donkeys, who sit on saddle blankets, you
who walk on the road, pay attention!
11 Hear the sound of those who divide the sheep among the watering places; there
they tell of the LORD’s victorious deeds, the victorious deeds of his warriors
in Israel. Then the LORD’s people went down to the city gates–
12 Wake up, wake up, Deborah! Wake up, wake up, sing a song! Get up, Barak!
Capture your prisoners of war, son of Abinoam!
13 Then the survivors came down to the mighty ones; the LORD’s people came
down to me as warriors.
14 They came from Ephraim, who uprooted Amalek, they follow after you, Benjamin,
with your soldiers. From Makir leaders came down, from Zebulun came the ones who
march carrying an officer’s staff.
15 Issachar’s leaders were with Deborah, the men of Issachar supported Barak;
into the valley they were sent under Barak’s command. Among the clans of
Reuben there was intense heart searching.
16 Why do you remain among the sheepfolds, listening to the shepherds playing
their pipes for their flocks? As for the clans of Reuben– there was intense
searching of heart.
17 Gilead stayed put beyond the Jordan River. As for Dan– why did he seek
temporary employment in the shipyards? Asher remained on the seacoast, he stayed
by his harbors.
18 The men of Zebulun were not concerned about their lives; Naphtali charged on
to the battlefields.
19 Kings came, they fought; the kings of Canaan fought, at Taanach by the waters
of Megiddo, but they took no silver as plunder.
20 From the sky the stars fought, from their paths in the heavens they fought
against Sisera.
21 The Kishon River carried them off; the river confronted them– the Kishon
River. Step on the necks of the strong!
22 The horses’ hooves pounded the ground; the stallions galloped madly.
23 ‘Call judgment down on Meroz,’ says the LORD’s angel;‘Be sure to call
judgment down on those who live there, because they did not come to help in the
LORD’s battle, to help in the LORD’s battle against the warriors.’
24 The most rewarded of women should be Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite! She
should be the most rewarded of women who live in tents.
25 He asked for water, and she gave him milk; in a bowl fit for a king, she
served him curds.
26 Her left hand reached for the tent peg, her right hand for the workmen’s
hammer. She“hammered” Sisera, she shattered his skull, she smashed his head,
she drove the tent peg through his temple.
27 Between her feet he collapsed, he fell limp and was lifeless; between her
feet he collapsed and fell, in the spot where he collapsed, there he fell–
violently killed!
28 Through the window she looked; Sisera’s mother cried out through the
lattice:‘Why is his chariot so slow to return? Why are the hoofbeats of his
chariot-horses delayed?’
29 The wisest of her ladies answer; indeed she even thinks to herself,
30 ‘No doubt they are gathering and dividing the plunder– a girl or two for
each man to rape! Sisera is grabbing up colorful cloth, he is grabbing up
colorful embroidered cloth, two pieces of colorful embroidered cloth, for the
neck of the plunderer!’
31 May all your enemies perish like this, O LORD! But may those who love you
shine like the rising sun at its brightest!” And the land had rest for forty
years.

Chapter 6

1 Oppression and Confrontation The Israelites did evil in the LORD’s sight, so
the LORD turned them over to Midian for seven years.
2 The Midianites overwhelmed Israel. Because of Midian the Israelites made
shelters for themselves in the hills, as well as caves and strongholds.
3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites, and
the people from the east would attack them.
4 They invaded the land and devoured its crops all the way to Gaza. They left
nothing for the Israelites to eat, and they took away the sheep, oxen, and
donkeys.
5 When they invaded with their cattle and tents, they were as thick as locusts.
Neither they nor their camels could be counted. They came to devour the land.
6 Israel was so severely weakened by Midian that the Israelites cried out to the
LORD for help.
7 When the Israelites cried out to the LORD for help because of Midian,
8 So the LORD sent a prophet to the Israelites. He said to them,“This is what
the LORD God of Israel has said:‘I brought you up from Egypt and took you out
of that place of slavery.
9 I rescued you from Egypt’s power and from the power of all who oppressed
you. I drove them out before you and gave their land to you.
10 I said to you,“I am the LORD your God! Do not worship the gods of the
Amorites, in whose land you are now living!” But you have disobeyed me.’”
11 Gideon Meets Some Visitors The LORD’s angel came and sat down under the oak
tree in Ophrah owned by Joash the Abiezrite. He arrived while Joash’s son
Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress so he could hide it from the
Midianites.
12 The LORD’s angel appeared and said to him,“The LORD is with you,
courageous warrior!”
13 Gideon said to him,“Pardon me, but if the LORD is with us, why has such
disaster overtaken us? Where are all his miraculous deeds our ancestors told us
about? They said,‘Did the LORD not bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD
has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.”
14 Then the LORD himself turned to him and said,“You have the strength.
Deliver Israel from the power of the Midianites! Have I not sent you?”
15 Gideon said to him,“But Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Just look! My clan
is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my family.”
16 The LORD said to him,“Ah, but I will be with you! You will strike down the
whole Midianite army.”
17 Gideon said to him,“If you really are pleased with me, then give me a sign
as proof that it is really you speaking with me.
18 Do not leave this place until I come back with a gift and present it to
you.” The LORD said,“I will stay here until you come back.”
19 Gideon went and prepared a young goat, along with unleavened bread made from
an ephah of flour. He put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot. He
brought the food to him under the oak tree and presented it to him.
20 God’s angel said to him,“Put the meat and unleavened bread on this rock,
and pour out the broth.” Gideon did as instructed.
21 The LORD’s angel touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of
his staff. Fire flared up from the rock and consumed the meat and unleavened
bread. The LORD’s angel then disappeared.
22 When Gideon realized that it was the LORD’s angel, he said,“Oh no!
Sovereign LORD! I have seen the LORD’s angel face to face!”
23 The LORD said to him,“You are safe! Do not be afraid! You are not going to
die!”
24 Gideon built an altar for the LORD there, and named it“The LORD is on
friendly terms with me.” To this day it is still there in Ophrah of the
Abiezrites.
25 Gideon Destroys the Altar That night the LORD said to him,“Take the bull
from your father’s herd, as well as a second bull, one that is seven years
old. Pull down your father’s Baal altar and cut down the nearby Asherah pole.
26 Then build an altar for the LORD your God on the top of this stronghold
according to the proper pattern. Take the second bull and offer it as a burnt
sacrifice on the wood from the Asherah pole that you cut down.”
27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did just as the LORD had told him. He
was too afraid of his father’s family and the men of the city to do it in
broad daylight, so he waited until nighttime.
28 When the men of the city got up the next morning, they saw the Baal altar
pulled down, the nearby Asherah pole cut down, and the second bull sacrificed on
the newly built altar.
29 They said to one another,“Who did this?” They investigated the matter
thoroughly and concluded that Gideon son of Joash had done it.
30 The men of the city said to Joash,“Bring out your son, so we can execute
him! He pulled down the Baal altar and cut down the nearby Asherah pole.”
31 But Joash said to all those who confronted him,“Must you fight Baal’s
battles? Must you rescue him? Whoever takes up his cause will die by morning! If
he really is a god, let him fight his own battles! After all, it was his altar
that was pulled down.”
32 That very day Gideon’s father named him Jerub-Baal, because he had
said,“Let Baal fight with him, for it was his altar that was pulled down.”
33 Gideon Summons an Army and Seeks Confirmation All the Midianites, Amalekites,
and the people from the east assembled. They crossed the Jordan River and camped
in the Jezreel Valley.
34 The LORD’s Spirit took control of Gideon. He blew a trumpet, summoning the
Abiezrites to follow him.
35 He sent messengers throughout Manasseh and summoned them to follow him as
well. He also sent messengers throughout Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they
came up to meet him.
36 Gideon said to God,“If you really intend to use me to deliver Israel, as
you promised, then give me a sign as proof.
37 Look, I am putting a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only
on the fleece, and the ground around it is dry, then I will be sure that you
will use me to deliver Israel, as you promised.”
38 The LORD did as he asked. When he got up the next morning, he squeezed the
fleece, and enough dew dripped from it to fill a bowl.
39 Gideon said to God,“Please do not get angry at me, when I ask for just one
more sign. Please allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make only
the fleece dry, while the ground around it is covered with dew.”
40 That night God did as he asked. Only the fleece was dry and the ground around
it was covered with dew.

Chapter 7

1 Gideon Reduces the Ranks Jerub-Baal(that is, Gideon) and his men got up the
next morning and camped near the spring of Harod. The Midianites were camped
north of them near the hill of Moreh in the valley.
2 The LORD said to Gideon,“You have too many men for me to hand Midian over to
you. Israel might brag,‘Our own strength has delivered us.’
3 Now, announce to the men,‘Whoever is shaking with fear may turn around and
leave Mount Gilead.’” Twenty-two thousand men went home; ten thousand
remained.
4 The LORD spoke to Gideon again,“There are still too many men. Bring them
down to the water and I will thin the ranks some more. When I say,‘This one
should go with you,’ pick him to go; when I say,‘This one should not go with
you,’ do not take him.”
5 So he brought the men down to the water. Then the LORD said to
Gideon,“Separate those who lap the water as a dog laps from those who kneel to
drink.”
6 Three hundred men lapped with their hands to their mouths; the rest of the men
kneeled to drink water.
7 The LORD said to Gideon,“With the three hundred men who lapped I will
deliver the whole army and I will hand Midian over to you. The rest of the men
should go home.”
8 The men who were chosen took supplies and their trumpets. Gideon sent all the
men of Israel back to their homes; he kept only three hundred men. Now the
Midianites were camped down below in the valley.
9 Gideon Reassured of Victory That night the LORD said to Gideon,“Get up!
Attack the camp, for I am handing it over to you.
10 But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with Purah your servant
11 and listen to what they are saying. Then you will be brave and attack the
camp.” So he went down with Purah his servant to where the sentries were
guarding the camp.
12 Now the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east covered the
valley like a swarm of locusts. Their camels could not be counted; they were as
innumerable as the sand on the seashore.
13 When Gideon arrived, he heard a man telling another man about a dream he had.
The man said,“Look! I had a dream. I saw a stale cake of barley bread rolling
into the Midianite camp. It hit a tent so hard it knocked it over and turned it
upside down. The tent just collapsed.”
14 The other man said,“Without a doubt this symbolizes the sword of Gideon son
of Joash, the Israelite. God is handing Midian and all the army over to him.”
15 Gideon Routs the Enemy When Gideon heard the report of the dream and its
interpretation, he praised God. Then he went back to the Israelite camp and
said,“Get up, for the LORD is handing the Midianite army over to you!”
16 He divided the three hundred men into three units. He gave them all trumpets
and empty jars with torches inside them.
17 He said to them,“Watch me and do as I do. Watch closely! I am going to the
edge of the camp. Do as I do!
18 When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, you also blow your trumpets
all around the camp. Then say,‘For the LORD and for Gideon!’”
19 Gideon took a hundred men to the edge of the camp at the beginning of the
middle watch, just after they had changed the guards. They blew their trumpets
and broke the jars they were carrying.
20 All three units blew their trumpets and broke their jars. They held the
torches in their left hand and the trumpets in their right. Then they
yelled,“A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!”
21 They stood in order all around the camp. The whole army ran away; they
shouted as they scrambled away.
22 When the three hundred men blew their trumpets, the LORD caused the
Midianites to attack one another with their swords throughout the camp. The army
fled to Beth Shittah on the way to Zererah. They went to the border of Abel
Meholah near Tabbath.
23 Israelites from Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh answered the call and chased
the Midianites.
24 Gideon Appeases the Ephraimites Now Gideon sent messengers throughout the
Ephraimite hill country who announced,“Go down and head off the Midianites.
Take control of the fords of the streams all the way to Beth Barah and the
Jordan River.” When all the Ephraimites had assembled, they took control of
the fords all the way to Beth Barah and the Jordan River.
25 They captured the two Midianite generals, Oreb and Zeeb. They executed Oreb
on the rock of Oreb and Zeeb in the winepress of Zeeb. They chased the
Midianites and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was now on the
other side of the Jordan River.

Chapter 8

1 The Ephraimites said to him,“Why have you done such a thing to us? You did
not summon us when you went to fight the Midianites!” They argued vehemently
with him.
2 He said to them,“Now what have I accomplished compared to you? Even
Ephraim’s leftover grapes are better quality than Abiezer’s harvest!
3 It was to you that God handed over the Midianite generals, Oreb and Zeeb! What
did I accomplish to rival that?” When he said this, they calmed down.
4 Gideon Tracks Down the Midianite Kings Now Gideon and his three hundred men
had crossed over the Jordan River, and even though they were exhausted, they
were still chasing the Midianites.
5 He said to the men of Succoth,“Give some loaves of bread to the men who are
following me, because they are exhausted. I am chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, the
kings of Midian.”
6 The officials of Succoth said,“You have not yet overpowered Zebah and
Zalmunna. So why should we give bread to your army?”
7 Gideon said,“Since you will not help, after the LORD hands Zebah and
Zalmunna over to me, I will thresh your skin with desert thorns and briers.”
8 He went up from there to Penuel and made the same request. The men of Penuel
responded the same way the men of Succoth had.
9 He also threatened the men of Penuel, warning,“When I return victoriously, I
will tear down this tower.”
10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their armies. There were about
fifteen thousand survivors from the army of the eastern peoples; a hundred and
twenty thousand sword-wielding soldiers had been killed.
11 Gideon went up the road of the nomads east of Nobah and Jogbehah and ambushed
the surprised army.
12 When Zebah and Zalmunna ran away, Gideon chased them and captured the two
Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna. He had surprised their entire army.
13 Gideon son of Joash returned from the battle by the pass of Heres.
14 He captured a young man from Succoth and interrogated him. The young man
wrote down for him the names of Succoth’s officials and city leaders–
seventy-seven men in all.
15 He approached the men of Succoth and said,“Look what I have! Zebah and
Zalmunna! You insulted me, saying,‘You have not yet overpowered Zebah and
Zalmunna. So why should we give bread to your exhausted men?’”
16 He seized the leaders of the city, along with some desert thorns and briers;
he then“threshed” the men of Succoth with them.
17 He also tore down the tower of Penuel and executed the city’s men.
18 He said to Zebah and Zalmunna,“Describe for me the men you killed at
Tabor.” They said,“They were like you. Each one looked like a king’s
son.”
19 He said,“They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. I swear, as surely
as the LORD is alive, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.”
20 He ordered Jether his firstborn son,“Come on! Kill them!” But Jether was
too afraid to draw his sword, because he was still young.
21 Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon,“Come on, you strike us, for a man is
judged by his strength.” So Gideon killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the
crescent-shaped ornaments which were on the necks of their camels.
22 Gideon Rejects a Crown but Makes an Ephod The men of Israel said to
Gideon,“Rule over us– you, your son, and your grandson. For you have
delivered us from Midian’s power.”
23 Gideon said to them,“I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over
you. The LORD will rule over you.”
24 Gideon continued,“I would like to make one request. Each of you give me an
earring from the plunder you have taken.”(The Midianites had gold earrings
because they were Ishmaelites.)
25 They said,“We are happy to give you earrings.” So they spread out a
garment, and each one threw an earring from his plunder onto it.
26 The total weight of the gold earrings he requested came to seventeen hundred
gold shekels. This was in addition to the crescent-shaped ornaments, jewelry,
purple clothing worn by the Midianite kings, and the necklaces on the camels.
27 Gideon used all this to make an ephod, which he put in his hometown of
Ophrah. All the Israelites prostituted themselves to it by worshiping it there.
It became a snare to Gideon and his family.
28 Gideon’s Story Ends The Israelites humiliated Midian; the Midianites’
fighting spirit was broken. The land had rest for forty years during Gideon’s
time.
29 Then Jerub-Baal son of Joash went home and settled down.
30 Gideon fathered seventy sons through his many wives.
31 His concubine, who lived in Shechem, also gave him a son, whom he named
Abimelech.
32 Gideon son of Joash died at a very old age and was buried in the tomb of his
father Joash located in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
33 Israel Returns to Baal-Worship After Gideon died, the Israelites again
prostituted themselves to the Baals. They made Baal-Berith their god.
34 The Israelites did not remain true to the LORD their God, who had delivered
them from all the enemies who lived around them.
35 They did not treat the family of Jerub-Baal(that is, Gideon) fairly in return
for all the good he had done for Israel.

Chapter 9

1 Abimelech Murders His Brothers Now Abimelech son of Jerub-Baal went to Shechem
to see his mother’s relatives. He said to them and to his mother’s entire
extended family,
2 “Tell all the leaders of Shechem this:‘Why would you want to have seventy
men, all Jerub-Baal’s sons, ruling over you, when you can have just one ruler?
Recall that I am your own flesh and blood.’”
3 His mother’s relatives spoke on his behalf to all the leaders of Shechem and
reported his proposal. The leaders were drawn to Abimelech; they said,“He is
our close relative.”
4 They paid him seventy silver shekels out of the temple of Baal-Berith.
Abimelech then used the silver to hire some lawless, dangerous men as his
followers.
5 He went to his father’s home in Ophrah and murdered his half-brothers, the
seventy legitimate sons of Jerub-Baal, on one stone. Only Jotham, Jerub-Baal’s
youngest son, escaped, because he hid.
6 All the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo assembled and then went and made
Abimelech king by the oak near the pillar in Shechem.
7 Jotham’s Parable When Jotham heard the news, he went and stood on the top of
Mount Gerizim. He spoke loudly to the people below,“Listen to me, leaders of
Shechem, so that God may listen to you!
8 “The trees were determined to go out and choose a king for themselves. They
said to the olive tree,‘Be our king!’
9 But the olive tree said to them,‘I am not going to stop producing my oil,
which is used to honor gods and men, just to sway above the other trees!’
10 “So the trees said to the fig tree,‘You come and be our king!’
11 But the fig tree said to them,‘I am not going to stop producing my sweet
figs, my excellent fruit, just to sway above the other trees!’
12 “So the trees said to the grapevine,‘You come and be our king!’
13 But the grapevine said to them,‘I am not going to stop producing my wine,
which makes gods and men so happy, just to sway above the other trees!’
14 “So all the trees said to the thornbush,‘You come and be our king!’
15 The thornbush said to the trees,‘If you really want to choose me as your
king, then come along, find safety under my branches! Otherwise may fire blaze
from the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!’
16 “Now, if you have shown loyalty and integrity when you made Abimelech king,
if you have done right to Jerub-Baal and his family, if you have properly repaid
him–
17 my father fought for you; he risked his life and delivered you from
Midian’s power.
18 But you have attacked my father’s family today. You murdered his seventy
legitimate sons on one stone and made Abimelech, the son of his female slave,
king over the leaders of Shechem, just because he is your close relative.
19 So if you have shown loyalty and integrity to Jerub-Baal and his family
today, then may Abimelech bring you happiness and may you bring him happiness!
20 But if not, may fire blaze from Abimelech and consume the leaders of Shechem
and Beth Millo! May fire also blaze from the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo
and consume Abimelech!”
21 Then Jotham ran away to Beer and lived there to escape from Abimelech his
half-brother.
22 God Fulfills Jotham’s Curse Abimelech commanded Israel for three years.
23 God sent a spirit to stir up hostility between Abimelech and the leaders of
Shechem. He made the leaders of Shechem disloyal to Abimelech.
24 He did this so the violent deaths of Jerub-Baal’s seventy sons might be
avenged and Abimelech, their half-brother who murdered them, might have to pay
for their spilled blood, along with the leaders of Shechem who helped him murder
them.
25 The leaders of Shechem rebelled against Abimelech by putting bandits in the
hills, who robbed everyone who traveled by on the road. But Abimelech found out
about it.
26 Gaal son of Ebed came through Shechem with his brothers. The leaders of
Shechem transferred their loyalty to him.
27 They went out to the field, harvested their grapes, squeezed out the juice,
and celebrated. They came to the temple of their god and ate, drank, and cursed
Abimelech.
28 Gaal son of Ebed said,“Who is Abimelech and who is Shechem, that we should
serve him? Is he not the son of Jerub-Baal, and is not Zebul the deputy he
appointed? Serve the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem! But why should we
serve Abimelech?
29 If only these men were under my command, I would get rid of Abimelech!” He
challenged Abimelech,“Muster your army and come out for battle!”
30 When Zebul, the city commissioner, heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed, he
was furious.
31 He sent messengers to Abimelech, who was in Arumah, reporting,“Beware! Gaal
son of Ebed and his brothers are coming to Shechem and inciting the city to
rebel against you.
32 Now, come up at night with your men and set an ambush in the field outside
the city.
33 In the morning at sunrise quickly attack the city. When he and his men come
out to fight you, do what you can to him.”
34 So Abimelech and all his men came up at night and set an ambush outside
Shechem– they divided into four units.
35 When Gaal son of Ebed came out and stood at the entrance to the city’s
gate, Abimelech and his men got up from their hiding places.
36 Gaal saw the men and said to Zebul,“Look, men are coming down from the tops
of the hills.” But Zebul said to him,“You are seeing the shadows on the
hills– it just looks like men.”
37 Gaal again said,“Look, men are coming down from the very center of the
land. A unit is coming by way of the Oak Tree of the Diviners.”
38 Zebul said to him,“Where now are your bragging words,‘Who is Abimelech
that we should serve him?’ Are these not the men you insulted? Go out now and
fight them!”
39 So Gaal led the leaders of Shechem out and fought Abimelech.
40 Abimelech chased him, and Gaal ran from him. Many Shechemites fell wounded at
the entrance of the gate.
41 Abimelech went back to Arumah; Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers out of
Shechem.
42 The next day the Shechemites came out to the field. When Abimelech heard
about it,
43 he took his men and divided them into three units and set an ambush in the
field. When he saw the people coming out of the city, he attacked and struck
them down.
44 Abimelech and his units attacked and blocked the entrance to the city’s
gate. Two units then attacked all the people in the field and struck them down.
45 Abimelech fought against the city all that day. He captured the city and
killed all the people in it. Then he leveled the city and spread salt over it.
46 When all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem heard the news, they went to the
stronghold of the temple of El-Berith.
47 Abimelech heard that all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem were in one
place.
48 He and all his men went up on Mount Zalmon. He took an ax in his hand and cut
off a tree branch. He put it on his shoulder and said to his men,“Quickly, do
what you have just seen me do!”
49 So each of his men also cut off a branch and followed Abimelech. They put the
branches against the stronghold and set fire to it. All the people of the Tower
of Shechem died– about a thousand men and women.
50 Abimelech moved on to Thebez; he besieged and captured it.
51 There was a fortified tower in the center of the city, so all the men and
women, as well as the city’s leaders, ran into it and locked the entrance.
Then they went up to the roof of the tower.
52 Abimelech came and attacked the tower. When he approached the entrance of the
tower to set it on fire,
53 a woman threw an upper millstone down on his head and shattered his skull.
54 He quickly called to the young man who carried his weapons,“Draw your sword
and kill me, so they will not say,‘A woman killed him.’” So the young man
stabbed him and he died.
55 When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they went home.
56 God repaid Abimelech for the evil he did to his father by murdering his
seventy half-brothers.
57 God also repaid the men of Shechem for their evil deeds. The curse spoken by
Jotham son of Jerub-Baal fell on them.

Chapter 10

1 Stability Restored After Abimelech’s death, Tola son of Puah, grandson of
Dodo, from the tribe of Issachar, rose up to deliver Israel. He lived in Shamir
in the Ephraimite hill country.
2 He led Israel for twenty-three years, then died and was buried in Shamir.
3 Jair the Gileadite rose up after him; he led Israel for twenty-two years.
4 He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys and possessed thirty cities. To
this day these towns are called Havvoth Jair– they are in the land of Gilead.
5 Jair died and was buried in Kamon.
6 The Lord’s Patience Runs Short The Israelites again did evil in the LORD’s
sight. They worshiped the Baals and the Ashtoreths, as well as the gods of
Syria, Sidon, Moab, the Ammonites, and the Philistines. They abandoned the LORD
and did not worship him.
7 The LORD was furious with Israel and turned them over to the Philistines and
Ammonites.
8 They ruthlessly oppressed the Israelites that eighteenth year– that is, all
the Israelites living east of the Jordan in Amorite country in Gilead.
9 The Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight with Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim.
Israel suffered greatly.
10 The Israelites cried out for help to the LORD:“We have sinned against you.
We abandoned our God and worshiped the Baals.”
11 The LORD said to the Israelites,“Did I not deliver you from Egypt, the
Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines,
12 the Sidonians, Amalek, and Midian when they oppressed you? You cried out for
help to me, and I delivered you from their power.
13 But since you abandoned me and worshiped other gods, I will not deliver you
again.
14 Go and cry for help to the gods you have chosen! Let them deliver you from
trouble!”
15 But the Israelites said to the LORD,“We have sinned. You do to us as you
see fit, but deliver us today!”
16 They threw away the foreign gods they owned and worshiped the LORD. Finally
the LORD grew tired of seeing Israel suffer so much.
17 An Outcast Becomes a General The Ammonites assembled and camped in Gilead;
the Israelites gathered together and camped in Mizpah.
18 The leaders of Gilead said to one another,“Who is willing to lead the
charge against the Ammonites? He will become the leader of all who live in
Gilead!”

Chapter 11

1 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a brave warrior. His mother was a prostitute,
but Gilead was his father.
2 Gilead’s wife also gave him sons. When his wife’s sons grew up, they made
Jephthah leave and said to him,“You are not going to inherit any of our
father’s wealth, because you are another woman’s son.”
3 So Jephthah left his half-brothers and lived in the land of Tob. Lawless men
joined Jephthah’s gang and traveled with him.
4 It was some time after this when the Ammonites fought with Israel.
5 When the Ammonites attacked, the leaders of Gilead asked Jephthah to come back
from the land of Tob.
6 They said,“Come, be our commander, so we can fight with the Ammonites.”
7 Jephthah said to the leaders of Gilead,“But you hated me and made me leave
my father’s house. Why do you come to me now, when you are in trouble?”
8 The leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah,“That may be true, but now we pledge
to you our loyalty. Come with us and fight with the Ammonites. Then you will
become the leader of all who live in Gilead.”
9 Jephthah said to the leaders of Gilead,“All right! If you take me back to
fight with the Ammonites and the LORD gives them to me, I will be your
leader.”
10 The leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah,“The LORD will judge any grievance
you have against us, if we do not do as you say.”
11 So Jephthah went with the leaders of Gilead. The people made him their leader
and commander. Jephthah repeated the terms of the agreement before the LORD in
Mizpah.
12 Jephthah Gives a History Lesson Jephthah sent messengers to the Ammonite
king, saying,“Why have you come against me to attack my land?”
13 The Ammonite king said to Jephthah’s messengers,“Because Israel stole my
land when they came up from Egypt– from the Arnon River in the south to the
Jabbok River in the north, and as far west as the Jordan. Now return it
peaceably!”
14 Jephthah sent messengers back to the Ammonite king
15 and said to him,“This is what Jephthah says,‘Israel did not steal the
land of Moab and the land of the Ammonites.
16 When they left Egypt, Israel traveled through the desert as far as the Red
Sea and then came to Kadesh.
17 Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying,“Please allow us to pass
through your land.” But the king of Edom rejected the request. Israel sent the
same request to the king of Moab, but he was unwilling to cooperate. So Israel
stayed at Kadesh.
18 Then Israel went through the wilderness and bypassed the land of Edom and the
land of Moab. They traveled east of the land of Moab and camped on the other
side of the Arnon River; they did not go through Moabite territory(the Arnon was
Moab’s border).
19 Israel sent messengers to King Sihon, the Amorite king who ruled in Heshbon,
and said to him,“Please allow us to pass through your land to our land.”
20 But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory. He assembled
his whole army, camped in Jahaz, and fought with Israel.
21 The LORD God of Israel handed Sihon and his whole army over to Israel and
they defeated them. Israel took all the land of the Amorites who lived in that
land.
22 They took all the Amorite territory from the Arnon River on the south to the
Jabbok River on the north, from the desert in the east to the Jordan in the
west.
23 Since the LORD God of Israel has driven out the Amorites before his people
Israel, do you think you can just take it from them?
24 You have the right to take what Chemosh your god gives you, but we will take
the land of all whom the LORD our God has driven out before us.
25 Are you really better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he dare to
quarrel with Israel? Did he dare to fight with them?
26 Israel has been living in Heshbon and its nearby towns, in Aroer and its
nearby towns, and in all the cities along the Arnon for three hundred years! Why
did you not reclaim them during that time?
27 I have not done you wrong, but you are doing wrong by attacking me. May the
LORD, the Judge, judge this day between the Israelites and the Ammonites!’”
28 But the Ammonite king disregarded the message sent by Jephthah.
29 A Foolish Vow Spells Death for a Daughter The LORD’s Spirit empowered
Jephthah. He passed through Gilead and Manasseh and went to Mizpah in Gilead.
From there he approached the Ammonites.
30 Jephthah made a vow to the LORD, saying,“If you really do hand the
Ammonites over to me,
31 then whoever is the first to come through the doors of my house to meet me
when I return safely from fighting the Ammonites– he will belong to the LORD
and I will offer him up as a burnt sacrifice.”
32 Jephthah approached the Ammonites to fight with them, and the LORD handed
them over to him.
33 He defeated them from Aroer all the way to Minnith– twenty cities in all,
even as far as Abel Keramim! He wiped them out! The Israelites humiliated the
Ammonites.
34 When Jephthah came home to Mizpah, there was his daughter hurrying out to
meet him, dancing to the rhythm of tambourines. She was his only child; except
for her he had no son or daughter.
35 When he saw her, he ripped his clothes and said,“Oh no! My daughter! You
have completely ruined me! You have brought me disaster! I made an oath to the
LORD, and I cannot break it.”
36 She said to him,“My father, since you made an oath to the LORD, do to me as
you promised. After all, the LORD vindicated you before your enemies, the
Ammonites.”
37 She then said to her father,“Please grant me this one wish. For two months
allow me to walk through the hills with my friends and mourn my virginity.”
38 He said,“You may go.” He permitted her to leave for two months. She went
with her friends and mourned her virginity as she walked through the hills.
39 After two months she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had
vowed. She died a virgin. Her tragic death gave rise to a custom in Israel.
40 Every year Israelite women commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite
for four days.

Chapter 12

1 Civil Strife Mars the Victory The Ephraimites assembled and crossed over to
Zaphon. They said to Jephthah,“Why did you go and fight with the Ammonites
without asking us to go with you? We will burn your house down right over
you!”
2 Jephthah said to them,“My people and I were in a struggle and the Ammonites
were oppressing me greatly. I asked for your help, but you did not deliver me
from their power.
3 When I saw that you were not going to help, I risked my life and advanced
against the Ammonites, and the LORD handed them over to me. Why have you come up
to fight with me today?”
4 Jephthah assembled all the men of Gilead and they fought with Ephraim. The men
of Gilead defeated Ephraim, because the Ephraimites insulted them, saying,“You
Gileadites are refugees in Ephraim, living within Ephraim’s and Manasseh’s
territory.”
5 The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan River opposite Ephraim.
Whenever an Ephraimite fugitive said,“Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead
asked him,“Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said,“No,”
6 then they said to him,“Say‘Shibboleth!’” If he
said,“Sibboleth”(and could not pronounce the word correctly), they grabbed
him and executed him right there at the fords of the Jordan. On that day
forty-two thousand Ephraimites fell dead.
7 Jephthah led Israel for six years; then he died and was buried in his city in
Gilead.
8 Order Restored After him Ibzan of Bethlehem led Israel.
9 He had thirty sons. He arranged for thirty of his daughters to be married
outside his extended family, and he arranged for thirty young women to be
brought from outside as wives for his sons. Ibzan led Israel for seven years;
10 then he died and was buried in Bethlehem.
11 After him Elon the Zebulunite led Israel for ten years.
12 Then Elon the Zebulunite died and was buried in Aijalon in the land of
Zebulun.
13 After him Abdon son of Hillel the Pirathonite led Israel.
14 He had forty sons and thirty grandsons who rode on seventy donkeys. He led
Israel for eight years.
15 Then Abdon son of Hillel the Pirathonite died and was buried in Pirathon in
the land of Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites.

Chapter 13

1 Samson’s Birth The Israelites again did evil in the LORD’s sight, so the
LORD handed them over to the Philistines for forty years.
2 There was a man named Manoah from Zorah, from the Danite tribe. His wife was
infertile and childless.
3 The LORD’s angel appeared to the woman and said to her,“You are infertile
and childless, but you will conceive and have a son.
4 Now be careful! Do not drink wine or beer, and do not eat any food that will
make you ritually unclean.
5 Look, you will conceive and have a son. You must never cut his hair, for the
child will be dedicated to God from birth. He will begin to deliver Israel from
the power of the Philistines.”
6 The woman went and said to her husband,“A man sent from God came to me! He
looked like God’s angel– he was very awesome. I did not ask him where he
came from, and he did not tell me his name.
7 He said to me,‘Look, you will conceive and have a son. So now, do not drink
wine or beer and do not eat any food that will make you ritually unclean. For
the child will be dedicated to God from birth till the day he dies.’”
8 Manoah prayed to the LORD,“Please, Lord, allow the man sent from God to
visit us again, so he can teach us how we should raise the child who will be
born.”
9 God answered Manoah’s prayer. God’s angel visited the woman again while
she was sitting in the field. But her husband Manoah was not with her.
10 The woman ran at once and told her husband,“Come quickly, the man who
visited me the other day has appeared to me!”
11 So Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he met the man, he said to
him,“Are you the man who spoke to my wife?” He said,“Yes.”
12 Manoah said,“Now, when your announcement comes true, how should the child
be raised and what should he do?”
13 The LORD’s angel told Manoah,“Your wife should pay attention to
everything I told her.
14 She should not drink anything that the grapevine produces. She must not drink
wine or beer, and she must not eat any food that will make her ritually unclean.
She should obey everything I commanded her to do.”
15 Manoah said to the LORD’s angel,“Please stay here awhile, so we can
prepare a young goat for you to eat.”
16 The LORD’s angel said to Manoah,“If I stay, I will not eat your food. But
if you want to make a burnt sacrifice to the LORD, you should offer it.”(He
said this because Manoah did not know that he was the LORD’s angel.)
17 Manoah said to the LORD’s angel,“Tell us your name, so we can honor you
when your announcement comes true.”
18 The LORD’s angel said to him,“You should not ask me my name, because you
cannot comprehend it.”
19 Manoah took a young goat and a grain offering and offered them on a rock to
the LORD. The LORD’s messenger did an amazing thing as Manoah and his wife
watched.
20 As the flame went up from the altar toward the sky, the LORD’s angel went
up in it while Manoah and his wife watched. They fell facedown to the ground.
21 The LORD’s angel did not appear again to Manoah and his wife. After all
this happened Manoah realized that the visitor had been the LORD’s angel.
22 Manoah said to his wife,“We will certainly die, because we have seen a
supernatural being!”
23 But his wife said to him,“If the LORD wanted to kill us, he would not have
accepted the burnt offering and the grain offering from us. He would not have
shown us all these things, or have spoken to us like this just now.”
24 Manoah’s wife gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The child grew and
the LORD empowered him.
25 The LORD’s Spirit began to control him in Mahaneh Dan between Zorah and
Eshtaol.

Chapter 14

1 Samson’s Unconsummated Marriage Samson went down to Timnah, where a
Philistine girl caught his eye.
2 When he got home, he told his father and mother,“A Philistine girl in Timnah
has caught my eye. Now get her for my wife.”
3 But his father and mother said to him,“Certainly you can find a wife among
your relatives or among all our people! You should not have to go and get a wife
from the uncircumcised Philistines.” But Samson said to his father,“Get her
for me, because she is the right one for me.”
4 Now his father and mother did not realize this was the LORD’s doing, because
he was looking for an opportunity to stir up trouble with the Philistines(for at
that time the Philistines were ruling Israel).
5 Samson went down to Timnah. When he approached the vineyards of Timnah, he saw
a roaring young lion attacking him.
6 The LORD’s Spirit empowered him and he tore the lion in two with his bare
hands as easily as one would tear a young goat. But he did not tell his father
or mother what he had done.
7 Samson continued on down to Timnah and spoke to the girl. In his opinion, she
was just the right one.
8 Some time later, when he went back to marry her, he turned aside to see the
lion’s remains. He saw a swarm of bees in the lion’s carcass, as well as
some honey.
9 He scooped it up with his hands and ate it as he walked along. When he
returned to his father and mother, he offered them some and they ate it. But he
did not tell them he had scooped the honey out of the lion’s carcass.
10 Then Samson’s father accompanied him to Timnah for the marriage. Samson
hosted a party there, for this was customary for bridegrooms to do.
11 When the Philistines saw he had no attendants, they gave him thirty groomsmen
who kept him company.
12 Samson said to them,“I will give you a riddle. If you really can solve it
during the seven days the party lasts, I will give you thirty linen robes and
thirty sets of clothes.
13 But if you cannot solve it, you will give me thirty linen robes and thirty
sets of clothes.” They said to him,“Let us hear your riddle.”
14 He said to them,“Out of the one who eats came something to eat; out of the
strong one came something sweet.”They could not solve the riddle for three
days.
15 On the fourth day they said to Samson’s bride,“Trick your husband into
giving the solution to the riddle. If you refuse, we will burn up you and your
father’s family. Did you invite us here to make us poor?”
16 So Samson’s bride cried on his shoulder and said,“You must hate me; you
do not love me! You told the young men a riddle, but you have not told me the
solution.” He said to her,“Look, I have not even told my father or mother.
Do you really expect me to tell you?”
17 She cried on his shoulder until the party was almost over. Finally, on the
seventh day, he told her because she had nagged him so much. Then she told the
young men the solution to the riddle.
18 On the seventh day, before the sun set, the men of the city said to
him,“What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?”He said to
them,“If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have solved my
riddle!”
19 The LORD’s Spirit empowered him. He went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty
men. He took their clothes and gave them to the men who had solved the riddle.
He was furious as he went back home.
20 Samson’s bride was then given to his best man.

Chapter 15

1 Samson Versus the Philistines Sometime later, during the wheat harvest, Samson
took a young goat as a gift and went to visit his bride. He said to her
father,“I want to sleep with my bride in her bedroom!” But her father would
not let him enter.
2 Her father said,“I really thought you absolutely despised her, so I gave her
to your best man. Her younger sister is more attractive than she is. Take her
instead!”
3 Samson said to them,“This time I am justified in doing the Philistines
harm!”
4 Samson went and captured three hundred jackals and got some torches. He tied
the jackals in pairs by their tails and then tied a torch to each pair.
5 He lit the torches and set the jackals loose in the Philistines’ standing
grain. He burned up the grain heaps and the standing grain, as well as the
vineyards and olive groves.
6 The Philistines asked,“Who did this?” They were told,“Samson, the
Timnite’s son-in-law, because the Timnite took Samson’s bride and gave her
to his best man.” So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father.
7 Samson said to them,“Because you did this, I will get revenge against you
before I quit fighting.”
8 He struck them down and defeated them. Then he went down and lived for a time
in the cave in the cliff of Etam.
9 The Philistines went up and invaded Judah. They arrayed themselves for battle
in Lehi.
10 The men of Judah said,“Why are you attacking us?” The Philistines
said,“We have come up to take Samson prisoner so we can do to him what he has
done to us.”
11 Three thousand men of Judah went down to the cave in the cliff of Etam and
said to Samson,“Do you not know that the Philistines rule over us? Why have
you done this to us?” He said to them,“I have only done to them what they
have done to me.”
12 They said to him,“We have come down to take you prisoner so we can hand you
over to the Philistines.” Samson said to them,“Promise me you will not kill
me.”
13 They said to him,“We promise! We will only take you prisoner and hand you
over to them. We promise not to kill you.” They tied him up with two brand new
ropes and led him up from the cliff.
14 When he arrived in Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they approached him. But
the LORD’s Spirit empowered him. The ropes around his arms were like flax
dissolving in fire, and they melted away from his hands.
15 He happened to see a solid jawbone of a donkey. He grabbed it and struck down
a thousand men.
16 Samson then said,“With the jawbone of a donkey I have left them in heaps;
with the jawbone of a donkey I have struck down a thousand men!”
17 When he finished speaking, he threw the jawbone down and named that place
Ramath Lehi.
18 He was very thirsty, so he cried out to the LORD and said,“You have given
your servant this great victory. But now must I die of thirst and fall into
hands of these uncircumcised Philistines?”
19 So God split open the basin at Lehi and water flowed out from it. When he
took a drink, his strength was restored and he revived. For this reason he named
the spring En Hakkore. It remains in Lehi to this very day.
20 Samson led Israel for twenty years during the days of Philistine prominence.

Chapter 16

1 Samson’s Downfall Samson went to Gaza. There he saw a prostitute and slept
with her.
2 The Gazites were told,“Samson has come here!” So they surrounded the town
and hid all night at the city gate, waiting for him to leave. They relaxed all
night, thinking,“He will not leave until morning comes; then we will kill
him!”
3 Samson spent half the night with the prostitute; then he got up in the middle
of the night and left. He grabbed the doors of the city gate, as well as the two
posts, and pulled them right off, bar and all. He put them on his shoulders and
carried them up to the top of a hill east of Hebron.
4 After this Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in the
Sorek Valley.
5 The rulers of the Philistines went up to visit her and said to her,“Trick
him! Find out what makes him so strong and how we can subdue him and humiliate
him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred silver pieces.”
6 So Delilah said to Samson,“Tell me what makes you so strong and how you can
be subdued and humiliated.”
7 Samson said to her,“If they tie me up with seven fresh bowstrings that have
not been dried, I will become weak and be just like any other man.”
8 So the rulers of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings which had
not been dried and she tied him up with them.
9 They hid in the bedroom and then she said to him,“The Philistines are here,
Samson!” He snapped the bowstrings as easily as a thread of yarn snaps when it
is put close to fire. The secret of his strength was not discovered.
10 Delilah said to Samson,“Look, you deceived me and told me lies! Now tell me
how you can be subdued.”
11 He said to her,“If they tie me tightly with brand new ropes that have never
been used, I will become weak and be just like any other man.”
12 So Delilah took new ropes and tied him with them and said to him,“The
Philistines are here, Samson!”(The Philistines were hiding in the bedroom.)
But he tore the ropes from his arms as if they were a piece of thread.
13 Delilah said to Samson,“Up to now you have deceived me and told me lies.
Tell me how you can be subdued.” He said to her,“If you weave the seven
braids of my hair into the fabric on the loom and secure it with the pin, I will
become weak and be like any other man.”
14 So she made him go to sleep, wove the seven braids of his hair into the
fabric on the loom, fastened it with the pin, and said to him,“The Philistines
are here, Samson!” He woke up and tore away the pin of the loom and the
fabric.
15 She said to him,“How can you say,‘I love you,’ when you will not share
your secret with me? Three times you have deceived me and have not told me what
makes you so strong.”
16 She nagged him every day and pressured him until he was sick to death of it.
17 Finally he told her his secret. He said to her,“My hair has never been cut,
for I have been dedicated to God from the time I was conceived. If my head were
shaved, my strength would leave me; I would become weak, and be just like all
other men.”
18 When Delilah saw that he had told her his secret, she sent for the rulers of
the Philistines, saying,“Come up here again, for he has told me his secret.”
So the rulers of the Philistines went up to visit her, bringing the silver in
their hands.
19 She made him go to sleep on her lap and then called a man in to shave off the
seven braids of his hair. She made him vulnerable and his strength left him.
20 She said,“The Philistines are here, Samson!” He woke up and thought,“I
will do as I did before and shake myself free.” But he did not realize that
the LORD had left him.
21 The Philistines captured him and gouged out his eyes. They brought him down
to Gaza and bound him in bronze chains. He became a grinder in the prison.
22 His hair began to grow back after it had been shaved off.
23 Samson’s Death and Burial The rulers of the Philistines gathered to offer a
great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate. They said,“Our god has
handed Samson, our enemy, over to us.”
24 When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying,“Our god has handed
our enemy over to us, the one who ruined our land and killed so many of us!”
25 When they really started celebrating, they said,“Call for Samson so he can
entertain us!” So they summoned Samson from the prison and he entertained
them. They made him stand between two pillars.
26 Samson said to the young man who held his hand,“Position me so I can touch
the pillars that support the temple. Then I can lean on them.”
27 Now the temple was filled with men and women, and all the rulers of the
Philistines were there. There were three thousand men and women on the roof
watching Samson entertain.
28 Samson called to the LORD,“O Sovereign LORD, remember me! Strengthen me
just one more time, O God, so I can get swift revenge against the Philistines
for my two eyes!”
29 Samson took hold of the two middle pillars that supported the temple and he
leaned against them, with his right hand on one and his left hand on the other.
30 Samson said,“Let me die with the Philistines!” He pushed hard and the
temple collapsed on the rulers and all the people in it. He killed many more
people in his death than he had killed during his life.
31 His brothers and all his family went down and brought him back. They buried
him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had led
Israel for twenty years.

Chapter 17

1 Micah Makes His Own Religion There was a man named Micah from the Ephraimite
hill country.
2 He said to his mother,“You know the eleven hundred pieces of silver which
were stolen from you, about which I heard you pronounce a curse? Look here, I
have the silver. I stole it, but now I am giving it back to you.” His mother
said,“May the LORD reward you, my son!”
3 When he gave back to his mother the eleven hundred pieces of silver, his
mother said,“I solemnly dedicate this silver to the LORD. It will be for my
son’s benefit. We will use it to make a carved image and a metal image.”
4 When he gave the silver back to his mother, she took two hundred pieces of
silver to a silversmith, who made them into a carved image and a metal image.
She then put them in Micah’s house.
5 Now this man Micah owned a shrine. He made an ephod and some personal idols
and hired one of his sons to serve as a priest.
6 In those days Israel had no king. Each man did what he considered to be right.
7 Micah Hires a Professional There was a young man from Bethlehem in Judah. He
was a Levite who had been temporarily residing among the tribe of Judah.
8 This man left the town of Bethlehem in Judah to find another place to live. He
came to the Ephraimite hill country and made his way to Micah’s house.
9 Micah said to him,“Where do you come from?” He replied,“I am a Levite
from Bethlehem in Judah. I am looking for a new place to live.”
10 Micah said to him,“Stay with me. Become my adviser and priest. I will give
you ten pieces of silver per year, plus clothes and food.”
11 So the Levite agreed to stay with the man; the young man was like a son to
Micah.
12 Micah paid the Levite; the young man became his priest and lived in Micah’s
house.
13 Micah said,“Now I know the LORD will make me rich, because I have this
Levite as my priest.”

Chapter 18

1 The Tribe of Dan Finds an Inheritance In those days Israel had no king. And in
those days the Danite tribe was looking for a place to settle, because at that
time they did not yet have a place to call their own among the tribes of Israel.
2 The Danites sent out from their whole tribe five representatives, capable men
from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and explore it. They said to
them,“Go, explore the land.” They came to the Ephraimite hill country and
spent the night at Micah’s house.
3 As they approached Micah’s house, they recognized the accent of the young
Levite. So they stopped there and said to him,“Who brought you here? What are
you doing in this place? What is your business here?”
4 He told them what Micah had done for him, saying,“He hired me and I became
his priest.”
5 They said to him,“Seek a divine oracle for us, so we can know if we will be
successful on our mission.”
6 The priest said to them,“Go with confidence. The LORD will be with you on
your mission.”
7 So the five men journeyed on and arrived in Laish. They noticed that the
people there were living securely, like the Sidonians do, undisturbed and
unsuspecting. No conqueror was troubling them in any way. They lived far from
the Sidonians and had no dealings with anyone.
8 When the Danites returned to their tribe in Zorah and Eshtaol, their kinsmen
asked them,“How did it go?”
9 They said,“Come on, let’s attack them, for we saw their land and it is
very good. You seem lethargic, but don’t hesitate to invade and conquer the
land.
10 When you invade, you will encounter unsuspecting people. The land is wide!
God is handing it over to you– a place that lacks nothing on earth!”
11 So six hundred Danites, fully armed, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol.
12 They went up and camped in Kiriath Jearim in Judah.(To this day that place is
called Camp of Dan. It is west of Kiriath Jearim.)
13 From there they traveled through the Ephraimite hill country and arrived at
Micah’s house.
14 The five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish said to their
kinsmen,“Do you realize that inside these houses are an ephod, some personal
idols, a carved image, and a metal image? Decide now what you want to do.”
15 They stopped there, went inside the young Levite’s house(which belonged to
Micah), and asked him how he was doing.
16 Meanwhile the six hundred Danites, fully armed, stood at the entrance to the
gate.
17 The five men who had gone to spy out the land broke in and stole the carved
image, the ephod, the personal idols, and the metal image, while the priest was
standing at the entrance to the gate with the six hundred fully armed men.
18 When these men broke into Micah’s house and stole the carved image, the
ephod, the personal idols, and the metal image, the priest said to them,“What
are you doing?”
19 They said to him,“Shut up! Put your hand over your mouth and come with us!
You can be our adviser and priest. Wouldn’t it be better to be a priest for a
whole Israelite tribe than for just one man’s family?”
20 The priest was happy. He took the ephod, the personal idols, and the carved
image and joined the group.
21 They turned and went on their way, but they walked behind the children, the
cattle, and their possessions.
22 After they had gone a good distance from Micah’s house, Micah’s neighbors
gathered together and caught up with the Danites.
23 When they called out to the Danites, the Danites turned around and said to
Micah,“Why have you gathered together?”
24 He said,“You stole my gods that I made, as well as this priest, and then
went away. What do I have left? How can you have the audacity to say to
me,‘What do you want?’”
25 The Danites said to him,“Don’t say another word to us, or some very angry
men will attack you, and you and your family will die.”
26 The Danites went on their way; when Micah realized they were too strong to
resist, he turned around and went home.
27 Now the Danites took what Micah had made, as well as his priest, and came to
Laish, where the people were undisturbed and unsuspecting. They struck them down
with the sword and burned the city.
28 No one came to the rescue because the city was far from Sidon and they had no
dealings with anyone. The city was in a valley near Beth Rehob. The Danites
rebuilt the city and occupied it.
29 They named it Dan after their ancestor, who was one of Israel’s sons. But
the city’s name used to be Laish.
30 The Danites worshiped the carved image. Jonathan, descendant of Gershom, son
of Moses, and his descendants served as priests for the tribe of Dan until the
time of the exile.
31 They worshiped Micah’s carved image the whole time God’s authorized
shrine was in Shiloh.

Chapter 19

1 Sodom and Gomorrah Revisited In those days Israel had no king. There was a
Levite living temporarily in the remote region of the Ephraimite hill country.
He acquired a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.
2 However, she got angry at him and went home to her father’s house in
Bethlehem in Judah. When she had been there four months,
3 her husband came after her, hoping he could convince her to return. He brought
with him his servant and a pair of donkeys. When she brought him into her
father’s house and the girl’s father saw him, he greeted him warmly.
4 His father-in-law, the girl’s father, persuaded him to stay with him for
three days, and they ate and drank together, and spent the night there.
5 On the fourth day they woke up early and the Levite got ready to leave. But
the girl’s father said to his son-in-law,“Have a bite to eat for some
energy, then you can go.”
6 So the two of them sat down and had a meal together. Then the girl’s father
said to the man,“Why not stay another night and have a good time!”
7 When the man got ready to leave, his father-in-law convinced him to stay
another night.
8 He woke up early in the morning on the fifth day so he could leave, but the
girl’s father said,“Get some energy. Wait until later in the day to
leave!” So they ate a meal together.
9 When the man got ready to leave with his concubine and his servant, his
father-in-law, the girl’s father, said to him,“Look! The day is almost over!
Stay another night! Since the day is over, stay another night here and have a
good time. You can get up early tomorrow and start your trip home.”
10 But the man did not want to stay another night. He left and traveled as far
as Jebus(that is, Jerusalem). He had with him a pair of saddled donkeys and his
concubine.
11 When they got near Jebus, it was getting quite late and the servant said to
his master,“Come on, let’s stop at this Jebusite city and spend the night in
it.”
12 But his master said to him,“We should not stop at a foreign city where
non-Israelites live. We will travel on to Gibeah.”
13 He said to his servant,“Come on, we will go into one of the other towns and
spend the night in Gibeah or Ramah.”
14 So they traveled on, and the sun went down when they were near Gibeah in the
territory of Benjamin.
15 They stopped there and decided to spend the night in Gibeah. They came into
the city and sat down in the town square, but no one invited them to spend the
night.
16 But then an old man passed by, returning at the end of the day from his work
in the field. The man was from the Ephraimite hill country; he was living
temporarily in Gibeah.(The residents of the town were Benjaminites.)
17 When he looked up and saw the traveler in the town square, the old man
said,“Where are you heading? Where do you come from?”
18 The Levite said to him,“We are traveling from Bethlehem in Judah to the
remote region of the Ephraimite hill country. That’s where I’m from. I had
business in Bethlehem in Judah, but now I’m heading home. But no one has
invited me into their home.
19 We have enough straw and grain for our donkeys, and there is enough food and
wine for me, your female servant, and the young man who is with your servants.
We lack nothing.”
20 The old man said,“Everything is just fine! I will take care of all your
needs. But don’t spend the night in the town square.”
21 So he brought him to his house and fed the donkeys. They washed their feet
and had a meal.
22 They were having a good time, when suddenly some men of the city, some
good-for-nothings, surrounded the house and kept beating on the door. They said
to the old man who owned the house,“Send out the man who came to visit you so
we can take carnal knowledge of him.”
23 The man who owned the house went outside and said to them,“No, my brothers!
Don’t do this wicked thing! After all, this man is a guest in my house.
Don’t do such a disgraceful thing!
24 Here are my virgin daughter and my guest’s concubine. I will send them out
and you can abuse them and do to them whatever you like. But don’t do such a
disgraceful thing to this man!”
25 The men refused to listen to him, so the Levite grabbed his concubine and
made her go outside. They raped her and abused her all night long until morning.
They let her go at dawn.
26 The woman arrived back at daybreak and was sprawled out on the doorstep of
the house where her master was staying until it became light.
27 When her master got up in the morning, opened the doors of the house, and
went outside to start on his journey, there was the woman, his concubine,
sprawled out on the doorstep of the house with her hands on the threshold.
28 He said to her,“Get up, let’s leave!” But there was no response. He put
her on the donkey and went home.
29 When he got home, he took a knife, grasped his concubine, and carved her up
into twelve pieces. Then he sent the pieces throughout Israel.
30 Everyone who saw the sight said,“Nothing like this has happened or been
witnessed during the entire time since the Israelites left the land of Egypt!
Take careful note of it! Discuss it and speak!”

Chapter 20

1 Civil War Breaks Out All the Israelites from Dan to Beer Sheba and from the
land of Gilead left their homes and assembled together before the LORD at
Mizpah.
2 The leaders of all the people from all the tribes of Israel took their places
in the assembly of God’s people, which numbered four hundred thousand
sword-wielding foot soldiers.
3 The Benjaminites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah. Then the
Israelites said,“Explain how this wicked thing happened!”
4 The Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, spoke up,“I and my concubine
stopped in Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin to spend the night.
5 The leaders of Gibeah attacked me and at night surrounded the house where I
was staying. They wanted to kill me; instead they abused my concubine so badly
that she died.
6 I took hold of my concubine and carved her up and sent the pieces throughout
the territory occupied by Israel, because they committed such an unthinkable
atrocity in Israel.
7 All you Israelites, make a decision here!”
8 All Israel rose up in unison and said,“Not one of us will go home! Not one
of us will return to his house!
9 Now this is what we will do to Gibeah: We will attack the city as the lot
dictates.
10 We will take ten of every group of a hundred men from all the tribes of
Israel(and a hundred of every group of a thousand, and a thousand of every group
of ten thousand) to get supplies for the army. When they arrive in Gibeah of
Benjamin they will punish them for the atrocity which they committed in
Israel.”
11 So all the men of Israel gathered together at the city as allies.
12 The tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying,“How
could such a wicked thing take place?
13 Now, hand over the good-for-nothings in Gibeah so we can execute them and
purge Israel of wickedness.” But the Benjaminites refused to listen to their
Israelite brothers.
14 The Benjaminites came from their cities and assembled at Gibeah to make war
against the Israelites.
15 That day the Benjaminites mustered from their cities twenty-six thousand
sword-wielding soldiers, besides seven hundred well-trained soldiers from
Gibeah.
16 Among this army were seven hundred specially-trained left-handed soldiers.
Each one could sling a stone and hit even the smallest target.
17 The men of Israel(not counting Benjamin) had mustered four hundred thousand
sword-wielding soldiers, every one an experienced warrior.
18 The Israelites went up to Bethel and asked God,“Who should lead the charge
against the Benjaminites?” The LORD said,“Judah should lead.”
19 The Israelites got up the next morning and moved against Gibeah.
20 The men of Israel marched out to fight Benjamin; they arranged their battle
lines against Gibeah.
21 The Benjaminites attacked from Gibeah and struck down twenty-two thousand
Israelites that day.
22 The Israelite army took heart and once more arranged their battle lines, in
the same place where they had taken their positions the day before.
23 The Israelites went up and wept before the LORD until evening. They asked the
LORD,“Should we again march out to fight the Benjaminites, our brothers?”
The LORD said,“Attack them!”
24 So the Israelites marched toward the Benjaminites the next day.
25 The Benjaminites again attacked them from Gibeah and struck down eighteen
thousand sword-wielding Israelite soldiers.
26 So all the Israelites, the whole army, went up to Bethel. They wept and sat
there before the LORD; they did not eat anything that day until evening. They
offered up burnt sacrifices and tokens of peace to the LORD.
27 The Israelites asked the LORD(for the ark of God’s covenant was there in
those days;
28 Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, was serving the LORD in those
days),“Should we once more march out to fight the Benjaminites our brothers,
or should we quit?” The LORD said,“Attack, for tomorrow I will hand them
over to you.”
29 So Israel hid men in ambush outside Gibeah.
30 The Israelites attacked the Benjaminites the next day; they took their
positions against Gibeah just as they had done before.
31 The Benjaminites attacked the army, leaving the city unguarded. They began to
strike down their enemy just as they had done before. On the main roads(one
leads to Bethel, the other to Gibeah) and in the field, they struck down about
thirty Israelites.
32 Then the Benjaminites said,“They are defeated just as before.” But the
Israelites said,“Let’s retreat and lure them away from the city into the
main roads.”
33 All the men of Israel got up from their places and took their positions at
Baal Tamar, while the Israelites hiding in ambush jumped out of their places
west of Gibeah.
34 Ten thousand men, well-trained soldiers from all Israel, then made a frontal
assault against Gibeah– the battle was fierce. But the Benjaminites did not
realize that disaster was at their doorstep.
35 The LORD annihilated Benjamin before Israel; the Israelites struck down that
day 25,100 sword-wielding Benjaminites.
36 Then the Benjaminites saw they were defeated.The Israelites retreated before
Benjamin, because they had confidence in the men they had hid in ambush outside
Gibeah.
37 The men hiding in ambush made a mad dash to Gibeah. They attacked and put the
sword to the entire city.
38 The Israelites and the men hiding in ambush had arranged a signal. When the
men hiding in ambush sent up a smoke signal from the city,
39 the Israelites counterattacked. Benjamin had begun to strike down the
Israelites; they struck down about thirty men. They said,“There’s no doubt
about it! They are totally defeated as in the earlier battle.”
40 But when the signal, a pillar of smoke, began to rise up from the city, the
Benjaminites turned around and saw the whole city going up in a cloud of smoke
that rose high into the sky.
41 When the Israelites turned around, the Benjaminites panicked because they
could see that disaster was on their doorstep.
42 They retreated before the Israelites, taking the road to the wilderness. But
the battle overtook them as men from the surrounding cities struck them down.
43 They surrounded the Benjaminites, chased them from Nohah, and annihilated
them all the way to a spot east of Geba.
44 Eighteen thousand Benjaminites, all of them capable warriors, fell dead.
45 The rest turned and ran toward the wilderness, heading toward the cliff of
Rimmon. But the Israelites caught five thousand of them on the main roads. They
stayed right on their heels all the way to Gidom and struck down two thousand
more.
46 That day twenty-five thousand sword-wielding Benjaminites fell in battle, all
of them capable warriors.
47 Six hundred survivors turned and ran away to the wilderness, to the cliff of
Rimmon. They stayed there four months.
48 The Israelites returned to the Benjaminite towns and put the sword to them.
They wiped out the cities, the animals, and everything they could find. They set
fire to every city in their path.

Chapter 21

1 600 Brides for 600 Brothers The Israelites had taken an oath in Mizpah,
saying,“Not one of us will allow his daughter to marry a Benjaminite.”
2 So the people came to Bethel and sat there before God until evening, weeping
loudly and uncontrollably.
3 They said,“Why, O LORD God of Israel, has this happened in Israel?” An
entire tribe has disappeared from Israel today!”
4 The next morning the people got up early and built an altar there. They
offered up burnt sacrifices and tokens of peace.
5 The Israelites asked,“Who from all the Israelite tribes has not assembled
before the LORD?”They had made a solemn oath that whoever did not assemble
before the LORD at Mizpah must certainly be executed.
6 The Israelites regretted what had happened to their brother Benjamin. They
said,“Today we cut off an entire tribe from Israel!
7 How can we find wives for those who are left? After all, we took an oath in
the LORD’s name not to give them our daughters as wives.”
8 So they asked,“Who from all the Israelite tribes did not assemble before the
LORD at Mizpah?” Now it just so happened no one from Jabesh Gilead had come to
the gathering.
9 When they took roll call, they noticed none of the inhabitants of Jabesh
Gilead were there.
10 So the assembly sent 12,000 capable warriors against Jabesh Gilead. They
commanded them,“Go and kill with your swords the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead,
including the women and little children.
11 Do this: exterminate every male, as well as every woman who has experienced a
man’s bed. But spare the lives of any virgins.” So they did as instructed.
12 They found among the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead four hundred young girls
who were virgins who had never been intimate with a man in bed. They brought
them back to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.
13 The entire assembly sent messengers to the Benjaminites at the cliff of
Rimmon and assured them they would not be harmed.
14 The Benjaminites returned at that time, and the Israelites gave to them the
women they had spared from Jabesh Gilead. But there were not enough to go
around.
15 The people regretted what had happened to Benjamin because the LORD had
weakened the Israelite tribes.
16 The leaders of the assembly said,“How can we find wives for those who are
left? After all, the Benjaminite women have been wiped out.
17 The remnant of Benjamin must be preserved. An entire Israelite tribe should
not be wiped out.
18 But we can’t allow our daughters to marry them, for the Israelites took an
oath, saying,‘Whoever gives a woman to a Benjaminite will be destroyed!’
19 However, there is an annual festival to the LORD in Shiloh, which is north of
Bethel(east of the main road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem) and south of
Lebonah.”
20 So they commanded the Benjaminites,“Go hide in the vineyards,
21 and keep your eyes open. When you see the daughters of Shiloh coming out to
dance in the celebration, jump out from the vineyards. Each one of you, catch
yourself a wife from among the daughters of Shiloh and then go home to the land
of Benjamin.
22 When their fathers or brothers come and protest to us, we’ll say to
them,“Do us a favor and let them be, for we could not get each one a wife
through battle. Don’t worry about breaking your oath! You would only be guilty
if you had voluntarily given them wives.’”
23 The Benjaminites did as instructed. They abducted two hundred of the dancing
girls to be their wives. They went home to their own territory, rebuilt their
cities, and settled down.
24 Then the Israelites dispersed from there to their respective tribal and clan
territories. Each went from there to his own property.
25 In those days Israel had no king. Each man did what he considered to be
right.


Ruth

Chapter 1

1 ¶ A Family Tragedy: Famine and Death During the time of the judges there was
a famine in the land of Judah. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah went to live as
a resident foreigner in the region of Moab, along with his wife and two sons.
2 (Now the man’s name was Elimelech, his wife was Naomi, and his two sons were
Mahlon and Kilion. They were of the clan of Ephrath from Bethlehem in Judah.)
They entered the region of Moab and settled there.
3 Sometime later Naomi’s husband Elimelech died, so she and her two sons were
left alone.
4 So her sons married Moabite women.(One was named Orpah and the other Ruth.)
And they continued to live there about ten years.
5 Then Naomi’s two sons, Mahlon and Kilion, also died. So the woman was left
all alone– bereaved of her two children as well as her husband!
6 So she decided to return home from the region of Moab, accompanied by her
daughters-in-law, because while she was living in Moab she had heard that the
LORD had shown concern for his people, reversing the famine by providing
abundant crops.
7 Ruth Returns with Naomi Now as she and her two daughters-in-law began to leave
the place where she had been living to return to the land of Judah,
8 Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law,“Listen to me! Each of you should
return to your mother’s home! May the LORD show you the same kind of devotion
that you have shown to your deceased husbands and to me!
9 May the LORD enable each of you to find security in the home of a new
husband!” Then she kissed them goodbye and they wept loudly.
10 But they said to her,“No! We will return with you to your people.”
11 But Naomi replied,“Go back home, my daughters! There is no reason for you
to return to Judah with me! I am no longer capable of giving birth to sons who
might become your husbands!
12 Go back home, my daughters! For I am too old to get married again. Even if I
thought that there was hope that I could get married tonight and conceive sons,
13 surely you would not want to wait until they were old enough to marry! Surely
you would not remain unmarried all that time! No, my daughters, you must not
return with me. For my intense suffering is too much for you to bear. For the
LORD is afflicting me!”
14 Again they wept loudly. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth
clung tightly to her.
15 So Naomi said,“Look, your sister-in-law is returning to her people and to
her god. Follow your sister-in-law back home!”
16 But Ruth replied,“Stop urging me to abandon you! For wherever you go, I
will go. Wherever you live, I will live. Your people will become my people, and
your God will become my God.
17 Wherever you die, I will die– and there I will be buried. May the LORD
punish me severely if I do not keep my promise! Only death will be able to
separate me from you!”
18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped
trying to dissuade her.
19 So the two of them journeyed together until they arrived in Bethlehem. Naomi
and Ruth Arrive in BethlehemWhen they entered Bethlehem, the whole village was
excited about their arrival. The women of the village said,“Can this be
Naomi?”
20 But she replied to them,“Don’t call me‘Naomi’! Call me‘Mara’
because the Sovereign One has treated me very harshly.
21 I left here full, but the LORD has caused me to return empty-handed. Why do
you call me‘Naomi,’ seeing that the LORD has opposed me, and the Sovereign
One has caused me to suffer?”
22 So Naomi returned, accompanied by her Moabite daughter-in-law Ruth, who came
back with her from the region of Moab.(Now they arrived in Bethlehem at the
beginning of the barley harvest.)

Chapter 2

1 Ruth Works in the Field of Boaz Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s
side of the family named Boaz. He was a wealthy, prominent man from the clan of
Elimelech.
2 One day Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi,“Let me go to the fields so I can
gather grain behind whoever permits me to do so.” Naomi replied,“You may go,
my daughter.”
3 So Ruth went and gathered grain in the fields behind the harvesters. Now she
just happened to end up in the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was
from the clan of Elimelech.
4 Boaz and Ruth Meet Now at that very moment, Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and
greeted the harvesters,“May the LORD be with you!” They replied,“May the
LORD bless you!”
5 Boaz asked his servant in charge of the harvesters,“To whom does this young
woman belong?”
6 The servant in charge of the harvesters replied,“She’s the young Moabite
woman who came back with Naomi from the region of Moab.
7 She asked,‘May I follow the harvesters and gather grain among the
bundles?’ Since she arrived she has been working hard from this morning until
now– except for sitting in the resting hut a short time.”
8 So Boaz said to Ruth,“Listen carefully, my dear! Do not leave to gather
grain in another field. You need not go beyond the limits of this field. You may
go along beside my female workers.
9 Take note of the field where the men are harvesting and follow behind with the
female workers. I will tell the men to leave you alone. When you are thirsty,
you may go to the water jars and drink some of the water the servants draw.”
10 Ruth knelt before him with her forehead to the ground and said to him,“Why
are you so kind and so attentive to me, even though I am a foreigner?”
11 Boaz replied to her,“I have been given a full report of all that you have
done for your mother-in-law following the death of your husband– how you left
your father and your mother, as well as your homeland, and came to live among
people you did not know previously.
12 May the LORD reward your efforts! May your acts of kindness be repaid fully
by the LORD God of Israel, from whom you have sought protection!”
13 She said,“You really are being kind to me, sir, for you have reassured and
encouraged me, your servant, even though I will never be like one of your
servants!”
14 Later during the mealtime Boaz said to her,“Come here and have some food!
Dip your bread in the vinegar!” So she sat down beside the harvesters. Then he
handed her some roasted grain. She ate until she was full and saved the rest.
15 When she got up to gather grain, Boaz told his male servants,“Let her
gather grain even among the bundles! Don’t chase her off!
16 Make sure you pull out ears of grain for her and drop them so she can gather
them up. Don’t tell her not to!”
17 So she gathered grain in the field until evening. When she threshed what she
had gathered, it came to about thirty pounds of barley!
18 Ruth Returns to Naomi She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw
how much grain she had gathered. Then Ruth gave her the roasted grain she had
saved from mealtime.
19 Her mother-in-law asked her,“Where did you gather grain today? Where did
you work? May the one who took notice of you be rewarded!” So Ruth told her
mother-in-law with whom she had worked. She said,“The name of the man with
whom I worked today is Boaz.”
20 Naomi said to her daughter-in-law,“May he be rewarded by the LORD because
he has shown loyalty to the living on behalf of the dead!” Then Naomi said to
her,“This man is a close relative of ours; he is our guardian.”
21 Ruth the Moabite replied,“He even told me,‘You may go along beside my
servants until they have finished gathering all my harvest!’”
22 Naomi then said to her daughter-in-law Ruth,“It is good, my daughter, that
you should go out to work with his female servants. That way you will not be
harmed, which could happen in another field.”
23 So Ruth worked beside Boaz’s female servants, gathering grain until the end
of the barley harvest as well as the wheat harvest. After that she stayed home
with her mother-in-law.

Chapter 3

1 Naomi Instructs Ruth At that time, Naomi, her mother-in-law, said to her,“My
daughter, I must find a home for you so you will be secure.
2 Now Boaz, with whose female servants you worked, is our close relative. Look,
tonight he is winnowing barley at the threshing floor.
3 So bathe yourself, rub on some perfumed oil, and get dressed up. Then go down
to the threshing floor. But don’t let the man know you’re there until he
finishes his meal.
4 When he gets ready to go to sleep, take careful notice of the place where he
lies down. Then go, uncover his legs, and lie down beside him. He will tell you
what you should do.”
5 Ruth replied to Naomi,“I will do everything you have told me to do.”
6 Ruth Visits Boaz So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything
her mother-in-law had instructed her to do.
7 When Boaz had finished his meal and was feeling satisfied, he lay down to
sleep at the far end of the grain heap. Then Ruth crept up quietly, uncovered
his legs, and lay down beside him.
8 In the middle of the night he was startled and turned over. Now he saw a woman
lying beside him!
9 He said,“Who are you?” She replied,“I am Ruth, your servant. Marry your
servant, for you are a guardian of the family interests.”
10 He said,“May you be rewarded by the LORD, my dear! This act of devotion is
greater than what you did before. For you have not sought to marry one of the
young men, whether rich or poor.
11 Now, my dear, don’t worry! I intend to do for you everything you propose,
for everyone in the village knows that you are a worthy woman.
12 Now yes, it is true that I am a guardian, but there is another guardian who
is a closer relative than I am.
13 Remain here tonight. Then in the morning, if he agrees to marry you, fine,
let him do so. But if he does not want to do so, I promise, as surely as the
LORD lives, to marry you. Sleep here until morning.”
14 So she slept beside him until morning. She woke up while it was still dark.
Boaz thought,“No one must know that a woman visited the threshing floor.”
15 Then he said,“Hold out the shawl you are wearing and grip it tightly.” As
she held it tightly, he measured out about sixty pounds of barley into the shawl
and put it on her shoulders. Then he went into town,
16 and she returned to her mother-in-law. Ruth Returns to NaomiWhen Ruth
returned to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked,“How did things turn out for you,
my daughter?” Ruth told her about all the man had done for her.
17 She said,“He gave me these sixty pounds of barley, for he said to me,‘Do
not go to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’”
18 Then Naomi said,“Stay put, my daughter, until you know how the matter turns
out. For the man will not rest until he has taken care of the matter today.”

Chapter 4

1 Boaz Settles the Matter Now Boaz went up to the village gate and sat there.
Then along came the guardian whom Boaz had mentioned to Ruth! Boaz said,“Come
here, what’s-your-name, and sit down.” So he came and sat down.
2 Boaz chose ten of the village leaders and said,“Sit down here!” So they
sat down.
3 Then Boaz said to the guardian,“Naomi, who has returned from the region of
Moab, is selling the portion of land that belongs to our relative Elimelech.
4 So I am legally informing you: Acquire it before those sitting here and before
the leaders of my people! If you want to exercise your right to redeem it, then
do so. But if not, then tell me so I will know. For you possess the first option
to redeem it; I am next in line after you.” He replied,“I will redeem it.”
5 Then Boaz said,“When you acquire the field from Naomi, you must also acquire
Ruth the Moabite, the wife of our deceased relative, in order to preserve his
family name by raising up a descendant who will inherit his property.”
6 The guardian said,“Then I am unable to redeem it, for I would ruin my own
inheritance in that case. You may exercise my redemption option, for I am unable
to redeem it.”
7 (Now this used to be the customary way to finalize a transaction involving
redemption in Israel: A man would remove his sandal and give it to the other
party. This was a legally binding act in Israel.)
8 So the guardian said to Boaz,“You may acquire it,” and he removed his
sandal.
9 Then Boaz said to the leaders and all the people,“You are witnesses today
that I have acquired from Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech, Kilion, and
Mahlon.
10 I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, the wife of Mahlon, as my wife to
raise up a descendant who will inherit his property so the name of the deceased
might not disappear from among his relatives and from his village. You are
witnesses today.”
11 All the people who were at the gate and the elders replied,“We are
witnesses. May the LORD make the woman who is entering your home like Rachel and
Leah, both of whom built up the house of Israel! May you prosper in Ephrathah
and become famous in Bethlehem.
12 May your family become like the family of Perez– whom Tamar bore to
Judah– through the descendants the LORD gives you by this young woman.”
13 A Grandson is Born to Naomi So Boaz married Ruth and slept with her. The LORD
enabled her to conceive and she gave birth to a son.
14 The village women said to Naomi,“May the LORD be praised because he has not
left you without a guardian today! May he become famous in Israel!
15 He will encourage you and provide for you when you are old, for your
daughter-in-law, who loves you, has given him birth. She is better to you than
seven sons!”
16 Naomi took the child and placed him on her lap; she became his caregiver.
17 The neighbor women named him, saying,“A son has been born to Naomi.” They
named him Obed. Now he became the father of Jesse– David’s father!
18 Epilogue: Obed in the Genealogy of David These are the descendants of Perez:
Perez was the father of Hezron,
19 Hezron was the father of Ram, Ram was the father of Amminadab,
20 Amminadab was the father of Nachshon, Nachshon was the father of Salmah,
21 Salmon was the father of Boaz, Boaz was the father of Obed,
22 Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse was the father of David.


1 Samuel

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Hannah Gives Birth to Samuel There was a man from Ramathaim Zophim, from
the hill country of Ephraim. His name was Elkanah. He was the son of Jeroham,
the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.
2 He had two wives; the name of the first was Hannah and the name of the second
was Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.
3 This man would go up from his city year after year to worship and to sacrifice
to the LORD of Heaven’s Armies at Shiloh.(It was there that the two sons of
Eli, Hophni and Phineas, served as the LORD’s priests.)
4 The day came and Elkanah sacrificed.(Now he used to give meat portions to his
wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters.
5 But to Hannah he would give a double portion, because he loved Hannah,
although the LORD had not enabled her to have children.
6 Her rival used to aggravate her to the point of exasperation, just to irritate
her, since the LORD had not enabled her to have children.
7 This is how it would go year after year. As often as she went up to the
LORD’s house, Peninnah would offend her that way.) So she cried and refused to
eat.
8 Then her husband Elkanah said to her,“Hannah, why are you crying and why
won’t you eat? Why are you so upset? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”
9 So Hannah got up after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. At the
time Eli the priest was sitting in his chair by the doorpost of the LORD’s
sanctuary.
10 As for her, she was very distressed. She prayed to the LORD and was, in fact,
weeping.
11 She made a vow saying,“O LORD of Heaven’s Armies, if you would truly look
on the suffering of your servant, and would keep me in mind and not neglect your
servant, and give your servant a male child, then I will dedicate him to the
LORD all the days of his life. His hair will never be cut.”
12 It turned out that she did a great deal of praying before the LORD. Meanwhile
Eli was watching her mouth.
13 As for Hannah, she was speaking in her mind. Only her lips were moving; her
voice could not be heard. So Eli thought she was a drunkard.
14 Then he said to her,“How much longer do you intend to get drunk? Put away
your wine!”
15 But Hannah replied,“Not so, my lord! I am a woman under a great deal of
stress. I haven’t drunk wine or beer. But I have poured out my soul before the
LORD.
16 Don’t consider your servant a wicked woman. It’s just that, to this
point, I have spoken from my deep pain and anguish.”
17 Eli replied,“Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant the request that
you have asked of him.”
18 She said,“May I, your servant, find favor in your sight.” So the woman
went her way and got something to eat. Her face no longer looked sad.
19 They got up early the next morning. Then they worshiped the LORD and returned
to their home at Ramathaim. Elkanah was intimate with his wife Hannah, and the
LORD called her to mind.
20 Then Hannah became pregnant. Hannah Dedicates Samuel to the LordIn the course
of time she gave birth to a son. And she named him Samuel, thinking,“I asked
the LORD for him.”
21 Then the man Elkanah and all his family went up to make the yearly sacrifice
to the LORD and to keep his vow.
22 But Hannah did not go up with them, because she had told her husband,“Not
until the boy is weaned. Then I will bring him so that he may appear before the
LORD. And he will remain there from then on.”
23 Then her husband Elkanah said to her,“Do what you think best. Stay until
you have weaned him. Only may the LORD fulfill his promise.” So the woman
stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him.
24 Then she took him up with her as soon as she had weaned him, along with three
bulls, an ephah of flour, and a container of wine. She came to the LORD’s
house at Shiloh, and the boy was with them.
25 They slaughtered the bull, then brought the boy to Eli.
26 She said,“My lord. Just as surely as you are alive, my lord, I am the woman
who previously stood here with you in order to pray to the LORD.
27 For this boy I prayed, and the LORD has given me the request that I asked of
him.
28 So I also dedicate him to the LORD. For all the days of his life he is
dedicated to the LORD.”Then he bowed down there in worship to the LORD.

Chapter 2

1 Hannah Exalts the Lord in Prayer Hannah prayed,“My heart has rejoiced in the
LORD; my horn has been raised high because of the LORD. I have loudly denounced
my enemies. Indeed I rejoice in your deliverance.
2 No one is holy like the LORD! There is no one other than you! There is no rock
like our God!
3 Don’t keep speaking so arrogantly. Proud talk should not come out of your
mouth! For the LORD is a God who knows; he evaluates what people do.
4 The bows of warriors are shattered, but those who stumbled have taken on
strength.
5 The well-fed hire themselves out to earn food, but the hungry no longer lack.
Even the barren woman has given birth to seven, but the one with many children
has declined.
6 The LORD both kills and gives life; he brings down to the grave and raises up.
7 The LORD impoverishes and makes wealthy; he humbles and he exalts.
8 He lifts the weak from the dust; he raises the poor from the ash heap to seat
them with princes– he bestows on them an honored position. The foundations of
the earth belong to the LORD– he placed the world on them.
9 He watches over his holy ones, but the wicked are made speechless in the
darkness, for it is not by one’s own strength that one prevails.
10 The LORD shatters his adversaries; he thunders against them from the heavens.
The LORD executes judgment to the ends of the earth. He will strengthen his king
and exalt the power of his anointed one.”
11 Then Elkanah went back home to Ramah. Eli’s Sons Misuse Their Sacred
OfficeThe boy was serving the LORD with the favor of Eli the priest.
12 But the sons of Eli were wicked men. They did not acknowledge the LORD’s
authority.
13 This was the priests’ routine with the people. Whenever anyone was making a
sacrifice, the priest’s attendant would come with a three-pronged fork in his
hand, just as the meat was boiling.
14 He would jab it into the basin, kettle, cauldron, or pot. Everything that the
fork would bring up the priest would take for himself. This is how they used to
treat all the Israelites who came there to Shiloh.
15 Also, before they burned the fat the priest’s attendant would come and say
to the person who was making the sacrifice,“Give some meat for the priest to
roast! He won’t accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.”
16 If the individual said to him,“They should certainly burn the fat away
first, then take for yourself whatever you wish,” he would say,“No! Give it
now! If not, I’ll take it by force!”
17 The sin of these young men was very great in the LORD’s sight, for they
treated the LORD’s offering with contempt.
18 Now Samuel was ministering with the favor of the LORD. The boy was dressed in
a linen ephod.
19 His mother used to make him a small robe and bring it up to him from time to
time when she would go up with her husband to make the annual sacrifice.
20 Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife saying,“May the LORD establish
descendants for you from this woman in place of the one that she dedicated to
the LORD.”Then they would go to their home.
21 And indeed the LORD attended to Hannah. She got pregnant and gave birth to
three sons and two daughters. But the boy Samuel grew up before the LORD.
22 Eli was very old. And he would hear about everything that his sons used to do
to all the people of Israel and how they used to go to bed with the women who
were stationed at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
23 So he said to them,“Why do you do these things, these evil things which I
hear about from all these people?
24 No, my sons! For the report that I hear circulating among the LORD’s people
is not good.
25 If a man sins against a man, one may appeal to God on his behalf. But if a
man sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him then?” But Eli’s sons
would not listen to their father. Indeed the LORD had decided to kill them.
26 However, the boy Samuel was growing up and finding favor both with the LORD
and with people.
27 The Lord Judges the House of Eli Then a man of God came to Eli and said to
him,“This is what the LORD has said:‘I plainly revealed myself to your
ancestor’s house when they were slaves to the house of Pharaoh in Egypt.
28 I chose your ancestor from all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer
sacrifice on my altar, to burn incense, and to bear the ephod before me. I gave
to your ancestor’s house all the fire offerings made by the Israelites.
29 Why are you scorning my sacrifice and my offering that I commanded for my
dwelling place? You have honored your sons more than you have me by having made
yourselves fat from the best parts of all the offerings of my people Israel.’
30 Therefore the LORD, the God of Israel, says,‘I really did say that your
house and your ancestor’s house would serve me forever.’ But now the LORD
says,‘May it never be! For I will honor those who honor me, but those who
despise me will be cursed!
31 In fact, days are coming when I will remove your strength and the strength of
your father’s house. There will not be an old man in your house!
32 You will see trouble in my dwelling place! Israel will experience blessings,
but there will not be an old man in your house for all time.
33 Any man of yours that I do not cut off from my altar, I will cause his eyes
to fail and will cause him grief. All of those born to your family will die by
the sword of man.
34 This will be a confirming sign for you that will be fulfilled through your
two sons, Hophni and Phinehas: in a single day they both will die!
35 Then I will raise up for myself a faithful priest. He will do what is in my
heart and soul. I will build for him a lasting dynasty and he will serve my
chosen one for all time.
36 Everyone who remains in your house will come to bow before him for a little
money and for a scrap of bread. Each will say,‘Assign me to a priestly task so
I can eat a scrap of bread.’”

Chapter 3

1 The Call of Samuel Now the boy Samuel continued serving the LORD under Eli’s
supervision. Receiving a message from the LORD was rare in those days;
revelatory visions were infrequent.
2 Eli’s eyes had begun to fail, so that he was unable to see well. At that
time he was lying down in his place,
3 and the lamp of God had not yet been extinguished. Samuel was lying down in
the temple of the LORD as well; the ark of God was also there.
4 The LORD called to Samuel, and he replied,“Here I am!”
5 Then he ran to Eli and said,“Here I am, for you called me.” But Eli
said,“I didn’t call you. Go back and lie down.” So he went back and lay
down.
6 The LORD again called,“Samuel!” So Samuel got up and went to Eli and
said,“Here I am, for you called me.” But Eli said,“I didn’t call you, my
son. Go back and lie down.”
7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD; the LORD’s messages had not yet been
revealed to him.
8 Then the LORD called Samuel a third time. So he got up and went to Eli and
said,“Here I am, for you called me!” Eli then realized that it was the LORD
who was calling the boy.
9 So Eli said to Samuel,“Go back and lie down. When he calls you,
say,“Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.” So Samuel went back and
lay down in his place.
10 Then the LORD came and stood nearby, calling as he had previously
done,“Samuel! Samuel!” Samuel replied,“Speak, for your servant is
listening!”
11 The LORD said to Samuel,“Look! I am about to do something in Israel; when
anyone hears about it, both of his ears will tingle.
12 On that day I will carry out against Eli everything that I spoke about his
house– from start to finish!
13 You should tell him that I am about to judge his house forever because of the
sin that he knew about. For his sons were cursing God, and he did not rebuke
them.
14 Therefore I swore an oath to the house of Eli,‘The sin of the house of Eli
can never be forgiven by sacrifice or by grain offering.’”
15 So Samuel lay down until morning. Then he opened the doors of the LORD’s
house. But Samuel was afraid to tell Eli about the vision.
16 However, Eli called Samuel and said,“Samuel, my son!” He replied,“Here
I am.”
17 Eli said,“What message did he speak to you? Don’t conceal it from me. God
will judge you severely if you conceal from me anything that he said to you!”
18 So Samuel told him everything. He did not hold back anything from him. Eli
said,“The LORD will do what he pleases.”
19 Samuel continued to grow, and the LORD was with him. None of his prophecies
fell to the ground unfulfilled.
20 All Israel from Dan to Beer Sheba realized that Samuel was confirmed as a
prophet of the LORD.
21 Then the LORD again appeared in Shiloh, for it was in Shiloh that the LORD
had revealed himself to Samuel through a message from the LORD.

Chapter 4

1 Samuel revealed the word of the LORD to all Israel.The Ark of the Covenant is
Lost to the PhilistinesThen the Israelites went out to fight the Philistines.
They camped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines camped at Aphek.
2 The Philistines arranged their forces to fight Israel. As the battle spread
out, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men
in the battle line in the field.
3 When the army came back to the camp, the elders of Israel said,“Why did the
LORD let us be defeated today by the Philistines? Let’s take with us the ark
of the covenant of the LORD from Shiloh. When it is with us, it will save us
from the hand of our enemies.”
4 So the army sent to Shiloh, and they took from there the ark of the covenant
of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, who sits between the cherubim. Now the two
sons of Eli, Hophni and Phineas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
5 When the ark of the covenant of the LORD arrived at the camp, all Israel
shouted so loudly that the ground shook.
6 When the Philistines heard the sound of the shout, they said,“What is this
loud shout in the camp of the Hebrews?” Then they realized that the ark of the
LORD had arrived at the camp.
7 The Philistines were scared because they thought that gods had come to the
camp. They said,“Woe to us! We’ve never seen anything like this!
8 Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are
the gods who struck the Egyptians with all sorts of plagues in the desert!
9 Be strong and act like men, you Philistines, or else you will wind up serving
the Hebrews the way they have served you! Act like men and fight!”
10 So the Philistines fought. Israel was defeated; they all ran home. The
slaughter was very great; thirty thousand foot soldiers from Israel fell in
battle.
11 The ark of God was taken, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phineas, were
killed.
12 Eli Dies On that day a Benjaminite ran from the battle lines and came to
Shiloh. His clothes were torn and dirt was on his head.
13 When he arrived in Shiloh, Eli was sitting in his chair on the lookout by the
side of the road, for he was very worried about the ark of God. As the man
entered the city to give his report, the whole city cried out.
14 When Eli heard the outcry, he said,“What is this commotion?” The man
quickly came and told Eli.
15 Now Eli was ninety-eight years old and his eyes looked straight ahead; he was
unable to see.
16 The man said to Eli,“I am the one who came from the battle lines! Just
today I fled from the battle lines!” Eli asked,“How did things go, my
son?”
17 The messenger replied,“Israel has fled from the Philistines! The army has
suffered a great defeat! Your two sons, Hophni and Phineas, are dead! The ark of
God has been captured!”
18 When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward from his chair beside the
gate. He broke his neck and died, for he was old and heavy. He had judged Israel
for forty years.
19 His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phineas, was pregnant and close to giving
birth. When she heard that the ark of God was captured and that her
father-in-law and her husband were dead, she doubled over and gave birth. But
her labor pains were too much for her.
20 As she was dying, the women who were there with her said,“Don’t be
afraid! You have given birth to a son!” But she did not reply or pay any
attention.
21 She named the boy Ichabod, saying,“The glory has departed from Israel,”
referring to the capture of the ark of God and the deaths of her father-in-law
and her husband.
22 She said,“The glory has departed from Israel, because the ark of God has
been captured.”

Chapter 5

1 God Sends Trouble for the Philistines with the Ark Now the Philistines had
captured the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.
2 The Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the temple of Dagon,
where they positioned it beside Dagon.
3 When the residents of Ashdod got up early the next day, Dagon was lying on the
ground before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and set him back in his
place.
4 But when they got up early the following day, Dagon was again lying on the
ground before the ark of the LORD. The head of Dagon and his two hands were
sheared off and were lying at the threshold. Only Dagon’s body was left
intact.
5 (For this reason, to this very day, neither Dagon’s priests nor anyone else
who enters Dagon’s temple step on Dagon’s threshold in Ashdod.)
6 The LORD attacked the residents of Ashdod severely, bringing devastation on
them. He struck the people of both Ashdod and the surrounding area with sores.
7 When the people of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said,“The ark of the
God of Israel should not remain with us, for he has attacked both us and our god
Dagon!”
8 So they assembled all the leaders of the Philistines and asked,“What should
we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” They replied,“The ark of the God
of Israel should be moved to Gath.” So they moved the ark of the God of
Israel.
9 But after it had been moved the LORD attacked that city as well, causing a
great deal of panic. He struck all the people of that city with sores.
10 So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. But when the ark of God arrived at
Ekron, the residents of Ekron cried out saying,“They have brought the ark of
the God of Israel here to kill our people!”
11 So they assembled all the leaders of the Philistines and said,“Get the ark
of the God of Israel out of here! Let it go back to its own place so that it
won’t kill us and our people!” The terror of death was throughout the entire
city; God was attacking them very severely there.
12 The people who did not die were struck with sores; the city’s cry for help
went all the way up to heaven.

Chapter 6

1 The Philistines Return the Ark When the ark of the LORD had been in the land
of the Philistines for seven months,
2 the Philistines called the priests and the omen readers, saying,“What should
we do with the ark of the LORD? Advise us as to how we should send it back to
its place.”
3 They replied,“If you are going to send the ark of the God of Israel back,
don’t send it away empty. Be sure to return it with a guilt offering. Then you
will be healed, and you will understand why his hand is not removed from you.”
4 They inquired,“What is the guilt offering that we should send to him?”
They replied,“The Philistine leaders number five. So send five gold sores and
five gold mice, for it is the same plague that has afflicted both you and your
leaders.
5 You should make images of the sores and images of the mice that are destroying
the land. You should honor the God of Israel. Perhaps he will release his grip
on you, your gods, and your land.
6 Why harden your hearts like the Egyptians and Pharaoh did? When God treated
them harshly, didn’t the Egyptians send the Israelites on their way?
7 So now go and make a new cart. Get two cows that have calves and that have
never had a yoke placed on them. Harness the cows to the cart and take their
calves from them back to their stalls.
8 Then take the ark of the LORD and place it on the cart, and put in a chest
beside it the gold objects you are sending to him as a guilt offering. You
should then send it on its way.
9 But keep an eye on it. If it should go up by the way of its own border to Beth
Shemesh, then he has brought this great calamity on us. But if that is not the
case, then we will know that it was not his hand that struck us; rather, it just
happened to us by accident.”
10 So the men did as instructed. They took two cows that had calves and
harnessed them to a cart; they also removed their calves to their stalls.
11 They put the ark of the LORD on the cart, along with the chest, the gold
mice, and the images of the sores.
12 Then the cows went directly on the road to Beth Shemesh. They went along that
route, bellowing more and more; they turned neither to the right nor to the
left. The leaders of the Philistines were walking along behind them all the way
to the border of Beth Shemesh.
13 Now the residents of Beth Shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley. When
they looked up and saw the ark, they were pleased at the sight.
14 The cart was coming to the field of Joshua, who was from Beth Shemesh. It
paused there near a big stone. Then they cut up the wood of the cart and offered
the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD.
15 The Levites took down the ark of the LORD and the chest that was with it,
which contained the gold objects. They placed them near the big stone. At that
time the people of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to
the LORD.
16 The five leaders of the Philistines watched what was happening and then
returned to Ekron on the same day.
17 These are the gold sores that the Philistines brought as a guilt offering to
the LORD– one for each of the following cities: Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath,
and Ekron.
18 The gold mice corresponded in number to all the Philistine cities of the five
leaders, from the fortified cities to hamlet villages, to greater Abel, where
they positioned the ark of the LORD until this very day in the field of Joshua
who was from Beth Shemesh.
19 But the LORD struck down some of the people of Beth Shemesh because they had
looked into the ark of the LORD; he struck down 50,070 of the men. The people
grieved because the LORD had struck the people with a hard blow.
20 The residents of Beth Shemesh asked,“Who is able to stand before the LORD,
this holy God? To whom will the ark go up from here?”
21 So they sent messengers to the residents of Kiriath Jearim, saying,“The
Philistines have returned the ark of the LORD. Come down here and take it back
home with you.”

Chapter 7

1 Then the people of Kiriath Jearim came and took the ark of the LORD; they
brought it to the house of Abinadab located on the hill. They consecrated
Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the LORD.
2 Further Conflict with the Philistines It was quite a long time– some twenty
years in all– that the ark stayed at Kiriath Jearim. All the people of Israel
longed for the LORD.
3 Samuel said to all the people of Israel,“If you are really turning to the
LORD with all your hearts, remove from among you the foreign gods and the images
of Ashtoreth. Give your hearts to the LORD and serve only him. Then he will
deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.”
4 So the Israelites removed the Baals and images of Ashtoreth. They served only
the LORD.
5 Then Samuel said,“Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD
on your behalf.”
6 After they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before
the LORD. They fasted on that day, and they confessed there,“We have sinned
against the LORD.”So Samuel led the people of Israel at Mizpah.
7 When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, the
leaders of the Philistines went up against Israel. When the Israelites heard
about this, they were afraid of the Philistines.
8 The Israelites said to Samuel,“Keep crying out to the LORD our God so that
he may save us from the hand of the Philistines!”
9 So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the
LORD. Samuel cried out to the LORD on Israel’s behalf, and the LORD answered
him.
10 As Samuel was offering burnt offerings, the Philistines approached to do
battle with Israel. But on that day the LORD thundered loudly against the
Philistines. He caused them to panic, and they were defeated by Israel.
11 Then the men of Israel left Mizpah and chased the Philistines, striking them
down all the way to an area below Beth Car.
12 Samuel took a stone and placed it between Mizpah and Shen. He named it
Ebenezer, saying,“Up to here the LORD has helped us.”
13 So the Philistines were defeated; they did not invade Israel again. The hand
of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
14 The cities that the Philistines had captured from Israel were returned to
Israel, from Ekron to Gath. Israel also delivered their territory from the
control of the Philistines. There was also peace between Israel and the
Amorites.
15 So Samuel led Israel all the days of his life.
16 Year after year he used to travel the circuit of Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah;
he used to judge Israel in all of these places.
17 Then he would return to Ramah, because his home was there. He also judged
Israel there and built an altar to the LORD there.

Chapter 8

1 Israel Seeks a King In his old age Samuel appointed his sons as judges over
Israel.
2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second son was
Abijah. They were judges in Beer Sheba.
3 But his sons did not follow his ways. Instead, they made money dishonestly,
accepted bribes, and perverted justice.
4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and approached Samuel at Ramah.
5 They said to him,“Look, you are old, and your sons don’t follow your ways.
So now appoint over us a king to lead us, just like all the other nations
have.”
6 But this request displeased Samuel, for they said,“Give us a king to lead
us.” So Samuel prayed to the LORD.
7 The LORD said to Samuel,“Do everything the people request of you. For it is
not you that they have rejected, but it is me that they have rejected as their
king.
8 Just as they have done from the day that I brought them up from Egypt until
this very day, they have rejected me and have served other gods. This is what
they are also doing to you.
9 So now do as they say. But you must warn them and make them aware of the
policies of the king who will rule over them.”
10 So Samuel spoke all of the LORD’S words to the people who were asking him
for a king.
11 He said,“Here are the policies of the king who will rule over you: He will
conscript your sons and put them in his chariot forces and in his cavalry; they
will run in front of his chariot.
12 He will appoint for himself leaders of thousands and leaders of fifties, as
well as those who plow his ground, reap his harvest, and make his weapons of war
and his chariot equipment.
13 He will take your daughters to be ointment makers, cooks, and bakers.
14 He will take your best fields, vineyards, and olive groves, and give them to
his own servants.
15 He will demand a tenth of your seed and of the produce of your vineyards and
give it to his administrators and his servants.
16 He will take your male and female servants, as well as your best cattle and
your donkeys, and assign them for his own use.
17 He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will be his
servants.
18 In that day you will cry out because of your king whom you have chosen for
yourselves, but the LORD won’t answer you in that day.”
19 But the people refused to heed Samuel’s warning. Instead they said,“No!
There will be a king over us!
20 We will be like all the other nations. Our king will judge us and lead us and
fight our battles.”
21 So Samuel listened to everything the people said and then reported it to the
LORD.
22 The LORD said to Samuel,“Do as they say and install a king over them.”
Then Samuel said to the men of Israel,“Each of you go back to his own city.”

Chapter 9

1 Samuel Meets with Saul There was a Benjaminite man named Kish son of Abiel,
the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin. He was a
prominent person.
2 He had a son named Saul, a handsome young man. There was no one among the
Israelites more handsome than he was; he stood head and shoulders above all the
people.
3 The donkeys of Saul’s father Kish wandered off, so Kish said to his son
Saul,“Take one of the servants with you and go look for the donkeys.”
4 So Saul crossed through the hill country of Ephraim, passing through the land
of Shalisha, but they did not find them. So they crossed through the land of
Shaalim, but they were not there. Then he crossed through the land of Benjamin,
and still they did not find them.
5 When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with
him,“Come on, let’s head back before my father quits worrying about the
donkeys and becomes anxious about us!”
6 But the servant said to him,“Look, there is a man of God in this town. He is
highly respected. Everything that he says really happens. Now let’s go there.
Perhaps he will tell us where we should go from here.”
7 So Saul said to his servant,“All right, we can go. But what can we bring the
man, since the food in our bags is used up? We have no gift to take to the man
of God. What do we have?”
8 The servant went on to answer Saul,“Look, I happen to have in my hand a
quarter shekel of silver. I will give it to the man of God and he will tell us
where we should go.”
9 (Now it used to be in Israel that whenever someone went to inquire of God he
would say,“Come on, let’s go to the seer.” For today’s prophet used to
be called a seer.)
10 So Saul said to his servant,“That’s a good idea! Come on. Let’s go.”
So they went to the town where the man of God was.
11 As they were going up the ascent to the town, they met some girls coming out
to draw water. They said to them,“Is this where the seer is?”
12 They replied,“Yes, straight ahead! But hurry now, for he came to the town
today, and the people are making a sacrifice at the high place.
13 When you enter the town, you can find him before he goes up to the high place
to eat. The people won’t eat until he arrives, for he must bless the
sacrifice. Once that happens, those who have been invited will eat. Now go on
up, for this is the time when you can find him!”
14 So they went up to the town. As they were heading for the middle of the town,
Samuel was coming in their direction to go up to the high place.
15 Now the day before Saul arrived, the LORD had told Samuel:
16 “At this time tomorrow I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin.
You must consecrate him as a leader over my people Israel. He will save my
people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have looked with favor on my
people. Their cry has reached me!”
17 When Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said,“Here is the man that I told you about!
He will rule over my people.”
18 As Saul approached Samuel in the middle of the gate, he said,“Please tell
me where the seer’s house is.”
19 Samuel replied to Saul,“I am the seer! Go up in front of me to the high
place! Today you will eat with me and in the morning I will send you away. I
will tell you everything that you are thinking.
20 Don’t be concerned about the donkeys that you lost three days ago, for they
have been found. Whom does all Israel desire? Is it not you, and all your
father’s family?”
21 Saul replied,“Am I not a Benjaminite, from the smallest of Israel’s
tribes, and is not my family clan the smallest of all the clans in the tribe of
Benjamin? Why do you speak to me in this way?”
22 Then Samuel brought Saul and his servant into the room and gave them a place
at the head of those who had been invited. There were about thirty people
present.
23 Samuel said to the cook,“Give me the portion of meat that I gave to you–
the one I asked you to keep with you.”
24 So the cook picked up the leg and brought it and set it in front of Saul.
Samuel said,“What was kept is now set before you! Eat, for it has been kept
for you for this meeting time, from the time I said,‘I have invited the
people.’” So Saul ate with Samuel that day.
25 When they came down from the high place to the town, Samuel spoke with Saul
on the roof.
26 They got up at dawn and Samuel called to Saul on the roof,“Get up, so I can
send you on your way.” So Saul got up and the two of them– he and Samuel–
went outside.
27 While they were going down to the edge of town, Samuel said to Saul,“Tell
the servant to go on ahead of us.” So he did. Samuel then said,“You remain
here awhile, so I can inform you of God’s message.”

Chapter 10

1 Samuel Anoints Saul Then Samuel took a small container of olive oil and poured
it on Saul’s head. Samuel kissed him and said,“The LORD has chosen you to
lead his people Israel! You will rule over the LORD’s people and you will
deliver them from the power of the enemies who surround them. This will be your
sign that the LORD has chosen you as leader over his inheritance.
2 When you leave me today, you will find two men near Rachel’s tomb at Zelzah
on Benjamin’s border. They will say to you,‘The donkeys you have gone
looking for have been found. Your father is no longer concerned about the
donkeys but has become anxious about you two! He is asking,“What should I do
about my son?”’
3 “As you continue on from there, you will come to the tall tree of Tabor. At
that point three men who are going up to God at Bethel will meet you. One of
them will be carrying three young goats, one of them will be carrying three
round loaves of bread, and one of them will be carrying a container of wine.
4 They will ask you how you’re doing and will give you two loaves of bread.
You will accept them.
5 Afterward you will go to Gibeah of God, where there are Philistine officials.
When you enter the town, you will meet a company of prophets coming down from
the high place. They will have harps, tambourines, flutes, and lyres, and they
will be prophesying.
6 Then the Spirit of the LORD will rush upon you and you will prophesy with
them. You will be changed into a different person.
7 “When these signs have taken place, do whatever your hand finds to do, for
God will be with you.
8 You will go down to Gilgal before me. I am going to join you there to offer
burnt offerings and to make peace offerings. You should wait for seven days,
until I arrive and tell you what to do.”
9 Saul Becomes King As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed his inmost
person. All these signs happened on that very day.
10 When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a company of prophets was coming
out to meet him. Then the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul and he prophesied among
them.
11 When everyone who had known him previously saw him prophesying with the
prophets, the people all asked one another,“What on earth has happened to the
son of Kish? Does even Saul belong with the prophets?”
12 A man who was from there replied,“And who is their father?” Therefore
this became a proverb:“Is even Saul among the prophets?”
13 When Saul had finished prophesying, he went to the high place.
14 Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant,“Where did you go?” Saul
replied,“To look for the donkeys. But when we realized they were lost, we went
to Samuel.”
15 Saul’s uncle said,“Tell me what Samuel said to you.”
16 Saul said to his uncle,“He assured us that the donkeys had been found.”
But Saul did not tell him what Samuel had said about the matter of kingship.
17 Then Samuel called the people together before the LORD at Mizpah.
18 He said to the Israelites,“This is what the LORD God of Israel has
said,‘I brought Israel up from Egypt and I delivered you from the power of the
Egyptians and from the power of all the kingdoms that oppressed you.
19 But today you have rejected your God who saves you from all your trouble and
distress. You have said,“No! Appoint a king over us.” Now take your
positions before the LORD by your tribes and by your clans.’”
20 Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin
was chosen by lot.
21 Then he brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its families, and the family of
Matri was chosen by lot. At last Saul son of Kish was chosen by lot. But when
they looked for him, he was nowhere to be found.
22 So they inquired again of the LORD,“Has the man arrived here yet?” The
LORD said,“He has hidden himself among the equipment.”
23 So they ran and brought him from there. When he took his position among the
people, he stood head and shoulders above them all.
24 Then Samuel said to all the people,“Do you see the one whom the LORD has
chosen? Indeed, there is no one like him among all the people!” All the people
shouted out,“Long live the king!”
25 Then Samuel talked to the people about how the kingship would work. He wrote
it all down on a scroll and set it before the LORD. Then Samuel sent all the
people away to their homes.
26 Even Saul went to his home in Gibeah. With him went some brave men whose
hearts God had touched.
27 But some wicked men said,“How can this man save us?” They despised him
and did not even bring him a gift. But Saul said nothing about it.

Chapter 11

1 Saul Comes to the Aid of Jabesh Nahash the Ammonite marched against Jabesh
Gilead. All the men of Jabesh Gilead said to Nahash,“Make a treaty with us and
we will serve you.”
2 But Nahash the Ammonite said to them,“The only way I will make a treaty with
you is if you let me gouge out the right eye of every one of you and in so doing
humiliate all Israel!”
3 The elders of Jabesh said to him,“Leave us alone for seven days so that we
can send messengers throughout the territory of Israel. If there is no one who
can deliver us, we will come out voluntarily to you.”
4 When the messengers went to Gibeah(where Saul lived) and informed the people
of these matters, all the people wept loudly.
5 Now Saul was walking behind the oxen as he came from the field. Saul
asked,“What has happened to the people? Why are they weeping?” So they told
him about the men of Jabesh.
6 The Spirit of God rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and he became
very angry.
7 He took a pair of oxen and cut them up. Then he sent the pieces throughout the
territory of Israel by the hand of messengers, who said,“Whoever does not go
out after Saul and after Samuel should expect this to be done to his oxen!”
Then the terror of the LORD fell on the people, and they went out as one army.
8 When Saul counted them at Bezek, the Israelites were 300,000 strong and the
men of Judah numbered 30,000.
9 They said to the messengers who had come,“Here’s what you should say to
the men of Jabesh Gilead:‘Tomorrow deliverance will come to you when the sun
is fully up.’” When the messengers went and told the men of Jabesh Gilead,
they were happy.
10 The men of Jabesh said,“Tomorrow we will come out to you and you can do
with us whatever you wish.”
11 The next day Saul placed the people in three groups. They went to the
Ammonite camp during the morning watch and struck them down until the hottest
part of the day. The survivors scattered; no two of them remained together.
12 Saul Is Established as King Then the people said to Samuel,“Who were the
ones asking,‘Will Saul reign over us?’ Hand over those men so we may execute
them!”
13 But Saul said,“No one will be killed on this day. For today the LORD has
given Israel a victory!”
14 Samuel said to the people,“Come on! Let’s go to Gilgal and renew the
kingship there.”
15 So all the people went to Gilgal, where they established Saul as king in the
LORD’s presence. They offered up peace offerings there in the LORD’s
presence. Saul and all the Israelites were very happy.

Chapter 12

1 Samuel said to all Israel,“I have done everything you requested. I have
given you a king.
2 Now look! This king walks before you. As for me, I am old and gray, though my
sons are here with you. I have walked before you from the time of my youth till
the present day.
3 Here I am. Bring a charge against me before the LORD and before his chosen
king. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I wronged?
Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I taken a bribe so that I would
overlook something? Tell me, and I will return it to you!”
4 They replied,“You have not wronged us or oppressed us. You have not taken
anything from the hand of anyone.”
5 He said to them,“The LORD is witness against you, and his chosen king is
witness this day, that you have not found any reason to accuse me.” They
said,“He is witness!”
6 Samuel said to the people,“The LORD is the one who chose Moses and Aaron and
who brought your ancestors up from the land of Egypt.
7 Now take your positions, so I may confront you before the LORD regarding all
the LORD’s just actions toward you and your ancestors.
8 When Jacob entered Egypt, your ancestors cried out to the LORD. The LORD sent
Moses and Aaron, and they led your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them in
this place.
9 “But they forgot the LORD their God, so he gave them into the hand of
Sisera, the general in command of Hazor’s army, and into the hand of the
Philistines and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them.
10 Then they cried out to the LORD and admitted,‘We have sinned, for we have
forsaken the LORD and have served the Baals and the images of Ashtoreth. Now
deliver us from the hand of our enemies so that we may serve you.’
11 So the LORD sent Jerub-Baal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel, and he delivered
you from the hand of the enemies all around you, and you were able to live
securely.
12 “When you saw that King Nahash of the Ammonites was advancing against you,
you said to me,‘No! A king will rule over us’– even though the LORD your
God is your king!
13 Now look! Here is the king you have chosen– the one that you asked for!
Look, the LORD has given you a king!
14 If you fear the LORD, serving him and obeying him and not rebelling against
what he says, and if both you and the king who rules over you follow the LORD
your God, all will be well.
15 But if you don’t obey the LORD and rebel against what the LORD says, the
hand of the LORD will be against both you and your king.
16 “So now, take your positions and watch this great thing that the LORD is
about to do in your sight.
17 Is this not the time of the wheat harvest? I will call on the LORD so that he
makes it thunder and rain. Realize and see what a great sin you have committed
before the LORD by asking for a king for yourselves.”
18 So Samuel called to the LORD, and the LORD made it thunder and rain that day.
All the people were very afraid of both the LORD and Samuel.
19 All the people said to Samuel,“Pray to the LORD your God on behalf of us–
your servants– so we won’t die, for we have added to all our sins by asking
for a king.”
20 Then Samuel said to the people,“Don’t be afraid. You have indeed sinned.
However, don’t turn aside from the LORD. Serve the LORD with all your heart.
21 You should not turn aside after empty things that can’t profit and can’t
deliver, since they are empty.
22 The LORD will not abandon his people because he wants to uphold his great
reputation. The LORD was pleased to make you his own people.
23 As far as I am concerned, far be it from me to sin against the LORD by
ceasing to pray for you! I will instruct you in the way that is good and
upright.
24 However, fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart. Just
look at the great things he has done for you!
25 But if you continue to do evil, both you and your king will be swept away.”

Chapter 13

1 Saul Fails the Lord Saul was[thirty] years old when he began to reign; he
ruled over Israel for[forty] years.
2 Saul selected for himself three thousand men from Israel. Two thousand of
these were with Saul at Micmash and in the hill country of Bethel; the remaining
thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin. He sent all
the rest of the people back home.
3 Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost that was at Geba and the Philistines
heard about it. Then Saul alerted all the land saying,“Let the Hebrews pay
attention!”
4 All Israel heard this message,“Saul has attacked the Philistine outpost, and
now Israel is repulsive to the Philistines!” So the people were summoned to
join Saul at Gilgal.
5 Meanwhile the Philistines gathered to battle with Israel. Then they went up
against Israel with 3,000 chariots, 6,000 horsemen, and an army as numerous as
the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Micmash, east of Beth Aven.
6 The men of Israel realized they had a problem because their army was hard
pressed. So the army hid in caves, thickets, cliffs, strongholds, and cisterns.
7 Some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan River to the land of Gad and
Gilead. But Saul stayed at Gilgal; the entire army that was with him was
terrified.
8 He waited for seven days, the time period indicated by Samuel. But Samuel did
not come to Gilgal, and the army began to abandon Saul.
9 So Saul said,“Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” Then
he offered a burnt offering.
10 Just when he had finished offering the burnt offering, Samuel appeared on the
scene. Saul went out to meet him and to greet him.
11 But Samuel said,“What have you done?” Saul replied,“When I saw that the
army had started to abandon me and that you didn’t come at the appointed time
and that the Philistines had assembled at Micmash,
12 I thought,‘Now the Philistines will come down on me at Gilgal and I have
not sought the LORD’s favor.’ So I felt obligated to offer the burnt
offering.”
13 Then Samuel said to Saul,“You have made a foolish choice! You have not
obeyed the commandment that the LORD your God gave you. Had you done that, the
LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever!
14 But now your kingdom will not continue! The LORD has sought out for himself a
man who is loyal to him and the LORD has appointed him to be leader over his
people, for you have not obeyed what the LORD commanded you.”
15 Then Samuel set out and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah in the territory of
Benjamin. Saul mustered the army that remained with him; there were about six
hundred men.
16 Saul, his son Jonathan, and the army that remained with them stayed in Gibeah
in the territory of Benjamin, while the Philistines camped in Micmash.
17 Raiding bands went out from the camp of the Philistines in three groups. One
band turned toward the road leading to Ophrah by the land of Shual;
18 another band turned toward the road leading to Beth Horon; and yet another
band turned toward the road leading to the border that overlooks the valley of
Zeboim in the direction of the desert.
19 A blacksmith could not be found in all the land of Israel, for the
Philistines had said,“This will prevent the Hebrews from making swords and
spears.”
20 So all Israel had to go down to the Philistines in order to get their
plowshares, cutting instruments, axes, and sickles sharpened.
21 They charged two-thirds of a shekel to sharpen plowshares and cutting
instruments, and a third of a shekel to sharpen picks and axes, and to set ox
goads.
22 So on the day of the battle no sword or spear was to be found in the hand of
anyone in the army that was with Saul and Jonathan. No one but Saul and his son
Jonathan had them.
23 Jonathan Ignites a Battle A garrison of the Philistines had gone out to the
pass at Micmash.

Chapter 14

1 Then one day Jonathan son of Saul said to his armor bearer,“Come on, let’s
go over to the Philistine garrison that is opposite us.” But he did not let
his father know.
2 Now Saul was sitting under a pomegranate tree in Migron, on the outskirts of
Gibeah. The army that was with him numbered about six hundred men.
3 Now Ahijah was carrying an ephod. He was the son of Ahitub, who was the
brother of Ichabod and a son of Phineas, son of Eli, the priest of the LORD in
Shiloh. The army was unaware that Jonathan had left.
4 Now there was a steep cliff on each side of the pass through which Jonathan
intended to go to reach the Philistine garrison. One cliff was named Bozez, the
other Seneh.
5 The cliff to the north was closer to Micmash, the one to the south closer to
Geba.
6 Jonathan said to his armor bearer,“Come on, let’s go over to the garrison
of these uncircumcised men. Perhaps the LORD will intervene for us. Nothing can
prevent the LORD from delivering, whether by many or by a few.”
7 His armor bearer said to him,“Do everything that is on your mind. Do as
you’re inclined. I’m with you all the way!”
8 Jonathan replied,“All right! We’ll go over to these men and fight them.
9 If they say to us,‘Stay put until we approach you,’ we will stay right
there and not go up to them.
10 But if they say,‘Come up against us,’ we will go up. For in that case the
LORD has given them into our hand– it will be a sign to us.”
11 When they made themselves known to the Philistine garrison, the Philistines
said,“Look! The Hebrews are coming out of the holes in which they hid
themselves.”
12 Then the men of the garrison said to Jonathan and his armor bearer,“Come on
up to us so we can teach you a thing or two!” Then Jonathan said to his armor
bearer,“Come up behind me, for the LORD has given them into the hand of
Israel!”
13 Jonathan crawled up on his hands and feet, with his armor bearer following
behind him. Jonathan struck down the Philistines, while his armor bearer came
along behind him and killed them.
14 In this initial skirmish Jonathan and his armor bearer struck down about
twenty men in an area that measured half an acre.
15 Then fear overwhelmed those who were in the camp, those who were in the
field, all the army in the garrison, and the raiding bands. They trembled and
the ground shook. This fear was caused by God.
16 Saul’s watchmen at Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin looked on as the
crowd of soldiers seemed to melt away first in one direction and then in
another.
17 So Saul said to the army that was with him,“Muster the troops and see who
is no longer with us.” When they mustered the troops, Jonathan and his armor
bearer were not there.
18 So Saul said to Ahijah,“Bring near the ephod,” for he was at that time
wearing the ephod in front of the Israelites.
19 While Saul spoke to the priest, the panic in the Philistines’ camp was
becoming greater and greater. So Saul said to the priest,“Withdraw your
hand!”
20 Saul and all the army that was with him assembled and marched into battle,
where they found the Philistines in total panic killing one another with their
swords.
21 The Hebrews who had earlier gone over to the Philistine side joined the
Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan.
22 When all the Israelites who had hidden themselves in the hill country of
Ephraim heard that the Philistines had fled, they too pursued them in battle.
23 So the LORD delivered Israel that day, and the battle shifted over to Beth
Aven.
24 Jonathan Violates Saul’s Oath Now the men of Israel were hard pressed that
day, for Saul had made the army agree to this oath:“Cursed be the man who eats
food before evening! I will get my vengeance on my enemies!” So no one in the
army ate anything.
25 Now the whole army entered the forest and there was honey on the ground.
26 When the army entered the forest, they saw the honey flowing, but no one ate
any of it, for the army was afraid of the oath.
27 But Jonathan had not heard about the oath his father had made the army take.
He extended the end of his staff that was in his hand and dipped it in the
honeycomb. When he ate it, his eyes gleamed.
28 Then someone from the army informed him,“Your father put the army under a
strict oath saying,‘Cursed be the man who eats food today!’ That is why the
army is tired.”
29 Then Jonathan said,“My father has caused trouble for the land. See how my
eyes gleamed when I tasted just a little of this honey.
30 Certainly if the army had eaten some of the enemies’ provisions that they
came across today, would not the slaughter of the Philistines have been even
greater?”
31 On that day the army struck down the Philistines from Micmash to Aijalon, and
they became very tired.
32 So the army rushed greedily on the plunder, confiscating sheep, cattle, and
calves. They slaughtered them right on the ground, and the army ate them blood
and all.
33 Now it was reported to Saul,“Look, the army is sinning against the LORD by
eating even the blood.” He said,“All of you have broken the covenant! Roll a
large stone over here to me.”
34 Then Saul said,“Scatter out among the army and say to them,‘Each of you
bring to me your ox and sheep and slaughter them in this spot and eat. But
don’t sin against the LORD by eating the blood.” So that night each one
brought his ox and slaughtered it there.
35 Then Saul built an altar for the LORD; it was the first time he had built an
altar for the LORD.
36 Saul said,“Let’s go down after the Philistines at night; we will rout
them until the break of day. We won’t leave any of them alive!” They
replied,“Do whatever seems best to you.” But the priest said,“Let’s
approach God here.”
37 So Saul asked God,“Should I go down after the Philistines? Will you deliver
them into the hand of Israel?” But he did not answer him that day.
38 Then Saul said,“All you leaders of the army come here. Find out how this
sin occurred today.
39 For as surely as the LORD, the deliverer of Israel, lives, even if it turns
out to be my own son Jonathan, he will certainly die!” But no one from the
army said anything.
40 Then he said to all Israel,“You will be on one side, and I and my son
Jonathan will be on the other side.” The army replied to Saul,“Do whatever
you think is best.”
41 Then Saul said,“O LORD God of Israel! If this sin has been committed by me
or by my son Jonathan, then, O LORD God of Israel, respond with Urim. But if
this sin has been committed by your people Israel, respond with Thummim.” Then
Jonathan and Saul were indicated by lot, while the army was exonerated.
42 Then Saul said,“Cast the lot between me and my son Jonathan!” Jonathan
was indicated by lot.
43 So Saul said to Jonathan,“Tell me what you have done.” Jonathan told
him,“I used the end of the staff that was in my hand to taste a little honey.
I must die!”
44 Saul said,“God will punish me severely if Jonathan doesn’t die!”
45 But the army said to Saul,“Should Jonathan, who won this great victory in
Israel, die? May it never be! As surely as the LORD lives, not a single hair of
his head will fall to the ground! For it is with the help of God that he has
acted today.” So the army rescued Jonathan from death.
46 Then Saul stopped chasing the Philistines, and the Philistines went back
home.
47 After Saul had secured his royal position over Israel, he fought against all
their enemies on all sides– the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, the kings of
Zobah, and the Philistines. In every direction that he turned he was victorious.
48 He fought bravely, striking down the Amalekites and delivering Israel from
the hand of its enemies.
49 Members of Saul’s Family The sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishvi, and
Malki-Shua. He had two daughters; the older one was named Merab and the younger
Michal.
50 The name of Saul’s wife was Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimaaz. The name of
the general in command of his army was Abner son of Ner, Saul’s uncle.
51 Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner was the son of
Abiel.
52 There was fierce war with the Philistines all the days of Saul. So whenever
Saul saw anyone who was a warrior or a brave individual, he would conscript him.

Chapter 15

1 Saul Is Rejected as King Then Samuel said to Saul,“I was the one the LORD
sent to anoint you as king over his people Israel. Now listen to what the LORD
says.
2 Here is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has said:‘I carefully observed
how the Amalekites opposed Israel along the way when Israel came up from Egypt.
3 So go now and strike down the Amalekites. Destroy everything that they have.
Don’t spare them. Put them to death– man, woman, child, infant, ox, sheep,
camel, and donkey alike.’”
4 So Saul assembled the army and mustered them at Telaim. There were 200,000
foot soldiers and 10,000 men of Judah.
5 Saul proceeded to the city of Amalek, where he set an ambush in the wadi.
6 Saul said to the Kenites,“Go on and leave! Go down from among the
Amalekites! Otherwise I will sweep you away with them! After all, you were kind
to all the Israelites when they came up from Egypt.” So the Kenites withdrew
from among the Amalekites.
7 Then Saul struck down the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, which
is next to Egypt.
8 He captured King Agag of the Amalekites alive, but he executed all Agag’s
people with the sword.
9 However, Saul and the army spared Agag, along with the best of the flock, the
cattle, the fatlings, and the lambs, as well as everything else that was of
value. They were not willing to slaughter them. But they did slaughter
everything that was despised and worthless.
10 Then the LORD’s message came to Samuel:
11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned away from me and
has not done what I told him to do.” Samuel became angry and he cried out to
the LORD all that night.
12 Then Samuel got up early to meet Saul the next morning. But Samuel was
informed,“Saul has gone to Carmel where he is setting up a monument for
himself.” Then Samuel left and went down to Gilgal.
13 When Samuel came to Saul, Saul said to him,“May the LORD bless you! I have
fulfilled the LORD’s orders.”
14 Samuel replied,“If that is the case, then what is this sound of sheep in my
ears and the sound of cattle that I hear?”
15 Saul said,“They were brought from the Amalekites; the army spared the best
of the flocks and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD our God. But everything else
we slaughtered.”
16 Then Samuel said to Saul,“Wait a minute! Let me tell you what the LORD said
to me last night.” Saul said to him,“Tell me.”
17 Samuel said,“Is it not true that when you were insignificant in your own
eyes, you became head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD chose you as king over
Israel.
18 The LORD sent you on a campaign saying,‘Go and exterminate those sinful
Amalekites! Fight against them until you have destroyed them.’
19 Why haven’t you obeyed the LORD? Instead you have greedily rushed upon the
plunder! You have done what is wrong in the LORD’s estimation.”
20 Then Saul said to Samuel,“But I have obeyed the LORD! I went on the
campaign the LORD sent me on. I brought back King Agag of the Amalekites after
exterminating the Amalekites.
21 But the army took from the plunder some of the sheep and cattle– the best
of what was to be slaughtered– to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal.”
22 Then Samuel said,“Does the LORD take pleasure in burnt offerings and
sacrifices as much as he does in obedience? Certainly, obedience is better than
sacrifice; paying attention is better than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and presumption is like the evil
of idolatry. Because you have rejected the LORD’s orders, he has rejected you
from being king.”
24 Then Saul said to Samuel,“I have sinned, for I have disobeyed what the LORD
commanded and your words as well. For I was afraid of the army, and I obeyed
their voice.
25 Now please forgive my sin! Go back with me so I can worship the LORD.”
26 Samuel said to Saul,“I will not go back with you, for you have rejected the
LORD’s orders, and the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel!”
27 When Samuel turned to leave, Saul grabbed the edge of his robe and it tore.
28 Samuel said to him,“The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this
day and has given it to one of your colleagues who is better than you!
29 The Preeminent One of Israel does not go back on his word or change his mind,
for he is not a human being who changes his mind.”
30 Saul again replied,“I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of
my people and before Israel. Go back with me so I may worship the LORD your
God.”
31 So Samuel followed Saul back, and Saul worshiped the LORD.
32 Samuel Puts Agag to Death Then Samuel said,“Bring me King Agag of the
Amalekites.” So Agag came to him trembling, thinking to himself,“Surely
death is bitter!”
33 Samuel said,“Just as your sword left women childless, so your mother will
be the most bereaved among women!” Then Samuel hacked Agag to pieces there in
Gilgal before the LORD.
34 Then Samuel went to Ramah, while Saul went up to his home in Gibeah of Saul.
35 Until the day he died Samuel did not see Saul again. Samuel did, however,
mourn for Saul, but the LORD regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.

Chapter 16

1 Samuel Anoints David as King The LORD said to Samuel,“How long do you intend
to mourn for Saul? I have rejected him as king over Israel. Fill your horn with
olive oil and go! I am sending you to Jesse in Bethlehem, for I have selected a
king for myself from among his sons.”
2 Samuel replied,“How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me!” But
the LORD said,“Take a heifer with you and say,‘I have come to sacrifice to
the LORD.’
3 Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you should do.
You will anoint for me the one I point out to you.”
4 Samuel did what the LORD told him. When he arrived in Bethlehem, the elders of
the city were afraid to meet him. They said,“Do you come in peace?”
5 He replied,“Yes, in peace. I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate
yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” So he consecrated Jesse and his
sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
6 When they arrived, Samuel noticed Eliab and said to himself,“Surely, here
before the LORD stands his chosen king!”
7 But the LORD said to Samuel,“Don’t be impressed by his appearance or his
height, for I have rejected him. God does not view things the way men do. People
look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and presented him to Samuel. But Samuel said,“The
LORD has not chosen this one, either.”
9 Then Jesse presented Shammah. But Samuel said,“The LORD has not chosen this
one either.”
10 Jesse presented seven of his sons to Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse,“The
LORD has not chosen any of these.”
11 Then Samuel said to Jesse,“Is that all of the young men?” Jesse
replied,“There is still the youngest one, but he’s taking care of the
flock.” Samuel said to Jesse,“Send and get him, for we cannot turn our
attention to other things until he comes here.”
12 So Jesse had him brought in. Now he was ruddy, with attractive eyes and a
handsome appearance. The LORD said,“Go and anoint him. This is the one!”
13 So Samuel took the horn full of olive oil and anointed him in the presence of
his brothers. The Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day onward.
Then Samuel got up and went to Ramah.
14 David Appears before Saul Now the Spirit of the LORD had turned away from
Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him.
15 Then Saul’s servants said to him,“Look, an evil spirit from God is
tormenting you!
16 Let our lord instruct his servants who are here before you to look for a man
who knows how to play the lyre. Then whenever the evil spirit from God comes
upon you, he can play the lyre and you will feel better.”
17 So Saul said to his servants,“Find me a man who plays well and bring him to
me.”
18 One of his attendants replied,“I have seen a son of Jesse in Bethlehem who
knows how to play the lyre. He is a brave warrior and is articulate and
handsome, for the LORD is with him.”
19 So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said,“Send me your son David, who is
out with the sheep.”
20 So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a container of wine, and a young
goat and sent them to Saul with his son David.
21 David came to Saul and stood before him. Saul liked him a great deal, and he
became his armor bearer.
22 Then Saul sent word to Jesse saying,“Let David be my servant, for I really
like him.”
23 So whenever the spirit from God would come upon Saul, David would take his
lyre and play it. This would bring relief to Saul and make him feel better. Then
the evil spirit would leave him alone.

Chapter 17

1 David Kills Goliath The Philistines gathered their troops for battle. They
assembled at Socoh in Judah. They camped in Ephes Dammim, between Socoh and
Azekah.
2 Saul and the Israelite army assembled and camped in the valley of Elah, where
they arranged their battle lines to fight against the Philistines.
3 The Philistines were standing on one hill, and the Israelites on another hill,
with the valley between them.
4 Then a champion came out from the camp of the Philistines. His name was
Goliath; he was from Gath. He was close to seven feet tall.
5 He had a bronze helmet on his head and was wearing scale body armor. The
weight of his bronze body armor was five thousand shekels.
6 He had bronze shin guards on his legs, and a bronze javelin was slung over his
shoulders.
7 The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and the iron point of his
spear weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer was walking before him.
8 Goliath stood and called to Israel’s troops,“Why do you come out to
prepare for battle? Am I not the Philistine, and are you not the servants of
Saul? Choose for yourselves a man so he may come down to me!
9 If he is able to fight with me and strike me down, we will become your
servants. But if I prevail against him and strike him down, you will become our
servants and will serve us.”
10 Then the Philistine said,“I defy Israel’s troops this day! Give me a man
so we can fight each other!”
11 When Saul and all the Israelites heard these words of the Philistine, they
were upset and very afraid.
12 Now David was the son of this Ephrathite named Jesse from Bethlehem in Judah.
He had eight sons, and in Saul’s days he was old and well advanced in years.
13 Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to war. The names of the three
sons who went to war were Eliab, his firstborn, Abinadab, the second oldest, and
Shammah, the third oldest.
14 Now David was the youngest. While the three oldest sons followed Saul,
15 David was going back and forth from Saul in order to care for his father’s
sheep in Bethlehem.
16 Meanwhile for forty days the Philistine approached every morning and evening
and took his position.
17 Jesse said to his son David,“Take your brothers this ephah of roasted grain
and these ten loaves of bread; go quickly to the camp to your brothers.
18 Also take these ten portions of cheese to their commanding officer. Find out
how your brothers are doing and bring back their pledge that they received the
goods.
19 They are with Saul and the whole Israelite army in the valley of Elah,
fighting with the Philistines.”
20 So David got up early in the morning and entrusted the flock to someone else
who would watch over it. After loading up, he went just as Jesse had instructed
him. He arrived at the camp as the army was going out to the battle lines
shouting its battle cry.
21 Israel and the Philistines drew up their battle lines opposite one another.
22 After David had entrusted his cargo to the care of the supply officer, he ran
to the battlefront. When he arrived, he asked his brothers how they were doing.
23 As he was speaking with them, the champion named Goliath, the Philistine from
Gath, was coming up from the battle lines of the Philistines. He spoke the way
he usually did, and David heard it.
24 When all the men of Israel saw this man, they retreated from his presence and
were very afraid.
25 The men of Israel said,“Have you seen this man who is coming up? He does so
to defy Israel. But the king will make the man who can strike him down very
wealthy! He will give him his daughter in marriage, and he will make his
father’s house exempt from tax obligations in Israel.”
26 David asked the men who were standing near him,“What will be done for the
man who strikes down this Philistine and frees Israel from this humiliation? For
who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he defies the armies of the living
God?”
27 The soldiers told him what had been promised, saying,“This is what will be
done for the man who can strike him down.”
28 When David’s oldest brother Eliab heard him speaking to the men, he became
angry with David and said,“Why have you come down here? To whom did you
entrust those few sheep in the wilderness? I am familiar with your pride and
deceit! You have come down here to watch the battle!”
29 David replied,“What have I done now? Can’t I say anything?”
30 Then he turned from those who were nearby to someone else and asked the same
question, but they gave him the same answer as before.
31 When David’s words were overheard and reported to Saul, he called for him.
32 David said to Saul,“Don’t let anyone be discouraged. Your servant will go
and fight this Philistine!”
33 But Saul replied to David,“You aren’t able to go against this Philistine
and fight him! You’re just a boy! He has been a warrior from his youth!”
34 David replied to Saul,“Your servant has been a shepherd for his father’s
flock. Whenever a lion or bear would come and carry off a sheep from the flock,
35 I would go out after it, strike it down, and rescue the sheep from its mouth.
If it rose up against me, I would grab it by its jaw, strike it, and kill it.
36 Your servant has struck down both the lion and the bear. This uncircumcised
Philistine will be just like one of them. For he has defied the armies of the
living God!”
37 David went on to say,“The LORD who delivered me from the lion and the bear
will also deliver me from the hand of this Philistine!” Then Saul said to
David,“Go! The LORD will be with you.”
38 Then Saul clothed David with his own fighting attire and put a bronze helmet
on his head. He also put body armor on him.
39 David strapped on his sword over his fighting attire and tried to walk
around, but he was not used to them. David said to Saul,“I can’t walk in
these things, for I’m not used to them.” So David removed them.
40 He took his staff in his hand, picked out five smooth stones from the stream,
placed them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag, took his sling in hand, and
approached the Philistine.
41 The Philistine kept coming closer to David, with his shield bearer walking in
front of him.
42 When the Philistine looked carefully at David, he despised him, for he was
only a ruddy and handsome boy.
43 The Philistine said to David,“Am I a dog, that you are coming after me with
sticks?” Then the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
44 The Philistine said to David,“Come here to me, so I can give your flesh to
the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the field!”
45 But David replied to the Philistine,“You are coming against me with sword
and spear and javelin. But I am coming against you in the name of the LORD of
Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel’s armies, whom you have defied!
46 This very day the LORD will deliver you into my hand! I will strike you down
and cut off your head. This day I will give the corpses of the Philistine army
to the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the land. Then all the land will
realize that Israel has a God,
47 and all this assembly will know that it is not by sword or spear that the
LORD saves! For the battle is the LORD’s, and he will deliver you into our
hand.”
48 The Philistine drew steadily closer to David to attack him, while David
quickly ran toward the battle line to attack the Philistine.
49 David reached his hand into the bag and took out a stone. He slung it,
striking the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank deeply into his
forehead, and he fell down with his face to the ground.
50 David prevailed over the Philistine with just the sling and the stone. He
struck down the Philistine and killed him. David did not even have a sword in
his hand.
51 David ran and stood over the Philistine. He grabbed Goliath’s sword, drew
it from its sheath, killed him, and cut off his head with it. When the
Philistines saw their champion was dead, they ran away.
52 Then the men of Israel and Judah charged forward, shouting a battle cry. They
chased the Philistines to the valley and to the very gates of Ekron. The
Philistine corpses lay fallen along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron.
53 When the Israelites returned from their hot pursuit of the Philistines, they
looted their camp.
54 David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, and he put
Goliath’s weapons in his tent.
55 Now as Saul watched David going out to fight the Philistine, he asked Abner,
the general in command of the army,“Whose son is this young man, Abner?”
Abner replied,“As surely as you live, O king, I don’t know.”
56 The king said,“Find out whose son this boy is!”
57 So when David returned from striking down the Philistine, Abner took him and
brought him before Saul. He still had the head of the Philistine in his hand.
58 Saul said to him,“Whose son are you, young man?” David replied,“I am
the son of your servant Jesse in Bethlehem.”

Chapter 18

1 Saul Comes to Fear David When David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan
and David became bound together in close friendship. Jonathan loved David as
much as he did his own life.
2 Saul retained David on that day and did not allow him to return to his
father’s house.
3 Jonathan made a covenant with David, for he loved him as much as he did his
own life.
4 Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with the
rest of his gear, including his sword, his bow, and even his belt.
5 On every mission on which Saul sent him, David achieved success. So Saul
appointed him over the men of war. This pleased not only all the army, but also
Saul’s servants.
6 When the men arrived after David returned from striking down the Philistine,
the women from all the cities of Israel came out singing and dancing to meet
King Saul. They were happy as they played their tambourines and three-stringed
instruments.
7 The women who were playing the music sang,“Saul has struck down his
thousands, but David his tens of thousands!”
8 This made Saul very angry. The statement displeased him and he thought,“They
have attributed to David tens of thousands, but to me they have attributed only
thousands. What does he lack, except the kingdom?”
9 So Saul was keeping an eye on David from that day onward.
10 The next day an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul and he prophesied
within his house. Now David was playing the lyre as usual. There was a spear in
Saul’s hand,
11 and Saul threw the spear, thinking,“I’ll nail David to the wall!” But
David escaped from him on two different occasions.
12 So Saul feared David, because the LORD was with him but had departed from
Saul.
13 Saul removed David from his presence and made him a commanding officer. David
led the army out to battle and back.
14 Now David achieved success in all he did, for the LORD was with him.
15 When Saul saw how very successful he was, he was afraid of him.
16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, for he was the one leading them out to
battle and back.
17 Then Saul said to David,“Here’s my oldest daughter, Merab. I want to give
her to you in marriage. Only be a brave warrior for me and fight the battles of
the LORD.”For Saul thought,“There’s no need for me to raise my hand
against him. Let it be the hand of the Philistines!”
18 David said to Saul,“Who am I? Who are my relatives or the clan of my father
in Israel that I should become the king’s son-in-law?”
19 When the time came for Merab, Saul’s daughter, to be given to David, she
instead was given in marriage to Adriel, who was from Meholah.
20 Now Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David. When they told Saul about this,
it pleased him.
21 Saul said,“I will give her to him so that she may become a snare to him and
the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” So Saul said to
David,“Today is the second time for you to become my son-in-law.”
22 Then Saul instructed his servants,“Tell David secretly,‘The king is
pleased with you, and all his servants like you. So now become the king’s
son-in-law.”
23 So Saul’s servants spoke these words privately to David. David
replied,“Is becoming the king’s son-in-law something insignificant to you?
I’m just a poor and lightly-esteemed man!”
24 When Saul’s servants reported what David had said,
25 Saul replied,“Here is what you should say to David:‘There is nothing that
the king wants as a price for the bride except a hundred Philistine foreskins,
so that he can be avenged of his enemies.’”(Now Saul was thinking that he
could kill David by the hand of the Philistines.)
26 So his servants told David these things and David agreed to become the
king’s son-in-law. Now the specified time had not yet expired
27 when David, along with his men, went out and struck down two hundred
Philistine men. David brought their foreskins and presented all of them to the
king so he could become the king’s son-in-law. Saul then gave him his daughter
Michal in marriage.
28 When Saul realized that the LORD was with David and that his daughter Michal
loved David,
29 Saul became even more afraid of him. Saul continued to be at odds with David
from then on.
30 Then the leaders of the Philistines would march out, and as often as they did
so, David achieved more success than all of Saul’s servants. His name was held
in high esteem.

Chapter 19

1 Saul Repeatedly Attempts to Take David’s Life Then Saul told his son
Jonathan and all his servants to kill David. But Saul’s son Jonathan liked
David very much.
2 So Jonathan told David,“My father Saul is trying to kill you. So be careful
tomorrow morning. Find a hiding place and stay in seclusion.
3 I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are. I will
speak about you to my father. When I find out what the problem is, I will let
you know.”
4 So Jonathan spoke on David’s behalf to his father Saul. He said to
him,“The king should not sin against his servant David, for he has not sinned
against you. On the contrary, his actions have been very beneficial for you.
5 He risked his life when he struck down the Philistine and the LORD gave all
Israel a great victory. When you saw it, you were happy. So why would you sin
against innocent blood by putting David to death for no reason?”
6 Saul accepted Jonathan’s advice and took an oath,“As surely as the LORD
lives, he will not be put to death.”
7 Then Jonathan called David and told him all these things. Jonathan brought
David to Saul, and he served him as he had done formerly.
8 Now once again there was war. So David went out to fight the Philistines. He
defeated them thoroughly and they ran away from him.
9 Then an evil spirit from the LORD came upon Saul. He was sitting in his house
with his spear in his hand, while David was playing the lyre.
10 Saul tried to nail David to the wall with the spear, but he escaped from
Saul’s presence and the spear drove into the wall. David escaped quickly that
night.
11 Saul sent messengers to David’s house to guard it and to kill him in the
morning. Then David’s wife Michal told him,“If you do not save yourself
tonight, tomorrow you will be dead!”
12 So Michal lowered David through the window, and he ran away and escaped.
13 Then Michal took a household idol and put it on the bed. She put a quilt made
of goat’s hair over its head and then covered the idol with a garment.
14 When Saul sent messengers to arrest David, she said,“He’s sick.”
15 Then Saul sent the messengers back to see David, saying,“Bring him up to me
on his bed so I can kill him.”
16 When the messengers came, they found only the idol on the bed and the quilt
made of goat’s hair at its head.
17 Saul said to Michal,“Why have you deceived me this way by sending my enemy
away? Now he has escaped!” Michal replied to Saul,“He said to me,‘Help me
get away or else I will kill you!’”
18 Now David had run away and escaped. He went to Samuel in Ramah and told him
everything that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went and stayed at
Naioth.
19 It was reported to Saul saying,“David is at Naioth in Ramah.”
20 So Saul sent messengers to capture David. When they saw a company of prophets
prophesying with Samuel standing there as their leader, the Spirit of God came
upon Saul’s messengers, and they also prophesied.
21 When it was reported to Saul, he sent more messengers, but they prophesied
too. So Saul sent messengers a third time, but they also prophesied.
22 Finally Saul himself went to Ramah. When he arrived at the large cistern that
is in Secu, he asked,“Where are Samuel and David?” They said,“At Naioth in
Ramah.”
23 So Saul went to Naioth in Ramah. The Spirit of God came upon him as well, and
he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth in Ramah.
24 He even stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel. He lay there
naked all that day and night.(For that reason it is asked,“Is Saul also among
the prophets?”)

Chapter 20

1 Jonathan Seeks to Protect David David fled from Naioth in Ramah. He came to
Jonathan and asked,“What have I done? What is my offense? How have I sinned
before your father? For he is seeking my life!”
2 Jonathan said to him,“By no means are you going to die! My father does
nothing large or small without making me aware of it. Why would my father hide
this matter from me? It just won’t happen!”
3 Taking an oath, David again said,“Your father is very much aware of the fact
that I have found favor with you, and he has thought,‘Don’t let Jonathan
know about this, or he will be upset.’ But as surely as the LORD lives and you
live, there is about one step between me and death!”
4 Jonathan replied to David,“Tell me what I can do for you.”
5 David said to Jonathan,“Tomorrow is the new moon, and I am certainly
expected to join the king for a meal. You must send me away so I can hide in the
field until the third evening from now.
6 If your father happens to miss me, you should say,‘David urgently requested
me to let him go to his city Bethlehem, for there is an annual sacrifice there
for his entire family.’
7 If he should then say,‘That’s fine,’ then your servant is safe. But if
he becomes very angry, be assured that he has decided to harm me.
8 You must be loyal to your servant, for you have made a covenant with your
servant in the LORD’s name. If I am guilty, you yourself kill me! Why bother
taking me to your father?”
9 Jonathan said,“Far be it from you to suggest this! If I were at all aware
that my father had decided to harm you, wouldn’t I tell you about it?”
10 David said to Jonathan,“Who will tell me if your father answers you
harshly?”
11 Jonathan said to David,“Come on. Let’s go out to the field.”When the
two of them had gone out into the field,
12 Jonathan said to David,“The LORD God of Israel is my witness. I will feel
out my father about this time the day after tomorrow. If he is favorably
inclined toward David, will I not then send word to you and let you know?
13 But if my father intends to do you harm, may the LORD do all this and more to
Jonathan, if I don’t let you know and send word to you so you can go safely on
your way. May the LORD be with you, as he was with my father.
14 While I am still alive, extend to me the loyalty of the LORD, or else I will
die!
15 Don’t ever cut off your loyalty to my family, not even when the LORD has
cut off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth
16 and called David’s enemies to account.” So Jonathan made a covenant with
the house of David.
17 Jonathan once again took an oath with David, because he loved him. In fact
Jonathan loved him as much as he did his own life.
18 Jonathan said to him,“Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, for
your seat will be empty.
19 On the third day you should go down quickly and come to the place where you
hid yourself the day this all started. Stay near the stone Ezel.
20 I will shoot three arrows near it, as though I were shooting at a target.
21 When I send a boy after them, I will say,“Go and find the arrows.” If I
say to the boy,‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; get them,’ then
come back. For as surely as the LORD lives, you will be safe and there will be
no problem.
22 But if I say to the boy,“Look, the arrows are on the other side of you,’
get away. For in that case the LORD has sent you away.
23 With regard to the matter that you and I discussed, the LORD is the witness
between us forever!”
24 So David hid in the field. When the new moon came, the king sat down to eat
his meal.
25 The king sat down in his usual place by the wall, with Jonathan opposite him
and Abner at his side. But David’s place was vacant.
26 However, Saul said nothing about it that day, for he thought,“Something has
happened to make him ceremonially unclean. Yes, he must be unclean.”
27 But the next morning, the second day of the new moon, David’s place was
still vacant. So Saul said to his son Jonathan,“Why has Jesse’s son not come
to the meal yesterday or today?”
28 Jonathan replied to Saul,“David urgently requested that he be allowed to go
to Bethlehem.
29 He said,‘Permit me to go, for we are having a family sacrifice in the city,
and my brother urged me to be there. So now, if I have found favor with you, let
me go to see my brothers.’ For that reason he has not come to the king’s
table.”
30 Saul became angry with Jonathan and said to him,“You stupid traitor!
Don’t I realize that to your own disgrace and to the disgrace of your
mother’s nakedness you have chosen this son of Jesse?
31 For as long as this son of Jesse is alive on the earth, you and your kingdom
will not be established. Now, send some men and bring him to me. For he is as
good as dead!”
32 Jonathan responded to his father Saul,“Why should he be put to death? What
has he done?”
33 Then Saul threw his spear at Jonathan in order to strike him down. So
Jonathan was convinced that his father had decided to kill David.
34 Jonathan got up from the table enraged. He did not eat any food on that
second day of the new moon, for he was upset that his father had humiliated
David.
35 The next morning Jonathan, along with a young servant, went out to the field
to meet David.
36 He said to his servant,“Run, find the arrows that I am about to shoot.”
As the servant ran, Jonathan shot the arrow beyond him.
37 When the servant came to the place where Jonathan had shot the arrow,
Jonathan called out to the servant,“Isn’t the arrow further beyond you?”
38 Jonathan called out to the servant,“Hurry! Go faster! Don’t delay!”
Jonathan’s servant retrieved the arrow and came back to his master.
39 (Now the servant did not understand any of this. Only Jonathan and David knew
what was going on.)
40 Then Jonathan gave his equipment to the servant who was with him. He said to
him,“Go, take these things back to the city.”
41 When the servant had left, David got up from beside the mound, knelt with his
face to the ground, and bowed three times. Then they kissed each other and they
both wept, especially David.
42 Jonathan said to David,“Go in peace, for the two of us have sworn together
in the name of the LORD saying,‘The LORD will be between me and you and
between my descendants and your descendants forever.’”

Chapter 21

1 David Goes to Nob(21:1) Then David got up and left, while Jonathan went back
to the city.(21:2) David went to Ahimelech the priest in Nob. Ahimelech was
shaking with fear when he met David, and said to him,“Why are you by yourself
with no one accompanying you?”
2 David replied to Ahimelech the priest,“The king instructed me to do
something, but he said to me,‘Don’t let anyone know the reason I am sending
you or the instructions I have given you.’ I have told my soldiers to wait at
a certain place.
3 Now what do you have at your disposal? Give me five loaves of bread, or
whatever can be found.”
4 The priest replied to David,“I don’t have any ordinary bread at my
disposal. Only holy bread is available, and then only if your soldiers have
abstained from relations with women.”
5 David said to the priest,“Certainly women have been kept away from us, just
as on previous occasions when I have set out. The soldiers’ equipment is holy,
even on an ordinary journey. How much more so will they be holy today, along
with their equipment!”
6 So the priest gave him holy bread, for there was no bread there other than the
bread of the Presence. It had been removed from before the LORD in order to
replace it with hot bread on the day it had been taken away.
7 (One of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before the LORD. His
name was Doeg the Edomite, who was in charge of Saul’s shepherds.)
8 David said to Ahimelech,“Is there no sword or spear here at your disposal? I
don’t have my own sword or equipment in hand due to the urgency of the
king’s instructions.”
9 David Goes to Gath The priest replied,“The sword of Goliath the Philistine,
whom you struck down in the valley of Elah, is wrapped in a garment behind the
ephod. If you wish, take it for yourself. Other than that, there’s nothing
here.” David said,“There’s nothing like it! Give it to me!”
10 So on that day David arose and fled from Saul. He went to King Achish of
Gath.
11 The servants of Achish said to him,“Isn’t this David, the king of the
land? Isn’t he the one that they sing about when they dance, saying,‘Saul
struck down his thousands, But David his tens of thousands’?”
12 David thought about what they said and was very afraid of King Achish of
Gath.
13 He altered his behavior in their presence. Since he was in their power, he
pretended to be insane, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting his
saliva run down his beard.
14 Achish said to his servants,“Look at this madman! Why did you bring him to
me?
15 Do I have a shortage of fools, that you have brought me this man to display
his insanity in front of me? Should this man enter my house?”

Chapter 22

1 David Goes to Adullam and Mizpah So David left there and escaped to the cave
of Adullam. When his brothers and the rest of his father’s family learned
about it, they went down there to him.
2 All those who were in trouble or owed someone money or were discontented
gathered around him, and he became their leader. He had about four hundred men
with him.
3 Then David went from there to Mizpah in Moab, where he said to the king of
Moab,“Please let my father and mother stay with you until I know what God is
going to do for me.”
4 So he had them stay with the king of Moab; they stayed with him the whole time
that David was in the stronghold.
5 Then Gad the prophet said to David,“Don’t stay in the stronghold. Go to
the land of Judah.” So David left and went to the forest of Hereth.
6 Saul Executes the Priests But Saul found out the whereabouts of David and the
men who were with him. Now Saul was sitting at Gibeah under the tamarisk tree at
an elevated location with his spear in hand and all his servants stationed
around him.
7 Saul said to his servants who were stationed around him,“Listen up, you
Benjaminites! Is Jesse’s son giving fields and vineyards to all of you? Or is
he making all of you commanders and officers?
8 For all of you have conspired against me! No one informs me when my own son
makes an agreement with this son of Jesse! Not one of you feels sorry for me or
informs me that my own son has commissioned my own servant to hide in ambush
against me, as is the case today!”
9 But Doeg the Edomite, who had stationed himself with the servants of Saul,
replied,“I saw this son of Jesse come to Ahimelech son of Ahitub at Nob.
10 He inquired of the LORD for him and gave him provisions. He also gave him the
sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
11 Then the king arranged for a meeting with the priest Ahimelech son of Ahitub
and all the priests of his father’s house who were at Nob. They all came to
the king.
12 Then Saul said,“Listen, son of Ahitub.” He replied,“Here I am, my
lord.”
13 Saul said to him,“Why have you conspired against me, you and this son of
Jesse? You gave him bread and a sword and inquired of God on his behalf, so that
he opposes me and waits in ambush, as is the case today!”
14 Ahimelech replied to the king,“Who among all your servants is faithful like
David? He is the king’s son-in-law, the leader of your bodyguard, and honored
in your house!
15 Was it just today that I began to inquire of God on his behalf? Far be it
from me! The king should not accuse his servant or any of my father’s house.
For your servant is not aware of all this– not in whole or in part!”
16 But the king said,“You will surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your
father’s house!”
17 Then the king said to the messengers who were stationed beside him,“Turn
and kill the priests of the LORD, for they too have sided with David! They knew
he was fleeing, but they did not inform me.” But the king’s servants refused
to harm the priests of the LORD.
18 Then the king said to Doeg,“You turn and strike down the priests!” So
Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests. He killed on that day
eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod.
19 As for Nob, the city of the priests, he struck down with the sword men and
women, children and infants, oxen, donkeys, and sheep– all with the sword.
20 But one of the sons of Ahimelech son of Ahitub escaped and fled to David. His
name was Abiathar.
21 Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the LORD.
22 Then David said to Abiathar,“I knew that day when Doeg the Edomite was
there that he would certainly tell Saul! I am guilty of all the deaths in your
father’s house!
23 Stay with me. Don’t be afraid! Whoever seeks my life is seeking your life
as well. You are secure with me.”

Chapter 23

1 David Delivers the City of Keilah They told David,“The Philistines are
fighting in Keilah and are looting the threshing floors.”
2 So David asked the LORD,“Should I go and strike down these Philistines?”
The LORD said to David,“Go, strike down the Philistines and deliver Keilah.”
3 But David’s men said to him,“We are afraid while we are still here in
Judah! What will it be like if we go to Keilah against the armies of the
Philistines?”
4 So David asked the LORD once again. But again the LORD replied,“Arise, go
down to Keilah, for I will give the Philistines into your hand.”
5 So David and his men went to Keilah and fought the Philistines. He took away
their cattle and thoroughly defeated them. David delivered the inhabitants of
Keilah.
6 David Eludes Saul Again Now when Abiathar son of Ahimelech had fled to David
at Keilah, he had brought with him an ephod.
7 When Saul was told that David had come to Keilah, Saul said,“God has
delivered him into my hand, for he has boxed himself into a corner by entering a
city with two barred gates.”
8 So Saul mustered all his army to go down to Keilah and besiege David and his
men.
9 When David realized that Saul was planning to harm him, he told Abiathar the
priest,“Bring the ephod!”
10 Then David said,“O LORD God of Israel, your servant has clearly heard that
Saul is planning to come to Keilah to destroy the city because of me.
11 Will the leaders of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down as
your servant has heard? O LORD God of Israel, please inform your servant!”Then
the LORD said,“He will come down.”
12 David asked,“Will the leaders of Keilah deliver me and my men into Saul’s
hand?” The LORD said,“They will deliver you over.”
13 So David and his men, who numbered about six hundred, set out and left
Keilah; they moved around from one place to another. When told that David had
escaped from Keilah, Saul called a halt to his expedition.
14 David stayed in the strongholds that were in the desert and in the hill
country of the wilderness of Ziph. Saul looked for him all the time, but God did
not deliver David into his hand.
15 David realized that Saul had come out to seek his life; at that time David
was in Horesh in the wilderness of Ziph.
16 Then Jonathan son of Saul left and went to David at Horesh. He encouraged him
through God.
17 He said to him,“Don’t be afraid! For the hand of my father Saul cannot
find you. You will rule over Israel, and I will be your second in command. Even
my father Saul realizes this.”
18 When the two of them had made a covenant before the LORD, David stayed on at
Horesh, but Jonathan went to his house.
19 Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah and said,“Isn’t David hiding
among us in the strongholds at Horesh on the hill of Hakilah, south of Jeshimon?
20 Now at your own discretion, O king, come down. Delivering him into the
king’s hand will be our responsibility.”
21 Saul replied,“May you be blessed by the LORD, for you have had compassion
on me.
22 Go and make further arrangements. Determine precisely where he is and who has
seen him there, for I am told that he is extremely cunning.
23 Locate precisely all the places where he hides and return to me with
dependable information. Then I will go with you. If he is in the land, I will
find him among all the thousands of Judah.”
24 So they left and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in
the wilderness of Maon, in the rift valley to the south of Jeshimon.
25 Saul and his men went to look for him. But David was informed and went down
to the rock and stayed in the wilderness of Maon. When Saul heard about it, he
pursued David in the wilderness of Maon.
26 Saul went on one side of the mountain, while David and his men went on the
other side of the mountain. David was hurrying to get away from Saul, but Saul
and his men were surrounding David and his men so they could capture them.
27 But a messenger came to Saul saying,“Come quickly, for the Philistines have
raided the land!”
28 So Saul stopped pursuing David and went to confront the Philistines.
Therefore that place is called Sela Hammahlekoth.
29 (24:1) Then David went up from there and stayed in the strongholds of En
Gedi.

Chapter 24

1 David Spares Saul’s Life(24:2) When Saul returned from pursuing the
Philistines, they told him,“Look, David is in the desert of En Gedi.”
2 So Saul took three thousand select men from all Israel and went to find David
and his men in the region of the rocks of the mountain goats.
3 He came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave. Saul went into
it to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the recesses of the
cave.
4 David’s men said to him,“This is the day about which the LORD said to
you,‘I will give your enemy into your hand, and you can do to him whatever
seems appropriate to you.’” So David got up and quietly cut off an edge of
Saul’s robe.
5 Afterward David’s conscience bothered him because he had cut off an edge of
Saul’s robe.
6 He said to his men,“May the LORD keep me far away from doing such a thing to
my lord, who is the LORD’s chosen one, by extending my hand against him. After
all, he is the LORD’s chosen one.”
7 David restrained his men with these words and did not allow them to rise up
against Saul. Then Saul left the cave and started down the road.
8 Afterward David got up and went out of the cave. He called out after
Saul,“My lord, O king!” When Saul looked behind him, David kneeled down and
bowed with his face to the ground.
9 David said to Saul,“Why do you pay attention when men say,‘David is
seeking to do you harm’?
10 Today your own eyes see how the LORD delivered you– this very day– into
my hands in the cave. Some told me to kill you, but I had pity on you and
said,‘I will not extend my hand against my lord, for he is the LORD’s chosen
one.’
11 Look, my father, and see the edge of your robe in my hand! When I cut off the
edge of your robe, I didn’t kill you. So realize and understand that I am not
planning evil or rebellion. Even though I have not sinned against you, you are
waiting in ambush to take my life.
12 May the LORD judge between the two of us, and may the LORD vindicate me over
you, but my hand will not be against you.
13 It’s like the old proverb says:‘From evil people evil proceeds.’ But my
hand will not be against you.
14 Who has the king of Israel come out after? Who is it that you are pursuing? A
dead dog? A single flea?
15 May the LORD be our judge and arbiter. May he see and arbitrate my case and
deliver me from your hands!”
16 When David finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said,“Is that your
voice, my son David?” Then Saul wept loudly.
17 He said to David,“You are more innocent than I, for you have treated me
well, even though I have tried to harm you!
18 You have explained today how you have treated me well. The LORD delivered me
into your hand, but you did not kill me.
19 Now if a man finds his enemy, does he send him on his way in good shape? May
the LORD repay you with good this day for what you have done to me.
20 Now look, I realize that you will in fact be king and that the kingdom of
Israel will be established in your hand.
21 So now swear to me in the LORD’s name that you will not kill my descendants
after me or destroy my name from the house of my father.”
22 David promised Saul this on oath. Then Saul went to his house, and David and
his men went up to the stronghold.

Chapter 25

1 The Death of Samuel Samuel died, and all Israel assembled and mourned him.
They buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David left and went down to the
wilderness of Paran.
2 David Marries Abigail the Widow of Nabal There was a man in Maon whose
business was in Carmel. This man was very wealthy; he owned three thousand sheep
and a thousand goats. At that time he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.
3 The man’s name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was both
wise and beautiful, but the man was harsh and his deeds were evil. He was a
Calebite.
4 When David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep,
5 he sent ten servants, saying to them,“Go up to Carmel to see Nabal and give
him greetings in my name.
6 Then you will say to my brother,“Peace to you and your house! Peace to all
that is yours!
7 Now I hear that they are shearing sheep for you. When your shepherds were with
us, we neither insulted them nor harmed them the whole time they were in Carmel.
8 Ask your own servants; they can tell you! May my servants find favor in your
sight, for we have come at the time of a holiday. Please provide us– your
servants and your son David– with whatever you can spare.”
9 So David’s servants went and spoke all these words to Nabal in David’s
name. Then they paused.
10 But Nabal responded to David’s servants,“Who is David, and who is this
son of Jesse? This is a time when many servants are breaking away from their
masters!
11 Should I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for
my shearers and give them to these men? I don’t even know where they came
from!”
12 So David’s servants went on their way. When they had returned, they came
and told David all these things.
13 Then David instructed his men,“Each of you strap on your sword!” So each
one strapped on his sword, and David also strapped on his sword. About four
hundred men followed David up, while two hundred stayed behind with the
equipment.
14 But one of the servants told Nabal’s wife Abigail,“David sent messengers
from the wilderness to greet our lord, but he screamed at them.
15 These men were very good to us. They did not insult us, nor did we sustain
any loss during the entire time we were together in the field.
16 Both night and day they were a protective wall for us the entire time we were
with them, while we were tending our flocks.
17 Now be aware of this, and see what you can do. For disaster has been planned
for our lord and his entire household. He is such a wicked person that no one
tells him anything!”
18 So Abigail quickly took two hundred loaves of bread, two containers of wine,
five prepared sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred bunches of raisins,
and two hundred lumps of pressed figs. She loaded them on donkeys
19 and said to her servants,“Go on ahead of me. I will come after you.” But
she did not tell her husband Nabal.
20 Riding on her donkey, she went down under cover of the mountain. David and
his men were coming down to meet her, and she encountered them.
21 Now David had been thinking,“In vain I guarded everything that belonged to
this man in the wilderness. I didn’t take anything from him. But he has repaid
my good with evil.
22 God will severely punish David, if I leave alive until morning even one male
from all those who belong to him!”
23 When Abigail saw David, she got down quickly from the donkey, threw herself
facedown before David, and bowed to the ground.
24 Falling at his feet, she said,“My lord, I accept all the guilt! But please
let your female servant speak to you! Please listen to the words of your
servant!
25 My lord should not pay attention to this wicked man Nabal. He simply lives up
to his name! His name means‘fool,’ and he is indeed foolish! But I, your
servant, did not see the servants my lord sent.
26 “Now, my lord, as surely as the LORD lives and as surely as you live, it is
the LORD who has kept you from shedding blood and taking matters into your own
hands. Now may your enemies and those who seek to harm my lord be like Nabal.
27 Now let this present that your servant has brought to my lord be given to the
servants who follow my lord.
28 Please forgive the sin of your servant, for the LORD will certainly establish
a lasting dynasty for my lord, because my lord fights the battles of the LORD.
May no evil be found in you all your days!
29 When someone sets out to chase you and to take your life, the life of my lord
will be wrapped securely in the bag of the living by the LORD your God. But he
will sling away the lives of your enemies from the sling’s pocket!
30 The LORD will do for my lord everything that he promised you, and he will
make you a leader over Israel.
31 Your conscience will not be overwhelmed with guilt for having poured out
innocent blood and for having taken matters into your own hands. When the LORD
has granted my lord success, please remember your servant.”
32 Then David said to Abigail,“Praised be the LORD, the God of Israel, who has
sent you this day to meet me!
33 Praised be your good judgment! May you yourself be rewarded for having
prevented me this day from shedding blood and taking matters into my own hands!
34 Otherwise, as surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives– he who has
prevented me from harming you– if you had not come so quickly to meet me, by
morning’s light not even one male belonging to Nabal would have remained
alive!”
35 Then David took from her hand what she had brought to him. He said to
her,“Go back to your home in peace. Be assured that I have listened to you and
responded favorably.”
36 When Abigail went back to Nabal, he was holding a banquet in his house like
that of the king. Nabal was having a good time and was very intoxicated. She
told him absolutely nothing until morning’s light.
37 In the morning, when Nabal was sober, his wife told him about these matters.
He had a stroke and was paralyzed.
38 After about ten days the LORD struck Nabal down and he died.
39 When David heard that Nabal had died, he said,“Praised be the LORD who has
vindicated me and avenged the insult that I suffered from Nabal! The LORD has
kept his servant from doing evil, and he has repaid Nabal for his evil deeds.”
Then David sent word to Abigail and asked her to become his wife.
40 So the servants of David went to Abigail at Carmel and said to her,“David
has sent us to you to bring you back to be his wife.”
41 She arose, bowed her face toward the ground, and said,“Your female servant,
like a lowly servant, will wash the feet of the servants of my lord.”
42 Then Abigail quickly went and mounted her donkey, with five of her female
servants accompanying her. She followed David’s messengers and became his
wife.
43 David had also married Ahinoam from Jezreel; the two of them became his
wives.
44 (Now Saul had given his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to Paltiel son of
Laish, who was from Gallim.)

Chapter 26

1 David Spares Saul’s Life Again The Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah and
said,“Isn’t David hiding on the hill of Hakilah near Jeshimon?”
2 So Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, accompanied by three
thousand select men of Israel, to look for David in the wilderness of Ziph.
3 Saul camped by the road on the hill of Hakilah near Jeshimon, but David was
staying in the wilderness. When he realized that Saul had come to the wilderness
to find him,
4 David sent scouts and verified that Saul had indeed arrived.
5 So David set out and went to the place where Saul was camped. David saw the
place where Saul and Abner son of Ner, the general in command of his army, were
sleeping. Now Saul was lying in the entrenchment, and the army was camped all
around him.
6 David said to Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab’s
brother,“Who will go down with me to Saul in the camp?” Abishai replied,“I
will go down with you.”
7 So David and Abishai approached the army at night and found Saul lying asleep
in the entrenchment with his spear stuck in the ground by his head. Abner and
the army were lying all around him.
8 Abishai said to David,“Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands.
Now let me drive the spear right through him into the ground with one swift jab!
A second jab won’t be necessary!”
9 But David said to Abishai,“Don’t kill him! Who can extend his hand against
the LORD’s chosen one and remain guiltless?”
10 David went on to say,“As the LORD lives, the LORD himself will strike him
down. Either his day will come and he will die, or he will go down into battle
and be swept away.
11 But may the LORD prevent me from extending my hand against the LORD’s
chosen one! Now take the spear by Saul’s head and the jug of water, and
let’s get out of here!”
12 So David took the spear and the jug of water by Saul’s head, and they got
out of there. No one saw them or was aware of their presence or woke up. All of
them were asleep, for the LORD had caused a deep sleep to fall on them.
13 Then David crossed to the other side and stood on the top of the hill some
distance away; there was a considerable distance between them.
14 David called to the army and to Abner son of Ner,“Won’t you answer,
Abner?” Abner replied,“Who are you, that you have called to the king?”
15 David said to Abner,“Aren’t you a man? After all, who is like you in
Israel? Why then haven’t you protected your lord the king? One of the soldiers
came to kill your lord the king.
16 This failure on your part isn’t good! As surely as the LORD lives, you
people who have not protected your lord, the LORD’s chosen one, are as good as
dead! Now look where the king’s spear and the jug of water that was by his
head are!”
17 When Saul recognized David’s voice, he said,“Is that your voice, my son
David?” David replied,“Yes, it’s my voice, my lord the king.”
18 He went on to say,“Why is my lord chasing his servant? What have I done?
What wrong have I done?
19 So let my lord the king now listen to the words of his servant. If the LORD
has incited you against me, may he take delight in an offering. But if men have
instigated this, may they be cursed before the LORD! For they have driven me
away this day from being united with the LORD’s inheritance, saying,‘Go on,
serve other gods!’
20 Now don’t let my blood fall to the ground away from the LORD’s presence,
for the king of Israel has gone out to look for a flea the way one looks for a
partridge in the hill country.”
21 Saul replied,“I have sinned. Come back, my son David. I won’t harm you
anymore, for you treated my life with value this day. I have behaved foolishly
and have made a very terrible mistake!”
22 David replied,“Here is the king’s spear! Let one of your servants cross
over and get it.
23 The LORD rewards each man for his integrity and loyalty. Even though today
the LORD delivered you into my hand, I was not willing to extend my hand against
the LORD’s chosen one.
24 In the same way that I valued your life this day, may the LORD value my life
and deliver me from all danger.”
25 Saul replied to David,“May you be rewarded, my son David! You will without
question be successful!” So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his
place.

Chapter 27

1 David Aligns Himself with the Philistines David thought to himself,“One of
these days I’m going to be swept away by the hand of Saul! There is nothing
better for me than to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will
despair of searching for me through all the territory of Israel and I will
escape from his hand.”
2 So David left and crossed over to King Achish son of Maoch of Gath accompanied
by his six hundred men.
3 David settled with Achish in Gath, along with his men and their families.
David had with him his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the
Carmelite, Nabal’s widow.
4 When Saul learned that David had fled to Gath, he did not mount a new search
for him.
5 David said to Achish,“If I have found favor with you, let me be given a
place in one of the country towns so that I can live there. Why should your
servant settle in the royal city with you?”
6 So Achish gave him Ziklag on that day.(For that reason Ziklag has belonged to
the kings of Judah until this very day.)
7 The length of time that David lived in the Philistine countryside was a year
and four months.
8 Then David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites, and
the Amalekites.(They had been living in that land for a long time, from the
approach to Shur as far as the land of Egypt.)
9 When David would attack a district, he would leave neither man nor woman
alive. He would take sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and clothing and would then
go back to Achish.
10 When Achish would ask,“Where did you raid today?” David would say,“The
Negev of Judah” or“The Negev of Jeharmeel” or“The Negev of the
Kenites.”
11 Neither man nor woman would David leave alive so as to bring them back to
Gath. He was thinking,“This way they can’t tell on us, saying,‘This is
what David did.’” Such was his practice the entire time that he lived in the
country of the Philistines.
12 So Achish trusted David, thinking to himself,“He is really hated among his
own people in Israel! From now on he will be my servant.”

Chapter 28

1 The Witch of Endor In those days the Philistines gathered their troops for war
in order to fight Israel. Achish said to David,“You should fully understand
that you and your men must go with me into the battle.”
2 David replied to Achish,“That being the case, you will come to know what
your servant can do!” Achish said to David,“Then I will make you my
bodyguard from now on.”
3 Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had lamented over him and had buried him
in Ramah, his hometown. In the meantime Saul had removed the mediums and
magicians from the land.
4 The Philistines assembled; they came and camped at Shunem. Saul mustered all
Israel and camped at Gilboa.
5 When Saul saw the camp of the Philistines, he was absolutely terrified.
6 So Saul inquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him– not by dreams
nor by Urim nor by the prophets.
7 So Saul instructed his servants,“Find me a woman who is a medium, so that I
may go to her and inquire of her.” His servants replied to him,“There is a
woman who is a medium in En Dor.”
8 So Saul disguised himself and put on other clothing and left, accompanied by
two of his men. They came to the woman at night and said,“Use your ritual pit
to conjure up for me the one I tell you.”
9 But the woman said to him,“Look, you are aware of what Saul has done; he has
removed the mediums and magicians from the land! Why are you trapping me so you
can put me to death?”
10 But Saul swore an oath to her by the LORD,“As surely as the LORD lives, you
will not incur guilt in this matter!”
11 The woman replied,“Who is it that I should bring up for you?” He
said,“Bring up for me Samuel.”
12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out loudly. The woman said to
Saul,“Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!”
13 The king said to her,“Don’t be afraid! What have you seen?” The woman
replied to Saul,“I have seen a divine spirit coming up from the ground!”
14 He said to her,“What about his appearance?” She said,“An old man is
coming up! He is wrapped in a robe!”Then Saul realized it was Samuel, and he
bowed his face toward the ground and kneeled down.
15 Samuel said to Saul,“Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Saul
replied,“I am terribly troubled! The Philistines are fighting against me and
God has turned away from me. He does not answer me anymore– not by the
prophets nor by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what I should do.”
16 Samuel said,“Why are you asking me, now that the LORD has turned away from
you and has become your enemy?
17 The LORD has done exactly as I prophesied! The LORD has torn the kingdom from
your hand and has given it to your neighbor David!
18 Since you did not obey the LORD and did not carry out his fierce anger
against the Amalekites, the LORD has done this thing to you today.
19 The LORD will hand you and Israel over to the Philistines! Tomorrow both you
and your sons will be with me. The LORD will also hand the army of Israel over
to the Philistines!”
20 Saul quickly fell full length on the ground and was very afraid because of
Samuel’s words. He was completely drained of energy, not having eaten anything
all that day and night.
21 When the woman came to Saul and saw how terrified he was, she said to
him,“Your servant has done what you asked. I took my life into my own hands
and did what you told me.
22 Now it’s your turn to listen to your servant! Let me set before you a bit
of bread so that you can eat. When you regain your strength, you can go on your
way.”
23 But he refused, saying,“I won’t eat!” Both his servants and the woman
urged him to eat, so he gave in. He got up from the ground and sat down on the
bed.
24 Now the woman had a well-fed calf at her home that she quickly slaughtered.
Taking some flour, she kneaded it and baked bread without leaven.
25 She brought it to Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they arose and
left that same night.

Chapter 29

1 David Is Rejected by the Philistine Leaders The Philistines assembled all
their troops at Aphek, while Israel camped at the spring that is in Jezreel.
2 When the leaders of the Philistines were passing in review at the head of
their units of hundreds and thousands, David and his men were passing in review
in the rear with Achish.
3 The leaders of the Philistines asked,“What about these Hebrews?” Achish
said to the leaders of the Philistines,“Isn’t this David, the servant of
King Saul of Israel, who has been with me for quite some time? I have found no
fault with him from the day of his defection until the present time!”
4 But the leaders of the Philistines became angry with him and said to
him,“Send the man back! Let him return to the place that you assigned him!
Don’t let him go down with us into the battle, for he might become our
adversary in the battle. What better way to please his lord than with the heads
of these men?
5 Isn’t this David, of whom they sang as they danced,‘Saul has struck down
his thousands, but David his tens of thousands’?”
6 So Achish summoned David and said to him,“As surely as the LORD lives, you
are an honest man, and I am glad to have you serving with me in the army. I have
found no fault with you from the day that you first came to me until the present
time. But in the opinion of the leaders, you are not reliable.
7 So turn and leave in peace. You must not do anything that the leaders of the
Philistines consider improper!”
8 But David said to Achish,“What have I done? What have you found in your
servant from the day that I first came into your presence until the present
time, that I shouldn’t go and fight the enemies of my lord the king?”
9 Achish replied to David,“I am convinced that you are as reliable as the
angel of God! However, the leaders of the Philistines have said,‘He must not
go up with us in the battle.’
10 So get up early in the morning along with the servants of your lord who have
come with you. When you get up early in the morning, as soon as it is light
enough to see, leave.”
11 So David and his men got up early in the morning to return to the land of the
Philistines, but the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

Chapter 30

1 David Defeats the Amalekites On the third day David and his men came to
Ziklag. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They attacked Ziklag
and burned it.
2 They took captive the women and all who were in it, from the youngest to the
oldest, but they did not kill anyone. They simply carried them off and went on
their way.
3 When David and his men came to the city, they found it burned. Their wives,
sons, and daughters had been taken captive.
4 Then David and the men who were with him wept loudly until they could weep no
more.
5 David’s two wives had been taken captive– Ahinoam the Jezreelite and
Abigail the Carmelite, Nabal’s widow.
6 David was very upset, for the men were thinking of stoning him; each man
grieved bitterly over his sons and daughters. But David drew strength from the
LORD his God.
7 Then David said to the priest Abiathar son of Ahimelech,“Bring me the
ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David.
8 David inquired of the LORD, saying,“Should I pursue this raiding band? Will
I overtake them?” He said to him,“Pursue, for you will certainly overtake
them and carry out a rescue!”
9 So David went, accompanied by his six hundred men. When he came to the Wadi
Besor, those who were in the rear stayed there.
10 David and four hundred men continued the pursuit, but two hundred men who
were too exhausted to cross the Wadi Besor stayed there.
11 Then they found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David. They gave
him bread to eat and water to drink.
12 They gave him a slice of pressed figs and two bunches of raisins to eat. This
greatly refreshed him, for he had not eaten food or drunk water for three days
and three nights.
13 David said to him,“To whom do you belong, and where are you from?” The
young man said,“I am an Egyptian, the servant of an Amalekite man. My master
abandoned me when I was ill for three days.
14 We conducted a raid on the Negev of the Kerethites, on the area of Judah, and
on the Negev of Caleb. We burned Ziklag.”
15 David said to him,“Can you take us down to this raiding party?” He
said,“Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my
master, and I will take you down to this raiding party.”
16 So he took David down, and they found them spread out over the land. They
were eating and drinking and enjoying themselves because of all the loot they
had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.
17 But David struck them down from twilight until the following evening. None of
them escaped, with the exception of four hundred young men who got away on
camels.
18 David retrieved everything the Amalekites had taken; he also rescued his two
wives.
19 There was nothing missing, whether small or great. He retrieved sons and
daughters, the plunder, and everything else they had taken. David brought
everything back.
20 David took all the flocks and herds and drove them in front of the rest of
the animals. People were saying,“This is David’s plunder!”
21 Then David approached the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to go
with him, those whom they had left at the Wadi Besor. They went out to meet
David and the people who were with him. When David approached the people, he
asked how they were doing.
22 But all the evil and worthless men among those who had gone with David
said,“Since they didn’t go with us, we won’t give them any of the loot we
retrieved! They may take only their wives and children. Let them lead them away
and be gone!”
23 But David said,“No! You shouldn’t do this, my brothers. Look at what the
LORD has given us! He has protected us and has delivered into our hands the
raiding party that came against us.
24 Who will listen to you in this matter? The portion of the one who went down
into the battle will be the same as the portion of the one who remained with the
equipment! Let their portions be the same!”
25 From that time onward it was a binding ordinance for Israel, right up to the
present time.
26 When David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah
who were his friends, saying,“Here’s a gift for you from the looting of the
LORD’s enemies!”
27 The gift was for those in the following locations: for those in Bethel,
Ramoth Negev, and Jattir;
28 for those in Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa,
29 and Racal; for those in the cities of the Jerahmeelites and Kenites;
30 for those in Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athach,
31 and Hebron; and for those in whatever other places David and his men had
traveled.

Chapter 31

1 The Death of Saul Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel. The men of
Israel fled from the Philistines and many of them fell dead on Mount Gilboa.
2 The Philistines stayed right on the heels of Saul and his sons. They struck
down Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua.
3 Saul himself was in the thick of the battle; the archers spotted him and
wounded him severely.
4 Saul said to his armor bearer,“Draw your sword and stab me with it!
Otherwise these uncircumcised people will come, stab me, and torture me.” But
his armor bearer refused to do it, because he was very afraid. So Saul took his
sword and fell on it.
5 When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his own sword
and died with him.
6 So Saul, his three sons, his armor bearer, and all his men died together that
day.
7 When the men of Israel who were in the valley and across the Jordan saw that
the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned
the cities and fled. The Philistines came and occupied them.
8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip loot from the corpses, they
discovered Saul and his three sons lying dead on Mount Gilboa.
9 They cut off Saul’s head and stripped him of his armor. They sent messengers
to announce the news in the temple of their idols and among their people
throughout the surrounding land of the Philistines.
10 They placed Saul’s armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and hung his
corpse on the city wall of Beth Shan.
11 When the residents of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to
Saul,
12 all their warriors set out and traveled throughout the night. They took
Saul’s corpse and the corpses of his sons from the city wall of Beth Shan and
went to Jabesh, where they burned them.
13 They took the bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh; then
they fasted for seven days.


2 Samuel

Chapter 1

1 ¶ David Learns of the Deaths of Saul and Jonathan After the death of Saul,
when David had returned from defeating the Amalekites, he stayed at Ziklag for
two days.
2 On the third day a man arrived from the camp of Saul with his clothes torn and
dirt on his head. When he approached David, the man threw himself to the ground.
3 David asked him,“Where are you coming from?” He replied,“I have escaped
from the camp of Israel.”
4 David inquired,“How were things going? Tell me!” He replied,“The people
fled from the battle and many of them fell dead. Even Saul and his son Jonathan
are dead!”
5 David said to the young man who was telling him this,“How do you know that
Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?”
6 The young man who was telling him this said,“I just happened to be on Mount
Gilboa and came across Saul leaning on his spear for support. The chariots and
leaders of the horsemen were in hot pursuit of him.
7 When he turned around and saw me, he called out to me. I answered,‘Here I
am!’
8 He asked me,‘Who are you?’ I told him,‘I’m an Amalekite.’
9 He said to me,‘Stand over me and finish me off! I’m very dizzy, even
though I’m still alive.’
10 So I stood over him and put him to death, since I knew that he couldn’t
live in such a condition. Then I took the crown which was on his head and the
bracelet which was on his arm. I have brought them here to my lord.”
11 David then grabbed his own clothes and tore them, as did all the men who were
with him.
12 They lamented and wept and fasted until evening because Saul, his son
Jonathan, the LORD’s people, and the house of Israel had fallen by the sword.
13 David said to the young man who told this to him,“Where are you from?” He
replied,“I am an Amalekite, the son of a resident foreigner.”
14 David replied to him,“How is it that you were not afraid to reach out your
hand to destroy the LORD’s anointed?”
15 Then David called one of the soldiers and said,“Come here and strike him
down!” So he struck him down, and he died.
16 David said to him,“Your blood be on your own head! Your own mouth has
testified against you, saying‘I have put the LORD’s anointed to death.’”
17 David’s Tribute to Saul and Jonathan Then David chanted this lament over
Saul and his son Jonathan.
18 (He gave instructions that the people of Judah should be taught“The Bow.”
Indeed, it is written down in the Scroll of the Upright One.)
19 The beauty of Israel lies slain on your high places! How the mighty have
fallen!
20 Don’t report it in Gath, don’t spread the news in the streets of
Ashkelon, or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice, the daughters of the
uncircumcised will celebrate!
21 O mountains of Gilboa, may there be no dew or rain on you, nor fields of
grain offerings! For it was there that the shield of warriors was defiled; the
shield of Saul lies neglected without oil.
22 From the blood of the slain, from the fat of warriors, the bow of Jonathan
was not turned away. The sword of Saul never returned empty.
23 Saul and Jonathan were greatly loved during their lives, and not even in
their deaths were they separated. They were swifter than eagles, stronger than
lions.
24 O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet as well as
jewelry, who put gold jewelry on your clothes.
25 How the warriors have fallen in the midst of battle! Jonathan lies slain on
your high places!
26 I grieve over you, my brother Jonathan! You were very dear to me. Your love
was more special to me than the love of women.
27 How the warriors have fallen! The weapons of war are destroyed!

Chapter 2

1 David is Anointed King Afterward David inquired of the LORD,“Should I go up
to one of the cities of Judah?” The LORD told him,“Go up.” David
asked,“Where should I go?” The LORD replied,“To Hebron.”
2 So David went up, along with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and
Abigail, formerly the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
3 David also brought along the men who were with him, each with his family. They
settled in the cities of Hebron.
4 The men of Judah came and there they anointed David as king over the people of
Judah.David was told,“The people of Jabesh Gilead are the ones who buried
Saul.”
5 So David sent messengers to the people of Jabesh Gilead and told them,“May
you be blessed by the LORD because you have shown this kindness to your lord
Saul by burying him.
6 Now may the LORD show you true kindness! I also will reward you, because you
have done this deed.
7 Now be courageous and prove to be valiant warriors, for your lord Saul is
dead. The people of Judah have anointed me as king over them.”
8 David’s Army Clashes with the Army of Saul Now Abner son of Ner, the general
in command of Saul’s army, had taken Saul’s son Ish-bosheth and had brought
him to Mahanaim.
9 He appointed him king over Gilead, the Geshurites, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin,
and all Israel.
10 Ish-bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he began to rule over
Israel. He ruled two years. However, the people of Judah followed David.
11 David was king in Hebron over the people of Judah for seven and a half years.
12 Then Abner son of Ner and the servants of Ish-bosheth son of Saul went out
from Mahanaim to Gibeon.
13 Joab son of Zeruiah and the servants of David also went out and confronted
them at the pool of Gibeon. One group stationed themselves on one side of the
pool, and the other group on the other side of the pool.
14 Abner said to Joab,“Let the soldiers get up and fight before us.” Joab
said,“So be it!”
15 So they got up and crossed over by number: twelve belonging to Benjamin and
to Ish-bosheth son of Saul, and twelve from the servants of David.
16 As they grappled with one another, each one stabbed his opponent with his
sword and they fell dead together. So that place is called the Field of Flints;
it is in Gibeon.
17 Now the battle was very severe that day; Abner and the men of Israel were
overcome by David’s soldiers.
18 The three sons of Zeruiah were there– Joab, Abishai, and Asahel.(Now Asahel
was as quick on his feet as one of the gazelles in the field.)
19 Asahel chased Abner, without turning to the right or to the left as he
followed Abner.
20 Then Abner turned and asked,“Is that you, Asahel?” He replied,“Yes it
is!”
21 Abner said to him,“Turn aside to your right or to your left. Capture one of
the soldiers and take his equipment for yourself!” But Asahel was not willing
to turn aside from following him.
22 So Abner spoke again to Asahel,“Turn aside from following me! I do not want
to strike you to the ground. How then could I show my face in the presence of
Joab your brother?”
23 But Asahel refused to turn aside. So Abner struck him in the abdomen with the
back end of his spear. The spear came out his back; Asahel collapsed on the spot
and died there right before Abner. Everyone who now comes to the place where
Asahel fell dead pauses in respect.
24 So Joab and Abishai chased Abner. At sunset they came to the hill of Ammah
near Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.
25 The Benjaminites formed their ranks behind Abner and were like a single army,
standing at the top of a certain hill.
26 Then Abner called out to Joab,“Must the sword devour forever? Don’t you
realize that this will turn bitter in the end? When will you tell the people to
turn aside from pursuing their brothers?”
27 Joab replied,“As surely as God lives, if you had not said this, it would
have been morning before the people would have abandoned pursuit of their
brothers!”
28 Then Joab blew the ram’s horn and all the people stopped in their tracks.
They stopped chasing Israel and ceased fighting.
29 Abner and his men went through the rift valley all that night. They crossed
the Jordan River and went through the whole region of Bitron and came to
Mahanaim.
30 Now Joab returned from chasing Abner and assembled all the people. Nineteen
of David’s soldiers were missing, in addition to Asahel.
31 But David’s soldiers had slaughtered the Benjaminites and Abner’s men–
in all, 360 men had died!
32 They took Asahel’s body and buried him in his father’s tomb at Bethlehem.
Joab and his men then traveled all that night and reached Hebron by dawn.

Chapter 3

1 However, the war was prolonged between the house of Saul and the house of
David. David was becoming steadily stronger, while the house of Saul was
becoming increasingly weaker.
2 Now sons were born to David in Hebron. His firstborn was Amnon, born to
Ahinoam the Jezreelite.
3 His second son was Kileab, born to Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite.
His third son was Absalom, the son of Maacah daughter of King Talmai of Geshur.
4 His fourth son was Adonijah, the son of Haggith. His fifth son was Shephatiah,
the son of Abital.
5 His sixth son was Ithream, born to David’s wife Eglah. These sons were all
born to David in Hebron.
6 Abner Defects to David’s Camp As the war continued between the house of Saul
and the house of David, Abner was becoming more influential in the house of
Saul.
7 Now Saul had a concubine named Rizpah daughter of Aiah. Ish-bosheth said to
Abner,“Why did you sleep with my father’s concubine?”
8 These words of Ish-bosheth really angered Abner and he said,“Am I the head
of a dog that belongs to Judah? This very day I am demonstrating loyalty to the
house of Saul your father and to his relatives and his friends! I have not
betrayed you into the hand of David. Yet you have accused me of sinning with
this woman today!
9 God will severely judge Abner if I do not do for David exactly what the LORD
has promised him,
10 namely, to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and to establish the
throne of David over Israel and over Judah all the way from Dan to Beer
Sheba!”
11 Ish-bosheth was unable to answer Abner with even a single word because he was
afraid of him.
12 Then Abner sent messengers to David saying,“To whom does the land belong?
Make an agreement with me, and I will do whatever I can to cause all Israel to
turn to you.”
13 So David said,“Good! I will make an agreement with you. I ask only one
thing from you. You will not see my face unless you bring Saul’s daughter
Michal when you come to visit me.”
14 David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth son of Saul with this demand:“Give me
my wife Michal whom I acquired for a hundred Philistine foreskins.”
15 So Ish-bosheth took her from her husband Paltiel son of Laish.
16 Her husband went along behind her, weeping all the way to Bahurim. Finally
Abner said to him,“Go back!” So he returned home.
17 Abner advised the elders of Israel,“Previously you were wanting David to be
your king.
18 Act now! For the LORD has said to David,‘By the hand of my servant David I
will save my people Israel from the Philistines and from all their
enemies.’”
19 Then Abner spoke privately with the Benjaminites. Abner also went to Hebron
to inform David privately of all that Israel and the entire house of Benjamin
had agreed to.
20 When Abner, accompanied by twenty men, came to David in Hebron, David
prepared a banquet for Abner and the men who were with him.
21 Abner said to David,“Let me leave so that I may go and gather all Israel to
my lord the king so that they may make an agreement with you. Then you will rule
over all that you desire.” So David sent Abner away, and he left in peace.
22 Abner Is Killed Now David’s soldiers and Joab were coming back from a raid,
bringing a great deal of plunder with them. Abner was no longer with David in
Hebron, for David had sent him away and he had left in peace.
23 When Joab and all the army that was with him arrived, Joab was told:“Abner
the son of Ner came to the king; he sent him away, and he left in peace!”
24 So Joab went to the king and said,“What have you done? Abner has come to
you! Why would you send him away? Now he’s gone on his way!
25 You know Abner the son of Ner! Surely he came here to spy on you and to
determine when you leave and when you return and to discover everything that you
are doing!”
26 Then Joab left David and sent messengers after Abner. They brought him back
from the well of Sirah.(But David was not aware of it.)
27 When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside at the gate as if to speak
privately with him. Joab then stabbed him in the abdomen and killed him,
avenging the shed blood of his brother Asahel.
28 When David later heard about this, he said,“I and my kingdom are forever
innocent before the LORD of the shed blood of Abner son of Ner!
29 May his blood whirl over the head of Joab and the entire house of his father!
May the males of Joab’s house never cease to have someone with a running sore
or a skin disease or one who works at the spindle or one who falls by the sword
or one who lacks food!”
30 So Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner, because he had killed their
brother Asahel in Gibeon during the battle.
31 David instructed Joab and all the people who were with him,“Tear your
clothes! Put on sackcloth! Lament before Abner!” Now King David followed
behind the funeral pallet.
32 So they buried Abner in Hebron. The king cried loudly over Abner’s grave
and all the people wept too.
33 The king chanted the following lament for Abner:“Should Abner have died
like a fool?
34 Your hands were not bound, and your feet were not put into irons. You fell
the way one falls before criminals.”All the people wept over him again.
35 Then all the people came and encouraged David to eat food while it was still
day. But David took an oath saying,“God will punish me severely if I taste
bread or anything whatsoever before the sun sets!”
36 All the people noticed this and it pleased them. In fact, everything the king
did pleased all the people.
37 All the people and all Israel realized on that day that the killing of Abner
son of Ner was not done at the king’s instigation.
38 Then the king said to his servants,“Do you not realize that a great leader
has fallen this day in Israel?
39 Today I am weak, even though I am anointed as king. These men, the sons of
Zeruiah, are too much for me to bear! May the LORD punish appropriately the one
who has done this evil thing!”

Chapter 4

1 Ish-bosheth is killed When Ish-bosheth the son of Saul heard that Abner had
died in Hebron, he was very disheartened, and all Israel was afraid.
2 Now Saul’s son had two men who were in charge of raiding units; one was
named Baanah and the other Recab. They were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, who
was a Benjaminite.(Beeroth is regarded as belonging to Benjamin,
3 for the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and have remained there as resident
foreigners until the present time.)
4 Now Saul’s son Jonathan had a son who was crippled in both feet. He was five
years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan arrived from Jezreel. His nurse
picked him up and fled, but in her haste to get away, he fell and was injured.
Mephibosheth was his name.
5 Now the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite– Recab and Baanah– went at the
hottest part of the day to the home of Ish-bosheth, as he was enjoying his
midday rest.
6 They entered the house under the pretense of getting wheat and mortally
wounded him in the stomach. Then Recab and his brother Baanah escaped.
7 They had entered the house while Ish-bosheth was resting on his bed in his
bedroom. They mortally wounded him and then cut off his head. Taking his head,
they traveled on the way of the rift valley all that night.
8 They brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David in Hebron, saying to the
king,“Look! The head of Ish-bosheth son of Saul, your enemy who sought your
life! The LORD has granted vengeance to my lord the king this day against Saul
and his descendants!”
9 David replied to Recab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the
Beerothite,“As surely as the LORD lives, who has delivered my life from all
adversity,
10 when someone told me that Saul was dead– even though he thought he was
bringing good news– I seized him and killed him in Ziklag. That was the good
news I gave to him!
11 Surely when wicked men have killed an innocent man as he slept in his own
house, should I not now require his blood from your hands and remove you from
the earth?”
12 So David issued orders to the soldiers and they put them to death. Then they
cut off their hands and feet and hung them near the pool in Hebron. But they
took the head of Ish-bosheth and buried it in the tomb of Abner in Hebron.

Chapter 5

1 David Is Anointed King Over Israel All the tribes of Israel came to David at
Hebron saying,“Look, we are your very flesh and blood!
2 In the past, when Saul was our king, you were the real leader in Israel. The
LORD said to you,‘You will shepherd my people Israel; you will rule over
Israel.’”
3 When all the leaders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, King David made an
agreement with them in Hebron before the LORD. They designated David as king
over Israel.
4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign and he reigned for forty
years.
5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah for seven years and six months, and in
Jerusalem he reigned for thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.
6 David Occupies Jerusalem Then the king and his men advanced to Jerusalem
against the Jebusites who lived in the land. The Jebusites said to David,“You
cannot invade this place! Even the blind and the lame will turn you back,
saying,‘David cannot invade this place!’”
7 But David captured the fortress of Zion(that is, the City of David).
8 David said on that day,“Whoever attacks the Jebusites must approach
the‘lame’ and the‘blind’ who are David’s enemies by going through the
water tunnel.” For this reason it is said,“The blind and the lame cannot
enter the palace.”
9 So David lived in the fortress and called it the City of David. David built
all around it, from the terrace inwards.
10 David’s power grew steadily, for the LORD God of Heaven’s Armies was with
him.
11 King Hiram of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedar logs,
carpenters, and stonemasons. They built a palace for David.
12 David realized that the LORD had established him as king over Israel and that
he had elevated his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.
13 David married more concubines and wives from Jerusalem after he arrived from
Hebron. Even more sons and daughters were born to David.
14 These are the names of children born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab,
Nathan, Solomon,
15 Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia,
16 Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.
17 Conflict with the Philistines When the Philistines heard that David had been
designated king over Israel, they all went up to search for David. When David
heard about it, he went down to the fortress.
18 Now the Philistines had arrived and spread out in the valley of Rephaim.
19 So David asked the LORD,“Should I march up against the Philistines? Will
you hand them over to me?” The LORD said to David,“March up, for I will
indeed hand the Philistines over to you.”
20 So David marched against Baal Perazim and defeated them there. Then he
said,“The LORD has burst out against my enemies like water bursts out.” So
he called the name of that place Baal Perazim.
21 The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his men picked
them up.
22 The Philistines again came up and spread out in the valley of Rephaim.
23 So David asked the LORD what he should do. This time the LORD said to
him,“Don’t march straight up. Instead, circle around behind them and come
against them opposite the trees.
24 When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the trees, act decisively.
For at that moment the LORD is going before you to strike down the army of the
Philistines.”
25 David did just as the LORD commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines
from Gibeon all the way to Gezer.

Chapter 6

1 David Brings the Ark to Jerusalem David again assembled all the best men in
Israel, thirty thousand in number.
2 David and all the men who were with him traveled to Baalah in Judah to bring
up from there the ark of God which is called by the name of the LORD of
Heaven’s Armies, who sits enthroned between the cherubim that are on it.
3 They loaded the ark of God on a new cart and carried it from the house of
Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were
guiding the new cart.
4 They brought it with the ark of God from the house of Abinadab on the hill.
Ahio was walking in front of the ark,
5 while David and all Israel were energetically celebrating before the LORD,
singing and playing various stringed instruments, tambourines, rattles, and
cymbals.
6 When they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and
grabbed hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled.
7 The LORD was so furious with Uzzah, he killed him on the spot for his
negligence. He died right there beside the ark of God.
8 David was angry because the LORD attacked Uzzah; so he called that place Perez
Uzzah, which remains its name to this very day.
9 David was afraid of the LORD that day and said,“How will the ark of the LORD
ever come to me?”
10 So David was no longer willing to bring the ark of the LORD to be with him in
the City of David. David left it in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.
11 The ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three
months. The LORD blessed Obed-Edom and all his family.
12 King David was told,“The LORD has blessed the family of Obed-Edom and
everything he owns because of the ark of God.” So David went and joyfully
brought the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David.
13 Those who carried the ark of the LORD took six steps and then David
sacrificed an ox and a fatling calf.
14 Now David, wearing a linen ephod, was dancing with all his strength before
the LORD.
15 David and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD, shouting and
blowing trumpets.
16 As the ark of the LORD entered the City of David, Saul’s daughter Michal
looked out the window. When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the
LORD, she despised him.
17 They brought the ark of the LORD and put it in its place in the middle of the
tent that David had pitched for it. Then David offered burnt sacrifices and
peace offerings before the LORD.
18 When David finished offering the burnt sacrifices and peace offerings, he
pronounced a blessing over the people in the name of the LORD of Heaven’s
Armies.
19 He then handed out to each member of the entire assembly of Israel, both men
and women, a portion of bread, a date cake, and a raisin cake. Then all the
people went home.
20 When David went home to pronounce a blessing on his own house, Michal,
Saul’s daughter, came out to meet him. She said,“How the king of Israel has
distinguished himself this day! He has exposed himself today before his
servants’ slave girls the way a vulgar fool might do!”
21 David replied to Michal,“It was before the LORD! I was celebrating before
the LORD, who chose me over your father and his entire family and appointed me
as leader over the LORD’s people Israel.
22 I am willing to shame and humiliate myself even more than this! But with the
slave girls whom you mentioned let me be distinguished!”
23 Now Michal, Saul’s daughter, had no children to the day of her death.

Chapter 7

1 The Lord Establishes a Covenant with David The king settled into his palace,
for the LORD gave him relief from all his enemies on all sides.
2 The king said to Nathan the prophet,“Look! I am living in a palace made from
cedar, while the ark of God sits in the middle of a tent.”
3 Nathan replied to the king,“You should go and do whatever you have in mind,
for the LORD is with you.”
4 That night the LORD’s message came to Nathan,
5 “Go, tell my servant David:‘This is what the LORD has said: Do you really
intend to build a house for me to live in?
6 I have not lived in a house from the time I brought the Israelites up from
Egypt to the present day. Instead, I was traveling with them and living in a
tent.
7 Wherever I moved among all the Israelites, I did not say to any of their
leaders whom I appointed to care for my people Israel,“Why have you not built
me a house made from cedar?”’
8 “So now, say this to my servant David:‘This is what the LORD of Heaven’s
Armies has said: I took you from the pasture and from your work as a shepherd to
make you leader of my people Israel.
9 I was with you wherever you went, and I defeated all your enemies before you.
Now I will make you as famous as the great men of the earth.
10 I will establish a place for my people Israel and settle them there; they
will live there and not be disturbed any more. Violent men will not oppress them
again, as they did in the beginning
11 and during the time when I appointed judges to lead my people Israel.
Instead, I will give you relief from all your enemies. The LORD declares to you
that he himself will build a dynastic house for you.
12 When the time comes for you to die, I will raise up your descendant, one of
your own sons, to succeed you, and I will establish his kingdom.
13 He will build a house for my name, and I will make his dynasty permanent.
14 I will become his father and he will become my son. When he sins, I will
correct him with the rod of men and with wounds inflicted by human beings.
15 But my loyal love will not be removed from him as I removed it from Saul,
whom I removed from before you.
16 Your house and your kingdom will stand before me permanently; your dynasty
will be permanent.’”
17 Nathan told David all these words that were revealed to him.
18 David Offers a Prayer to God King David went in, sat before the LORD, and
said,“Who am I, O Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you should have
brought me to this point?
19 And you didn’t stop there, O LORD God! You have also spoken about the
future of your servant’s family. Is this your usual way of dealing with men, O
Sovereign LORD?
20 What more can David say to you? You have given your servant special
recognition, O Sovereign LORD!
21 For the sake of your promise and according to your purpose you have done this
great thing in order to reveal it to your servant.
22 Therefore you are great, O Sovereign LORD, for there is none like you! There
is no God besides you! What we have heard is true!
23 Who is like your people, Israel, a unique nation on the earth? Their God went
to claim a nation for himself and to make a name for himself! You did great and
awesome acts for your land, before your people whom you delivered for yourself
from the Egyptian empire and its gods.
24 You made Israel your very own people for all time. You, O LORD, became their
God.
25 So now, O LORD God, make this promise you have made about your servant and
his family a permanent reality. Do as you promised,
26 so you may gain lasting fame, as people say,‘The LORD of Heaven’s Armies
is God over Israel!’ The dynasty of your servant David will be established
before you,
27 for you, O LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, have told your
servant,‘I will build you a dynastic house.’ That is why your servant has
had the courage to pray this prayer to you.
28 Now, O Sovereign LORD, you are the true God! May your words prove to be true!
You have made this good promise to your servant!
29 Now be willing to bless your servant’s dynasty so that it may stand
permanently before you, for you, O Sovereign LORD, have spoken. By your blessing
may your servant’s dynasty be blessed on into the future!”

Chapter 8

1 David Subjugates Nearby Nations Later David defeated the Philistines and
subdued them. David took Metheg Ammah from the Philistines.
2 He defeated the Moabites. He made them lie on the ground and then used a rope
to measure them off. He put two-thirds of them to death and spared the other
third. The Moabites became David’s subjects and brought tribute.
3 David defeated King Hadadezer son of Rehob of Zobah when he came to
reestablish his authority over the Euphrates River.
4 David seized from him 1,700 charioteers and 20,000 infantrymen. David cut the
hamstrings of all but a hundred of the chariot horses.
5 The Arameans of Damascus came to help King Hadadezer of Zobah, but David
killed 22,000 of the Arameans.
6 David placed garrisons in the territory of the Arameans of Damascus; the
Arameans became David’s subjects and brought tribute. The LORD protected David
wherever he campaigned.
7 David took the golden shields that belonged to Hadadezer’s servants and
brought them to Jerusalem.
8 From Tebah and Berothai, Hadadezer’s cities, King David took a great deal of
bronze.
9 When King Toi of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of
Hadadezer,
10 he sent his son Joram to King David to extend his best wishes and to
pronounce a blessing on him for his victory over Hadadezer, for Toi had been at
war with Hadadezer. He brought with him various items made of silver, gold, and
bronze.
11 King David dedicated these things to the LORD, along with the dedicated
silver and gold that he had taken from all the nations that he had subdued,
12 including Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and Amalek. This also
included some of the plunder taken from King Hadadezer son of Rehob of Zobah.
13 David became famous when he returned from defeating the Edomites in the
Valley of Salt; he defeated 18,000 in all.
14 He placed garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites became David’s
subjects. The LORD protected David wherever he campaigned.
15 David reigned over all Israel; he guaranteed justice for all his people.
16 David’s Cabinet Joab son of Zeruiah was general in command of the army;
Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was secretary;
17 Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were priests; Seraiah was
scribe;
18 Benaiah son of Jehoiada supervised the Kerithites and Pelethites; and
David’s sons were priests.

Chapter 9

1 David Finds Mephibosheth Then David asked,“Is anyone still left from the
family of Saul, so that I may extend kindness to him for the sake of
Jonathan?”
2 Now there was a servant from Saul’s house named Ziba, so he was summoned to
David. The king asked him,“Are you Ziba?” He replied,“At your service.”
3 The king asked,“Is there not someone left from Saul’s family, that I may
extend God’s kindness to him?” Ziba said to the king,“One of Jonathan’s
sons is left; both of his feet are crippled.”
4 The king asked him,“Where is he?” Ziba told the king,“He is at the house
of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.”
5 So King David had him brought from the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo
Debar.
6 When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed
low with his face toward the ground. David said,“Mephibosheth?” He
replied,“Yes, at your service.”
7 David said to him,“Don’t be afraid, because I will certainly extend
kindness to you for the sake of Jonathan your father. I will give back to you
all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will be a regular
guest at my table.”
8 Then Mephibosheth bowed and said,“Of what importance am I, your servant,
that you show regard for a dead dog like me?”
9 Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul’s attendant, and said to him,“Everything
that belonged to Saul and to his entire house I hereby give to your master’s
grandson.
10 You will cultivate the land for him– you and your sons and your servants.
You will bring its produce and it will be food for your master’s grandson to
eat. But Mephibosheth, your master’s grandson, will be a regular guest at my
table.”(Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)
11 Ziba said to the king,“Your servant will do everything that my lord the
king has instructed his servant to do.” So Mephibosheth was a regular guest at
David’s table, just as though he were one of the king’s sons.
12 Now Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica. All the members of
Ziba’s household were Mephibosheth’s servants.
13 Mephibosheth was living in Jerusalem, for he was a regular guest at the
king’s table. But both his feet were crippled.

Chapter 10

1 David and the Ammonites Later the king of the Ammonites died and his son Hanun
succeeded him.
2 David said,“I will express my loyalty to Hanun son of Nahash just as his
father was loyal to me.” So David sent his servants with a message expressing
sympathy over his father’s death. When David’s servants entered the land of
the Ammonites,
3 the Ammonite officials said to their lord Hanun,“Do you really think David
is trying to honor your father by sending these messengers to express his
sympathy? No, David has sent his servants to you to get information about the
city and spy on it so they can overthrow it!”
4 So Hanun seized David’s servants and shaved off half of each one’s beard.
He cut the lower part of their robes off so that their buttocks were exposed,
and then sent them away.
5 Messengers told David what had happened, so he summoned them, for the men were
thoroughly humiliated. The king said,“Stay in Jericho until your beards have
grown again; then you may come back.”
6 When the Ammonites realized that David was disgusted with them, they sent and
hired 20,000 foot soldiers from Aram Beth Rehob and Aram Zobah, in addition to
1000 men from the king of Maacah and 12,000 men from Ish-tob.
7 When David heard the news, he sent Joab and the entire army to meet them.
8 The Ammonites marched out and were deployed for battle at the entrance of the
city gate, while the men from Aram Zobah, Rehob, Ish-tob, and Maacah were by
themselves in the field.
9 When Joab saw that the battle would be fought on two fronts, he chose some of
Israel’s best men and deployed them against the Arameans.
10 He put his brother Abishai in charge of the rest of the army and they were
deployed against the Ammonites.
11 Joab said,“If the Arameans start to overpower me, you come to my rescue. If
the Ammonites start to overpower you, I will come to your rescue.
12 Be strong! Let’s fight bravely for the sake of our people and the cities of
our God! The LORD will do what he decides is best!”
13 So Joab and his men marched out to do battle with the Arameans, and they fled
before him.
14 When the Ammonites saw the Arameans flee, they fled before his brother
Abishai and went into the city. Joab withdrew from fighting the Ammonites and
returned to Jerusalem.
15 When the Arameans realized that they had been defeated by Israel, they
consolidated their forces.
16 Then Hadadezer sent for Arameans from beyond the Euphrates River, and they
came to Helam. Shobach, the general in command of Hadadezer’s army, led them.
17 When David was informed, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan River,
and came to Helam. The Arameans deployed their forces against David and fought
with him.
18 The Arameans fled before Israel. David killed 700 Aramean charioteers and
40,000 foot soldiers. He also struck down Shobach, the general in command of the
army, who died there.
19 When all the kings who were subject to Hadadezer saw they were defeated by
Israel, they made peace with Israel and became subjects of Israel. The Arameans
were no longer willing to help the Ammonites.

Chapter 11

1 David Commits Adultery with Bathsheba In the spring of the year, at the time
when kings normally conduct wars, David sent out Joab with his officers and the
entire Israelite army. They defeated the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But
David stayed behind in Jerusalem.
2 One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of his
palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. Now this woman was very
attractive.
3 So David sent someone to inquire about the woman. The messenger
said,“Isn’t this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the
Hittite?”
4 David sent some messengers to get her. She came to him and he went to bed with
her.(Now at that time she was in the process of purifying herself from her
menstrual uncleanness.) Then she returned to her home.
5 The woman conceived and then sent word to David saying,“I’m pregnant.”
6 So David sent a message to Joab that said,“Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So
Joab sent Uriah to David.
7 When Uriah came to him, David asked about how Joab and the army were doing and
how the campaign was going.
8 Then David said to Uriah,“Go down to your home and relax.” When Uriah left
the palace, the king sent a gift to him.
9 But Uriah stayed at the door of the palace with all the servants of his lord.
He did not go down to his house.
10 So they informed David,“Uriah has not gone down to his house.” So David
said to Uriah,“Haven’t you just arrived from a journey? Why haven’t you
gone down to your house?”
11 Uriah replied to David,“The ark and Israel and Judah reside in temporary
shelters, and my lord Joab and my lord’s soldiers are camping in the open
field. Should I go to my house to eat and drink and go to bed with my wife? As
surely as you are alive, I will not do this thing!”
12 So David said to Uriah,“Stay here another day. Tomorrow I will send you
back.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem both that day and the following one.
13 Then David summoned him. He ate and drank with him, and got him drunk. But in
the evening he went out to sleep on his bed with the servants of his lord; he
did not go down to his own house.
14 In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah.
15 In the letter he wrote:“Station Uriah at the front in the thick of the
battle and then withdraw from him so he will be cut down and killed.”
16 So as Joab kept watch on the city, he stationed Uriah at the place where he
knew the best enemy soldiers were.
17 When the men of the city came out and fought with Joab, some of David’s
soldiers fell in battle. Uriah the Hittite also died.
18 Then Joab sent a full battle report to David.
19 He instructed the messenger as follows:“When you finish giving the battle
report to the king,
20 if the king becomes angry and asks you,‘Why did you go so close to the city
to fight? Didn’t you realize they would shoot from the wall?
21 Who struck down Abimelech the son of Jerub-Besheth? Didn’t a woman throw an
upper millstone down on him from the wall so that he died in Thebez? Why did you
go so close to the wall?’ just say to him,‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is
also dead.’”
22 So the messenger departed. When he arrived, he informed David of all the news
that Joab had sent with him.
23 The messenger said to David,“The men overpowered us and attacked us in the
field. But we forced them to retreat all the way to the door of the city gate.
24 Then the archers shot at your servants from the wall and some of the king’s
soldiers died. Your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead.”
25 David said to the messenger,“Tell Joab,‘Don’t let this thing upset you.
There is no way to anticipate whom the sword will cut down. Press the battle
against the city and conquer it.’ Encourage him with these words.”
26 When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband Uriah was dead, she mourned for
him.
27 When the time of mourning passed, David had her brought to his palace. She
became his wife and she bore him a son. But what David had done upset the LORD.

Chapter 12

1 Nathan the Prophet Confronts David So the LORD sent Nathan to David. When he
came to David, Nathan said,“There were two men in a certain city, one rich and
the other poor.
2 The rich man had a great many flocks and herds.
3 But the poor man had nothing except for a little lamb he had acquired. He
raised it, and it grew up alongside him and his children. It used to eat his
food, drink from his cup, and sleep in his arms. It was just like a daughter to
him.
4 “When a traveler arrived at the rich man’s home, he did not want to use
one of his own sheep or cattle to feed the traveler who had come to visit him.
Instead, he took the poor man’s lamb and cooked it for the man who had come to
visit him.”
5 Then David became very angry at this man. He said to Nathan,“As surely as
the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die!
6 Because he committed this cold-hearted crime, he must pay for the lamb four
times over!”
7 Nathan said to David,“You are that man! This is what the LORD God of Israel
has said:‘I chose you to be king over Israel and I rescued you from the hand
of Saul.
8 I gave you your master’s house, and put your master’s wives into your
arms. I also gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all that somehow
seems insignificant, I would have given you so much more as well!
9 Why have you shown contempt for the LORD’s decrees by doing evil in my
sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and you have taken
his wife to be your own wife! You have killed him with the sword of the
Ammonites.
10 So now the sword will never depart from your house. For you have despised me
by taking the wife of Uriah the Hittite as your own!’
11 This is what the LORD has said:‘I am about to bring disaster on you from
inside your own household! Right before your eyes I will take your wives and
hand them over to your companion. He will go to bed with your wives in broad
daylight!
12 Although you have acted in secret, I will do this thing before all Israel,
and in broad daylight.’”
13 Then David exclaimed to Nathan,“I have sinned against the LORD!” Nathan
replied to David,“Yes, and the LORD has forgiven your sin. You are not going
to die.
14 Nonetheless, because you have treated the LORD with such contempt in this
matter, the son who has been born to you will certainly die.”
15 Then Nathan went to his home. The LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife
had borne to David, and the child became very ill.
16 Then David prayed to God for the child and fasted. He would even go and spend
the night lying on the ground.
17 The elders of his house stood over him and tried to lift him from the ground,
but he was unwilling, and refused to eat food with them.
18 On the seventh day the child died. But the servants of David were afraid to
inform him that the child had died, for they said,“While the child was still
alive he would not listen to us when we spoke to him. How can we tell him that
the child is dead? He will do himself harm!”
19 When David saw that his servants were whispering to one another, he realized
that the child was dead. So David asked his servants,“Is the child dead?”
They replied,“Yes, he’s dead.”
20 So David got up from the ground, bathed, put on oil, and changed his clothes.
He went to the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then, when he entered his
palace, he requested that food be brought to him, and he ate.
21 His servants said to him,“What is this that you have done? While the child
was still alive, you fasted and wept. Once the child was dead you got up and ate
food!”
22 He replied,“While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept because I
thought,‘Perhaps the LORD will show pity and the child will live.
23 But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Am I able to bring him back at this
point? I will go to him, but he cannot return to me!’”
24 So David comforted his wife Bathsheba. He came to her and went to bed with
her. Later she gave birth to a son, and David named him Solomon. Now the LORD
loved the child
25 and sent word through Nathan the prophet that he should be named Jedidiah for
the LORD’s sake.
26 David’s Forces Defeat the Ammonites So Joab fought against Rabbah of the
Ammonites and captured the royal city.
27 Joab then sent messengers to David, saying,“I have fought against Rabbah
and have captured the water supply of the city.
28 So now assemble the rest of the army and besiege the city and capture it.
Otherwise I will capture the city and it will be named for me.”
29 So David assembled all the army and went to Rabbah and fought against it and
captured it.
30 He took the crown of their king from his head– it was gold, weighed about
seventy-five pounds, and held a precious stone– and it was placed on David’s
head. He also took from the city a great deal of plunder.
31 He removed the people who were in it and made them labor with saws, iron
picks, and iron axes, putting them to work at the brick kiln. This was his
policy with all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all the army returned to
Jerusalem.

Chapter 13

1 The Rape of Tamar Now David’s son Absalom had a beautiful sister named
Tamar. In the course of time David’s son Amnon fell madly in love with her.
2 But Amnon became frustrated because he was so lovesick over his sister Tamar.
For she was a virgin, and to Amnon it seemed out of the question to do anything
to her.
3 Now Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimeah.
Jonadab was a very crafty man.
4 He asked Amnon,“Why are you, the king’s son, so depressed every morning?
Can’t you tell me?” So Amnon said to him,“I’m in love with Tamar the
sister of my brother Absalom.”
5 Jonadab replied to him,“Lie down on your bed and pretend to be sick. When
your father comes in to see you, say to him,‘Please let my sister Tamar come
in so she can fix some food for me. Let her prepare the food in my sight so I
can watch. Then I will eat from her hand.’”
6 So Amnon lay down and pretended to be sick. When the king came in to see him,
Amnon said to the king,“Please let my sister Tamar come in so she can make a
couple of cakes in my sight. Then I will eat from her hand.”
7 So David sent Tamar to the house saying,“Please go to the house of Amnon
your brother and prepare some food for him.”
8 So Tamar went to the house of Amnon her brother, who was lying down. She took
the dough, kneaded it, made some cakes while he watched, and baked them.
9 But when she took the pan and set it before him, he refused to eat. Instead
Amnon said,“Get everyone out of here!” So everyone left.
10 Then Amnon said to Tamar,“Bring the cakes into the bedroom; then I will eat
from your hand.” So Tamar took the cakes that she had prepared and brought
them to her brother Amnon in the bedroom.
11 As she brought them to him to eat, he grabbed her and said to her,“Come on!
Get in bed with me, my sister!”
12 But she said to him,“No, my brother! Don’t humiliate me! This just
isn’t done in Israel! Don’t do this foolish thing!
13 How could I ever be rid of my humiliation? And you would be considered one of
the fools in Israel! Just speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from
you.”
14 But he refused to listen to her. He overpowered her and humiliated her by
raping her.
15 Then Amnon greatly despised her. His disdain toward her surpassed the love he
had previously felt toward her. Amnon said to her,“Get up and leave!”
16 But she said to him,“No I won’t, for sending me away now would be worse
than what you did to me earlier!” But he refused to listen to her.
17 He called his personal attendant and said to him,“Take this woman out of my
sight and lock the door behind her!”
18 (Now she was wearing a long robe, for this is what the king’s virgin
daughters used to wear.) So Amnon’s attendant removed her and bolted the door
behind her.
19 Then Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the long robe she was wearing. She
put her hands on her head and went on her way, wailing as she went.
20 Her brother Absalom said to her,“Was Amnon your brother with you? Now be
quiet, my sister. He is your brother. Don’t take it so seriously!” Tamar,
devastated, lived in the house of her brother Absalom.
21 Now King David heard about all these things and was very angry.
22 But Absalom said nothing to Amnon, either bad or good, yet Absalom hated
Amnon because he had humiliated his sister Tamar.
23 Absalom Has Amnon Put to Death Two years later Absalom’s sheepshearers were
in Baal Hazor, near Ephraim. Absalom invited all the king’s sons.
24 Then Absalom went to the king and said,“My shearers have begun their work.
Let the king and his servants go with me.”
25 But the king said to Absalom,“No, my son. We shouldn’t all go. We
shouldn’t burden you in that way.” Though Absalom pressed him, the king was
not willing to go. Instead, David blessed him.
26 Then Absalom said,“If you will not go, then let my brother Amnon go with
us.” The king replied to him,“Why should he go with you?”
27 But when Absalom pressed him, he sent Amnon and all the king’s sons along
with him.
28 Absalom instructed his servants,“Look! When Amnon is drunk and I say to
you,‘Strike Amnon down,’ kill him then and there. Don’t fear! Is it not I
who have given you these instructions? Be strong and courageous!”
29 So Absalom’s servants did to Amnon exactly what Absalom had instructed.
Then all the king’s sons got up; each one rode away on his mule and fled.
30 While they were still on their way, the following report reached
David:“Absalom has killed all the king’s sons; not one of them is left!”
31 Then the king stood up and tore his garments and lay down on the ground. All
his servants were standing there with torn garments as well.
32 Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimeah, said,“My lord should not
say,‘They have killed all the young men who are the king’s sons.’ For only
Amnon is dead. This is what Absalom has talked about from the day that Amnon
humiliated his sister Tamar.
33 Now don’t let my lord the king be concerned about the report that has come
saying,‘All the king’s sons are dead.’ It is only Amnon who is dead.”
34 In the meantime Absalom fled. When the servant who was the watchman looked
up, he saw many people coming from the west on a road beside the hill.
35 Jonadab said to the king,“Look! The king’s sons have come! It’s just as
I said!”
36 Just as he finished speaking, the king’s sons arrived, wailing and weeping.
The king and all his servants wept loudly as well.
37 But Absalom fled and went to King Talmai son of Ammihud of Geshur. And David
grieved over his son every day.
38 After Absalom fled and went to Geshur, he remained there for three years.
39 The king longed to go to Absalom, for he had since been consoled over the
death of Amnon.

Chapter 14

1 David Permits Absalom to Return to Jerusalem Now Joab son of Zeruiah realized
that the king longed to see Absalom.
2 So Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman. He told
her,“Pretend to be in mourning and put on garments for mourning. Don’t
anoint yourself with oil. Instead, act like a woman who has been mourning for
the dead for some time.
3 Go to the king and speak to him in the following fashion.” Then Joab told
her what to say.
4 So the Tekoan woman went to the king. She bowed down with her face to the
ground in deference to him and said,“Please help me, O king!”
5 The king replied to her,“What do you want?” She answered,“I am a widow;
my husband is dead.
6 Your servant has two sons. When the two of them got into a fight in the field,
there was no one present who could intervene. One of them struck the other and
killed him.
7 Now the entire family has risen up against your servant, saying,‘Turn over
the one who struck down his brother, so that we can execute him and avenge the
death of his brother whom he killed. In so doing we will also destroy the
heir.’ They want to extinguish my remaining coal, leaving no one on the face
of the earth to carry on the name of my husband.”
8 Then the king told the woman,“Go to your home. I will give instructions
concerning your situation.”
9 The Tekoan woman said to the king,“My lord the king, let any blame fall on
me and on the house of my father. But let the king and his throne be
innocent!”
10 The king said,“Bring to me whoever speaks to you, and he won’t bother you
again!”
11 She replied,“In that case, let the king invoke the name of the LORD your
God so that the avenger of blood may not add to the killing! Then they will not
destroy my son!” He replied,“As surely as the LORD lives, not a single hair
of your son’s head will fall to the ground.”
12 Then the woman said,“Please permit your servant to speak to my lord the
king about another matter.” He replied,“Tell me.”
13 The woman said,“Why have you devised something like this against God’s
people? When the king speaks in this fashion, he makes himself guilty, for the
king has not brought back the one he has banished.
14 Certainly we must die, and are like water spilled on the ground that cannot
be gathered up again. But God does not take away life; instead he devises ways
for the banished to be restored.
15 I have now come to speak with my lord the king about this matter, because the
people have made me fearful. But your servant said,‘I will speak to the king!
Perhaps the king will do what his female servant asks.
16 Yes! The king may listen and deliver his female servant from the hand of the
man who seeks to remove both me and my son from the inheritance God has given
us!’
17 So your servant said,‘May the word of my lord the king be my security, for
my lord the king is like the angel of God when it comes to deciding between
right and wrong! May the LORD your God be with you!’”
18 Then the king replied to the woman,“Don’t hide any information from me
when I question you.” The woman said,“Let my lord the king speak!”
19 The king said,“Did Joab put you up to all of this?” The woman
answered,“As surely as you live, my lord the king, there is no deviation to
the right or to the left from all that my lord the king has said. For your
servant Joab gave me instructions. He has put all these words in your
servant’s mouth.
20 Your servant Joab did this so as to change this situation. But my lord has
wisdom like that of the angel of God, and knows everything that is happening in
the land.”
21 Then the king said to Joab,“All right! I will do this thing! Go and bring
back the young man Absalom!”
22 Then Joab bowed down with his face toward the ground and thanked the king.
Joab said,“Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, my
lord the king, because the king has granted the request of your servant!”
23 So Joab got up and went to Geshur and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem.
24 But the king said,“Let him go over to his own house. He may not see my
face.” So Absalom went over to his own house; he did not see the king’s
face.
25 Now in all Israel everyone acknowledged that there was no man as handsome as
Absalom. From the soles of his feet to the top of his head he was perfect in
appearance.
26 When he would shave his head– at the end of every year he used to shave his
head, for it grew too long and he would shave it– he used to weigh the hair of
his head at three pounds according to the king’s weight.
27 Absalom had three sons and one daughter, whose name was Tamar. She was a very
attractive woman.
28 Absalom lived in Jerusalem for two years without seeing the king’s face.
29 Then Absalom sent a message to Joab asking him to send him to the king, but
Joab was not willing to come to him. So he sent a second message to him, but he
still was not willing to come.
30 So he said to his servants,“Look, Joab has a portion of field adjacent to
mine and he has some barley there. Go and set it on fire.” So Absalom’s
servants set Joab’s portion of the field on fire.
31 Then Joab got up and came to Absalom’s house. He said to him,“Why did
your servants set my portion of field on fire?”
32 Absalom said to Joab,“Look, I sent a message to you saying,‘Come here so
that I can send you to the king with this message:“Why have I come from
Geshur? It would be better for me if I were still there.”’ Let me now see
the face of the king. If I am at fault, let him put me to death!”
33 So Joab went to the king and informed him. The king summoned Absalom, and he
came to the king. Absalom bowed down before the king with his face toward the
ground and the king kissed him.

Chapter 15

1 Absalom Leads an Insurrection against David Some time later Absalom managed to
acquire a chariot and horses, as well as fifty men to serve as his royal guard.
2 Now Absalom used to get up early and stand beside the road that led to the
city gate. Whenever anyone came by who had a complaint to bring to the king for
arbitration, Absalom would call out to him,“What city are you from?” The
person would answer,“I, your servant, am from one of the tribes of Israel.”
3 Absalom would then say to him,“Look, your claims are legitimate and
appropriate. But there is no representative of the king who will listen to
you.”
4 Absalom would then say,“If only they would make me a judge in the land! Then
everyone who had a judicial complaint could come to me and I would make sure he
receives a just settlement.”
5 When someone approached to bow before him, Absalom would extend his hand and
embrace him and kiss him.
6 Absalom acted this way toward everyone in Israel who came to the king for
justice. In this way Absalom won the loyalty of the citizens of Israel.
7 After four years Absalom said to the king,“Let me go and repay my vow that I
made to the LORD while I was in Hebron.
8 For I made this vow when I was living in Geshur in Aram:‘If the LORD really
does allow me to return to Jerusalem, I will serve the LORD.
9 The king replied to him,“Go in peace.” So Absalom got up and went to
Hebron.
10 Then Absalom sent spies through all the tribes of Israel who said,“When you
hear the sound of the horn, you may assume that Absalom rules in Hebron.”
11 Now two hundred men had gone with Absalom from Jerusalem. Since they were
invited, they went naively and were unaware of what Absalom was planning.
12 While he was offering sacrifices, Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite,
David’s adviser, to come from his city, Giloh. The conspiracy was gaining
momentum, and the people were starting to side with Absalom.
13 David Flees from Jerusalem Then a messenger came to David and reported,“The
men of Israel are loyal to Absalom!”
14 So David said to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem,“Come on!
Let’s escape! Otherwise no one will be delivered from Absalom! Go immediately,
or else he will quickly overtake us and bring disaster on us and kill the
city’s residents with the sword.”
15 The king’s servants replied to the king,“We will do whatever our lord the
king decides.”
16 So the king and all the members of his royal court set out on foot, though
the king left behind ten concubines to attend to the palace.
17 The king and all the people set out on foot, pausing at a spot some distance
away.
18 All his servants were leaving with him, along with all the Kerethites, all
the Pelethites, and all the Gittites– some six hundred men who had come on
foot from Gath. They were leaving with the king.
19 Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite,“Why should you come with us? Go
back and stay with the new king, for you are a foreigner and an exile from your
own country.
20 It seems like you arrived just yesterday. Today should I make you wander
around by going with us? I go where I must go. But as for you, go back and take
your men with you. May genuine loyal love protect you!”
21 But Ittai replied to the king,“As surely as the LORD lives and as my lord
the king lives, wherever my lord the king is, whether it means death or life,
there I will be as well!”
22 So David said to Ittai,“Come along then.” So Ittai the Gittite went
along, accompanied by all his men and all the dependents who were with him.
23 All the land was weeping loudly as all these people were leaving. As the king
was crossing over the Kidron Valley, all the people were leaving on the road
that leads to the desert.
24 Zadok and all the Levites who were with him were carrying the ark of the
covenant of God. When they positioned the ark of God, Abiathar offered
sacrifices until all the people had finished leaving the city.
25 Then the king said to Zadok,“Take the ark of God back to the city. If I
find favor in the LORD’s sight he will bring me back and enable me to see both
it and his dwelling place again.
26 However, if he should say,‘I do not take pleasure in you,’ then he will
deal with me in a way that he considers appropriate.”
27 The king said to Zadok the priest,“Are you a seer? Go back to the city in
peace! Your son Ahimaaz and Abiathar’s son Jonathan may go with you and
Abiathar.
28 Look, I will be waiting at the fords of the desert until word from you
reaches me.”
29 So Zadok and Abiathar took the ark of God back to Jerusalem and remained
there.
30 As David was going up the Mount of Olives, he was weeping as he went; his
head was covered and his feet were bare. All the people who were with him also
had their heads covered and were weeping as they went up.
31 Now David had been told,“Ahithophel has sided with the conspirators who are
with Absalom. So David prayed,“Make the advice of Ahithophel foolish, O LORD.
32 When David reached the summit, where he used to worship God, Hushai the
Arkite met him with his clothes torn and dirt on his head.
33 David said to him,“If you leave with me you will be a burden to me.
34 But you will be able to counter the advice of Ahithophel if you go back to
the city and say to Absalom,‘I will be your servant, O king! Previously I was
your father’s servant, and now I will be your servant.’
35 Zadok and Abiathar the priests will be there with you. Everything you hear in
the king’s palace you must tell Zadok and Abiathar the priests.
36 Furthermore, their two sons are there with them, Zadok’s son Ahimaaz and
Abiathar’s son Jonathan. You must send them to me with any information you
hear.”
37 So David’s friend Hushai arrived in the city, just as Absalom was entering
Jerusalem.

Chapter 16

1 David Receives Gifts from Ziba When David had gone a short way beyond the
summit, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth was there to meet him. He had a couple
of donkeys that were saddled, and on them were two hundred loaves of bread, a
hundred raisin cakes, a hundred baskets of summer fruit, and a container of
wine.
2 The king asked Ziba,“Why did you bring these things?” Ziba replied,“The
donkeys are for the king’s family to ride on, the loaves of bread and the
summer fruit are for the attendants to eat, and the wine is for those who get
exhausted in the desert.”
3 The king asked,“Where is your master’s grandson?” Ziba replied to the
king,“He remains in Jerusalem, for he said,‘Today the house of Israel will
give back to me my grandfather’s kingdom.’”
4 The king said to Ziba,“Everything that was Mephibosheth’s now belongs to
you.” Ziba replied,“I bow before you. May I find favor in your sight, my
lord the king.”
5 Shimei Curses David and His Men Then King David reached Bahurim. There a man
from Saul’s extended family named Shimei son of Gera came out, yelling curses
as he approached.
6 He threw stones at David and all of King David’s servants, as well as all
the people and the soldiers who were on his right and on his left.
7 As he yelled curses, Shimei said,“Leave! Leave! You man of bloodshed, you
wicked man!
8 The LORD has punished you for all the spilled blood of the house of Saul, in
whose place you rule. Now the LORD has given the kingdom into the hand of your
son Absalom. Disaster has overtaken you, for you are a man of bloodshed!”
9 Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king,“Why should this dead dog curse
my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head!”
10 But the king said,“What do we have in common, you sons of Zeruiah? If he
curses because the LORD has said to him,‘Curse David!’, who can say to
him,‘Why have you done this?’”
11 Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants,“My own son, my very own
flesh and blood, is trying to take my life. So also now this Benjaminite! Leave
him alone so that he can curse, for the LORD has spoken to him.
12 Perhaps the LORD will notice my affliction and this day grant me good in
place of his curse.”
13 So David and his men went on their way. But Shimei kept going along the side
of the hill opposite him, yelling curses as he threw stones and dirt at them.
14 The king and all the people who were with him arrived exhausted at their
destination, where David refreshed himself.
15 The Advice of Ahithophel Now when Absalom and all the men of Israel arrived
in Jerusalem, Ahithophel was with him.
16 When David’s friend Hushai the Arkite came to Absalom, Hushai said to
him,“Long live the king! Long live the king!”
17 Absalom said to Hushai,“Do you call this loyalty to your friend? Why
didn’t you go with your friend?”
18 Hushai replied to Absalom,“No, I will be loyal to the one whom the LORD,
these people, and all the men of Israel have chosen.
19 Moreover, whom should I serve? Should it not be his son? Just as I served
your father, so I will serve you.”
20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel,“Give us your advice. What should we do?”
21 Ahithophel replied to Absalom,“Sleep with your father’s concubines whom
he left to care for the palace. All Israel will hear that you have made yourself
repulsive to your father. Then your followers will be motivated to support
you.”
22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and Absalom slept with his
father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.
23 In those days Ahithophel’s advice was considered as valuable as a prophetic
revelation. Both David and Absalom highly regarded the advice of Ahithophel.

Chapter 17

1 The Death of Ahithophel Ahithophel said to Absalom,“Let me pick out twelve
thousand men. Then I will go and pursue David this very night.
2 When I catch up with him he will be exhausted and worn out. I will rout him,
and the entire army that is with him will flee. I will kill only the king
3 and will bring the entire army back to you. In exchange for the life of the
man you are seeking, you will get back everyone. The entire army will return
unharmed.”
4 This seemed like a good idea to Absalom and to all the leaders of Israel.
5 But Absalom said,“Call for Hushai the Arkite, and let’s hear what he has
to say.”
6 So Hushai came to Absalom. Absalom said to him,“Here is what Ahithophel has
advised. Should we follow his advice? If not, what would you recommend?”
7 Hushai replied to Absalom,“Ahithophel’s advice is not sound this time.”
8 Hushai went on to say,“You know your father and his men– they are soldiers
and are as dangerous as a bear out in the wild that has been robbed of her cubs.
Your father is an experienced soldier; he will not stay overnight with the army.
9 At this very moment he is hiding out in one of the caves or in some other
similar place. If it should turn out that he attacks our troops first, whoever
hears about it will say,‘Absalom’s army has been slaughtered!’
10 If that happens even the bravest soldier– one who is lion-hearted– will
virtually melt away. For all Israel knows that your father is a warrior and that
those who are with him are brave.
11 My advice therefore is this: Let all Israel from Dan to Beer Sheba– in
number like the sand by the sea!– be mustered to you, and you lead them
personally into battle.
12 We will come against him wherever he happens to be found. We will descend on
him like the dew falls on the ground. Neither he nor any of the men who are with
him will be spared alive– not one of them!
13 If he regroups in a city, all Israel will take up ropes to that city and drag
it down to the valley, so that not a single pebble will be left there!”
14 Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said,“The advice of Hushai the
Arkite sounds better than the advice of Ahithophel.” Now the LORD had decided
to frustrate the sound advice of Ahithophel, so that the LORD could bring
disaster on Absalom.
15 Then Hushai reported to Zadok and Abiathar the priests,“Here is what
Ahithophel has advised Absalom and the leaders of Israel to do, and here is what
I have advised.
16 Now send word quickly to David and warn him,“Don’t spend the night at the
fords of the wilderness tonight. Instead, be sure you cross over, or else the
king and everyone who is with him may be overwhelmed.”
17 Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying in En Rogel. A female servant would go
and inform them, and they would then go and inform King David. It was not
advisable for them to be seen going into the city.
18 But a young man saw them on one occasion and informed Absalom. So the two of
them quickly departed and went to the house of a man in Bahurim. There was a
well in his courtyard, and they got down in it.
19 His wife then took the covering and spread it over the top of the well and
scattered some grain over it. No one was aware of what she had done.
20 When the servants of Absalom approached the woman at her home, they
asked,“Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” The woman replied to them,“They
crossed over the stream.” Absalom’s men searched but did not find them, so
they returned to Jerusalem.
21 After the men had left, Ahimaaz and Jonathan climbed out of the well. Then
they left and informed King David. They advised David,“Get up and cross the
stream quickly, for Ahithophel has devised a plan to catch you.”
22 So David and all the people who were with him got up and crossed the Jordan
River. By dawn there was not one person left who had not crossed the Jordan.
23 When Ahithophel realized that his advice had not been followed, he saddled
his donkey and returned to his house in his hometown. After setting his
household in order, he hanged himself. So he died and was buried in the grave of
his father.
24 Meanwhile David had gone to Mahanaim, while Absalom and all the men of Israel
had crossed the Jordan River.
25 Absalom had made Amasa general in command of the army in place of Joab.(Now
Amasa was the son of an Israelite man named Jether, who had married Abigail the
daughter of Nahash and sister of Zeruiah, Joab’s mother.)
26 The army of Israel and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead.
27 When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the
Ammonites, Makir the son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite
from Rogelim
28 brought bedding, basins, and pottery utensils. They also brought food for
David and all who were with him, including wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain,
beans, lentils,
29 honey, curds, flocks, and cheese. For they said,“The people are no doubt
hungry, tired, and thirsty there in the desert.”

Chapter 18

1 The Death of Absalom David assembled the army that was with him. He appointed
leaders of thousands and leaders of hundreds.
2 David then sent out the army– a third under the leadership of Joab, a third
under the leadership of Joab’s brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and a third
under the leadership of Ittai the Gittite. The king said to the troops,“I too
will indeed march out with you.”
3 But the soldiers replied,“You should not do this! For if we should have to
make a rapid retreat, they won’t be too concerned about us. Even if half of us
should die, they won’t be too concerned about us. But you are like ten
thousand of us! So it is better if you remain in the city for support.”
4 Then the king said to them,“I will do whatever seems best to you.”So the
king stayed beside the city gate, while all the army marched out by hundreds and
by thousands.
5 The king gave this order to Joab, Abishai, and Ittai:“For my sake deal
gently with the young man Absalom.” Now the entire army was listening when the
king gave all the leaders this order concerning Absalom.
6 Then the army marched out to the field to fight against Israel. The battle
took place in the forest of Ephraim.
7 The army of Israel was defeated there by David’s men. The slaughter there
was great that day– 20,000 soldiers were killed.
8 The battle there was spread out over the whole area, and the forest consumed
more soldiers than the sword devoured that day.
9 Then Absalom happened to come across David’s men. Now as Absalom was riding
on his mule, it went under the branches of a large oak tree. His head got caught
in the oak and he was suspended in midair, while the mule he had been riding
kept going.
10 When one of the men saw this, he reported it to Joab saying,“I saw Absalom
hanging in an oak tree.”
11 Joab replied to the man who was telling him this,“What! You saw this? Why
didn’t you strike him down right on the spot? I would have given you ten
pieces of silver and a commemorative belt!”
12 The man replied to Joab,“Even if I were receiving a thousand pieces of
silver, I would not strike the king’s son! In our very presence the king gave
this order to you and Abishai and Ittai,‘Protect the young man Absalom for my
sake.’
13 If I had acted at risk of my own life– and nothing is hidden from the
king!– you would have abandoned me.”
14 Joab replied,“I will not wait around like this for you!” He took three
spears in his hand and thrust them into the middle of Absalom while he was still
alive in the middle of the oak tree.
15 Then ten soldiers who were Joab’s armor bearers struck Absalom and finished
him off.
16 Then Joab blew the trumpet and the army turned back from chasing Israel, for
Joab had called for the army to halt.
17 They took Absalom, threw him into a large pit in the forest, and stacked a
huge pile of stones over him. In the meantime all the Israelite soldiers fled to
their homes.
18 Prior to this Absalom had set up a monument and dedicated it to himself in
the King’s Valley, reasoning“I have no son who will carry on my name.” He
named the monument after himself, and to this day it is known as Absalom’s
Memorial.
19 David Learns of Absalom’s Death Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said,“Let
me run and give the king the good news that the LORD has vindicated him before
his enemies.”
20 But Joab said to him,“You will not be a bearer of good news today. You will
bear good news some other day, but not today, for the king’s son is dead.”
21 Then Joab said to the Cushite,“Go and tell the king what you have seen.”
After bowing to Joab, the Cushite ran off.
22 Ahimaaz the son of Zadok again spoke to Joab,“Whatever happens, let me go
after the Cushite.” But Joab said,“Why is it that you want to go, my son?
You have no good news that will bring you a reward.”
23 But he said,“Whatever happens, I want to go!” So Joab said to him,“Then
go!” So Ahimaaz ran by the way of the Jordan plain, and he passed the Cushite.
24 Now David was sitting between the inner and outer gates, and the watchman
went up to the roof over the gate at the wall. When he looked, he saw a man
running by himself.
25 So the watchman called out and informed the king. The king said,“If he is
by himself, he brings good news.” The runner came ever closer.
26 Then the watchman saw another man running. The watchman called out to the
gatekeeper,“There is another man running by himself.” The king said,“This
one also is bringing good news.”
27 The watchman said,“It appears to me that the first runner is Ahimaaz son of
Zadok.” The king said,“He is a good man, and he comes with good news.”
28 Then Ahimaaz called out and said to the king,“Greetings!” He bowed down
before the king with his face toward the ground and said,“May the LORD your
God be praised because he has defeated the men who opposed my lord the king!”
29 The king replied,“How is the young man Absalom?” Ahimaaz replied,“I saw
a great deal of confusion when Joab was sending the king’s servant and me,
your servant, but I don’t know what it was all about.”
30 The king said,“Turn aside and take your place here.” So he turned aside
and waited.
31 Then the Cushite arrived and said,“May my lord the king now receive the
good news! The LORD has vindicated you today and delivered you from the hand of
all who have rebelled against you!”
32 The king asked the Cushite,“How is the young man Absalom?” The Cushite
replied,“May the enemies of my lord the king and all who have plotted against
you be like that young man!”
33 (19:1) The king then became very upset. He went up to the upper room over the
gate and wept. As he went he said,“My son, Absalom! My son, my son, Absalom!
If only I could have died in your place! Absalom, my son, my son!”

Chapter 19

1 (19:2) Joab was told,“The king is weeping and mourning over Absalom.”
2 So the victory of that day was turned to mourning as far as all the people
were concerned. For the people heard on that day,“The king is grieved over his
son.”
3 That day the people stole away to go to the city the way people who are
embarrassed steal away in fleeing from battle.
4 The king covered his face and cried out loudly,“My son, Absalom! Absalom, my
son, my son!”
5 So Joab visited the king at his home. He said,“Today you have embarrassed
all your servants who have saved your life this day, as well as the lives of
your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your concubines.
6 You seem to love your enemies and hate your friends! For you have as much as
declared today that leaders and servants don’t matter to you. I realize now
that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, it would be all right
with you.
7 So get up now and go out and give some encouragement to your servants. For I
swear by the LORD that if you don’t go out there, not a single man will stay
here with you tonight! This disaster will be worse for you than any disaster
that has overtaken you from your youth right to the present time!”
8 So the king got up and sat at the city gate. When all the people were informed
that the king was sitting at the city gate, they all came before him.David Goes
Back to JerusalemBut the Israelite soldiers had all fled to their own homes.
9 All the people throughout all the tribes of Israel were arguing among
themselves saying,“The king delivered us from the hand of our enemies. He
rescued us from the hand of the Philistines, but now he has fled from the land
because of Absalom.
10 But Absalom, whom we anointed as our king, has died in battle. So now why do
you hesitate to bring the king back?”
11 Then King David sent a message to Zadok and Abiathar the priests
saying,“Tell the elders of Judah,‘Why should you delay any further in
bringing the king back to his palace, when everything Israel is saying has come
to the king’s attention.
12 You are my brothers– my very own flesh and blood! Why should you delay any
further in bringing the king back?’
13 Say to Amasa,‘Are you not my flesh and blood? God will punish me severely,
if from this time on you are not the commander of my army in place of
Joab!’”
14 He won over the hearts of all the men of Judah as though they were one man.
Then they sent word to the king saying,“Return, you and all your servants as
well.”
15 So the king returned and came to the Jordan River. Now the people of Judah
had come to Gilgal to meet the king and to help him cross the Jordan.
16 Shimei son of Gera the Benjaminite from Bahurim came down quickly with the
men of Judah to meet King David.
17 There were a thousand men from Benjamin with him, along with Ziba the servant
of Saul’s household, and with him his fifteen sons and twenty servants. They
hurriedly crossed the Jordan within sight of the king.
18 They crossed at the ford in order to help the king’s household cross and to
do whatever he thought appropriate.Now after he had crossed the Jordan, Shimei
son of Gera threw himself down before the king.
19 He said to the king,“Don’t think badly of me, my lord, and don’t recall
the sin of your servant on the day when you, my lord the king, left Jerusalem!
Please don’t call it to mind!
20 For I, your servant, know that I sinned, and I have come today as the first
of all the house of Joseph to come down to meet my lord the king.”
21 Abishai son of Zeruiah replied,“For this should not Shimei be put to death?
After all, he cursed the LORD’s anointed!”
22 But David said,“What do we have in common, you sons of Zeruiah? You are
like my enemy today! Should anyone be put to death in Israel today? Don’t I
know that today I am king over Israel?”
23 The king said to Shimei,“You won’t die.” The king vowed an oath
concerning this.
24 Now Mephibosheth, Saul’s grandson, came down to meet the king. From the day
the king had left until the day he safely returned, Mephibosheth had not cared
for his feet nor trimmed his mustache nor washed his clothes.
25 When he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, the king asked him,“Why
didn’t you go with me, Mephibosheth?”
26 He replied,“My lord the king, my servant deceived me! I said,‘Let me get
my donkey saddled so that I can ride on it and go with the king,’ for I am
lame.
27 But my servant has slandered me to my lord the king. But my lord the king is
like an angel of God. Do whatever seems appropriate to you.
28 After all, there was no one in the entire house of my grandfather who did not
deserve death from my lord the king. But instead you allowed me to eat at your
own table! What further claim do I have to ask the king for anything?”
29 Then the king replied to him,“Why should you continue speaking like this?
You and Ziba will inherit the field together.”
30 Mephibosheth said to the king,“Let him have the whole thing! My lord the
king has returned safely to his house!”
31 Now when Barzillai the Gileadite had come down from Rogelim, he crossed the
Jordan with the king so he could send him on his way from there.
32 But Barzillai was very old– eighty years old, in fact– and he had taken
care of the king when he stayed in Mahanaim, for he was a very rich man.
33 So the king said to Barzillai,“Cross over with me, and I will take care of
you while you are with me in Jerusalem.”
34 Barzillai replied to the king,“How many days do I have left to my life,
that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem?
35 I am presently eighty years old. Am I able to discern good and bad? Can I
taste what I eat and drink? Am I still able to hear the voices of male and
female singers? Why should I continue to be a burden to my lord the king?
36 I will cross the Jordan with the king and go a short distance. Why should the
king reward me in this way?
37 Let me return so that I may die in my own city near the grave of my father
and my mother. But look, here is your servant Kimham. Let him cross over with my
lord the king. Do for him whatever seems appropriate to you.”
38 The king replied,“Kimham will cross over with me, and I will do for him
whatever I deem appropriate. And whatever you choose, I will do for you.”
39 So all the people crossed the Jordan, as did the king. After the king had
kissed him and blessed him, Barzillai returned to his home.
40 When the king crossed over to Gilgal, Kimham crossed over with him. Now all
the soldiers of Judah along with half of the soldiers of Israel had helped the
king cross over.
41 Then all the men of Israel began coming to the king. They asked the
king,“Why did our brothers, the men of Judah, sneak the king away and help the
king and his household cross the Jordan– and not only him but all of David’s
men as well?”
42 All the men of Judah replied to the men of Israel,“Because the king is our
close relative! Why are you so upset about this? Have we eaten at the king’s
expense? Or have we misappropriated anything for our own use?”
43 The men of Israel replied to the men of Judah,“We have ten shares in the
king, and we have a greater claim on David than you do! Why do you want to curse
us? Weren’t we the first to suggest bringing back our king?” But the
comments of the men of Judah were more severe than those of the men of Israel.

Chapter 20

1 Sheba’s Rebellion Now a wicked man named Sheba son of Bicri, a Benjaminite,
happened to be there. He blew the trumpet and said,“We have no share in David;
we have no inheritance in this son of Jesse! Every man go home, O Israel!”
2 So all the men of Israel deserted David and followed Sheba son of Bicri. But
the men of Judah stuck by their king all the way from the Jordan River to
Jerusalem.
3 Then David went to his palace in Jerusalem. The king took the ten concubines
he had left to care for the palace and placed them under confinement. Though he
provided for their needs, he did not sleep with them. They remained under
restriction until the day they died, living out the rest of their lives as
widows.
4 Then the king said to Amasa,“Call the men of Judah together for me in three
days, and you be present here with them too.”
5 So Amasa went out to call Judah together. But in doing so he took longer than
the time that the king had allotted him.
6 Then David said to Abishai,“Now Sheba son of Bicri will cause greater
disaster for us than Absalom did! Take your lord’s servants and pursue him.
Otherwise he will secure fortified cities for himself and get away from us.”
7 So Joab’s men, accompanied by the Kerethites, the Pelethites, and all the
warriors, left Jerusalem to pursue Sheba son of Bicri.
8 When they were near the big rock that is in Gibeon, Amasa came to them. Now
Joab was dressed in military attire and had a dagger in its sheath belted to his
waist. When he advanced, it fell out.
9 Joab said to Amasa,“How are you, my brother?” With his right hand Joab
took hold of Amasa’s beard as if to greet him with a kiss.
10 Amasa did not protect himself from the knife in Joab’s other hand, and Joab
stabbed him in the abdomen, causing Amasa’s intestines to spill out on the
ground. There was no need to stab him again; the first blow was fatal. Then Joab
and his brother Abishai pursued Sheba son of Bicri.
11 One of Joab’s soldiers who stood over Amasa said,“Whoever is for Joab and
whoever is for David, follow Joab!”
12 Amasa was squirming in his own blood in the middle of the path, and this man
had noticed that all the soldiers stopped. Having noticed that everyone who came
across Amasa stopped, the man pulled him away from the path and into the field
and threw a garment over him.
13 Once he had removed Amasa from the path, everyone followed Joab to pursue
Sheba son of Bicri.
14 Sheba traveled through all the tribes of Israel to Abel of Beth Maacah and
all the Berite region. When they had assembled, they too joined him.
15 So Joab’s men came and laid siege against him in Abel of Beth Maacah. They
prepared a siege ramp outside the city which stood against its outer rampart. As
all of Joab’s soldiers were trying to break through the wall so that it would
collapse,
16 a wise woman called out from the city,“Listen up! Listen up! Tell
Joab,‘Come near so that I may speak to you.’”
17 When he approached her, the woman asked,“Are you Joab?” He replied,“I
am.” She said to him,“Listen to the words of your servant.” He said,“Go
ahead. I’m listening.”
18 She said,“In the past they would always say,‘Let them inquire in Abel,’
and that is how they settled things.
19 I represent the peaceful and the faithful in Israel. You are attempting to
destroy an important city in Israel. Why should you swallow up the LORD’s
inheritance?”
20 Joab answered,“Get serious! I don’t want to swallow up or destroy
anything!
21 That’s not the way things are. There is a man from the hill country of
Ephraim named Sheba son of Bicri. He has rebelled against King David. Give me
just this one man, and I will leave the city.” The woman said to Joab,“This
very minute his head will be thrown over the wall to you!”
22 Then the woman went to all the people with her wise advice and they cut off
Sheba’s head and threw it out to Joab. Joab blew the trumpet, and his men
dispersed from the city, each going to his own home. Joab returned to the king
in Jerusalem.
23 Now Joab was the general in command of all the army of Israel. Benaiah the
son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and the Perethites.
24 Adoniram was supervisor of the work crews. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the
secretary.
25 Sheva was the scribe, and Zadok and Abiathar were the priests.
26 Ira the Jairite was David’s personal priest.

Chapter 21

1 The Gibeonites Demand Revenge During David’s reign there was a famine for
three consecutive years. So David inquired of the LORD. The LORD said,“It is
because of Saul and his bloodstained family, because he murdered the
Gibeonites.”
2 So the king summoned the Gibeonites and spoke with them.(Now the Gibeonites
were not descendants of Israel; they were a remnant of the Amorites. The
Israelites had made a promise to them, but Saul tried to kill them because of
his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah.)
3 David said to the Gibeonites,“What can I do for you, and how can I make
amends so that you will bless the LORD’s inheritance?”
4 The Gibeonites said to him,“We have no claim to silver or gold from Saul or
from his family, nor would we be justified in putting to death anyone in
Israel.” David asked,“What then are you asking me to do for you?”
5 They replied to the king,“As for this man who exterminated us and who
schemed against us so that we were destroyed and left without status throughout
all the borders of Israel–
6 let seven of his male descendants be turned over to us, and we will execute
them before the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, who was the LORD’s chosen one.” The
king replied,“I will turn them over.”
7 The king had mercy on Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, in light
of the LORD’s oath that had been taken between David and Jonathan son of Saul.
8 So the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Aiah’s daughter
Rizpah whom she had born to Saul, and the five sons of Saul’s daughter Merab
whom she had born to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite.
9 He turned them over to the Gibeonites, and they executed them on a hill before
the LORD. The seven of them died together; they were put to death during harvest
time– during the first days of the beginning of the barley harvest.
10 Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a
rock. From the beginning of the harvest until the rain fell on them, she did not
allow the birds of the air to feed on them by day, nor the wild animals by
night.
11 When David was told what Rizpah daughter of Aiah, Saul’s concubine, had
done,
12 he went and took the bones of Saul and of his son Jonathan from the leaders
of Jabesh Gilead.(They had secretly taken them from the plaza at Beth Shan. It
was there that Philistines publicly exposed their corpses after they had killed
Saul at Gilboa.)
13 David brought the bones of Saul and of Jonathan his son from there; they also
gathered up the bones of those who had been executed.
14 They buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the land of Benjamin at
Zela in the grave of his father Kish. After they had done everything that the
king had commanded, God responded to their prayers for the land.
15 Israel Engages in Various Battles with the Philistines Another battle was
fought between the Philistines and Israel. So David went down with his soldiers
and fought the Philistines. David became exhausted.
16 Now Ishbi-Benob, one of the descendants of Rapha, had a spear that weighed
three hundred bronze shekels, and he was armed with a new weapon. He had said
that he would kill David.
17 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to David’s aid, striking the Philistine
down and killing him. Then David’s men took an oath saying,“You will not go
out to battle with us again! You must not extinguish the lamp of Israel!”
18 Later there was another battle with the Philistines, this time in Gob. On
that occasion Sibbekai the Hushathite killed Saph, who was one of the
descendants of Rapha.
19 Yet another battle occurred with the Philistines in Gob. On that occasion
Elhanan the son of Jair the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath the
Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.
20 Yet another battle occurred in Gath. On that occasion there was a large man
who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in all!
He too was a descendant of Rapha.
21 When he taunted Israel, Jonathan, the son of David’s brother Shimeah,
killed him.
22 These four were the descendants of Rapha who lived in Gath; they were killed
by David and his soldiers.

Chapter 22

1 David Sings to the Lord David sang to the LORD the words of this song when the
LORD rescued him from the power of all his enemies, including Saul.
2 He said:“The LORD is my high ridge, my stronghold, my deliverer.
3 My God is my rocky summit where I take shelter, my shield, the horn that saves
me, my stronghold, my refuge, my savior. You save me from violence!
4 I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I was delivered from my
enemies.
5 The waves of death engulfed me; the currents of chaos overwhelmed me.
6 The ropes of Sheol tightened around me; the snares of death trapped me.
7 In my distress I called to the LORD; I called to my God. From his heavenly
temple he heard my voice; he listened to my cry for help.
8 The earth heaved and shook; the foundations of the sky trembled. They heaved
because he was angry.
9 Smoke ascended from his nose; fire devoured as it came from his mouth; he
hurled down fiery coals.
10 He made the sky sink as he descended; a thick cloud was under his feet.
11 He mounted a winged angel and flew; he glided on the wings of the wind.
12 He shrouded himself in darkness, in thick rain clouds.
13 From the brightness in front of him came coals of fire.
14 The LORD thundered from the sky; the Most High shouted loudly.
15 He shot arrows and scattered them, lightning and routed them.
16 The depths of the sea were exposed; the inner regions of the world were
uncovered by the LORD’s battle cry, by the powerful breath from his nose.
17 He reached down from above and grabbed me; he pulled me from the surging
water.
18 He rescued me from my strong enemy, from those who hate me, for they were too
strong for me.
19 They confronted me in my day of calamity, but the LORD helped me.
20 He brought me out into a wide open place; he delivered me because he was
pleased with me.
21 The LORD repaid me for my godly deeds; he rewarded my blameless behavior.
22 For I have obeyed the LORD’s commands; I have not rebelled against my God.
23 For I am aware of all his regulations, and I do not reject his rules.
24 I was blameless before him; I kept myself from sinning.
25 The LORD rewarded me for my godly deeds; he took notice of my blameless
behavior.
26 You prove to be loyal to one who is faithful; you prove to be trustworthy to
one who is innocent.
27 You prove to be reliable to one who is blameless, but you prove to be
deceptive to one who is perverse.
28 You deliver oppressed people, but you watch the proud and bring them down.
29 Indeed, you are my lamp, LORD. The LORD illumines the darkness around me.
30 Indeed, with your help I can charge against an army; by my God’s power I
can jump over a wall.
31 The one true God acts in a faithful manner; the LORD’s promise is reliable;
he is a shield to all who take shelter in him.
32 Indeed, who is God besides the LORD? Who is a protector besides our God?
33 The one true God is my mighty refuge; he removes the obstacles in my way.
34 He gives me the agility of a deer; he enables me to negotiate the rugged
terrain.
35 He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend even the strongest bow.
36 You give me your protective shield; your willingness to help enables me to
prevail.
37 You widen my path; my feet do not slip.
38 I chase my enemies and destroy them; I do not turn back until I wipe them
out.
39 I wipe them out and beat them to death; they cannot get up; they fall at my
feet.
40 You give me strength for battle; you make my foes kneel before me.
41 You make my enemies retreat; I destroy those who hate me.
42 They cry out, but there is no one to help them; they cry out to the LORD, but
he does not answer them.
43 I grind them as fine as the dust of the ground; I crush them and stomp on
them like clay in the streets.
44 You rescue me from a hostile army; you preserve me as a leader of nations;
people over whom I had no authority are now my subjects.
45 Foreigners are powerless before me; when they hear of my exploits, they
submit to me.
46 Foreigners lose their courage; they shake with fear as they leave their
strongholds.
47 The LORD is alive! My protector is praiseworthy! The God who delivers me is
exalted as king!
48 The one true God completely vindicates me; he makes nations submit to me.
49 He delivers me from my enemies; you snatch me away from those who attack me;
you rescue me from violent men.
50 So I will give you thanks, O LORD, before the nations! I will sing praises to
you.
51 He gives his king magnificent victories; he is faithful to his chosen ruler,
to David and to his descendants forever!”

Chapter 23

1 David’s Final Words These are the final words of David:“The oracle of
David son of Jesse, the oracle of the man raised up as the ruler chosen by the
God of Jacob, Israel’s beloved singer of songs:
2 The LORD’s Spirit spoke through me; his word was on my tongue.
3 The God of Israel spoke, the protector of Israel spoke to me. The one who
rules fairly among men, the one who rules in the fear of God,
4 is like the light of morning when the sun comes up, a morning in which there
are no clouds. He is like the brightness after rain that produces grass from the
earth.
5 My dynasty is approved by God, for he has made a perpetual covenant with me,
arranged in all its particulars and secured. He always delivers me, and brings
all I desire to fruition.
6 But evil people are like thorns– all of them are tossed away, for they
cannot be held in the hand.
7 The one who touches them must use an iron instrument or the wooden shaft of a
spear. They are completely burned up right where they lie!”
8 David’s Warriors These are the names of David’s
warriors:Josheb-Basshebeth, a Tahkemonite, was head of the officers. He killed
eight hundred men with his spear in one battle.
9 Next in command was Eleazar son of Dodo, the son of Ahohi. He was one of the
three warriors who were with David when they defied the Philistines who were
assembled there for battle. When the men of Israel retreated,
10 he stood his ground and fought the Philistines until his hand grew so tired
that it seemed stuck to his sword. The LORD gave a great victory on that day.
When the army returned to him, the only thing left to do was to plunder the
corpses.
11 Next in command was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines
assembled at Lehi, where there happened to be an area of a field that was full
of lentils, the army retreated before the Philistines.
12 But he made a stand in the middle of that area. He defended it and defeated
the Philistines; the LORD gave them a great victory.
13 At the time of the harvest three of the thirty leaders went down to David at
the cave of Adullam. A band of Philistines was camped in the valley of Rephaim.
14 David was in the stronghold at the time, while a Philistine garrison was in
Bethlehem.
15 David was thirsty and said,“How I wish someone would give me some water to
drink from the cistern in Bethlehem near the gate!”
16 So the three elite warriors broke through the Philistine forces and drew some
water from the cistern in Bethlehem near the gate. They carried it back to
David, but he refused to drink it. He poured it out as a drink offering to the
LORD
17 and said,“O LORD, I will not do this! It is equivalent to the blood of the
men who risked their lives by going.” So he refused to drink it. Such were the
exploits of the three elite warriors.
18 Abishai son of Zeruiah, the brother of Joab, was head of the three. He killed
three hundred men with his spear and gained fame among the three.
19 From the three he was given honor and he became their officer, even though he
was not one of the three.
20 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a brave warrior from Kabzeel who performed great
exploits. He struck down the two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and
killed a lion in a cistern on a snowy day.
21 He also killed an impressive-looking Egyptian. The Egyptian wielded a spear,
while Benaiah attacked him with a club. He grabbed the spear out of the
Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear.
22 Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who gained fame among the
three elite warriors.
23 He received honor from the thirty warriors, though he was not one of the
three elite warriors. David put him in charge of his bodyguard.
24 Included with the thirty were the following: Asahel the brother of Joab,
Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem,
25 Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite,
26 Helez the Paltite, Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa,
27 Abiezer the Anathothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite,
28 Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite,
29 Heled son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ittai son of Ribai from Gibeah in
Benjamin,
30 Benaiah the Pirathonite, Hiddai from the wadis of Gaash,
31 Abi-Albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite,
32 Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan
33 son of Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam son of Sharar the Hararite,
34 Eliphelet son of Ahasbai the Maacathite, Eliam son of Ahithophel the
Gilonite,
35 Hezrai the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite,
36 Igal son of Nathan from Zobah, Bani the Gadite,
37 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite(the armor-bearer of Joab son of
Zeruiah),
38 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite
39 and Uriah the Hittite. Altogether there were thirty-seven.

Chapter 24

1 David Displeases the Lord by Taking a Census The LORD’s anger again raged
against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying,“Go count Israel and
Judah.”
2 The king told Joab, the general in command of his army,“Go through all the
tribes of Israel from Dan to Beer Sheba and muster the army, so I may know the
size of the army.”
3 Joab replied to the king,“May the LORD your God make the army a hundred
times larger right before the eyes of my lord the king! But why does my master
the king want to do this?”
4 But the king’s edict stood, despite the objections of Joab and the leaders
of the army. So Joab and the leaders of the army left the king’s presence in
order to muster the Israelite army.
5 They crossed the Jordan and camped at Aroer, on the south side of the city, at
the wadi of Gad, near Jazer.
6 Then they went on to Gilead and to the region of Tahtim Hodshi, coming to Dan
Jaan and on around to Sidon.
7 Then they went to the fortress of Tyre and all the cities of the Hivites and
the Canaanites. Then they went on to the Negev of Judah, to Beer Sheba.
8 They went through all the land and after nine months and twenty days came back
to Jerusalem.
9 Joab reported the number of warriors to the king. In Israel there were 800,000
sword-wielding warriors, and in Judah there were 500,000 soldiers.
10 David felt guilty after he had numbered the army. David said to the LORD,“I
have sinned greatly by doing this! Now, O LORD, please remove the guilt of your
servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”
11 When David got up the next morning, the LORD’s message had already come to
the prophet Gad, David’s seer:
12 “Go, tell David,‘This is what the LORD has said: I am offering you three
forms of judgment. Pick one of them and I will carry it out against you.’”
13 Gad went to David and told him,“Shall seven years of famine come upon your
land? Or shall you flee for three months from your enemy with him in hot
pursuit? Or shall there be three days of plague in your land? Now decide what I
should tell the one who sent me.”
14 David said to Gad,“I am very upset! I prefer that we be attacked by the
LORD, for his mercy is great; I do not want to be attacked by men!”
15 So the LORD sent a plague through Israel from the morning until the
completion of the appointed time. Seventy thousand men died from Dan to Beer
Sheba.
16 When the angel extended his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD relented from
his judgment. He told the angel who was killing the people,“That’s enough!
Stop now!”(Now the LORD’s angel was near the threshing floor of Araunah the
Jebusite.)
17 When he saw the angel who was destroying the people, David said to the
LORD,“Look, it is I who have sinned and done this evil thing! As for these
sheep– what have they done? Attack me and my family.”
18 David Acquires a Threshing Floor and Constructs an Altar There So Gad went to
David that day and told him,“Go up and build an altar for the LORD on the
threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”
19 So David went up as Gad instructed him to do, according to the LORD’s
instructions.
20 When Araunah looked out and saw the king and his servants approaching him, he
went out and bowed to the king with his face to the ground.
21 Araunah said,“Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David
replied,“To buy from you the threshing floor so I can build an altar for the
LORD, so that the plague may be removed from the people.”
22 Araunah told David,“My lord the king may take whatever he wishes and offer
it. Look! Here are oxen for burnt offerings, and threshing sledges and harnesses
for wood.
23 I, the servant of my lord the king, give it all to the king!” Araunah also
told the king,“May the LORD your God show you favor!”
24 But the king said to Araunah,“No, I insist on buying it from you! I will
not offer to the LORD my God burnt sacrifices that cost me nothing.”So David
bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty pieces of silver.
25 Then David built an altar for the LORD there and offered burnt sacrifices and
peace offerings. And the LORD accepted prayers for the land, and the plague was
removed from Israel.


1 Kings

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Adonijah Tries to Seize the Throne King David was very old; even when they
covered him with blankets, he could not get warm.
2 His servants advised him,“A young virgin must be found for our master, the
king, to take care of the king’s needs and serve as his nurse. She can also
sleep with you and keep our master, the king, warm.”
3 So they looked through all Israel for a beautiful young woman and found
Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
4 The young woman was very beautiful; she became the king’s nurse and served
him, but the king was not intimate with her.
5 Now Adonijah, son of David and Haggith, was promoting himself, boasting,“I
will be king!” He managed to acquire chariots and horsemen, as well as fifty
men to serve as his royal guard.
6 (Now his father had never corrected him by saying,“Why do you do such
things?” He was also very handsome and had been born right after Absalom.)
7 He collaborated with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and
they supported him.
8 But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei,
Rei, and David’s elite warriors did not ally themselves with Adonijah.
9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep, cattle, and fattened steers at the Stone of
Zoheleth near En Rogel. He invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, as well
as all the men of Judah, the king’s servants.
10 But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the elite warriors, or his
brother Solomon.
11 Nathan said to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother,“Has it been reported to you
that Haggith’s son Adonijah has become king behind our master David’s back?
12 Now let me give you some advice as to how you can save your life and your son
Solomon’s life.
13 Visit King David and say to him,‘My master, O king, did you not solemnly
promise your servant,“Surely your son Solomon will be king after me; he will
sit on my throne”? So why has Adonijah become king?’
14 While you are still there speaking to the king, I will arrive and verify your
report.”
15 So Bathsheba visited the king in his private quarters.(The king was very old,
and Abishag the Shunammite was serving the king.)
16 Bathsheba bowed down on the floor before the king. The king said,“What do
you want?”
17 She replied to him,“My master, you swore an oath to your servant by the
LORD your God,‘Solomon your son will be king after me and he will sit on my
throne.’
18 But now, look, Adonijah has become king! But you, my master the king, are not
even aware of it!
19 He has sacrificed many cattle, steers, and sheep and has invited all the
king’s sons, Abiathar the priest, and Joab, the commander of the army, but he
has not invited your servant Solomon.
20 Now, my master, O king, all Israel is watching anxiously to see who is named
to succeed my master the king on the throne.
21 If a decision is not made, when my master the king is buried with his
ancestors, my son Solomon and I will be considered state criminals.”
22 Just then, while she was still speaking to the king, Nathan the prophet
arrived.
23 The king was told,“Nathan the prophet is here.” Nathan entered and bowed
before the king with his face to the floor.
24 Nathan said,“My master, O king, did you announce,‘Adonijah will be king
after me; he will sit on my throne’?
25 For today he has gone down and sacrificed many cattle, steers, and sheep and
has invited all the king’s sons, the army commanders, and Abiathar the priest.
At this moment they are having a feast in his presence, and they have
declared,‘Long live King Adonijah!’
26 But he did not invite me– your servant– or Zadok the priest, or Benaiah
son of Jehoiada, or your servant Solomon.
27 Has my master the king authorized this without informing your servants who
should succeed my master the king on his throne?”
28 David Picks Solomon as His Successor King David responded,“Summon
Bathsheba!” She came and stood before the king.
29 The king swore an oath:“As certainly as the LORD lives(he who has rescued
me from every danger),
30 I will keep today the oath I swore to you by the LORD God of Israel:‘Surely
Solomon your son will be king after me; he will sit in my place on my
throne.’”
31 Bathsheba bowed down to the king with her face to the floor and said,“May
my master, King David, live forever!”
32 King David said,“Summon Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah
son of Jehoiada.” They came before the king,
33 and he told them,“Take your master’s servants with you, put my son
Solomon on my mule, and lead him down to Gihon.
34 There Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet will anoint him king over
Israel; then blow the trumpet and declare,‘Long live King Solomon!’
35 Then follow him up as he comes and sits on my throne. He will be king in my
place; I have decreed that he will be ruler over Israel and Judah.”
36 Benaiah son of Jehoiada responded to the king:“So be it! May the LORD God
of my master the king confirm it!
37 As the LORD is with my master the king, so may he be with Solomon, and may he
make him an even greater king than my master King David!”
38 So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the
Kerethites, and the Pelethites went down, put Solomon on King David’s mule,
and led him to Gihon.
39 Zadok the priest took a horn filled with olive oil from the tent and poured
it on Solomon; the trumpet was blown and all the people declared,“Long live
King Solomon!”
40 All the people followed him up, playing flutes and celebrating so loudly they
made the ground shake.
41 Now Adonijah and all his guests heard the commotion just as they had finished
eating. When Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he asked,“Why is there such
a noisy commotion in the city?”
42 As he was still speaking, Jonathan son of Abiathar the priest arrived.
Adonijah said,“Come in, for an important man like you must be bringing good
news.”
43 Jonathan replied to Adonijah:“No! Our master King David has made Solomon
king.
44 The king sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of
Jehoiada, the Kerethites, and the Pelethites and they put him on the king’s
mule.
45 Then Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed him king in Gihon. They
went up from there rejoicing, and the city is in an uproar. That is the sound
you hear.
46 Furthermore, Solomon has assumed the royal throne.
47 The king’s servants have even come to congratulate our master King David,
saying,‘May your God make Solomon more famous than you and make him an even
greater king than you!’ Then the king leaned on the bed
48 and said this:‘The LORD God of Israel is worthy of praise because today he
has placed a successor on my throne and allowed me to see it.’”
49 All of Adonijah’s guests panicked; they jumped up and rushed off their
separate ways.
50 Adonijah feared Solomon, so he got up and went and grabbed hold of the horns
of the altar.
51 Solomon was told,“Look, Adonijah fears you; see, he has taken hold of the
horns of the altar, saying,‘May King Solomon solemnly promise me today that he
will not kill his servant with the sword.’”
52 Solomon said,“If he is a loyal subject, not a hair of his head will be
harmed, but if he is found to be a traitor, he will die.”
53 King Solomon sent men to bring him down from the altar. He came and bowed
down to King Solomon, and Solomon told him,“Go home.”

Chapter 2

1 David’s Final Words to Solomon When David was close to death, he told
Solomon his son:
2 “I am about to die. Be strong and become a man!
3 Do the job the LORD your God has assigned you by following his instructions
and obeying his rules, commandments, regulations, and laws as written in the law
of Moses. Then you will succeed in all you do and seek to accomplish,
4 and the LORD will fulfill his promise to me,‘If your descendants watch their
step and live faithfully in my presence with all their heart and being, then,’
he promised,‘you will not fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’
5 “You know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me– how he murdered two
commanders of the Israelite armies, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether.
During peacetime he struck them down like he would in battle; when he shed their
blood as if in battle, he stained the belt on his waist and the sandals on his
feet.
6 Do to him what you think is appropriate, but don’t let him live long and die
a peaceful death.
7 “Treat fairly the sons of Barzillai of Gilead and provide for their needs,
because they helped me when I had to flee from your brother Absalom.
8 “Note well, you still have to contend with Shimei son of Gera, the
Benjaminite from Bahurim, who tried to call down upon me a horrible judgment
when I went to Mahanaim. He came down and met me at the Jordan, and I solemnly
promised him by the LORD,‘I will not strike you down with the sword.’
9 But now don’t treat him as if he were innocent. You are a wise man and you
know how to handle him; make sure he has a bloody death.”
10 Then David passed away and was buried in the City of David.
11 David reigned over Israel forty years; he reigned in Hebron seven years, and
in Jerusalem thirty-three years.
12 Solomon Secures the Throne Solomon sat on his father David’s throne, and
his royal authority was firmly solidified.
13 Haggith’s son Adonijah visited Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. She
asked,“Do you come in peace?” He answered,“Yes.”
14 He added,“I have something to say to you.” She replied,“Speak.”
15 He said,“You know that the kingdom was mine and all Israel considered me
king. But then the kingdom was given to my brother, for the LORD decided it
should be his.
16 Now I’d like to ask you for just one thing. Please don’t refuse me.”
She said,“Go ahead and ask.”
17 He said,“Please ask King Solomon if he would give me Abishag the Shunammite
as a wife, for he won’t refuse you.”
18 Bathsheba replied,“That’s fine, I’ll speak to the king on your
behalf.”
19 So Bathsheba visited King Solomon to speak to him on Adonijah’s behalf. The
king got up to greet her, bowed to her, and then sat on his throne. He ordered a
throne to be brought for the king’s mother, and she sat at his right hand.
20 She said,“I would like to ask you for just one small favor. Please don’t
refuse me.” He said,“Go ahead and ask, my mother, for I would not refuse
you.”
21 She said,“Allow Abishag the Shunammite to be given to your brother Adonijah
as a wife.”
22 King Solomon answered his mother,“Why just request Abishag the Shunammite
for him? Since he is my older brother, you should also request the kingdom for
him, for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab son of Zeruiah!”
23 King Solomon then swore an oath by the LORD,“May God judge me severely, if
Adonijah does not pay for this request with his life!
24 Now, as certainly as the LORD lives(he who made me secure, allowed me to sit
on my father David’s throne, and established a dynasty for me as he promised),
Adonijah will be executed today!”
25 King Solomon then sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he killed Adonijah.
26 The king then told Abiathar the priest,“Go back to your property in
Anathoth. You deserve to die, but today I will not kill you because you did
carry the ark of the Sovereign LORD before my father David and you suffered with
my father through all his difficult times.”
27 Solomon removed Abiathar from being a priest for the LORD, fulfilling the
LORD’s message that he had pronounced against the family of Eli in Shiloh.
28 When the news reached Joab(for Joab had supported Adonijah, although he had
not supported Absalom), he ran to the tent of the LORD and grabbed hold of the
horns of the altar.
29 When King Solomon heard that Joab had run to the tent of the LORD and was
right there beside the altar, he ordered Benaiah son of Jehoiada,“Go, strike
him down.”
30 When Benaiah arrived at the tent of the LORD, he said to him,“The king
says,‘Come out!’” But he replied,“No, I will die here!” So Benaiah
sent word to the king and reported Joab’s reply.
31 The king told him,“Do as he said! Strike him down and bury him. Take away
from me and from my father’s family the guilt of Joab’s murderous, bloody
deeds.
32 May the LORD punish him for the blood he shed; behind my father David’s
back he struck down and murdered with the sword two men who were more innocent
and morally upright than he– Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army,
and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army.
33 May Joab and his descendants be perpetually guilty of their shed blood, but
may the LORD give perpetual peace to David, his descendants, his family, and his
dynasty.”
34 So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and executed Joab; he was buried at his
home in the wilderness.
35 The king appointed Benaiah son of Jehoiada to take his place at the head of
the army, and the king appointed Zadok the priest to take Abiathar’s place.
36 Next the king summoned Shimei and told him,“Build yourself a house in
Jerusalem and live there– but you may not leave there to go anywhere!
37 If you ever do leave and cross the Kidron Valley, know for sure that you will
certainly die! You will be responsible for your own death.”
38 Shimei said to the king,“My master the king’s proposal is acceptable.
Your servant will do as you say.” So Shimei lived in Jerusalem for a long
time.
39 Three years later two of Shimei’s servants ran away to King Achish son of
Maacah of Gath. Shimei was told,“Look, your servants are in Gath.”
40 So Shimei got up, saddled his donkey, and went to Achish at Gath to find his
servants; Shimei went and brought back his servants from Gath.
41 When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had
then returned,
42 the king summoned Shimei and said to him,“You will recall that I made you
take an oath by the LORD, and I solemnly warned you,‘If you ever leave and go
anywhere, know for sure that you will certainly die.’ You said to me,‘The
proposal is acceptable; I agree to it.’
43 Why then have you broken the oath you made before the LORD and disobeyed the
order I gave you?”
44 Then the king said to Shimei,“You are well aware of the way you mistreated
my father David. The LORD will punish you for what you did.
45 But King Solomon will be empowered and David’s dynasty will endure
permanently before the LORD.
46 The king then gave the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada who went and executed
Shimei. So Solomon took firm control of the kingdom.

Chapter 3

1 The Lord Gives Solomon Wisdom Solomon made an alliance by marriage with
Pharaoh, king of Egypt; he married Pharaoh’s daughter. He brought her to the
City of David until he could finish building his residence and the temple of the
LORD and the wall around Jerusalem.
2 Now the people were offering sacrifices at the high places, because in those
days a temple had not yet been built to honor the LORD.
3 Solomon demonstrated his loyalty to the LORD by following the practices of his
father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high
places.
4 The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for it had the most prominent of
the high places. Solomon would offer up a thousand burnt sacrifices on the altar
there.
5 One night in Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream. God said,“Tell
me what I should give you.”
6 Solomon replied,“You demonstrated great loyalty to your servant, my father
David, as he served you faithfully, properly, and sincerely. You have maintained
this great loyalty to this day by allowing his son to sit on his throne.
7 Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in my father David’s
place, even though I am only a young man and am inexperienced.
8 Your servant stands among your chosen people; they are a great nation that is
too numerous to count or number.
9 So give your servant a discerning mind so he can make judicial decisions for
your people and distinguish right from wrong. Otherwise no one is able to make
judicial decisions for this great nation of yours.”
10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon made this request.
11 God said to him,“Because you asked for the ability to make wise judicial
decisions, and not for long life, or riches, or vengeance on your enemies,
12 I grant your request, and give you a wise and discerning mind superior to
that of anyone who has preceded or will succeed you.
13 Furthermore, I am giving you what you did not request– riches and honor so
that you will be the greatest king of your generation.
14 If you follow my instructions by obeying my rules and regulations, just as
your father David did, then I will grant you long life.”
15 Solomon then woke up and realized it was a dream. He went to Jerusalem, stood
before the ark of the Lord’s covenant, offered up burnt sacrifices, presented
peace offerings, and held a feast for all his servants.
16 Solomon Demonstrates His Wisdom Then two prostitutes came to the king and
stood before him.
17 One of the women said,“My master, this woman and I live in the same house.
I had a baby while she was with me in the house.
18 Then three days after I had my baby, this woman also had a baby. We were
alone; there was no one else in the house except the two of us.
19 This woman’s child suffocated during the night when she rolled on top of
him.
20 She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while
your servant was sleeping. She put him in her arms, and put her dead son in my
arms.
21 I got up in the morning to nurse my son, and there he was, dead! But when I
examined him carefully in the morning, I realized it was not my baby.”
22 The other woman said,“No! My son is alive; your son is dead!” But the
first woman replied,“No, your son is dead; my son is alive.” Each presented
her case before the king.
23 The king said,“One says,‘My son is alive; your son is dead,’ while the
other says,‘No, your son is dead; my son is alive.’”
24 The king ordered,“Get me a sword!” So they placed a sword before the
king.
25 The king then said,“Cut the living child in two, and give half to one and
half to the other!”
26 The real mother spoke up to the king, for her motherly instincts were
aroused. She said,“My master, give her the living child! Whatever you do,
don’t kill him!” But the other woman said,“Neither one of us will have
him! Let them cut him in two!”
27 The king responded,“Give the first woman the living child; don’t kill
him. She is the mother.”
28 When all Israel heard about the judicial decision which the king had
rendered, they respected the king, for they realized that he possessed divine
wisdom to make judicial decisions.

Chapter 4

1 Solomon’s Royal Court and Administrators King Solomon ruled over all Israel.
2 These were his officials:Azariah son of Zadok was the priest.
3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, wrote down what happened.
Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was in charge of the records.
4 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was commander of the army.Zadok and Abiathar were
priests.
5 Azariah son of Nathan was supervisor of the district governors.Zabud son of
Nathan was a priest and adviser to the king.
6 Ahishar was supervisor of the palace. Adoniram son of Abda was supervisor of
the work crews.
7 Solomon had twelve district governors appointed throughout Israel who acquired
supplies for the king and his palace. Each was responsible for one month in the
year.
8 These were their names:Ben Hur was in charge of the hill country of Ephraim.
9 Ben Deker was in charge of Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, and Elon Beth Hanan.
10 Ben Hesed was in charge of Arubboth; he controlled Socoh and all the
territory of Hepher.
11 Ben Abinadab was in charge of Naphath Dor.(He was married to Solomon’s
daughter Taphath.)
12 Baana son of Ahilud was in charge of Taanach and Megiddo, as well as all of
Beth Shean next to Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth Shean to Abel Meholah and
on past Jokmeam.
13 Ben Geber was in charge of Ramoth Gilead; he controlled the villages of Jair
son of Manasseh in Gilead, as well as the region of Argob in Bashan, including
sixty large walled cities with bronze bars locking their gates.
14 Ahinadab son of Iddo was in charge of Mahanaim.
15 Ahimaaz was in charge of Naphtali.(He married Solomon’s daughter Basemath.)
16 Baana son of Hushai was in charge of Asher and Aloth.
17 Jehoshaphat son of Paruah was in charge of Issachar.
18 Shimei son of Ela was in charge of Benjamin.
19 Geber son of Uri was in charge of the land of Gilead(the territory which had
once belonged to King Sihon of the Amorites and to King Og of Bashan). He was
sole governor of the area.
20 Solomon’s Wealth and Fame The people of Judah and Israel were as
innumerable as the sand on the seashore; they had plenty to eat and drink and
were happy.
21 (5:1) Solomon ruled all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of
the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These kingdoms paid tribute as
Solomon’s subjects throughout his lifetime.
22 Each day Solomon’s royal court consumed thirty cors of finely milled flour,
sixty cors of cereal,
23 ten calves fattened in the stall, twenty calves from the pasture, and a
hundred sheep, not to mention rams, gazelles, deer, and well-fed birds.
24 His royal court was so large because he ruled over all the kingdoms west of
the Euphrates River from Tiphsah to Gaza; he was at peace with all his
neighbors.
25 All the people of Judah and Israel had security; everyone from Dan to Beer
Sheba enjoyed the produce of their vines and fig trees throughout Solomon’s
lifetime.
26 Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his chariot horses and 12,000 horses.
27 The district governors acquired supplies for King Solomon and all who ate in
his royal palace. Each was responsible for one month in the year; they made sure
nothing was lacking.
28 Each one also brought to the assigned location his quota of barley and straw
for the various horses.
29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment; the breadth of his
understanding was as infinite as the sand on the seashore.
30 Solomon was wiser than all the men of the east and all the sages of Egypt.
31 He was wiser than any man, including Ethan the Ezrahite or Heman, Calcol, and
Darda, the sons of Mahol. He was famous in all the neighboring nations.
32 He composed 3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs.
33 He produced manuals on botany, describing every kind of plant, from the
cedars of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows on walls. He also produced manuals on
biology, describing animals, birds, insects, and fish.
34 People from all nations came to hear Solomon’s display of wisdom; they came
from all the kings of the earth who heard about his wisdom.

Chapter 5

1 Solomon Gathers Building Materials for the Temple(5:15) King Hiram of Tyre
sent messengers to Solomon when he heard that he had been anointed king in his
father’s place.(Hiram had always been an ally of David.)
2 Solomon then sent this message to Hiram:
3 “You know that my father David was unable to build a temple to honor the
LORD his God, for he was busy fighting battles on all fronts while the LORD
subdued his enemies.
4 But now the LORD my God has made me secure on all fronts; there is no
adversary or dangerous threat.
5 So I have decided to build a temple to honor the LORD my God, as the LORD
instructed my father David,‘Your son, whom I will put on your throne in your
place, is the one who will build a temple to honor me.’
6 So now order some cedars of Lebanon to be cut for me. My servants will work
with your servants. I will pay your servants whatever you say is appropriate,
for you know that we have no one among us who knows how to cut down trees like
the Sidonians.”
7 When Hiram heard Solomon’s message, he was very happy. He said,“The LORD
is worthy of praise today because he has given David a wise son to rule over
this great nation.”
8 Hiram then sent this message to Solomon:“I received the message you sent to
me. I will give you all the cedars and evergreens you need.
9 My servants will bring the timber down from Lebanon to the sea. I will send it
by sea in raft-like bundles to the place you designate. There I will separate
the logs and you can carry them away. In exchange you will supply the food I
need for my royal court.”
10 So Hiram supplied the cedars and evergreens Solomon needed,
11 and Solomon supplied Hiram annually with 20,000 cors of wheat as provision
for his royal court, as well as 120,000 gallons of pure olive oil.
12 So the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as he had promised him. And Hiram and
Solomon were at peace and made a treaty.
13 King Solomon conscripted work crews from throughout Israel, 30,000 men in
all.
14 He sent them to Lebanon in shifts of 10,000 men per month. They worked in
Lebanon for one month, and then spent two months at home. Adoniram was
supervisor of the work crews.
15 Solomon also had 70,000 common laborers and 80,000 stonecutters in the hills,
16 besides 3,300 officials who supervised the workers.
17 By royal order they supplied large valuable stones in order to build the
temple’s foundation with chiseled stone.
18 Solomon’s and Hiram’s construction workers, along with men from Byblos,
did the chiseling and prepared the wood and stones for the building of the
temple.

Chapter 6

1 The Building of the Temple In the four hundred and eightieth year after the
Israelites left Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel,
during the month Ziv(the second month), he began building the LORD’s temple.
2 The temple King Solomon built for the LORD was 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, and
45 feet high.
3 The porch in front of the main hall of the temple was 30 feet long,
corresponding to the width of the temple. It was 15 feet wide, extending out
from the front of the temple.
4 He made framed windows for the temple.
5 He built an extension all around the walls of the temple’s main hall and
holy place and constructed side rooms in it.
6 The bottom floor of the extension was seven and a half feet wide, the middle
floor nine feet wide, and the third floor ten and a half feet wide. He made
ledges on the temple’s outer walls so the beams would not have to be inserted
into the walls.
7 As the temple was being built, only stones shaped at the quarry were used; the
sound of hammers, pickaxes, or any other iron tool was not heard at the temple
while it was being built.
8 The entrance to the bottom level of side rooms was on the south side of the
temple; stairs went up to the middle floor and then on up to the third floor.
9 He finished building the temple and covered it with rafters and boards made of
cedar.
10 He built an extension all around the temple; it was seven and a half feet
high and it was attached to the temple by cedar beams.
11 The LORD’s message came to Solomon:
12 “As for this temple you are building, if you follow my rules, observe my
regulations, and obey all my commandments, I will fulfill through you the
promise I made to your father David.
13 I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel.”
14 So Solomon finished building the temple.
15 He constructed the walls inside the temple with cedar planks; he paneled the
inside with wood from the floor of the temple to the rafters of the ceiling. He
covered the temple floor with boards made from the wood of evergreens.
16 He built a wall 30 feet in from the rear of the temple as a partition for an
inner sanctuary that would be the most holy place. He paneled the wall with
cedar planks from the floor to the rafters.
17 The main hall in front of the inner sanctuary was 60 feet long.
18 The inside of the temple was all cedar and was adorned with carvings of round
ornaments and of flowers in bloom. Everything was cedar; no stones were visible.
19 He prepared the inner sanctuary inside the temple so that the ark of the
covenant of the LORD could be placed there.
20 The inner sanctuary was 30 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 30 feet high. He
plated it with gold, as well as the cedar altar.
21 Solomon plated the inside of the temple with gold. He hung golden chains in
front of the inner sanctuary and plated the inner sanctuary with gold.
22 He plated the entire inside of the temple with gold, as well as the altar
inside the inner sanctuary.
23 In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olive wood; each stood 15 feet
high.
24 Each of the first cherub’s wings was seven and a half feet long; its entire
wingspan was 15 feet.
25 The second cherub also had a wingspan of 15 feet; it was identical to the
first in measurements and shape.
26 Each cherub stood 15 feet high.
27 He put the cherubim in the inner sanctuary of the temple. Their wings were
spread out. One of the first cherub’s wings touched one wall and one of the
other cherub’s wings touched the opposite wall. The first cherub’s other
wing touched the second cherub’s other wing in the middle of the room.
28 He plated the cherubim with gold.
29 On all the walls around the temple, inside and out, he carved cherubim, palm
trees, and flowers in bloom.
30 He plated the floor of the temple with gold, inside and out.
31 He made doors of olive wood at the entrance to the inner sanctuary; the
pillar on each doorpost was five-sided.
32 On the two doors made of olive wood he carved cherubim, palm trees, and
flowers in bloom, and he plated them with gold. He plated the cherubim and the
palm trees with hammered gold.
33 In the same way he made doorposts of olive wood for the entrance to the main
hall, only with four-sided pillars.
34 He also made two doors out of wood from evergreens; each door had two folding
leaves.
35 He carved cherubim, palm trees, and flowers in bloom and plated them with
gold, leveled out over the carvings.
36 He built the inner courtyard with three rows of chiseled stones and a row of
cedar beams.
37 In the month Ziv of the fourth year of Solomon’s reign the foundation was
laid for the LORD’s temple.
38 In the eleventh year, in the month Bul(the eighth month) the temple was
completed in accordance with all its specifications and blueprints. It took
seven years to build.

Chapter 7

1 The Building of the Royal Palace Solomon took thirteen years to build his
palace.
2 He named it“The Palace of the Lebanon Forest”; it was 150 feet long, 75
feet wide, and 45 feet high. It had four rows of cedar pillars and cedar beams
above the pillars.
3 The roof above the beams supported by the pillars was also made of cedar;
there were forty-five beams, fifteen per row.
4 There were three rows of windows arranged in sets of three.
5 All of the entrances were rectangular in shape and they were arranged in sets
of three.
6 He made a colonnade 75 feet long and 45 feet wide. There was a porch in front
of this and pillars and a roof in front of the porch.
7 He also made a throne room, called“The Hall of Judgment,” where he made
judicial decisions. It was paneled with cedar from the floor to the rafters.
8 The palace where he lived was constructed in a similar way. He also
constructed a palace like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had
married.
9 All of these were built with the best stones, chiseled to the right size and
cut with a saw on all sides, from the foundation to the edge of the roof and
from the outside to the great courtyard.
10 The foundation was made of large valuable stones, measuring either 15 feet or
12 feet.
11 Above the foundation the best stones, chiseled to the right size, were used
along with cedar.
12 Around the great courtyard were three rows of chiseled stones and one row of
cedar beams, like the inner courtyard of the LORD’s temple and the hall of the
palace.
13 Solomon Commissions Hiram to Supply the Temple King Solomon sent for Hiram of
Tyre.
14 He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a
craftsman in bronze from Tyre. He had the skill and knowledge to make all kinds
of works of bronze. He reported to King Solomon and did all the work he was
assigned.
15 He fashioned two bronze pillars; each pillar was 27 feet high and 18 feet in
circumference.
16 He made two bronze tops for the pillars; each was seven-and-a-half feet high.
17 The latticework on the tops of the pillars was adorned with ornamental
wreaths and chains; the top of each pillar had seven groupings of ornaments.
18 When he made the pillars, there were two rows of pomegranate-shaped ornaments
around the latticework covering the top of each pillar.
19 The tops of the two pillars in the porch were shaped like lilies and were six
feet high.
20 On the top of each pillar, right above the bulge beside the latticework,
there were two hundred pomegranate-shaped ornaments arranged in rows all the way
around.
21 He set up the pillars on the porch in front of the main hall. He erected one
pillar on the right side and called it Yakin; he erected the other pillar on the
left side and called it Boaz.
22 The tops of the pillars were shaped like lilies. So the construction of the
pillars was completed.
23 He also made the large bronze basin called“The Sea.” It measured 15 feet
from rim to rim, was circular in shape, and stood seven-and-a-half feet high.
Its circumference was 45 feet.
24 Under the rim all the way around it were round ornaments arranged in settings
15 feet long. The ornaments were in two rows and had been cast with“The
Sea.”
25 “The Sea” stood on top of twelve bulls. Three faced northward, three
westward, three southward, and three eastward.“The Sea” was placed on top of
them, and they all faced outward.
26 It was four fingers thick and its rim was like that of a cup shaped like a
lily blossom. It could hold about 12,000 gallons.
27 He also made ten bronze movable stands. Each stand was six feet long, six
feet wide, and four-and-a-half feet high.
28 The stands were constructed with frames between the joints.
29 On these frames and joints were ornamental lions, bulls, and cherubim. Under
the lions and bulls were decorative wreaths.
30 Each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles and four supports. Under
the basin the supports were fashioned on each side with wreaths.
31 Inside the stand was a round opening that was a foot-and-a-half deep; it had
a support that was two and one-quarter feet long. On the edge of the opening
were carvings in square frames.
32 The four wheels were under the frames and the crossbars of the axles were
connected to the stand. Each wheel was two and one-quarter feet high.
33 The wheels were constructed like chariot wheels; their crossbars, rims,
spokes, and hubs were made of cast metal.
34 Each stand had four supports, one per side projecting out from the stand.
35 On top of each stand was a round opening three-quarters of a foot deep; there
were also supports and frames on top of the stands.
36 He engraved ornamental cherubim, lions, and palm trees on the plates of the
supports and frames wherever there was room, with wreaths all around.
37 He made the ten stands in this way. All of them were cast in one mold and
were identical in measurements and shape.
38 He also made ten bronze basins, each of which could hold about 240 gallons.
Each basin was six feet in diameter; there was one basin for each stand.
39 He put five basins on the south side of the temple and five on the north
side. He put“The Sea” on the south side, in the southeast corner.
40 Hiram also made basins, shovels, and bowls. He finished all the work on the
LORD’s temple he had been assigned by King Solomon.
41 He made the two pillars, the two bowl-shaped tops of the pillars, the
latticework for the bowl-shaped tops of the two pillars,
42 the four hundred pomegranate-shaped ornaments for the latticework of the two
pillars(each latticework had two rows of these ornaments at the bowl-shaped top
of the pillar),
43 the ten movable stands with their ten basins,
44 the big bronze basin called“The Sea” with its twelve bulls underneath,
45 and the pots, shovels, and bowls. All these items King Solomon assigned Hiram
to make for the LORD’s temple were made from polished bronze.
46 The king had them cast in earth foundries in the region of the Jordan between
Succoth and Zarethan.
47 Solomon left all these items unweighed; there were so many of them they did
not weigh the bronze.
48 Solomon also made all these items for the LORD’s temple: the gold altar,
the gold table on which was kept the Bread of the Presence,
49 the pure gold lampstands at the entrance to the inner sanctuary(five on the
right and five on the left), the gold flower-shaped ornaments, lamps, and tongs,
50 the pure gold bowls, trimming shears, basins, pans, and censers, and the gold
door sockets for the inner sanctuary(the most holy place) and for the doors of
the main hall of the temple.
51 When King Solomon finished constructing the LORD’s temple, he put the holy
items that belonged to his father David(the silver, gold, and other articles) in
the treasuries of the LORD’s temple.

Chapter 8

1 Solomon Moves the Ark into the Temple Then Solomon convened in Jerusalem
Israel’s elders, all the leaders of the Israelite tribes and families, so they
could witness the transferal of the ark of the LORD’s covenant from the City
of David(that is, Zion).
2 All the men of Israel assembled before King Solomon during the festival in the
month Ethanim(the seventh month).
3 When all Israel’s elders had arrived, the priests lifted the ark.
4 The priests and Levites carried the ark of the LORD, the tent of meeting, and
all the holy items in the tent.
5 Now King Solomon and all the Israelites who had assembled with him went on
ahead of the ark and sacrificed more sheep and cattle than could be counted or
numbered.
6 The priests brought the ark of the LORD’s covenant to its assigned place in
the inner sanctuary of the temple, in the most holy place, under the wings of
the cherubim.
7 The cherubim’s wings extended over the place where the ark sat; the cherubim
overshadowed the ark and its poles.
8 The poles were so long their ends were visible from the holy place in front of
the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from beyond that point. They
have remained there to this very day.
9 There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets Moses had placed
there in Horeb. It was there that the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites
after he brought them out of the land of Egypt.
10 Once the priests left the holy place, a cloud filled the LORD’s temple.
11 The priests could not carry out their duties because of the cloud; the
LORD’s glory filled his temple.
12 Then Solomon said,“The LORD has said that he lives in thick darkness.
13 O LORD, truly I have built a lofty temple for you, a place where you can live
permanently.”
14 Then the king turned around and pronounced a blessing over the whole
Israelite assembly as they stood there.
15 He said,“The LORD God of Israel is worthy of praise because he has
fulfilled what he promised my father David.
16 He told David,‘Since the day I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I
have not chosen a city from all the tribes of Israel to build a temple in which
to live. But I have chosen David to lead my people Israel.’
17 Now my father David had a strong desire to build a temple to honor the LORD
God of Israel.
18 The LORD told my father David,‘It is right for you to have a strong desire
to build a temple to honor me.
19 But you will not build the temple; your very own son will build the temple
for my honor.’
20 The LORD has kept the promise he made. I have taken my father David’s place
and have occupied the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised. I have built this
temple for the honor of the LORD God of Israel
21 and set up in it a place for the ark containing the covenant the LORD made
with our ancestors when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.”
22 Solomon Prays for Israel Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in front
of the entire assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward the sky.
23 He prayed:“O LORD, God of Israel, there is no god like you in heaven above
or on earth below! You maintain covenantal loyalty to your servants who obey you
with sincerity.
24 You have kept your word to your servant, my father David; this very day you
have fulfilled what you promised.
25 Now, O LORD, God of Israel, keep the promise you made to your servant, my
father David, when you said,‘You will never fail to have a successor ruling
before me on the throne of Israel, provided that your descendants watch their
step and serve me as you have done.’
26 Now, O God of Israel, may the promise you made to your servant, my father
David, be realized.
27 “God does not really live on the earth! Look, if the sky and the highest
heaven cannot contain you, how much less this temple I have built!
28 But respond favorably to your servant’s prayer and his request for help, O
LORD my God. Answer the desperate prayer your servant is presenting to you
today.
29 Night and day may you watch over this temple, the place where you promised
you would live. May you answer your servant’s prayer for this place.
30 Respond to the request of your servant and your people Israel for this place.
Hear from inside your heavenly dwelling place and respond favorably.
31 “When someone is accused of sinning against his neighbor and the latter
pronounces a curse on the alleged offender before your altar in this temple, be
willing to forgive the accused if the accusation is false.
32 Listen from heaven and make a just decision about your servants’ claims.
Condemn the guilty party, declare the other innocent, and give both of them what
they deserve.
33 “The time will come when your people Israel are defeated by an enemy
because they sinned against you. If they come back to you, renew their
allegiance to you, and pray for your help in this temple,
34 then listen from heaven, forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring
them back to the land you gave to their ancestors.
35 “The time will come when the skies are shut up tightly and no rain falls
because your people sinned against you. When they direct their prayers toward
this place, renew their allegiance to you, and turn away from their sin because
you punish them,
36 then listen from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people
Israel. Certainly you will then teach them the right way to live and send rain
on your land that you have given your people to possess.
37 “The time will come when the land suffers from a famine, a plague, blight
and disease, or a locust invasion, or when their enemy lays siege to the cities
of the land, or when some other type of plague or epidemic occurs.
38 When all your people Israel pray and ask for help, as they acknowledge their
pain and spread out their hands toward this temple,
39 then listen from your heavenly dwelling place, forgive their sin, and act
favorably toward each one based on your evaluation of his motives.(Indeed you
are the only one who can correctly evaluate the motives of all people.)
40 Then they will obey you throughout their lifetimes as they live on the land
you gave to our ancestors.
41 “Foreigners, who do not belong to your people Israel, will come from a
distant land because of your reputation.
42 When they hear about your great reputation and your ability to accomplish
mighty deeds, they will come and direct their prayers toward this temple.
43 Then listen from your heavenly dwelling place and answer all the prayers of
the foreigners. Then all the nations of the earth will acknowledge your
reputation, obey you like your people Israel do, and recognize that this temple
I built belongs to you.
44 “When you direct your people to march out and fight their enemies, and they
direct their prayers to the LORD toward his chosen city and this temple I built
for your honor,
45 then listen from heaven to their prayers for help and vindicate them.
46 “The time will come when your people will sin against you(for there is no
one who is sinless!) and you will be angry with them and deliver them over to
their enemies, who will take them as prisoners to their own land, whether far
away or close by.
47 When your people come to their senses in the land where they are held
prisoner, they will repent and beg for your mercy in the land of their
imprisonment, admitting,‘We have sinned and gone astray; we have done evil.’
48 When they return to you with all their heart and being in the land where they
are held prisoner, and direct their prayers to you toward the land you gave to
their ancestors, your chosen city, and the temple I built for your honor,
49 then listen from your heavenly dwelling place to their prayers for help and
vindicate them.
50 Forgive all the rebellious acts of your sinful people and cause their captors
to have mercy on them.
51 After all, they are your people and your special possession whom you brought
out of Egypt, from the middle of the iron-smelting furnace.
52 “May you be attentive to your servant’s and your people Israel’s
requests for help and may you respond to all their prayers to you.
53 After all, you picked them out of all the nations of the earth to be your
special possession, just as you, O Sovereign LORD, announced through your
servant Moses when you brought our ancestors out of Egypt.”
54 When Solomon finished presenting all these prayers and requests to the LORD,
he got up from before the altar of the LORD where he had kneeled and spread out
his hands toward the sky.
55 When he stood up, he pronounced a blessing over the entire assembly of
Israel, saying in a loud voice:
56 “The LORD is worthy of praise because he has made Israel his people secure
just as he promised! Not one of all the faithful promises he made through his
servant Moses is left unfulfilled!
57 May the LORD our God be with us, as he was with our ancestors. May he not
abandon us or leave us.
58 May he make us submissive, so we can follow all his instructions and obey the
commandments, rules, and regulations he commanded our ancestors.
59 May the LORD our God be constantly aware of these requests of mine I have
presented to him, so that he might vindicate his servant and his people Israel
as the need arises.
60 Then all the nations of the earth will recognize that the LORD is the only
genuine God.
61 May you demonstrate wholehearted devotion to the LORD our God by following
his rules and obeying his commandments, as you are presently doing.”
62 Solomon Dedicates the Temple The king and all Israel with him were presenting
sacrifices to the LORD.
63 Solomon offered as peace offerings to the LORD 22,000 cattle and 120,000
sheep. Then the king and all the Israelites dedicated the LORD’s temple.
64 That day the king consecrated the middle of the courtyard that is in front of
the LORD’s temple. He offered there burnt sacrifices, grain offerings, and the
fat from the peace offerings, because the bronze altar that stood before the
LORD was too small to hold all these offerings.
65 At that time Solomon and all Israel with him celebrated a festival before the
LORD our God for two entire weeks. This great assembly included people from all
over the land, from Lebo Hamath in the north to the Stream of Egypt in the
south.
66 On the fifteenth day after the festival started, he dismissed the people.
They asked God to empower the king and then went to their homes, happy and
content because of all the good the LORD had done for his servant David and his
people Israel.

Chapter 9

1 The Lord Gives Solomon a Promise and a Warning After Solomon finished building
the LORD’s temple, the royal palace, and all the other construction projects
he had planned,
2 the LORD appeared to Solomon a second time, in the same way he had appeared to
him at Gibeon.
3 The LORD said to him,“I have answered your prayer and your request for help
that you made to me. I have consecrated this temple you built by making it my
permanent home; I will be constantly present there.
4 You must serve me with integrity and sincerity, just as your father David did.
Do everything I commanded and obey my rules and regulations.
5 Then I will allow your dynasty to rule over Israel permanently, just as I
promised your father David,‘You will not fail to have a successor on the
throne of Israel.’
6 “But if you or your sons ever turn away from me, fail to obey the
regulations and rules I instructed you to keep, and decide to serve and worship
other gods,
7 then I will remove Israel from the land I have given them, I will abandon this
temple I have consecrated with my presence, and Israel will be mocked and
ridiculed among all the nations.
8 This temple will become a heap of ruins; everyone who passes by it will be
shocked and will hiss out their scorn, saying,‘Why did the LORD do this to
this land and this temple?’
9 Others will then answer,‘Because they abandoned the LORD their God, who led
their ancestors out of Egypt. They embraced other gods whom they worshiped and
served. That is why the LORD has brought all this disaster down on them.’”
10 Foreign Affairs and Building Projects After twenty years, during which
Solomon built the LORD’s temple and the royal palace,
11 King Solomon gave King Hiram of Tyre twenty cities in the region of Galilee,
because Hiram had supplied Solomon with cedars, evergreens, and all the gold he
wanted.
12 When Hiram went out from Tyre to inspect the cities Solomon had given him, he
was not pleased with them.
13 Hiram asked,“Why did you give me these cities, my friend?” He called that
area the region of Cabul, a name which it has retained to this day.
14 Hiram had sent to the king 120 talents of gold.
15 Here are the details concerning the work crews King Solomon conscripted to
build the LORD’s temple, his palace, the terrace, the wall of Jerusalem, and
the cities of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.
16 (Pharaoh, king of Egypt, had attacked and captured Gezer. He burned it and
killed the Canaanites who lived in the city. He gave it as a wedding present to
his daughter, who had married Solomon.)
17 Solomon built up Gezer, lower Beth Horon,
18 Baalath, Tadmor in the wilderness,
19 all the storage cities that belonged to him, and the cities where chariots
and horses were kept. He built whatever he wanted in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and
throughout his entire kingdom.
20 Now several non-Israelite peoples were left in the land after the conquest of
Joshua, including the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
21 Their descendants remained in the land(the Israelites were unable to wipe
them out completely). Solomon conscripted them for his work crews, and they
continue in that role to this very day.
22 Solomon did not assign Israelites to these work crews; the Israelites served
as his soldiers, attendants, officers, charioteers, and commanders of his
chariot forces.
23 These men were also in charge of Solomon’s work projects; there were a
total of 550 men who supervised the workers.
24 Solomon built the terrace as soon as Pharaoh’s daughter moved up from the
City of David to the palace Solomon built for her.
25 Three times a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the
altar he had built for the LORD, burning incense along with them before the
LORD. He made the temple his official worship place.
26 King Solomon also built ships in Ezion Geber, which is located near Elat in
the land of Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea.
27 Hiram sent his fleet and some of his sailors, who were well acquainted with
the sea, to serve with Solomon’s men.
28 They sailed to Ophir, took from there 420 talents of gold, and then brought
them to King Solomon.

Chapter 10

1 Solomon Entertains a Queen When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon, she
came to challenge him with difficult questions.
2 She arrived in Jerusalem with a great display of pomp, bringing with her
camels carrying spices, a very large quantity of gold, and precious gems. She
visited Solomon and discussed with him everything that was on her mind.
3 Solomon answered all her questions; there was no question too complex for the
king.
4 When the queen of Sheba saw for herself Solomon’s extensive wisdom, the
palace he had built,
5 the food in his banquet hall, his servants and attendants, their robes, his
cupbearers, and his burnt offerings which he presented in the LORD’s temple,
she was amazed.
6 She said to the king,“The report I heard in my own country about your wise
sayings and insight was true!
7 I did not believe these things until I came and saw them with my own eyes.
Indeed, I didn’t hear even half the story! Your wisdom and wealth surpass what
was reported to me.
8 Your attendants, who stand before you at all times and hear your wise sayings,
are truly happy!
9 May the LORD your God be praised because he favored you by placing you on the
throne of Israel! Because of the LORD’s eternal love for Israel, he made you
king so you could make just and right decisions.”
10 She gave the king 120 talents of gold, a very large quantity of spices, and
precious gems. The quantity of spices the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon has
never been matched.
11 (Hiram’s fleet, which carried gold from Ophir, also brought from Ophir a
very large quantity of fine timber and precious gems.
12 With the timber the king made supports for the LORD’s temple and for the
royal palace and stringed instruments for the musicians. No one has seen so much
of this fine timber to this very day.)
13 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she requested, besides what
he had freely offered her. Then she left and returned to her homeland with her
attendants.
14 Solomon’s Wealth Solomon received 666 talents of gold per year,
15 besides what he collected from the merchants, traders, Arabian kings, and
governors of the land.
16 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; 600 measures of
gold were used for each shield.
17 He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold; three minas of
gold were used for each of these shields. The king placed them in the Palace of
the Lebanon Forest.
18 The king made a large throne decorated with ivory and overlaid it with pure
gold.
19 There were six steps leading up to the throne, and the back of it was rounded
on top. The throne had two armrests with a statue of a lion standing on each
side.
20 There were twelve statues of lions on the six steps, one lion at each end of
each step. There was nothing like it in any other kingdom.
21 All of King Solomon’s cups were made of gold, and all the household items
in the Palace of the Lebanon Forest were made of pure gold. There were no silver
items, for silver was not considered very valuable in Solomon’s time.
22 Along with Hiram’s fleet, the king had a fleet of large merchant ships that
sailed the sea. Once every three years the fleet came into port with cargoes of
gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
23 King Solomon was wealthier and wiser than any of the kings of the earth.
24 Everyone in the world wanted to visit Solomon to see him display his
God-given wisdom.
25 Year after year visitors brought their gifts, which included items of silver,
items of gold, clothes, perfume, spices, horses, and mules.
26 Solomon accumulated chariots and horses. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000
horses. He kept them in assigned cities and in Jerusalem.
27 The king made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones; cedar was as
plentiful as sycamore fig trees are in the foothills.
28 Solomon acquired his horses from Egypt and from Que; the king’s traders
purchased them from Que.
29 They paid 600 silver pieces for each chariot from Egypt and 150 silver pieces
for each horse. They also sold chariots and horses to all the kings of the
Hittites and to the kings of Syria.

Chapter 11

1 The Lord Punishes Solomon for Idolatry King Solomon fell in love with many
foreign women(besides Pharaoh’s daughter), including Moabites, Ammonites,
Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites.
2 They came from nations about which the LORD had warned the Israelites,“You
must not establish friendly relations with them! If you do, they will surely
shift your allegiance to their gods.” But Solomon was irresistibly attracted
to them.
3 He had 700 royal wives and 300 concubines; his wives had a powerful influence
over him.
4 When Solomon became old, his wives shifted his allegiance to other gods; he
was not wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD his God, as his father David had
been.
5 Solomon worshiped the Sidonian goddess Astarte and the detestable Ammonite god
Milcom.
6 Solomon did evil in the LORD’s sight; he did not remain loyal to the LORD,
like his father David had.
7 Furthermore, on the hill east of Jerusalem Solomon built a high place for the
detestable Moabite god Chemosh and for the detestable Ammonite god Milcom.
8 He built high places for all his foreign wives so they could burn incense and
make sacrifices to their gods.
9 The LORD was angry with Solomon because he had shifted his allegiance away
from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him on two occasions
10 and had warned him about this very thing, so that he would not follow other
gods. But he did not obey the LORD’s command.
11 So the LORD said to Solomon,“Because you insist on doing these things and
have not kept the covenantal rules I gave you, I will surely tear the kingdom
away from you and give it to your servant.
12 However, for your father David’s sake I will not do this while you are
alive. I will tear it away from your son’s hand instead.
13 But I will not tear away the entire kingdom; I will leave your son one tribe
for my servant David’s sake and for the sake of my chosen city Jerusalem.”
14 The LORD brought against Solomon an enemy, Hadad the Edomite, a descendant of
the Edomite king.
15 During David’s campaign against Edom, Joab, the commander of the army,
while on a mission to bury the dead, killed every male in Edom.
16 For Joab and the entire Israelite army stayed there six months until they had
exterminated every male in Edom.
17 Hadad, who was only a small boy at the time, escaped with some of his
father’s Edomite servants and headed for Egypt.
18 They went from Midian to Paran; they took some men from Paran and went to
Egypt. Pharaoh, king of Egypt, gave him a house and some land and supplied him
with food.
19 Pharaoh liked Hadad so well he gave him his sister-in-law(Queen Tahpenes’
sister) as a wife.
20 Tahpenes’ sister gave birth to his son, named Genubath. Tahpenes raised him
in Pharaoh’s palace; Genubath grew up in Pharaoh’s palace among Pharaoh’s
sons.
21 While in Egypt Hadad heard that David had passed away and that Joab, the
commander of the army, was dead. So Hadad asked Pharaoh,“Give me permission to
leave so I can return to my homeland.”
22 Pharaoh said to him,“What do you lack here that makes you want to go to
your homeland?” Hadad replied,“Nothing, but please give me permission to
leave.”
23 God also brought against Solomon another enemy, Rezon son of Eliada who had
run away from his master, King Hadadezer of Zobah.
24 He gathered some men and organized a raiding band. When David tried to kill
them, they went to Damascus, where they settled down and gained control of the
city.
25 He was Israel’s enemy throughout Solomon’s reign and, like Hadad, caused
trouble. He loathed Israel and ruled over Syria.
26 Jeroboam son of Nebat, one of Solomon’s servants, rebelled against the
king. He was an Ephraimite from Zeredah whose mother was a widow named Zeruah.
27 This is what prompted him to rebel against the king: Solomon built a terrace
and he closed up a gap in the wall of the city of his father David.
28 Jeroboam was a talented man; when Solomon saw that the young man was an
accomplished worker, he made him the leader of the work crew from the tribe of
Joseph.
29 At that time, when Jeroboam had left Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the
Shilonite met him on the road; the two of them were alone in the open country.
Ahijah was wearing a brand new robe,
30 and he grabbed the robe and tore it into twelve pieces.
31 Then he told Jeroboam,“Take ten pieces, for this is what the LORD God of
Israel has said:‘Look, I am about to tear the kingdom from Solomon’s hand
and I will give ten tribes to you.
32 He will retain one tribe, for my servant David’s sake and for the sake of
Jerusalem, the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.
33 I am taking the kingdom from him because they have abandoned me and worshiped
the Sidonian goddess Astarte, the Moabite god Chemosh, and the Ammonite god
Milcom. They have not followed my instructions by doing what I approve and
obeying my rules and regulations, like Solomon’s father David did.
34 I will not take the whole kingdom from his hand. I will allow him to be ruler
for the rest of his life for the sake of my chosen servant David who kept my
commandments and rules.
35 I will take the kingdom from the hand of his son and give ten tribes to you.
36 I will leave his son one tribe so my servant David’s dynasty may continue
to serve me in Jerusalem, the city I have chosen as my home.
37 I will select you; you will rule over all you desire to have and you will be
king over Israel.
38 You must obey all I command you to do, follow my instructions, do what I
approve, and keep my rules and commandments, like my servant David did. Then I
will be with you and establish for you a lasting dynasty, as I did for David; I
will give you Israel.
39 I will humiliate David’s descendants because of this, but not forever.”
40 Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam escaped to Egypt and found
refuge with King Shishak of Egypt. He stayed in Egypt until Solomon died.
41 Solomon’s Reign Ends The rest of the events of Solomon’s reign, including
all his accomplishments and his wise decisions, are recorded in the scroll
called the Annals of Solomon.
42 Solomon ruled over all Israel from Jerusalem for forty years.
43 Then Solomon passed away and was buried in the city of his father David. His
son Rehoboam replaced him as king.

Chapter 12

1 Rehoboam Loses His Kingdom Rehoboam traveled to Shechem, for all Israel had
gathered in Shechem to make Rehoboam king.
2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard the news, he was still in Egypt, where he had
fled from King Solomon and had been living ever since.
3 They sent for him, and Jeroboam and the whole Israelite assembly came and
spoke to Rehoboam, saying,
4 “Your father made us work too hard. Now if you lighten the demands he made
and don’t make us work as hard, we will serve you.”
5 He said to them,“Go away for three days, then return to me.” So the people
went away.
6 King Rehoboam consulted with the older advisers who had served his father
Solomon when he had been alive. He asked them,“How do you advise me to answer
these people?”
7 They said to him,“Today if you will be a servant to these people and grant
their request, speaking kind words to them, they will be your servants from this
time forward.”
8 But Rehoboam rejected their advice and consulted the young advisers who served
him, with whom he had grown up.
9 He asked them,“How do you advise me to respond to these people who said to
me,‘Lessen the demands your father placed on us’?”
10 The young advisers with whom Rehoboam had grown up said to him,“Say this to
these people who have said to you,‘Your father made us work hard, but now
lighten our burden.’ Say this to them:‘I am a lot harsher than my father!
11 My father imposed heavy demands on you; I will make them even heavier. My
father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that
really sting your flesh.’”
12 Jeroboam and all the people reported to Rehoboam on the third day, just as
the king had ordered when he said,“Return to me on the third day.”
13 The king responded to the people harshly. He rejected the advice of the older
men
14 and followed the advice of the younger ones. He said,“My father imposed
heavy demands on you; I will make them even heavier. My father punished you with
ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh.”
15 The king refused to listen to the people, because the LORD was instigating
this turn of events so that he might bring to pass the prophetic announcement he
had made through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.
16 When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, the people
answered the king,“We have no portion in David, no share in the son of Jesse!
Return to your homes, O Israel! Now, look after your own dynasty, O David!” So
Israel returned to their homes.
17 (Rehoboam continued to rule over the Israelites who lived in the cities of
Judah.)
18 King Rehoboam sent Adoniram, the supervisor of the work crews, out after
them, but all Israel stoned him to death. King Rehoboam managed to jump into his
chariot and escape to Jerusalem.
19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the Davidic dynasty to this very day.
20 When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they summoned him to the
assembly and made him king over all Israel. No one except the tribe of Judah
remained loyal to the Davidic dynasty.
21 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he summoned 180,000 skilled warriors from
all of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin to attack Israel and restore the kingdom
to Rehoboam son of Solomon.
22 But God told Shemaiah the prophet,
23 “Say this to King Rehoboam son of Solomon of Judah, and to all Judah and
Benjamin, as well as the rest of the people,
24 ‘This is what the LORD has said:“Do not attack and make war with your
brothers, the Israelites. Each of you go home. Indeed this thing has happened
because of me.”’” So they obeyed the LORD’s message. They went home in
keeping with the LORD’s message.
25 Jeroboam Makes Golden Calves Jeroboam built up Shechem in the Ephraimite hill
country and lived there. From there he went out and built up Penuel.
26 Jeroboam then thought to himself:“Now the Davidic dynasty could regain the
kingdom.
27 If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the LORD’s temple in
Jerusalem, their loyalty could shift to their former master, King Rehoboam of
Judah. They might kill me and return to King Rehoboam of Judah.”
28 After the king had consulted with his advisers, he made two golden calves.
Then he said to the people,“It is too much trouble for you to go up to
Jerusalem. Look, Israel, here are your gods who brought you up from the land of
Egypt.”
29 He put one in Bethel and the other in Dan.
30 This caused Israel to sin; the people went to Bethel and Dan to worship the
calves.
31 He built temples on the high places and appointed as priests common people
who were not Levites.
32 Jeroboam inaugurated a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month,
like the festival celebrated in Judah. On the altar in Bethel he offered
sacrifices to the calves he had made. In Bethel he also appointed priests for
the high places he had made.
33 A Prophet from Judah Visits Bethel On the fifteenth day of the eighth month(a
date he had arbitrarily chosen) Jeroboam offered sacrifices on the altar he had
made in Bethel. He inaugurated a festival for the Israelites and went up to the
altar to offer sacrifices.

Chapter 13

1 Just then a prophet arrived from Judah with the LORD’s message for Bethel,
as Jeroboam was standing near the altar ready to offer a sacrifice.
2 He cried out against the altar with the LORD’S message,“O altar, altar!
This is what the LORD has said,‘Look, a son named Josiah will be born to the
Davidic dynasty. He will sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who
offer sacrifices on you. Human bones will be burned on you.’”
3 That day he had also given a sign, saying,“This is the sign that the LORD
has declared: The altar will split open and the ashes on it will pour out.”
4 When the king heard the prophet’s message that he had cried out against the
altar in Bethel, Jeroboam took his hand from the altar and pointed it
saying,“Seize him!” Then the hand that he had pointed at him stiffened up
and he could not pull it back.
5 Meanwhile the altar split open and the ashes poured from the altar in
fulfillment of the sign the prophet had given with the LORD’s message.
6 The king responded to the prophet,“Seek the favor of the LORD your God and
pray for me, so that my hand may be restored.” So the prophet sought the
LORD’s favor and the king’s hand was restored as it was at first.
7 The king then said to the prophet,“Come home with me and have something to
eat, so that I may give you a gift.”
8 But the prophet said to the king,“Even if you were to give me half your
possessions, I would not go with you. I am not allowed to eat food or drink
water in this place.
9 For this is how I was commanded in the LORD’s message,‘Eat no food. Drink
no water. And do not return by the way you came.’”
10 So he started back on another road; he did not travel back on the same road
he had taken to Bethel.
11 Now there was an old prophet living in Bethel. When his sons came home, they
told him everything the prophet had done in Bethel that day. And they told their
father all the words that he had spoken to the king.
12 Their father asked them,“Which road did he take?” His sons showed him the
road the prophet from Judah had taken.
13 He then told his sons,“Saddle the donkey for me.” When they had saddled
the donkey for him, he mounted it
14 and took off after the prophet, whom he found sitting under an oak tree. He
asked him,“Are you the prophet from Judah?” He answered,“Yes, I am.”
15 He then said to him,“Come home with me and eat something.”
16 But he replied,“I can’t go back with you. I am not allowed to eat food or
to drink water with you in this place.
17 For an order came to me in the LORD’s message,‘Eat no food. Drink no
water there. And do not return by the way you came.’”
18 Then the old prophet said,“I too am a prophet like you. And an angel has
told me in a message from the LORD,‘Bring him back with you to your house so
he can eat food and drink water.’” But he had lied to him.
19 So the prophet went back with him. He ate food in his house and he drank
water.
20 While they were sitting at the table, the LORD’s message came to the old
prophet who had brought him back.
21 So he cried out to the prophet who had come from Judah,“This is what the
LORD has said,‘You have rebelled against the LORD’s instruction and have not
obeyed the command the LORD your God gave you.
22 You went back. You ate food. And you drank water in the place of which he had
said to you,“Eat no food. Drink no water.” Therefore your corpse will not be
buried in your ancestral tomb.’”
23 So this is what happened after he had eaten food and drunk water. The old
prophet saddled the donkey for the prophet whom he had brought back.
24 So the prophet from Judah travelled on. Then a lion attacked him on the road
and killed him.There was his body lying on the road, with the donkey standing
next to it, and the lion just standing there by the body.
25 Then some men came passing by and saw the body lying in the road with the
lion standing next to the body. They went and reported what they had seen in the
city where the old prophet lived.
26 When the old prophet who had invited him to his house heard the news, he
said,“It is the prophet who rebelled against the LORD. The LORD delivered him
over to the lion and it tore him up and killed him, in keeping with the LORD’S
message that he had spoken to him.”
27 He told his sons,“Saddle my donkey.” So they saddled it.
28 He went and found the body lying in the road with the donkey and the lion
standing beside it; the lion had neither eaten the body nor attacked the donkey.
29 The old prophet picked up the prophet’s body, put it on the donkey, and
brought it back. The old prophet then entered the city to mourn him and to bury
him.
30 He put the body into his own tomb, and they mourned over him, saying,“Ah,
my brother!”
31 After he buried him, he said to his sons,“When I die, bury me in the tomb
where the prophet is buried; put my bones right beside his bones,
32 because the message that he announced as the LORD’s message against the
altar in Bethel and against all the temples on the high places in the cities of
the north will certainly be fulfilled.”
33 A Prophet Announces the End of Jeroboam’s Dynasty After this happened,
Jeroboam still did not change his evil ways; he continued to appoint common
people as priests at the high places. Anyone who wanted the job he consecrated
as a priest.
34 This sin caused Jeroboam’s dynasty to come to an end and to be destroyed
from the face of the earth.

Chapter 14

1 At that time Jeroboam’s son Abijah became sick.
2 Jeroboam told his wife,“Disguise yourself so that people cannot recognize
you are Jeroboam’s wife. Then go to Shiloh; Ahijah the prophet, who told me I
would rule over this nation, lives there.
3 Take ten loaves of bread, some small cakes, and a container of honey and visit
him. He will tell you what will happen to the boy.”
4 Jeroboam’s wife did as she was told. She went to Shiloh and visited Ahijah.
Now Ahijah could not see; he had lost his eyesight in his old age.
5 But the LORD had told Ahijah,“Look, Jeroboam’s wife is coming to find out
from you what will happen to her son, for he is sick. Tell her such-and-such.
When she comes, she will be in a disguise.”
6 When Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps as she came through the door, he
said,“Come on in, wife of Jeroboam! Why are you pretending to be someone else?
I have been commissioned to give you bad news.
7 Go, tell Jeroboam,‘This is what the LORD God of Israel has said:“I raised
you up from among the people and made you ruler over my people Israel.
8 I tore the kingdom away from the Davidic dynasty and gave it to you. But you
are not like my servant David, who kept my commandments and followed me
wholeheartedly by doing only what I approve.
9 You have sinned more than all who came before you. You went and angered me by
making other gods, formed out of metal; you have completely disregarded me.
10 So I am ready to bring disaster on the dynasty of Jeroboam. I will cut off
every last male belonging to Jeroboam in Israel, including even the weak and
incapacitated. I will burn up the dynasty of Jeroboam, just as one burns manure
until it is completely consumed.
11 Dogs will eat the members of your family who die in the city, and the birds
of the sky will eat the ones who die in the country.”’ Indeed, the LORD has
announced it!
12 “As for you, get up and go home. When you set foot in the city, the boy
will die.
13 All Israel will mourn him and bury him. He is the only one in Jeroboam’s
family who will receive a decent burial, for he is the only one in whom the LORD
God of Israel found anything good.
14 The LORD will raise up a king over Israel who will cut off Jeroboam’s
dynasty. It is ready to happen!
15 The LORD will attack Israel, making it like a reed that sways in the water.
He will remove Israel from this good land he gave to their ancestors and scatter
them beyond the Euphrates River, because they angered the LORD by making Asherah
poles.
16 He will hand Israel over to their enemies because of the sins which Jeroboam
committed and which he made Israel commit.”
17 So Jeroboam’s wife got up and went back to Tirzah. As she crossed the
threshold of the house, the boy died.
18 All Israel buried him and mourned for him, in keeping with the LORD’s
message that he had spoken through his servant, the prophet Ahijah.
19 Jeroboam’s Reign Ends The rest of the events of Jeroboam’s reign,
including the details of his battles and rule, are recorded in the scroll called
the Annals of the Kings of Israel.
20 Jeroboam ruled for twenty-two years; then he passed away. His son Nadab
replaced him as king.
21 Rehoboam’s Reign over Judah Now Rehoboam son of Solomon ruled in Judah. He
was forty-one years old when he became king and he ruled for seventeen years in
Jerusalem, the city the LORD chose from all the tribes of Israel to be his home.
His mother was an Ammonite woman named Naamah.
22 Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD. They made him more jealous by their
sins than their ancestors had done.
23 They even built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles
on every high hill and under every green tree.
24 There were also male cultic prostitutes in the land. They committed the same
horrible sins as the nations that the LORD had driven out from before the
Israelites.
25 In King Rehoboam’s fifth year, King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem.
26 He took away the treasures of the LORD’s temple and of the royal palace; he
took everything, including all the golden shields that Solomon had made.
27 King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and assigned them to the
officers of the royal guard who protected the entrance to the royal palace.
28 Whenever the king visited the LORD’s temple, the royal guard carried them
and then brought them back to the guardroom.
29 The rest of the events of Rehoboam’s reign, including his accomplishments,
are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah.
30 Rehoboam and Jeroboam were continually at war with each other.
31 Rehoboam passed away and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David.
His mother was an Ammonite named Naamah. His son Abijah replaced him as king.

Chapter 15

1 Abijah’s Reign over Judah In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam
son of Nebat, Abijah became king over Judah.
2 He ruled for three years in Jerusalem. His mother was Maacah, the daughter of
Abishalom.
3 He followed all the sinful practices of his father before him. He was not
wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD his God, as his ancestor David had been.
4 Nevertheless for David’s sake the LORD his God maintained his dynasty in
Jerusalem by giving him a son to succeed him and by protecting Jerusalem.
5 He did this because David had done what he approved and had not disregarded
any of his commandments his entire lifetime, except for the incident involving
Uriah the Hittite.
6 Rehoboam and Jeroboam were continually at war with each other throughout
Abijah’s lifetime.
7 The rest of the events of Abijah’s reign, including all his accomplishments,
are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. Abijah and
Jeroboam had been at war with each other.
8 Abijah passed away and was buried in the City of David. His son Asa replaced
him as king.
9 Asa’s Reign over Judah In the twentieth year of Jeroboam’s reign over
Israel, Asa became the king of Judah.
10 He ruled for forty-one years in Jerusalem. His grandmother was Maacah
daughter of Abishalom.
11 Asa did what the LORD approved like his ancestor David had done.
12 He removed the male cultic prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the
disgusting idols his ancestors had made.
13 He also removed Maacah his grandmother from her position as queen mother
because she had made a loathsome Asherah pole. Asa cut down her loathsome pole
and burned it in the Kidron Valley.
14 The high places were not eliminated, yet Asa was wholeheartedly devoted to
the LORD throughout his lifetime.
15 He brought the holy items that he and his father had made into the LORD’s
temple, including the silver, gold, and other articles.
16 Now Asa and King Baasha of Israel were continually at war with each other.
17 King Baasha of Israel attacked Judah and established Ramah as a military
outpost to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the land of King Asa of
Judah.
18 Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the
LORD’s temple and of the royal palace and handed it to his servants. He then
told them to deliver it to Ben Hadad son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king
of Syria, ruler in Damascus, along with this message:
19 “I want to make a treaty with you, like the one our fathers made. See, I
have sent you silver and gold as a present. Break your treaty with King Baasha
of Israel, so he will retreat from my land.”
20 Ben Hadad accepted King Asa’s offer and ordered his army commanders to
attack the cities of Israel. They conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maacah, and all
the territory of Naphtali, including the region of Kinnereth.
21 When Baasha heard the news, he stopped fortifying Ramah and settled down in
Tirzah.
22 King Asa ordered all the men of Judah(no exemptions were granted) to carry
away the stones and wood that Baasha had used to build Ramah. King Asa used the
materials to build up Geba(in Benjamin) and Mizpah.
23 The rest of the events of Asa’s reign, including all his successes and
accomplishments, as well as a record of the cities he built, are recorded in the
scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. Yet when he was very old he
developed a foot disease.
24 Asa passed away and was buried with his ancestors in the city of his ancestor
David. His son Jehoshaphat replaced him as king.
25 Nadab’s Reign over Israel In the second year of Asa’s reign over Judah,
Jeroboam’s son Nadab became the king of Israel; he ruled Israel for two years.
26 He did evil in the sight of the LORD. He followed in his father’s footsteps
and encouraged Israel to sin.
27 Baasha son of Ahijah, from the tribe of Issachar, conspired against Nadab and
assassinated him in Gibbethon, which was in Philistine territory. This happened
while Nadab and all the Israelite army were besieging Gibbethon.
28 Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa’s reign over Judah and replaced
him as king.
29 When he became king, he executed Jeroboam’s entire family. He wiped out
everyone who breathed, in keeping with the LORD’s message that he had spoken
through his servant Ahijah the Shilonite.
30 This happened because of the sins which Jeroboam committed and which he made
Israel commit. These sins angered the LORD God of Israel.
31 The rest of the events of Nadab’s reign, including all his accomplishments,
are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.
32 Asa and King Baasha of Israel were continually at war with each other.
33 Baasha’s Reign over Israel In the third year of Asa’s reign over Judah,
Baasha son of Ahijah became king over all Israel in Tirzah; he ruled for
twenty-four years.
34 He did evil in the sight of the LORD; he followed in Jeroboam’s footsteps
and encouraged Israel to sin.

Chapter 16

1 The LORD’S message against Baasha came to Jehu son of Hanani:
2 “I raised you up from the dust and made you ruler over my people Israel. Yet
you followed in Jeroboam’s footsteps and encouraged my people Israel to sin;
their sins have made me angry.
3 So I am ready to burn up Baasha and his family, and make your family like the
family of Jeroboam son of Nebat.
4 Dogs will eat the members of Baasha’s family who die in the city, and the
birds of the sky will eat the ones who die in the country.”
5 The rest of the events of Baasha’s reign, including his accomplishments and
successes, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.
6 Baasha passed away and was buried in Tirzah. His son Elah replaced him as
king.
7 And so it was the LORD’S message came through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani
against Baasha and his family. This was because of all the evil he had done in
the LORD’S view, by angering him with his deeds and becoming like Jereboam’s
dynasty, and because of how he had destroyed Jeroboam’s dynasty.
8 Elah’s Reign over Israel In the twenty-sixth year of Asa’s reign over
Judah, Baasha’s son Elah became king over Israel; he ruled in Tirzah for two
years.
9 His servant Zimri, a commander of half of his chariot force, conspired against
him. While Elah was in Tirzah drinking heavily at the house of Arza, who
supervised the palace in Tirzah,
10 Zimri came in and struck him dead.(This happened in the twenty-seventh year
of Asa’s reign over Judah.) Zimri replaced Elah as king.
11 When he became king and occupied the throne, he killed Baasha’s entire
family. He did not spare any male belonging to him; he killed his relatives and
his friends.
12 Zimri destroyed Baasha’s entire family, in keeping with the LORD’s
message which he had spoken against Baasha through Jehu the prophet.
13 This happened because of all the sins which Baasha and his son Elah committed
and which they made Israel commit. They angered the LORD God of Israel with
their worthless idols.
14 The rest of the events of Elah’s reign, including all his accomplishments,
are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.
15 Zimri’s Reign over Israel In the twenty-seventh year of Asa’s reign over
Judah, Zimri became king over Israel; he ruled for seven days in Tirzah.
Zimri’s revolt took place while the army was deployed in Gibbethon, which was
in Philistine territory.
16 While deployed there, the army received this report:“Zimri has conspired
against the king and assassinated him.” So all Israel made Omri, the commander
of the army, king over Israel that very day in the camp.
17 Omri and all Israel went up from Gibbethon and besieged Tirzah.
18 When Zimri saw that the city was captured, he went into the fortified area of
the royal palace. He set the palace on fire and died in the flames.
19 This happened because of the sins he committed. He did evil in the sight of
the LORD and followed in Jeroboam’s footsteps and encouraged Israel to
continue sinning.
20 The rest of the events of Zimri’s reign, including the details of his
revolt, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.
21 Omri’s Reign over Israel At that time the people of Israel were divided in
their loyalties. Half the people supported Tibni son of Ginath and wanted to
make him king; the other half supported Omri.
22 Omri’s supporters were stronger than those who supported Tibni son of
Ginath. Tibni died; Omri became king.
23 In the thirty-first year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Omri became king over
Israel. He ruled for twelve years, six of them in Tirzah.
24 He purchased the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver. He
launched a construction project there and named the city he built after Shemer,
the former owner of the hill of Samaria.
25 Omri did more evil in the sight of the LORD than all who were before him.
26 He followed in the footsteps of Jeroboam son of Nebat and encouraged Israel
to sin; they angered the LORD God of Israel with their worthless idols.
27 The rest of the events of Omri’s reign, including his accomplishments and
successes, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.
28 Omri passed away and was buried in Samaria. His son Ahab replaced him as
king.
29 Ahab Promotes Idolatry In the thirty-eighth year of Asa’s reign over Judah,
Omri’s son Ahab became king over Israel. Ahab son of Omri ruled over Israel
for twenty-two years in Samaria.
30 Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the sight of the LORD than all who were
before him.
31 As if following in the sinful footsteps of Jeroboam son of Nebat were not bad
enough, he married Jezebel the daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians. Then
he worshiped and bowed to Baal.
32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal he had built in Samaria.
33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole; he did more to anger the LORD God of Israel
than all the kings of Israel who were before him.
34 During Ahab’s reign, Hiel the Bethelite rebuilt Jericho. Abiram, his
firstborn son, died when he laid the foundation; Segub, his youngest son, died
when he erected its gates, in keeping with the LORD’s message that he had
spoken through Joshua son of Nun.

Chapter 17

1 Elijah Visits a Widow in Sidonian Territory Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe
in Gilead, said to Ahab,“As certainly as the LORD God of Israel lives(whom I
serve), there will be no dew or rain in the years ahead unless I give the
command.”
2 The LORD’s message came to him:
3 “Leave here and travel eastward. Hide out in the Kerith Valley near the
Jordan.
4 Drink from the stream; I have already told the ravens to bring you food
there.”
5 So he carried out the LORD’s message; he went and lived in the Kerith Valley
near the Jordan.
6 The ravens would bring him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he
would drink from the stream.
7 After a while, the stream dried up because there had been no rain in the land.
8 The LORD’s message came to him,
9 “Get up, go to Zarephath in Sidonian territory, and live there. I have
already told a widow who lives there to provide for you.”
10 So he got up and went to Zarephath. When he went through the city gate, there
was a widow gathering wood. He called out to her,“Please give me a little
water in a cup, so I can take a drink.”
11 As she went to get it, he called out to her,“Please bring me a piece of
bread.”
12 She said,“As certainly as the LORD your God lives, I have no food, except
for a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. Right now I am
gathering a couple of sticks for a fire. Then I’m going home to make one final
meal for my son and myself. After we have eaten that, we will die of
starvation.”
13 Elijah said to her,“Don’t be afraid. Go and do as you planned. But first
make me a small cake and bring it to me; then make something for yourself and
your son.
14 For this is what the LORD God of Israel has said,‘The jar of flour will not
be empty and the jug of oil will not run out until the day the LORD makes it
rain on the surface of the ground.’”
15 She went and did as Elijah told her; there was always enough food for Elijah
and for her and her family.
16 The jar of flour was never empty and the jug of oil never ran out, in keeping
with the LORD’s message that he had spoken through Elijah.
17 After this the son of the woman who owned the house got sick. His illness was
so severe he could no longer breathe.
18 She asked Elijah,“Why, prophet, have you come to me to confront me with my
sin and kill my son?”
19 He said to her,“Hand me your son.” He took him from her arms, carried him
to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him down on his bed.
20 Then he called out to the LORD,“O LORD, my God, are you also bringing
disaster on this widow I am staying with by killing her son?”
21 He stretched out over the boy three times and called out to the LORD,“O
LORD, my God, please let this boy’s breath return to him.”
22 The LORD answered Elijah’s prayer; the boy’s breath returned to him and
he lived.
23 Elijah took the boy, brought him down from the upper room to the house, and
handed him to his mother. Elijah then said,“See, your son is alive!”
24 The woman said to Elijah,“Now I know that you are a prophet and that the
LORD’s message really does come through you.”

Chapter 18

1 Elijah Meets the King’s Servant Some time later, in the third year of the
famine, the LORD’S message came to Elijah,“Go, make an appearance before
Ahab, so I may send rain on the surface of the ground.”
2 So Elijah went to make an appearance before Ahab.Now the famine was severe in
Samaria.
3 So Ahab summoned Obadiah, who supervised the palace.(Now Obadiah was a very
loyal follower of the LORD.
4 When Jezebel was killing the LORD’s prophets, Obadiah took one hundred
prophets and hid them in two caves in two groups of fifty. He also brought them
food and water.)
5 Ahab told Obadiah,“Go through the land to all the springs and valleys. Maybe
we can find some grazing areas so we can keep the horses and mules alive and not
have to kill some of the animals.”
6 They divided up the land between them to search it; Ahab went one way by
himself and Obadiah went the other way by himself.
7 As Obadiah was traveling along, Elijah met him. When he recognized him, he
fell facedown to the ground and said,“Is it really you, my master, Elijah?”
8 He replied,“Yes, go and say to your master,‘Elijah is back.’”
9 Obadiah said,“What sin have I committed that you are ready to hand your
servant over to Ahab for execution?
10 As certainly as the LORD your God lives, my master has sent to every nation
and kingdom in an effort to find you. When they say,‘He’s not here,’ he
makes them swear an oath that they could not find you.
11 Now you say,‘Go and say to your master,“Elijah is back.”’
12 But when I leave you, the LORD’s Spirit will carry you away so I can’t
find you. If I go tell Ahab I’ve seen you, he won’t be able to find you and
he will kill me. That would not be fair, because your servant has been a loyal
follower of the LORD from my youth.
13 Certainly my master is aware of what I did when Jezebel was killing the
LORD’s prophets. I hid one hundred of the LORD’s prophets in two caves in
two groups of fifty and I brought them food and water.
14 Now you say,‘Go and say to your master,“Elijah is back,”’ but he will
kill me.”
15 But Elijah said,“As certainly as the LORD of Heaven’s Armies lives(whom I
serve), I will make an appearance before him today.”
16 Elijah Confronts Baal’s Prophets When Obadiah went and informed Ahab, the
king went to meet Elijah.
17 When Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him,“Is it really you, the one who brings
disaster on Israel?”
18 Elijah replied,“I have not brought disaster on Israel. But you and your
father’s dynasty have, by abandoning the LORD’s commandments and following
the Baals.
19 Now send out messengers and assemble all Israel before me at Mount Carmel, as
well as the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah whom Jezebel
supports.”
20 Ahab sent messengers to all the Israelites and had the prophets assemble at
Mount Carmel.
21 Elijah approached all the people and said,“How long are you going to be
paralyzed by indecision? If the LORD is the true God, then follow him, but if
Baal is, follow him!” But the people did not say a word.
22 Elijah said to them:“I am the only prophet of the LORD who is left, but
there are 450 prophets of Baal.
23 Let them bring us two bulls. Let them choose one of the bulls for themselves,
cut it up into pieces, and place it on the wood. But they must not set it on
fire. I will do the same to the other bull and place it on the wood. But I will
not set it on fire.
24 Then you will invoke the name of your god, and I will invoke the name of the
LORD. The god who responds with fire will demonstrate that he is the true
God.” All the people responded,“This will be a fair test.”
25 Elijah told the prophets of Baal,“Choose one of the bulls for yourselves
and go first, for you are the majority. Invoke the name of your god, but do not
light a fire.”
26 So they took a bull, as he had suggested, and prepared it. They invoked the
name of Baal from morning until noon, saying,“Baal, answer us.” But there
was no sound and no answer. They jumped around on the altar they had made.
27 At noon Elijah mocked them,“Yell louder! After all, he is a god; he may be
deep in thought, or perhaps he stepped out for a moment or has taken a trip.
Perhaps he is sleeping and needs to be awakened.”
28 So they yelled louder and, in accordance with their prescribed ritual,
mutilated themselves with swords and spears until their bodies were covered with
blood.
29 Throughout the afternoon they were in an ecstatic frenzy, but there was no
sound, no answer, and no response.
30 Elijah then told all the people,“Approach me.” So all the people
approached him. He repaired the altar of the LORD that had been torn down.
31 Then Elijah took twelve stones, corresponding to the number of tribes that
descended from Jacob, to whom the LORD’s message had come,“Israel will be
your name.”
32 With the stones he constructed an altar for the LORD. Around the altar he
made a trench large enough to contain two seahs of seed.
33 He arranged the wood, cut up the bull, and placed it on the wood. Then he
said,“Fill four water jars and pour the water on the offering and the wood.”
34 When they had done so, he said,“Do it again.” So they did it again. Then
he said,“Do it a third time.” So they did it a third time.
35 The water flowed down all sides of the altar and filled the trench.
36 When it was time for the evening offering, Elijah the prophet approached the
altar and prayed:“O LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, prove today that
you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things
at your command.
37 Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are
the true God and that you are winning back their allegiance.”
38 Then fire from the LORD fell from the sky. It consumed the offering, the
wood, the stones, and the dirt, and licked up the water in the trench.
39 When all the people saw this, they threw themselves down with their faces to
the ground and said,“The LORD is the true God! The LORD is the true God!”
40 Elijah told them,“Seize the prophets of Baal! Don’t let even one of them
escape!” So they seized them, and Elijah led them down to the Kishon Valley
and executed them there.
41 Then Elijah told Ahab,“Go on up and eat and drink, for the sound of a heavy
rainstorm can be heard.”
42 So Ahab went on up to eat and drink, while Elijah climbed to the top of
Carmel. He bent down toward the ground and put his face between his knees.
43 He told his servant,“Go on up and look in the direction of the sea.” So
he went on up, looked, and reported,“There is nothing.” Seven times Elijah
sent him to look.
44 The seventh time the servant said,“Look, a small cloud, the size of the
palm of a man’s hand, is rising up from the sea.” Elijah then said,“Go and
tell Ahab,‘Hitch up the chariots and go down, so that the rain won’t
overtake you.’”
45 Meanwhile the sky was covered with dark clouds, the wind blew, and there was
a heavy rainstorm. Ahab rode toward Jezreel.
46 Now the LORD energized Elijah with power; he tucked his robe into his belt
and ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.

Chapter 19

1 Elijah Runs for His Life Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, including
a detailed account of how he killed all the prophets with the sword.
2 Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah with this warning,“May the gods judge me
severely if by this time tomorrow I do not take your life as you did theirs!”
3 Elijah was afraid, so he got up and fled for his life to Beer Sheba in Judah.
He left his servant there,
4 while he went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He went and sat down
under a shrub and asked the LORD to take his life:“I’ve had enough! Now, O
LORD, take my life. After all, I’m no better than my ancestors.”
5 He stretched out and fell asleep under the shrub. All of a sudden an angelic
messenger touched him and said,“Get up and eat.”
6 He looked and right there by his head was a cake baking on hot coals and a jug
of water. He ate and drank and then slept some more.
7 The LORD’s angel came back again, touched him, and said,“Get up and eat,
for otherwise you won’t be able to make the journey.”
8 So he got up and ate and drank. That meal gave him the strength to travel
forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.
9 He went into a cave there and spent the night. All of a sudden the LORD’s
message came to him,“Why are you here, Elijah?”
10 He answered,“I have been absolutely loyal to the LORD God of Heaven’s
Armies, even though the Israelites have abandoned the covenant they made with
you, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am
left and now they want to take my life.”
11 The LORD said,“Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD. Look, the
LORD is ready to pass by.”A very powerful wind went before the LORD, digging
into the mountain and causing landslides, but the LORD was not in the wind.
After the windstorm there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the
earthquake.
12 After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire.
After the fire, there was a soft whisper.
13 When Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his robe and went out and
stood at the entrance to the cave. All of a sudden a voice asked him,“Why are
you here, Elijah?”
14 He answered,“I have been absolutely loyal to the LORD God of Heaven’s
Armies, even though the Israelites have abandoned the covenant they made with
you torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am
left and now they want to take my life.”
15 The LORD said to him,“Go back the way you came and then head for the
wilderness of Damascus. Go and anoint Hazael king over Syria.
16 You must anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and Elisha son of
Shaphat from Abel Meholah to take your place as prophet.
17 Jehu will kill anyone who escapes Hazael’s sword, and Elisha will kill
anyone who escapes Jehu’s sword.
18 I still have left in Israel seven thousand followers who have not bowed their
knees to Baal or kissed the images of him.”
19 Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with
twelve pairs of oxen; he was near the twelfth pair. Elijah passed by him and
threw his robe over him.
20 He left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said,“Please let me kiss my father
and mother goodbye, then I will follow you.” Elijah said to him,“Go back!
Indeed, what have I done to you?”
21 Elisha went back and took his pair of oxen and slaughtered them. He cooked
the meat over a fire that he made by burning the harness and yoke. He gave the
people meat and they ate. Then he got up and followed Elijah and became his
assistant.

Chapter 20

1 Ben Hadad Invades Israel Now King Ben Hadad of Syria assembled all his army,
along with thirty-two other kings with their horses and chariots. He marched
against Samaria and besieged and attacked it.
2 He sent messengers to King Ahab of Israel, who was in the city. He said to
him,“This is what Ben Hadad says,
3 ‘Your silver and your gold are mine, as well as the best of your wives and
sons.’”
4 The king of Israel replied,“It is just as you say, my master, O king. I and
all I own belong to you.”
5 The messengers came again and said,“This is what Ben Hadad says,‘I sent
this message to you,“You must give me your silver, gold, wives, and sons.”
6 But now at this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you and they will
search through your palace and your servants’ houses. They will carry away all
your valuables.’”
7 The king of Israel summoned all the leaders of the land and said,“Notice how
this man is looking for trouble. Indeed, he demanded my wives, sons, silver, and
gold, and I did not resist him.”
8 All the leaders and people said to him,“Do not give in or agree to his
demands.”
9 So he said to the messengers of Ben Hadad,“Say this to my master, the
king,‘I will give you everything you demanded at first from your servant, but
I am unable to agree to this latest demand.’” So the messengers went back
and gave their report.
10 Ben Hadad sent another message to him,“May the gods judge me severely if
there is enough dirt left in Samaria for all my soldiers to scoop up in their
hands.”
11 The king of Israel replied,“Tell him the one who puts on his battle gear
should not boast like one who is taking it off.”
12 When Ben Hadad received this reply, he and the other kings were drinking in
their quarters. He ordered his servants,“Get ready to attack!” So they got
ready to attack the city.
13 The Lord Delivers Israel Now a prophet visited King Ahab of Israel and
said,“This is what the LORD has said,‘Do you see this huge army? Look, I am
going to hand it over to you this very day. Then you will know that I am the
LORD.’”
14 Ahab asked,“By whom will this be accomplished?” He answered,“This is
what the LORD has said,‘By the servants of the district governors.’” Ahab
asked,“Who will launch the attack?” He answered,“You will.”
15 So Ahab assembled the 232 servants of the district governors. After that he
assembled all the Israelite army, numbering 7,000.
16 They marched out at noon, while Ben Hadad and the thirty-two kings allied
with him were drinking heavily in their quarters.
17 The servants of the district governors led the march. When Ben Hadad sent
messengers, they reported back to him,“Men are marching out of Samaria.”
18 He ordered,“Whether they come in peace or to do battle, take them alive.”
19 They marched out of the city with the servants of the district governors in
the lead and the army behind them.
20 Each one struck down an enemy soldier; the Syrians fled and Israel chased
them. King Ben Hadad of Syria escaped on horseback with some horsemen.
21 Then the king of Israel marched out and struck down the horses and chariots;
he thoroughly defeated Syria.
22 The Lord Gives Israel Another Victory The prophet visited the king of Israel
and instructed him,“Go, fortify your defenses. Determine what you must do, for
in the spring the king of Syria will attack you.”
23 Now the advisers of the king of Syria said to him:“Their God is a god of
the mountains. That’s why they overpowered us. But if we fight them in the
plains, we will certainly overpower them.
24 So do this: Dismiss the kings from their command, and replace them with
military commanders.
25 Muster an army like the one you lost, with the same number of horses and
chariots. Then we will fight them in the plains; we will certainly overpower
them.” He approved their plan and did as they advised.
26 In the spring Ben Hadad mustered the Syrian army and marched to Aphek to
fight Israel.
27 When the Israelites had mustered and had received their supplies, they
marched out to face them in battle. When the Israelites deployed opposite them,
they were like two small flocks of goats, but the Syrians filled the land.
28 The prophet visited the king of Israel and said,“This is what the LORD has
said:‘Because the Syrians said,“The LORD is a god of the mountains and not a
god of the valleys,” I will deliver this entire huge army into to your
control. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
29 The armies were deployed opposite each other for seven days. On the seventh
day the battle began, and the Israelites killed 100,000 Syrian foot soldiers in
one day.
30 The remaining 27,000 ran to Aphek and went into the city, but the wall fell
on them. Now Ben Hadad ran into the city and hid in an inner room.
31 His advisers said to him,“Look, we have heard that the kings of the
Israelite dynasty are kind. Allow us to put sackcloth around our waists and
ropes on our heads and surrender to the king of Israel. Maybe he will spare our
lives.”
32 So they put sackcloth around their waists and ropes on their heads and went
to the king of Israel. They said,“Your servant Ben Hadad says,‘Please let me
live!’” Ahab replied,“Is he still alive? He is my brother.”
33 The men took this as a good omen and quickly accepted his offer,
saying,“Ben Hadad is your brother.” Ahab then said,“Go, get him.” So Ben
Hadad came out to him, and Ahab pulled him up into his chariot.
34 Ben Hadad said,“I will return the cities my father took from your father.
You may set up markets in Damascus, just as my father did in Samaria.” Ahab
then said,“I want to make a treaty with you before I dismiss you.” So he
made a treaty with him and then dismissed him.
35 A Prophet Denounces Ahab’s Actions One of the members of the prophetic
guild, told his companion a message from the LORD,“Please wound me!” But the
man refused to wound him.
36 So the prophet said to him,“Because you have disobeyed the LORD, as soon as
you leave me a lion will kill you.” When he left him, a lion attacked and
killed him.
37 He found another man and said,“Wound me!” So the man wounded him
severely.
38 The prophet then went and stood by the road, waiting for the king. He also
disguised himself by putting a bandage down over his eyes.
39 When the king passed by, he called out to the king,“Your servant went out
into the heat of the battle, and then a man turned aside and brought me a
prisoner. He told me,‘Guard this prisoner. If he ends up missing for any
reason, you will pay with your life or with a talent of silver.’
40 Well, it just so happened that while your servant was doing this and that, he
disappeared.” The king of Israel said to him,“Your punishment is already
determined by your own testimony.”
41 The prophet quickly removed the bandage from his eyes and the king of Israel
recognized he was one of the prophets.
42 The prophet then said to him,“This is what the LORD has said,‘Because you
released a man I had determined should die, you will pay with your life and your
people will suffer instead of his people.’”
43 The king of Israel went home to Samaria bitter and angry.

Chapter 21

1 Ahab Murders Naboth After this the following episode took place. Naboth the
Jezreelite owned a vineyard in Jezreel adjacent to the palace of King Ahab of
Samaria.
2 Ahab said to Naboth,“Give me your vineyard so I can make a vegetable garden
out of it, for it is adjacent to my palace. I will give you an even better
vineyard in its place, or if you prefer, I will pay you silver for it.”
3 But Naboth replied to Ahab,“The LORD forbid that I should sell you my
ancestral inheritance.”
4 So Ahab went into his palace, bitter and angry that Naboth the Jezreelite had
said,“I will not sell to you my ancestral inheritance.” He lay down on his
bed, pouted, and would not eat.
5 Then his wife Jezebel came in and said to him,“Why do you have a bitter
attitude and refuse to eat?”
6 He answered her,“While I was talking to Naboth the Jezreelite, I said to
him,‘Sell me your vineyard for silver, or if you prefer, I will give you
another vineyard in its place.’ But he said,‘I will not sell you my
vineyard.’”
7 His wife Jezebel said to him,“You are the king of Israel! Get up, eat some
food, and have a good time. I will get the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite for
you.”
8 She wrote out orders, signed Ahab’s name to them, and sealed them with his
seal. She then sent the orders to the leaders and to the nobles who lived in
Naboth’s city.
9 This is what she wrote:“Observe a time of fasting and seat Naboth in front
of the people.
10 Also seat two villains opposite him and have them testify,‘You cursed God
and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.”
11 The men of the city, the leaders and the nobles who lived there, followed the
written orders Jezebel had sent them.
12 They observed a time of fasting and put Naboth in front of the people.
13 The two villains arrived and sat opposite him. Then the villains testified
against Naboth right before the people, saying,“Naboth cursed God and the
king.” So they dragged him outside the city and stoned him to death.
14 Then they reported to Jezebel,“Naboth has been stoned to death.”
15 When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to
Ahab,“Get up, take possession of the vineyard Naboth the Jezreelite refused to
sell you for silver, for Naboth is no longer alive; he’s dead.”
16 When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up and went down to take
possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.
17 The LORD’S message came to Elijah the Tishbite:
18 “Get up, go down and meet King Ahab of Israel who lives in Samaria. He is
at the vineyard of Naboth; he has gone down there to take possession of it.
19 Say to him,‘This is what the LORD has said:“Haven’t you committed
murder and taken possession of the property of the deceased?”’ Then say to
him,‘This is what the LORD has said:“In the spot where dogs licked up
Naboth’s blood they will also lick up your blood– yes, yours!”’”
20 When Elijah arrived, Ahab said to him,“So, you have found me, my enemy!”
Elijah replied,“I have found you, because you are committed to doing evil in
the sight of the LORD.
21 The LORD says,‘Look, I am ready to bring disaster on you. I will destroy
you and cut off every last male belonging to Ahab in Israel, including even the
weak and incapacitated.
22 I will make your dynasty like those of Jeroboam son of Nebat and Baasha son
of Ahijah because you angered me and made Israel sin.’
23 The LORD says this about Jezebel,‘Dogs will devour Jezebel by the outer
wall of Jezreel.’
24 As for Ahab’s family, dogs will eat the ones who die in the city, and the
birds of the sky will eat the ones who die in the country.”
25 (There had never been anyone like Ahab, who was firmly committed to doing
evil in the sight of the LORD, urged on by his wife Jezebel.
26 He was so wicked he worshiped the disgusting idols, just like the Amorites
whom the LORD had driven out from before the Israelites.)
27 When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and
fasted. He slept in sackcloth and walked around dejected.
28 The LORD’s message came to Elijah the Tishbite,
29 “Have you noticed how Ahab shows remorse before me? Because he shows
remorse before me, I will not bring disaster on his dynasty during his lifetime,
but during the reign of his son.”

Chapter 22

1 Ahab Dies in Battle There was no war between Syria and Israel for three years.
2 In the third year King Jehoshaphat of Judah came down to visit the king of
Israel.
3 The king of Israel said to his servants,“Surely you recognize that Ramoth
Gilead belongs to us, though we are hesitant to reclaim it from the king of
Syria.”
4 Then he said to Jehoshaphat,“Will you go with me to attack Ramoth Gilead?”
Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel,“I will support you; my army and
horses are at your disposal.”
5 But then Jehoshaphat said to Israel’s king,“Please seek a message from the
LORD this very day.”
6 So the king of Israel assembled about four hundred prophets and asked
them,“Should I attack Ramoth Gilead or not?” They said,“Attack! The
Sovereign One will hand it over to the king.”
7 But Jehoshaphat asked,“Is there not a prophet of the LORD still here, that
we may ask him?”
8 The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat,“There is still one man through whom
we can seek the LORD’s will. But I despise him because he does not prophesy
prosperity for me, but disaster. His name is Micaiah son of Imlah.”
Jehoshaphat said,“The king should not say such things.”
9 The king of Israel summoned an official and said,“Quickly bring Micaiah son
of Imlah.”
10 Now the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah were sitting on their
respective thrones, dressed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the
entrance of the gate of Samaria. All the prophets were prophesying before them.
11 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah made iron horns and said,“This is what the LORD
has said,‘With these you will gore Syria until they are destroyed.’”
12 All the prophets were prophesying the same, saying,“Attack Ramoth Gilead!
You will succeed; the LORD will hand it over to the king.”
13 Now the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him,“Look, the
prophets are in complete agreement that the king will succeed. Your words must
agree with theirs; you must predict success.”
14 But Micaiah said,“As certainly as the LORD lives, I will say what the LORD
tells me to say.”
15 When he came before the king, the king asked him,“Micaiah, should we attack
Ramoth Gilead or not?” He answered him,“Attack! You will succeed; the LORD
will hand it over to the king.”
16 The king said to him,“How many times must I make you solemnly promise in
the name of the LORD to tell me only the truth?”
17 Micaiah said,“I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep that
have no shepherd. Then the LORD said,‘They have no master. They should go home
in peace.’”
18 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat,“Didn’t I tell you he does not
prophesy prosperity for me, but disaster?”
19 Micaiah said,“That being the case, listen to the LORD’s message. I saw
the LORD sitting on his throne, with all the heavenly assembly standing beside
him on his right and on his left.
20 The LORD said,‘Who will deceive Ahab, so he will attack Ramoth Gilead and
die there?’ One said this and another that.
21 Then a spirit stepped forward and stood before the LORD. He said,‘I will
deceive him.’
22 The LORD asked him,‘How?’ He replied,‘I will go out and be a lying
spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ The LORD said,‘Deceive and
overpower him. Go out and do as you have proposed.’
23 So now, look, the LORD has placed a lying spirit in the mouths of all these
prophets of yours, but the LORD has decreed disaster for you.”
24 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah approached, hit Micaiah on the jaw, and
said,“Which way did the LORD’s spirit go when he went from me to speak to
you?”
25 Micaiah replied,“Look, you will see in the day when you go into an inner
room to hide.”
26 Then the king of Israel said,“Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the city
official and Joash the king’s son.
27 Say,‘This is what the king says,“Put this man in prison. Give him only a
little bread and water until I safely return.”’”
28 Micaiah said,“If you really do safely return, then the LORD has not spoken
through me.” Then he added,“Take note, all you people.”
29 The king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah attacked Ramoth Gilead.
30 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat,“I will disguise myself and then
enter into the battle, but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel
disguised himself and then entered into the battle.
31 Now the king of Syria had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders,“Do not
fight common soldiers or high-ranking officers; fight only the king of
Israel.”
32 When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said,“He must be the king
of Israel.” So they turned and attacked him, but Jehoshaphat cried out.
33 When the chariot commanders realized he was not the king of Israel, they
turned away from him.
34 Now an archer shot an arrow at random, and it struck the king of Israel
between the plates of his armor. The king ordered his charioteer,“Turn around
and take me from the battle line, because I’m wounded.”
35 While the battle raged throughout the day, the king stood propped up in his
chariot opposite the Syrians. He died in the evening; the blood from the wound
ran down into the bottom of the chariot.
36 As the sun was setting, a cry went through the camp,“Each one should return
to his city and to his homeland.”
37 So the king died and was taken to Samaria, where they buried him.
38 They washed off the chariot at the pool of Samaria. Then the dogs licked his
blood, while the the prostitutes bathed, in keeping with the LORD’S message
that he had spoken.
39 The rest of the events of Ahab’s reign, including a record of his
accomplishments and how he built a luxurious palace and various cities, are
recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.
40 Ahab passed away. His son Ahaziah replaced him as king.
41 Jehoshaphat’s Reign over Judah In the fourth year of Ahab’s reign over
Israel, Asa’s son Jehoshaphat became king over Judah.
42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king and he reigned for
twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi.
43 He followed in his father Asa’s footsteps and was careful to do what the
LORD approved.(22:44) However, the high places were not eliminated; the people
continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places.
44 (22:45) Jehoshaphat was also at peace with the king of Israel.
45 The rest of the events of Jehoshaphat’s reign, including his successes and
military exploits, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of
Judah.
46 He removed from the land any male cultic prostitutes who had managed to
survive the reign of his father Asa.
47 There was no king in Edom at this time; a governor ruled.
48 Jehoshaphat built a fleet of large merchant ships to travel to Ophir for
gold, but they never made the voyage because they were shipwrecked in Ezion
Geber.
49 Then Ahaziah son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat,“Let my sailors join yours in
the fleet,” but Jehoshaphat refused.
50 Jehoshaphat passed away and was buried with his ancestors in the city of his
ancestor David. His son Jehoram replaced him as king.
51 Ahaziah’s Reign over Israel In the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat’s
reign over Judah, Ahab’s son Ahaziah became king over Israel in Samaria. He
ruled for two years over Israel.
52 He did evil in the sight of the LORD and followed in the footsteps of his
father and mother; like Jeroboam son of Nebat, he encouraged Israel to sin.
53 He worshiped and bowed down to Baal, angering the LORD God of Israel just as
his father had done.


2 Kings

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Elijah Confronts the King and His Commanders After Ahab died, Moab rebelled
against Israel.
2 Ahaziah fell through a window lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria and was
injured. He sent messengers with these orders,“Go, ask Baal Zebub, the god of
Ekron, if I will survive this injury.”
3 But the LORD’s angel told Elijah the Tishbite,“Get up, go to meet the
messengers from the king of Samaria. Say this to them:‘You must think there is
no God in Israel! That explains why you are on your way to seek an oracle from
Baal Zebub the god of Ekron.
4 Therefore this is what the LORD has said,“You will not leave the bed you lie
on, for you will certainly die!”’” So Elijah went on his way.
5 When the messengers returned to the king, he asked them,“Why have you
returned?”
6 They replied,“A man came up to meet us. He told us,“Go back to the king
who sent you and tell him,‘This is what the LORD has said:“You must think
there is no God in Israel! That explains why you are sending for an oracle from
Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron. Therefore you will not leave the bed you lie on,
for you will certainly die.”’”
7 The king asked them,“Describe the appearance of this man who came up to meet
you and told you these things.”
8 They replied,“He was a hairy man and had a leather belt tied around his
waist.” The king said,“He is Elijah the Tishbite.”
9 The king sent a captain and his fifty soldiers to retrieve Elijah. The captain
went up to him, while he was sitting on the top of a hill. He told
him,“Prophet, the king says,‘Come down!’”
10 Elijah replied to the captain,“If I am indeed a prophet, may fire come down
from the sky and consume you and your fifty soldiers!” Fire then came down
from the sky and consumed him and his fifty soldiers.
11 The king sent another captain and his fifty soldiers to retrieve Elijah. He
went up and told him,“Prophet, this is what the king says,‘Come down at
once!’”
12 Elijah replied to them,“If I am indeed a prophet, may fire come down from
the sky and consume you and your fifty soldiers!” Fire from God came down from
the sky and consumed him and his fifty soldiers.
13 The king sent a third captain and his fifty soldiers. This third captain went
up and fell on his knees before Elijah. He begged for mercy,“Prophet, please
have respect for my life and for the lives of these fifty servants of yours.
14 Indeed, fire came down from the sky and consumed the two captains who came
before me, along with their men. So now, please have respect for my life.”
15 The LORD’s angel said to Elijah,“Go down with him. Don’t be afraid of
him.” So he got up and went down with him to the king.
16 Elijah said to the king,“This is what the LORD has said,‘You sent
messengers to seek an oracle from Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron. Is it because
there is no God in Israel from whom you can seek a message? Therefore you will
not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die.’”
17 And he did die in keeping with the LORD’s message that he had spoken
through Elijah. In the second year of the reign of King Jehoram son of
Jehoshaphat over Judah, Ahaziah’s brother Jehoram replaced him as king of
Israel, because he had no son.
18 The rest of the events of Ahaziah’s reign, including his accomplishments,
are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.

Chapter 2

1 Elijah Makes a Swift Departure Just before the LORD took Elijah up to heaven
in a windstorm, Elijah and Elisha were traveling from Gilgal.
2 Elijah told Elisha,“Stay here, for the LORD has sent me to Bethel.” But
Elisha said,“As certainly as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave
you.” So they went down to Bethel.
3 Some members of the prophetic guild in Bethel came out to Elisha and
said,“Do you know that today the LORD is going to take your master from
you?” He answered,“Yes, I know. Be quiet.”
4 Elijah said to him,“Elisha, stay here, for the LORD has sent me to
Jericho.” But he replied,“As certainly as the LORD lives and as you live, I
will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho.
5 Some members of the prophetic guild in Jericho approached Elisha and
said,“Do you know that today the LORD is going to take your master from
you?” He answered,“Yes, I know. Be quiet.”
6 Elijah said to him,“Stay here, for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan.”
But he replied,“As certainly as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not
leave you.” So they traveled on together.
7 The fifty members of the prophetic guild went and stood opposite them at a
distance, while Elijah and Elisha stood by the Jordan.
8 Elijah took his cloak, folded it up, and hit the water with it. The water
divided, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.
9 When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha,“What can I do for you,
before I am taken away from you?” Elisha answered,“May I receive a double
portion of the prophetic spirit that energizes you.”
10 Elijah replied,“That’s a difficult request! If you see me taken from you,
may it be so, but if you don’t, it will not happen.”
11 As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a fiery chariot pulled by
fiery horses appeared. They went between Elijah and Elisha, and Elijah went up
to heaven in a windstorm.
12 While Elisha was watching, he was crying out,“My father, my father! The
chariot and horsemen of Israel!” Then he could no longer see him. He grabbed
his clothes and tore them in two.
13 He picked up Elijah’s cloak, which had fallen off him, and went back and
stood on the shore of the Jordan.
14 He took the cloak that had fallen off Elijah, hit the water with it, and
said,“Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” When he hit the water, it
divided and Elisha crossed over.
15 When the members of the prophetic guild in Jericho, who were standing at a
distance, saw him do this, they said,“The spirit that energized Elijah rests
upon Elisha.” They went to meet him and bowed down to the ground before him.
16 They said to him,“Look, there are fifty capable men with your servants. Let
them go and look for your master, for the wind sent from the LORD may have
carried him away and dropped him on one of the hills or in one of the
valleys.” But Elisha replied,“Don’t send them out.”
17 But they were so insistent, he became embarrassed. So he said,“Send them
out.” They sent the fifty men out and they looked for three days, but could
not find Elijah.
18 When they came back, Elisha was staying in Jericho. He said to
them,“Didn’t I tell you,‘Don’t go’?”
19 Elisha Demonstrates His Authority The men of the city said to Elisha,“Look,
the city has a good location, as our master can see. But the water is bad and
the land doesn’t produce crops.”
20 Elisha said,“Get me a new jar and put some salt in it.” So they got it.
21 He went out to the spring and threw the salt in. Then he said,“This is what
the LORD has said,‘I have purified this water. It will no longer cause death
or fail to produce crops.”
22 The water has been pure to this very day, just as Elisha prophesied.
23 He went up from there to Bethel. As he was traveling up the road, some young
boys came out of the city and made fun of him, saying,“Go on up, baldy! Go on
up, baldy!”
24 When he turned around and saw them, he called God’s judgment down on them.
Two female bears came out of the woods and ripped forty-two of the boys to
pieces.
25 From there he traveled to Mount Carmel and then back to Samaria.

Chapter 3

1 Moab Fights with Israel In the eighteenth year of King Jehoshaphat’s reign
over Judah, Ahab’s son Jehoram became king over Israel in Samaria; he ruled
for twelve years.
2 He did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not to the same degree as his father
and mother. He did remove the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made.
3 Yet he persisted in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who encouraged Israel
to sin; he did not turn from them.
4 Now King Mesha of Moab was a sheep breeder. He would send as tribute to the
king of Israel 100,000 male lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams.
5 When Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.
6 At that time King Jehoram left Samaria and assembled all Israel for war.
7 He sent this message to King Jehoshaphat of Judah:“The king of Moab has
rebelled against me. Will you fight with me against Moab?” Jehoshaphat
replied,“I will join you in the campaign; my army and horses are at your
disposal.”
8 He then asked,“Which invasion route are we going to take?” Jehoram
answered,“By the road through the wilderness of Edom.”
9 So the kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom set out together. They wandered around
on the road for seven days and finally ran out of water for the men and animals
they had with them.
10 The king of Israel said,“Oh no! Certainly the LORD has summoned these three
kings so that he can hand them over to the king of Moab!”
11 Jehoshaphat asked,“Is there no prophet of the LORD here that we might seek
the LORD’s direction?” One of the servants of the king of Israel
answered,“Elisha son of Shapat is here; he used to be Elijah’s servant.”
12 Jehoshaphat said,“Yes, he receives the LORD’s messages.” So the king of
Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to visit him.
13 Elisha said to the king of Israel,“Why are you here? Go to your father’s
prophets or your mother’s prophets!” The king of Israel replied to
him,“No, for the LORD is the one who summoned these three kings so that he can
hand them over to Moab.”
14 Elisha said,“As certainly as the LORD of Heaven’s Armies lives(whom I
serve), if I did not respect King Jehoshaphat of Judah, I would not pay
attention to you or acknowledge you.
15 But now, get me a musician.” When the musician played, the LORD energized
him,
16 and he said,“This is what the LORD has said,‘Make many cisterns in this
valley,’
17 for this is what the LORD has said,‘You will not feel any wind or see any
rain, but this valley will be full of water and you and your cattle and animals
will drink.’
18 This is an easy task for the LORD; he will also hand Moab over to you.
19 You will defeat every fortified city and every important city. You must chop
down every productive tree, stop up all the springs, and cover all the
cultivated land with stones.”
20 Sure enough, the next morning, at the time of the morning sacrifice, water
came flowing down from Edom and filled the land.
21 Now all Moab had heard that the kings were attacking, so everyone old enough
to fight was mustered and placed at the border.
22 When they got up early the next morning, the sun was shining on the water. To
the Moabites, who were some distance away, the water looked red like blood.
23 The Moabites said,“It’s blood! The kings must have fought one another!
The soldiers have struck one another down! Now, Moab, seize the plunder!”
24 When they approached the Israelite camp, the Israelites rose up and struck
down the Moabites, who then ran from them. The Israelites thoroughly defeated
Moab.
25 They tore down the cities and each man threw a stone into every cultivated
field until they were covered. They stopped up every spring and chopped down
every productive tree. Only Kir Hareseth was left intact, but the slingers
surrounded it and attacked it.
26 When the king of Moab realized he was losing the battle, he and 700 swordsmen
tried to break through and attack the king of Edom, but they failed.
27 So he took his firstborn son, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him
up as a burnt sacrifice on the wall. There was an outburst of divine anger
against Israel, so they broke off the attack and returned to their homeland.

Chapter 4

1 Elisha Helps a Widow and Her Sons Now a wife of one of the prophets appealed
to Elisha for help, saying,“Your servant, my husband is dead. You know that
your servant was a loyal follower of the LORD. Now the creditor is coming to
take away my two boys to be his servants.”
2 Elisha said to her,“What can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the
house?” She answered,“Your servant has nothing in the house except a small
jar of olive oil.”
3 He said,“Go and ask all your neighbors for empty containers. Get as many as
you can.
4 Go and close the door behind you and your sons. Pour the olive oil into all
the containers; set aside each one when you have filled it.”
5 So she left him and closed the door behind her and her sons. As they were
bringing the containers to her, she was pouring the olive oil.
6 When the containers were full, she said to one of her sons,“Bring me another
container.” But he answered her,“There are no more.” Then the olive oil
stopped flowing.
7 She went and told the prophet. He said,“Go, sell the olive oil. Repay your
creditor, and then you and your sons can live off the rest of the profit.”
8 Elisha Gives Life to a Boy One day Elisha traveled to Shunem, where a
prominent woman lived. She insisted that he stop for a meal. So whenever he was
passing through, he would stop in there for a meal.
9 She said to her husband,“Look, I’m sure that the man who regularly passes
through here is a very special prophet.
10 Let’s make a small private upper room and furnish it with a bed, table,
chair, and lamp. When he visits us, he can stay there.”
11 One day Elisha came for a visit; he went into the upper room and rested.
12 He told his servant Gehazi,“Ask the Shunammite woman to come here.” So he
did so and she came to him.
13 Elisha said to Gehazi,“Tell her,‘Look, you have treated us with such
great respect. What can I do for you? Can I put in a good word for you with the
king or the commander of the army?’” She replied,“I’m quite secure.”
14 So he asked Gehazi,“What can I do for her?” Gehazi replied,“She has no
son, and her husband is old.”
15 Elisha told him,“Ask her to come here.” So he did so and she came and
stood in the doorway.
16 He said,“About this time next year you will be holding a son.” She
said,“No, my master! O prophet, do not lie to your servant!”
17 The woman did conceive, and at the specified time the next year she gave
birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her.
18 The boy grew and one day he went out to see his father who was with the
harvest workers.
19 He said to his father,“My head! My head!” His father told a
servant,“Carry him to his mother.”
20 So he picked him up and took him to his mother. He sat on her lap until noon
and then died.
21 She went up and laid him down on the prophet’s bed. She shut the door
behind her and left.
22 She called to her husband,“Send me one of the servants and one of the
donkeys, so I can go see the prophet quickly and then return.”
23 He said,“Why do you want to go see him today? It is not the new moon or the
Sabbath.” She said,“Everything’s fine.”
24 She saddled the donkey and told her servant,“Lead on. Do not stop unless I
say so.”
25 So she went to visit the prophet at Mount Carmel. When he saw her at a
distance, he said to his servant Gehazi,“Look, it’s the Shunammite woman.
26 Now, run to meet her and ask her,‘Are you well? Are your husband and the
boy well?’” She told Gehazi,“Everything’s fine.”
27 But when she reached the prophet on the mountain, she grabbed hold of his
feet. Gehazi came near to push her away, but the prophet said,“Leave her
alone, for she is very upset. The LORD has kept the matter hidden from me; he
didn’t tell me about it.”
28 She said,“Did I ask my master for a son? Didn’t I say,‘Don’t mislead
me?’”
29 Elisha told Gehazi,“Tuck your robes into your belt, take my staff, and go!
Don’t stop to exchange greetings with anyone! Place my staff on the child’s
face.”
30 The mother of the child said,“As certainly as the LORD lives and as you
live, I will not leave you.” So Elisha got up and followed her back.
31 Now Gehazi went on ahead of them. He placed the staff on the child’s face,
but there was no sound or response. When he came back to Elisha he told
him,“The child did not wake up.”
32 When Elisha arrived at the house, there was the child lying dead on his bed.
33 He went in by himself and closed the door. Then he prayed to the LORD.
34 He got up on the bed and spread his body out over the boy; he put his mouth
on the boy’s mouth, his eyes over the boy’s eyes, and the palms of his hands
against the boy’s palms. He bent down over him, and the boy’s skin grew
warm.
35 Elisha went back and walked around in the house. Then he got up on the bed
again and bent down over him. The child sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.
36 Elisha called to Gehazi and said,“Get the Shunammite woman.” So he did so
and she came to him. He said to her,“Take your son.”
37 She came in, fell at his feet, and bowed down. Then she picked up her son and
left.
38 Elisha Makes a Meal Edible Now Elisha went back to Gilgal, while there was
famine in the land. Some of the prophets were visiting him and he told his
servant,“Put the big pot on the fire and boil some stew for the prophets.”
39 Someone went out to the field to gather some herbs and found a wild vine. He
picked some of its fruit, enough to fill up the fold of his robe. He came back,
cut it up, and threw the slices into the stew pot, not knowing they were
harmful.
40 The stew was poured out for the men to eat. When they ate some of the stew,
they cried out,“Death is in the pot, O prophet!” They could not eat it.
41 He said,“Get some flour.” Then he threw it into the pot and said,“Now
pour some out for the men so they may eat.” There was no longer anything
harmful in the pot.
42 Elisha Miraculously Feeds a Hundred People Now a man from Baal Shalisha
brought some food for the prophet– twenty loaves of bread made from the
firstfruits of the barley harvest, as well as fresh ears of grain. Elisha
said,“Set it before the people so they may eat.”
43 But his attendant said,“How can I feed a hundred men with this?” He
replied,“Set it before the people so they may eat, for this is what the LORD
has said,‘They will eat and have some left over.’”
44 So he set it before them; they ate and had some left over, just as in the
LORD’S message.

Chapter 5

1 Elisha Heals a Syrian General Now Naaman, the commander of the king of
Syria’s army, was esteemed and respected by his master, for through him the
LORD had given Syria military victories. But this great warrior had a skin
disease.
2 Raiding parties went out from Syria and took captive from the land of Israel a
young girl, who became a servant to Naaman’s wife.
3 She told her mistress,“If only my master were in the presence of the prophet
who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his skin disease.”
4 Naaman went and told his master what the girl from the land of Israel had
said.
5 The king of Syria said,“Go! I will send a letter to the king of Israel.”
So Naaman went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of
gold, and ten suits of clothes.
6 He brought the letter to the king of Israel. It read:“This is a letter of
introduction for my servant Naaman, whom I have sent to be cured of his skin
disease.”
7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said,“Am I
God? Can I kill or restore life? Why does he ask me to cure a man of his skin
disease? Certainly you must see that he is looking for an excuse to fight me!”
8 When Elisha the prophet heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he
sent this message to the king,“Why did you tear your clothes? Send him to me
so he may know there is a prophet in Israel.”
9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood in the doorway of
Elisha’s house.
10 Elisha sent out a messenger who told him,“Go and wash seven times in the
Jordan; your skin will be restored and you will be healed.”
11 Naaman went away angry. He said,“Look, I thought for sure he would come
out, stand there, invoke the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the
area, and cure the skin disease.
12 The rivers of Damascus, the Abana and Pharpar, are better than any of the
waters of Israel! Could I not wash in them and be healed?” So he turned around
and went away angry.
13 His servants approached and said to him,“O master, if the prophet had told
you to do some difficult task, you would have been willing to do it. It seems
you should be happy that he simply said,“Wash and you will be healed.”
14 So he went down and dipped in the Jordan seven times, as the prophet had
instructed. His skin became as smooth as a young child’s and he was healed.
15 He and his entire entourage returned to the prophet. Naaman came and stood
before him. He said,“For sure I know that there is no God in all the earth
except in Israel! Now, please accept a gift from your servant.”
16 But Elisha replied,“As certainly as the LORD lives(whom I serve), I will
take nothing from you.” Naaman insisted that he take it, but he refused.
17 Naaman said,“If not, then please give your servant a load of dirt, enough
for a pair of mules to carry, for your servant will never again offer a burnt
offering or sacrifice to a god other than the LORD.
18 May the LORD forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters
the temple of Rimmon to worship, and he leans on my arm and I bow down in the
temple of Rimmon, may the LORD forgive your servant for this.”
19 Elisha said to him,“Go in peace.” When he had gone a short distance,
20 Gehazi, the prophet Elisha’s servant, thought,“Look, my master did not
accept what this Syrian Naaman offered him. As certainly as the LORD lives, I
will run after him and accept something from him.”
21 So Gehazi ran after Naaman. When Naaman saw someone running after him, he got
down from his chariot to meet him and asked,“Is everything all right?”
22 He answered,“Everything is fine. My master sent me with this
message,‘Look, two servants of the prophets just arrived from the Ephraimite
hill country. Please give them a talent of silver and two suits of
clothes.’”
23 Naaman said,“Please accept two talents of silver.” He insisted, and tied
up two talents of silver in two bags, along with two suits of clothes. He gave
them to two of his servants and they carried them for Gehazi.
24 When he arrived at the hill, he took them from the servants and put them in
the house. Then he sent the men on their way.
25 When he came and stood before his master, Elisha asked him,“Where have you
been, Gehazi?” He answered,“Your servant hasn’t been anywhere.”
26 Elisha replied,“I was there in spirit when a man turned and got down from
his chariot to meet you. This is not the proper time to accept silver or to
accept clothes, olive groves, vineyards, sheep, cattle, and male and female
servants.
27 Therefore Naaman’s skin disease will afflict you and your descendants
forever!” When Gehazi went out from his presence, his skin was as white as
snow.

Chapter 6

1 Elisha Makes an Ax Head Float Some of the prophets said to Elisha,“Look, the
place where we meet with you is too cramped for us.
2 Let’s go to the Jordan. Each of us will get a log from there and we will
build a meeting place for ourselves there.” He said,“Go.”
3 One of them said,“Please come along with your servants.” He replied,“All
right, I’ll come.”
4 So he went with them. When they arrived at the Jordan, they started cutting
down trees.
5 As one of them was felling a log, the ax head dropped into the water. He
shouted,“Oh no, my master! It was borrowed!”
6 The prophet asked,“Where did it drop in?” When he showed him the spot,
Elisha cut off a branch, threw it in at that spot, and made the ax head float.
7 He said,“Lift it out.” So he reached out his hand and grabbed it.
8 Elisha Defeats an Army Now the king of Syria was at war with Israel. He
consulted his advisers, who said,“Invade at such and such a place.”
9 But the prophet sent this message to the king of Israel,“Make sure you
don’t pass through this place because Syria is invading there.”
10 So the king of Israel sent a message to the place the prophet had pointed
out, warning it to be on its guard. This happened on several occasions.
11 This made the king of Syria upset. So he summoned his advisers and said to
them,“One of us must be helping the king of Israel.”
12 One of his advisers said,“No, my master, O king. The prophet Elisha who
lives in Israel keeps telling the king of Israel the things you say in your
bedroom.”
13 The king ordered,“Go, find out where he is, so I can send some men to
capture him.” The king was told,“He is in Dothan.”
14 So he sent horses and chariots there, along with a good-sized army. They
arrived during the night and surrounded the city.
15 The prophet’s attendant got up early in the morning. When he went outside
there was an army surrounding the city, along with horses and chariots. He said
to Elisha,“Oh no, my master! What will we do?”
16 He replied,“Don’t be afraid, for our side outnumbers them.”
17 Then Elisha prayed,“O LORD, open his eyes so he can see.” The LORD opened
the servant’s eyes and he saw that the hill was full of horses and chariots of
fire all around Elisha.
18 As they approached him, Elisha prayed to the LORD,“Strike these people with
blindness.” The LORD struck them with blindness as Elisha requested.
19 Then Elisha said to them,“This is not the right road or city. Follow me,
and I will lead you to the man you’re looking for.” He led them to Samaria.
20 When they had entered Samaria, Elisha said,“O LORD, open their eyes, so
they can see.” The LORD opened their eyes and they saw that they were in the
middle of Samaria.
21 When the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha,“Should I strike them
down, my master?”
22 He replied,“Do not strike them down! You did not capture them with your
sword or bow, so what gives you the right to strike them down? Give them some
food and water, so they can eat and drink and then go back to their master.”
23 So he threw a big banquet for them and they ate and drank. Then he sent them
back to their master. After that no Syrian raiding parties again invaded the
land of Israel.
24 The Lord Saves Samaria Later King Ben Hadad of Syria assembled his entire
army and attacked and besieged Samaria.
25 Samaria’s food supply ran out. They laid siege to it so long that a
donkey’s head was selling for eighty shekels of silver and a quarter of a kab
of dove’s droppings for five shekels of silver.
26 While the king of Israel was passing by on the city wall, a woman shouted to
him,“Help us, my master, O king!”
27 He replied,“No, let the LORD help you. How can I help you? The threshing
floor and winepress are empty.”
28 Then the king asked her,“What’s your problem?” She answered,“This
woman said to me,‘Hand over your son; we’ll eat him today and then eat my
son tomorrow.’
29 So we boiled my son and ate him. Then I said to her the next day,‘Hand over
your son and we’ll eat him.’ But she hid her son!”
30 When the king heard what the woman said, he tore his clothes. As he was
passing by on the wall, the people could see he was wearing sackcloth under his
clothes.
31 Then he said,“May God judge me severely if Elisha son of Shaphat still has
his head by the end of the day!”
32 Now Elisha was sitting in his house with the community leaders. The king sent
a messenger on ahead, but before he arrived, Elisha said to the leaders,“Do
you realize this assassin intends to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger
arrives, shut the door and lean against it. His master will certainly be right
behind him.”
33 He was still talking to them when the messenger approached and said,“Look,
the LORD is responsible for this disaster! Why should I continue to wait for the
LORD to help?”

Chapter 7

1 Elisha replied,“Listen to the LORD’s message. This is what the LORD has
said,‘About this time tomorrow a seah of finely milled flour will sell for a
shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.’”
2 An officer who was the king’s right-hand man responded to the
prophet,“Look, even if the LORD made it rain by opening holes in the sky,
could this happen so soon?” Elisha said,“Look, you will see it happen with
your own eyes, but you will not eat any of the food!”
3 Now four men with a skin disease were sitting at the entrance of the city
gate. They said to one another,“Why are we just sitting here waiting to die?
4 If we go into the city, we’ll die of starvation, and if we stay here we’ll
die! So come on, let’s defect to the Syrian camp! If they spare us, we’ll
live; if they kill us– well, we were going to die anyway.”
5 So they started toward the Syrian camp at dusk. When they reached the edge of
the Syrian camp, there was no one there.
6 The Lord had caused the Syrian camp to hear the sound of chariots and horses
and a large army. Then they said to one another,“Look, the king of Israel has
paid the kings of the Hittites and Egypt to attack us!”
7 So they got up and fled at dusk, leaving behind their tents, horses, and
donkeys. They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives.
8 When the men with a skin disease reached the edge of the camp, they entered a
tent and had a meal. They also took some silver, gold, and clothes and went and
hid it all. Then they went back and entered another tent. They looted it and
went and hid what they had taken.
9 Then they said to one another,“It’s not right what we’re doing! This is
a day to celebrate, but we haven’t told anyone. If we wait until dawn, we’ll
be punished. So come on, let’s go and inform the royal palace.”
10 So they went and called out to the gatekeepers of the city. They told
them,“We entered the Syrian camp and there was no one there. We didn’t even
hear a man’s voice. But the horses and donkeys are still tied up, and the
tents remain up.”
11 The gatekeepers relayed the news to the royal palace.
12 The king got up in the night and said to his advisers,“I will tell you what
the Syrians have done to us. They know we are starving, so they left the camp
and hid in the field, thinking,‘When they come out of the city, we will
capture them alive and enter the city.’”
13 One of his advisers replied,“Pick some men and have them take five of the
horses that are left in the city.(Even if they are killed, their fate will be no
different than that of all the Israelite people– we’re all going to die!)
Let’s send them out so we can know for sure what’s going on.”
14 So they picked two horsemen and the king sent them out to track the Syrian
army. He ordered them,“Go and find out what’s going on.”
15 So they tracked them as far as the Jordan. The road was filled with clothes
and equipment that the Syrians had discarded in their haste. The scouts went
back and told the king.
16 Then the people went out and looted the Syrian camp. A seah of finely milled
flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, just as in the
LORD’s message.
17 Now the king had placed the officer who was his right-hand man at the city
gate. When the people rushed out, they trampled him to death in the gate. This
fulfilled the prophet’s word which he had spoken when the king tried to arrest
him.
18 The prophet told the king,“Two seahs of barley will sell for a shekel, and
a seah of finely milled flour for a shekel; this will happen about this time
tomorrow in the gate of Samaria.”
19 But the officer replied to the prophet,“Look, even if the LORD made it rain
by opening holes in the sky, could this happen so soon?” Elisha said,“Look,
you will see it happen with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of the
food!”
20 This is exactly what happened to him. The people trampled him to death in the
city gate.

Chapter 8

1 Elisha Again Helps the Shunammite Woman Now Elisha advised the woman whose son
he had brought back to life,“You and your family should go and live somewhere
else for a while, for the LORD has decreed that a famine will overtake the land
for seven years.”
2 So the woman did as the prophet said. She and her family went and lived in the
land of the Philistines for seven years.
3 After seven years the woman returned from the land of the Philistines and went
to ask the king to give her back her house and field.
4 Now the king was talking to Gehazi, the prophet’s servant, and said,“Tell
me all the great things which Elisha has done.”
5 While Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had brought the dead back to
life, the woman whose son he had brought back to life came to ask the king for
her house and field. Gehazi said,“My master, O king, this is the very woman
and this is her son whom Elisha brought back to life!”
6 The king asked the woman about it, and she gave him the details. The king
assigned a eunuch to take care of her request and ordered him,“Give her back
everything she owns, as well as the amount of crops her field produced from the
day she left the land until now.”
7 Elisha Meets with Hazael Elisha traveled to Damascus while King Ben Hadad of
Syria was sick. The king was told,“The prophet has come here.”
8 So the king told Hazael,“Take a gift and go visit the prophet. Request from
him an oracle from the LORD. Ask him,‘Will I recover from this sickness?’”
9 So Hazael went to visit Elisha. He took along a gift, as well as forty camel
loads of all the fine things of Damascus. When he arrived, he stood before him
and said,“Your son, King Ben Hadad of Syria, has sent me to you with this
question,‘Will I recover from this sickness?’”
10 Elisha said to him,“Go and tell him,‘You will surely recover,’ but the
LORD has revealed to me that he will surely die.”
11 Elisha just stared at him until Hazael became uncomfortable. Then the prophet
started crying.
12 Hazael asked,“Why are you crying, my master?” He replied,“Because I
know the trouble you will cause the Israelites. You will set fire to their
fortresses, kill their young men with the sword, smash their children to bits,
and rip open their pregnant women.”
13 Hazael said,“How could your servant, who is as insignificant as a dog,
accomplish this great military victory?” Elisha answered,“The LORD has
revealed to me that you will be the king of Syria.”
14 He left Elisha and went to his master. Ben Hadad asked him,“What did Elisha
tell you?” Hazael replied,“He told me you would surely recover.”
15 The next day Hazael took a piece of cloth, dipped it in water, and spread it
over Ben Hadad’s face until he died. Then Hazael replaced him as king.
16 Jehoram’s Reign over Judah In the fifth year of the reign of Israel’s
King Joram, son of Ahab, Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram became king over Judah.
17 He was thirty-two years old when he became king and he reigned for eight
years in Jerusalem.
18 He followed in the footsteps of the kings of Israel, just as Ahab’s dynasty
had done, for he married Ahab’s daughter. He did evil in the sight of the
LORD.
19 But the LORD was unwilling to destroy Judah. He preserved Judah for the sake
of his servant David to whom he had promised a perpetual dynasty.
20 During his reign Edom freed themselves from Judah’s control and set up
their own king.
21 Joram crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. The Edomites, who had
surrounded him, attacked at night and defeated him and his chariot officers. The
Israelite army retreated to their homeland.
22 So Edom has remained free from Judah’s control to this very day. At that
same time Libnah also rebelled.
23 The rest of the events of Joram’s reign, including a record of his
accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of
Judah.
24 Joram passed away and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. His
son Ahaziah replaced him as king.
25 Ahaziah Takes the Throne of Judah In the twelfth year of the reign of
Israel’s King Joram, son of Ahab, Jehoram’s son Ahaziah became king over
Judah.
26 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king and he reigned for one
year in Jerusalem. His mother was Athaliah, the granddaughter of King Omri of
Israel.
27 He followed in the footsteps of Ahab’s dynasty and did evil in the sight of
the LORD, like Ahab’s dynasty, for he was related to Ahab’s family.
28 He joined Ahab’s son Joram in a battle against King Hazael of Syria at
Ramoth Gilead in which the Syrians defeated Joram.
29 King Joram returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he received from
the Syrians in Ramah when he fought against King Hazael of Syria. King Ahaziah
son of Jehoram of Judah went down to visit Joram son of Ahab in Jezreel, for he
was ill.

Chapter 9

1 Jehu Becomes King Now Elisha the prophet summoned a member of the prophetic
guild and told him,“Tuck your robes into your belt, take this container of
olive oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth Gilead.
2 When you arrive there, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi and take
him aside into an inner room.
3 Take the container of olive oil, pour it over his head, and say,‘This is
what the LORD has said,“I have designated you as king over Israel.”’ Then
open the door and run away quickly!”
4 So the young prophet went to Ramoth Gilead.
5 When he arrived, the officers of the army were sitting there. So he said,“I
have a message for you, O officer.” Jehu asked,“For which one of us?” He
replied,“For you, O officer.”
6 So Jehu got up and went inside. Then the prophet poured the olive oil on his
head and said to him,“This is what the LORD God of Israel has said,‘I have
designated you as king over the LORD’s people Israel.
7 You will destroy the family of your master Ahab. I will get revenge against
Jezebel for the shed blood of my servants the prophets and for the shed blood of
all the LORD’s servants.
8 Ahab’s entire family will die. I will cut off every last male belonging to
Ahab in Israel, including even the weak and incapacitated.
9 I will make Ahab’s dynasty like those of Jeroboam son of Nebat and Baasha
son of Ahijah.
10 Dogs will devour Jezebel on the plot of ground in Jezreel; she will not be
buried.’” Then he opened the door and ran away.
11 When Jehu rejoined his master’s servants, they asked him,“Is everything
all right? Why did this madman visit you?” He replied,“Ah, it’s not
important. You know what kind of man he is and the kinds of things he says.”
12 But they said,“You’re lying! Tell us what he said.” So he told them
what he had said. He also related how he had said,“This is what the LORD has
said,‘I have designated you as king over Israel.’”
13 Each of them quickly took off his cloak and they spread them out at Jehu’s
feet on the steps. The trumpet was blown and they shouted,“Jehu is king!”
14 Then Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi conspired against Joram.Jehu the
AssassinNow Joram had been in Ramoth Gilead with the whole Israelite army,
guarding against an invasion by King Hazael of Syria.
15 But King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he received
from the Syrians when he fought against King Hazael of Syria. Jehu told his
supporters,“If you really want me to be king, then don’t let anyone escape
from the city to go and warn Jezreel.”
16 Jehu drove his chariot to Jezreel, for Joram was recuperating there.(Now King
Ahaziah of Judah had come down to visit Joram.)
17 Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel and saw Jehu’s troops
approaching. He said,“I see troops!” Jehoram ordered,“Send a rider out to
meet them and have him ask,‘Is everything all right?’”
18 So the horseman went to meet him and said,“This is what the king says,‘Is
everything all right?’” Jehu replied,“None of your business! Follow me.”
The watchman reported,“The messenger reached them, but hasn’t started
back.”
19 So he sent a second horseman out to them and he said,“This is what the king
says,‘Is everything all right?’” Jehu replied,“None of your business!
Follow me.”
20 The watchman reported,“He reached them, but hasn’t started back. The one
who drives the lead chariot drives like Jehu son of Nimshi; he drives
recklessly.”
21 Jehoram ordered,“Hitch up my chariot.” When his chariot had been hitched
up, King Jehoram of Israel and King Ahaziah of Judah went out in their
respective chariots to meet Jehu. They met up with him in the plot of land that
had once belonged to Naboth of Jezreel.
22 When Jehoram saw Jehu, he asked,“Is everything all right, Jehu?” He
replied,“How can everything be all right as long as your mother Jezebel
promotes idolatry and pagan practices?”
23 Jehoram turned his chariot around and took off. He said to Ahaziah,“It’s
a trap, Ahaziah!”
24 Jehu aimed his bow and shot an arrow right between Jehoram’s shoulders. The
arrow went through his heart and he fell to his knees in his chariot.
25 Jehu ordered his officer Bidkar,“Pick him up and throw him into the part of
the field that once belonged to Naboth of Jezreel. Remember, you and I were
riding together behind his father Ahab, when the LORD pronounced this oracle
against him,
26 ‘“Know for sure that I saw the shed blood of Naboth and his sons
yesterday,” says the LORD,“and that I will give you what you deserve right
here in this plot of land,” says the LORD.’So now pick him up and throw him
into this plot of land, just as in the LORD’s message.”
27 When King Ahaziah of Judah saw what happened, he took off up the road to Beth
Haggan. Jehu chased him and ordered,“Shoot him too.” They shot him while he
was driving his chariot up the ascent of Gur near Ibleam. He fled to Megiddo and
died there.
28 His servants took his body back to Jerusalem and buried him in his tomb with
his ancestors in the City of David.
29 Ahaziah had become king over Judah in the eleventh year of Joram son of Ahab.
30 Jehu approached Jezreel. When Jezebel heard the news, she put on some eye
liner, fixed up her hair, and leaned out the window.
31 When Jehu came through the gate, she said,“Is everything all right, Zimri,
murderer of his master?”
32 He looked up at the window and said,“Who is on my side? Who?” Two or
three eunuchs looked down at him.
33 He said,“Throw her down!” So they threw her down, and when she hit the
ground, her blood splattered against the wall and the horses, and Jehu drove his
chariot over her.
34 He went inside and had a meal. Then he said,“Dispose of this accursed
woman’s corpse. Bury her, for after all, she was a king’s daughter.”
35 But when they went to bury her, they found nothing left but the skull, feet,
and palms of the hands.
36 So they went back and told him. Then he said,“It is the fulfillment of the
LORD’s message that he had spoken through his servant, Elijah the
Tishbite,‘In the plot of land at Jezreel, dogs will devour Jezebel’s flesh.
37 Jezebel’s corpse will be like manure on the surface of the ground in the
plot of land at Jezreel. People will not be able to even recognize her.’”

Chapter 10

1 Jehu Wipes Out Ahab’s Family Ahab had seventy sons living in Samaria. So
Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria to the leading officials of Jezreel
and to the guardians of Ahab’s dynasty. This is what the letters said,
2 “You have with you the sons of your master, chariots and horses, a fortified
city, and weapons. So when this letter arrives,
3 pick the best and most capable of your master’s sons, place him on his
father’s throne, and defend your master’s dynasty.”
4 They were absolutely terrified and said,“Look, two kings could not stop him!
How can we?”
5 So the palace supervisor, the city commissioner, the leaders, and the
guardians sent this message to Jehu,“We are your subjects! Whatever you say,
we will do. We will not make anyone king. Do what you consider proper.”
6 He wrote them a second letter, saying,“If you are really on my side and are
willing to obey me, then take the heads of your master’s sons and come to me
in Jezreel at this time tomorrow.” Now the king had seventy sons, and the
prominent men of the city were raising them.
7 When they received the letter, they seized the king’s sons and executed all
seventy of them. They put their heads in baskets and sent them to him in
Jezreel.
8 The messenger came and told Jehu,“They have brought the heads of the
king’s sons.” Jehu said,“Stack them in two piles at the entrance of the
city gate until morning.”
9 In the morning he went out and stood there. Then he said to all the
people,“You are innocent. I conspired against my master and killed him. But
who struck down all of these men?
10 Therefore take note that not one of the LORD’s words which he pronounced
against Ahab’s dynasty will fail to materialize. The LORD has done what he
announced through his servant Elijah.”
11 Then Jehu killed all who were left of Ahab’s family in Jezreel, and all his
nobles, close friends, and priests. He left no survivors.
12 Jehu then left there and set out for Samaria. While he was traveling through
Beth Eked of the Shepherds,
13 Jehu encountered the relatives of King Ahaziah of Judah. He asked,“Who are
you?” They replied,“We are Ahaziah’s relatives. We have come down to see
how the king’s sons and the queen mother’s sons are doing.”
14 He said,“Capture them alive!” So they captured them alive and then
executed all forty-two of them in the cistern at Beth Eked. He left no
survivors.
15 When he left there, he met Jehonadab, son of Rekab, who had been looking for
him. Jehu greeted him and asked,“Are you as committed to me as I am to you?”
Jehonadab answered,“I am!” Jehu replied,“If so, give me your hand.” So
he offered his hand and Jehu pulled him up into the chariot.
16 Jehu said,“Come with me and see how zealous I am for the LORD’s cause.”
So he took him along in his chariot.
17 He went to Samaria and killed each of Ahab’s remaining family members who
were in Samaria until he destroyed them, in keeping with the LORD’s message
which he had announced to Elijah.
18 Jehu Executes the Prophets and Priests of Baal Jehu assembled all the people
and said to them,“Ahab worshiped Baal a little; Jehu will worship him with
great devotion.
19 So now, bring to me all the prophets of Baal, as well as all his servants and
priests. None of them must be absent, for I am offering a great sacrifice to
Baal. Any of them who fail to appear will lose their lives.” But Jehu was
tricking them so he could destroy the servants of Baal.
20 Then Jehu ordered,“Make arrangements for a celebration for Baal.” So they
announced it.
21 Jehu sent invitations throughout Israel, and all the servants of Baal came;
not one was absent. They arrived at the temple of Baal and filled it up from end
to end.
22 Jehu ordered the one who was in charge of the wardrobe,“Bring out robes for
all the servants of Baal.” So he brought out robes for them.
23 Then Jehu and Jehonadab son of Rekab went to the temple of Baal. Jehu said to
the servants of Baal,“Make sure there are no servants of the LORD here with
you; there must be only servants of Baal.”
24 They went inside to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had
stationed eighty men outside. He had told them,“If any of the men inside get
away, you will pay with your lives!”
25 When he finished offering the burnt sacrifice, Jehu ordered the royal guard
and officers,“Come in and strike them down! Don’t let any escape!” So the
royal guard and officers struck them down with the sword and left their bodies
lying there. Then they entered the inner sanctuary of the temple of Baal.
26 They hauled out the sacred pillar of the temple of Baal and burned it.
27 They demolished the sacred pillar of Baal and the temple of Baal; it is used
as a latrine to this very day.
28 So Jehu eradicated Baal worship from Israel.
29 A Summary of Jehu’s Reign However, Jehu did not repudiate the sins which
Jeroboam son of Nebat had encouraged Israel to commit; the golden calves
remained in Bethel and Dan.
30 The LORD said to Jehu,“You have done well. You have accomplished my will
and carried out my wishes with regard to Ahab’s dynasty. Therefore four
generations of your descendants will rule over Israel.”
31 But Jehu did not carefully and wholeheartedly obey the law of the LORD God of
Israel. He did not repudiate the sins which Jeroboam had encouraged Israel to
commit.
32 In those days the LORD began to reduce the size of Israel’s territory.
Hazael attacked their eastern border.
33 He conquered all the land of Gilead, including the territory of Gad, Reuben,
and Manasseh, extending all the way from the Aroer in the Arnon Valley through
Gilead to Bashan.
34 The rest of the events of Jehu’s reign, including all his accomplishments
and successes, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of
Israel.
35 Jehu passed away and was buried in Samaria. His son Jehoahaz replaced him as
king.
36 Jehu reigned over Israel for twenty-eight years in Samaria.

Chapter 11

1 Athaliah is Eliminated When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son
was dead, she was determined to destroy the entire royal line.
2 So Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram and sister of Ahaziah, took
Ahaziah’s son Joash and stole him away from the rest of the royal descendants
who were to be executed. She hid him and his nurse in the room where the bed
covers were stored. So he was hidden from Athaliah and escaped execution.
3 He hid out with his nurse in the LORD’s temple for six years, while Athaliah
was ruling over the land.
4 In the seventh year Jehoiada summoned the officers of the units of hundreds of
the Carians and the royal bodyguard. He met with them in the LORD’s temple. He
made an agreement with them and made them swear an oath of allegiance in the
LORD’s temple. Then he showed them the king’s son.
5 He ordered them,“This is what you must do. One third of the unit that is on
duty during the Sabbath will guard the royal palace.
6 Another third of you will be stationed at the Foundation Gate. Still another
third of you will be stationed at the gate behind the royal guard. You will take
turns guarding the palace.
7 The two units who are off duty on the Sabbath will guard the LORD’s temple
and protect the king.
8 You must surround the king. Each of you must hold his weapon in his hand.
Whoever approaches your ranks must be killed. You must accompany the king
wherever he goes.”
9 The officers of the units of hundreds did just as Jehoiada the priest ordered.
Each of them took his men, those who were on duty during the Sabbath as well as
those who were off duty on the Sabbath, and reported to Jehoiada the priest.
10 The priest gave to the officers of the units of hundreds King David’s
spears and the shields that were kept in the LORD’s temple.
11 The royal bodyguard took their stations, each holding his weapon in his hand.
They lined up from the south side of the temple to the north side and stood near
the altar and the temple, surrounding the king.
12 Jehoiada led out the king’s son and placed on him the crown and the royal
insignia. They proclaimed him king and poured olive oil on his head. They
clapped their hands and cried out,“Long live the king!”
13 When Athaliah heard the royal guard shout, she joined the crowd at the
LORD’s temple.
14 Then she saw the king standing by the pillar, according to custom. The
officers stood beside the king with their trumpets and all the people of the
land were celebrating and blowing trumpets. Athaliah tore her clothes and
screamed,“Treason, treason!”
15 Jehoiada the priest ordered the officers of the units of hundreds, who were
in charge of the army,“Bring her outside the temple to the guards. Put the
sword to anyone who follows her.” The priest gave this order because he had
decided she should not be executed in the LORD’s temple.
16 They seized her and took her into the precincts of the royal palace through
the horses’ entrance. There she was executed.
17 Jehoiada then drew up a covenant between the LORD and the king and people,
stipulating that they should be loyal to the LORD.
18 All the people of the land went and demolished the temple of Baal. They
smashed its altars and idols to bits. They killed Mattan the priest of Baal in
front of the altar. Jehoiada the priest then placed guards at the LORD’s
temple.
19 He took the officers of the units of hundreds, the Carians, the royal
bodyguard, and all the people of the land, and together they led the king down
from the LORD’s temple. They entered the royal palace through the Gate of the
Royal Bodyguard, and the king sat down on the royal throne.
20 All the people of the land celebrated, for the city had rest now that they
had killed Athaliah with the sword in the royal palace.
21 Joash’s Reign over Judah(12:1) Jehoash was seven years old when he began to
reign.

Chapter 12

1 (12:2) In Jehu’s seventh year Jehoash became king; he reigned for forty
years in Jerusalem. His mother was Zibiah, who was from Beer Sheba.
2 Jehoash did what the LORD approved all his days when Jehoiada the priest
taught him.
3 But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer
sacrifices and burn incense on the high places.
4 Jehoash said to the priests,“I place at your disposal all the consecrated
silver that has been brought to the LORD’s temple, including the silver
collected from the census tax, the silver received from those who have made
vows, and all the silver that people have voluntarily contributed to the
LORD’s temple.
5 The priests should receive the silver they need from the treasurers and repair
any damage to the temple they discover.”
6 By the twenty-third year of King Jehoash’s reign the priests had still not
repaired the damage to the temple.
7 So King Jehoash summoned Jehoiada the priest along with the other priests, and
said to them,“Why have you not repaired the damage to the temple? Now, take no
more silver from your treasurers unless you intend to use it to repair the
damage.”
8 The priests agreed not to collect silver from the people and relieved
themselves of personal responsibility for the temple repairs.
9 Jehoiada the priest took a chest and drilled a hole in its lid. He placed it
on the right side of the altar near the entrance of the LORD’s temple. The
priests who guarded the entrance would put into it all the silver brought to the
LORD’s temple.
10 When they saw the chest was full of silver, the royal secretary and the high
priest counted the silver that had been brought to the LORD’s temple and
bagged it up.
11 They would then hand over the silver that had been weighed to the
construction foremen assigned to the LORD’s temple. They hired carpenters and
builders to work on the LORD’s temple,
12 as well as masons and stonecutters. They bought wood and chiseled stone to
repair the damage to the LORD’s temple and also paid for all the other
expenses.
13 The silver brought to the LORD’s temple was not used for silver bowls,
trimming shears, basins, trumpets, or any kind of gold or silver implements.
14 It was handed over to the foremen who used it to repair the LORD’s temple.
15 They did not audit the treasurers who disbursed the funds to the foremen, for
they were honest.
16 (The silver collected in conjunction with reparation offerings and sin
offerings was not brought to the LORD’s temple; it belonged to the priests.)
17 At that time King Hazael of Syria attacked Gath and captured it. Hazael then
decided to attack Jerusalem.
18 King Jehoash of Judah collected all the sacred items that his ancestors
Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, kings of Judah, had consecrated, as well as
his own sacred items and all the gold that could be found in the treasuries of
the LORD’s temple and the royal palace. He sent it all to King Hazael of
Syria, who then withdrew from Jerusalem.
19 The rest of the events of Joash’s reign, including all his accomplishments,
are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah.
20 His servants conspired against him and murdered Joash at Beth-Millo, on the
road that goes down to Silla.
21 His servants Jozabad son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer murdered
him. He was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. His son Amaziah
replaced him as king.

Chapter 13

1 Jehoahaz’s Reign over Israel In the twenty-third year of the reign of
Judah’s King Joash son of Ahaziah, Jehu’s son Jehoahaz became king over
Israel. He reigned in Samaria for seventeen years.
2 He did evil in the sight of the LORD. He continued in the sinful ways of
Jeroboam son of Nebat who had encouraged Israel to sin; he did not repudiate
those sins.
3 The LORD was furious with Israel and handed them over to King Hazael of Syria
and to Hazael’s son Ben Hadad for many years.
4 Jehoahaz asked for the LORD’s mercy and the LORD responded favorably, for he
saw that Israel was oppressed by the king of Syria.
5 The LORD provided a deliverer for Israel and they were freed from Syria’s
power. The Israelites once more lived in security.
6 But they did not repudiate the sinful ways of the family of Jeroboam, who
encouraged Israel to sin; they continued in those sins. There was even an
Asherah pole standing in Samaria.
7 Jehoahaz had no army left except for fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and 10,000
foot soldiers. The king of Syria had destroyed his troops and trampled on them
like dust.
8 The rest of the events of Jehoahaz’s reign, including all his
accomplishments and successes, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of
the Kings of Israel.
9 Jehoahaz passed away and was buried in Samaria. His son Joash replaced him as
king.
10 Jehoash’s Reign over Israel In the thirty-seventh year of King Joash’s
reign over Judah, Jehoahaz’s son Jehoash became king over Israel. He reigned
in Samaria for sixteen years.
11 He did evil in the sight of the LORD. He did not repudiate the sinful ways of
Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin; he continued in those sins.
12 The rest of the events of Joash’s reign, including all his accomplishments
and his successful war with King Amaziah of Judah, are recorded in the scroll
called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.
13 Joash passed away and Jeroboam succeeded him on the throne. Joash was buried
in Samaria with the kings of Israel.
14 Elisha Makes One Final Prophecy Now Elisha had a terminal illness. King Joash
of Israel went down to visit him. He wept before him and said,“My father, my
father! The chariot and horsemen of Israel!”
15 Elisha told him,“Take a bow and some arrows,” and he did so.
16 Then Elisha told the king of Israel,“Aim the bow.” He did so, and Elisha
placed his hands on the king’s hands.
17 Elisha said,“Open the east window,” and he did so. Elisha
said,“Shoot!” and he did so. Elisha said,“This arrow symbolizes the
victory the LORD will give you over Syria. You will annihilate Syria in
Aphek!”
18 Then Elisha said,“Take the arrows,” and he did so. He told the king of
Israel,“Strike the ground!” He struck the ground three times and stopped.
19 The prophet got angry at him and said,“If you had struck the ground five or
six times, you would have annihilated Syria! But now, you will defeat Syria only
three times.”
20 Elisha died and was buried. Moabite raiding parties invaded the land at the
beginning of the year.
21 One day some men were burying a man when they spotted a raiding party. So
they threw the dead man into Elisha’s tomb. When the body touched Elisha’s
bones, the dead man came to life and stood on his feet.
22 Now King Hazael of Syria oppressed Israel throughout Jehoahaz’s reign.
23 But the LORD had mercy on them and felt pity for them. He extended his favor
to them because of the promise he had made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He has
been unwilling to destroy them or remove them from his presence to this very
day.
24 When King Hazael of Syria died, his son Ben Hadad replaced him as king.
25 Jehoahaz’s son Jehoash took back from Ben Hadad son of Hazael the cities
that he had taken from his father Jehoahaz in war. Joash defeated him three
times and recovered the Israelite cities.

Chapter 14

1 Amaziah’s Reign over Judah In the second year of the reign of Israel’s
King Joash son of Joahaz, Joash’s son Amaziah became king over Judah.
2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for
twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jehoaddan, who was from
Jerusalem.
3 He did what the LORD approved, but not like David his father. He followed the
example of his father Joash.
4 But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer
sacrifices and burn incense on the high places.
5 When he had secured control of the kingdom, he executed the servants who had
assassinated his father.
6 But he did not execute the sons of the assassins. He obeyed the LORD’s
commandment as recorded in the law scroll of Moses,“Fathers must not be put to
death for what their sons do, and sons must not be put to death for what their
fathers do. A man must be put to death only for his own sin.”
7 He defeated 10,000 Edomites in the Salt Valley; he captured Sela in battle and
renamed it Joktheel, a name it has retained to this very day.
8 Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of
Israel. He said,“Come, let’s meet face to face.”
9 King Jehoash of Israel sent this message back to King Amaziah of Judah,“A
thornbush in Lebanon sent this message to a cedar in Lebanon,‘Give your
daughter to my son as a wife.’ Then a wild animal of Lebanon came by and
trampled down the thorn.
10 You thoroughly defeated Edom and it has gone to your head! Gloat over your
success, but stay in your palace. Why bring calamity on yourself? Why bring down
yourself and Judah along with you?”
11 But Amaziah would not heed the warning, so King Jehoash of Israel attacked.
He and King Amaziah of Judah met face to face in Beth Shemesh of Judah.
12 Judah was defeated by Israel, and each man ran back home.
13 King Jehoash of Israel captured King Amaziah of Judah, son of Jehoash son of
Ahaziah, in Beth Shemesh. He attacked Jerusalem and broke down the wall of
Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate– a distance of about six
hundred feet.
14 He took away all the gold and silver, all the items found in the LORD’s
temple and in the treasuries of the royal palace, and some hostages. Then he
went back to Samaria.
15 The rest of the events of Jehoash’s reign, including all his
accomplishments and his successful war with King Amaziah of Judah, are recorded
in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.
16 Jehoash passed away and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. His
son Jeroboam replaced him as king.)
17 King Amaziah son of Joash of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of
King Jehoash son of Jehoahaz of Israel.
18 The rest of the events of Amaziah’s reign are recorded in the scroll called
the Annals of the Kings of Judah.
19 Conspirators plotted against him in Jerusalem, so he fled to Lachish. But
they sent assassins after him and they killed him there.
20 His body was carried back by horses and he was buried in Jerusalem with his
ancestors in the City of David.
21 All the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him
king in his father Amaziah’s place.
22 Azariah built up Elat and restored it to Judah after the king had passed
away.
23 Jeroboam II’s Reign over Israel In the fifteenth year of the reign of
Judah’s King Amaziah, son of Joash, Jeroboam son of Joash became king over
Israel. He reigned for forty-one years in Samaria.
24 He did evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not repudiate the sinful ways of
Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin.
25 He restored the border of Israel from Lebo Hamath in the north to the sea of
the rift valley in the south, just as in the message from the LORD God of Israel
that he had announced through his servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from
Gath Hepher.
26 The LORD saw Israel’s intense suffering; everyone was weak and
incapacitated and Israel had no deliverer.
27 The LORD had not decreed that he would blot out Israel’s memory from under
heaven, so he delivered them through Jeroboam son of Joash.
28 The rest of the events of Jeroboam’s reign, including all his
accomplishments, his military success in restoring Israelite control over
Damascus and Hamath, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings
of Israel.
29 Jeroboam passed away and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. His
son Zechariah replaced him as king.

Chapter 15

1 Azariah’s Reign over Judah In the twenty-seventh year of King Jeroboam’s
reign over Israel, Amaziah’s son Azariah became king over Judah.
2 He was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for fifty-two
years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecholiah, who was from Jerusalem.
3 He did what the LORD approved, just as his father Amaziah had done.
4 But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer
sacrifices and burn incense on the high places.
5 The LORD afflicted the king with an illness; he suffered from a skin disease
until the day he died. He lived in separate quarters, while his son Jotham was
in charge of the palace and ruled over the people of the land.
6 The rest of the events of Azariah’s reign, including all his
accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of
Judah.
7 Azariah passed away and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David.
His son Jotham replaced him as king.
8 Zechariah’s Reign over Israel In the thirty-eighth year of King Azariah’s
reign over Judah, Jeroboam’s son Zechariah became king over Israel. He reigned
in Samaria for six months.
9 He did evil in the sight of the LORD, as his ancestors had done. He did not
repudiate the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin.
10 Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against him; he assassinated him in Ibleam
and took his place as king.
11 The rest of the events of Zechariah’s reign are recorded in the scroll
called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.
12 His assassination fulfilled the LORD’s message to Jehu,“Four generations
of your descendants will rule on Israel’s throne.” And that is how it
happened.
13 Shallum son of Jabesh became king in the thirty-ninth year of King Uzziah’s
reign over Judah. He reigned for one month in Samaria.
14 Menahem son of Gadi went up from Tirzah to Samaria and attacked Shallum son
of Jabesh. He killed him and took his place as king.
15 The rest of the events of Shallum’s reign, including the conspiracy he
organized, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.
16 At that time Menahem came from Tirzah and attacked Tiphsah. He struck down
all who lived in the city and the surrounding territory, because they would not
surrender. He even ripped open the pregnant women.
17 Menahem’s Reign over Israel In the thirty-ninth year of King Azariah’s
reign over Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king over Israel. He reigned for
ten years in Samaria.
18 He did evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not repudiate the sinful ways of
Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. During his reign,
19 Pul king of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem paid him a thousand talents
of silver to gain his support and to solidify his control of the kingdom.
20 Menahem got this silver by taxing all the wealthy men in Israel; he took
fifty shekels of silver from each one of them and paid it to the king of
Assyria. Then the king of Assyria left; he did not stay there in the land.
21 The rest of the events of Menahem’s reign, including all his
accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of
Israel.
22 Menahem passed away and his son Pekahiah replaced him as king.
23 Pekahiah’s Reign over Israel In the fiftieth year of King Azariah’s reign
over Judah, Menahem’s son Pekahiah became king over Israel. He reigned in
Samaria for two years.
24 He did evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not repudiate the sinful ways of
Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin.
25 His officer Pekah son of Remaliah conspired against him. He and fifty
Gileadites assassinated Pekahiah, as well as Argob and Arieh, in Samaria in the
fortress of the royal palace. Pekah then took his place as king.
26 The rest of the events of Pekahiah’s reign, including all his
accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of
Israel.
27 Pekah’s Reign over Israel In the fifty-second year of King Azariah’s
reign over Judah, Pekah son of Remaliah became king over Israel. He reigned in
Samaria for twenty years.
28 He did evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not repudiate the sinful ways of
Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin.
29 During Pekah’s reign over Israel, King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria came and
captured Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee,
including all the territory of Naphtali. He deported the people to Assyria.
30 Hoshea son of Elah conspired against Pekah son of Remaliah. He assassinated
him and took his place as king, in the twentieth year of the reign of Jotham son
of Uzziah.
31 The rest of the events of Pekah’s reign, including all his accomplishments,
are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.
32 Jotham’s Reign over Judah In the second year of the reign of Israel’s
King Pekah son of Remaliah, Uzziah’s son Jotham became king over Judah.
33 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for
sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok.
34 He did what the LORD approved, just as his father Uzziah had done.
35 But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer
sacrifices and burn incense on the high places. He built the Upper Gate to the
LORD’s temple.
36 The rest of the events of Jotham’s reign, including his accomplishments,
are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah.
37 In those days the LORD prompted King Rezin of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah
to attack Judah.
38 Jotham passed away and was buried with his ancestors in the city of his
ancestor David. His son Ahaz replaced him as king.

Chapter 16

1 Ahaz’s Reign over Judah In the seventeenth year of the reign of Pekah son of
Remaliah, Jotham’s son Ahaz became king over Judah.
2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen
years in Jerusalem. He did not do what pleased the LORD his God, in contrast to
his ancestor David.
3 He followed in the footsteps of the kings of Israel. He passed his son through
the fire, a horrible sin practiced by the nations whom the LORD drove out from
before the Israelites.
4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and
under every green tree.
5 At that time King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel
attacked Jerusalem. They besieged Ahaz, but were unable to conquer him.
6 (At that time King Rezin of Syria recovered Elat for Syria; he drove the
Judahites from there. Syrians arrived in Elat and live there to this very day.)
7 Ahaz sent messengers to King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria, saying,“I am your
servant and your dependent. March up and rescue me from the power of the king of
Syria and the king of Israel, who have attacked me.”
8 Then Ahaz took the silver and gold that were in the LORD’s temple and in the
treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as tribute to the king of Assyria.
9 The king of Assyria responded favorably to his request; he attacked Damascus
and captured it. He deported the people to Kir and executed Rezin.
10 When King Ahaz went to meet with King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria in Damascus,
he saw the altar there. King Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest a drawing of the
altar and a blueprint for its design.
11 Uriah the priest built an altar in conformity to the plans King Ahaz had sent
from Damascus. Uriah the priest finished it before King Ahaz arrived back from
Damascus.
12 When the king arrived back from Damascus and saw the altar, he approached it
and offered a sacrifice on it.
13 He offered his burnt sacrifice and his grain offering. He poured out his
libation and sprinkled the blood from his peace offerings on the altar.
14 He moved the bronze altar that stood in the LORD’s presence from the front
of the temple(between the altar and the LORD’s temple) and put it on the north
side of the new altar.
15 King Ahaz ordered Uriah the priest,“On the large altar offer the morning
burnt sacrifice, the evening grain offering, the royal burnt sacrifices and
grain offering, the burnt sacrifice for all the people of the land, their grain
offering, and their libations. Sprinkle all the blood of the burnt sacrifice and
other sacrifices on it. The bronze altar will be for my personal use.”
16 So Uriah the priest did exactly as King Ahaz ordered.
17 King Ahaz took off the frames of the movable stands, and removed the basins
from them. He took“The Sea” down from the bronze bulls that supported it and
put it on the stone pavement.
18 He also removed the Sabbath awning that had been built in the temple and the
king’s outer entranceway to the LORD’s temple, on account of the king of
Assyria.
19 The rest of the events of Ahaz’s reign, including his accomplishments, are
recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah.
20 Ahaz passed away and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. His
son Hezekiah replaced him as king.

Chapter 17

1 Hoshea’s Reign over Israel In the twelfth year of King Ahaz’s reign over
Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria for
nine years.
2 He did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not to the same degree as the
Israelite kings who preceded him.
3 King Shalmaneser of Assyria marched up to attack him; so Hoshea became his
subject and paid him tribute.
4 The king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea was planning a revolt. Hoshea had
sent messengers to King So of Egypt and had not sent his annual tribute to the
king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria arrested him and imprisoned him.
5 The king of Assyria marched through the whole land. He attacked Samaria and
besieged it for three years.
6 In the ninth year of Hoshea’s reign, the king of Assyria captured Samaria
and deported the people of Israel to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, along
the Habor(the river of Gozan), and in the cities of the Medes.
7 A Summary of Israel’s Sinful History This happened because the Israelites
sinned against the LORD their God, who brought them up from the land of Egypt
and freed them from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other
gods;
8 they observed the practices of the nations whom the LORD had driven out from
before them, and followed the example of the kings of Israel.
9 The Israelites said things about the LORD their God that were not right. They
built high places in all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city.
10 They set up sacred pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under
every green tree.
11 They burned incense on all the high places just like the nations whom the
LORD had driven away from before them. Their evil practices made the LORD angry.
12 They worshiped the disgusting idols in blatant disregard of the LORD’s
command.
13 The LORD solemnly warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and all
the seers,“Turn back from your evil ways; obey my commandments and rules that
are recorded in the law. I ordered your ancestors to keep this law and sent my
servants the prophets to remind you of its demands.”
14 But they did not pay attention and were as stubborn as their ancestors, who
had not trusted the LORD their God.
15 They rejected his rules, the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and
the laws he had commanded them to obey. They paid allegiance to worthless idols,
and so became worthless to the LORD. They copied the practices of the
surrounding nations in blatant disregard of the LORD’s command.
16 They abandoned all the commandments of the LORD their God; they made two
metal calves and an Asherah pole, bowed down to all the stars in the sky, and
worshiped Baal.
17 They passed their sons and daughters through the fire, and practiced
divination and omen reading. They committed themselves to doing evil in the
sight of the LORD and made him angry.
18 So the LORD was furious with Israel and rejected them; only the tribe of
Judah was left.
19 Judah also failed to keep the commandments of the LORD their God; they
followed Israel’s example.
20 So the LORD rejected all of Israel’s descendants; he humiliated them and
handed them over to robbers, until he had thrown them from his presence.
21 He tore Israel away from David’s dynasty, and Jeroboam son of Nebat became
their king. Jeroboam drove Israel away from the LORD and encouraged them to
commit a serious sin.
22 The Israelites followed in the sinful ways of Jeroboam and did not repudiate
them.
23 Finally the LORD rejected Israel just as he had warned he would do through
all his servants the prophets. Israel was deported from its land to Assyria and
remains there to this very day.
24 The King of Assyria Populates Israel with Foreigners The king of Assyria
brought foreigners from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and
settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the Israelites. They took
possession of Samaria and lived in its cities.
25 When they first moved in, they did not worship the LORD. So the LORD sent
lions among them and the lions were killing them.
26 The king of Assyria was told,“The nations whom you deported and settled in
the cities of Samaria do not know the requirements of the God of the land, so he
has sent lions among them. They are killing the people because they do not know
the requirements of the God of the land.”
27 So the king of Assyria ordered,“Take back one of the priests whom you
deported from there. He must settle there and teach them the requirements of the
God of the land.”
28 So one of the priests whom they had deported from Samaria went back and
settled in Bethel. He taught them how to worship the LORD.
29 But each of these nations made its own gods and put them in the shrines on
the high places that the people of Samaria had made. Each nation did this in the
cities where they lived.
30 The people from Babylon made Succoth Benoth, the people from Cuth made
Nergal, the people from Hamath made Ashima,
31 the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their sons in
the fire as an offering to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.
32 At the same time they worshiped the LORD. They appointed some of their own
people to serve as priests in the shrines on the high places.
33 They were worshiping the LORD and at the same time serving their own gods in
accordance with the practices of the nations from which they had been deported.
34 To this very day they observe their earlier practices. They do not worship
the LORD; they do not obey the rules, regulations, law, and commandments that
the LORD gave the descendants of Jacob, whom he renamed Israel.
35 The LORD made a covenant with them and instructed them,“You must not
worship other gods. Do not bow down to them, serve them, or offer sacrifices to
them.
36 Instead you must worship the LORD, who brought you up from the land of Egypt
by his great power and military ability; bow down to him and offer sacrifices to
him.
37 You must carefully obey at all times the rules, regulations, law, and
commandments he wrote down for you. You must not worship other gods.
38 You must never forget the covenant I made with you, and you must not worship
other gods.
39 Instead you must worship the LORD your God; then he will rescue you from the
power of all your enemies.”
40 But they pay no attention; instead they observe their earlier practices.
41 These nations are worshiping the LORD and at the same time serving their
idols; their sons and grandsons do just as their fathers have done, to this very
day.

Chapter 18

1 Hezekiah Becomes King of Judah In the third year of the reign of Israel’s
King Hoshea son of Elah, Ahaz’s son Hezekiah became king over Judah.
2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned
twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother was Abi, the daughter of Zechariah.
3 He did what the LORD approved, just as his ancestor David had done.
4 He eliminated the high places, smashed the sacred pillars to bits, and cut
down the Asherah pole. He also demolished the bronze serpent that Moses had
made, for up to that time the Israelites had been offering incense to it; it was
called Nehushtan.
5 He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; in this regard there was none like him
among the kings of Judah either before or after.
6 He was loyal to the LORD and did not abandon him. He obeyed the commandments
which the LORD had given to Moses.
7 The LORD was with him; he succeeded in all his endeavors. He rebelled against
the king of Assyria and refused to submit to him.
8 He defeated the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower
to fortified city.
9 In the fourth year of King Hezekiah’s reign(it was the seventh year of the
reign of Israel’s King Hoshea, son of Elah), King Shalmaneser of Assyria
marched up against Samaria and besieged it.
10 After three years he captured it(in the sixth year of Hezekiah’s reign); in
the ninth year of King Hoshea’s reign over Israel Samaria was captured.
11 The king of Assyria deported the people of Israel to Assyria. He settled them
in Halah, along the Habor(the river of Gozan), and in the cities of the Medes.
12 This happened because they did not obey the LORD their God and broke his
covenant with them. They did not pay attention to and obey all that Moses, the
LORD’s servant, had commanded.
13 Sennacherib Invades Judah In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign,
King Sennacherib of Assyria marched up against all the fortified cities of Judah
and captured them.
14 King Hezekiah of Judah sent this message to the king of Assyria, who was at
Lachish,“I have violated our treaty. If you leave, I will do whatever you
demand.” So the king of Assyria demanded that King Hezekiah of Judah pay three
hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.
15 Hezekiah gave him all the silver in the LORD’s temple and in the treasuries
of the royal palace.
16 At that time King Hezekiah of Judah stripped the metal overlays from the
doors of the LORD’s temple and from the posts which he had plated and gave
them to the king of Assyria.
17 The king of Assyria sent his commanding general, the chief eunuch, and the
chief adviser from Lachish to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem, along with a large
army. They went up and arrived at Jerusalem. They went and stood at the conduit
of the upper pool which is located on the road to the field where they wash and
dry cloth.
18 They summoned the king, so Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor,
accompanied by Shebna the scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went out
to meet them.
19 The chief adviser said to them,“Tell Hezekiah:‘This is what the great
king, the king of Assyria, says:“What is your source of confidence?
20 Your claim to have a strategy and military strength is just empty talk. In
whom are you trusting that you would dare to rebel against me?
21 Now look, you must be trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed staff. If a man
leans for support on it, it punctures his hand and wounds him. That is what
Pharaoh king of Egypt does to all who trust in him.
22 Perhaps you will tell me,‘We are trusting in the LORD our God.’ But
Hezekiah is the one who eliminated his high places and altars and then told the
people of Judah and Jerusalem,‘You must worship at this altar in Jerusalem.’
23 Now make a deal with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two
thousand horses, provided you can find enough riders for them.
24 Certainly you will not refuse one of my master’s minor officials and trust
in Egypt for chariots and horsemen.
25 Furthermore it was by the command of the LORD that I marched up against this
place to destroy it. The LORD told me,‘March up against this land and destroy
it.’”’”
26 Eliakim son of Hilkiah, Shebna, and Joah said to the chief adviser,“Speak
to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it. Don’t speak with us in the
Judahite dialect in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.”
27 But the chief adviser said to them,“My master did not send me to speak
these words only to your master and to you. His message is also for the men who
sit on the wall, for they will eat their own excrement and drink their own urine
along with you.”
28 The chief adviser then stood there and called out loudly in the Judahite
dialect,“Listen to the message of the great king, the king of Assyria.
29 This is what the king says:‘Don’t let Hezekiah mislead you, for he is not
able to rescue you from my hand!
30 Don’t let Hezekiah talk you into trusting in the LORD when he says,“The
LORD will certainly rescue us; this city will not be handed over to the king of
Assyria.”
31 Don’t listen to Hezekiah!’ For this is what the king of Assyria
says,‘Send me a token of your submission and surrender to me. Then each of you
may eat from his own vine and fig tree and drink water from his own cistern,
32 until I come and take you to a land just like your own– a land of grain and
new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive oil and honey. Then you
will live and not die. Don’t listen to Hezekiah, for he is misleading you when
he says,“The LORD will rescue us.”
33 Have any of the gods of the nations actually rescued his land from the power
of the king of Assyria?
34 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim,
Hena, and Ivvah? Indeed, did any gods rescue Samaria from my power?
35 Who among all the gods of the lands has rescued their lands from my power? So
how can the LORD rescue Jerusalem from my power?’”
36 The people were silent and did not respond, for the king had
ordered,“Don’t respond to him.”
37 Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna the
scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went to Hezekiah with their clothes
torn and reported to him what the chief adviser had said.

Chapter 19

1 When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went
to the LORD’s temple.
2 He sent Eliakim the palace supervisor, Shebna the scribe, and the leading
priests, clothed in sackcloth to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.
3 They told him,“This is what Hezekiah says:‘This is a day of distress,
insults, and humiliation, as when a baby is ready to leave the birth canal, but
the mother lacks the strength to push it through.
4 Perhaps the LORD your God will hear all these things the chief adviser has
spoken on behalf of his master, the king of Assyria, who sent him to taunt the
living God. When the LORD your God hears, perhaps he will punish him for the
things he has said. So pray for this remnant that remains.’”
5 When King Hezekiah’s servants came to Isaiah,
6 Isaiah said to them,“Tell your master this:‘This is what the LORD has
said:“Don’t be afraid because of the things you have heard, because the
Assyrian king’s officers have insulted me.
7 Look, I will take control of his mind; he will receive a report and return to
his own land. I will cut him down with a sword in his own land.”’”
8 When the chief adviser heard the king of Assyria had departed from Lachish, he
left and went to Libnah, where the king was campaigning.
9 The king heard that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia was marching out to fight him.
He again sent messengers to Hezekiah, ordering them:
10 “Tell King Hezekiah of Judah this:‘Don’t let your God in whom you trust
mislead you when he says,“Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of
Assyria.”
11 Certainly you have heard how the kings of Assyria have annihilated all lands.
Do you really think you will be rescued?
12 Were the nations whom my ancestors destroyed– the nations of Gozan, Haran,
Rezeph, and the people of Eden in Telassar– rescued by their gods?
13 Where are the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of Lair,
Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?’”
14 Hezekiah took the letter from the messengers and read it. Then Hezekiah went
up to the LORD’s temple and spread it out before the LORD.
15 Hezekiah prayed before the LORD:“LORD God of Israel, who is enthroned on
the cherubim! You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the
sky and the earth.
16 Pay attention, LORD, and hear! Open your eyes, LORD, and observe! Listen to
the message Sennacherib sent and how he taunts the living God!
17 It is true, LORD, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and
their lands.
18 They have burned the gods of the nations, for they are not really gods, but
only the product of human hands manufactured from wood and stone. That is why
the Assyrians could destroy them.
19 Now, O LORD our God, rescue us from his power, so that all the kingdoms of
the earth will know that you, LORD, are the only God.”
20 Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah:“This is what the LORD God
of Israel has said:‘I have heard your prayer concerning King Sennacherib of
Assyria.
21 This is what the LORD says about him:“The virgin daughter Zion despises
you, she makes fun of you; Daughter Jerusalem shakes her head after you.
22 Whom have you taunted and hurled insults at? At whom have you shouted, and
looked so arrogantly? At the Holy One of Israel!
23 Through your messengers you taunted the Sovereign Master,‘With my many
chariots I climbed up the high mountains, the slopes of Lebanon. I cut down its
tall cedars, and its best evergreens. I invaded its most remote regions, its
thickest woods.
24 I dug wells and drank water in foreign lands. With the soles of my feet I
dried up all the rivers of Egypt.’
25 Certainly you must have heard! Long ago I worked it out. In ancient times I
planned it; and now I am bringing it to pass. The plan is this: Fortified cities
will crash into heaps of ruins.
26 Their residents are powerless, they are terrified and ashamed. They are as
short-lived as plants in the field, or green vegetation. They are as short-lived
as grass on the rooftops when it is scorched by the east wind.
27 I know where you live, and everything you do.
28 Because you rage against me, and the uproar you create has reached my ears; I
will put my hook in your nose, and my bridle between your lips, and I will lead
you back the way you came.”
29 This will be your confirmation that I have spoken the truth: This year you
will eat what grows wild, and next year what grows on its own from that. But in
the third year you will plant seed and harvest crops; you will plant vines and
consume their produce.
30 Those who remain in Judah will take root in the ground and bear fruit.
31 For a remnant will leave Jerusalem; survivors will come out of Mount Zion.
The zeal of LORD of Heaven’s Armies will accomplish this.
32 So this is what the LORD has said about the king of Assyria:“He will not
enter this city, nor will he shoot an arrow here. He will not attack it with his
shield-carrying warriors, nor will he build siege works against it.
33 He will go back the way he came. He will not enter this city,” says the
LORD.
34 I will shield this city and rescue it for the sake of my reputation and
because of my promise to David my servant.’”
35 That very night the LORD’s angel went out and killed 185,000 men in the
Assyrian camp. When they got up early the next morning, there were all the
corpses.
36 So King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and went on his way. He went home
and stayed in Nineveh.
37 One day, as he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons
Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword. They escaped to the
land of Ararat; his son Esarhaddon replaced him as king.

Chapter 20

1 Hezekiah is Healed In those days Hezekiah was stricken with a terminal
illness. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz visited him and told him,“This is what
the LORD has said,‘Give your household instructions, for you are about to die;
you will not get well.’”
2 He turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD,
3 “Please, LORD. Remember how I have served you faithfully and with
wholehearted devotion, and how I have carried out your will.” Then Hezekiah
wept bitterly.
4 Isaiah had not yet left the middle courtyard when the LORD’s message came to
him,
5 “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people:‘This is what the LORD
God of your ancestor David has said:“I have heard your prayer; I have seen
your tears. Look, I will heal you. The day after tomorrow you will go up to the
LORD’s temple.
6 I will add fifteen years to your life and rescue you and this city from the
king of Assyria. I will shield this city for the sake of my reputation and
because of my promise to David my servant.”’”
7 Isaiah ordered,“Get a fig cake.” So they did as he ordered and placed it
on the ulcerated sore, and he recovered.
8 Hezekiah had said to Isaiah,“What is the confirming sign that the LORD will
heal me and that I will go up to the LORD’s temple the day after tomorrow?”
9 Isaiah replied,“This is your sign from the LORD confirming that the LORD
will do what he has said. Do you want the shadow to move ahead ten steps or to
go back ten steps?”
10 Hezekiah answered,“It is easy for the shadow to lengthen ten steps, but not
for it to go back ten steps.”
11 Isaiah the prophet called out to the LORD, and the LORD made the shadow go
back ten steps on the stairs of Ahaz.
12 Messengers from Babylon Visit Hezekiah At that time Merodach-Baladan son of
Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he had heard
that Hezekiah was ill.
13 Hezekiah welcomed them and showed them his whole storehouse, with its silver,
gold, spices, and high quality olive oil, as well as his armory and everything
in his treasuries. Hezekiah showed them everything in his palace and in his
whole kingdom.
14 Isaiah the prophet visited King Hezekiah and asked him,“What did these men
say? Where do they come from?” Hezekiah replied,“They come from the distant
land of Babylon.”
15 Isaiah asked,“What have they seen in your palace?” Hezekiah
replied,“They have seen everything in my palace. I showed them everything in
my treasuries.”
16 Isaiah said to Hezekiah,“Listen to the LORD’s message,
17 ‘Look, a time is coming when everything in your palace and the things your
ancestors have accumulated to this day will be carried away to Babylon; nothing
will be left,’ says the LORD.
18 ‘Some of your very own descendants whom you father will be taken away and
will be made eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’”
19 Hezekiah said to Isaiah,“The LORD’s message which you have announced is
appropriate.” Then he added,“At least there will be peace and stability
during my lifetime.”
20 The rest of the events of Hezekiah’s reign and all his accomplishments,
including how he built a pool and conduit to bring water into the city, are
recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah.
21 Hezekiah passed away and his son Manasseh replaced him as king.

Chapter 21

1 Manasseh’s Reign over Judah Manasseh was twelve years old when he became
king, and he reigned for fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother was
Hephzibah.
2 He did evil in the sight of the LORD and committed the same horrible sins
practiced by the nations whom the LORD drove out from before the Israelites.
3 He rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he set up
altars for Baal and made an Asherah pole just like King Ahab of Israel had done.
He bowed down to all the stars in the sky and worshiped them.
4 He built altars in the LORD’s temple, about which the LORD had
said,“Jerusalem will be my home.”
5 In the two courtyards of the LORD’s temple he built altars for all the stars
in the sky.
6 He passed his son through the fire and practiced divination and omen reading.
He set up a ritual pit to conjure up underworld spirits, and appointed magicians
to supervise it. He did a great amount of evil in the sight of the LORD,
provoking him to anger.
7 He put an idol of Asherah he had made in the temple, about which the LORD had
said to David and to his son Solomon,“This temple in Jerusalem, which I have
chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, will be my permanent home.
8 I will not make Israel again leave the land I gave to their ancestors,
provided that they carefully obey all I commanded them, the whole law my servant
Moses ordered them to obey.”
9 But they did not obey, and Manasseh misled them so that they sinned more than
the nations whom the LORD had destroyed from before the Israelites.
10 So the LORD announced through his servants the prophets:
11 “King Manasseh of Judah has committed horrible sins. He has sinned more
than the Amorites before him and has encouraged Judah to sin by worshiping his
disgusting idols.
12 So this is what the LORD God of Israel has said,‘I am about to bring
disaster on Jerusalem and Judah. The news will reverberate in the ears of those
who hear about it.
13 I will destroy Jerusalem the same way I did Samaria and the dynasty of Ahab.
I will wipe Jerusalem clean, just as one wipes a plate on both sides.
14 I will abandon this last remaining tribe among my people and hand them over
to their enemies; they will be plundered and robbed by all their enemies,
15 because they have done evil in my sight and have angered me from the time
their ancestors left Egypt right up to this very day!’”
16 Furthermore Manasseh killed so many innocent people, he stained Jerusalem
with their blood from end to end, in addition to encouraging Judah to sin by
doing evil in the sight of the LORD.
17 The rest of the events of Manasseh’s reign and all his accomplishments, as
well as the sinful acts he committed, are recorded in the scroll called the
Annals of the Kings of Judah.
18 Manasseh passed away and was buried in his palace garden, the garden of
Uzzah, and his son Amon replaced him as king.
19 Amon’s Reign over Judah Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king,
and he reigned for two years in Jerusalem. His mother was Meshullemeth, the
daughter of Haruz, from Jotbah.
20 He did evil in the sight of the LORD, just like his father Manasseh had done.
21 He followed in the footsteps of his father and worshiped and bowed down to
the disgusting idols which his father had worshiped.
22 He abandoned the LORD God of his ancestors and did not follow the LORD’s
instructions.
23 Amon’s servants conspired against him and killed the king in his palace.
24 The people of the land executed all those who had conspired against King
Amon, and they made his son Josiah king in his place.
25 The rest of Amon’s accomplishments are recorded in the scroll called the
Annals of the Kings of Judah.
26 He was buried in his tomb in the garden of Uzzah, and his son Josiah replaced
him as king.

Chapter 22

1 Josiah Repents Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned
for thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jedidah, daughter of Adaiah,
from Bozkath.
2 He did what the LORD approved and followed in his ancestor David’s
footsteps; he did not deviate to the right or the left.
3 In the eighteenth year of King Josiah’s reign, the king sent the scribe
Shaphan son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam, to the LORD’s temple with these
orders:
4 “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest and have him melt down the silver that has
been brought by the people to the LORD’s temple and has been collected by the
guards at the door.
5 Have them hand it over to the construction foremen assigned to the LORD’s
temple. They in turn should pay the temple workers to repair it,
6 including craftsmen, builders, and masons, and should buy wood and chiseled
stone for the repair work.
7 Do not audit the foremen who disburse the silver, for they are honest.”
8 Hilkiah the high priest informed Shaphan the scribe,“I found the law scroll
in the LORD’s temple.” Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan and he read it.
9 Shaphan the scribe went to the king and reported,“Your servants melted down
the silver in the temple and handed it over to the construction foremen assigned
to the LORD’s temple.”
10 Then Shaphan the scribe told the king,“Hilkiah the priest has given me a
scroll.” Shaphan read it out loud before the king.
11 When the king heard the words of the law scroll, he tore his clothes.
12 The king ordered Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Achbor son of
Micaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant,
13 “Go, seek an oracle from the LORD for me and the people– for all Judah.
Find out about the words of this scroll that has been discovered. For the
LORD’s great fury has been ignited against us, because our ancestors have not
obeyed the words of this scroll by doing all that it instructs us to do.”
14 So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the
prophetess, the wife of Shullam son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, the supervisor
of the wardrobe.(She lived in Jerusalem in the Mishneh district.) They stated
their business,
15 and she said to them:“This is what the LORD God of Israel has said:‘Say
this to the man who sent you to me:
16 “This is what the LORD has said:‘I am about to bring disaster on this
place and its residents, all the things in the scroll which the king of Judah
has read.
17 This will happen because they have abandoned me and offered sacrifices to
other gods, angering me with all the idols they have made. My anger will ignite
against this place and will not be extinguished!’”
18 Say this to the king of Judah, who sent you to seek an oracle from the
LORD:“This is what the LORD God of Israel has said concerning the words you
have heard:
19 ‘You displayed a sensitive spirit and humbled yourself before the LORD when
you heard how I intended to make this place and its residents into an appalling
example of an accursed people. You tore your clothes and wept before me, and I
have heard you,’ says the LORD.
20 ‘Therefore I will allow you to die and be buried in peace. You will not
have to witness all the disaster I will bring on this place.’”’” Then
they reported back to the king.

Chapter 23

1 The King Institutes Religious Reform The king summoned all the leaders of
Judah and Jerusalem.
2 The king went up to the LORD’s temple, accompanied by all the people of
Judah, all the residents of Jerusalem, the priests, and the prophets. All the
people were there, from the youngest to the oldest. He read aloud all the words
of the scroll of the covenant that had been discovered in the LORD’s temple.
3 The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant before the LORD,
agreeing to follow the LORD and to obey his commandments, laws, and rules with
all his heart and being, by carrying out the terms of this covenant recorded on
this scroll. All the people agreed to keep the covenant.
4 The king ordered Hilkiah the high priest, the high-ranking priests, and the
guards to bring out of the LORD’s temple all the items that were used in the
worship of Baal, Asherah, and all the stars of the sky. The king burned them
outside of Jerusalem in the terraces of Kidron, and carried their ashes to
Bethel.
5 He eliminated the pagan priests whom the kings of Judah had appointed to offer
sacrifices on the high places in the cities of Judah and in the area right
around Jerusalem.(They offered sacrifices to Baal, the sun god, the moon god,
the constellations, and all the stars in the sky.)
6 He removed the Asherah pole from the LORD’s temple and took it outside
Jerusalem to the Kidron Valley, where he burned it. He smashed it to dust and
then threw the dust in the public graveyard.
7 He tore down the quarters of the male cultic prostitutes in the LORD’s
temple, where women were weaving shrines for Asherah.
8 He brought all the priests from the cities of Judah and ruined the high places
where the priests had offered sacrifices, from Geba to Beer Sheba. He tore down
the high place of the goat idols situated at the entrance of the gate of Joshua,
the city official, on the left side of the city gate.
9 (Now the priests of the high places did not go up to the altar of the LORD in
Jerusalem, but they did eat unleavened cakes among their fellow priests.)
10 The king ruined Topheth in the Valley of Ben Hinnom so that no one could pass
his son or his daughter through the fire to Molech.
11 He removed from the entrance to the LORD’s temple the statues of horses
that the kings of Judah had placed there in honor of the sun god.(They were kept
near the room of Nathan Melech the eunuch, which was situated among the
courtyards.) He burned up the chariots devoted to the sun god.
12 The king tore down the altars the kings of Judah had set up on the roof of
Ahaz’s upper room, as well as the altars Manasseh had set up in the two
courtyards of the LORD’s temple. He crushed them up and threw the dust in the
Kidron Valley.
13 The king ruined the high places east of Jerusalem, south of the Mount of
Destruction, that King Solomon of Israel had built for the detestable Sidonian
goddess Astarte, the detestable Moabite god Chemosh, and the horrible Ammonite
god Milcom.
14 He smashed the sacred pillars to bits, cut down the Asherah poles, and filled
those shrines with human bones.
15 He also tore down the altar in Bethel at the high place made by Jeroboam son
of Nebat, who encouraged Israel to sin. He burned all the combustible items at
that high place and crushed them to dust; including the Asherah pole.
16 When Josiah turned around, he saw the tombs there on the hill. So he ordered
the bones from the tombs to be brought; he burned them on the altar and defiled
it, just as in the LORD’s message that was announced by the prophet while
Jeroboam stood by the altar during a festival. Then the king turned and saw the
grave of the prophet who had foretold this.
17 He asked,“What is this grave marker I see?” The men from the city
replied,“It’s the grave of the prophet who came from Judah and foretold
these very things you have done to the altar of Bethel.”
18 The king said,“Leave it alone! No one must touch his bones.” So they left
his bones undisturbed, as well as the bones of the Israelite prophet buried
beside him.
19 Josiah also removed all the shrines on the high places in the cities of
Samaria. The kings of Israel had made them and angered the LORD. He did to them
what he had done to the high place in Bethel.
20 He sacrificed all the priests of the high places on the altars located there,
and burned human bones on them. Then he returned to Jerusalem.
21 The king ordered all the people,“Observe the Passover of the LORD your God,
as prescribed in this scroll of the covenant.”
22 He issued this edict because a Passover like this had not been observed since
the days of the judges who led Israel; it was neglected for the entire period of
the kings of Israel and Judah.
23 But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah’s reign, such a Passover of the
LORD was observed in Jerusalem.
24 Josiah also got rid of the ritual pits used to conjure up spirits, the
magicians, personal idols, disgusting images, and all the detestable idols that
had appeared in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem. In this way he carried out
the terms of the law recorded on the scroll that Hilkiah the priest had
discovered in the LORD’s temple.
25 No king before or after repented before the LORD as he did, with his whole
heart, soul, and being in accordance with the whole law of Moses.
26 Yet the LORD’s great anger against Judah did not subside; he was still
infuriated by all the things Manasseh had done.
27 The LORD announced,“I will also spurn Judah, just as I spurned Israel. I
will reject this city that I chose– both Jerusalem and the temple, about which
I said,“I will live there.”
28 The rest of the events of Josiah’s reign and all his accomplishments are
recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah.
29 During Josiah’s reign Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt marched toward the
Euphrates River to help the king of Assyria. King Josiah marched out to fight
him, but Necho killed him at Megiddo when he saw him.
30 His servants transported his dead body from Megiddo in a chariot and brought
it to Jerusalem, where they buried him in his tomb. The people of the land took
Josiah’s son Jehoahaz, poured olive oil on his head, and made him king in his
father’s place.
31 Jehoahaz’s Reign over Judah Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he
became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother was Hamutal
the daughter of Jeremiah, from Libnah.
32 He did evil in the sight of the LORD as his ancestors had done.
33 Pharaoh Necho imprisoned him in Riblah in the land of Hamath and prevented
him from ruling in Jerusalem. He imposed on the land a special tax of one
hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.
34 Pharaoh Necho made Josiah’s son Eliakim king in Josiah’s place, and
changed his name to Jehoiakim. He took Jehoahaz to Egypt, where he died.
35 Jehoiakim paid Pharaoh the required amount of silver and gold, but to meet
Pharaoh’s demands Jehoiakim had to tax the land. He collected an assessed
amount from each man among the people of the land in order to pay Pharaoh Necho.
36 Jehoiakim’s Reign over Judah Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he
became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother was
Zebidah the daughter of Pedaiah, from Rumah.
37 He did evil in the sight of the LORD as his ancestors had done.

Chapter 24

1 During Jehoiakim’s reign, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked. Jehoiakim
was his subject for three years, but then he rebelled against him.
2 The LORD sent against him Babylonian, Syrian, Moabite, and Ammonite raiding
bands; he sent them to destroy Judah, just as in the LORD’s message that he
had announced through his servants the prophets.
3 Just as the LORD had announced, he rejected Judah because of all the sins
which Manasseh had committed.
4 Because he killed innocent people and stained Jerusalem with their blood, the
LORD was unwilling to forgive them.
5 The rest of the events of Jehoiakim’s reign and all his accomplishments, are
recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah.
6 He passed away and his son Jehoiachin replaced him as king.
7 The king of Egypt did not march out from his land again, for the king of
Babylon conquered all the territory that the king of Egypt had formerly
controlled between the Stream of Egypt and the Euphrates River.
8 Jehoiachin’s Reign over Judah Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he
became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother was Nehushta
the daughter of Elnathan, from Jerusalem.
9 He did evil in the sight of the LORD as his ancestors had done.
10 At that time the generals of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon marched to
Jerusalem and besieged the city.
11 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to the city while his generals were
besieging it.
12 King Jehoiachin of Judah, along with his mother, his servants, his officials,
and his eunuchs surrendered to the king of Babylon. The king of Babylon, in the
eighth year of his reign, took Jehoiachin prisoner.
13 Nebuchadnezzar took from there all the riches in the treasuries of the
LORD’s temple and of the royal palace. He removed all the gold items which
King Solomon of Israel had made for the LORD’s temple, just as the LORD had
warned.
14 He deported all the residents of Jerusalem, including all the officials and
all the soldiers(10,000 people in all). This included all the craftsmen and
those who worked with metal. No one was left except for the poorest among the
people of the land.
15 He deported Jehoiachin from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with the king’s
mother and wives, his eunuchs, and the high-ranking officials of the land.
16 The king of Babylon deported to Babylon all the soldiers(there were 7,000),
as well as 1,000 craftsmen and metal workers. This included all the best
warriors.
17 The king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in
Jehoiachin’s place. He renamed him Zedekiah.
18 Zedekiah’s Reign over Judah Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he
became king, and he ruled for eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother was Hamutal,
the daughter of Jeremiah, from Libnah.
19 He did evil in the sight of the LORD, as Jehoiakim had done.
20 What follows is a record of what happened to Jerusalem and Judah because of
the LORD’s anger; he finally threw them out of his presence. Zedekiah rebelled
against the king of Babylon.

Chapter 25

1 So King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came against Jerusalem with his whole army
and set up camp outside it. They built siege ramps all around it. He arrived on
the tenth day of the tenth month in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign.
2 The city remained under siege until King Zedekiah’s eleventh year.
3 By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine in the city was so severe the
residents had no food.
4 The enemy broke through the city walls, and all the soldiers tried to escape.
They left the city during the night. They went through the gate between the two
walls that is near the king’s garden.(The Babylonians were all around the
city.) Then they headed for the rift valley.
5 But the Babylonian army chased after the king. They caught up with him in the
rift valley plains of Jericho, and his entire army deserted him.
6 They captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah,
where he passed sentence on him.
7 Zedekiah’s sons were executed while Zedekiah was forced to watch. The king
of Babylon then had Zedekiah’s eyes put out, bound him in bronze chains, and
carried him off to Babylon.
8 Nebuchadnezzar Destroys Jerusalem On the seventh day of the fifth month, in
the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, the captain
of the royal guard who served the king of Babylon, arrived in Jerusalem.
9 He burned down the LORD’s temple, the royal palace, and all the houses in
Jerusalem, including every large house.
10 The whole Babylonian army that came with the captain of the royal guard tore
down the walls that surrounded Jerusalem.
11 Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, deported the rest of the people
who were left in the city, those who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and
the rest of the craftsmen.
12 But he left behind some of the poor of the land and gave them fields and
vineyards.
13 The Babylonians broke the two bronze pillars in the LORD’s temple, as well
as the movable stands and the big bronze basin called“The Sea.” They took
the bronze to Babylon.
14 They also took the pots, shovels, trimming shears, pans, and all the bronze
utensils used by the priests.
15 The captain of the royal guard took the golden and silver censers and basins.
16 The bronze of the items that King Solomon made for the LORD’s temple–
including the two pillars, the big bronze basin called“The Sea,” the twelve
bronze bulls under“The Sea,” and the movable stands– was too heavy to be
weighed.
17 Each of the pillars was about twenty-seven feet high. The bronze top of one
pillar was about four and a half feet high and had bronze latticework and
pomegranate shaped ornaments all around it. The second pillar with its
latticework was like it.
18 The captain of the royal guard took Seraiah the chief priest and Zephaniah,
the priest who was second in rank, and the three doorkeepers.
19 From the city he took a eunuch who was in charge of the soldiers, five of the
king’s advisers who were discovered in the city, an official army secretary
who drafted citizens for military service, and sixty citizens from the people of
the land who were discovered in the city.
20 Nebuzaradan, captain of the royal guard, took them and brought them to the
king of Babylon at Riblah.
21 The king of Babylon ordered them to be executed at Riblah in the territory of
Hamath. So Judah was deported from its land.
22 Gedaliah Appointed Governor Now King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon appointed
Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, as governor over the people whom he
allowed to remain in the land of Judah.
23 All of the officers of the Judahite army and their troops heard that the king
of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah to govern. So they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah.
The officers who came were Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah,
Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah son of the Maacathite.
24 Gedaliah took an oath so as to give them and their troops some assurance of
safety. He said,“You don’t need to be afraid to submit to the Babylonian
officials. Settle down in the land and submit to the king of Babylon. Then
things will go well for you.”
25 But in the seventh month Ishmael son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, who was a
member of the royal family, came with ten of his men and murdered Gedaliah, as
well as the Judeans and Babylonians who were with him at Mizpah.
26 Then all the people, from the youngest to the oldest, as well as the army
officers, left for Egypt, because they were afraid of what the Babylonians might
do.
27 Jehoiachin in Babylon In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of King
Jehoiachin of Judah, on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month, King
Evil-Merodach of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, pardoned King
Jehoiachin of Judah and released him from prison.
28 He spoke kindly to him and gave him a more prestigious position than the
other kings who were with him in Babylon.
29 Jehoiachin took off his prison clothes and ate daily in the king’s presence
for the rest of his life.
30 He was given daily provisions by the king for the rest of his life until the
day he died.


1 Chronicles

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Adam’s Descendants Adam, Seth, Enosh,
2 Kenan, Mahalalel, Jered,
3 Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech,
4 Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
5 Japheth’s Descendants The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan,
Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.
6 The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.
7 The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittites, and the Rodanites.
8 Ham’s Descendants The sons of Ham:Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
9 The sons of Cush:Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raamah, and Sabteca.The sons of
Raamah:Sheba and Dedan.
10 Cush was the father of Nimrod, who established himself as a mighty warrior on
earth.
11 Mizraim was the father of the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites,
12 Pathrusites, Casluhites(from whom the Philistines descended), and the
Caphtorites.
13 Canaan was the father of Sidon– his firstborn– and Heth,
14 as well as the Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites,
15 Hivites, Arkites, Sinites,
16 Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites.
17 Shem’s Descendants The sons of Shem:Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and
Aram.The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech.
18 Arphaxad was the father of Shelah, and Shelah was the father of Eber.
19 Two sons were born to Eber: the first was named Peleg, for during his
lifetime the earth was divided; his brother’s name was Joktan.
20 Joktan was the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah,
21 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah,
22 Ebal, Abimael, Sheba,
23 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan.
24 Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah,
25 Eber, Peleg, Reu,
26 Serug, Nahor, Terah,
27 Abram(that is, Abraham).
28 The sons of Abraham:Isaac and Ishmael.
29 These were their descendants:Ishmael’s DescendantsIshmael’s firstborn son
was Nebaioth; the others were Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,
30 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema,
31 Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael.
32 Keturah’s Descendants The sons to whom Keturah, Abraham’s concubine, gave
birth:Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, Shuah.The sons of Jokshan:Sheba
and Dedan.
33 The sons of Midian:Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were
the sons of Keturah.
34 Isaac’s Descendants Abraham was the father of Isaac. The sons of Isaac:Esau
and Israel.
35 Esau’s Descendants The sons of Esau:Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam, and
Korah.
36 The sons of Eliphaz:Teman, Omar, Zephi, Gatam, Kenaz, and(by Timna) Amalek.
37 The sons of Reuel:Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.
38 The Descendants of Seir The sons of Seir:Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon,
Ezer, and Dishan.
39 The sons of Lotan:Hori and Homam.(Timna was Lotan’s sister.)
40 The sons of Shobal:Alyan, Manahath, Ebal, Shephi, and Onam.The sons of
Zibeon:Aiah and Anah.
41 The son of Anah:Dishon.The sons of Dishon:Hamran, Eshban, Ithran, and Keran.
42 The sons of Ezer:Bilhan, Zaavan, Jaakan. The sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.
43 Kings of Edom These were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any
king ruled over the Israelites:Bela son of Beor; the name of his city was
Dinhabah.
44 When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah, succeeded him.
45 When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites succeeded him.
46 When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad succeeded him. He struck down the
Midianites in the plains of Moab; the name of his city was Avith.
47 When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah succeeded him.
48 When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth on the River succeeded him.
49 When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan son of Achbor succeeded him.
50 When Baal-Hanan died, Hadad succeeded him; the name of his city was Pai. His
wife was Mehetabel, daughter of Matred, daughter of Me-Zahab.
51 Hadad died.The tribal chiefs of Edom were:Timna, Alvah, Jetheth,
52 Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon,
53 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar,
54 Magdiel, Iram. These were the tribal chiefs of Edom.

Chapter 2

1 Israel’s Descendants These were the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi,
and Judah; Issachar and Zebulun;
2 Dan, Joseph, and Benjamin; Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
3 Judah’s Descendants The sons of Judah:Er, Onan, and Shelah. These three were
born to him by Bathshua, a Canaanite woman. Er, Judah’s firstborn, displeased
the LORD, so the LORD killed him.
4 Tamar, Judah’s daughter-in-law, bore to him Perez and Zerah. Judah had five
sons in all.
5 The sons of Perez:Hezron and Hamul.
6 The sons of Zerah:Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Kalkol, Dara– five in all.
7 The son of Carmi:Achan, who brought the disaster on Israel when he stole what
was devoted to God.
8 The son of Ethan:Azariah.
9 The sons born to Hezron:Jerahmeel, Ram, and Caleb.
10 Ram’s Descendants Ram was the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab was the
father of Nahshon, the tribal chief of Judah.
11 Nahshon was the father of Salma, and Salma was the father of Boaz.
12 Boaz was the father of Obed, and Obed was the father of Jesse.
13 Jesse was the father of Eliab, his firstborn; Abinadab was born second,
Shimea third,
14 Nethanel fourth, Raddai fifth,
15 Ozem sixth, David seventh.
16 Their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. Zeruiah’s three sons were Abshai,
Joab, and Asahel.
17 Abigail bore Amasa, whose father was Jether the Ishmaelite.
18 Caleb’s Descendants Caleb son of Hezron fathered sons by his wife
Azubah(also known as Jerioth). Her sons were Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon.
19 When Azubah died, Caleb married Ephrath, who bore him Hur.
20 Hur was the father of Uri, and Uri was the father of Bezalel.
21 Later Hezron slept with the daughter of Makir, the father of Gilead.(He had
married her when he was sixty years old.) She bore him Segub.
22 Segub was the father of Jair, who owned twenty-three cities in the land of
Gilead.
23 (Geshur and Aram captured the towns of Jair, along with Kenath and its sixty
surrounding towns.) All these were descendants of Makir, the father of Gilead.
24 After Hezron’s death, Caleb slept with Ephrath, his father Hezron’s
widow, and she bore to him Ashhur the father of Tekoa.
25 Jerahmeel’s Descendants The sons of Jerahmeel, Hezron’s firstborn, were
Ram, the firstborn, Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah.
26 Jerahmeel had another wife named Atarah; she was Onam’s mother.
27 The sons of Ram, Jerahmeel’s firstborn, were Maaz, Jamin, and Eker.
28 The sons of Onam were Shammai and Jada.The sons of Shammai:Nadab and Abishur.
29 Abishur’s wife was Abihail, who bore him Ahban and Molid.
30 The sons of Nadab:Seled and Appaim.(Seled died without having sons.)
31 The son of Appaim:Ishi.The son of Ishi:Sheshan.The son of Sheshan:Ahlai.
32 The sons of Jada, Shammai’s brother:Jether and Jonathan.(Jether died
without having sons.)
33 The sons of Jonathan:Peleth and Zaza.These were the descendants of Jerahmeel.
34 Sheshan had no sons, only daughters. Sheshan had an Egyptian servant named
Jarha.
35 Sheshan gave his daughter to his servant Jarha as a wife; she bore him Attai.
36 Attai was the father of Nathan, and Nathan was the father of Zabad.
37 Zabad was the father of Ephlal, and Ephlal was the father of Obed.
38 Obed was the father of Jehu, and Jehu was the father of Azariah.
39 Azariah was the father of Helez, and Helez was the father of Eleasah.
40 Eleasah was the father of Sismai, and Sismai was the father of Shallum.
41 Shallum was the father of Jekamiah, and Jekamiah was the father of Elishama.
42 More of Caleb’s Descendants The sons of Caleb, Jerahmeel’s brother:His
firstborn Mesha, the father of Ziph, and his second son Mareshah, the father of
Hebron.
43 The sons of Hebron:Korah, Tappuah, Rekem, and Shema.
44 Shema was the father of Raham, the father of Jorkeam. Rekem was the father of
Shammai.
45 Shammai’s son was Maon, who was the father of Beth-Zur.
46 Caleb’s concubine Ephah bore Haran, Moza, and Gazez. Haran was the father
of Gazez.
47 The sons of Jahdai:Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph.
48 Caleb’s concubine Maacah bore Sheber and Tirhanah.
49 She also bore Shaaph the father of Madmannah and Sheva the father of
Machbenah and Gibea. Caleb’s daughter was Achsah.
50 These were the descendants of Caleb.The sons of Hur, the firstborn of
Ephrath: Shobal, the father of Kiriath Jearim,
51 Salma, the father of Bethlehem, Hareph, the father of Beth-Gader.
52 The sons of Shobal, the father of Kiriath Jearim, were Haroeh, half of the
Manahathites,
53 the clans of Kiriath Jearim– the Ithrites, Puthites, Shumathites, and
Mishraites.(The Zorathites and Eshtaolites descended from these groups.)
54 The sons of Salma:Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth Beth-Joab, half the
Manahathites, the Zorites,
55 and the clans of the scribes who lived in Jabez: the Tirathites,
Shimeathites, and Sucathites. These are the Kenites who descended from Hammath,
the father of Beth-Rechab.

Chapter 3

1 David’s Descendants These were the sons of David who were born to him in
Hebron: The firstborn was Amnon, whose mother was Ahinoam from Jezreel; the
second was Daniel, whose mother was Abigail from Carmel;
2 the third was Absalom whose mother was Maacah, daughter of King Talmai of
Geshur;the fourth was Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith;
3 the fifth was Shephatiah, whose mother was Abital;the sixth was Ithream, whose
mother was Eglah, David’s wife.
4 These six were born to David in Hebron, where he ruled for seven years and six
months.He ruled thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
5 These were the sons born to him in Jerusalem:Shimea, Shobab, Nathan, and
Solomon– the mother of these four was Bathsheba the daughter of Ammiel.
6 The other nine were Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet,
7 Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia,
8 Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.
9 These were all the sons of David, not counting the sons of his concubines.
Tamar was their sister.
10 Solomon’s Descendants Solomon’s son was Rehoboam,followed by Abijah his
son,Asa his son,Jehoshaphat his son,
11 Joram his son,Ahaziah his son,Joash his son,
12 Amaziah his son,Azariah his son,Jotham his son,
13 Ahaz his son,Hezekiah his son,Manasseh his son,
14 Amon his son,Josiah his son.
15 The sons of Josiah:Johanan was the firstborn; Jehoiakim was born second;
Zedekiah third; and Shallum fourth.
16 The sons of Jehoiakim:his son Jehoiachin and his son Zedekiah.
17 The sons of Jehoiachin the exile: Shealtiel his son,
18 Malkiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah.
19 The sons of Pedaiah:Zerubbabel and Shimei.The sons of Zerubbabel:Meshullam
and Hananiah. Shelomith was their sister.
20 The five others were Hashubah, Ohel, Berechiah, Hasadiah, and Jushab-Hesed.
21 The descendants of Hananiah:Pelatiah, Jeshaiah, the sons of Rephaiah, of
Arnan, of Obadiah, and of Shecaniah.
22 The descendants of Shecaniah:Shemaiah and his sons: Hattush, Igal, Bariah,
Neariah, and Shaphat– six in all.
23 The sons of Neariah:Elioenai, Hizkiah, and Azrikam– three in all.
24 The sons of Elioenai:Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah,
and Anani– seven in all.

Chapter 4

1 Judah’s Descendants The descendants of Judah:Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and
Shobal.
2 Reaiah the son of Shobal was the father of Jahath, and Jahath was the father
of Ahumai and Lahad. These were the clans of the Zorathites.
3 These were the sons of Etam:Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash. Their sister was
Hazzelelponi.
4 Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer was the father of Hushah. These were
the descendants of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah and the father of Bethlehem.
5 Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.
6 Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the sons
of Naarah.
7 The sons of Helah: Zereth, Zohar, Ethnan,
8 and Koz, who was the father of Anub, Hazzobebah, and the clans of Aharhel the
son of Harum.
9 Jabez was more respected than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez,
for she said,“I experienced pain when I gave birth to him.”
10 Jabez called out to the God of Israel,“If only you would greatly bless me
and expand my territory! May your hand be with me! Keep me from harm so I might
not endure pain!” God answered his prayer.
11 Kelub, the brother of Shuhah, was the father of Mehir, who was the father of
Eshton.
12 Eshton was the father of Beth-Rapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah, the father of Ir
Nahash. These were the men of Recah.
13 The sons of Kenaz:Othniel and Seraiah.The sons of Othniel:Hathath and
Meonothai.
14 Meonothai was the father of Ophrah.Seraiah was the father of Joab, the father
of those who live in the Valley of the Craftsmen, for they were craftsmen.
15 The sons of Caleb son of Jephunneh:Iru, Elah, and Naam.The son of Elah:Kenaz.
16 The sons of Jehallelel:Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel.
17 The sons of Ezrah:Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon.Mered’s wife Bithiah gave
birth to Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah, the father of Eshtemoa.
18 (His Judahite wife gave birth to Jered the father of Gedor, Heber the father
of Soco, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah.) These were the sons of Pharaoh’s
daughter Bithiah, whom Mered married.
19 The sons of Hodiah’s wife, the sister of Naham:the father of Keilah the
Garmite, and Eshtemoa the Maacathite.
20 The sons of Shimon:Amnon, Rinnah, Ben Hanan, and Tilon.The descendants of
Ishi:Zoheth and Ben Zoheth.
21 The sons of Shelah son of Judah:Er the father of Lecah, Laadah the father of
Mareshah, the clans of the linen workers at Beth-Ashbea,
22 Jokim, the men of Cozeba, and Joash and Saraph, both of whom ruled in Moab
and Jashubi Lehem.(This information is from ancient records.)
23 They were the potters who lived in Netaim and Gederah; they lived there and
worked for the king.
24 Simeon’s Descendants The descendants of Simeon:Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah,
Shaul,
25 his son Shallum, his son Mibsam, and his son Mishma.
26 The descendants of Mishma:His son Hammuel, his son Zaccur, and his son
Shimei.
27 Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters. But his brothers did not have many
sons, so their whole clan was not as numerous as the sons of Judah.
28 They lived in Beer Sheba, Moladah, Hazar Shual,
29 Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad,
30 Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag,
31 Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susim, Beth Biri, and Shaaraim. These were their towns
until the reign of David.
32 Their settlements also included Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan– five
towns,
33 along with all their settlements that surrounded these towns as far as Baal.
These were the places where they lived; they kept genealogical records.
34 Their clan leaders were: Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah son of Amaziah,
35 Joel, Jehu son of Joshibiah(son of Seraiah, son of Asiel),
36 Eleoenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah,
37 Ziza son of Shipi(son of Allon, son of Jedaiah, son of Shimri, son of
Shemaiah).
38 These who are named above were the leaders of their clans. Their extended
families increased greatly in numbers.
39 They went to the entrance of Gedor, to the east of the valley, looking for
pasture for their sheep.
40 They found fertile and rich pasture; the land was very broad, undisturbed and
peaceful. Indeed some Hamites had been living there prior to that.
41 The men whose names are listed came during the time of King Hezekiah of Judah
and attacked the Hamites’ settlements, as well as the Meunites they discovered
there, and they wiped them out to this very day. They dispossessed them, for
they found pasture for their sheep there.
42 Five hundred men of Simeon, led by Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel,
the sons of Ishi, went to the hill country of Seir
43 and defeated the rest of the Amalekite refugees; they live there to this very
day.

Chapter 5

1 Reuben’s Descendants The sons of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn–(Now he was
the firstborn, but when he defiled his father’s bed, his rights as firstborn
were given to the sons of Joseph, Israel’s son. So Reuben is not listed as
firstborn in the genealogical records.
2 Though Judah was the strongest among his brothers and a leader descended from
him, the right of the firstborn belonged to Joseph.)
3 The sons of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn:Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
4 The descendants of Joel:His son Shemaiah, his son Gog, his son Shimei,
5 his son Micah, his son Reaiah, his son Baal,
6 and his son Beerah, whom King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria carried into exile.
Beerah was the tribal leader of Reuben.
7 His brothers by their clans, as listed in their genealogical records:The
leader Jeiel, Zechariah,
8 and Bela son of Azaz, son of Shema, son of Joel. They lived in Aroer as far as
Nebo and Baal Meon.
9 In the east they settled as far as the entrance to the wilderness that
stretches to the Euphrates River, for their cattle had increased in numbers in
the land of Gilead.
10 During the time of Saul they attacked the Hagrites and defeated them. They
took over their territory in the entire eastern region of Gilead.
11 Gad’s Descendants The descendants of Gad lived near them in the land of
Bashan, as far as Salecah.
12 They included Joel the leader, Shapham the second in command, Janai, and
Shaphat in Bashan.
13 Their relatives, listed according to their families, included Michael,
Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, and Eber– seven in all.
14 These were the sons of Abihail son of Huri, son of Jaroah, son of Gilead, son
of Michael, son of Jeshishai, son of Jahdo, son of Buz.
15 Ahi son of Abdiel, son of Guni, was the leader of the family.
16 They lived in Gilead, in Bashan and its surrounding settlements, and in the
pasturelands of Sharon to their very borders.
17 All of them were listed in the genealogical records in the time of King
Jotham of Judah and in the time of King Jeroboam of Israel.
18 The Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 men in
their combined armies, warriors who carried shields and swords, were equipped
with bows, and were trained for war.
19 They attacked the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab.
20 They received divine help in fighting them, and the Hagrites and all their
allies were handed over to them. They cried out to God during the battle; he
responded to their prayers because they trusted in him.
21 They seized the Hagrites’ animals, including 50,000 camels, 250,000 sheep,
and 2,000 donkeys. They also took captive 100,000 people.
22 Because God fought for them, they killed many of the enemy. They dispossessed
the Hagrites and lived in their land until the exile.
23 The Half-Tribe of Manasseh The half-tribe of Manasseh settled in the land
from Bashan as far as Baal Hermon, Senir, and Mount Hermon. They grew in number.
24 These were the leaders of their families: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel,
Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel. They were skilled warriors, men of reputation,
and leaders of their families.
25 But they were unfaithful to the God of their ancestors and worshiped instead
the gods of the native peoples whom God had destroyed before them.
26 So the God of Israel stirred up King Pul of Assyria(that is, King
Tiglath-pileser of Assyria), and he carried away the Reubenites, Gadites, and
half-tribe of Manasseh and took them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river of
Gozan, where they remain to this very day.

Chapter 6

1 Levi’s Descendants(5:27) The sons of Levi:Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
2 The sons of Kohath:Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
3 The children of Amram:Aaron, Moses, and Miriam.The sons of Aaron:Nadab, Abihu,
Eleazar, and Ithamar.
4 Eleazar was the father of Phinehas, and Phinehas was the father of Abishua.
5 Abishua was the father of Bukki, and Bukki was the father of Uzzi.
6 Uzzi was the father of Zerahiah, and Zerahiah was the father of Meraioth.
7 Meraioth was the father of Amariah, and Amariah was the father of Ahitub.
8 Ahitub was the father of Zadok, and Zadok was the father of Ahimaaz.
9 Ahimaaz was the father of Azariah, and Azariah was the father of Johanan.
10 Johanan was the father of Azariah, who served as a priest in the temple
Solomon built in Jerusalem.
11 Azariah was the father of Amariah, and Amariah was the father of Ahitub.
12 Ahitub was the father of Zadok, and Zadok was the father of Shallum.
13 Shallum was the father of Hilkiah, and Hilkiah was the father of Azariah.
14 Azariah was the father of Seraiah, and Seraiah was the father of Jehozadak.
15 Jehozadak went into exile when the LORD sent the people of Judah and
Jerusalem into exile by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.
16 (6:1) The sons of Levi:Gershom, Kohath, and Merari.
17 These are the names of the sons Gershom:Libni and Shimei.
18 The sons of Kohath:Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
19 The sons of Merari:Mahli and Mushi.These are the clans of the Levites by
their families.
20 To Gershom:His son Libni, his son Jahath, his son Zimmah,
21 his son Joah, his son Iddo, his son Zerah, and his son Jeatherai.
22 The sons of Kohath:His son Amminadab, his son Korah, his son Assir,
23 his son Elkanah, his son Ebiasaph, his son Assir,
24 his son Tahath, his son Uriel, his son Uzziah, and his son Shaul.
25 The sons of Elkanah:Amasai, Ahimoth,
26 his son Elkanah, his son Zophai, his son Nahath,
27 his son Eliab, his son Jeroham, and his son Elkanah.
28 The sons of Samuel:Joel the firstborn and Abijah the second oldest.
29 The descendants of Merari:Mahli, his son Libni, his son Shimei, his son
Uzzah,
30 his son Shimea, his son Haggiah, and his son Asaiah.
31 Professional Musicians These are the men David put in charge of music in the
LORD’s sanctuary, after the ark was placed there.
32 They performed music before the sanctuary of the meeting tent until Solomon
built the LORD’s temple in Jerusalem. They carried out their tasks according
to regulations.
33 These are the ones who served along with their sons:From the Kohathites:Heman
the musician, son of Joel, son of Samuel,
34 son of Elkanah, son of Jeroham, son of Eliel, son of Toah,
35 son of Zuph, son of Elkanah, son of Mahath, son of Amasai,
36 son of Elkanah, son of Joel, son of Azariah, son of Zephaniah,
37 son of Tahath, son of Assir, son of Ebiasaph, son of Korah,
38 son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, son of Israel.
39 Serving beside him was his fellow Levite Asaph, son of Berechiah, son of
Shimea,
40 son of Michael, son of Baaseiah, son of Malkijah,
41 son of Ethni, son of Zerah, son of Adaiah,
42 son of Ethan, son of Zimmah, son of Shimei,
43 son of Jahath, son of Gershom, son of Levi.
44 Serving beside them were their fellow Levites, the descendants of Merari, led
by Ethan, son of Kishi, son of Abdi, son of Malluch,
45 son of Hashabiah, son of Amaziah, son of Hilkiah,
46 son of Amzi, son of Bani, son of Shemer,
47 son of Mahli, son of Mushi, son of Merari, son of Levi.
48 The rest of their fellow Levites were assigned to perform the remaining tasks
at God’s sanctuary.
49 But Aaron and his descendants offered sacrifices on the altar for burnt
offerings and on the altar for incense as they had been assigned to do in the
most holy sanctuary. They made atonement for Israel, just as God’s servant
Moses had ordered.
50 These were the descendants of Aaron:His son Eleazar, his son Phinehas, his
son Abishua,
51 his son Bukki, his son Uzzi, his son Zerahiah,
52 his son Meraioth, his son Amariah, his son Ahitub,
53 his son Zadok, and his son Ahimaaz.
54 These were the areas where Aaron’s descendants lived: The following
belonged to the Kohathite clan, for they received the first allotment:
55 They were allotted Hebron in the territory of Judah, as well as its
surrounding pasturelands.
56 (But the city’s land and nearby towns were allotted to Caleb son of
Jephunneh.)
57 The descendants of Aaron were also allotted as cities of refuge Hebron,
Libnah and its pasturelands, Jattir, Eshtemoa and its pasturelands,
58 Hilez and its pasturelands, Debir and its pasturelands,
59 Ashan and its pasturelands, and Beth Shemesh and its pasturelands.
60 Within the territory of the tribe of Benjamin they were allotted Geba and its
pasturelands, Alemeth and its pasturelands, and Anathoth and its pasturelands.
Their clans were allotted thirteen cities in all.
61 The rest of Kohath’s descendants were allotted ten cities in the territory
of the half-tribe of Manasseh.
62 The clans of Gershom’s descendants received thirteen cities within the
territory of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh(in Bashan).
63 The clans of Merari’s descendants were allotted twelve cities within the
territory of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.
64 So the Israelites gave to the Levites these cities and their pasturelands.
65 They allotted these previously named cities from the territory of the tribes
of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
66 The clans of Kohath’s descendants also received cities as their territory
within the tribe of Ephraim.
67 They were allotted as cities of refuge Shechem and its pasturelands(in the
hill country of Ephraim), Gezer and its pasturelands,
68 Jokmeam and its pasturelands, Beth Horon and its pasturelands,
69 Aijalon and its pasturelands, and Gath Rimmon and its pasturelands.
70 Within the territory of the half-tribe of Manasseh, the rest of Kohath’s
descendants received Aner and its pasturelands and Bileam and its pasturelands.
71 The following belonged to Gershom’s descendants: Within the territory of
the half-tribe of Manasseh: Golan in Bashan and its pasturelands and Ashtaroth
and its pasturelands.
72 Within the territory of the tribe of Issachar: Kedesh and its pasturelands,
Daberath and its pasturelands,
73 Ramoth and its pasturelands, and Anem and its pasturelands.
74 Within the territory of the tribe of Asher: Mashal and its pasturelands,
Abdon and its pasturelands,
75 Hukok and its pasturelands, and Rehob and its pasturelands.
76 Within the territory of the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee and its
pasturelands, Hammon and its pasturelands, and Kiriathaim and its pasturelands.
77 The following belonged to the rest of Merari’s descendants: Within the
territory of the tribe of Zebulun: Rimmono and its pasturelands, and Tabor and
its pasturelands.
78 Within the territory of the tribe of Reuben across the Jordan River east of
Jericho: Bezer in the wilderness and its pasturelands, Jahzah and its
pasturelands,
79 Kedemoth and its pasturelands, and Mephaath and its pasturelands.
80 Within the territory of the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead and its
pasturelands, Mahanaim and its pasturelands,
81 Heshbon and its pasturelands, and Jazer and its pasturelands.

Chapter 7

1 Issachar’s Descendants The sons of Issachar:Tola, Puah, Jashub, and
Shimron– four in all.
2 The sons of Tola:Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Jibsam, and Samuel. They were
leaders of their families. In the time of David there were 22,600 warriors
listed in Tola’s genealogical records.
3 The son of Uzzi:Izrahiah.The sons of Izrahiah:Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and
Isshiah. All five were leaders.
4 According to the genealogical records of their families, they had 36,000
warriors available for battle, for they had numerous wives and sons.
5 Altogether the genealogical records of the clans of Issachar listed 87,000
warriors.
6 Benjamin’s Descendants The sons of Benjamin: Bela, Beker, and Jediael–
three in all.
7 The sons of Bela:Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri. The five of them were
leaders of their families. There were 22,034 warriors listed in their
genealogical records.
8 The sons of Beker:Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah,
Anathoth, and Alemeth. All these were the sons of Beker.
9 There were 20,200 family leaders and warriors listed in their genealogical
records.
10 The son of Jediael:Bilhan.The sons of Bilhan:Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Kenaanah,
Zethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar.
11 All these were the sons of Jediael. There were 17,200 family leaders and
warriors who were capable of marching out to battle.
12 The Shuppites and Huppites were descendants of Ir; the Hushites were
descendants of Aher.
13 Naphtali’s Descendants The sons of Naphtali:Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and
Shallum– sons of Bilhah.
14 Manasseh’s Descendants The sons of Manasseh:Asriel, who was born to
Manasseh’s Aramean concubine. She also gave birth to Makir the father of
Gilead.
15 Now Makir married a wife from the Huppites and Shuppites.(His sister’s name
was Maacah.)Zelophehad was Manasseh’s second son; he had only daughters.
16 Maacah, Makir’s wife, gave birth to a son, whom she named Peresh. His
brother was Sheresh, and his sons were Ulam and Rekem.
17 The son of Ulam:Bedan. These were the sons of Gilead, son of Makir, son of
Manasseh.
18 His sister Hammoleketh gave birth to Ishhod, Abiezer, and Mahlah.
19 The sons of Shemida were Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and Aniam.
20 Ephraim’s Descendants The descendants of Ephraim:Shuthelah, his son Bered,
his son Tahath, his son Eleadah, his son Tahath,
21 his son Zabad, his son Shuthelah(Ezer and Elead were killed by the men of
Gath, who were natives of the land, when they went down to steal their cattle.
22 Their father Ephraim mourned for them many days and his brothers came to
console him.
23 He slept with his wife; she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. Ephraim
named him Beriah because tragedy had come to his family.
24 His daughter was Sheerah, who built Lower and Upper Beth Horon, as well as
Uzzen Sheerah),
25 his son Rephah, his son Resheph, his son Telah, his son Tahan,
26 his son Ladan, his son Ammihud, his son Elishama,
27 his son Nun, and his son Joshua.
28 Their property and settlements included Bethel and its surrounding towns,
Naaran to the east, Gezer and its surrounding towns to the west, and Shechem and
its surrounding towns as far as Ayyah and its surrounding towns.
29 On the border of Manasseh’s territory were Beth Shean and its surrounding
towns, Taanach and its surrounding towns, Megiddo and its surrounding towns, and
Dor and its surrounding towns. The descendants of Joseph, Israel’s son, lived
here.
30 Asher’s Descendants The sons of Asher:Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah.
Serah was their sister.
31 The sons of Beriah:Heber and Malkiel, who was the father of Birzaith.
32 Heber was the father of Japhlet, Shomer, Hotham, and Shua their sister.
33 The sons of Japhlet:Pasach, Bimhal, and Ashvath. These were Japhlet’s sons.
34 The sons of his brother Shemer: Rohgah, Hubbah, and Aram.
35 The sons of his brother Helem: Zophah, Imna, Shelesh, and Amal.
36 The sons of Zophah:Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah,
37 Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Ithran, and Beera.
38 The sons of Jether:Jephunneh, Pispah, and Ara.
39 The sons of Ulla:Arah, Hanniel, and Rizia.
40 All these were the descendants of Asher. They were the leaders of their
families, the most capable men, who were warriors and served as head chiefs.
There were 26,000 warriors listed in their genealogical records as capable of
doing battle.

Chapter 8

1 Benjamin’s Descendants(Continued) Benjamin was the father of Bela, his
firstborn; Ashbel was born second, Aharah third,
2 Nohah fourth, and Rapha fifth.
3 Bela’s sons were Addar, Gera, Abihud,
4 Abishua, Naaman, Ahoah,
5 Gera, Shephuphan, and Huram.
6 These were the descendants of Ehud who were leaders of the families living in
Geba who were forced to move to Manahath:
7 Naaman, Ahijah, and Gera, who moved them. Gera was the father of Uzzah and
Ahihud.
8 Shaharaim fathered sons in Moab after he divorced his wives Hushim and Baara.
9 By his wife Hodesh he fathered Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malkam,
10 Jeuz, Sakia, and Mirmah. These were his sons; they were family leaders.
11 By Hushim he fathered Abitub and Elpaal.
12 The sons of Elpaal:Eber, Misham, Shemed(who built Ono and Lod, as well as its
surrounding towns),
13 Beriah, and Shema. They were leaders of the families living in Aijalon and
chased out the inhabitants of Gath.
14 Ahio, Shashak, Jeremoth,
15 Zebadiah, Arad, Eder,
16 Michael, Ishpah, and Joha were the sons of Beriah.
17 Zebadiah, Meshullam, Hizki, Heber,
18 Ishmerai, Izliah, and Jobab were the sons of Elpaal.
19 Jakim, Zikri, Zabdi,
20 Elienai, Zillethai, Eliel,
21 Adaiah, Beraiah, and Shimrath were the sons of Shimei.
22 Ishpan, Eber, Eliel,
23 Abdon, Zikri, Hanan,
24 Hananiah, Elam, Anthothijah,
25 Iphdeiah, and Penuel were the sons of Shashak.
26 Shamsherai, Shechariah, Athaliah,
27 Jaareshiah, Elijah, and Zikri were the sons of Jeroham.
28 These were the family leaders listed in the genealogical records; they lived
in Jerusalem.
29 The father of Gibeon lived in Gibeon; his wife’s name was Maacah.
30 His firstborn son was Abdon, followed by Zur, Kish, Baal, Nadab,
31 Gedor, Ahio, Zeker, and Mikloth.
32 Mikloth was the father of Shimeah. They also lived near their relatives in
Jerusalem.
33 Ner was the father of Kish, and Kish was the father of Saul. Saul was the
father of Jonathan, Malki-Shua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal.
34 The son of Jonathan:Meribbaal. Meribbaal was the father of Micah.
35 The sons of Micah:Pithon, Melech, Tarea, and Ahaz.
36 Ahaz was the father of Jehoaddah, and Jehoaddah was the father of Alemeth,
Azmaveth, and Zimri. Zimri was the father of Moza,
37 and Moza was the father of Binea. His son was Raphah, whose son was Eleasah,
whose son was Azel.
38 Azel had six sons: Azrikam his firstborn, followed by Ishmael, Sheariah,
Obadiah, and Hanan. All these were the sons of Azel.
39 The sons of his brother Eshek:Ulam was his firstborn, Jeush second, and
Eliphelet third.
40 The sons of Ulam were warriors who were adept archers. They had many sons and
grandsons, a total of 150.All these were the descendants of Benjamin.

Chapter 9

1 Genealogical records were kept for all Israel; they are recorded in the Scroll
of the Kings of Israel.Exiles Who Resettled in JerusalemThe people of Judah were
carried away to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness.
2 The first to resettle on their property and in their cities were some
Israelites, priests, Levites, and temple servants.
3 Some from the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim and Manasseh settled in
Jerusalem.
4 The settlers included: Uthai son of Ammihud, son of Omri, son of Imri, son of
Bani, who was a descendant of Perez son of Judah.
5 From the Shilonites: Asaiah the firstborn and his sons.
6 From the descendants of Zerah: Jeuel. Their relatives numbered 690.
7 From the descendants of Benjamin:Sallu son of Meshullam, son of Hodaviah, son
of Hassenuah;
8 Ibneiah son of Jeroham; Elah son of Uzzi, son of Mikri; and Meshullam son of
Shephatiah, son of Reuel, son of Ibnijah.
9 Their relatives, listed in their genealogical records, numbered 956. All these
men were leaders of their families.
10 From the priests:Jedaiah; Jehoiarib; Jakin;
11 Azariah son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son
of Ahitub the leader in God’s temple;
12 Adaiah son of Jeroham, son of Pashhur, son of Malkijah; and Maasai son of
Adiel, son of Jahzerah, son of Meshullam, son of Meshillemith, son of Immer.
13 Their relatives, who were leaders of their families, numbered 1,760. They
were capable men who were assigned to carry out the various tasks of service in
God’s temple.
14 From the Levites:Shemaiah son of Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of Hashabiah a
descendant of Merari;
15 Bakbakkar; Heresh; Galal; Mattaniah son of Mika, son of Zikri, son of Asaph;
16 Obadiah son of Shemaiah, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun; and Berechiah son of
Asa, son of Elkanah, who lived among the settlements of the Netophathites.
17 The gatekeepers were:Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman, and their brothers.
Shallum was the leader;
18 he serves to this day at the King’s Gate on the east. These were the
gatekeepers from the camp of the descendants of Levi.
19 Shallum son of Kore, son of Ebiasaph, son of Korah, and his relatives from
his family(the Korahites) were assigned to guard the entrance to the sanctuary.
Their ancestors had guarded the entrance to the LORD’s dwelling place.
20 Phinehas son of Eleazar had been their leader in earlier times, and the LORD
was with him.
21 Zechariah son of Meshelemiah was the guard at the entrance to the meeting
tent.
22 All those selected to be gatekeepers at the entrances numbered 212. Their
names were recorded in the genealogical records of their settlements. David and
Samuel the prophet had appointed them to their positions.
23 They and their descendants were assigned to guard the gates of the LORD’s
sanctuary(that is, the tabernacle).
24 The gatekeepers were posted on all four sides– east, west, north, and
south.
25 Their relatives, who lived in their settlements, came from time to time and
served with them for seven-day periods.
26 The four head gatekeepers, who were Levites, were assigned to guard the
storerooms and treasuries in God’s sanctuary.
27 They would spend the night in their posts all around God’s sanctuary, for
they were assigned to guard it and would open it with the key every morning.
28 Some of them were in charge of the articles used by those who served; they
counted them when they brought them in and when they brought them out.
29 Some of them were in charge of the equipment and articles of the sanctuary,
as well as the flour, wine, olive oil, incense, and spices.
30 (But some of the priests mixed the spices.)
31 Mattithiah, a Levite, the firstborn son of Shallum the Korahite, was in
charge of baking the bread for offerings.
32 Some of the Kohathites, their relatives, were in charge of preparing the
bread that is displayed each Sabbath.
33 The musicians and Levite family leaders stayed in rooms at the sanctuary and
were exempt from other duties, for day and night they had to carry out their
assigned tasks.
34 These were the family leaders of the Levites, as listed in their genealogical
records. They lived in Jerusalem.
35 Jeiel’s Descendants Jeiel(the father of Gibeon) lived in Gibeon. His wife
was Maacah.
36 His firstborn son was Abdon, followed by Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab,
37 Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah, and Mikloth.
38 Mikloth was the father of Shimeam. They also lived near their relatives in
Jerusalem.
39 Ner was the father of Kish, and Kish was the father of Saul. Saul was the
father of Jonathan, Malki-Shua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal.
40 The son of Jonathan:Meribbaal, who was the father of Micah.
41 The sons of Micah:Pithon, Melech, Tahrea, and Ahaz.
42 Ahaz was the father of Jarah, and Jarah was the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth,
and Zimri. Zimri was the father of Moza,
43 and Moza was the father of Binea. His son was Rephaiah, whose son was
Eleasah, whose son was Azel.
44 Azel had six sons: Azrikam his firstborn, followed by Ishmael, Sheariah,
Obadiah, and Hanan. These were the sons of Azel.

Chapter 10

1 Saul’s Death Now the Philistines fought against Israel. The Israelites fled
before the Philistines and many of them fell dead on Mount Gilboa.
2 The Philistines stayed right on the heels of Saul and his sons. They struck
down Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua.
3 The battle was thick around Saul; the archers spotted him and wounded him.
4 Saul told his armor bearer,“Draw your sword and stab me with it. Otherwise
these uncircumcised people will come and torture me.” But his armor bearer
refused to do it, because he was very afraid. So Saul took the sword and fell on
it.
5 When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and
died.
6 So Saul and his three sons died; his whole household died together.
7 When all the Israelites who were in the valley saw that the army had fled and
that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. The
Philistines came and occupied them.
8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip loot from the corpses, they
discovered Saul and his sons lying dead on Mount Gilboa.
9 They stripped his corpse, and then carried off his head and his armor. They
sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines proclaiming the news to
their idols and their people.
10 They placed his armor in the temple of their gods and hung his head in the
temple of Dagon.
11 When all the residents of Jabesh Gilead heard about everything the
Philistines had done to Saul,
12 all the warriors went and recovered the bodies of Saul and his sons and
brought them to Jabesh. They buried their remains under the oak tree in Jabesh
and fasted for seven days.
13 So Saul died because he was unfaithful to the LORD and did not obey the
LORD’s instructions; he even tried to conjure up underworld spirits.
14 He did not seek the LORD’s guidance, so the LORD killed him and transferred
the kingdom to David son of Jesse.

Chapter 11

1 David Becomes King All Israel joined David at Hebron and said,“Look, we are
your very flesh and blood!
2 In the past, even when Saul was king, you were Israel’s commanding general.
The LORD your God said to you,‘You will shepherd my people Israel; you will
rule over my people Israel.’”
3 When all the leaders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, David made a
covenant with them in Hebron before the LORD. They anointed David king over
Israel, in keeping with the LORD’s message that came through Samuel.
4 David Conquers Jerusalem David and the whole Israelite army advanced to
Jerusalem(that is, Jebus).(The Jebusites, the land’s original inhabitants,
lived there.)
5 The residents of Jebus said to David,“You cannot invade this place!” But
David captured the fortress of Zion(that is, the City of David).
6 David said,“Whoever attacks the Jebusites first will become commanding
general!” So Joab son of Zeruiah attacked first and became commander.
7 David lived in the fortress; for this reason it is called the City of David.
8 He built up the city around it, from the terrace to the surrounding walls;
Joab restored the rest of the city.
9 David’s power steadily grew, for the LORD of Heaven’s Armies was with him.
10 David’s Warriors These were the leaders of David’s warriors who, together
with all Israel, stood courageously with him in his kingdom by installing him as
king, in keeping with the LORD’s message concerning Israel.
11 This is the list of David’s warriors: Jashobeam, a Hacmonite, was head of
the officers. He killed three hundred men with his spear in a single battle.
12 Next in command was Eleazar son of Dodo the Ahohite. He was one of the three
elite warriors.
13 He was with David in Pas Dammim when the Philistines assembled there for
battle. In an area of the field that was full of barley, the army retreated
before the Philistines,
14 but then they made a stand in the middle of that area. They defended it and
defeated the Philistines; the LORD gave them a great victory.
15 Three of the thirty leaders went down to David at the rocky cliff at the cave
of Adullam, while a Philistine force was camped in the Valley of Rephaim.
16 David was in the stronghold at the time, while a Philistine garrison was in
Bethlehem.
17 David was thirsty and said,“How I wish someone would give me some water to
drink from the cistern in Bethlehem near the city gate!”
18 So the three elite warriors broke through the Philistine forces and drew some
water from the cistern in Bethlehem near the city gate. They carried it back to
David, but David refused to drink it. He poured it out as a drink offering to
the LORD
19 and said,“God forbid that I should do this! Should I drink the blood of
these men who risked their lives?” Because they risked their lives to bring it
to him, he refused to drink it. Such were the exploits of the three elite
warriors.
20 Abishai the brother of Joab was head of the three elite warriors. He killed
three hundred men with his spear and gained fame along with the three elite
warriors.
21 From the three he was given double honor and he became their officer, even
though he was not one of them.
22 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a brave warrior from Kabzeel who performed great
exploits. He struck down the two sons of Ariel of Moab; he also went down and
killed a lion inside a cistern on a snowy day.
23 He even killed an Egyptian who was seven and a half feet tall. The Egyptian
had a spear in his hand as big as the crossbeam of a weaver’s loom; Benaiah
attacked him with a club. He grabbed the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand and
killed him with his own spear.
24 Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who gained fame along with
the three elite warriors.
25 He received honor from the thirty warriors, though he was not one of the
three elite warriors. David put him in charge of his bodyguard.
26 The mighty warriors were:Asahel the brother of Joab,Elhanan son of Dodo, from
Bethlehem,
27 Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite,
28 Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,Abiezer the Anathothite,
29 Sibbekai the Hushathite,Ilai the Ahohite,
30 Maharai the Netophathite,Heled son of Baanah the Netophathite,
31 Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah in Benjaminite territory,Benaiah the
Pirathonite,
32 Hurai from the valleys of Gaash,Abiel the Arbathite,
33 Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite,
34 the sons of Hashem the Gizonite,Jonathan son of Shageh the Hararite,
35 Ahiam son of Sakar the Hararite,Eliphal son of Ur,
36 Hepher the Mekerathite,Ahijah the Pelonite,
37 Hezro the Carmelite,Naarai son of Ezbai,
38 Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar son of Hagri,
39 Zelek the Ammonite,Naharai the Beerothite, the armor-bearer of Joab son of
Zeruiah,
40 Ira the Ithrite,Gareb the Ithrite,
41 Uriah the Hittite,Zabad son of Achli,
42 Adina son of Shiza the Reubenite, leader of the Reubenites and the thirty
warriors with him,
43 Hanan son of Maacah,Joshaphat the Mithnite,
44 Uzzia the Ashterathite,Shama and Jeiel, the sons of Hotham the Aroerite,
45 Jediael son of Shimri,and Joha his brother, the Tizite,
46 Eliel the Mahavite,and Jeribai and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam,and Ithmah
the Moabite,
47 Eliel,and Obed,and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.

Chapter 12

1 Warriors Who Joined David at Ziklag These were the men who joined David in
Ziklag, when he was banished from the presence of Saul son of Kish.(They were
among the warriors who assisted him in battle.
2 They were armed with bows and could shoot arrows or sling stones right or
left-handed. They were fellow tribesmen of Saul from Benjamin.) These were:
3 Ahiezer, the leader, and Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and
Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth; Berachah,Jehu the Anathothite,
4 Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, one of the thirty warriors and their leader,(12:5)
Jeremiah,Jahaziel,Johanan,Jozabad the Gederathite,
5 (12:6) Eluzai,Jerimoth,Bealiah,Shemariah,Shephatiah the Haruphite,
6 Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, who were Korahites,
7 and Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham from Gedor.
8 Some of the Gadites joined David at the stronghold in the wilderness. They
were warriors who were trained for battle; they carried shields and spears. They
were as fierce as lions and could run as quickly as gazelles across the hills.
9 Ezer was the leader, Obadiah the second in command, Eliab the third,
10 Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth,
11 Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,
12 Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth,
13 Jeremiah the tenth, and Machbannai the eleventh.
14 These Gadites were military leaders; the least led a hundred men, the
greatest a thousand.
15 They crossed the Jordan River in the first month, when it was overflowing its
banks, and routed those living in all the valleys to the east and west.
16 Some from Benjamin and Judah also came to David’s stronghold.
17 David went out to meet them and said,“If you come to me in peace and want
to help me, then I will make an alliance with you. But if you come to betray me
to my enemies when I have not harmed you, may the God of our ancestors take
notice and judge!”
18 But a spirit empowered Amasai, the leader of the thirty warriors, and he
said:“We are yours, O David! We support you, O son of Jesse! May you greatly
prosper! May those who help you prosper! Indeed your God helps you!”So David
accepted them and made them leaders of raiding bands.
19 Some men from Manasseh joined David when he went with the Philistines to
fight against Saul.(But in the end they did not help the Philistines because,
after taking counsel, the Philistine lords sent David away, saying:“It would
be disastrous for us if he deserts to his master Saul.”)
20 When David went to Ziklag, the men of Manasseh who joined him were Adnach,
Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, leaders of a thousand
soldiers each in the tribe of Manasseh.
21 They helped David fight against raiding bands, for all of them were warriors
and leaders in the army.
22 Each day men came to help David until his army became very large.
23 Support for David in Hebron The following is a record of the armed warriors
who came with their leaders and joined David in Hebron in order to make David
king in Saul’s place, in accordance with the LORD’s decree:
24 From Judah came 6,800 trained warriors carrying shields and spears.
25 From Simeon there were 7,100 warriors.
26 From Levi there were 4,600.
27 Jehoiada, the leader of Aaron’s descendants, brought 3,700 men with him,
28 along with Zadok, a young warrior, and twenty-two leaders from his family.
29 From Benjamin, Saul’s tribe, there were 3,000, most of whom, up to that
time, had been loyal to Saul.
30 From Ephraim there were 20,800 warriors, who had brought fame to their
families.
31 From the half-tribe of Manasseh there were 18,000 who had been designated by
name to come and make David king.
32 From Issachar there were 200 leaders and all their relatives at their
command– they understood the times and knew what Israel should do.
33 From Zebulun there were 50,000 warriors who were prepared for battle,
equipped with all kinds of weapons, and ready to give their undivided loyalty.
34 From Naphtali there were 1,000 officers, along with 37,000 men carrying
shields and spears.
35 From Dan there were 28,600 men prepared for battle.
36 From Asher there were 40,000 warriors prepared for battle.
37 From the other side of the Jordan, from Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of
Manasseh, there were 120,000 men armed with all kinds of weapons.
38 All these men were warriors who were ready to march. They came to Hebron to
make David king over all Israel by acclamation; all the rest of the Israelites
also were in agreement that David should become king.
39 They spent three days feasting there with David, for their relatives had
given them provisions.
40 Also their neighbors, from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali,
were bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen. There were large
supplies of flour, fig cakes, raisins, wine, olive oil, beef, and lamb, for
Israel was celebrating.

Chapter 13

1 Uzzah Meets Disaster David consulted with his military officers, including
those who led groups of a thousand and those who led groups of a hundred.
2 David said to the whole Israelite assembly,“If you so desire and the LORD
our God approves, let’s spread the word to our brothers who remain in all the
regions of Israel, and to the priests and Levites in their cities, so they may
join us.
3 Let’s move the ark of our God back here, for we did not seek his will
throughout Saul’s reign.”
4 The whole assembly agreed to do this, for the proposal seemed right to all the
people.
5 So David assembled all Israel from the Shihor River in Egypt to Lebo Hamath,
to bring the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim.
6 David and all Israel went up to Baalah(that is, Kiriath Jearim) in Judah to
bring up from there the ark of God the LORD, who sits enthroned between the
cherubim– the ark that is called by his name.
7 They transported the ark of God on a new cart from the house of Abinadab;
Uzzah and Ahio were guiding the cart,
8 while David and all Israel were energetically celebrating before God, singing
and playing various stringed instruments, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets.
9 When they arrived at the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reached out his hand
to take hold of the ark, because the oxen stumbled.
10 The LORD was so furious with Uzzah, he killed him, because he reached out his
hand and touched the ark. He died right there before God.
11 David was angry because the LORD attacked Uzzah; so he called that place
Perez Uzzah, which remains its name to this very day.
12 David was afraid of God that day and said,“How will I ever be able to bring
the ark of God up here?”
13 So David did not move the ark to the City of David; he left it in the house
of Obed-Edom the Gittite.
14 The ark of God remained in Obed-Edom’s house for three months; the LORD
blessed Obed-Edom’s family and everything that belonged to him.

Chapter 14

1 David’s Prestige Grows King Hiram of Tyre sent messengers to David, along
with cedar logs, stonemasons, and carpenters to build a palace for him.
2 David realized that the LORD had established him as king over Israel and that
he had elevated his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.
3 In Jerusalem David married more wives and fathered more sons and daughters.
4 These are the names of children born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab,
Nathan, Solomon,
5 Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet,
6 Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia,
7 Elishama, Beeliada, and Eliphelet.
8 When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king of all Israel,
all the Philistines marched up to confront him. When David heard about it, he
marched out against them.
9 Now the Philistines had come and raided the Valley of Rephaim.
10 David asked God,“Should I march up against the Philistines? Will you hand
them over to me?” The LORD said to him,“March up! I will hand them over to
you!”
11 So they marched against Baal Perazim and David defeated them there. David
said,“Using me as his instrument, God has burst out against my enemies like
water bursts out.” So that place is called Baal Perazim.
12 The Philistines left their idols there, so David ordered that they be burned.
13 The Philistines again raided the valley.
14 So David again asked God what he should do. This time God told him,“Don’t
march up after them; circle around them and come against them in front of the
trees.
15 When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the trees, then attack.
For at that moment GOD is going before you to strike down the army of the
Philistines.”
16 David did just as God commanded him, and they struck down the Philistine army
from Gibeon to Gezer.
17 So David became famous in all the lands; the LORD caused all the nations to
fear him.

Chapter 15

1 David Brings the Ark to Jerusalem David constructed buildings in the City of
David; he then prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it.
2 Then David said,“Only the Levites may carry the ark of God, for the LORD
chose them to carry the ark of the LORD and to serve before him perpetually.”
3 David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem to bring the ark of the LORD up to the
place he had prepared for it.
4 David gathered together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites:
5 From the descendants of Kohath: Uriel the leader and 120 of his relatives.
6 From the descendants of Merari: Asaiah the leader and 220 of his relatives.
7 From the descendants of Gershom: Joel the leader and 130 of his relatives.
8 From the descendants of Elizaphan: Shemaiah the leader and 200 of his
relatives.
9 From the descendants of Hebron: Eliel the leader and 80 of his relatives.
10 From the descendants of Uzziel: Amminadab the leader and 112 of his
relatives.
11 David summoned the priests Zadok and Abiathar, along with the Levites Uriel,
Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab.
12 He told them:“You are the leaders of the Levites’ families. You and your
relatives must consecrate yourselves and bring the ark of the LORD God of Israel
up to the place I have prepared for it.
13 The first time you did not carry it; that is why the LORD God attacked us,
because we did not ask him about the proper way to carry it.”
14 The priests and Levites consecrated themselves so they could bring up the ark
of the LORD God of Israel.
15 The descendants of Levi carried the ark of God on their shoulders with poles,
just as Moses had commanded in keeping with the LORD’s instruction.
16 David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint some of their relatives as
musicians; they were to play various instruments, including stringed instruments
and cymbals, and to sing loudly and joyfully.
17 So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel; one of his relatives, Asaph son
of Berechiah; one of the descendants of Merari, Ethan son of Kushaiah;
18 along with some of their relatives who were second in rank, including
Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah,
Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, and Jeiel, the gatekeepers.
19 The musicians Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were to sound the bronze cymbals;
20 Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah
were to play the harps according to the alamoth style;
21 Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah were to play
the lyres according to the sheminith style, as led by the director;
22 Kenaniah, the leader of the Levites, was in charge of transport, for he was
well-informed on this matter;
23 Berechiah and Elkanah were guardians of the ark;
24 Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer the
priests were to blow the trumpets before the ark of God; Obed-Edom and Jehiel
were also guardians of the ark.
25 So David, the leaders of Israel, and the commanders of units of a thousand
went to bring up the ark of the LORD’s covenant from the house of Obed-Edom
with celebration.
26 When God helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the LORD’s
covenant, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.
27 David was wrapped in a linen robe, as were all the Levites carrying the ark,
the musicians, and Kenaniah the supervisor of transport and the musicians; David
also wore a linen ephod.
28 All Israel brought up the ark of the LORD’s covenant; they were shouting,
blowing trumpets, sounding cymbals, and playing stringed instruments.
29 As the ark of the LORD’s covenant entered the City of David, Michal,
Saul’s daughter, looked out the window. When she saw King David jumping and
celebrating, she despised him.

Chapter 16

1 David Leads in Worship They brought the ark of God and put it in the middle of
the tent David had pitched for it. Then they offered burnt sacrifices and peace
offerings before God.
2 When David finished offering burnt sacrifices and peace offerings, he
pronounced a blessing over the people in the LORD’s name.
3 He then handed out to each Israelite man and woman a loaf of bread, a date
cake, and a raisin cake.
4 He appointed some of the Levites to serve before the ark of the LORD, to offer
prayers, songs of thanks, and hymns to the LORD God of Israel.
5 Asaph was the leader and Zechariah second in command, followed by Jeiel,
Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-Edom, and Jeiel. They were
to play stringed instruments; Asaph was to sound the cymbals;
6 and the priests Benaiah and Jahaziel were to blow trumpets regularly before
the ark of God’s covenant.
7 David Thanks God That day David first gave to Asaph and his colleagues this
song of thanks to the LORD.
8 Give thanks to the LORD! Call on his name! Make known his accomplishments
among the nations!
9 Sing to him! Make music to him! Tell about all his miraculous deeds!
10 Boast about his holy name! Let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!
11 Seek the LORD and the strength he gives! Seek his presence continually!
12 Recall the miraculous deeds he performed, his mighty acts and the judgments
he decreed,
13 O children of Israel, God’s servant, you descendants of Jacob, God’s
chosen ones!
14 He is the LORD our God; he carries out judgment throughout the earth.
15 Remember continually his covenantal decree, the promise he made to a thousand
generations–
16 the promise he made to Abraham, the promise he made by oath to Isaac!
17 He gave it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as a lasting promise,
18 saying,“To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion of your
inheritance.”
19 When they were few in number, just a very few, and foreign residents within
it,
20 they wandered from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another.
21 He let no one oppress them, he disciplined kings for their sake,
22 saying,“Don’t touch my anointed ones! Don’t harm my prophets!”
23 Sing to the LORD, all the earth! Announce every day how he delivers!
24 Tell the nations about his splendor, tell all the nations about his
miraculous deeds!
25 For the LORD is great and certainly worthy of praise, he is more awesome than
all gods.
26 For all the gods of the nations are worthless, but the LORD made the heavens.
27 Majestic splendor emanates from him, he is the source of strength and joy.
28 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the nations, ascribe to the LORD splendor
and strength!
29 Ascribe to the LORD the splendor he deserves! Bring an offering and enter his
presence! Worship the LORD in holy attire!
30 Tremble before him, all the earth! The world is established, it cannot be
moved.
31 Let the heavens rejoice, and the earth be happy! Let the nations say,‘The
LORD reigns!’
32 Let the sea and everything in it shout! Let the fields and everything in them
celebrate!
33 Then let the trees of the forest shout with joy before the LORD, for he comes
to judge the earth!
34 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good and his loyal love endures.
35 Say this prayer:“Deliver us, O God who delivers us! Gather us! Rescue us
from the nations! Then we will give thanks to your holy name, and boast about
your praiseworthy deeds.”
36 May the LORD God of Israel be praised, in the future and forevermore. Then
all the people said,“We agree! Praise the LORD.
37 David Appoints Worship Leaders David left Asaph and his colleagues there
before the ark of the LORD’s covenant to serve before the ark regularly and
fulfill each day’s requirements,
38 including Obed-Edom and sixty-eight colleagues. Obed-Edom son of Jeduthun and
Hosah were gatekeepers.
39 Zadok the priest and his fellow priests served before the LORD’s tabernacle
at the worship center in Gibeon,
40 regularly offering burnt sacrifices to the LORD on the altar for burnt
sacrifice, morning and evening, according to what is prescribed in the law of
the LORD which he charged Israel to observe.
41 Joining them were Heman, Jeduthun, and the rest of those chosen and
designated by name to give thanks to the LORD.(For his loyal love endures!)
42 Heman and Jeduthun were in charge of the music, including the trumpets,
cymbals, and the other musical instruments used in praising God. The sons of
Jeduthun guarded the entrance.
43 Then all the people returned to their homes, and David went to pronounce a
blessing on his family.

Chapter 17

1 God Makes a Promise to David When David had settled into his palace, he said
to Nathan the prophet,“Look, I am living in a palace made from cedar, while
the ark of the LORD’s covenant is under a tent.”
2 Nathan said to David,“You should do whatever you have in mind, for God is
with you.”
3 That night God told Nathan,
4 “Go, tell my servant David:‘This is what the LORD says:“You must not
build me a house in which to live.
5 For I have not lived in a house from the time I brought Israel up from Egypt
to the present day. I have lived in a tent that has been in various places.
6 Wherever I moved throughout Israel, I did not say to any of the leaders whom I
appointed to care for my people Israel,‘Why have you not built me a house made
from cedar?’”’
7 “So now, say this to my servant David:‘This is what the LORD of Heaven’s
Armies says:“I took you from the pasture and from your work as a shepherd to
make you a leader of my people Israel.
8 I was with you wherever you went and I defeated all your enemies before you.
Now I will make you as famous as the great men of the earth.
9 I will establish a place for my people Israel and settle them there; they will
live there and not be disturbed anymore. Violent men will not oppress them
again, as they did in the beginning
10 and during the time when I appointed judges to lead my people Israel. I will
subdue all your enemies.“‘“I declare to you that the LORD will build a
dynastic house for you!
11 When the time comes for you to die, I will raise up your descendant, one of
your own sons, to succeed you, and I will establish his kingdom.
12 He will build me a house, and I will make his dynasty permanent.
13 I will become his father and he will become my son. I will never withhold my
loyal love from him, as I withheld it from the one who ruled before you.
14 I will put him in permanent charge of my house and my kingdom; his dynasty
will be permanent.”’”
15 Nathan told David all these words that were revealed to him.
16 David Praises God King David went in, sat before the LORD, and said:“Who am
I, O LORD God, and what is my family, that you should have brought me to this
point?
17 And you did not stop there, O God! You have also spoken about the future of
your servant’s family. You have revealed to me what men long to know, O LORD
God.
18 What more can David say to you? You have honored your servant; you have given
your servant special recognition.
19 O LORD, for the sake of your servant and according to your will, you have
done this great thing in order to reveal your greatness.
20 O LORD, there is none like you; there is no God besides you! What we heard is
true!
21 And who is like your people, Israel, a unique nation in the earth? Their God
went to claim a nation for himself! You made a name for yourself by doing great
and awesome deeds when you drove out nations before your people whom you had
delivered from the Egyptian empire and its gods.
22 You made Israel your very own nation for all time. You, O LORD, became their
God.
23 So now, O LORD, may the promise you made about your servant and his family
become a permanent reality! Do as you promised,
24 so it may become a reality and you may gain lasting fame, as people
say,‘The LORD of Heaven’s Armies is the God of Israel.’ The dynasty of
your servant David will be established before you,
25 for you, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build a dynasty
for him. That is why your servant has had the courage to pray to you.
26 Now, O LORD, you are the true God; you have made this good promise to your
servant.
27 Now you are willing to bless your servant’s dynasty so that it may stand
permanently before you, for you, O LORD, have blessed it and it will be blessed
from now on into the future.”

Chapter 18

1 David Conquers the Neighboring Nations Later David defeated the Philistines
and subdued them. He took Gath and its surrounding towns away from the
Philistines.
2 He defeated the Moabites; the Moabites became David’s subjects and brought
tribute.
3 David defeated King Hadadezer of Zobah as far as Hamath, when he went to
extend his authority to the Euphrates River.
4 David seized from him 1,000 chariots, 7,000 charioteers, and 20,000
infantrymen. David cut the hamstrings of all but a hundred of Hadadezer’s
chariot horses.
5 The Arameans of Damascus came to help King Hadadezer of Zobah, but David
killed 22,000 of the Arameans.
6 David placed garrisons in the territory of the Arameans of Damascus; the
Arameans became David’s subjects and brought tribute. The LORD protected David
wherever he campaigned.
7 David took the golden shields which Hadadezer’s servants had carried and
brought them to Jerusalem.
8 From Tibhath and Kun, Hadadezer’s cities, David took a great deal of
bronze.(Solomon used it to make the big bronze basin called“The Sea,” the
pillars, and other bronze items.)
9 When King Tou of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of King
Hadadezer of Zobah,
10 he sent his son Hadoram to King David to extend his best wishes and to
pronounce a blessing on him for his victory over Hadadezer, for Tou had been at
war with Hadadezer. He also sent various items made of gold, silver, and bronze.
11 King David dedicated these things to the LORD, along with the silver and gold
which he had carried off from all the nations, including Edom, Moab, the
Ammonites, the Philistines, and Amalek.
12 Abishai son of Zeruiah killed 18,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
13 He placed garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became David’s subjects.
The LORD protected David wherever he campaigned.
14 David’s Officials David reigned over all Israel; he guaranteed justice for
all his people.
15 Joab son of Zeruiah was commanding general of the army; Jehoshaphat son of
Ahilud was secretary;
16 Zadok son of Ahitub and Abimelech son of Abiathar were priests; Shavsha was
scribe;
17 Benaiah son of Jehoiada supervised the Kerethites and Pelethites; and
David’s sons were the king’s leading officials.

Chapter 19

1 David’s Campaign against the Ammonites Later King Nahash of the Ammonites
died and his son succeeded him.
2 David said,“I will express my loyalty to Hanun son of Nahash, for his father
was loyal to me.” So David sent messengers to express his sympathy over his
father’s death. When David’s servants entered Ammonite territory to visit
Hanun and express the king’s sympathy,
3 the Ammonite officials said to Hanun,“Do you really think David is trying to
honor your father by sending these messengers to express his sympathy? No, his
servants have come to you so they can get information and spy out the land!”
4 So Hanun seized David’s servants and shaved their beards off. He cut off the
lower part of their robes so that their buttocks were exposed and then sent them
away.
5 People came and told David what had happened to the men, so he sent messengers
to meet them, for the men were thoroughly humiliated. The king said,“Stay in
Jericho until your beards grow again; then you may come back.”
6 When the Ammonites realized that David was disgusted with them, Hanun and the
Ammonites sent 1,000 talents of silver to hire chariots and charioteers from
Aram Naharaim, Aram Maacah, and Zobah.
7 They hired 32,000 chariots, along with the king of Maacah and his army, who
came and camped in front of Medeba. The Ammonites also assembled from their
cities and marched out to do battle.
8 When David heard the news, he sent Joab and the entire army to meet them.
9 The Ammonites marched out and were deployed for battle at the entrance to the
city, while the kings who had come were by themselves in the field.
10 When Joab saw that the battle would be fought on two fronts, he chose some of
Israel’s best men and deployed them against the Arameans.
11 He put his brother Abishai in charge of the rest of the army and they were
deployed against the Ammonites.
12 Joab said,“If the Arameans start to overpower me, you come to my rescue. If
the Ammonites start to overpower you, I will come to your rescue.
13 Be strong! Let’s fight bravely for the sake of our people and the cities of
our God! The LORD will do what he decides is best!”
14 So Joab and his men marched toward the Arameans to do battle, and they fled
before him.
15 When the Ammonites saw the Arameans flee, they fled before Joab’s brother
Abishai and withdrew into the city. Joab went back to Jerusalem.
16 When the Arameans realized they had been defeated by Israel, they sent for
reinforcements from beyond the Euphrates River, led by Shophach the commanding
general of Hadadezer’s army.
17 When David was informed, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan River,
and marched against them. David deployed his army against the Arameans for
battle and they fought against him.
18 The Arameans fled before Israel. David killed 7,000 Aramean charioteers and
40,000 infantrymen; he also killed Shophach the commanding general.
19 When Hadadezer’s subjects saw they were defeated by Israel, they made peace
with David and became his subjects. The Arameans were no longer willing to help
the Ammonites.

Chapter 20

1 In the spring, at the time when kings normally conduct wars, Joab led the army
into battle and devastated the land of the Ammonites. He went and besieged
Rabbah, while David stayed in Jerusalem. Joab defeated Rabbah and tore it down.
2 David took the crown from the head of their king and wore it(its weight was a
talent of gold and it was set with precious stones). He took a large amount of
plunder from the city.
3 He removed the city’s residents and made them labor with saws, iron picks,
and axes. This was his policy with all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all
the army returned to Jerusalem.
4 Battles with the Philistines Later there was a battle with the Philistines in
Gezer. At that time Sibbekai the Hushathite killed Sippai, one of the
descendants of the Rephaim, and the Philistines were subdued.
5 There was another battle with the Philistines in which Elhanan son of Jair the
Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear had a shaft
as big as the crossbeam of a weaver’s loom.
6 In a battle in Gath there was a large man who had six fingers on each hand and
six toes on each foot– twenty-four in all! He too was a descendant of Rapha.
7 When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of Shimea, David’s brother, killed him.
8 These were the descendants of Rapha who lived in Gath; they were killed by the
hand of David and his soldiers.

Chapter 21

1 The Lord Sends a Plague against Israel An adversary opposed Israel, inciting
David to count how many warriors Israel had.
2 David told Joab and the leaders of the army,“Go, count the number of
warriors from Beer Sheba to Dan. Then bring back a report to me so I may know
how many we have.”
3 Joab replied,“May the LORD make his army a hundred times larger! My master,
O king, do not all of them serve my master? Why does my master want to do this?
Why bring judgment on Israel?”
4 But the king’s edict stood, despite Joab’s objections. So Joab left and
traveled throughout Israel before returning to Jerusalem.
5 Joab reported to David the number of warriors. In all Israel there were
1,100,000 sword-wielding soldiers; Judah alone had 470,000 sword-wielding
soldiers.
6 Now Joab did not number Levi and Benjamin, for the king’s edict disgusted
him.
7 God was also offended by it, so he attacked Israel.
8 David said to God,“I have sinned greatly by doing this! Now, please remove
the guilt of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”
9 The LORD told Gad, David’s prophet,
10 “Go, tell David,‘This is what the LORD says:“I am offering you three
forms of judgment from which to choose. Pick one of them.”’”
11 Gad went to David and told him,“This is what the LORD says:‘Pick one of
these:
12 three years of famine, or three months being chased by your enemies and
struck down by their swords, or three days being struck down by the LORD, during
which a plague will invade the land and the LORD’s angel will destroy
throughout Israel’s territory.’ Now, decide what I should tell the one who
sent me.”
13 David said to Gad,“I am very upset! I prefer to be attacked by the LORD,
for his mercy is very great; I do not want to be attacked by men!”
14 So the LORD sent a plague through Israel, and 70,000 Israelite men died.
15 God sent an angel to ravage Jerusalem. As he was doing so, the LORD watched
and relented from his judgment. He told the angel who was destroying,“That’s
enough! Stop now!” Now the LORD’s angel was standing near the threshing
floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
16 David looked up and saw the LORD’s angel standing between the earth and sky
with his sword drawn and in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem. David and
the leaders, covered with sackcloth, threw themselves down with their faces to
the ground.
17 David said to God,“Was I not the one who decided to number the army? I am
the one who sinned and committed this awful deed! As for these sheep– what
have they done? O LORD my God, attack me and my family, but remove the plague
from your people!”
18 So the LORD’s angel told Gad to instruct David to go up and build an altar
for the LORD on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
19 So David went up as Gad instructed him to do in the name of the LORD.
20 While Ornan was threshing wheat, he turned and saw the messenger, and he and
his four sons hid themselves.
21 When David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David; he came out from the
threshing floor and bowed to David with his face to the ground.
22 David said to Ornan,“Sell me the threshing floor so I can build on it an
altar for the LORD– I’ll pay top price– so that the plague may be removed
from the people.”
23 Ornan told David,“You can have it! My master, the king, may do what he
wants. Look, I am giving you the oxen for burnt sacrifices, the threshing
sledges for wood, and the wheat for an offering. I give it all to you.”
24 King David replied to Ornan,“No, I insist on buying it for top price. I
will not offer to the LORD what belongs to you or offer a burnt sacrifice that
cost me nothing.
25 So David bought the place from Ornan for 600 pieces of gold.
26 David built there an altar to the LORD and offered burnt sacrifices and peace
offerings. He called out to the LORD, and the LORD responded by sending fire
from the sky and consuming the burnt sacrifice on the altar.
27 The LORD ordered the messenger to put his sword back into its sheath.
28 At that time, when David saw that the LORD responded to him at the threshing
floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there.
29 Now the LORD’s tabernacle(which Moses had made in the wilderness) and the
altar for burnt sacrifices were at that time at the worship center in Gibeon.
30 But David could not go before it to seek God’s will, for he was afraid of
the sword of the LORD’s angel.

Chapter 22

1 David then said,“This is the place where the temple of the LORD God will be,
along with the altar for burnt sacrifices for Israel.”
2 David Orders a Temple to Be Built David ordered the resident foreigners in the
land of Israel to be called together. He appointed some of them to be
stonecutters to chisel stones for the building of God’s temple.
3 David supplied a large amount of iron for the nails of the doors of the gates
and for braces, more bronze than could be weighed,
4 and more cedar logs than could be counted.(The Sidonians and Tyrians had
brought a large amount of cedar logs to David.)
5 David said,“My son Solomon is just an inexperienced young man, and the
temple to be built for the LORD must be especially magnificent so it will become
famous and be considered splendid by all the nations. Therefore I will make
preparations for its construction.” So David made extensive preparations
before he died.
6 He summoned his son Solomon and charged him to build a temple for the LORD God
of Israel.
7 David said to Solomon:“My son, I really wanted to build a temple to honor
the LORD my God.
8 But this was the LORD’S message to me:‘You have spilled a great deal of
blood and fought many battles. You must not build a temple to honor me, for you
have spilled a great deal of blood on the ground before me.
9 Look, you will have a son, who will be a peaceful man. I will give him rest
from all his enemies on every side. Indeed, Solomon will be his name; I will
give Israel peace and quiet during his reign.
10 He will build a temple to honor me; he will become my son, and I will become
his father. I will grant to his dynasty permanent rule over Israel.’
11 “Now, my son, may the LORD be with you! May you succeed and build a temple
for the LORD your God, just as he announced you would.
12 Only may the LORD give you insight and understanding when he places you in
charge of Israel, so you may obey the law of the LORD your God.
13 Then you will succeed, if you carefully obey the rules and regulations which
the LORD ordered Moses to give to Israel. Be strong and brave! Don’t be afraid
and don’t panic!
14 Now, look, I have made every effort to supply what is needed to build the
LORD’s temple. I have stored up 100,000 talents of gold, 1,000,000 talents of
silver, and so much bronze and iron it cannot be weighed, as well as wood and
stones. Feel free to add more!
15 You also have available many workers, including stonecutters, masons,
carpenters, and an innumerable array of workers who are skilled
16 in using gold, silver, bronze, and iron. Get up and begin the work! May the
LORD be with you!”
17 David ordered all the officials of Israel to support his son Solomon.
18 He told them,“The LORD your God is with you! He has made you secure on
every side, for he handed over to me the inhabitants of the region and the
region is subdued before the LORD and his people.
19 Now seek the LORD your God wholeheartedly and with your entire being! Get up
and build the sanctuary of the LORD God! Then you can bring the ark of the
LORD’s covenant and the holy items dedicated to God’s service into the
temple that is built to honor the LORD.”

Chapter 23

1 David Organizes the Levites When David was old and approaching the end of his
life, he made his son Solomon king over Israel.
2 David assembled all the leaders of Israel, along with the priests and the
Levites.
3 The Levites who were thirty years old and up were counted; there were 38,000
men.
4 David said,“Of these, 24,000 are to direct the work of the LORD’s temple;
6,000 are to be officials and judges;
5 4,000 are to be gatekeepers; and 4,000 are to praise the LORD with the
instruments I supplied for worship.”
6 David divided them into groups corresponding to the sons of Levi: Gershon,
Kohath, and Merari.
7 The Gershonites included Ladan and Shimei.
8 The sons of Ladan:Jehiel the oldest, Zetham, and Joel– three in all.
9 The sons of Shimei:Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran– three in all.These were the
leaders of the family of Ladan.
10 The sons of Shimei:Jahath, Zina, Jeush, and Beriah. These were Shimei’s
sons– four in all.
11 Jahath was the oldest and Zizah the second oldest. Jeush and Beriah did not
have many sons, so they were considered one family with one responsibility.
12 The sons of Kohath:Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel– four in all.
13 The sons of Amram:Aaron and Moses.Aaron and his descendants were chosen on a
permanent basis to consecrate the most holy items, to offer sacrifices before
the LORD, to serve him, and to praise his name.
14 The descendants of Moses the man of God were considered Levites.
15 The sons of Moses:Gershom and Eliezer.
16 The son of Gershom:Shebuel the oldest.
17 The son of Eliezer was Rehabiah, the oldest. Eliezer had no other sons, but
Rehabiah had many descendants.
18 The son of Izhar:Shelomith the oldest.
19 The sons of Hebron:Jeriah the oldest, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third,
and Jekameam the fourth.
20 The sons of Uzziel:Micah the oldest, and Isshiah the second.
21 The sons of Merari:Mahli and Mushi.The sons of Mahli:Eleazar and Kish.
22 Eleazar died without having sons; he had only daughters. The sons of Kish,
their cousins, married them.
23 The sons of Mushi:Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth– three in all.
24 These were the descendants of Levi according to their families, that is, the
leaders of families as counted and individually listed who carried out assigned
tasks in the LORD’s temple and were twenty years old and up.
25 For David said,“The LORD God of Israel has given his people rest and has
permanently settled in Jerusalem.
26 So the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the items
used in its service.”
27 According to David’s final instructions, the Levites twenty years old and
up were counted.
28 Their job was to help Aaron’s descendants in the service of the LORD’s
temple. They were to take care of the courtyards, the rooms, ceremonial
purification of all holy items, and other jobs related to the service of God’s
temple.
29 They also took care of the bread that is displayed, the flour for offerings,
the unleavened wafers, the round cakes, the mixing, and all the measuring.
30 They also stood in a designated place every morning and offered thanks and
praise to the LORD. They also did this in the evening
31 and whenever burnt sacrifices were offered to the LORD on the Sabbath and at
new moon festivals and assemblies. A designated number were to serve before the
LORD regularly in accordance with regulations.
32 They were in charge of the meeting tent and the holy place, and helped their
relatives, the descendants of Aaron, in the service of the LORD’s temple.

Chapter 24

1 David Organizes the Priests The divisions of Aaron’s descendants were as
follows:The sons of Aaron:Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
2 Nadab and Abihu died before their father did; they had no sons. Eleazar and
Ithamar served as priests.
3 David, Zadok(a descendant of Eleazar), and Ahimelech(a descendant of Ithamar)
divided them into groups to carry out their assigned responsibilities.
4 The descendants of Eleazar had more leaders than the descendants of Ithamar,
so they divided them up accordingly; the descendants of Eleazar had sixteen
leaders, while the descendants of Ithamar had eight.
5 They divided them by lots, for there were officials of the holy place and
officials designated by God among the descendants of both Eleazar and Ithamar.
6 The scribe Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite, wrote down their names before
the king, the officials, Zadok the priest, Ahimelech son of Abiathar, and the
leaders of the priestly and Levite families. One family was drawn by lot from
Eleazar, and then the next from Ithamar.
7 The first lot went to Jehoiarib,the second to Jedaiah,
8 the third to Harim,the fourth to Seorim,
9 the fifth to Malkijah,the sixth to Mijamin,
10 the seventh to Hakkoz,the eighth to Abijah,
11 the ninth to Jeshua,the tenth to Shecaniah,
12 the eleventh to Eliashib,the twelfth to Jakim,
13 the thirteenth to Huppah,the fourteenth to Jeshebeab,
14 the fifteenth to Bilgah,the sixteenth to Immer,
15 the seventeenth to Hezir,the eighteenth to Happizzez,
16 the nineteenth to Pethahiah,the twentieth to Jehezkel,
17 the twenty-first to Jakin,the twenty-second to Gamul,
18 the twenty-third to Delaiah,the twenty-fourth to Maaziah.
19 This was the order in which they carried out their assigned responsibilities
when they entered the LORD’s temple, according to the regulations given them
by their ancestor Aaron, just as the LORD God of Israel had instructed him.
20 Remaining Levites The rest of the Levites included: Shubael from the sons of
Amram,Jehdeiah from the sons of Shubael,
21 the firstborn Isshiah from Rehabiah and the sons of Rehabiah,
22 Shelomoth from the Izharites,Jahath from the sons of Shelomoth.
23 The sons of Hebron: Jeriah, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and
Jekameam the fourth.
24 The son of Uzziel:Micah;Shamir from the sons of Micah.
25 The brother of Micah:Isshiah.Zechariah from the sons of Isshiah.
26 The sons of Merari:Mahli and Mushi.The son of Jaaziah:Beno.
27 The sons of Merari, from Jaaziah:Beno, Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri.
28 From Mahli:Eleazar, who had no sons.
29 From Kish:Jerahmeel.
30 The sons of Mushi:Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth.These were the Levites, listed by
their families.
31 Just like their relatives, the descendants of Aaron, they also cast lots
before King David, Zadok, Ahimelech, the leaders of families, the priests, and
the Levites. The families of the oldest son cast lots along with those of the
youngest.

Chapter 25

1 David Organizes the Musicians David and the army officers selected some of the
sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun to prophesy as they played stringed
instruments and cymbals. The following men were assigned this responsibility:
2 From the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah. The sons of
Asaph were supervised by Asaph, who prophesied under the king’s supervision.
3 From the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Hashabiah, and
Mattithiah– six in all, under supervision of their father Jeduthun, who
prophesied as he played a harp, giving thanks and praise to the LORD.
4 From the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth,
Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-Ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi,
Hothir, and Mahazioth.
5 All these were the sons of Heman, the king’s prophet. God had promised him
these sons in order to make him prestigious. God gave Heman fourteen sons and
three daughters.
6 All of these were under the supervision of their fathers; they were musicians
in the LORD’s temple, playing cymbals and stringed instruments as they served
in God’s temple. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the supervision of the
king.
7 They and their relatives, all of them skilled and trained to make music to the
LORD, numbered two hundred eighty-eight.
8 They cast lots to determine their responsibilities– oldest as well as
youngest, teacher as well as student.
9 The first lot went to Asaph’s son Joseph and his relatives and sons–
twelve in all, the second to Gedaliah and his relatives and sons– twelve in
all,
10 the third to Zaccur and his sons and relatives– twelve in all,
11 the fourth to Izri and his sons and relatives– twelve in all,
12 the fifth to Nethaniah and his sons and relatives– twelve in all,
13 the sixth to Bukkiah and his sons and relatives– twelve in all,
14 the seventh to Jesharelah and his sons and relatives– twelve in all,
15 the eighth to Jeshaiah and his sons and relatives– twelve in all,
16 the ninth to Mattaniah and his sons and relatives– twelve in all,
17 the tenth to Shimei and his sons and relatives– twelve in all,
18 the eleventh to Azarel and his sons and relatives– twelve in all,
19 the twelfth to Hashabiah and his sons and relatives– twelve in all,
20 the thirteenth to Shubael and his sons and relatives– twelve in all,
21 the fourteenth to Mattithiah and his sons and relatives– twelve in all,
22 the fifteenth to Jerimoth and his sons and relatives– twelve in all,
23 the sixteenth to Hananiah and his sons and relatives– twelve in all,
24 the seventeenth to Joshbekashah and his sons and relatives– twelve in all,
25 the eighteenth to Hanani and his sons and relatives– twelve in all,
26 the nineteenth to Mallothi and his sons and relatives– twelve in all,
27 the twentieth to Eliathah and his sons and relatives– twelve in all,
28 the twenty-first to Hothir and his sons and relatives– twelve in all,
29 the twenty-second to Giddalti and his sons and relatives– twelve in all,
30 the twenty-third to Mahazioth and his sons and relatives– twelve in all,
31 the twenty-fourth to Romamti-Ezer and his sons and relatives– twelve in
all.

Chapter 26

1 Divisions of Gatekeepers The divisions of the gatekeepers:From the Korahites:
Meshelemiah, son of Kore, one of the sons of Asaph.
2 Meshelemiah’s sons:The firstborn Zechariah, the second Jediael, the third
Zebadiah, the fourth Jathniel,
3 the fifth Elam, the sixth Jehohanan, and the seventh Elihoenai.
4 Obed-Edom’s sons:The firstborn Shemaiah, the second Jehozabad, the third
Joah, the fourth Sakar, the fifth Nethanel,
5 the sixth Ammiel, the seventh Issachar, and the eighth Peullethai.(Indeed, God
blessed Obed-Edom.)
6 His son Shemaiah also had sons, who were leaders of their families, for they
were highly respected.
7 The sons of Shemaiah:Othni, Rephael, Obed, and Elzabad. His relatives Elihu
and Semakiah were also respected.
8 All these were the descendants of Obed-Edom. They and their sons and relatives
were respected men, capable of doing their responsibilities. There were
sixty-two of them related to Obed-Edom.
9 Meshelemiah had sons and relatives who were respected– eighteen in all.
10 Hosah, one of the descendants of Merari, had sons:The firstborn Shimri(he was
not actually the firstborn, but his father gave him that status),
11 the second Hilkiah, the third Tebaliah, and the fourth Zechariah. All of
Hosah’s sons and relatives numbered thirteen.
12 These divisions of the gatekeepers, corresponding to their leaders, had
assigned responsibilities, like their relatives, as they served in the LORD’s
temple.
13 They cast lots, both young and old, according to their families, to determine
which gate they would be responsible for.
14 The lot for the east gate went to Shelemiah. They then cast lots for his son
Zechariah, a wise adviser, and the lot for the north gate went to him.
15 Obed-Edom was assigned the south gate, and his sons were assigned the
storehouses.
16 Shuppim and Hosah were assigned the west gate, along with the Shalleketh gate
on the upper road. One guard was adjacent to another.
17 Each day there were six Levites posted on the east, four on the north, and
four on the south. At the storehouses they were posted in pairs.
18 At the court on the west there were four posted on the road and two at the
court.
19 These were the divisions of the gatekeepers who were descendants of Korah and
Merari.
20 Supervisors of the Storehouses Their fellow Levites were in charge of the
storehouses in God’s temple and the storehouses containing consecrated items.
21 The descendants of Ladan, who were descended from Gershon through Ladan and
were leaders of the families of Ladan the Gershonite, included Jehieli
22 and the sons of Jehieli, Zetham and his brother Joel. They were in charge of
the storehouses in the LORD’s temple.
23 As for the Amramites, Izharites, Hebronites, and Uzzielites:
24 Shebuel son of Gershom, the son of Moses, was the supervisor of the
storehouses.
25 His relatives through Eliezer included: Rehabiah his son, Jeshaiah his son,
Joram his son, Zikri his son, and Shelomith his son.
26 Shelomith and his relatives were in charge of all the storehouses containing
the consecrated items dedicated by King David, the family leaders who led units
of a thousand and a hundred, and the army officers.
27 They had dedicated some of the plunder taken in battles to be used for
repairs on the LORD’s temple.
28 They were also in charge of everything dedicated by Samuel the prophet, Saul
son of Kish, Abner son of Ner, and Joab son of Zeruiah; Shelomith and his
relatives were in charge of everything that had been dedicated.
29 As for the Izharites: Kenaniah and his sons were given responsibilities
outside the temple as officers and judges over Israel.
30 As for the Hebronites: Hashabiah and his relatives, 1,700 respected men, were
assigned responsibilities in Israel west of the Jordan; they did the LORD’s
work and the king’s service.
31 As for the Hebronites: Jeriah was the leader of the Hebronites according to
the genealogical records. In the fortieth year of David’s reign, they examined
the records and discovered there were highly respected men in Jazer in Gilead.
32 Jeriah had 2,700 relatives who were respected family leaders. King David
placed them in charge of the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of
Manasseh; they took care of all matters pertaining to God and the king.

Chapter 27

1 Leaders of the Army What follows is a list of Israelite family leaders and
commanders of units of a thousand and a hundred, as well as their officers who
served the king in various matters. Each division was assigned to serve for one
month during the year; each consisted of 24,000 men.
2 Jashobeam son of Zabdiel was in charge of the first division, which was
assigned the first month. His division consisted of 24,000 men.
3 He was a descendant of Perez; he was in charge of all the army officers for
the first month.
4 Dodai the Ahohite was in charge of the division assigned the second month;
Mikloth was the next in rank. His division consisted of 24,000 men.
5 The third army commander, assigned the third month, was Benaiah son of
Jehoiada the priest. He was the leader of his division, which consisted of
24,000 men.
6 Benaiah was the leader of the thirty warriors and his division; his son was
Ammizabad.
7 The fourth, assigned the fourth month, was Asahel, brother of Joab; his son
Zebadiah succeeded him. His division consisted of 24,000 men.
8 The fifth, assigned the fifth month, was the commander Shamhuth the Izrahite.
His division consisted of 24,000 men.
9 The sixth, assigned the sixth month, was Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite. His
division consisted of 24,000 men.
10 The seventh, assigned the seventh month, was Helez the Pelonite, an
Ephraimite. His division consisted of 24,000 men.
11 The eighth, assigned the eighth month, was Sibbekai the Hushathite, a
Zerahite. His division consisted of 24,000 men.
12 The ninth, assigned the ninth month, was Abiezer the Anathothite, a
Benjaminite. His division consisted of 24,000 men.
13 The tenth, assigned the tenth month, was Maharai the Netophathite, a
Zerahite. His division consisted of 24,000 men.
14 The eleventh, assigned the eleventh month, was Benaiah the Pirathonite, an
Ephraimite. His division consisted of 24,000 men.
15 The twelfth, assigned the twelfth month, was Heldai the Netophathite, a
descendant of Othniel. His division consisted of 24,000 men.
16 The officers of the Israelite tribes:Eliezer son of Zikri was the leader of
the Reubenites,Shephatiah son of Maacah led the Simeonites,
17 Hashabiah son of Kemuel led the Levites,Zadok led the descendants of Aaron,
18 Elihu, a brother of David, led Judah,Omri son of Michael led Issachar,
19 Ishmaiah son of Obadiah led Zebulun,Jerimoth son of Azriel led Naphtali,
20 Hoshea son of Azaziah led the Ephraimites,Joel son of Pedaiah led the
half-tribe of Manasseh,
21 Iddo son of Zechariah led the half-tribe of Manasseh in Gilead,Jaasiel son of
Abner led Benjamin,
22 Azarel son of Jeroham led Dan.These were the commanders of the Israelite
tribes.
23 David did not count the males twenty years old and under, for the LORD had
promised to make Israel as numerous as the stars in the sky.
24 Joab son of Zeruiah started to count the men but did not finish. God was
angry with Israel because of this, so the number was not recorded in the scroll
called The Annals of King David.
25 Royal Officials Azmaveth son of Adiel was in charge of the king’s
storehouses;Jonathan son of Uzziah was in charge of the storehouses in the
field, in the cities, in the towns, and in the towers.
26 Ezri son of Kelub was in charge of the field workers who farmed the land.
27 Shimei the Ramathite was in charge of the vineyards;Zabdi the Shiphmite was
in charge of the wine stored in the vineyards.
28 Baal-Hanan the Gederite was in charge of the olive and sycamore trees in the
foothills; Joash was in charge of the storehouses of olive oil.
29 Shitrai the Sharonite was in charge of the cattle grazing in Sharon;Shaphat
son of Adlai was in charge of the cattle in the valleys.
30 Obil the Ishmaelite was in charge of the camels;Jehdeiah the Meronothite was
in charge of the donkeys.
31 Jaziz the Hagrite was in charge of the sheep.All these were the officials in
charge of King David’s property.
32 Jonathan, David’s uncle, was a wise adviser and scribe; Jehiel son of
Hacmoni cared for the king’s sons.
33 Ahithophel was the king’s adviser;Hushai the Arkite was the king’s
confidant.
34 Ahithophel was succeeded by Jehoiada son of Benaiah and by Abiathar.Joab was
the commanding general of the king’s army.

Chapter 28

1 David Commissions Solomon to Build the Temple David assembled in Jerusalem all
the officials of Israel, including the commanders of the tribes, the commanders
of the army divisions that served the king, the commanders of units of a
thousand and a hundred, the officials who were in charge of all the property and
livestock of the king and his sons, the eunuchs, and the warriors, including the
most skilled of them.
2 King David rose to his feet and said:“Listen to me, my brothers and my
people. I wanted to build a temple where the ark of the LORD’s covenant could
be placed as a footstool for our God. I have made the preparations for building
it.
3 But God said to me,‘You must not build a temple to honor me, for you are a
warrior and have spilled blood.’
4 The LORD God of Israel chose me out of my father’s entire family to become
king over Israel and have a permanent dynasty. Indeed, he chose Judah as leader,
and my father’s family within Judah, and then he picked me out from among my
father’s sons and made me king over all Israel.
5 From all the many sons the LORD has given me, he chose Solomon my son to rule
on his behalf over Israel.
6 He said to me,‘Solomon your son is the one who will build my temple and my
courts, for I have chosen him to become my son and I will become his father.
7 I will establish his kingdom permanently, if he remains committed to obeying
my commands and regulations, as you are doing this day.’
8 So now, in the sight of all Israel, the LORD’s assembly, and in the hearing
of our God, I say this: Carefully observe all the commands of the LORD your God,
so that you may possess this good land and may leave it as a permanent
inheritance for your children after you.
9 “And you, Solomon my son, obey the God of your father and serve him with a
submissive attitude and a willing spirit, for the LORD examines all minds and
understands every motive of one’s thoughts. If you seek him, he will let you
find him, but if you abandon him, he will reject you permanently.
10 Realize now that the LORD has chosen you to build a temple as his sanctuary.
Be strong and do it!”
11 David gave to his son Solomon the blueprints for the temple porch, its
buildings, its treasuries, its upper areas, its inner rooms, and the room for
atonement.
12 He gave him the blueprints of all he envisioned for the courts of the
LORD’s temple, all the surrounding rooms, the storehouses of God’s temple,
and the storehouses for the holy items.
13 He gave him the regulations for the divisions of priests and Levites, for all
the assigned responsibilities within the LORD’s temple, and for all the items
used in the service of the LORD’s temple.
14 He gave him the prescribed weight for all the gold items to be used in
various types of service in the LORD’s temple, for all the silver items to be
used in various types of service,
15 for the gold lampstands and their gold lamps, including the weight of each
lampstand and its lamps, for the silver lampstands, including the weight of each
lampstand and its lamps, according to the prescribed use of each lampstand,
16 for the gold used in the display tables, including the amount to be used in
each table, for the silver to be used in the silver tables,
17 for the pure gold used for the meat forks, bowls, and jars, for the small
gold bowls, including the weight for each bowl, for the small silver bowls,
including the weight for each bowl,
18 and for the refined gold of the incense altar.He gave him the blueprint for
the seat of the gold cherubim that spread their wings and provide shelter for
the ark of the LORD’s covenant.
19 David said,“All of this I put in writing as the LORD directed me and gave
me insight regarding the details of the blueprints.”
20 David said to his son Solomon:“Be strong and brave! Do it! Don’t be
afraid and don’t panic! For the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not
leave you or abandon you before all the work for the service of the LORD’s
temple is finished.
21 Here are the divisions of the priests and Levites who will perform all the
service of God’s temple. All the willing and skilled men are ready to assist
you in all the work and perform their service. The officials and all the people
are ready to follow your instructions.”

Chapter 29

1 The People Contribute to the Project King David said to the entire
assembly:“My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is just an
inexperienced young man, and the task is great, for this palace is not for man,
but for the LORD God.
2 So I have made every effort to provide what is needed for the temple of my
God, including the gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, as well as a large amount
of onyx, settings of antimony and other stones, all kinds of precious stones,
and alabaster.
3 Now, to show my commitment to the temple of my God, I donate my personal
treasure of gold and silver to the temple of my God, in addition to all that I
have already supplied for this holy temple.
4 This includes 3,000 talents of gold from Ophir and 7,000 talents of refined
silver for overlaying the walls of the buildings,
5 for gold and silver items, and for all the work of the craftsmen. Who else
wants to contribute to the LORD today?”
6 The leaders of the families, the leaders of the Israelite tribes, the
commanders of units of a thousand and a hundred, and the supervisors of the
king’s work contributed willingly.
7 They donated for the service of God’s temple 5,000 talents and 10,000 darics
of gold, 10,000 talents of silver, 18,000 talents of bronze, and 100,000 talents
of iron.
8 All who possessed precious stones donated them to the treasury of the LORD’s
temple, which was under the supervision of Jehiel the Gershonite.
9 The people were delighted with their donations, for they contributed to the
LORD with a willing attitude; King David was also very happy.
10 David Praises the Lord David praised the LORD before the entire assembly:“O
LORD God of our father Israel, you deserve praise forevermore!
11 O LORD, you are great, mighty, majestic, magnificent, glorious, and sovereign
over all the sky and earth! You, LORD, have dominion and exalt yourself as the
ruler of all.
12 You are the source of wealth and honor; you rule over all. You possess
strength and might to magnify and give strength to all.
13 Now, our God, we give thanks to you and praise your majestic name!
14 “But who am I and who are my people, that we should be in a position to
contribute this much? Indeed, everything comes from you, and we have simply
given back to you what is yours.
15 For we are resident foreigners and temporary settlers in your presence, like
all our ancestors; our days are like a shadow on the earth, without security.
16 O LORD our God, all this wealth, which we have collected to build a temple
for you to honor your holy name, comes from you; it all belongs to you.
17 I know, my God, that you examine thoughts and are pleased with integrity.
With pure motives I contribute all this; and now I look with joy as your people
who have gathered here contribute to you.
18 O LORD God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, always maintain these
motives of your people and keep them devoted to you.
19 Make my son Solomon willing to obey your commands, rules, and regulations,
and to complete building the palace for which I have made preparations.”
20 David told the entire assembly:“Praise the LORD your God!” So the entire
assembly praised the LORD God of their ancestors; they bowed down and stretched
out flat on the ground before the LORD and the king.
21 David Designates Solomon King The next day they made sacrifices and offered
burnt sacrifices to the LORD(1,000 bulls, 1,000 rams, 1,000 lambs), along with
their accompanying drink offerings and many other sacrifices for all Israel.
22 They held a feast before the LORD that day and celebrated. Then they
designated Solomon, David’s son, as king a second time; before the LORD they
anointed him as ruler and Zadok as priest.
23 Solomon sat on the LORD’s throne as king in place of his father David; he
was successful and all Israel was loyal to him.
24 All the officers and warriors, as well as all of King David’s sons, pledged
their allegiance to King Solomon.
25 The LORD greatly magnified Solomon before all Israel and bestowed on him
greater majesty than any king of Israel before him.
26 David’s Reign Comes to an End David son of Jesse reigned over all Israel.
27 He reigned over Israel forty years; he reigned in Hebron seven years and in
Jerusalem thirty-three years.
28 He died at a good old age, having enjoyed long life, wealth, and honor. His
son Solomon succeeded him.
29 King David’s accomplishments, from start to finish, are recorded in the
Annals of Samuel the prophet, the Annals of Nathan the prophet, and the Annals
of Gad the prophet.
30 Recorded there are all the facts about his reign and accomplishments, and an
account of the events that involved him, Israel, and all the neighboring
kingdoms.


2 Chronicles

Chapter 1

1 ¶ The Lord Gives Solomon Wisdom Solomon son of David solidified his royal
authority, for the LORD his God was with him and magnified him greatly.
2 Solomon addressed all Israel, including those who commanded units of a
thousand and a hundred, the judges, and all the leaders of all Israel who were
heads of families.
3 Solomon and the entire assembly went to the worship center in Gibeon, for the
tent where they met God was located there, which Moses the LORD’s servant had
made in the wilderness.
4 (Now David had brought up the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim to the place he
had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem.
5 But the bronze altar made by Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, was in front of
the LORD’s tabernacle. Solomon and the entire assembly prayed to him there.)
6 Solomon went up to the bronze altar before the LORD which was at the meeting
tent, and he offered up a thousand burnt sacrifices.
7 That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him,“Tell me what I should
give you.”
8 Solomon replied to God,“You demonstrated great loyalty to my father David
and have made me king in his place.
9 Now, LORD God, may your promise to my father David be realized, for you have
made me king over a great nation as numerous as the dust of the earth.
10 Now give me wisdom and discernment so I can effectively lead this nation.
Otherwise no one is able to make judicial decisions for this great nation of
yours.”
11 God said to Solomon,“Because you desire this, and did not ask for riches,
wealth, and honor, or for vengeance on your enemies, and because you did not ask
for long life, but requested wisdom and discernment so you can make judicial
decisions for my people over whom I have made you king,
12 you are granted wisdom and discernment. Furthermore I am giving you riches,
wealth, and honor surpassing that of any king before or after you.”
13 Solomon left the meeting tent at the worship center in Gibeon and went to
Jerusalem, where he reigned over Israel.
14 Solomon’s Wealth Solomon accumulated chariots and horses. He had 1,400
chariots and 12,000 horses. He kept them in assigned cities and in Jerusalem.
15 The king made silver and gold as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones; cedar was
as plentiful as sycamore fig trees are in the foothills.
16 Solomon acquired his horses from Egypt and from Que; the king’s traders
purchased them from Que.
17 They paid 600 silver pieces for each chariot from Egypt, and 150 silver
pieces for each horse. They also sold chariots and horses to all the kings of
the Hittites and to the kings of Syria.

Chapter 2

1 Solomon Gathers Building Materials for the Temple(1:18) Solomon ordered a
temple to be built to honor the LORD, as well as a royal palace for himself.
2 (2:1) Solomon had 70,000 common laborers and 80,000 stonecutters in the hills,
in addition to 3,600 supervisors.
3 Solomon sent a message to King Huram of Tyre:“Help me as you did my father
David, when you sent him cedar logs for the construction of his palace.
4 Look, I am ready to build a temple to honor the LORD my God and to dedicate it
to him in order to burn fragrant incense before him, to set out the bread that
is regularly displayed, and to offer burnt sacrifices each morning and evening,
and on Sabbaths, new moon festivals, and at other times appointed by the LORD
our God. This is something Israel must do on a permanent basis.
5 I will build a great temple, for our God is greater than all gods.
6 Of course, who can really build a temple for him, since the sky and the
highest heavens cannot contain him? Who am I that I should build him a temple!
It will really be only a place to offer sacrifices before him.
7 “Now send me a man who is skilled in working with gold, silver, bronze, and
iron, as well as purple, crimson, and blue colored fabrics, and who knows how to
engrave. He will work with my skilled craftsmen here in Jerusalem and Judah,
whom my father David provided.
8 Send me cedars, evergreens, and algum trees from Lebanon, for I know your
servants are adept at cutting down trees in Lebanon. My servants will work with
your servants
9 to supply me with large quantities of timber, for I am building a great,
magnificent temple.
10 Look, I will pay your servants who cut the timber 20,000 cors of ground
wheat, 20,000 cors of barley, 120,000 gallons of wine, and 120,000 gallons of
olive oil.”
11 King Huram of Tyre sent this letter to Solomon:“Because the LORD loves his
people, he has made you their king.”
12 Huram also said,“Worthy of praise is the LORD God of Israel, who made the
sky and the earth! He has given King David a wise son who has discernment and
insight and will build a temple for the LORD, as well as a royal palace for
himself.
13 Now I am sending you Huram Abi, a skilled and capable man,
14 whose mother is a Danite and whose father is a Tyrian. He knows how to work
with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stones, and wood, as well as purple, blue,
white, and crimson fabrics. He knows how to do all kinds of engraving and
understands any design given to him. He will work with your skilled craftsmen
and the skilled craftsmen of my lord David your father.
15 Now let my lord send to his servants the wheat, barley, olive oil, and wine
he has promised;
16 we will get all the timber you need from Lebanon and bring it in raft-like
bundles by sea to Joppa. You can then haul it on up to Jerusalem.”
17 Solomon took a census of all the male resident foreigners in the land of
Israel, after the census his father David had taken. There were 153,600 in all.
18 He designated 70,000 as common laborers, 80,000 as stonecutters in the hills,
and 3,600 as supervisors to make sure the people completed the work.

Chapter 3

1 The Building of the Temple Solomon began building the LORD’s temple in
Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to his father David. This
was the place that David prepared at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
2 He began building on the second day of the second month of the fourth year of
his reign.
3 Solomon laid the foundation for God’s temple; its length(determined
according to the old standard of measure) was 90 feet, and its width 30 feet.
4 The porch in front of the main hall was 30 feet long, corresponding to the
width of the temple, and its height was 30 feet. He plated the inside with pure
gold.
5 He paneled the main hall with boards made from evergreen trees and plated it
with fine gold, decorated with palm trees and chains.
6 He decorated the temple with precious stones; the gold he used came from
Parvaim.
7 He overlaid the temple’s rafters, thresholds, walls and doors with gold; he
carved decorative cherubim on the walls.
8 He made the most holy place; its length was 30 feet, corresponding to the
width of the temple, and its width 30 feet. He plated it with 600 talents of
fine gold.
9 The gold nails weighed 50 shekels; he also plated the upper areas with gold.
10 In the most holy place he made two images of cherubim and plated them with
gold.
11 The combined wing span of the cherubim was 30 feet. One of the first
cherub’s wings was seven and one-half feet long and touched one wall of the
temple; its other wing was also seven and one-half feet long and touched one of
the second cherub’s wings.
12 Likewise one of the second cherub’s wings was seven and one-half feet long
and touched the other wall of the temple; its other wing was also seven and
one-half feet long and touched one of the first cherub’s wings.
13 The combined wingspan of these cherubim was 30 feet. They stood upright,
facing inward.
14 He made the curtain out of blue, purple, crimson, and white fabrics, and
embroidered on it decorative cherubim.
15 In front of the temple he made two pillars which had a combined length of
52½ feet, with each having a plated capital seven and one-half feet high.
16 He made ornamental chains and put them on top of the pillars. He also made
one hundred pomegranate-shaped ornaments and arranged them within the chains.
17 He set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the right side and the
other on the left. He named the one on the right Yakin, and the one on the left
Boaz.

Chapter 4

1 He made a bronze altar, 30 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 15 feet high.
2 He also made the big bronze basin called“The Sea.” It measured 15 feet
from rim to rim, was circular in shape, and stood seven and one-half feet high.
Its circumference was 45 feet.
3 Images of bulls were under it all the way around, ten every eighteen inches
all the way around. The bulls were in two rows and had been cast with“The
Sea.”
4 “The Sea” stood on top of twelve bulls. Three faced northward, three
westward, three southward, and three eastward.“The Sea” was placed on top of
them, and they all faced outward.
5 It was four fingers thick and its rim was like that of a cup shaped like a
lily blossom. It could hold 18,000 gallons.
6 He made ten washing basins; he put five on the south side and five on the
north side. In them they rinsed the items used for burnt sacrifices; the priests
washed in“The Sea.”
7 He made ten gold lampstands according to specifications and put them in the
temple, five on the right and five on the left.
8 He made ten tables and set them in the temple, five on the right and five on
the left. He also made one hundred gold bowls.
9 He made the courtyard of the priests and the large enclosure and its doors; he
plated their doors with bronze.
10 He put“The Sea” on the south side, in the southeast corner.
11 Huram Abi made the pots, shovels, and bowls. He finished all the work on
God’s temple he had been assigned by King Solomon.
12 He made the two pillars, the two bowl-shaped tops of the pillars, the
latticework for the bowl-shaped tops of the two pillars,
13 the four hundred pomegranate-shaped ornaments for the latticework of the two
pillars(each latticework had two rows of these ornaments at the bowl-shaped top
of the pillar),
14 the ten movable stands with their ten basins,
15 the big bronze basin called“The Sea” with its twelve bulls underneath,
16 and the pots, shovels, and meat forks. All the items King Solomon assigned
Huram Abi to make for the LORD’s temple were made from polished bronze.
17 The king had them cast in earth foundries in the region of the Jordan between
Succoth and Zarethan.
18 Solomon made so many of these items they did not weigh the bronze.
19 Solomon also made these items for God’s temple: the gold altar, the tables
on which the Bread of the Presence was kept,
20 the pure gold lampstands and their lamps which burned as specified at the
entrance to the inner sanctuary,
21 the pure gold flower-shaped ornaments, lamps, and tongs,
22 the pure gold trimming shears, basins, pans, and censers, and the gold door
sockets for the inner sanctuary(the most holy place) and for the doors of the
main hall of the temple.

Chapter 5

1 When Solomon had finished constructing the LORD’s temple, he put the holy
items that belonged to his father David(the silver, gold, and all the other
articles) in the treasuries of God’s temple.
2 Solomon Moves the Ark into the Temple Then Solomon convened Israel’s
elders– all the leaders of the Israelite tribes and families– in Jerusalem,
so they could witness the transferal of the ark of the covenant of the LORD from
the City of David(that is, Zion).
3 All the men of Israel assembled before the king during the festival in the
seventh month.
4 When all Israel’s elders had arrived, the Levites lifted the ark.
5 The priests and Levites carried the ark, the tent where God appeared to his
people, and all the holy items in the tent.
6 Now King Solomon and all the Israelites who had assembled with him went on
ahead of the ark and sacrificed more sheep and cattle than could be counted or
numbered.
7 The priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its assigned place
in the inner sanctuary of the temple, in the most holy place under the wings of
the cherubim.
8 The cherubim’s wings extended over the place where the ark sat; the cherubim
overshadowed the ark and its poles.
9 The poles were so long their ends extending out from the ark were visible from
in front of the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from beyond that
point. They have remained there to this very day.
10 There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets Moses had placed there in
Horeb.(It was there that the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites after he
brought them out of the land of Egypt.)
11 The priests left the holy place. All the priests who participated had
consecrated themselves, no matter which division they represented.
12 All the Levites who were musicians, including Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and
their sons and relatives, wore linen. They played cymbals and stringed
instruments as they stood east of the altar. They were accompanied by 120
priests who blew trumpets.
13 The trumpeters and musicians played together, praising and giving thanks to
the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments, they loudly
praised the LORD, singing:“Certainly he is good; certainly his loyal love
endures!” Then a cloud filled the LORD’s temple.
14 The priests could not carry out their duties because of the cloud; the
LORD’s splendor filled God’s temple.

Chapter 6

1 Then Solomon said,“The LORD has said that he lives in thick darkness.
2 O LORD, I have built a lofty temple for you, a place where you can live
permanently.”
3 Then the king turned around and pronounced a blessing over the whole Israelite
assembly as they stood there.
4 He said,“The LORD God of Israel is worthy of praise because he has fulfilled
what he promised my father David.
5 He told David,‘Since the day I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I
have not chosen a city from all the tribes of Israel to build a temple in which
to live. Nor did I choose a man as leader of my people Israel.
6 But now I have chosen Jerusalem as a place to live, and I have chosen David to
lead my people Israel.’
7 Now my father David had a strong desire to build a temple to honor the LORD
God of Israel.
8 The LORD told my father David,‘It is right for you to have a strong desire
to build a temple to honor me.
9 But you will not build the temple; your very own son will build the temple for
my honor.’
10 The LORD has kept the promise he made. I have taken my father David’s place
and have occupied the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised. I have built this
temple for the honor of the LORD God of Israel
11 and set up in it a place for the ark containing the covenant the LORD made
with the Israelites.”
12 He stood before the altar of the LORD in front of the entire assembly of
Israel and spread out his hands.
13 Solomon had made a bronze platform and had placed it in the middle of the
enclosure. It was seven and one-half feet long, seven and one-half feet wide,
and four and one-half feet high. He stood on it and then got down on his knees
in front of the entire assembly of Israel. He spread out his hands toward the
sky,
14 and prayed:“O LORD God of Israel, there is no god like you in heaven or on
earth! You maintain covenantal loyalty to your servants who obey you with
sincerity.
15 You have kept your word to your servant, my father David; this very day you
have fulfilled what you promised.
16 Now, O LORD God of Israel, keep the promise you made to your servant, my
father David, when you said,‘You will never fail to have a successor ruling
before me on the throne of Israel, provided that your descendants watch their
step and obey my law as you have done.’
17 Now, O LORD God of Israel, may the promise you made to your servant David be
realized.
18 “God does not really live with humankind on the earth! Look, if the sky and
the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this temple I have built!
19 But respond favorably to your servant’s prayer and his request for help, O
LORD my God. Answer the desperate prayer your servant is presenting to you.
20 Night and day may you watch over this temple, the place where you promised
you would live. May you answer your servant’s prayer for this place.
21 Respond to the requests of your servant and your people Israel for this
place. Hear from your heavenly dwelling place and respond favorably and forgive.
22 “When someone is accused of sinning against his neighbor and the latter
pronounces a curse on the alleged offender before your altar in this temple,
23 listen from heaven and make a just decision about your servants’ claims.
Condemn the guilty party, declare the other innocent, and give both of them what
they deserve.
24 “If your people Israel are defeated by an enemy because they sinned against
you, then if they come back to you, renew their allegiance to you, and pray for
your help before you in this temple,
25 then listen from heaven, forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring
them back to the land you gave to them and their ancestors.
26 “The time will come when the skies are shut up tightly and no rain falls
because your people sinned against you. When they direct their prayers toward
this place, renew their allegiance to you, and turn away from their sin because
you punish them,
27 then listen from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people
Israel. Certainly you will then teach them the right way to live and send rain
on your land that you have given your people to possess.
28 “The time will come when the land suffers from a famine, a plague, blight,
and disease, or a locust invasion, or when their enemy lays siege to the cities
of the land, or when some other type of plague or epidemic occurs.
29 When all your people Israel pray and ask for help, as they acknowledge their
intense pain and spread out their hands toward this temple,
30 then listen from your heavenly dwelling place, forgive their sin, and act
favorably toward each one based on your evaluation of their motives.(Indeed you
are the only one who can correctly evaluate the motives of all people.)
31 Then they will honor you by obeying you throughout their lifetimes as they
live on the land you gave to our ancestors.
32 “Foreigners, who do not belong to your people Israel, will come from a
distant land because of your great reputation and your ability to accomplish
mighty deeds; they will come and direct their prayers toward this temple.
33 Then listen from your heavenly dwelling place and answer all the prayers of
the foreigners. Then all the nations of the earth will acknowledge your
reputation, obey you like your people Israel do, and recognize that this temple
I built belongs to you.
34 “When you direct your people to march out and fight their enemies, and they
direct their prayers to you toward this chosen city and this temple I built for
your honor,
35 then listen from heaven to their prayers for help and vindicate them.
36 “The time will come when your people will sin against you(for there is no
one who is sinless!) and you will be angry at them and deliver them over to
their enemies, who will take them as prisoners to their land, whether far away
or close by.
37 When your people come to their senses in the land where they are held
prisoner, they will repent and beg for your mercy in the land of their
imprisonment, admitting,‘We have sinned and gone astray, we have done evil!’
38 When they return to you with all their heart and being in the land where they
are held prisoner and direct their prayers toward the land you gave to their
ancestors, your chosen city, and the temple I built for your honor,
39 then listen from your heavenly dwelling place to their prayers for help,
vindicate them, and forgive your sinful people.
40 “Now, my God, may you be attentive and responsive to the prayers offered in
this place.
41 Now ascend, O LORD God, to your resting place, you and the ark of your
strength! May your priests, O LORD God, experience your deliverance! May your
loyal followers rejoice in the prosperity you give!
42 O LORD God, do not reject your chosen ones! Remember the faithful promises
you made to your servant David!”

Chapter 7

1 Solomon Dedicates the Temple When Solomon finished praying, fire came down
from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the LORD’s
splendor filled the temple.
2 The priests were unable to enter the LORD’s temple because the LORD’s
splendor filled the LORD’s temple.
3 When all the Israelites saw the fire come down and the LORD’s splendor over
the temple, they got on their knees with their faces downward toward the
pavement. They worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying,“Certainly he is
good; certainly his loyal love endures!”
4 The king and all the people were presenting sacrifices to the LORD.
5 King Solomon sacrificed 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep. Then the king and all
the people dedicated God’s temple.
6 The priests stood in their assigned spots, along with the Levites who had the
musical instruments used for praising the LORD.(These were the ones King David
made for giving thanks to the LORD and which were used by David when he offered
praise, saying,“Certainly his loyal love endures.”) Opposite the Levites,
the priests were blowing the trumpets, while all Israel stood there.
7 Solomon consecrated the middle of the courtyard that is in front of the
LORD’s temple. He offered burnt sacrifices, grain offerings, and the fat from
the peace offerings there, because the bronze altar that Solomon had made was
too small to hold all these offerings.
8 At that time Solomon and all Israel with him celebrated a festival for seven
days. This great assembly included people from Lebo Hamath in the north to the
Stream of Egypt in the south.
9 On the eighth day they held an assembly, for they had dedicated the altar for
seven days and celebrated the festival for seven more days.
10 On the twenty-third day of the seventh month, Solomon sent the people home.
They left happy and contented because of the good the LORD had done for David,
Solomon, and his people Israel.
11 The Lord Gives Solomon a Promise and a Warning After Solomon finished
building the LORD’s temple and the royal palace, and accomplished all his
plans for the LORD’s temple and his royal palace,
12 the LORD appeared to Solomon at night and said to him:“I have answered your
prayer and chosen this place to be my temple where sacrifices are to be made.
13 When I close up the sky so that it doesn’t rain, or command locusts to
devour the land’s vegetation, or send a plague among my people,
14 if my people, who belong to me, humble themselves, pray, seek to please me,
and repudiate their sinful practices, then I will respond from heaven, forgive
their sin, and heal their land.
15 Now I will be attentive and responsive to the prayers offered in this place.
16 Now I have chosen and consecrated this temple by making it my permanent home;
I will be constantly present there.
17 You must serve me as your father David did. Do everything I commanded and
obey my rules and regulations.
18 Then I will establish your dynasty, just as I promised your father
David,‘You will not fail to have a successor ruling over Israel.’
19 “But if you people ever turn away from me, fail to obey the regulations and
rules I instructed you to keep, and decide to serve and worship other gods,
20 then I will remove you from my land I have given you, I will abandon this
temple I have consecrated with my presence, and I will make you an object of
mockery and ridicule among all the nations.
21 As for this temple, which was once majestic, everyone who passes by it will
be shocked and say,‘Why did the LORD do this to this land and this temple?’
22 Others will then answer,‘Because they abandoned the LORD God of their
ancestors, who led them out of Egypt. They embraced other gods whom they
worshiped and served. That is why he brought all this disaster down on
them.’”

Chapter 8

1 Building Projects and Commercial Efforts After twenty years, during which
Solomon built the LORD’s temple and his royal palace,
2 Solomon rebuilt the cities that Huram had given him and settled Israelites
there.
3 Solomon went to Hamath Zobah and seized it.
4 He built up Tadmor in the wilderness and all the storage cities he had built
in Hamath.
5 He made upper Beth Horon and lower Beth Horon fortified cities with walls and
barred gates,
6 and built up Baalath, all the storage cities that belonged to him, and all the
cities where chariots and horses were kept. He built whatever he wanted in
Jerusalem, Lebanon, and throughout his entire kingdom.
7 Now several non-Israelite peoples were left in the land after the conquest of
Joshua, including the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
8 Their descendants remained in the land(the Israelites were unable to wipe them
out). Solomon conscripted them for his work crews and they continue in that role
to this very day.
9 Solomon did not assign Israelites to these work crews; the Israelites served
as his soldiers, officers, charioteers, and commanders of his chariot forces.
10 These men worked for King Solomon as supervisors; there were a total of 250
of them who were in charge of the people.
11 Solomon moved Pharaoh’s daughter up from the City of David to the palace he
had built for her, for he said,“My wife must not live in the palace of King
David of Israel, for the places where the ark of the LORD has entered are
holy.”
12 Then Solomon offered burnt sacrifices to the LORD on the altar of the LORD
which he had built in front of the temple’s porch.
13 He observed the daily requirements for sacrifices that Moses had specified
for Sabbaths, new moon festivals, and the three annual celebrations– the Feast
of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Shelters.
14 As his father David had decreed, Solomon appointed the divisions of the
priests to do their assigned tasks, the Levitical orders to lead worship and
help the priests with their daily tasks, and the divisions of the gatekeepers to
serve at their assigned gates. This was what David the man of God had ordered.
15 They did not neglect any detail of the king’s orders pertaining to the
priests, Levites, and treasuries.
16 All the work ordered by Solomon was completed, from the day the foundation of
the LORD’s temple was laid until it was finished; the LORD’s temple was
completed.
17 Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber and to Elat on the coast in the land of
Edom.
18 Huram sent him ships and some of his sailors, men who were well acquainted
with the sea. They sailed with Solomon’s men to Ophir, and took from there 450
talents of gold, which they brought back to King Solomon.

Chapter 9

1 Solomon Entertains a Queen When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon, she
came to challenge him with difficult questions. She arrived in Jerusalem with a
great display of pomp, bringing with her camels carrying spices, a very large
quantity of gold, and precious gems. She visited Solomon and discussed with him
everything that was on her mind.
2 Solomon answered all her questions; there was no question too complex for the
king.
3 When the queen of Sheba saw for herself Solomon’s wisdom, the palace he had
built,
4 the food in his banquet hall, his servants and attendants in their robes, his
cupbearers in their robes, and his burnt sacrifices which he presented in the
LORD’s temple, she was amazed.
5 She said to the king,“The report I heard in my own country about your wise
sayings and insight was true!
6 I did not believe these things until I came and saw them with my own eyes.
Indeed, I didn’t hear even half the story! Your wisdom surpasses what was
reported to me.
7 Your attendants, who stand before you at all times and hear your wise sayings,
are truly happy!
8 May the LORD your God be praised because he favored you by placing you on his
throne as the one ruling on his behalf! Because of your God’s love for Israel
and his lasting commitment to them, he made you king over them so you could make
just and right decisions.”
9 She gave the king 120 talents of gold and a very large quantity of spices and
precious gems. The quantity of spices the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon has
never been matched.
10 (Huram’s servants, aided by Solomon’s servants, brought gold from Ophir,
as well as fine timber and precious gems.
11 With the timber the king made steps for the LORD’s temple and royal palace
as well as stringed instruments for the musicians. No one had seen anything like
them in the land of Judah prior to that.)
12 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she requested, more than what
she had brought him. Then she left and returned to her homeland with her
attendants.
13 Solomon’s Wealth Solomon received 666 talents of gold per year,
14 besides what he collected from the merchants and traders. All the Arabian
kings and the governors of the land also brought gold and silver to Solomon.
15 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; 600 measures of
hammered gold were used for each shield.
16 He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold; 300 measures of
gold were used for each of those shields. The king placed them in the Palace of
the Lebanon Forest.
17 The king made a large throne decorated with ivory and overlaid it with pure
gold.
18 There were six steps leading up to the throne, and a gold footstool was
attached to the throne. The throne had two armrests with a statue of a lion
standing on each side.
19 There were twelve statues of lions on the six steps, one lion at each end of
each step. There was nothing like it in any other kingdom.
20 All of King Solomon’s cups were made of gold, and all the household items
in the Palace of the Lebanon Forest were made of pure gold. There were no silver
items, for silver was not considered very valuable in Solomon’s time.
21 The king had a fleet of large merchant ships manned by Huram’s men that
sailed the sea. Once every three years the fleet came into port with cargoes of
gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
22 King Solomon was wealthier and wiser than any of the kings of the earth.
23 All the kings of the earth wanted to visit Solomon to see him display his
God-given wisdom.
24 Year after year visitors brought their gifts, which included items of silver,
items of gold, clothes, perfume, spices, horses, and mules.
25 Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his chariot horses and 12,000 horses. He kept
them in assigned cities and also with him in Jerusalem.
26 He ruled all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the
Philistines as far as the border of Egypt.
27 The king made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones; cedar was as
plentiful as sycamore fig trees are in the foothills.
28 Solomon acquired horses from Egypt and from all the lands.
29 Solomon’s Reign Ends The rest of the events of Solomon’s reign, from
start to finish, are recorded in the Annals of Nathan the Prophet, the Prophecy
of Ahijah the Shilonite, and the Vision of Iddo the Seer pertaining to Jeroboam
son of Nebat.
30 Solomon ruled over all Israel from Jerusalem for forty years.
31 Then Solomon passed away and was buried in the city of his father David. His
son Rehoboam replaced him as king.

Chapter 10

1 The Northern Tribes Rebel Rehoboam traveled to Shechem, for all Israel had
gathered in Shechem to make Rehoboam king.
2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard the news, he was still in Egypt, where he had
fled from King Solomon. Jeroboam returned from Egypt.
3 They sent for him and Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam,
saying,
4 “Your father made us work too hard! Now if you lighten the demands he made
and don’t make us work as hard, we will serve you.”
5 He said to them,“Go away for three days, then return to me.” So the people
went away.
6 King Rehoboam consulted with the older advisers who had served his father
Solomon when he had been alive. He asked them,“How do you advise me to answer
these people?”
7 They said to him,“If you are fair to these people, grant their request, and
are cordial to them, they will be your servants from this time forward.”
8 But Rehoboam rejected their advice and consulted the young advisers who served
him, with whom he had grown up.
9 He asked them,“How do you advise me to respond to these people who said to
me,‘Lessen the demands your father placed on us’?”
10 The young advisers with whom Rehoboam had grown up said to him,“Say this to
these people who have said to you,‘Your father made us work hard, but now
lighten our burden’– say this to them:‘I am a lot harsher than my father!
11 My father imposed heavy demands on you; I will make them even heavier. My
father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that
really sting your flesh.’”
12 Jeroboam and all the people reported to Rehoboam on the third day, just as
the king had ordered when he said,“Return to me on the third day.”
13 The king responded to the people harshly. He rejected the advice of the older
men
14 and followed the advice of the younger ones. He said,“My father imposed
heavy demands on you; I will make them even heavier. My father punished you with
ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh.”
15 The king refused to listen to the people, because God was instigating this
turn of events so that he might bring to pass the prophetic announcement he had
made through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.
16 When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, the people
answered the king,“We have no portion in David– no share in the son of
Jesse! Return to your homes, O Israel! Now, look after your own dynasty, O
David!” So all Israel returned to their homes.
17 (Rehoboam continued to rule over the Israelites who lived in the cities of
Judah.)
18 King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, the supervisor of the work crews, out after them,
but the Israelites stoned him to death. King Rehoboam managed to jump into his
chariot and escape to Jerusalem.
19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the Davidic dynasty to this very day.

Chapter 11

1 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he summoned 180,000 skilled warriors from
Judah and Benjamin to attack Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam.
2 But the LORD’s message came to the prophet Shemaiah,
3 “Say this to King Rehoboam son of Solomon of Judah and to all the Israelites
in Judah and Benjamin,
4 ‘The LORD says this:“Do not attack and make war with your brothers. Each
of you go home, for I have caused this to happen.”’” They obeyed the LORD
and called off the attack against Jeroboam.
5 Rehoboam’s Reign Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem; he built up these fortified
cities throughout Judah:
6 Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,
7 Beth Zur, Soco, Adullam,
8 Gath, Mareshah, Ziph,
9 Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,
10 Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron. These were the fortified cities in Judah and
Benjamin.
11 He fortified these cities and placed officers in them, as well as storehouses
of food, olive oil, and wine.
12 In each city there were shields and spears; he strongly fortified them. Judah
and Benjamin belonged to him.
13 The priests and Levites who lived throughout Israel supported him, no matter
where they resided.
14 The Levites even left their pasturelands and their property behind and came
to Judah and Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons prohibited them from serving
as the LORD’s priests.
15 Jeroboam appointed his own priests to serve at the worship centers and to
lead in the worship of the goat idols and calf idols he had made.
16 Those among all the Israelite tribes who were determined to worship the LORD
God of Israel followed them to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the LORD God of their
ancestors.
17 They supported the kingdom of Judah and were loyal to Rehoboam son of Solomon
for three years; they followed the edicts of David and Solomon for three years.
18 Rehoboam married Mahalath the daughter of David’s son Jerimoth and of
Abihail, the daughter of Jesse’s son Eliab.
19 She bore him sons named Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham.
20 He later married Maacah the daughter of Absalom. She bore to him Abijah,
Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.
21 Rehoboam loved Maacah daughter of Absalom more than his other wives and
concubines. He had eighteen wives and sixty concubines; he fathered twenty-eight
sons and sixty daughters.
22 Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maacah as the leader over his brothers, for
he intended to name him his successor.
23 He wisely placed some of his many sons throughout the regions of Judah and
Benjamin in the various fortified cities. He supplied them with abundant
provisions and acquired many wives for them.

Chapter 12

1 After Rehoboam’s rule was established and solidified, he and all Israel
rejected the law of the LORD.
2 Because they were unfaithful to the LORD, in King Rehoboam’s fifth year,
King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem.
3 He had 1,200 chariots, 60,000 horsemen, and an innumerable number of soldiers
who accompanied him from Egypt, including Libyans, Sukkites, and Cushites.
4 He captured the fortified cities of Judah and marched against Jerusalem.
5 Shemaiah the prophet visited Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah who were
assembled in Jerusalem because of Shishak. He said to them,“This is what the
LORD says:‘You have rejected me, so I have rejected you and will hand you over
to Shishak.’”
6 The leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said,“The LORD is
just.”
7 When the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, the LORD’s message came to
Shemaiah:“They have humbled themselves, so I will not destroy them. I will
deliver them soon. My anger will not be unleashed against Jerusalem through
Shishak.
8 Yet they will become his subjects, so they can experience how serving me
differs from serving the surrounding nations.”
9 King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem and took away the treasures of the
LORD’s temple and of the royal palace; he took everything, including the gold
shields that Solomon had made.
10 King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and assigned them to the
officers of the royal guard who protected the entrance to the royal palace.
11 Whenever the king visited the LORD’s temple, the royal guards carried them
and then brought them back to the guardroom.
12 So when Rehoboam humbled himself, the LORD relented from his anger and did
not annihilate him; Judah experienced some good things.
13 King Rehoboam solidified his rule in Jerusalem; he was forty-one years old
when he became king and he ruled for seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the
LORD chose from all the tribes of Israel to be his home. Rehoboam’s mother was
an Ammonite named Naamah.
14 He did evil because he was not determined to follow the LORD.
15 The events of Rehoboam’s reign, from start to finish, are recorded in the
Annals of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the Seer that include genealogical
records. There were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually.
16 Then Rehoboam passed away and was buried in the City of David. His son Abijah
replaced him as king.

Chapter 13

1 Abijah’s Reign In the eighteenth year of the reign of King Jeroboam, Abijah
became king over Judah.
2 He ruled for three years in Jerusalem. His mother was Michaiah, the daughter
of Uriel from Gibeah. There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.
3 Abijah launched the attack with 400,000 well-trained warriors, while Jeroboam
deployed against him 800,000 well-trained warriors.
4 Abijah ascended Mount Zemaraim, in the Ephraimite hill country, and
said:“Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel!
5 Don’t you realize that the LORD God of Israel has given David and his
dynasty lasting dominion over Israel by a formal covenant?
6 Jeroboam son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon son of David, rose up and rebelled
against his master.
7 Lawless good-for-nothing men gathered around him and conspired against
Rehoboam son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was an inexperienced young man and could
not resist them.
8 Now you are declaring that you will resist the LORD’s rule through the
Davidic dynasty. You have a huge army, and bring with you the gold calves that
Jeroboam made for you as gods.
9 But you banished the LORD’s priests, Aaron’s descendants, and the Levites,
and appointed your own priests just as the surrounding nations do! Anyone who
comes to consecrate himself with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of
these fake gods!
10 But as for us, the LORD is our God and we have not rejected him. Aaron’s
descendants serve as the LORD’s priests and the Levites assist them with the
work.
11 They offer burnt sacrifices to the LORD every morning and every evening,
along with fragrant incense. They arrange the Bread of the Presence on a
ritually clean table and light the lamps on the gold lampstand every evening.
Certainly we are observing the LORD our God’s regulations, but you have
rejected him.
12 Now look, God is with us as our leader. His priests are ready to blow the
trumpets to signal the attack against you. You Israelites, don’t fight against
the LORD God of your ancestors, for you will not win!”
13 Now Jeroboam had sent some men to ambush the Judahite army from behind. The
main army was in front of the Judahite army; the ambushers were behind it.
14 The men of Judah turned around and realized they were being attacked from the
front and the rear. So they cried out for help to the LORD. The priests blew
their trumpets,
15 and the men of Judah gave the battle cry. As the men of Judah gave the battle
cry, God struck down Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.
16 The Israelites fled from before the Judahite army, and God handed them over
to the men of Judah.
17 Abijah and his army thoroughly defeated them; 500,000 well-trained Israelite
men fell dead.
18 That day the Israelites were defeated; the men of Judah prevailed because
they relied on the LORD God of their ancestors.
19 Abijah chased Jeroboam; he seized from him these cities: Bethel and its
surrounding towns, Jeshanah and its surrounding towns, and Ephron and its
surrounding towns.
20 Jeroboam did not regain power during the reign of Abijah. The LORD struck him
down and he died.
21 Abijah’s power grew; he had fourteen wives and fathered twenty-two sons and
sixteen daughters.
22 The rest of the events of Abijah’s reign, including his deeds and sayings,
are recorded in the writings of the prophet Iddo.

Chapter 14

1 (13:23) Abijah passed away and was buried in the City of David. His son Asa
replaced him as king. During his reign the land had rest for ten years.
2 Asa’s Religious and Military Accomplishments(14:1) Asa did what the LORD his
God desired and approved.
3 He removed the pagan altars and the high places, smashed the sacred pillars,
and cut down the Asherah poles.
4 He ordered Judah to seek the LORD God of their ancestors and to observe his
law and commands.
5 He removed the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of
Judah. The kingdom had rest under his rule.
6 He built fortified cities throughout Judah, for the land was at rest and there
was no war during those years; the LORD gave him peace.
7 He said to the people of Judah:“Let’s build these cities and fortify them
with walls, towers, and barred gates. The land remains ours because we have
followed the LORD our God; we have followed him, and he has made us secure on
all sides.” So they built the cities and prospered.
8 Asa had an army of 300,000 men from Judah, equipped with large shields and
spears. He also had 280,000 men from Benjamin who carried small shields and were
adept archers; they were all skilled warriors.
9 Zerah the Cushite marched against them with an army of 1,000,000 men and 300
chariots. He arrived at Mareshah,
10 and Asa went out to oppose him. They deployed for battle in the Valley of
Zephathah near Mareshah.
11 Asa prayed to the LORD his God:“O LORD, there is no one but you who can
help the weak when they are vastly outnumbered. Help us, O LORD our God, for we
rely on you and have marched on your behalf against this huge army. O LORD, you
are our God; don’t let men prevail against you!”
12 The LORD struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled,
13 and Asa and his army chased them as far as Gerar. The Cushites were wiped
out; they were shattered before the LORD and his army. The men of Judah carried
off a huge amount of plunder.
14 They defeated all the cities surrounding Gerar, for the LORD caused them to
panic. The men of Judah looted all the cities, for they contained a huge amount
of goods.
15 They also attacked the tents of the herdsmen in charge of the livestock. They
carried off many sheep and camels and then returned to Jerusalem.

Chapter 15

1 God’s Spirit came upon Azariah son of Oded.
2 He met Asa and told him,“Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin! The
LORD is with you when you are loyal to him. If you seek him, he will respond to
you, but if you reject him, he will reject you.
3 For a long time Israel had no true God, or priest to instruct them, or law.
4 Because of their distress, they turned back to the LORD God of Israel. They
sought him and he responded to them.
5 In those days no one could travel safely, for total chaos had overtaken all
the people of the surrounding lands.
6 One nation was crushed by another, and one city by another, for God caused
them to be in great turmoil.
7 But as for you, be strong and don’t get discouraged, for your work will be
rewarded.”
8 When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he was
encouraged. He removed the detestable idols from the entire land of Judah and
Benjamin and from the cities he had seized in the Ephraimite hill country. He
repaired the altar of the LORD in front of the porch of the LORD’s temple.
9 He assembled all Judah and Benjamin, as well as the settlers from Ephraim,
Manasseh, and Simeon who had come to live with them. Many people from Israel had
come there to live when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.
10 They assembled in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of
Asa’s reign.
11 At that time they sacrificed to the LORD some of the plunder they had brought
back, including 700 head of cattle and 7,000 sheep.
12 They solemnly agreed to seek the LORD God of their ancestors with their whole
heart and being.
13 Anyone who would not seek the LORD God of Israel would be executed, whether
they were young or old, male or female.
14 They swore their allegiance to the LORD, shouting their approval loudly and
sounding trumpets and horns.
15 All Judah was happy about the oath, because they made the vow with their
whole heart. They willingly sought the LORD and he responded to them. He made
them secure on every side.
16 King Asa also removed Maacah his grandmother from her position as queen
mother because she had made a loathsome Asherah pole. Asa cut down her loathsome
pole and crushed and burned it in the Kidron Valley.
17 The high places were not eliminated from Israel, yet Asa was wholeheartedly
devoted to the LORD throughout his lifetime.
18 He brought the holy items that his father and he had made into God’s
temple, including the silver, gold, and other articles.
19 Asa’s Failures There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s
reign.

Chapter 16

1 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, King Baasha of Israel attacked
Judah, and he established Ramah as a military outpost to prevent anyone from
leaving or entering the land of King Asa of Judah.
2 Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the
LORD’s temple and of the royal palace and sent it to King Ben Hadad of Syria,
ruler in Damascus, along with this message:
3 “I want to make a treaty with you, like the one our fathers made. See, I
have sent you silver and gold. Break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel, so
he will retreat from my land.”
4 Ben Hadad accepted King Asa’s offer and ordered his army commanders to
attack the cities of Israel. They conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim, and all the
storage cities of Naphtali.
5 When Baasha heard the news, he stopped fortifying Ramah and abandoned the
project.
6 King Asa ordered all the men of Judah to carry away the stones and wood that
Baasha had used to build Ramah. He used the materials to build up Geba and
Mizpah.
7 At that time Hanani the prophet visited King Asa of Judah and said to
him:“Because you relied on the king of Syria and did not rely on the LORD your
God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand.
8 Did not the Cushites and Libyans have a huge army with chariots and a very
large number of horsemen? But when you relied on the LORD, he handed them over
to you!
9 Certainly the LORD watches the whole earth carefully and is ready to
strengthen those who are devoted to him. You have acted foolishly in this
matter; from now on you will have war.”
10 Asa was so angry at the prophet, he put him in jail. Asa also oppressed some
of the people at that time.
11 Asa’s Reign Ends The events of Asa’s reign, from start to finish, are
recorded in the Scroll of the Kings of Judah and Israel.
12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa developed a foot disease and his
disease became severe. Yet even in his disease, he did not seek the LORD, but
only the doctors.
13 Asa passed away in the forty-first year of his reign.
14 He was buried in the tomb he had carved out in the City of David. They laid
him to rest on a platform covered with spices and assorted mixtures of
ointments. They made a huge bonfire to honor him.

Chapter 17

1 Jehoshaphat Becomes King His son Jehoshaphat replaced him as king and
solidified his rule over Israel.
2 He placed troops in all of Judah’s fortified cities and posted garrisons
throughout the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim that his father Asa
had seized.
3 The LORD was with Jehoshaphat because he followed in his ancestor David’s
footsteps at the beginning of his reign. He did not seek the Baals,
4 but instead sought the God of his ancestors and obeyed his commands, unlike
the Israelites.
5 The LORD made his kingdom secure; all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat,
and he became very wealthy and greatly respected.
6 He was committed to following the LORD; he even removed the high places and
Asherah poles from Judah.
7 In the third year of his reign he sent his officials Ben Hail, Obadiah,
Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah to teach in the cities of Judah.
8 They were accompanied by the Levites Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel,
Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-Adonijah, and by the priests
Elishama and Jehoram.
9 They taught throughout Judah, taking with them the scroll of the law of the
LORD. They traveled to all the cities of Judah and taught the people.
10 The LORD put fear into all the kingdoms surrounding Judah; they did not make
war with Jehoshaphat.
11 Some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat tribute, including a load of
silver. The Arabs brought him 7,700 rams and 7,700 goats from their flocks.
12 Jehoshaphat’s power kept increasing. He built fortresses and storage cities
throughout Judah.
13 He had many supplies stored in the cities of Judah and an army of skilled
warriors stationed in Jerusalem.
14 These were their divisions by families: There were a thousand officers from
Judah. Adnah the commander led 300,000 skilled warriors,
15 Jehochanan the commander led 280,000.
16 and Amasiah son of Zikri, who volunteered to serve the LORD, led 200,000
skilled warriors.
17 From Benjamin, Eliada, a skilled warrior, led 200,000 men who were equipped
with bows and shields,
18 and Jehozabad led 180,000 trained warriors.
19 These were the ones who served the king, besides those whom the king placed
in the fortified cities throughout Judah.

Chapter 18

1 Jehoshaphat Allies with Ahab Jehoshaphat was very wealthy and greatly
respected. He made an alliance by marriage with Ahab,
2 and after several years went down to visit Ahab in Samaria. Ahab slaughtered
many sheep and cattle to honor Jehoshaphat and those who came with him. He
persuaded him to join in an attack against Ramoth Gilead.
3 King Ahab of Israel said to King Jehoshaphat of Judah,“Will you go with me
to attack Ramoth Gilead?” He replied,“I will support you; my army is at your
disposal and will support you in battle.”
4 Then Jehoshaphat said further to the king of Israel,“First, please seek an
oracle from the LORD.”
5 So the king of Israel assembled 400 prophets and asked them,“Should we
attack Ramoth Gilead or not?” They said,“Attack! God will hand it over to
the king.”
6 But Jehoshaphat asked,“Is there not a prophet of the LORD still here, that
we may ask him?”
7 The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat,“There is still one man through whom
we can seek the LORD’s will– But I despise him because he does not prophesy
prosperity for me, but always disaster–Micaiah son of Imlah.” Jehoshaphat
said,“The king should not say such things!”
8 The king of Israel summoned an officer and said,“Quickly bring Micaiah son
of Imlah.”
9 Now the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah were sitting on their
respective thrones, dressed in their royal robes, at the threshing floor at the
entrance of the gate of Samaria. All the prophets were prophesying before them.
10 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah made iron horns and said,“This is what the LORD
says,‘With these you will gore Syria until they are destroyed!’”
11 All the prophets were prophesying the same, saying,“Attack Ramoth Gilead!
You will succeed; the LORD will hand it over to the king!”
12 Now the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him,“Look, the
prophets are in complete agreement that the king will succeed. Your words must
agree with theirs; you must predict success!”
13 But Micaiah said,“As certainly as the LORD lives, I will say what my God
tells me to say!”
14 Micaiah came before the king and the king asked him,“Micaiah, should we
attack Ramoth Gilead or not?” He answered him,“Attack! You will succeed;
they will be handed over to you.”
15 The king said to him,“How many times must I make you solemnly promise in
the name of the LORD to tell me only the truth?”
16 Micaiah replied,“I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep
that have no shepherd. Then the LORD said,‘They have no master. They should go
home in peace.’”
17 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat,“Didn’t I tell you he does not
prophesy prosperity for me, but disaster?”
18 Micaiah said,“That being the case, listen to the LORD’s message. I saw
the LORD sitting on his throne, with all the heavenly assembly standing on his
right and on his left.
19 The LORD said,‘Who will deceive King Ahab of Israel, so he will attack
Ramoth Gilead and die there?’ One said this and another that.
20 Then a spirit stepped forward and stood before the LORD. He said,‘I will
deceive him.’ The LORD asked him,‘How?’
21 He replied,‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his
prophets.’ The LORD said,‘Deceive and overpower him. Go out and do as you
have proposed.’
22 So now, look, the LORD has placed a lying spirit in the mouths of all these
prophets of yours, but the LORD has decreed disaster for you.”
23 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah approached, hit Micaiah on the jaw, and
said,“Which way did the LORD’s spirit go when he went from me to speak to
you?”
24 Micaiah replied,“Look, you will see in the day when you go into an inner
room to hide.”
25 Then the king of Israel said,“Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the city
official and Joash the king’s son.
26 Say,‘This is what the king says:“Put this man in prison. Give him only a
little bread and water until I return safely.”’”
27 Micaiah said,“If you really do return safely, then the LORD has not spoken
through me!” Then he added,“Take note, all you people.”
28 The king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah attacked Ramoth Gilead.
29 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat,“I will disguise myself and then
enter the battle, but you wear your royal attire.” So the king of Israel
disguised himself and they entered the battle.
30 Now the king of Syria had ordered his chariot commanders,“Do not fight
common soldiers or high ranking officers; fight only the king of Israel!”
31 When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said,“He must be the king
of Israel!” So they turned and attacked him, but Jehoshaphat cried out. The
LORD helped him; God lured them away from him.
32 When the chariot commanders realized he was not the king of Israel, they
turned away from him.
33 Now an archer shot an arrow at random and it struck the king of Israel
between the plates of his armor. The king ordered his charioteer,“Turn around
and take me from the battle line, for I am wounded.”
34 While the battle raged throughout the day, the king of Israel stood propped
up in his chariot opposite the Syrians. He died in the evening as the sun was
setting.

Chapter 19

1 When King Jehoshaphat of Judah returned home safely to Jerusalem,
2 the prophet Jehu son of Hanani confronted him; he said to King
Jehoshaphat,“Is it right to help the wicked and be an ally of those who oppose
the LORD? Because you have done this the LORD is angry with you!
3 Nevertheless you have done some good things; you removed the Asherah poles
from the land and you were determined to follow God.”
4 Jehoshaphat Appoints Judges Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem. He went out among
the people from Beer Sheba to the hill country of Ephraim and encouraged them to
follow the LORD God of their ancestors.
5 He appointed judges throughout the land and in each of the fortified cities of
Judah.
6 He told the judges,“Be careful what you do, for you are not judging for men,
but for the LORD, who will be with you when you make judicial decisions.
7 Respect the LORD and make careful decisions, for the LORD our God disapproves
of injustice, partiality, and bribery.”
8 In Jerusalem Jehoshaphat appointed some Levites, priests, and Israelite family
leaders to judge on behalf of the LORD and to settle disputes among the
residents of Jerusalem.
9 He commanded them:“Carry out your duties with respect for the LORD, with
honesty, and with pure motives.
10 Whenever your countrymen who live in the cities bring a case before
you(whether it involves a violent crime or other matters related to the law,
commandments, rules, and regulations), warn them that they must not sin against
the LORD. If you fail to do so, God will be angry with you and your colleagues,
but if you obey, you will be free of guilt.
11 Take note, Amariah the chief priest will oversee you in every matter
pertaining to the LORD and Zebadiah son of Ishmael, the leader of the family of
Judah, in every matter pertaining to the king. The Levites will serve as
officials before you. Act courageously! And may the LORD be with those who do
well!”

Chapter 20

1 The Lord Gives Jehoshaphat Military Success Later the Moabites and Ammonites,
along with some of the Meunites, attacked Jehoshaphat.
2 Messengers arrived and reported to Jehoshaphat,“A huge army is attacking you
from the other side of the Dead Sea, from the direction of Edom. Look, they are
in Hazezon Tamar(that is, En Gedi).”
3 Jehoshaphat was afraid, so he decided to seek the LORD’s advice. He decreed
that all Judah should observe a fast.
4 The people of Judah assembled to ask for the LORD’s help; they came from all
the cities of Judah to ask for the LORD’s help.
5 Jehoshaphat stood before the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the LORD’s
temple, in front of the new courtyard.
6 He prayed:“O LORD God of our ancestors, you are the God who lives in heaven
and rules over all the kingdoms of the nations. You possess strength and power;
no one can stand against you.
7 Our God, you drove out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel
and gave it as a permanent possession to the descendants of your friend Abraham.
8 They settled down in it and built in it a temple to honor you, saying,
9 ‘If disaster comes on us in the form of military attack, judgment, plague,
or famine, we will stand in front of this temple before you, for you are present
in this temple. We will cry out to you for help in our distress, so that you
will hear and deliver us.’
10 Now the Ammonites, Moabites, and men from Mount Seir are coming! When Israel
came from the land of Egypt, you did not allow them to invade these lands. They
bypassed them and did not destroy them.
11 Look how they are repaying us! They come to drive us out of our allotted land
which you assigned to us!
12 Our God, will you not judge them? For we are powerless against this huge army
that attacks us! We don’t know what we should do; we look to you for help.”
13 All the men of Judah were standing before the LORD, along with their infants,
wives, and children.
14 Then in the midst of the assembly, the LORD’s Spirit came upon Jachaziel
son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite and
descendant of Asaph.
15 He said:“Pay attention, all you people of Judah, residents of Jerusalem,
and King Jehoshaphat! This is what the LORD says to you:‘Don’t be afraid and
don’t panic because of this huge army! For the battle is not yours, but
God’s.
16 Tomorrow march down against them as they come up the Ascent of Ziz. You will
find them at the end of the ravine in front of the wilderness of Jeruel.
17 You will not fight in this battle. Take your positions, stand, and watch the
LORD deliver you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Don’t be afraid and don’t panic!
Tomorrow march out toward them; the LORD is with you!’”
18 Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face toward the ground, and all the people of
Judah and the residents of Jerusalem fell down before the LORD and worshiped
him.
19 Then some Levites, from the Kohathites and Korahites, got up and loudly
praised the LORD God of Israel.
20 Early the next morning they marched out to the wilderness of Tekoa. When they
were ready to march, Jehoshaphat stood up and said:“Listen to me, you people
of Judah and residents of Jerusalem! Trust in the LORD your God and you will be
safe! Trust in the message of his prophets and you will win.”
21 He met with the people and appointed musicians to play before the LORD and
praise his majestic splendor. As they marched ahead of the warriors they
said:“Give thanks to the LORD, for his loyal love endures.”
22 When they began to shout and praise, the LORD suddenly attacked the
Ammonites, Moabites, and men from Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they
were defeated.
23 The Ammonites and Moabites attacked the men from Mount Seir and annihilated
them. When they had finished off the men of Seir, they attacked and destroyed
one another.
24 When the men of Judah arrived at the observation post overlooking the
wilderness and looked at the huge army, they saw dead bodies on the ground;
there were no survivors!
25 Jehoshaphat and his men went to gather the plunder; they found a huge amount
of supplies, clothing, and valuable items. They carried away everything they
could. There was so much plunder, it took them three days to haul it off.
26 On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berachah, where they
praised the LORD. So that place is called the Valley of Berachah to this very
day.
27 Then all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned joyfully to Jerusalem with
Jehoshaphat leading them; the LORD had given them reason to rejoice over their
enemies.
28 They entered Jerusalem to the sound of stringed instruments and trumpets and
proceeded to the temple of the LORD.
29 All the kingdoms of the surrounding lands were afraid of God when they heard
how the LORD had fought against Israel’s enemies.
30 Jehoshaphat’s kingdom enjoyed peace; his God made him secure on every side.
31 Jehoshaphat’s Reign Ends Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five
years old when he became king and he reigned for twenty-five years in Jerusalem.
His mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi.
32 He followed in his father Asa’s footsteps and was careful to do what the
LORD approved.
33 However, the high places were not eliminated; the people were still not
devoted to the God of their ancestors.
34 The rest of the events of Jehoshaphat’s reign, from start to finish, are
recorded in the Annals of Jehu son of Hanani, which are included in the Scroll
of the Kings of Israel.
35 Later King Jehoshaphat of Judah made an alliance with King Ahaziah of Israel,
who did evil.
36 They agreed to make large seagoing merchant ships; they built the ships in
Ezion Geber.
37 Eliezer son of Dodavahu from Mareshah prophesied against
Jehoshaphat,“Because you made an alliance with Ahaziah, the LORD will shatter
what you have made.” The ships were wrecked and unable to go to sea.

Chapter 21

1 Jehoshaphat passed away and was buried with his ancestors in the City of
David. His son Jehoram replaced him as king.
2 Jehoram’s Reign His brothers, Jehoshaphat’s sons, were Azariah, Jechiel,
Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael, and Shephatiah. All of these were sons of King
Jehoshaphat of Israel.
3 Their father gave them many presents, including silver, gold, and other
precious items, along with fortified cities in Judah. But he gave the kingdom to
Jehoram because he was the firstborn.
4 Jehoram took control of his father’s kingdom and became powerful. Then he
killed all his brothers, as well as some of the officials of Israel.
5 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king and he reigned for eight
years in Jerusalem.
6 He followed in the footsteps of the kings of Israel, just as Ahab’s dynasty
had done, for he married Ahab’s daughter. He did evil in the sight of the
LORD.
7 But the LORD was unwilling to destroy David’s dynasty because of the promise
he had made to give David a perpetual dynasty.
8 During Jehoram’s reign Edom freed themselves from Judah’s control and set
up their own king.
9 Jehoram crossed over with his officers and all his chariots. The Edomites, who
had surrounded him, attacked at night and defeated him and his chariot officers.
10 So Edom has remained free from Judah’s control to this very day. At that
same time Libnah also rebelled and freed themselves from Judah’s control
because Jehoram rejected the LORD God of his ancestors.
11 He also built high places on the hills of Judah; he encouraged the residents
of Jerusalem to be unfaithful to the LORD and led Judah away from the LORD.
12 Jehoram received this letter from Elijah the prophet:“This is what the LORD
God of your ancestor David says:‘You have not followed in the footsteps of
your father Jehoshaphat and of King Asa of Judah,
13 but have instead followed in the footsteps of the kings of Israel. You
encouraged the people of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem to be unfaithful
to the LORD, just as the family of Ahab does in Israel. You also killed your
brothers, members of your father’s family, who were better than you.
14 So look, the LORD is about to severely afflict your people, your sons, your
wives, and all you own.
15 And you will get a serious, chronic intestinal disease which will cause your
intestines to come out.”
16 The LORD stirred up against Jehoram the Philistines and the Arabs who lived
beside the Cushites.
17 They attacked Judah and swept through it. They carried off everything they
found in the royal palace, including his sons and wives. None of his sons was
left, except for his youngest, Ahaziah.
18 After all this happened, the LORD afflicted him with an incurable intestinal
disease.
19 After about two years his intestines came out because of the disease, so that
he died a very painful death. His people did not make a bonfire to honor him, as
they had done for his ancestors.
20 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king and he reigned eight
years in Jerusalem. No one regretted his death; he was buried in the City of
David, but not in the royal tombs.

Chapter 22

1 Ahaziah’s Reign The residents of Jerusalem made his youngest son Ahaziah
king in his place, for the raiding party that invaded the camp with the Arabs
had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah.
2 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king and he reigned for one
year in Jerusalem. His mother was Athaliah, the granddaughter of Omri.
3 He followed in the footsteps of Ahab’s dynasty, for his mother gave him evil
advice.
4 He did evil in the sight of the LORD like Ahab’s dynasty because, after his
father’s death, they gave him advice that led to his destruction.
5 He followed their advice and joined Ahab’s son King Joram of Israel in a
battle against King Hazael of Syria at Ramoth Gilead in which the Syrians
defeated Joram.
6 Joram returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he received from the
Syrians in Ramah when he fought against King Hazael of Syria. Ahaziah son of
King Jehoram of Judah went down to visit Joram son of Ahab in Jezreel, because
he had been wounded.
7 God brought about Ahaziah’s downfall through his visit to Joram. When
Ahaziah arrived, he went out with Joram to meet Jehu son of Nimshi, whom the
LORD had commissioned to wipe out Ahab’s family.
8 While Jehu was dishing out punishment to Ahab’s family, he discovered the
officials of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s relatives who were serving
Ahaziah and killed them.
9 He looked for Ahaziah, who was captured while hiding in Samaria. They brought
him to Jehu and then executed him. They did give him a burial, for they
reasoned,“He is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with his whole
heart.” There was no one in Ahaziah’s family strong enough to rule in his
place.
10 Athaliah is Eliminated When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son
was dead, she was determined to destroy the entire royal line of Judah.
11 So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram, took Ahaziah’s son Joash and
stole him away from the rest of the royal descendants who were to be executed.
She hid him and his nurse in the room where the bed covers were stored. So
Jehoshabeath the daughter of King Jehoram, wife of Jehoiada the priest and
sister of Ahaziah, hid him from Athaliah so she could not execute him.
12 He remained in hiding in God’s temple for six years, while Athaliah was
ruling over the land.

Chapter 23

1 In the seventh year Jehoiada made a bold move. He made a pact with the
officers of the units of hundreds: Azariah son of Jehoram, Ishmael son of
Jehochanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of
Zikri.
2 They traveled throughout Judah and assembled the Levites from all the cities
of Judah, as well as the Israelite family leaders.They came to Jerusalem,
3 and the whole assembly made a covenant with the king in the temple of God.
Jehoiada said to them,“The king’s son will rule, just as the LORD promised
David’s descendants.
4 This is what you must do. One third of you priests and Levites who are on duty
during the Sabbath will guard the doors.
5 Another third of you will be stationed at the royal palace and still another
third at the Foundation Gate. All the others will stand in the courtyards of the
LORD’s temple.
6 No one must enter the LORD’s temple except the priests and Levites who are
on duty. They may enter because they are ceremonially pure. All the others
should carry out their assigned service to the LORD.
7 The Levites must surround the king. Each of you must hold his weapon in his
hand. Whoever tries to enter the temple must be killed. You must accompany the
king wherever he goes.”
8 The Levites and all the men of Judah did just as Jehoiada the priest ordered.
Each of them took his men, those who were on duty during the Sabbath as well as
those who were off duty on the Sabbath. Jehoiada the priest did not release his
divisions from their duties.
9 Jehoiada the priest gave to the officers of the units of hundreds King
David’s spears and shields that were kept in God’s temple.
10 He placed the men at their posts, each holding his weapon in his hand. They
lined up from the south side of the temple to the north side and stood near the
altar and the temple, surrounding the king.
11 Jehoiada and his sons led out the king’s son and placed on him the crown
and the royal insignia. They proclaimed him king and poured olive oil on his
head. They declared,“Long live the king!”
12 When Athaliah heard the royal guard shouting and praising the king, she
joined the crowd at the LORD’s temple.
13 Then she saw the king standing by his pillar at the entrance. The officers
and trumpeters stood beside the king and all the people of the land were
celebrating and blowing trumpets, and the musicians with various instruments
were leading the celebration. Athaliah tore her clothes and yelled,“Treason!
Treason!”
14 Jehoiada the priest sent out the officers of the units of hundreds, who were
in charge of the army, and ordered them,“Bring her outside the temple to the
guards. Put the sword to anyone who follows her.” The priest gave this order
because he had decided she should not be executed in the LORD’s temple.
15 They seized her and took her into the precincts of the royal palace through
the horses’ entrance. There they executed her.
16 Jehoiada then drew up a covenant stipulating that he, all the people, and the
king should be loyal to the LORD.
17 All the people went and demolished the temple of Baal. They smashed its
altars and idols. They killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars.
18 Jehoiada then assigned the duties of the LORD’s temple to the priests, the
Levites whom David had assigned to the LORD’s temple. They were responsible
for offering burnt sacrifices to the LORD with joy and music, according to the
law of Moses and the edict of David.
19 He posted guards at the gates of the LORD’s temple, so no one who was
ceremonially unclean in any way could enter.
20 He summoned the officers of the units of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of
the people, and all the people of the land, and he then led the king down from
the LORD’s temple. They entered the royal palace through the Upper Gate and
seated the king on the royal throne.
21 All the people of the land celebrated, for the city had rest now that they
had killed Athaliah.

Chapter 24

1 Joash’s Reign Joash was seven years old when he began to reign. He reigned
for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother was Zibiah, who was from Beer Sheba.
2 Joash did what the LORD approved throughout the lifetime of Jehoiada the
priest.
3 Jehoiada chose two wives for him who gave him sons and daughters.
4 Later, Joash was determined to repair the LORD’s temple.
5 He assembled the priests and Levites and ordered them,“Go out to the cities
of Judah and collect the annual quota of silver from all Israel for repairs on
the temple of your God. Be quick about it!” But the Levites delayed.
6 So the king summoned Jehoiada the chief priest, and said to him,“Why have
you not made the Levites collect from Judah and Jerusalem the tax authorized by
Moses the LORD’s servant and by the assembly of Israel at the tent containing
the tablets of the law?”
7 (Wicked Athaliah and her sons had broken into God’s temple and used all the
holy items of the LORD’s temple in their worship of the Baals.)
8 The king ordered a chest to be made and placed outside the gate of the
LORD’s temple.
9 An edict was sent throughout Judah and Jerusalem requiring the people to bring
to the LORD the tax that Moses, God’s servant, imposed on Israel in the
wilderness.
10 All the officials and all the people gladly brought their silver and threw it
into the chest until it was full.
11 Whenever the Levites brought the chest to the royal accountant and they saw
there was a lot of silver, the royal scribe and the accountant of the high
priest emptied the chest and then took it back to its place. They went through
this routine every day and collected a large amount of silver.
12 The king and Jehoiada gave it to the construction foremen assigned to the
LORD’s temple. They hired carpenters and craftsmen to repair the LORD’s
temple, as well as those skilled in working with iron and bronze to restore the
LORD’s temple.
13 They worked hard and made the repairs. They followed the measurements
specified for God’s temple and restored it.
14 When they were finished, they brought the rest of the silver to the king and
Jehoiada. They used it to make items for the LORD’s temple, including items
used in the temple service and for burnt sacrifices, pans, and various other
gold and silver items. Throughout Jehoiada’s lifetime, burnt sacrifices were
offered regularly in the LORD’s temple.
15 Jehoiada grew old and died at the age of 130.
16 He was buried in the City of David with the kings, because he had
accomplished good in Israel and for God and his temple.
17 After Jehoiada died, the officials of Judah visited the king and declared
their loyalty to him. The king listened to their advice.
18 They abandoned the temple of the LORD God of their ancestors, and worshiped
the Asherah poles and idols. Because of this sinful activity, God was angry with
Judah and Jerusalem.
19 The LORD sent prophets among them to lead them back to him. They warned the
people, but they would not pay attention.
20 God’s Spirit energized Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood up
before the people and said to them,“This is what God says:‘Why are you
violating the commands of the LORD? You will not be prosperous! Because you have
rejected the LORD, he has rejected you!’”
21 They plotted against him and by royal decree stoned him to death in the
courtyard of the LORD’s temple.
22 King Joash disregarded the loyalty his father Jehoiada had shown him and
killed Jehoiada’s son. As Zechariah was dying, he said,“May the LORD take
notice and seek vengeance!”
23 At the beginning of the year the Syrian army attacked Joash and invaded Judah
and Jerusalem. They wiped out all the leaders of the people and sent all the
plunder they gathered to the king of Damascus.
24 Even though the invading Syrian army was relatively weak, the LORD handed
over to them Judah’s very large army, for the people of Judah had abandoned
the LORD God of their ancestors. The Syrians gave Joash what he deserved.
25 When they withdrew, they left Joash badly wounded. His servants plotted
against him because of what he had done to the son of Jehoiada the priest. They
murdered him on his bed. Thus he died and was buried in the City of David, but
not in the tombs of the kings.
26 The conspirators were Zabad son of Shimeath(an Ammonite woman) and Jehozabad
son of Shimrith(a Moabite woman).
27 The list of Joash’s sons, the many prophetic oracles about him, and the
account of his building project on God’s temple are included in the record of
the Scroll of the Kings. His son Amaziah replaced him as king.

Chapter 25

1 Amaziah’s Reign Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign,
and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jehoaddan, who
was from Jerusalem.
2 He did what the LORD approved, but not with wholehearted devotion.
3 When he had secured control of the kingdom, he executed the servants who had
assassinated his father the king.
4 However, he did not execute their sons. He obeyed the LORD’s commandment as
recorded in the law scroll of Moses,“Fathers must not be executed for what
their sons do, and sons must not be executed for what their fathers do. A man
must be executed only for his own sin.”
5 Amaziah assembled the people of Judah and assigned them by families to the
commanders of units of a thousand and the commanders of units of a hundred for
all Judah and Benjamin. He counted those twenty years old and up and discovered
there were 300,000 young men of fighting age equipped with spears and shields.
6 He hired 100,000 Israelite warriors for a hundred talents of silver.
7 But a prophet visited him and said:“O king, the Israelite troops must not go
with you, for the LORD is not with Israel or any of the Ephraimites.
8 Even if you go and fight bravely in battle, God will defeat you before the
enemy. God is capable of helping or defeating.”
9 Amaziah asked the prophet:“But what should I do about the hundred talents of
silver I paid the Israelite troops?” The prophet replied,“The LORD is
capable of giving you more than that.”
10 So Amaziah dismissed the troops that had come to him from Ephraim and sent
them home. They were very angry at Judah and returned home incensed.
11 Amaziah boldly led his army to the Valley of Salt, where he defeated 10,000
Edomites.
12 The men of Judah captured 10,000 men alive. They took them to the top of a
cliff and threw them over. All the captives fell to their death.
13 Now the troops Amaziah had dismissed and had not allowed to fight in the
battle raided the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth Horon. They killed 3,000
people and carried off a large amount of plunder.
14 When Amaziah returned from defeating the Edomites, he brought back the gods
of the people of Seir and made them his personal gods. He bowed down before them
and offered them sacrifices.
15 The LORD was angry at Amaziah and sent a prophet to him, who said,“Why are
you following these gods that could not deliver their own people from your
power?”
16 While he was speaking, Amaziah said to him,“Did we appoint you to be a
royal counselor? Stop prophesying or else you will be killed!” So the prophet
stopped, but added,“I know that God has decided to destroy you, because you
have done this thing and refused to listen to my advice.”
17 After King Amaziah of Judah consulted with his advisers, he sent this message
to the king of Israel, Joash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu,“Come, face me
on the battlefield.”
18 King Joash of Israel sent this message back to King Amaziah of Judah,“A
thorn bush in Lebanon sent this message to a cedar in Lebanon,‘Give your
daughter to my son as a wife.’ Then a wild animal of Lebanon came by and
trampled down the thorn bush.
19 You defeated Edom and it has gone to your head. Gloat over your success, but
stay in your palace. Why bring calamity on yourself? Why bring down yourself and
Judah along with you?”
20 But Amaziah did not heed the warning, for God wanted to hand them over to
Joash because they followed the gods of Edom.
21 So King Joash of Israel attacked. He and King Amaziah of Judah faced each
other on the battlefield in Beth Shemesh of Judah.
22 Judah was defeated by Israel, and each man ran back home.
23 King Joash of Israel captured King Amaziah of Judah, son of Joash son of
Jehoahaz, in Beth Shemesh and brought him to Jerusalem. He broke down the wall
of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate– a distance of about
six hundred feet.
24 He took away all the gold and silver, all the items found in God’s temple
that were in the care of Obed-Edom, the riches in the royal palace, and some
hostages. Then he went back to Samaria.
25 King Amaziah son of Joash of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of
King Joash son of Jehoahaz of Israel.
26 The rest of the events of Amaziah’s reign, from start to finish, are
recorded in the Scroll of the Kings of Judah and Israel.
27 From the time Amaziah turned from following the LORD, conspirators plotted
against him in Jerusalem, so he fled to Lachish. But they sent assassins after
him and they killed him there.
28 His body was carried back by horses, and he was buried with his ancestors in
the City of David.

Chapter 26

1 Uzziah’s Reign All the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years
old, and made him king in his father Amaziah’s place.
2 Uzziah built up Elat and restored it to Judah after King Amaziah had passed
away.
3 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for
fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecholiah, who was from
Jerusalem.
4 He did what the LORD approved, just as his father Amaziah had done.
5 He followed God during the lifetime of Zechariah, who taught him how to honor
God. As long as he followed the LORD, God caused him to succeed.
6 Uzziah attacked the Philistines and broke down the walls of Gath, Jabneh, and
Ashdod. He built cities in the region of Ashdod and throughout Philistine
territory.
7 God helped him in his campaigns against the Philistines, the Arabs living in
Gur Baal, and the Meunites.
8 The Ammonites paid tribute to Uzziah and his fame reached the border of Egypt,
for he grew in power.
9 Uzziah built and fortified towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, Valley
Gate, and at the Angle.
10 He built towers in the wilderness and dug many cisterns, for he owned many
herds in the foothills and on the plain. He had workers in the fields and
vineyards in the hills and in Carmel, for he loved agriculture.
11 Uzziah had an army of skilled warriors trained for battle. They were
organized by divisions according to the muster rolls made by Jeiel the scribe
and Maaseiah the officer under the authority of Hananiah, a royal official.
12 The total number of family leaders who led warriors was 2,600.
13 They commanded an army of 307,500 skilled and able warriors who were ready to
defend the king against his enemies.
14 Uzziah supplied shields, spears, helmets, breastplates, bows, and slingstones
for the entire army.
15 In Jerusalem he made war machines carefully designed to shoot arrows and
large stones from the towers and corners of the walls. He became very famous,
for he received tremendous support and became powerful.
16 But once he became powerful, his pride destroyed him. He disobeyed the LORD
his God. He entered the LORD’s temple to offer incense on the incense altar.
17 Azariah the priest and eighty other brave priests of the LORD followed him
in.
18 They confronted King Uzziah and said to him,“It is not proper for you,
Uzziah, to offer incense to the LORD. That is the responsibility of the priests,
the descendants of Aaron, who are consecrated to offer incense. Leave the
sanctuary, for you have disobeyed and the LORD God will not honor you!”
19 Uzziah, who had an incense censer in his hand, became angry. While he was
ranting and raving at the priests, a skin disease appeared on his forehead right
there in front of the priests in the LORD’s temple near the incense altar.
20 When Azariah the high priest and the other priests looked at him, there was a
skin disease on his forehead. They hurried him out of there; even the king
himself wanted to leave quickly because the LORD had afflicted him.
21 King Uzziah suffered from a skin disease until the day he died. He lived in
separate quarters, afflicted by a skin disease and banned from the LORD’s
temple. His son Jotham was in charge of the palace and ruled over the people of
the land.
22 The rest of the events of Uzziah’s reign, from start to finish, were
recorded by the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.
23 Uzziah passed away and was buried near his ancestors in a cemetery belonging
to the kings.(This was because he had a skin disease.) His son Jotham replaced
him as king.

Chapter 27

1 Jotham’s Reign Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and
he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jerusha the daughter
of Zadok.
2 He did what the LORD approved, just as his father Uzziah had done.(He did not,
however, have the audacity to enter the temple.) Yet the people were still
sinning.
3 He built the Upper Gate to the LORD’s temple and did a lot of work on the
wall in the area known as Ophel.
4 He built cities in the hill country of Judah and fortresses and towers in the
forests.
5 He launched a military campaign against the king of the Ammonites and defeated
them. That year the Ammonites paid him 100 talents of silver, 10,000 cors of
wheat, and 10,000 cors of barley. The Ammonites also paid this same amount of
annual tribute the next two years.
6 Jotham grew powerful because he was determined to please the LORD his God.
7 The rest of the events of Jotham’s reign, including all his military
campaigns and his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll of the kings of
Israel and Judah.
8 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for
sixteen years in Jerusalem.
9 Jotham passed away and was buried in the City of David. His son Ahaz replaced
him as king.

Chapter 28

1 Ahaz’s Reign Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he
reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what pleased the LORD, in
contrast to his ancestor David.
2 He followed in the footsteps of the kings of Israel; he also made images of
the Baals.
3 He offered sacrifices in the Valley of Ben Hinnom and passed his sons through
the fire, a horrible sin practiced by the nations whom the LORD drove out before
the Israelites.
4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and
under every green tree.
5 The LORD his God handed him over to the king of Syria. The Syrians defeated
him and deported many captives to Damascus. He was also handed over to the king
of Israel, who thoroughly defeated him.
6 In one day Pekah son of Remaliah killed 120,000 warriors in Judah, because
they had abandoned the LORD God of their ancestors.
7 Zikri, an Ephraimite warrior, killed the king’s son Maaseiah, Azrikam, the
supervisor of the palace, and Elkanah, the king’s second-in-command.
8 The Israelites seized from their brothers 200,000 wives, sons, and daughters.
They also carried off a huge amount of plunder and took it back to Samaria.
9 Oded, a prophet of the LORD, was there. He went to meet the army as they
arrived in Samaria and said to them:“Look, because the LORD God of your
ancestors was angry with Judah he handed them over to you. You have killed them
so mercilessly that God has taken notice.
10 And now you are planning to enslave the people of Judah and Jerusalem. Yet
are you not also guilty before the LORD your God?
11 Now listen to me! Send back those you have seized from your brothers, for the
LORD is very angry at you!”
12 So some of the Ephraimite family leaders, Azariah son of Jehochanan,
Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, Jechizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of
Hadlai confronted those returning from the battle.
13 They said to them,“Don’t bring those captives here! Are you planning on
making us even more sinful and guilty before the LORD? Our guilt is already
great and the LORD is very angry at Israel.”
14 So the soldiers released the captives and the plunder before the officials
and the entire assembly.
15 Men were assigned to take the prisoners and find clothes among the plunder
for those who were naked. So they clothed them, supplied them with sandals, gave
them food and drink, and provided them with oil to rub on their skin. They put
the ones who couldn’t walk on donkeys. They brought them back to their
brothers at Jericho, the city of date palm trees, and then returned to Samaria.
16 At that time King Ahaz asked the king of Assyria for help.
17 The Edomites had again invaded and defeated Judah and carried off captives.
18 The Philistines had raided the cities of Judah in the foothills and the
Negev. They captured and settled in Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco and
its surrounding villages, Timnah and its surrounding villages, and Gimzo and its
surrounding villages.
19 The LORD humiliated Judah because of King Ahaz of Israel, for he encouraged
Judah to sin and was very unfaithful to the LORD.
20 King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria came, but he gave him more trouble than
support.
21 Ahaz gathered riches from the LORD’s temple, the royal palace, and the
officials and gave them to the king of Assyria, but that did not help.
22 During his time of trouble King Ahaz was even more unfaithful to the LORD.
23 He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus whom he thought had defeated
him. He reasoned,“Since the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will
sacrifice to them so they will help me.” But they caused him and all Israel to
stumble.
24 Ahaz gathered the items in God’s temple and removed them. He shut the doors
of the LORD’s temple and erected altars on every street corner in Jerusalem.
25 In every city throughout Judah he set up high places to offer sacrifices to
other gods. He angered the LORD God of his ancestors.
26 The rest of the events of Ahaz’s reign, including his accomplishments from
start to finish, are recorded in the Scroll of the Kings of Judah and Israel.
27 Ahaz passed away and was buried in the city of Jerusalem; they did not bring
him to the tombs of the kings of Israel. His son Hezekiah replaced him as king.

Chapter 29

1 Hezekiah Consecrates the Temple Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he
began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother was
Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.
2 He did what the LORD approved, just as his ancestor David had done.
3 In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the
LORD’s temple and repaired them.
4 He brought in the priests and Levites and assembled them in the square on the
east side.
5 He said to them:“Listen to me, you Levites! Now consecrate yourselves, so
you can consecrate the temple of the LORD God of your ancestors! Remove from the
sanctuary what is ceremonially unclean!
6 For our fathers were unfaithful; they did what is evil in the sight of the
LORD our God and abandoned him! They turned away from the LORD’s dwelling
place and rejected him.
7 They closed the doors of the temple porch and put out the lamps; they did not
offer incense or burnt sacrifices in the sanctuary of the God of Israel.
8 The LORD was angry at Judah and Jerusalem and made them an appalling object of
horror at which people hiss out their scorn, as you can see with your own eyes.
9 Look, our fathers died violently and our sons, daughters, and wives were
carried off because of this.
10 Now I intend to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, so that he may
relent from his raging anger.
11 My sons, do not be negligent now, for the LORD has chosen you to stand in his
presence, to minister to him, to be his ministers, and offer sacrifices.”
12 The following Levites prepared to carry out the king’s orders: From the
Kohathites: Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah;from the Merarites:
Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel;from the Gershonites: Joah son of
Zimmah and Eden son of Joah;
13 from the descendants of Elizaphan: Shimri and Jeiel;from the descendants of
Asaph: Zechariah and Mattaniah;
14 from the descendants of Heman: Jehiel and Shimei;from the descendants of
Jeduthun: Shemaiah and Uzziel.
15 They assembled their brothers and consecrated themselves. Then they went in
to purify the LORD’s temple, just as the king had ordered, in accordance with
the word of the LORD.
16 The priests then entered the LORD’s temple to purify it; they brought out
to the courtyard of the LORD’s temple every ceremonially unclean thing they
discovered inside. The Levites took them out to the Kidron Valley.
17 On the first day of the first month they began consecrating; by the eighth
day of the month they reached the porch of the LORD’s temple. For eight more
days they consecrated the LORD’s temple. On the sixteenth day of the first
month they were finished.
18 They went to King Hezekiah and said:“We have purified the entire temple of
the LORD, including the altar of burnt sacrifice and all its equipment, and the
table for the Bread of the Presence and all its equipment.
19 We have prepared and consecrated all the items that King Ahaz removed during
his reign when he acted unfaithfully. They are in front of the altar of the
LORD.
20 Early the next morning King Hezekiah assembled the city officials and went up
to the LORD’s temple.
21 They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven goats as a sin
offering for the kingdom, the sanctuary, and Judah. The king told the priests,
the descendants of Aaron, to offer burnt sacrifices on the altar of the LORD.
22 They slaughtered the bulls, and the priests took the blood and splashed it on
the altar. Then they slaughtered the rams and splashed the blood on the altar;
next they slaughtered the lambs and splashed the blood on the altar.
23 Finally they brought the goats for the sin offering before the king and the
assembly, and they placed their hands on them.
24 Then the priests slaughtered them. They offered their blood as a sin offering
on the altar to make atonement for all Israel, because the king had decreed that
the burnt sacrifice and sin offering were for all Israel.
25 Hezekiah stationed the Levites in the LORD’s temple with cymbals and
stringed instruments, just as David, Gad the king’s prophet, and Nathan the
prophet had ordered.(The LORD had actually given these orders through his
prophets.)
26 The Levites had David’s musical instruments and the priests had trumpets.
27 Hezekiah ordered the burnt sacrifice to be offered on the altar. As they
began to offer the sacrifice, they also began to sing to the LORD, accompanied
by the trumpets and the musical instruments of King David of Israel.
28 The entire assembly worshiped, as the singers sang and the trumpeters played.
They continued until the burnt sacrifice was completed.
29 When the sacrifices were completed, the king and all who were with him bowed
down and worshiped.
30 King Hezekiah and the officials told the Levites to praise the LORD, using
the psalms of David and Asaph the prophet. So they joyfully offered praise and
bowed down and worshiped.
31 Hezekiah said,“Now you have consecrated yourselves to the LORD. Come and
bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the LORD’s temple.” So the assembly
brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and whoever desired to do so brought
burnt sacrifices.
32 The assembly brought a total of 70 bulls, 100 rams, and 200 lambs as burnt
sacrifices to the LORD,
33 and 600 bulls and 3,000 sheep were consecrated.
34 But there were not enough priests to skin all the animals, so their brothers,
the Levites, helped them until the work was finished and the priests could
consecrate themselves.(The Levites had been more conscientious about
consecrating themselves than the priests.)
35 There was a large number of burnt sacrifices, as well as fat from the peace
offerings and drink offerings that accompanied the burnt sacrifices. So the
service of the LORD’s temple was reinstituted.
36 Hezekiah and all the people were happy about what God had done for them, for
it had been done quickly.

Chapter 30

1 Hezekiah Observes the Passover Hezekiah sent messages throughout Israel and
Judah; he even wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, summoning them to come to
the LORD’s temple in Jerusalem and observe a Passover celebration for the LORD
God of Israel.
2 The king, his officials, and the entire assembly in Jerusalem decided to
observe the Passover in the second month.
3 They were unable to observe it at the regular time because not enough priests
had consecrated themselves and the people had not assembled in Jerusalem.
4 The proposal seemed appropriate to the king and the entire assembly.
5 So they sent an edict throughout Israel from Beer Sheba to Dan, summoning the
people to come and observe a Passover for the LORD God of Israel in Jerusalem,
for they had not observed it on a nationwide scale as prescribed in the law.
6 Messengers delivered the letters from the king and his officials throughout
Israel and Judah. This royal edict read:“O Israelites, return to the LORD God
of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so he may return to you who have been spared from
the kings of Assyria.
7 Don’t be like your fathers and brothers who were unfaithful to the LORD God
of their ancestors, provoking him to destroy them, as you can see.
8 Now, don’t be stubborn like your fathers! Submit to the LORD and come to his
sanctuary which he has permanently consecrated. Serve the LORD your God so that
he might relent from his raging anger.
9 For if you return to the LORD, your brothers and sons will be shown mercy by
their captors and return to this land. The LORD your God is merciful and
compassionate; he will not reject you if you return to him.”
10 The messengers journeyed from city to city through the land of Ephraim and
Manasseh as far as Zebulun, but people mocked and ridiculed them.
11 But some men from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to
Jerusalem.
12 In Judah God moved the people to unite and carry out the edict of the king
and the officers in keeping with the LORD’s message.
13 A huge crowd assembled in Jerusalem to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread
in the second month.
14 They removed the altars in Jerusalem; they also removed all the incense
altars and threw them into the Kidron Valley.
15 They slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month.
The priests and Levites were ashamed, so they consecrated themselves and brought
burnt sacrifices to the LORD’s temple.
16 They stood at their posts according to the regulations outlined in the law of
Moses, the man of God. The priests were splashing the blood as the Levites
handed it to them.
17 Because many in the assembly had not consecrated themselves, the Levites
slaughtered the Passover lambs of all who were ceremonially unclean and could
not consecrate their sacrifice to the LORD.
18 The majority of the many people from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun
were ceremonially unclean, yet they ate the Passover in violation of what is
prescribed in the law. For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying:“May the LORD, who
is good, forgive
19 everyone who has determined to follow God, the LORD God of his ancestors,
even if he is not ceremonially clean according to the standards of the
temple.”
20 The LORD responded favorably to Hezekiah and forgave the people.
21 The Israelites who were in Jerusalem observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread
for seven days with great joy. The Levites and priests were praising the LORD
every day with all their might.
22 Hezekiah expressed his appreciation to all the Levites, who demonstrated
great skill in serving the LORD. They feasted for the seven days of the
festival, and were making peace offerings and giving thanks to the LORD God of
their ancestors.
23 The entire assembly then decided to celebrate for seven more days; so they
joyfully celebrated for seven more days.
24 King Hezekiah of Judah supplied 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep for the assembly,
while the officials supplied them with 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep. Many
priests consecrated themselves.
25 The celebration included the entire assembly of Judah, the priests, the
Levites, the entire assembly of those who came from Israel, the resident
foreigners who came from the land of Israel and those who were residents of
Judah.
26 There was a great celebration in Jerusalem, unlike anything that had occurred
in Jerusalem since the time of King Solomon son of David of Israel.
27 The priests and Levites got up and pronounced blessings on the people. The
LORD responded favorably to them as their prayers reached his holy dwelling
place in heaven.

Chapter 31

1 When all this was over, the Israelites who were in the cities of Judah went
out and smashed the sacred pillars, cut down the Asherah poles, and demolished
all the high places and altars throughout Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and
Manasseh. Then all the Israelites returned to their own homes in their cities.
2 The People Contribute to the Temple Hezekiah appointed the divisions of the
priests and Levites to do their assigned tasks– to offer burnt sacrifices and
present offerings and to serve, give thanks, and offer praise in the gates of
the LORD’s sanctuary.
3 The king contributed some of what he owned for burnt sacrifices, including the
morning and evening burnt sacrifices and the burnt sacrifices made on Sabbaths,
new moon festivals, and at other appointed times prescribed in the law of the
LORD.
4 He ordered the people living in Jerusalem to contribute the portion prescribed
for the priests and Levites so they might be obedient to the law of the LORD.
5 When the edict was issued, the Israelites freely contributed the initial
portion of their grain, wine, olive oil, honey, and all the produce of their
fields. They brought a tenth of everything, which added up to a huge amount.
6 The Israelites and people of Judah who lived in the cities of Judah also
contributed a tenth of their cattle and sheep, as well as a tenth of the holy
items consecrated to the LORD their God. They brought them and placed them in
many heaps.
7 In the third month they began piling their contributions in heaps and finished
in the seventh month.
8 When Hezekiah and the officials came and saw the heaps, they praised the LORD
and pronounced blessings on his people Israel.
9 When Hezekiah asked the priests and Levites about the heaps,
10 Azariah, the head priest from the family of Zadok, said to him,“Since the
contributions began arriving in the LORD’s temple, we have had plenty to eat
and have a large quantity left over. For the LORD has blessed his people, and
this large amount remains.”
11 Hezekiah ordered that storerooms be prepared in the LORD’s temple. When
this was done,
12 they brought in the contributions, tithes, and consecrated items that had
been offered. Konaniah, a Levite, was in charge of all this, assisted by his
brother Shimei.
13 Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismakiah, Mahath,
and Benaiah worked under the supervision of Konaniah and his brother Shimei, as
directed by King Hezekiah and Azariah, the supervisor of God’s temple.
14 Kore son of Imnah, a Levite and the guard on the east side, was in charge of
the voluntary offerings made to God and disbursed the contributions made to the
LORD and the consecrated items.
15 In the cities of the priests, Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and
Shecaniah faithfully assisted him in making disbursements to their fellow
priests according to their divisions, regardless of age.
16 They made disbursements to all the males three years old and up who were
listed in the genealogical records– to all who would enter the LORD’s temple
to serve on a daily basis and fulfill their duties as assigned to their
divisions.
17 They made disbursements to the priests listed in the genealogical records by
their families, and to the Levites twenty years old and up, according to their
duties as assigned to their divisions,
18 and to all the infants, wives, sons, and daughters of the entire assembly
listed in the genealogical records, for they faithfully consecrated themselves.
19 As for the descendants of Aaron, the priests who lived in the outskirts of
all their cities, men were assigned to disburse portions to every male among the
priests and to every Levite listed in the genealogical records.
20 This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah. He did what the LORD his God
considered good and right and faithful.
21 He wholeheartedly and successfully reinstituted service in God’s temple and
obedience to the law, in order to follow his God.

Chapter 32

1 Sennacherib Invades Judah After these faithful deeds were accomplished, King
Sennacherib of Assyria invaded Judah. He besieged the fortified cities,
intending to seize them.
2 When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had invaded and intended to attack
Jerusalem,
3 he consulted with his advisers and military officers about stopping up the
springs outside the city, and they supported him.
4 A large number of people gathered together and stopped up all the springs and
the stream that flowed through the district. They reasoned,“Why should the
kings of Assyria come and find plenty of water?”
5 Hezekiah energetically rebuilt every broken wall. He erected towers and an
outer wall, and fortified the terrace of the City of David. He made many weapons
and shields.
6 He appointed military officers over the army and assembled them in the square
at the city gate. He encouraged them, saying,
7 “Be strong and brave! Don’t be afraid and don’t panic because of the
king of Assyria and this huge army that is with him! We have with us one who is
stronger than those who are with him.
8 He has with him mere human strength, but the LORD our God is with us to help
us and fight our battles!” The army was encouraged by the words of King
Hezekiah of Judah.
9 Afterward King Sennacherib of Assyria, while attacking Lachish with all his
military might, sent his messengers to Jerusalem. The message was for King
Hezekiah of Judah and all the people of Judah who were in Jerusalem. It read:
10 “This is what King Sennacherib of Assyria says:‘Why are you so confident
that you remain in Jerusalem while it is under siege?
11 Hezekiah says,“The LORD our God will rescue us from the power of the king
of Assyria.” But he is misleading you and you will die of hunger and thirst!
12 Hezekiah is the one who eliminated the LORD’s high places and altars and
then told Judah and Jerusalem,“At one altar you must worship and offer
sacrifices.”
13 Are you not aware of what I and my predecessors have done to all the nations
of the surrounding lands? Have the gods of the surrounding lands actually been
able to rescue their lands from my power?
14 Who among all the gods of these nations whom my predecessors annihilated was
able to rescue his people from my power, that your God would be able to rescue
you from my power?
15 Now don’t let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you like this. Don’t
believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to rescue his
people from my power or the power of my predecessors. So how can your gods
rescue you from my power?’”
16 Sennacherib’s servants further insulted the LORD God and his servant
Hezekiah.
17 He wrote letters mocking the LORD God of Israel and insulting him with these
words:“The gods of the surrounding nations could not rescue their people from
my power. Neither can Hezekiah’s god rescue his people from my power.”
18 They called out loudly in the Judahite dialect to the people of Jerusalem who
were on the wall, trying to scare and terrify them so they could seize the city.
19 They talked about the God of Jerusalem as if he were one of the man-made gods
of the nations of the earth.
20 King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz prayed about this and cried
out to heaven.
21 The LORD sent a messenger and he wiped out all the soldiers, princes, and
officers in the army of the king of Assyria. So Sennacherib returned home
humiliated. When he entered the temple of his god, some of his own sons struck
him down with the sword.
22 The LORD delivered Hezekiah and the residents of Jerusalem from the power of
King Sennacherib of Assyria and from all the other nations. He made them secure
on every side.
23 Many were bringing presents to the LORD in Jerusalem and precious gifts to
King Hezekiah of Judah. From that time on he was respected by all the nations.
24 Hezekiah’s Shortcomings and Accomplishments In those days Hezekiah was
stricken with a terminal illness. He prayed to the LORD, who answered him and
gave him a sign confirming that he would be healed.
25 But Hezekiah was ungrateful; he had a proud attitude, provoking God to be
angry at him, as well as Judah and Jerusalem.
26 But then Hezekiah and the residents of Jerusalem humbled themselves and
abandoned their pride, and the LORD was not angry with them for the rest of
Hezekiah’s reign.
27 Hezekiah was very wealthy and greatly respected. He made storehouses for his
silver, gold, precious stones, spices, shields, and all his other valuable
possessions.
28 He made storerooms for the harvest of grain, wine, and olive oil, and stalls
for all his various kinds of livestock and his flocks.
29 He built royal cities and owned a large number of sheep and cattle, for God
gave him a huge amount of possessions.
30 Hezekiah dammed up the source of the waters of the Upper Gihon and directed
them down to the west side of the City of David. Hezekiah succeeded in all that
he did.
31 So when the envoys arrived from the Babylonian officials to visit him and
inquire about the sign that occurred in the land, God left him alone to test
him, in order to know his true motives.
32 The rest of the events of Hezekiah’s reign, including his faithful deeds,
are recorded in the vision of the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz, included in the
Scroll of the Kings of Judah and Israel.
33 Hezekiah passed away and was buried on the ascent of the tombs of the
descendants of David. All the people of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem
buried him with great honor. His son Manasseh replaced him as king.

Chapter 33

1 Manasseh’s Reign Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he
reigned for fifty-five years in Jerusalem.
2 He did evil in the sight of the LORD and committed the same horrible sins
practiced by the nations whom the LORD drove out ahead of the Israelites.
3 He rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he set up
altars for the Baals and made Asherah poles. He bowed down to all the stars in
the sky and worshiped them.
4 He built altars in the LORD’s temple, about which the LORD had
said,“Jerusalem will be my permanent home.”
5 In the two courtyards of the LORD’s temple he built altars for all the stars
in the sky.
6 He passed his sons through the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom and practiced
divination, omen reading, and sorcery. He set up a ritual pit to conjure up
underworld spirits and appointed magicians to supervise it. He did a great
amount of evil in the sight of the LORD and angered him.
7 He put an idolatrous image he had made in God’s temple, about which God had
said to David and to his son Solomon,“This temple in Jerusalem, which I have
chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, will be my permanent home.
8 I will not make Israel again leave the land I gave to their ancestors,
provided that they carefully obey all I commanded them, the whole law, the rules
and regulations given through Moses.”
9 But Manasseh misled the people of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem so that
they sinned more than the nations whom the LORD had destroyed ahead of the
Israelites.
10 The LORD confronted Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention.
11 So the LORD brought against them the commanders of the army of the king of
Assyria. They seized Manasseh, put hooks in his nose, bound him with bronze
chains, and carried him away to Babylon.
12 In his pain Manasseh asked the LORD his God for mercy and truly humbled
himself before the God of his ancestors.
13 When he prayed to the LORD, the LORD responded to him and answered favorably
his cry for mercy. The LORD brought him back to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then
Manasseh realized that the LORD is the true God.
14 After this Manasseh built up the outer wall of the City of David on the west
side of the Gihon in the valley to the entrance of the Fish Gate and all around
the terrace; he made it much higher. He placed army officers in all the
fortified cities in Judah.
15 He removed the foreign gods and images from the LORD’s temple and all the
altars he had built on the hill of the LORD’s temple and in Jerusalem; he
threw them outside the city.
16 He erected the altar of the LORD and offered on it peace offerings and thank
offerings. He told the people of Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel.
17 However, the people continued to offer sacrifices at the high places, but
only to the LORD their God.
18 The rest of the events of Manasseh’s reign, including his prayer to his God
and the words the prophets spoke to him in the name of the LORD God of Israel,
are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Israel.
19 The Annals of the Prophets include his prayer, give an account of how the
LORD responded to it, record all his sins and unfaithful acts, and identify the
sites where he built high places and erected Asherah poles and idols before he
humbled himself.
20 Manasseh passed away and was buried in his palace. His son Amon replaced him
as king.
21 Amon’s Reign Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he
reigned for two years in Jerusalem.
22 He did evil in the sight of the LORD, just like his father Manasseh had done.
Amon offered sacrifices to all the idols his father Manasseh had made, and
worshiped them.
23 He did not humble himself before the LORD as his father Manasseh had done.
Amon was guilty of great sin.
24 His servants conspired against him and killed him in his palace.
25 The people of the land executed all who had conspired against King Amon, and
they made his son Josiah king in his place.

Chapter 34

1 Josiah Institutes Religious Reforms Josiah was eight years old when he became
king, and he reigned for thirty-one years in Jerusalem.
2 He did what the LORD approved and followed in his ancestor David’s
footsteps; he did not deviate to the right or the left.
3 In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek
the God of his ancestor David. In his twelfth year he began ridding Judah and
Jerusalem of the high places, Asherah poles, idols, and images.
4 He ordered the altars of the Baals to be torn down, and broke the incense
altars that were above them. He smashed the Asherah poles, idols and images,
crushed them up and sprinkled the dust over the tombs of those who had
sacrificed to them.
5 He burned the bones of the pagan priests on their altars; he purified Judah
and Jerusalem.
6 In the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, as far as Naphtali, and in the
ruins around them,
7 he tore down the altars and Asherah poles, demolished the idols, and smashed
all the incense altars throughout the land of Israel. Then he returned to
Jerusalem.
8 In the eighteenth year of his reign, he continued his policy of purifying the
land and the temple. He sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the city official,
and Joah son of Joahaz the secretary to repair the temple of the LORD his God.
9 They went to Hilkiah the high priest and gave him the silver that had been
brought to God’s temple. The Levites who guarded the door had collected it
from the people of Manasseh and Ephraim and from all who were left in Israel, as
well as from all the people of Judah and Benjamin and the residents of
Jerusalem.
10 They handed it over to the construction foremen assigned to the LORD’s
temple. They in turn paid the temple workers to restore and repair it.
11 They gave money to the craftsmen and builders to buy chiseled stone and wood
for the braces and rafters of the buildings that the kings of Judah had allowed
to fall into disrepair.
12 The men worked faithfully. Their supervisors were Jahath and Obadiah(Levites
descended from Merari), as well as Zechariah and Meshullam(descendants of
Kohath). The Levites, all of whom were skilled musicians,
13 supervised the laborers and all the foremen on their various jobs. Some of
the Levites were scribes, officials, and guards.
14 When they took out the silver that had been brought to the LORD’s temple,
Hilkiah the priest found the law scroll the LORD had given to Moses.
15 Hilkiah informed Shaphan the scribe,“I found the law scroll in the LORD’s
temple.” Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan.
16 Shaphan brought the scroll to the king and reported,“Your servants are
doing everything assigned to them.
17 They melted down the silver in the LORD’s temple and handed it over to the
supervisors and the construction foremen.”
18 Then Shaphan the scribe told the king,“Hilkiah the priest has given me a
scroll.” Shaphan read it out loud before the king.
19 When the king heard the words of the law, he tore his clothes.
20 The king ordered Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, Shaphan
the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant,
21 “Go, ask the LORD on behalf of me and those who remain in Israel and Judah
about the words of this scroll that has been discovered. For the LORD’s great
fury has been ignited against us, because our ancestors did not obey the word of
the LORD by living according to all that is written in this scroll!”
22 So Hilkiah and the others sent by the king went to Huldah the prophetess, the
wife of Shallum son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, the supervisor of the
wardrobe.(She lived in Jerusalem in the Mishneh district.) They stated their
business,
23 and she said to them:“This is what the LORD God of Israel says:‘Say this
to the man who sent you to me:
24 “This is what the LORD says:‘I am about to bring disaster on this place
and its residents, all the curses that are recorded in the scroll which they
read before the king of Judah.
25 This will happen because they have abandoned me and offered sacrifices to
other gods, angering me with all the idols they have made. My anger will ignite
against this place and will not be extinguished!’”
26 Say this to the king of Judah, who sent you to seek an oracle from the
LORD:“This is what the LORD God of Israel says concerning the words you have
heard:
27 ‘You displayed a sensitive spirit and humbled yourself before God when you
heard his words concerning this place and its residents. You humbled yourself
before me, tore your clothes and wept before me, and I have heard you,’ says
the LORD.
28 ‘Therefore I will allow you to die and be buried in peace. You will not
have to witness all the disaster I will bring on this place and its
residents.’”’” Then they reported back to the king.
29 The king summoned all the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem.
30 The king went up to the LORD’s temple, accompanied by all the people of
Judah, the residents of Jerusalem, the priests, and the Levites. All the people
were there, from the oldest to the youngest. He read aloud all the words of the
scroll of the covenant that had been discovered in the LORD’s temple.
31 The king stood by his pillar and renewed the covenant before the LORD,
agreeing to follow the LORD and to obey his commandments, laws, and rules with
all his heart and being, by carrying out the terms of this covenant recorded on
this scroll.
32 He made all who were in Jerusalem and Benjamin agree to it. The residents of
Jerusalem acted in accordance with the covenant of God, the God of their
ancestors.
33 Josiah removed all the detestable idols from all the areas belonging to the
Israelites and encouraged all who were in Israel to worship the LORD their God.
Throughout the rest of his reign they did not turn aside from following the LORD
God of their ancestors.

Chapter 35

1 Josiah Observes the Passover Josiah observed a Passover festival for the LORD
in Jerusalem. They slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the
first month.
2 He appointed the priests to fulfill their duties and encouraged them to carry
out their service in the LORD’s temple.
3 He told the Levites, who instructed all Israel about things consecrated to the
LORD,“Place the holy ark in the temple which King Solomon son of David of
Israel built. Don’t carry it on your shoulders. Now serve the LORD your God
and his people Israel!
4 Prepare yourselves by your families according to your divisions, as instructed
in writing by King David of Israel and his son Solomon.
5 Stand in the sanctuary and, together with the Levites, represent the family
divisions of your countrymen.
6 Slaughter the Passover lambs, consecrate yourselves, and make preparations for
your countrymen to celebrate according to the LORD’s message which came
through Moses.”
7 From his own royal flocks and herds, Josiah supplied the people with 30,000
lambs and goats for the Passover sacrifice, as well as 3,000 cattle.
8 His officials also willingly contributed to the people, priests, and Levites.
Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, the leaders of God’s temple, gave the priests
2,600 Passover sacrifices and 300 cattle.
9 Konaniah and his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, along with Hashabiah, Jeiel,
and Jozabad, the officials of the Levites, supplied the Levites with 5,000
Passover sacrifices and 500 cattle.
10 Preparations were made, and the priests stood at their posts and the Levites
in their divisions as prescribed by the king.
11 They slaughtered the Passover lambs and the priests splashed the blood, while
the Levites skinned the animals.
12 They reserved the burnt offerings and the cattle for the family divisions of
the people to present to the LORD, as prescribed in the scroll of Moses.
13 They cooked the Passover sacrifices over the open fire as prescribed and
cooked the consecrated offerings in pots, kettles, and pans. They quickly served
them to all the people.
14 Afterward they made preparations for themselves and for the priests, because
the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were offering burnt sacrifices and fat
portions until evening. The Levites made preparations for themselves and for the
priests, the descendants of Aaron.
15 The musicians, the descendants of Asaph, manned their posts, as prescribed by
David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s prophet. The guards at the
various gates did not need to leave their posts, for their fellow Levites made
preparations for them.
16 So all the preparations for the LORD’s service were made that day, as the
Passover was observed and the burnt sacrifices were offered on the altar of the
LORD, as prescribed by King Josiah.
17 So the Israelites who were present observed the Passover at that time, as
well as the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days.
18 A Passover like this had not been observed in Israel since the days of Samuel
the prophet. None of the kings of Israel had observed a Passover like the one
celebrated by Josiah, the priests, the Levites, all the people of Judah and
Israel who were there, and the residents of Jerusalem.
19 This Passover was observed in the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign.
20 Josiah’s Reign Ends After Josiah had done all this for the temple, King
Necho of Egypt marched up to do battle at Carchemish on the Euphrates River.
Josiah marched out to oppose him.
21 Necho sent messengers to him, saying,“Why are you opposing me, O king of
Judah? I am not attacking you today, but the kingdom with which I am at war. God
told me to hurry. Stop opposing God, who is with me, or else he will destroy
you.”
22 But Josiah did not turn back from him; he disguised himself for battle. He
did not take seriously the words of Necho which he had received from God; he
went to fight him in the Plain of Megiddo.
23 Archers shot King Josiah; the king ordered his servants,“Take me out of
this chariot, for I am seriously wounded.”
24 So his servants took him out of the chariot, put him in another chariot that
he owned, and brought him to Jerusalem, where he died. He was buried in the
tombs of his ancestors; all the people of Judah and Jerusalem mourned Josiah.
25 Jeremiah composed laments for Josiah which all the male and female singers
use to mourn Josiah to this very day. It has become customary in Israel to sing
these; they are recorded in the Book of Laments.
26 The rest of the events of Josiah’s reign, including the faithful acts he
did in obedience to what is written in the law of the LORD
27 and his accomplishments, from start to finish, are recorded in the Scroll of
the Kings of Israel and Judah.

Chapter 36

1 Jehoahaz’s Reign The people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and made
him king in his father’s place in Jerusalem.
2 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three
months in Jerusalem.
3 The king of Egypt prevented him from ruling in Jerusalem and imposed on the
land a special tax of one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.
4 The king of Egypt made Jehoahaz’s brother Eliakim king over Judah and
Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. Necho seized his brother Jehoahaz
and took him to Egypt.
5 Jehoiakim’s Reign Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king,
and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem. He did evil in the sight of the
LORD his God.
6 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked him, bound him with bronze chains, and
carried him away to Babylon.
7 Nebuchadnezzar took some of the items in the LORD’s temple to Babylon and
put them in his palace there.
8 The rest of the events of Jehoiakim’s reign, including the horrible sins he
committed and his shortcomings, are recorded in the Scroll of the Kings of
Israel and Judah. His son Jehoiachin replaced him as king.
9 Jehoiachin’s Reign Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king,
and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did evil in the sight
of the LORD.
10 At the beginning of the year King Nebuchadnezzar ordered him to be brought to
Babylon, along with the valuable items in the LORD’s temple. In his place he
made his relative Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.
11 Zedekiah’s Reign Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and
he ruled for eleven years in Jerusalem.
12 He did evil in the sight of the LORD his God. He did not humble himself
before Jeremiah the prophet, the LORD’s spokesman.
13 He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him vow allegiance
in the name of God. He was stubborn and obstinate, and refused to return to the
LORD God of Israel.
14 All the leaders of the priests and people became more unfaithful and
committed the same horrible sins practiced by the nations. They defiled the
LORD’s temple which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.
15 The Babylonians Destroy Jerusalem The LORD God of their ancestors continually
warned them through his messengers, for he felt compassion for his people and
his dwelling place.
16 But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his warnings, and ridiculed his
prophets. Finally the LORD got very angry at his people and there was no one who
could prevent his judgment.
17 He brought against them the king of the Babylonians, who slaughtered their
young men in their temple. He did not spare young men or women, or even the old
and aging. God handed everyone over to him.
18 He carried away to Babylon all the items in God’s temple, whether large or
small, as well as what was in the treasuries of the LORD’s temple and in the
treasuries of the king and his officials.
19 They burned down the God’s temple and tore down the wall of Jerusalem. They
burned all its fortified buildings and destroyed all its valuable items.
20 He deported to Babylon all who escaped the sword. They served him and his
sons until the Persian kingdom rose to power.
21 This took place to fulfill the LORD’s message spoken through Jeremiah and
lasted until the land experienced its sabbatical years. All the time of its
desolation the land rested in order to fulfill the seventy years.
22 Cyrus Allows the Exiles to Go Home In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia,
in fulfillment of the LORD’s message spoken through Jeremiah, the LORD
motivated King Cyrus of Persia to issue a proclamation throughout his kingdom
and also to put it in writing. It read:
23 “This is what King Cyrus of Persia says:‘The LORD God of heaven has given
me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build a temple for him
in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Anyone of his people among you may go up there
and may the LORD his God be with him!”


Ezra

Chapter 1

1 ¶ The Decree of Cyrus In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, in
fulfillment of the LORD’s message spoken through Jeremiah, the LORD motivated
King Cyrus of Persia to issue a proclamation throughout his kingdom and also to
put it in writing. It read:
2 “This is what King Cyrus of Persia says:“‘The LORD God of heaven has
given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build a temple
for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
3 Anyone of his people among you(may his God be with him!) may go up to
Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and may build the temple of the LORD God of
Israel– he is the God who is in Jerusalem.
4 Anyone who survives in any of those places where he is a resident foreigner
must be helped by his neighbors with silver, gold, equipment, and animals, along
with voluntary offerings for the temple of God which is in Jerusalem.’”
5 The Exiles Prepare to Return to Jerusalem Then the leaders of Judah and
Benjamin, along with the priests and the Levites– all those whose mind God had
stirred– got ready to go up in order to build the temple of the LORD in
Jerusalem.
6 All their neighbors assisted them with silver utensils, gold, equipment,
animals, and expensive gifts, not to mention all the voluntary offerings.
7 Then King Cyrus brought out the vessels of the LORD’s temple which
Nebuchadnezzar had brought from Jerusalem and had displayed in the temple of his
gods.
8 King Cyrus of Persia entrusted them to Mithredath the treasurer, who counted
them out to Sheshbazzar the leader of the Judahite exiles.
9 The inventory of these items was as follows: 30 gold basins, 1,000 silver
basins, 29 silver utensils,
10 30 gold bowls, 410 other silver bowls, and 1,000 other vessels.
11 All these gold and silver vessels totaled 5,400. Sheshbazzar brought them all
along when the captives were brought up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

Chapter 2

1 The Names of the Returning Exiles These are the people of the province who
were going up, from the captives of the exile whom King Nebuchadnezzar of
Babylon had forced into exile in Babylon. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah,
each to his own city.
2 They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai,
Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. The number of Israelites was as
follows:
3 the descendants of Parosh: 2,172;
4 the descendants of Shephatiah: 372;
5 the descendants of Arah: 775;
6 the descendants of Pahath-Moab(from the line of Jeshua and Joab): 2,812;
7 the descendants of Elam: 1,254;
8 the descendants of Zattu: 945;
9 the descendants of Zaccai: 760;
10 the descendants of Bani: 642;
11 the descendants of Bebai: 623;
12 the descendants of Azgad: 1,222;
13 the descendants of Adonikam: 666;
14 the descendants of Bigvai: 2,056;
15 the descendants of Adin: 454;
16 the descendants of Ater(through Hezekiah): 98;
17 the descendants of Bezai: 323;
18 the descendants of Jorah: 112;
19 the descendants of Hashum: 223;
20 the descendants of Gibbar: 95.
21 The men of Bethlehem: 123;
22 the men of Netophah: 56;
23 the men of Anathoth: 128;
24 the men of the family of Azmaveth: 42;
25 the men of Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah and Beeroth: 743;
26 the men of Ramah and Geba: 621;
27 the men of Micmash: 122;
28 the men of Bethel and Ai: 223;
29 the descendants of Nebo: 52;
30 the descendants of Magbish: 156;
31 the descendants of the other Elam: 1,254;
32 the descendants of Harim: 320;
33 the men of Lod, Hadid, and Ono: 725;
34 the men of Jericho: 345;
35 the descendants of Senaah: 3,630.
36 The priests: the descendants of Jedaiah(through the family of Jeshua): 973;
37 the descendants of Immer: 1,052;
38 the descendants of Pashhur: 1,247;
39 the descendants of Harim: 1,017.
40 The Levites: the descendants of Jeshua and Kadmiel(through the line of
Hodaviah): 74.
41 The singers: the descendants of Asaph: 128.
42 The gatekeepers: the descendants of Shallum, the descendants of Ater, the
descendants of Talmon, the descendants of Akkub, the descendants of Hatita, and
the descendants of Shobai: 139.
43 The temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, the descendants of Hasupha, the
descendants of Tabbaoth,
44 the descendants of Keros, the descendants of Siaha, the descendants of Padon,
45 the descendants of Lebanah, the descendants of Hagabah, the descendants of
Akkub,
46 the descendants of Hagab, the descendants of Shalmai, the descendants of
Hanan,
47 the descendants of Giddel, the descendants of Gahar, the descendants of
Reaiah,
48 the descendants of Rezin, the descendants of Nekoda, the descendants of
Gazzam,
49 the descendants of Uzzah, the descendants of Paseah, the descendants of
Besai,
50 the descendants of Asnah, the descendants of Meunim, the descendants of
Nephussim,
51 the descendants of Bakbuk, the descendants of Hakupha, the descendants of
Harhur,
52 the descendants of Bazluth, the descendants of Mehida, the descendants of
Harsha,
53 the descendants of Barkos, the descendants of Sisera, the descendants of
Temah,
54 the descendants of Neziah, and the descendants of Hatipha.
55 The descendants of the servants of Solomon: the descendants of Sotai, the
descendants of Hassophereth, the descendants of Peruda,
56 the descendants of Jaala, the descendants of Darkon, the descendants of
Giddel,
57 the descendants of Shephatiah, the descendants of Hattil, the descendants of
Pokereth-Hazzebaim, and the descendants of Ami.
58 All the temple servants and the descendants of the servants of Solomon: 392.
59 These are the ones that came up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon, and
Immer(although they were unable to certify their family connection or their
ancestry, as to whether they really were from Israel):
60 the descendants of Delaiah, the descendants of Tobiah, and the descendants of
Nekoda: 652.
61 And from among the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, the descendants of
Hakkoz, and the descendants of Barzillai(who had taken a wife from the daughters
of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by that name).
62 They searched for their records in the genealogical materials, but did not
find them. They were therefore excluded from the priesthood.
63 The governor instructed them not to eat any of the sacred food until there
was a priest who could consult the Urim and Thummim.
64 The entire group numbered 42,360,
65 not counting their male and female servants, who numbered 7,337. They also
had 200 male and female singers
66 and 736 horses, 245 mules,
67 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.
68 When they came to the LORD’s temple in Jerusalem, some of the family
leaders offered voluntary offerings for the temple of God in order to rebuild it
on its site.
69 As they were able, they gave to the treasury for this work 61,000 drachmas of
gold, 5,000 minas of silver, and 100 priestly robes.
70 The priests, the Levites, some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers,
and the temple servants lived in their towns, and all the rest of Israel lived
in their towns.

Chapter 3

1 The Altar is Rebuilt When the seventh month arrived and the Israelites were
living in their towns, the people assembled in Jerusalem.
2 Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his priestly colleagues and Zerubbabel son
of Shealtiel and his colleagues started to build the altar of the God of Israel
so they could offer burnt offerings on it as required by the law of Moses the
man of God.
3 They established the altar on its foundations, even though they were in terror
of the local peoples, and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD, both
the morning and the evening offerings.
4 They observed the Feast of Shelters as required and offered the proper number
of daily burnt offerings according to the requirement for each day.
5 Afterward they offered the continual burnt offerings and those for the new
moons and those for all the holy assemblies of the LORD and all those that were
being voluntarily offered to the LORD.
6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to
the LORD. However, the LORD’s temple was not at that time established.
7 Preparations for Rebuilding the Temple So they provided money for the masons
and carpenters, and food, beverages, and olive oil for the people of Sidon and
Tyre, so that they would bring cedar timber from Lebanon to the seaport at
Joppa, in accord with the edict of King Cyrus of Persia.
8 In the second year after they had come to the temple of God in Jerusalem, in
the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak
initiated the work, along with the rest of their associates, the priests and the
Levites, and all those who were coming to Jerusalem from the exile. They
appointed the Levites who were at least twenty years old to take charge of the
work on the LORD’s temple.
9 So Jeshua appointed both his sons and his relatives, Kadmiel and his sons(the
sons of Yehudah), to take charge of the workers in the temple of God, along with
the sons of Henadad, their sons, and their relatives the Levites.
10 When the builders established the LORD’s temple, the priests, ceremonially
attired and with their clarions, and the Levites(the sons of Asaph) with their
cymbals, stood to praise the LORD according to the instructions left by King
David of Israel.
11 With antiphonal response they sang, praising and glorifying the LORD:“For
he is good; his loyal love toward Israel is forever.” All the people gave a
loud shout as they praised the LORD when the temple of the LORD was established.
12 Many of the priests, the Levites, and the leaders– older people who had
seen with their own eyes the former temple while it was still established–
were weeping loudly, and many others raised their voice in a joyous shout.
13 People were unable to tell the difference between the sound of joyous
shouting and the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people were shouting
so loudly that the sound was heard a long way off.

Chapter 4

1 Opposition to the Building Efforts When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin
learned that the former exiles were building a temple for the LORD God of
Israel,
2 they came to Zerubbabel and the leaders and said to them,“Let us help you
build, for like you we seek your God and we have been sacrificing to him from
the time of King Esarhaddon of Assyria, who brought us here.”
3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the leaders of Israel said to
them,“You have no right to help us build the temple of our God. We will build
it by ourselves for the LORD God of Israel, just as King Cyrus, the king of
Persia, has commanded us.”
4 Then the local people began to discourage the people of Judah and to
dishearten them from building.
5 They were hiring advisers to oppose them, so as to frustrate their plans,
throughout the time of King Cyrus of Persia until the reign of King Darius of
Persia.
6 Official Complaints Are Lodged Against the Jews At the beginning of the reign
of Ahasuerus they filed an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and
Jerusalem.
7 And during the reign of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest
of their colleagues wrote to King Artaxerxes of Persia. This letter was first
written in Aramaic but then translated.[Aramaic:]
8 Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter concerning
Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows:
9 From Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their
colleagues– the judges, the rulers, the officials, the secretaries, the
Erechites, the Babylonians, the people of Susa(that is, the Elamites),
10 and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Ashurbanipal deported
and settled in the cities of Samaria and other places in Trans-Euphrates.
11 (This is a copy of the letter they sent to him:)“To King Artaxerxes, from
your servants in Trans-Euphrates:
12 Now let the king be aware that the Jews who came up to us from you have gone
to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and odious city. They are
completing its walls and repairing its foundations.
13 Let the king also be aware that if this city is built and its walls are
completed, no more tax, custom, or toll will be paid, and the royal treasury
will suffer loss.
14 In light of the fact that we are loyal to the king, and since it does not
seem appropriate to us that the king should sustain damage, we are sending the
king this information
15 so that he may initiate a search of the records of his predecessors and
discover in those records that this city is rebellious and injurious to both
kings and provinces, producing internal revolts from long ago. It is for this
very reason that this city was destroyed.
16 We therefore are informing the king that if this city is rebuilt and its
walls are completed, you will not retain control of this portion of
Trans-Euphrates.”
17 The king sent the following response:“To Rehum the commander, Shimshai the
scribe, and the rest of their colleagues who live in Samaria and other parts of
Trans-Euphrates: Greetings!
18 The letter you sent to us has been translated and read in my presence.
19 So I gave orders, and it was determined that this city from long ago has been
engaging in insurrection against kings. It has continually engaged in rebellion
and revolt.
20 Powerful kings have been over Jerusalem who ruled throughout the entire
Trans-Euphrates and who were the beneficiaries of tribute, custom, and toll.
21 Now give orders that these men cease their work and that this city not be
rebuilt until such time as I so instruct.
22 Exercise appropriate caution so that there is no negligence in this matter.
Why should danger increase to the point that kings sustain damage?”
23 Then, as soon as the copy of the letter from King Artaxerxes was read in the
presence of Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their colleagues, they proceeded
promptly to the Jews in Jerusalem and stopped them with threat of armed force.
24 So the work on the temple of God in Jerusalem came to a halt. It remained
halted until the second year of the reign of King Darius of Persia.

Chapter 5

1 Tattenai Appeals to Darius Then the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo
prophesied concerning the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of
the God of Israel who was over them.
2 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak began to
rebuild the temple of God in Jerusalem. The prophets of God were with them,
supporting them.
3 At that time Tattenai governor of Trans-Euphrates, Shethar-Bozenai, and their
colleagues came to them and asked,“Who gave you authority to rebuild this
temple and to complete this structure?”
4 They also asked them,“What are the names of the men who are building this
edifice?”
5 But God was watching over the elders of Judah, and they were not stopped until
a report could be dispatched to Darius and a letter could be sent back
concerning this.
6 This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai governor of Trans-Euphrates,
Shethar-Bozenai, and his colleagues who were the officials of Trans-Euphrates
sent to King Darius.
7 The report they sent to him was written as follows:“To King Darius: All
greetings!
8 Let it be known to the king that we have gone to the province of Judah, to the
temple of the great God. It is being built with large stones, and timbers are
being placed in the walls. This work is being done with all diligence and is
prospering in their hands.
9 We inquired of those elders, asking them,‘Who gave you the authority to
rebuild this temple and to complete this structure?’
10 We also inquired of their names in order to inform you, so that we might
write the names of the men who were their leaders.
11 They responded to us in the following way:‘We are servants of the God of
heaven and earth. We are rebuilding the temple which was previously built many
years ago. A great king of Israel built it and completed it.
12 But after our ancestors angered the God of heaven, he delivered them into the
hands of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple
and exiled the people to Babylon.
13 But in the first year of King Cyrus of Babylon, King Cyrus enacted a decree
to rebuild this temple of God.
14 Even the gold and silver vessels of the temple of God that Nebuchadnezzar had
taken from the temple in Jerusalem and had brought to the palace of Babylon–
even those things King Cyrus brought from the palace of Babylon and presented to
a man by the name of Sheshbazzar whom he had appointed as governor.
15 He said to him,“Take these vessels and go deposit them in the temple in
Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt in its proper location.”
16 Then this Sheshbazzar went and laid the foundations of the temple of God in
Jerusalem. From that time to the present moment it has been in the process of
being rebuilt, although it is not yet finished.’
17 “Now if the king is so inclined, let a search be conducted in the royal
archives there in Babylon in order to determine whether King Cyrus did in fact
issue orders for this temple of God to be rebuilt in Jerusalem. Then let the
king send us a decision concerning this matter.”

Chapter 6

1 Darius Issues a Decree So Darius the king issued orders, and they searched in
the archives of the treasury which were deposited there in Babylon.
2 A scroll was found in the citadel of Ecbatana which is in the province of
Media, and it was inscribed as follows:“Memorandum:
3 In the first year of his reign, King Cyrus gave orders concerning the temple
of God in Jerusalem:‘Let the temple be rebuilt as a place where sacrifices are
offered. Let its foundations be set in place. Its height is to be ninety feet
and its width ninety feet,
4 with three layers of large stones and one layer of timber. The expense is to
be subsidized by the royal treasury.
5 Furthermore let the gold and silver vessels of the temple of God, which
Nebuchadnezzar brought from the temple in Jerusalem and carried to Babylon, be
returned and brought to their proper place in the temple in Jerusalem. Let them
be deposited in the temple of God.’
6 “Now Tattenai governor of Trans-Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and their
colleagues, the officials of Trans-Euphrates– all of you stay far away from
there!
7 Leave the work on this temple of God alone. Let the governor of the Jews and
the elders of the Jews rebuild this temple of God in its proper place.
8 “I also hereby issue orders as to what you are to do with those elders of
the Jews in order to rebuild this temple of God. From the royal treasury, from
the taxes of Trans-Euphrates the complete costs are to be given to these men, so
that there may be no interruption of the work.
9 Whatever is needed– whether oxen or rams or lambs for burnt offerings for
the God of heaven or wheat or salt or wine or oil, as required by the priests
who are in Jerusalem– must be given to them daily without any neglect,
10 so that they may be offering incense to the God of heaven and may be praying
for the good fortune of the king and his family.
11 “I hereby give orders that if anyone changes this directive a beam is to be
pulled out from his house and he is to be raised up and impaled on it, and his
house is to be reduced to a rubbish heap for this indiscretion.
12 May God who makes his name to reside there overthrow any king or nation who
reaches out to cause such change so as to destroy this temple of God in
Jerusalem. I, Darius, have given orders. Let them be carried out with
precision!”
13 The Temple Is Finally Dedicated Then Tattenai governor of Trans-Euphrates,
Shethar-Bozenai, and their colleagues acted accordingly– with precision, just
as Darius the king had given instructions.
14 The elders of the Jews continued building and prospering, while at the same
time Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo continued prophesying.
They built and brought it to completion by the command of the God of Israel and
by the command of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia.
15 They finished this temple on the third day of the month Adar, which is the
sixth year of the reign of King Darius.
16 The people of Israel– the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the
exiles– observed the dedication of this temple of God with joy.
17 For the dedication of this temple of God they offered one hundred bulls, two
hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and twelve male goats for the sin of all
Israel, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.
18 They appointed the priests by their divisions and the Levites by their
divisions over the worship of God at Jerusalem, in accord with the book of
Moses.
19 The exiles observed the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.
20 The priests and the Levites had purified themselves, every last one, and they
all were ceremonially pure. They sacrificed the Passover lamb for all the
exiles, for their colleagues the priests, and for themselves.
21 The Israelites who were returning from the exile ate it, along with all those
who had joined them in separating themselves from the uncleanness of the nations
of the land to seek the LORD God of Israel.
22 They observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with joy, for the
LORD had given them joy and had changed the opinion of the king of Assyria
toward them, so that he assisted them in the work on the temple of God, the God
of Israel.

Chapter 7

1 The Arrival of Ezra Now after these things had happened, during the reign of
King Artaxerxes of Persia, Ezra came up from Babylon. Ezra was the son of
Seraiah, who was the son of Azariah, who was the son of Hilkiah,
2 who was the son of Shallum, who was the son of Zadok, who was the son of
Ahitub,
3 who was the son of Amariah, who was the son of Azariah, who was the son of
Meraioth,
4 who was the son of Zerahiah, who was the son of Uzzi, who was the son of
Bukki,
5 who was the son of Abishua, who was the son of Phinehas, who was the son of
Eleazar, who was the son of Aaron the chief priest.
6 This Ezra is the one who came up from Babylon. He was a scribe who was skilled
in the law of Moses which the LORD God of Israel had given. The king supplied
him with everything he requested, for the hand of the LORD his God was on him.
7 In the seventh year of King Artaxerxes, Ezra brought up to Jerusalem some of
the Israelites and some of the priests, the Levites, the attendants, the
gatekeepers, and the temple servants.
8 He entered Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king.
9 On the first day of the first month he had determined to make the ascent from
Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he arrived at Jerusalem, for
the good hand of his God was on him.
10 Now Ezra had dedicated himself to the study of the law of the LORD, to its
observance, and to teaching its statutes and judgments in Israel.
11 Artaxerxes Gives Official Endorsement to Ezra’s Mission What follows is a
copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priestly scribe. Ezra
was a scribe in matters pertaining to the commandments of the LORD and his
statutes over Israel:
12 “Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the
God of heaven:
13 I have now issued a decree that anyone in my kingdom from the people of
Israel– even the priests and Levites– who wishes to do so may go up with you
to Jerusalem.
14 You are authorized by the king and his seven advisers to inquire concerning
Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of your God which is in your
possession,
15 and to bring silver and gold which the king and his advisers have freely
contributed to the God of Israel, who resides in Jerusalem,
16 along with all the silver and gold that you may collect throughout all the
province of Babylon and the contributions of the people and the priests for the
temple of their God which is in Jerusalem.
17 With this money you should be sure to purchase bulls, rams, and lambs, along
with the appropriate meal offerings and libations. You should bring them to the
altar of the temple of your God which is in Jerusalem.
18 You may do whatever seems appropriate to you and your colleagues with the
rest of the silver and the gold, in keeping with the will of your God.
19 Deliver to the God of Jerusalem the vessels that are given to you for the
service of the temple of your God.
20 The rest of the needs for the temple of your God that you may have to supply,
you may do so from the royal treasury.
21 “I, King Artaxerxes, hereby issue orders to all the treasurers of
Trans-Euphrates, that you precisely execute all that Ezra the priestly scribe of
the law of the God of heaven may request of you–
22 up to 100 talents of silver, 100 cors of wheat, 100 baths of wine, 100 baths
of olive oil, and unlimited salt.
23 Everything that the God of heaven has required should be precisely done for
the temple of the God of heaven. Why should there be wrath against the empire of
the king and his sons?
24 Furthermore, be aware of the fact that you have no authority to impose tax,
tribute, or toll on any of the priests, the Levites, the musicians, the
doorkeepers, the temple servants, or the attendants at the temple of this God.
25 “Now you, Ezra, in keeping with the wisdom of your God which you possess,
appoint judges and court officials who can arbitrate cases on behalf of all the
people who are in Trans-Euphrates who know the laws of your God. Those who do
not know this law should be taught.
26 Everyone who does not observe both the law of your God and the law of the
king will be completely liable to the appropriate penalty, whether it is death
or banishment or confiscation of property or detainment in prison.”
27 Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, who so moved in the heart of the king
to so honor the temple of the LORD which is in Jerusalem!
28 He has also conferred his favor on me before the king, his advisers, and all
the influential leaders of the king. I gained strength as the hand of the LORD
my God was on me, and I gathered leaders from Israel to go up with me.

Chapter 8

1 The Leaders Who Returned with Ezra These are the leaders and those enrolled
with them by genealogy who were coming up with me from Babylon during the reign
of King Artaxerxes:
2 from the descendants of Phinehas, Gershom; from the descendants of Ithamar,
Daniel; from the descendants of David, Hattush
3 the son of Shecaniah; from the descendants of Parosh, Zechariah, and with him
were enrolled by genealogy 150 men;
4 from the descendants of Pahath-Moab, Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah, and with him
200 men;
5 from the descendants of Zattu, Shecaniah son of Jahaziel, and with him 300
men;
6 from the descendants of Adin, Ebed son of Jonathan, and with him 50 men;
7 from the descendants of Elam, Jeshaiah son of Athaliah, and with him 70 men;
8 from the descendants of Shephatiah, Zebadiah son of Michael, and with him 80
men;
9 from the descendants of Joab, Obadiah son of Jehiel, and with him 218 men;
10 from the descendants of Bani, Shelomith son of Josiphiah, and with him 160
men;
11 from the descendants of Bebai, Zechariah son of Bebai, and with him 28 men;
12 from the descendants of Azgad, Johanan son of Hakkatan, and with him 110 men;
13 from the descendants of Adonikam there were the latter ones. Their names were
Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah, and with them 60 men;
14 from the descendants of Bigvai, Uthai, and Zaccur, and with them 70 men.
15 The Exiles Travel to Jerusalem I had them assemble at the canal that flows
toward Ahava, and we camped there for three days. I observed that the people and
the priests were present, but I found no Levites there.
16 So I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan,
Zechariah, and Meshullam, who were leaders, and Joiarib and Elnathan, who were
teachers.
17 I sent them to Iddo, who was the leader in the place called Casiphia. I told
them what to say to Iddo and his relatives, who were the temple servants in
Casiphia, so they would bring us attendants for the temple of our God.
18 Due to the fact that the good hand of our God was on us, they brought us a
skilled man, from the descendants of Mahli the son of Levi son of Israel. This
man was Sherebiah, who was accompanied by his sons and brothers, 18 men,
19 and Hashabiah, along with Jeshaiah from the descendants of Merari, with his
brothers and their sons, 20 men,
20 and some of the temple servants that David and his officials had established
for the work of the Levites– 220 of them. They were all designated by name.
21 I called for a fast there by the Ahava Canal, so that we might humble
ourselves before our God and seek from him a safe journey for us, our children,
and all our property.
22 I was embarrassed to request soldiers and horsemen from the king to protect
us from the enemy along the way, because we had said to the king,“The good
hand of our God is on everyone who is seeking him, but his great anger is
against everyone who forsakes him.”
23 So we fasted and prayed to our God about this, and he answered us.
24 Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests, together with Sherebiah,
Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers,
25 and I weighed out to them the silver, the gold, and the vessels intended for
the temple of our God– items that the king, his advisers, his officials, and
all Israel who were present had contributed.
26 I weighed out to them 650 talents of silver, silver vessels worth 100
talents, 100 talents of gold,
27 20 gold bowls worth 1,000 darics, and two exquisite vessels of gleaming
bronze, as valuable as gold.
28 Then I said to them,“You are holy to the LORD, just as these vessels are
holy. The silver and the gold are a voluntary offering to the LORD, the God of
your fathers.
29 Be careful with them and protect them, until you weigh them out before the
leading priests and the Levites and the family leaders of Israel in Jerusalem,
in the storerooms of the temple of the LORD.
30 Then the priests and the Levites took charge of the silver, the gold, and the
vessels that had been weighed out, to transport them to Jerusalem to the temple
of our God.
31 On the twelfth day of the first month we began traveling from the Ahava Canal
to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he delivered us from our
enemy and from bandits along the way.
32 So we came to Jerusalem, and we stayed there for three days.
33 On the fourth day we weighed out the silver, the gold, and the vessels in the
house of our God into the care of Meremoth son of Uriah, the priest, and Eleazar
son of Phinehas, who were accompanied by Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son
of Binnui, who were Levites.
34 Everything was verified by number and by weight, and the total weight was
written down at that time.
35 The exiles who were returning from the captivity offered burnt offerings to
the God of Israel– twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven
male lambs, along with twelve male goats as a sin offering. All this was a burnt
offering to the LORD.
36 Then they presented the decrees of the king to the king’s satraps and to
the governors of Trans-Euphrates, who gave help to the people and to the temple
of God.

Chapter 9

1 A Prayer of Ezra Now when these things had been completed, the leaders
approached me and said,“The people of Israel, the priests, and the Levites
have not separated themselves from the local residents who practice detestable
things similar to those of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the
Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.
2 Indeed, they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and
for their sons, so that the holy race has become intermingled with the local
residents. Worse still, the leaders and the officials have been at the forefront
of all of this unfaithfulness!”
3 When I heard this report, I tore my tunic and my robe and ripped out some of
the hair from my head and beard. Then I sat down, quite devastated.
4 Everyone who held the words of the God of Israel in awe gathered around me
because of the unfaithful acts of the people of the exile. Devastated, I
continued to sit there until the evening offering.
5 At the time of the evening offering I got up from my self-abasement, with my
tunic and robe torn, and then dropped to my knees and spread my hands to the
LORD my God.
6 I prayed,“O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift my face to you, my
God! For our iniquities have climbed higher than our heads, and our guilt
extends to the heavens.
7 From the days of our fathers until this very day our guilt has been great.
Because of our iniquities we, along with our kings and priests, have been
delivered over by the local kings to sword, captivity, plunder, and
embarrassment– right up to the present time.
8 “But now briefly we have received mercy from the LORD our God, in that he
has left us a remnant and has given us a secure position in his holy place. Thus
our God has enlightened our eyes and has given us a little relief in our time of
servitude.
9 Although we are slaves, our God has not abandoned us in our servitude. He has
extended kindness to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, in that he has
revived us to restore the temple of our God and to raise up its ruins and to
give us a protective wall in Judah and Jerusalem.
10 “And now what are we able to say after this, our God? For we have forsaken
your commandments
11 which you commanded us through your servants the prophets with these
words:‘The land that you are entering to possess is a land defiled by the
impurities of the local residents! With their abominations they have filled it
from one end to the other with their filthiness.
12 Therefore do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons, and do not
take their daughters in marriage for your sons. Do not ever seek their peace or
welfare, so that you may be strong and may eat the good of the land and may
leave it as an inheritance for your children forever.’
13 “Everything that has happened to us has come about because of our wicked
actions and our great guilt. Even so, our God, you have exercised restraint
toward our iniquities and have given us a remnant such as this.
14 Shall we once again break your commandments and intermarry with these
abominable peoples? Would you not be so angered by us that you would wipe us
out, with no survivor or remnant?
15 O LORD God of Israel, you are righteous, for we are left as a remnant this
day. Indeed, we stand before you in our guilt. However, because of this guilt no
one can really stand before you.”

Chapter 10

1 The People Confess Their Sins While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping
and throwing himself to the ground before the temple of God, a very large crowd
of Israelites– men, women, and children alike– gathered around him. The
people wept loudly.
2 Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, from the descendants of Elam, addressed
Ezra:“We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the
local peoples. Nonetheless, there is still hope for Israel in this regard.
3 Therefore let us enact a covenant with our God to send away all these women
and their offspring, in keeping with your counsel, my lord, and that of those
who respect the commandments of our God. And let it be done according to the
law.
4 Get up, for this matter concerns you. We are with you, so be strong and act
decisively!”
5 So Ezra got up and made the leading priests and Levites and all Israel take an
oath to carry out this plan. And they all took a solemn oath.
6 Then Ezra got up from in front of the temple of God and went to the room of
Jehohanan son of Eliashib. While he stayed there, he did not eat food or drink
water, for he was in mourning over the infidelity of the exiles.
7 A proclamation was circulated throughout Judah and Jerusalem that all the
exiles were to be assembled in Jerusalem.
8 Everyone who did not come within three days would thereby forfeit all his
property, in keeping with the counsel of the officials and the elders.
Furthermore, he himself would be excluded from the assembly of the exiles.
9 All the men of Judah and Benjamin were gathered in Jerusalem within the three
days.(It was in the ninth month, on the twentieth day of that month.) All the
people sat in the square at the temple of God, trembling because of this matter
and because of the rains.
10 Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them,“You have behaved in an
unfaithful manner by taking foreign wives! This has contributed to the guilt of
Israel.
11 Now give praise to the LORD God of your fathers, and do his will. Separate
yourselves from the local residents and from these foreign wives.”
12 All the assembly replied in a loud voice:“We will do just as you have said!
13 However, the people are numerous and it is the rainy season. We are unable to
stand here outside. Furthermore, this business cannot be resolved in a day or
two, for we have sinned greatly in this matter.
14 Let our leaders take steps on behalf of all the assembly. Let all those in
our towns who have married foreign women come at an appointed time, and with
them the elders of each town and its judges, until the hot anger of our God is
turned away from us in this matter.”
15 Only Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah were against this,
assisted by Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite.
16 So the exiles proceeded accordingly. Ezra the priest separated out by name
men who were leaders in their family groups. They sat down to consider this
matter on the first day of the tenth month,
17 and on the first day of the first month they finished considering all the men
who had married foreign wives.
18 Those Who Had Taken Foreign Wives It was determined that from the descendants
of the priests, the following had taken foreign wives: from the descendants of
Jeshua son of Jozadak, and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah.
19 (They gave their word to send away their wives; their guilt offering was a
ram from the flock for their guilt.)
20 From the descendants of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah.
21 From the descendants of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and
Uzziah.
22 From the descendants of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel,
Jozabad, and Elasah.
23 From the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah(also known as Kelita), Pethahiah,
Judah, and Eliezer.
24 From the singers: Eliashib. From the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.
25 From the Israelites: from the descendants of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah,
Malkijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malkijah, and Benaiah.
26 From the descendants of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth,
and Elijah.
27 From the descendants of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth,
Zabad, and Aziza.
28 From the descendants of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai.
29 From the descendants of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and
Jeremoth.
30 From the descendants of Pahath-Moab: Adna, Kelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah,
Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh.
31 From the descendants of Harim: Eliezer, Ishijah, Malkijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,
32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah.
33 From the descendants of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet,
Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei.
34 From the descendants of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel,
35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Keluhi,
36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,
37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu.
38 From the descendants of Binnui: Shimei,
39 Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah,
40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,
41 Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah,
42 Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.
43 From the descendants of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel,
and Benaiah.
44 All these had taken foreign wives, and some of them also had children by
these women.


Nehemiah

Chapter 1

1 ¶ A Prayer of Nehemiah These are the words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah:It so
happened that in the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year, I was in Susa the
citadel.
2 Hanani, who was one of my relatives, along with some of the men from Judah,
came to me, and I asked them about the Jews who had escaped and had survived the
exile, and about Jerusalem.
3 They said to me,“The remnant that remains from the exile there in the
province are experiencing considerable adversity and reproach. The wall of
Jerusalem lies breached, and its gates have been burned down!”
4 When I heard these things I sat down abruptly, crying and mourning for several
days. I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
5 Then I said,“Please, O LORD God of heaven, great and awesome God, who keeps
his loving covenant with those who love him and obey his commandments,
6 may your ear be attentive and your eyes be open to hear the prayer of your
servant that I am praying to you today throughout both day and night on behalf
of your servants the Israelites. I am confessing the sins of the Israelites that
we have committed against you– both I myself and my family have sinned.
7 We have behaved corruptly against you, not obeying the commandments, the
statutes, and the judgments that you commanded your servant Moses.
8 Please recall the word you commanded your servant Moses:‘If you act
unfaithfully, I will scatter you among the nations.
9 But if you repent and obey my commandments and do them, then even if your
dispersed people are in the most remote location, I will gather them from there
and bring them to the place I have chosen for my name to reside.’
10 They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your mighty
strength and by your powerful hand.
11 Please, Lord, listen attentively to the prayer of your servant and to the
prayer of your servants who take pleasure in showing respect to your name. Grant
your servant success today and show compassion to me in the presence of this
man.” Now I was cupbearer for the king.

Chapter 2

1 Nehemiah Is Permitted to Go to Jerusalem Then in the month of Nisan, in the
twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought to me, I took the wine
and gave it to the king. Previously I had not been depressed in the king’s
presence.
2 So the king said to me,“Why do you appear to be depressed when you aren’t
sick? What can this be other than sadness of heart?” This made me very
fearful.
3 I replied to the king,“O king, live forever! Why would I not appear dejected
when the city with the graves of my ancestors lies desolate and its gates
destroyed by fire?”
4 The king responded,“What is it you are seeking?” Then I quickly prayed to
the God of heaven
5 and said to the king,“If the king is so inclined and if your servant has
found favor in your sight, dispatch me to Judah, to the city with the graves of
my ancestors, so that I can rebuild it.”
6 Then the king, with his consort sitting beside him, replied,“How long would
your trip take, and when would you return?” Since the king was pleased to send
me, I gave him a time.
7 I said to the king,“If the king is so inclined, let him give me letters for
the governors of Trans-Euphrates that will enable me to travel safely until I
reach Judah,
8 and a letter for Asaph the keeper of the king’s nature preserve, so that he
will give me timber for beams for the gates of the fortress adjacent to the
temple and for the city wall and for the house to which I go.” So the king
granted me these requests, for the good hand of my God was on me.
9 Then I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, and I presented to them the
letters from the king. The king had sent with me officers of the army and
horsemen.
10 When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard all this,
they were very displeased that someone had come to seek benefit for the
Israelites.
11 Nehemiah Arrives in Jerusalem So I came to Jerusalem. When I had been there
for three days,
12 I got up during the night, along with a few men who were with me. But I did
not tell anyone what my God was putting on my heart to do for Jerusalem. There
were no animals with me, except for the one I was riding.
13 I proceeded through the Valley Gate by night, in the direction of the Well of
the Dragons and the Dung Gate, inspecting the walls of Jerusalem that had been
breached and its gates that had been destroyed by fire.
14 I passed on to the Gate of the Well and the King’s Pool, where there was
not enough room for my animal to pass with me.
15 I continued up the valley during the night, inspecting the wall. Then I
turned back and came to the Valley Gate, and so returned.
16 The officials did not know where I had gone or what I had been doing, for up
to this point I had not told any of the Jews or the priests or the nobles or the
officials or the rest of the workers.
17 Then I said to them,“You see the problem that we have: Jerusalem is
desolate and its gates are burned. Come on! Let’s rebuild the wall of
Jerusalem so that this reproach will not continue.”
18 Then I related to them how the good hand of my God was on me and what the
king had said to me. Then they replied,“Let’s begin rebuilding right
away!” So they readied themselves for this good project.
19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the
Arab heard all this, they derided us and expressed contempt toward us. They
said,“What is this you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”
20 I responded to them by saying,“The God of heaven will prosper us. We his
servants will start the rebuilding. But you have no just or ancient right in
Jerusalem.”

Chapter 3

1 The Names of the Builders Then Eliashib the high priest and his priestly
colleagues arose and built the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and erected its
doors, working as far as the Tower of the Hundred and the Tower of Hananel.
2 The men of Jericho built adjacent to it, and Zaccur son of Imri built adjacent
to them.
3 The sons of Hassenaah rebuilt the Fish Gate. They laid its beams and
positioned its doors, its bolts, and its bars.
4 Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakoz, worked on the section adjacent to
them. Meshullam son of Berechiah the son of Meshezabel worked on the section
next to them. And Zadok son of Baana worked on the section adjacent to them.
5 The men of Tekoa worked on the section adjacent to them, but their town
leaders would not assist with the work of their master.
6 Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah worked on the Jeshanah
Gate. They laid its beams and positioned its doors, its bolts, and its bars.
7 Adjacent to them worked Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite, who
were men of Gibeon and Mizpah. These towns were under the jurisdiction of the
governor of Trans-Euphrates.
8 Uzziel son of Harhaiah, a member of the goldsmiths’ guild, worked on the
section adjacent to him. Hananiah, a member of the perfumers’ guild, worked on
the section adjacent to him. They plastered the city wall of Jerusalem as far as
the Broad Wall.
9 Rephaiah son of Hur, head of a half-district of Jerusalem, worked on the
section adjacent to them.
10 Jedaiah son of Harumaph worked on the section adjacent to them opposite his
house, and Hattush son of Hashabneiah worked on the section adjacent to him.
11 Malkijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath-Moab worked on another
section and the Tower of the Fire Pots.
12 Shallum son of Hallohesh, head of a half-district of Jerusalem, worked on the
section adjacent to him, assisted by his daughters.
13 Hanun and the residents of Zanoah worked on the Valley Gate. They rebuilt it
and positioned its doors, its bolts, and its bars, in addition to working on
fifteen hundred feet of the wall as far as the Dung Gate.
14 Malkijah son of Recab, head of the district of Beth Hakkerem, worked on the
Dung Gate. He rebuilt it and positioned its doors, its bolts, and its bars.
15 Shallun son of Col-Hozeh, head of the district of Mizpah, worked on the
Fountain Gate. He rebuilt it, put on its roof, and positioned its doors, its
bolts, and its bars. In addition, he rebuilt the wall of the Pool of Siloam, by
the royal garden, as far as the steps that go down from the City of David.
16 Nehemiah son of Azbuk, head of a half-district of Beth Zur, worked after him
as far as the tombs of David and the artificial pool and the House of the
Warriors.
17 After him the Levites worked– Rehum son of Bani and after him Hashabiah,
head of half the district of Keilah, for his district.
18 After him their relatives worked– Binnui son of Henadad, head of a
half-district of Keilah.
19 Adjacent to him Ezer son of Jeshua, head of Mizpah, worked on another
section, opposite the ascent to the armory at the buttress.
20 After him Baruch son of Zabbai worked on another section, from the buttress
to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest.
21 After him Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, worked on another section
from the door of Eliashib’s house to the end of it.
22 After him the priests worked, men of the nearby district.
23 After them Benjamin and Hasshub worked opposite their house. After them
Azariah son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, worked near his house.
24 After him Binnui son of Henadad worked on another section, from the house of
Azariah to the buttress and the corner.
25 After him Palal son of Uzai worked opposite the buttress and the tower that
protrudes from the upper palace of the court of the guard. After him Pedaiah son
of Parosh
26 and the temple servants who were living on Ophel worked up to the area
opposite the Water Gate toward the east and the protruding tower.
27 After them the men of Tekoa worked on another section, from opposite the
great protruding tower to the wall of Ophel.
28 Above the Horse Gate the priests worked, each in front of his house.
29 After them Zadok son of Immer worked opposite his house, and after him
Shemaiah son of Shecaniah, guard at the East Gate, worked.
30 After him Hananiah son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph,
worked on another section. After them Meshullam son of Berechiah worked opposite
his quarters.
31 After him Malkijah, one of the goldsmiths, worked as far as the house of the
temple servants and the traders, opposite the Inspection Gate, and up to the
room above the corner.
32 And between the room above the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and
traders worked.

Chapter 4

1 Opposition to the Work Continues(3:33) Now when Sanballat heard that we were
rebuilding the wall he became angry and was quite upset. He derided the Jews,
2 and in the presence of his colleagues and the army of Samaria he said,“What
are these feeble Jews doing? Will they be left to themselves? Will they again
offer sacrifice? Will they finish this in a day? Can they bring these burnt
stones to life again from piles of dust?”
3 Then Tobiah the Ammonite, who was close by, said,“If even a fox were to
climb up on what they are building, it would break down their wall of stones!”
4 Hear, O our God, for we are despised! Return their reproach on their own head!
Reduce them to plunder in a land of exile!
5 Do not cover their iniquity, and do not wipe out their sin from your sight.
For they have bitterly offended the builders!
6 So we rebuilt the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its
height. The people were enthusiastic in their work.
7 (4:1) When Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the people of
Ashdod heard that the restoration of the walls of Jerusalem had moved ahead and
that the breaches had begun to be closed, they were very angry.
8 All of them conspired together to move with armed forces against Jerusalem and
to create a disturbance in it.
9 So we prayed to our God and stationed a guard to protect against them both day
and night.
10 Then those in Judah said,“The strength of the laborers has failed! The
debris is so great that we are unable to rebuild the wall.”
11 Our adversaries also boasted,“Before they are aware or anticipate anything,
we will come in among them and kill them, and we will bring this work to a
halt!”
12 So it happened that the Jews who were living near them came and warned us
repeatedly about all the schemes they were plotting against us.
13 So I stationed people at the lower places behind the wall in the exposed
places. I stationed the people by families, with their swords, spears, and bows.
14 When I had made an inspection, I stood up and said to the nobles, the
officials, and the rest of the people,“Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the
great and awesome Lord, and fight on behalf of your brothers, your sons, your
daughters, your wives, and your families!”
15 It so happened that when our adversaries heard that we were aware of these
matters, God frustrated their intentions. Then all of us returned to the wall,
each to his own work.
16 From that day forward, half of my men were doing the work and half of them
were taking up spears, shields, bows, and body armor. Now the officers were
behind all the people of Judah
17 who were rebuilding the wall. Those who were carrying loads did so by keeping
one hand on the work and the other on their weapon.
18 The builders to a man had their swords strapped to their sides while they
were building. But the trumpeter remained with me.
19 I said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people,“The work
is demanding and extensive, and we are spread out on the wall, far removed from
one another.
20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, gather there with us. Our God
will fight for us!”
21 So we worked on, with half holding spears, from dawn till dusk.
22 At that time I instructed the people,“Let every man and his coworker spend
the night in Jerusalem and let them be guards for us by night and workers by
day.”
23 We did not change clothes– not I, nor my relatives, nor my workers, nor the
watchmen who were with me. Each had his weapon, even when getting a drink of
water.

Chapter 5

1 Nehemiah Intervenes on behalf of the Oppressed Then there was a great outcry
from the people and their wives against their fellow Jews.
2 There were those who said,“With our sons and daughters, we are many. We must
obtain grain in order to eat and stay alive.”
3 There were others who said,“We are putting up our fields, our vineyards, and
our houses as collateral in order to obtain grain during the famine.”
4 Then there were those who said,“We have borrowed money to pay our taxes to
the king on our fields and our vineyards.
5 And now, though we share the same flesh and blood as our fellow countrymen,
and our children are just like their children, still we have found it necessary
to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have been
subjected to slavery, while we are powerless to help, since our fields and
vineyards now belong to other people.”
6 I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these complaints.
7 I considered these things carefully and then registered a complaint with the
wealthy and the officials. I said to them,“Each one of you is seizing the
collateral from your own countrymen!” Because of them I called for a great
public assembly.
8 I said to them,“To the extent possible we have bought back our fellow Jews
who had been sold to the Gentiles. But now you yourselves want to sell your own
countrymen, so that we can then buy them back!” They were utterly silent, and
could find nothing to say.
9 Then I said,“The thing that you are doing is wrong! Should you not conduct
yourselves in the fear of our God in order to avoid the reproach of the Gentiles
who are our enemies?
10 Even I and my relatives and my associates are lending them money and grain.
But let us abandon this practice of seizing collateral!
11 This very day return to them their fields, their vineyards, their olive
trees, and their houses, along with the interest that you are exacting from them
on the money, the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil.”
12 They replied,“We will return these things, and we will no longer demand
anything from them. We will do just as you say.” Then I called the priests and
made the wealthy and the officials swear to do what had been promised.
13 I also shook out my garment, and I said,“In this way may God shake out from
his house and his property every person who does not carry out this matter. In
this way may he be shaken out and emptied!” All the assembly replied,“So be
it!” and they praised the LORD. Then the people did as they had promised.
14 From the day that I was appointed governor in the land of Judah, that is,
from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes–
twelve years in all– neither I nor my relatives ate the food allotted to the
governor.
15 But the former governors who preceded me had burdened the people and had
taken food and wine from them, in addition to forty shekels of silver. Their
associates were also domineering over the people. But I did not behave in this
way, due to my fear of God.
16 I gave myself to the work on this wall, without even purchasing a field. All
my associates were gathered there for the work.
17 There were 150 Jews and officials who dined with me routinely, in addition to
those who came to us from the nations all around us.
18 Every day one ox, six select sheep, and some birds were prepared for me, and
every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance. Despite all this I did not
require the food allotted to the governor, for the work was demanding on this
people.
19 Please remember me for good, O my God, for all that I have done for this
people.

Chapter 6

1 Opposition to the Rebuilding Efforts Continues When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem
the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and no
breach remained in it(even though up to that time I had not positioned doors in
the gates),
2 Sanballat and Geshem sent word to me saying,“Come on! Let’s set up a time
to meet together at Kephirim in the plain of Ono.” Now they intended to do me
harm.
3 So I sent messengers to them saying,“I am engaged in an important work, and
I am unable to come down. Why should the work come to a halt when I leave it to
come down to you?”
4 They contacted me four times in this way, and I responded the same way each
time.
5 The fifth time that Sanballat sent his assistant to me in this way, he had an
open letter in his hand.
6 Written in it were the following words:“Among the nations it is rumored(and
Geshem has substantiated this) that you and the Jews have intentions of
revolting, and for this reason you are building the wall. Furthermore, according
to these rumors you are going to become their king.
7 You have also established prophets to announce in Jerusalem on your
behalf,‘We have a king in Judah!’ Now the king is going to hear about these
rumors. So come on! Let’s talk about this.”
8 I sent word back to him,“We are not engaged in these activities you are
describing. All of this is a figment of your imagination.”
9 All of them were wanting to scare us, supposing,“Their hands will grow slack
from the work, and it won’t get done.” So now, strengthen my hands!
10 Then I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel. He
was confined to his home. He said,“Let’s set up a time to meet in the house
of God, within the temple. Let’s close the doors of the temple, for they are
coming to kill you. It will surely be at night that they will come to kill
you.”
11 But I replied,“Should a man like me run away? Would someone like me flee to
the temple in order to save his life? I will not go!”
12 I recognized the fact that God had not sent him, for he had spoken the
prophecy against me as a hired agent of Tobiah and Sanballat.
13 He had been hired to scare me so that I would do this and thereby sin. They
would thus bring reproach on me and I would be discredited.
14 Remember, O my God, Tobiah and Sanballat in light of these actions of
theirs– also Noadiah the prophetess and the other prophets who were trying to
scare me!
15 The Rebuilding of the Wall Is Finally Completed So the wall was completed on
the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in just fifty-two days.
16 When all our enemies heard and all the nations who were around us saw this,
they were greatly disheartened. They knew that this work had been accomplished
with the help of our God.
17 In those days the aristocrats of Judah repeatedly sent letters to Tobiah, and
responses from Tobiah were repeatedly coming to them.
18 For many in Judah had sworn allegiance to him, because he was the son-in-law
of Shecaniah son of Arah. His son Jonathan had married the daughter of Meshullam
son of Berechiah.
19 They were telling me about his good deeds and then taking back to him the
things I said. Tobiah, on the other hand, sent letters in order to scare me.

Chapter 7

1 When the wall had been rebuilt and I had positioned the doors, and the
gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed,
2 I then put in charge over Jerusalem my brother Hanani and Hananiah the chief
of the citadel, for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many do.
3 I said to them,“The gates of Jerusalem must not be opened in the early
morning, until those who are standing guard close the doors and lock them.
Position residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their guard stations and some
near their homes.”
4 Now the city was spread out and large, and there were not a lot of people in
it. At that time houses had not been rebuilt.
5 My God placed it on my heart to gather the leaders, the officials, and the
ordinary people so they could be enrolled on the basis of genealogy. I found the
genealogical records of those who had formerly returned. Here is what I found
written in that record:
6 These are the people of the province who returned from the captivity of the
exiles, whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had forced into exile. They returned
to Jerusalem and to Judah, each to his own city.
7 They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani,
Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.The number of Israelite
men was as follows:
8 the descendants of Parosh, 2,172;
9 the descendants of Shephatiah, 372;
10 the descendants of Arah, 652;
11 the descendants of Pahath-Moab(from the line of Jeshua and Joab), 2,818;
12 the descendants of Elam, 1,254;
13 the descendants of Zattu, 845;
14 the descendants of Zaccai, 760;
15 the descendants of Binnui, 648;
16 the descendants of Bebai, 628;
17 the descendants of Azgad, 2,322;
18 the descendants of Adonikam, 667;
19 the descendants of Bigvai, 2,067;
20 the descendants of Adin, 655;
21 the descendants of Ater(through Hezekiah), 98;
22 the descendants of Hashum, 328;
23 the descendants of Bezai, 324;
24 the descendants of Harif, 112;
25 the descendants of Gibeon, 95;
26 The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, 188;
27 the men of Anathoth, 128;
28 the men of the family of Azmaveth, 42;
29 the men of Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah, and Beeroth, 743;
30 the men of Ramah and Geba, 621;
31 the men of Micmash, 122;
32 the men of Bethel and Ai, 123;
33 the men of the other Nebo, 52;
34 the descendants of the other Elam, 1,254;
35 the descendants of Harim, 320;
36 the descendants of Jericho, 345;
37 the descendants of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 721;
38 the descendants of Senaah, 3,930;
39 The priests: the descendants of Jedaiah(through the family of Jeshua), 973;
40 the descendants of Immer, 1,052;
41 the descendants of Pashhur, 1,247;
42 the descendants of Harim, 1,017.
43 The Levites: the descendants of Jeshua(through Kadmiel, through the line of
Hodaviah), 74.
44 The singers: the descendants of Asaph, 148.
45 The gatekeepers: the descendants of Shallum, the descendants of Ater, the
descendants of Talmon, the descendants of Akkub, the descendants of Hatita, and
the descendants of Shobai, 138.
46 The temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, the descendants of Hasupha, the
descendants of Tabbaoth,
47 the descendants of Keros, the descendants of Sia, the descendants of Padon,
48 the descendants of Lebanah, the descendants of Hagabah, the descendants of
Shalmai,
49 the descendants of Hanan, the descendants of Giddel, the descendants of
Gahar,
50 the descendants of Reaiah, the descendants of Rezin, the descendants of
Nekoda,
51 the descendants of Gazzam, the descendants of Uzzah, the descendants of
Paseah,
52 the descendants of Besai, the descendants of Meunim, the descendants of
Nephussim,
53 the descendants of Bakbuk, the descendants of Hakupha, the descendants of
Harhur,
54 the descendants of Bazluth, the descendants of Mehida, the descendants of
Harsha,
55 the descendants of Barkos, the descendants of Sisera, the descendants of
Temah,
56 the descendants of Neziah, the descendants of Hatipha.
57 The descendants of the servants of Solomon: the descendants of Sotai, the
descendants of Sophereth, the descendants of Perida,
58 the descendants of Jaala, the descendants of Darkon, the descendants of
Giddel,
59 the descendants of Shephatiah, the descendants of Hattil, the descendants of
Pokereth-Hazzebaim, and the descendants of Amon.
60 All the temple servants and the descendants of the servants of Solomon, 392.
61 These are the ones who came up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon, and
Immer(although they were unable to certify their family connection or their
ancestry, as to whether they were really from Israel):
62 the descendants of Delaiah, the descendants of Tobiah, and the descendants of
Nekoda, 642.
63 And from among the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, the descendants of
Hakkoz, and the descendants of Barzillai(who had married a woman from the
daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by that name).
64 They searched for their records in the genealogical materials, but none were
found. They were therefore excluded from the priesthood.
65 The governor instructed them not to eat any of the sacred food until there
was a priest who could consult the Urim and Thummim.
66 The entire group numbered 42,360.
67 not counting their 7,337 male and female servants. They also had 245 male and
female singers.
68 They had 736 horses, 245 mules,
69 (7:68) 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.
70 Some of the family leaders contributed to the work. The governor contributed
to the treasury 1,000 gold drachmas, 50 bowls, and 530 priestly garments.
71 Some of the family leaders gave to the project treasury 20,000 gold drachmas
and 2,200 silver minas.
72 What the rest of the people gave amounted to 20,000 gold drachmas, 2,000
silver minas, and 67 priestly garments.
73 The priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people,
the temple servants, and all the rest of Israel lived in their cities.

Chapter 8

1 The People Respond to the Reading of the Law When the seventh month arrived
and the Israelites were settled in their cities, all the people gathered
together in the plaza which was in front of the Water Gate. They asked Ezra the
scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the LORD had commanded
Israel.
2 So Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly which included men and
women and all those able to understand what they heard.(This happened on the
first day of the seventh month.)
3 So he read it before the plaza in front of the Water Gate from dawn till noon
before the men and women and those children who could understand. All the people
were eager to hear the book of the law.
4 Ezra the scribe stood on a towering wooden platform constructed for this
purpose. Standing near him on his right were Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah,
Hilkiah, and Masseiah. On his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum,
Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
5 Ezra opened the book in plain view of all the people, for he was elevated
above all the people. When he opened the book, all the people stood up.
6 Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people replied“Amen!
Amen!” as they lifted their hands. Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD
with their faces to the ground.
7 Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita,
Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah– all of whom were Levites– were
teaching the people the law, as the people remained standing.
8 They read from the book of God’s law, explaining it and imparting insight.
Thus the people gained understanding from what was read.
9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priestly scribe, and the Levites who were
imparting understanding to the people said to all of them,“This day is holy to
the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping
when they heard the words of the law.
10 He said to them,“Go and eat delicacies and drink sweet drinks and send
portions to those for whom nothing is prepared. For this day is holy to our
Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
11 Then the Levites quieted all the people saying,“Be quiet, for this day is
holy. Do not grieve.”
12 So all the people departed to eat and drink and to share their food with
others and to enjoy tremendous joy, for they had gained insight in the matters
that had been made known to them.
13 On the second day of the month the family leaders met with Ezra the scribe,
together with all the people, the priests, and the Levites, to consider the
words of the law.
14 They discovered written in the law that the LORD had commanded through Moses
that the Israelites should live in temporary shelters during the festival of the
seventh month,
15 and that they should make a proclamation and disseminate this message in all
their cities and in Jerusalem:“Go to the hill country and bring back olive
branches and branches of wild olive trees, myrtle trees, date palms, and other
leafy trees to construct temporary shelters, as it is written.”
16 So the people went out and brought these things back and constructed
temporary shelters for themselves, each on his roof and in his courtyard and in
the courtyards of the temple of God and in the plaza of the Water Gate and the
plaza of the Ephraim Gate.
17 So all the assembly which had returned from the exile constructed temporary
shelters and lived in them. The Israelites had not done so from the days of
Joshua son of Nun until that day. Everyone experienced very great joy.
18 Ezra read in the book of the law of God day by day, from the first day to the
last. They observed the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day they held
an assembly as was required.

Chapter 9

1 The People Acknowledge Their Sin before God On the twenty-fourth day of this
same month the Israelites assembled; they were fasting and wearing sackcloth,
their heads covered with dust.
2 Those truly of Israelite descent separated from all the foreigners, standing
and confessing their sins and the iniquities of their ancestors.
3 For one-fourth of the day they stood in their place and read from the book of
the law of the LORD their God, and for another fourth they were confessing their
sins and worshiping the LORD their God.
4 Then the Levites– Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah,
Bani, and Kenani– stood on the steps and called out loudly to the LORD their
God.
5 The Levites– Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah,
Shebaniah, and Pethahiah– said,“Stand up and bless the LORD your
God!”“May you be blessed, O LORD our God, from age to age. May your glorious
name be blessed; may it be lifted up above all blessing and praise.
6 You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, along
with all their multitude of stars, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and
all that is in them. You impart life to them all, and the multitudes of heaven
worship you.
7 “You are the LORD God who chose Abram and brought him forth from Ur of the
Chaldeans. You changed his name to Abraham.
8 When you perceived that his heart was faithful toward you, you established a
covenant with him to give his descendants the land of the Canaanites, the
Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, and the Girgashites. You
have fulfilled your promise, for you are righteous.
9 “You saw the affliction of our ancestors in Egypt, and you heard their cry
at the Red Sea.
10 You performed awesome signs against Pharaoh, against his servants, and
against all the people of his land, for you knew that the Egyptians had acted
presumptuously against them. You made for yourself a name that is celebrated to
this day.
11 You split the sea before them, and they crossed through the sea on dry
ground! But you threw their pursuers into the depths, like a stone into surging
waters.
12 You guided them with a pillar of cloud by day and with a pillar of fire by
night to illumine for them the path they were to travel.
13 “You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven. You provided
them with just judgments, true laws, and good statutes and commandments.
14 You made known to them your holy Sabbath; you issued commandments, statutes,
and law to them through Moses your servant.
15 You provided bread from heaven for them in their time of hunger, and you
brought forth water from the rock for them in their time of thirst. You told
them to enter in order to possess the land that you had sworn to give them.
16 “But they– our ancestors– behaved presumptuously; they rebelled and did
not obey your commandments.
17 They refused to obey and did not recall your miracles that you had performed
among them. Instead, they rebelled and appointed a leader to return to their
bondage in Egypt. But you are a God of forgiveness, merciful and compassionate,
slow to get angry and unfailing in your loyal love. You did not abandon them,
18 even when they made a cast image of a calf for themselves and said,‘This is
your God who brought you up from Egypt,’ or when they committed atrocious
blasphemies.
19 “Due to your great compassion you did not abandon them in the wilderness.
The pillar of cloud did not stop guiding them in the path by day, nor did the
pillar of fire stop illuminating for them by night the path on which they should
travel.
20 You imparted your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your
manna from their mouths; you provided water for their thirst.
21 For forty years you sustained them. Even in the wilderness they never lacked
anything. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.
22 “You gave them kingdoms and peoples, and you allocated them to every corner
of the land. They inherited the land of King Sihon of Heshbon and the land of
King Og of Bashan.
23 You multiplied their descendants like the stars of the sky. You brought them
to the land you had told their ancestors to enter in order to possess.
24 Their descendants entered and possessed the land. You subdued before them the
Canaanites who were the inhabitants of the land. You delivered them into their
hand, together with their kings and the peoples of the land, to deal with as
they pleased.
25 They captured fortified cities and fertile land. They took possession of
houses full of all sorts of good things– wells previously dug, vineyards,
olive trees, and fruit trees in abundance. They ate until they were full and
grew fat. They enjoyed to the full your great goodness.
26 “Nonetheless they grew disobedient and rebelled against you; they
disregarded your law. They killed your prophets who had solemnly admonished them
in order to cause them to return to you. They committed atrocious blasphemies.
27 Therefore you delivered them into the hand of their adversaries, who
oppressed them. But in the time of their distress they called to you, and you
heard from heaven. In your abundant compassion you provided them with deliverers
to rescue them from their adversaries.
28 “Then, when they were at rest again, they went back to doing evil before
you. Then you abandoned them to their enemies, and they gained dominion over
them. When they again cried out to you, in your compassion you heard from heaven
and rescued them time and again.
29 And you solemnly admonished them in order to return them to your law, but
they behaved presumptuously and did not obey your commandments. They sinned
against your ordinances– those by which an individual, if he obeys them, will
live. They boldly turned from you; they rebelled and did not obey.
30 You prolonged your kindness with them for many years, and you solemnly
admonished them by your Spirit through your prophets. Still they paid no
attention, so you delivered them into the hands of the neighboring peoples.
31 However, due to your abundant mercy you did not do away with them altogether;
you did not abandon them. For you are a merciful and compassionate God.
32 “So now, our God– the great, powerful, and awesome God, who keeps
covenant fidelity– do not regard as inconsequential all the hardship that has
befallen us– our kings, our leaders, our priests, our prophets, our ancestors,
and all your people– from the days of the kings of Assyria until this very
day!
33 You are righteous with regard to all that has happened to us, for you have
acted faithfully. It is we who have been in the wrong!
34 Our kings, our leaders, our priests, and our ancestors have not kept your
law. They have not paid attention to your commandments or your testimonies by
which you have solemnly admonished them.
35 Even when they were in their kingdom and benefiting from your incredible
goodness that you had lavished on them in the spacious and fertile land you had
set before them, they did not serve you, nor did they turn from their evil
practices.
36 “So today we are slaves! In the very land you gave to our ancestors to eat
its fruit and to enjoy its good things– we are slaves!
37 Its abundant produce goes to the kings you have placed over us due to our
sins. They rule over our bodies and our livestock as they see fit, and we are in
great distress!
38 The People Pledge to be Faithful(10:1)“Because of all of this we are
entering into a binding covenant in written form; our leaders, our Levites, and
our priests have affixed their names on the sealed document.”

Chapter 10

1 On the sealed documents were the following names: Nehemiah the governor, son
of Hacaliah, along with Zedekiah,
2 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,
3 Pashhur, Amariah, Malkijah,
4 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,
5 Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
6 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,
7 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,
8 Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah. These were the priests.
9 The Levites were as follows: Jeshua son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of
Henadad, Kadmiel.
10 Their colleagues were as follows: Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,
11 Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,
12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
13 Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu.
14 The leaders of the people were as follows: Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zattu,
Bani,
15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,
16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,
17 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,
18 Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,
19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,
20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,
21 Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,
22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,
23 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,
24 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,
25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,
26 Ahiah, Hanan, Anan,
27 Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.
28 “Now the rest of the people– the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers,
the singers, the temple attendants, and all those who have separated themselves
from the neighboring peoples because of the law of God, along with their wives,
their sons, and their daughters, all of whom are able to understand–
29 hereby participate with their colleagues the town leaders and enter into a
curse and an oath to adhere to the law of God which was given through Moses the
servant of God, and to obey carefully all the commandments of the LORD our Lord,
along with his ordinances and his statutes.
30 “We will not give our daughters in marriage to the neighboring peoples, and
we will not take their daughters in marriage for our sons.
31 We will not buy on the Sabbath or on a holy day from the neighboring peoples
who bring their wares and all kinds of grain to sell on the Sabbath day. We will
let the fields lie fallow every seventh year, and we will cancel every loan.
32 We accept responsibility for fulfilling the commands to give one third of a
shekel each year for the work of the temple of our God,
33 for the loaves of presentation and for the regular grain offerings and
regular burnt offerings, for the Sabbaths, for the new moons, for the appointed
meetings, for the holy offerings, for the sin offerings to make atonement for
Israel, and for all the work of the temple of our God.
34 “We– the priests, the Levites, and the people– have cast lots
concerning the wood offerings, to bring them to the temple of our God according
to our families at the designated times year by year to burn on the altar of the
LORD our God, as is written in the law.
35 We also accept responsibility for bringing the first fruits of our land and
the first fruits of every fruit tree year by year to the temple of the LORD.
36 We also accept responsibility, as is written in the law, for bringing the
firstborn of our sons and our cattle and the firstborn of our herds and of our
flocks to the temple of our God, to the priests who are ministering in the
temple of our God.
37 We will also bring the first of our coarse meal, of our contributions, of the
fruit of every tree, of new wine, and of olive oil to the priests at the
storerooms of the temple of our God, along with a tenth of the produce of our
land to the Levites, for the Levites are the ones who collect the tithes in all
the cities where we work.
38 A priest of Aaron’s line will be with the Levites when the Levites collect
the tithes, and the Levites will bring up a tenth of the tithes to the temple of
our God, to the storerooms of the treasury.
39 The Israelites and the Levites will bring the contribution of the grain, the
new wine, and the olive oil to the storerooms where the utensils of the
sanctuary are kept, and where the priests who minister stay, along with the
gatekeepers and the singers. We will not neglect the temple of our God.”

Chapter 11

1 The Population of Jerusalem So the leaders of the people settled in Jerusalem,
while the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of every ten to settle
in Jerusalem, the holy city, while the other nine remained in other cities.
2 The people gave their blessing on all the men who volunteered to settle in
Jerusalem.
3 These are the provincial leaders who settled in Jerusalem.(While other
Israelites, the priests, the Levites, the temple attendants, and the sons of the
servants of Solomon settled in the cities of Judah, each on his own property in
their cities,
4 some of the descendants of Judah and some of the descendants of Benjamin
settled in Jerusalem.) Of the descendants of Judah: Athaiah son of Uzziah, the
son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of
Mahalalel, from the descendants of Perez;
5 and Maaseiah son of Baruch, the son of Col-Hozeh, the son of Hazaiah, the son
of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib, the son of Zechariah, from the descendants of
Shelah.
6 The sum total of the descendants of Perez who were settling in Jerusalem was
468 exceptional men.
7 These are the descendants of Benjamin: Sallu son of Meshullam, the son of
Joed, the son of Pedaiah, the son of Kolaiah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of
Ithiel, the son of Jeshaiah,
8 and his followers, Gabbai and Sallai– 928 in all.
9 Joel son of Zicri was the officer in charge of them, and Judah son of
Hassenuah was second-in-command over the city.
10 From the priests: Jedaiah son of Joiarib, Jakin,
11 Seraiah son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of
Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, supervisor in the temple of God,
12 and their colleagues who were carrying out work for the temple– 822; and
Adaiah son of Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah, the son of Amzi, the son of
Zechariah, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malkijah,
13 and his colleagues who were heads of families– 242; and Amashsai son of
Azarel, the son of Ahzai, the son of Meshillemoth, the son of Immer,
14 and his colleagues who were exceptional men– 128. The officer over them was
Zabdiel the son of Haggedolim.
15 From the Levites: Shemaiah son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of
Hashabiah, the son of Bunni;
16 Shabbethai and Jozabad, leaders of the Levites, were in charge of the
external work for the temple of God;
17 Mattaniah son of Mica, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, the praise leader
who led in thanksgiving and prayer; Bakbukiah, second among his colleagues; and
Abda son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun.
18 The sum total of the Levites in the holy city was 284.
19 And the gatekeepers: Akkub, Talmon and their colleagues who were guarding the
gates– 172.
20 And the rest of the Israelites, with the priests and the Levites, were in all
the cities of Judah, each on his own property.
21 The temple attendants were living on Ophel, and Ziha and Gishpa were over
them.
22 The overseer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi son of Bani, the son of
Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Mica. He was one of Asaph’s
descendants who were the singers responsible for the service of the temple of
God.
23 For they were under royal orders which determined their activity day by day.
24 Pethahiah son of Meshezabel, one of the descendants of Zerah son of Judah,
was an adviser to the king in every matter pertaining to the people.
25 As for the settlements with their fields, some of the people of Judah settled
in Kiriath Arba and its neighboring villages, in Dibon and its villages, in
Jekabzeel and its settlements,
26 in Jeshua, in Moladah, in Beth Pelet,
27 in Hazar Shual, in Beer Sheba and its villages,
28 in Ziklag, in Meconah and its villages,
29 in En Rimmon, in Zorah, in Jarmuth,
30 Zanoah, Adullam and their settlements, in Lachish and its fields, and in
Azekah and its villages. So they were encamped from Beer Sheba to the Valley of
Hinnom.
31 Some of the descendants of Benjamin settled in Geba, Micmash, Aija, Bethel
and its villages,
32 in Anathoth, Nob, and Ananiah,
33 in Hazor, Ramah, and Gittaim,
34 in Hadid, Zeboim, and Neballat,
35 in Lod, Ono, and the Valley of the Craftsmen.
36 Some of the Judean divisions of the Levites settled in Benjamin.

Chapter 12

1 The Priests and the Levites Who Returned to Jerusalem These are the priests
and Levites who returned with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua: Seraiah,
Jeremiah, Ezra,
2 Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,
3 Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,
4 Iddo, Ginnethon, Abijah,
5 Mijamin, Moadiah, Bilgah,
6 Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah,
7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah. These were the leaders of the priests and
their colleagues in the days of Jeshua.
8 And the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who
together with his colleagues was in charge of the songs of thanksgiving.
9 Bakbukiah and Unni, their colleagues, stood opposite them in the services.
10 Jeshua was the father of Joiakim, Joiakim was the father of Eliashib,
Eliashib was the father of Joiada,
11 Joiada was the father of Jonathan, and Jonathan was the father of Jaddua.
12 In the days of Joiakim, these were the priests who were leaders of the
families: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah;
13 of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan;
14 of Malluch, Jonathan; of Shecaniah, Joseph;
15 of Harim, Adna; of Meremoth, Helkai;
16 of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam;
17 of Abijah, Zicri; of Miniamin and of Moadiah, Piltai;
18 of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan;
19 of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi;
20 of Sallu, Kallai; of Amok, Eber;
21 of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethanel.
22 As for the Levites, in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan and Jaddua the
heads of families were recorded, as were the priests during the reign of Darius
the Persian.
23 The descendants of Levi were recorded in the Book of the Chronicles as heads
of families up to the days of Johanan son of Eliashib.
24 And the leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua son of
Kadmiel, and their colleagues, who stood opposite them to offer praise and
thanks, one contingent corresponding to the other, as specified by David the man
of God.
25 Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers
who were guarding the storerooms at the gates.
26 These all served in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak,
and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and of Ezra the priestly scribe.
27 The Wall of Jerusalem is Dedicated At the dedication of the wall of
Jerusalem, they sought out the Levites from all the places they lived to bring
them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication joyfully with songs of
thanksgiving and songs accompanied by cymbals, harps, and lyres.
28 The singers were also assembled from the district around Jerusalem and from
the settlements of the Netophathites
29 and from Beth Gilgal and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for the
singers had built settlements for themselves around Jerusalem.
30 When the priests and Levites had purified themselves, they purified the
people, the gates, and the wall.
31 I brought the leaders of Judah up on top of the wall, and I appointed two
large choirs to give thanks. One was to proceed on the top of the wall southward
toward the Dung Gate.
32 Going after them were Hoshaiah, half the leaders of Judah,
33 Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,
34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah,
35 some of the priests with trumpets, Zechariah son of Jonathan, the son of
Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son
of Asaph,
36 and his colleagues– Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel,
Judah, and Hanani– with musical instruments of David the man of God.(Ezra the
scribe led them.)
37 They went over the Fountain Gate and continued directly up the steps of the
City of David on the ascent to the wall. They passed the house of David and
continued on to the Water Gate toward the east.
38 The second choir was proceeding in the opposite direction. I followed them,
along with half the people, on top of the wall, past the Tower of the Ovens to
the Broad Wall,
39 over the Ephraim Gate, the Jeshanah Gate, the Fish Gate, the Tower of
Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred, to the Sheep Gate. They stopped at the
Gate of the Guard.
40 Then the two choirs that gave thanks took their stations in the temple of
God. I did also, along with half the officials with me,
41 and the priests– Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah,
and Hananiah, with their trumpets–
42 and also Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malkijah, Elam, and
Ezer. The choirs sang loudly under the direction of Jezrahiah.
43 And on that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced, for God had given
them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced. The rejoicing in Jerusalem
could be heard from far away.
44 On that day men were appointed over the storerooms for the contributions,
first fruits, and tithes, to gather into them from the fields of the cities the
portions prescribed by the law for the priests and the Levites, for the people
of Judah took delight in the priests and Levites who were ministering.
45 They performed the service of their God and the service of purification,
along with the singers and gatekeepers, according to the commandment of David
and his son Solomon.
46 For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph, there had been directors for
the singers and for the songs of praise and thanks to God.
47 So in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah, all Israel was
contributing the portions for the singers and gatekeepers, according to the
daily need. They also set aside the portion for the Levites, and the Levites set
aside the portion for the descendants of Aaron.

Chapter 13

1 Further Reforms by Nehemiah On that day the book of Moses was read aloud in
the hearing of the people. They found written in it that no Ammonite or Moabite
may ever enter the assembly of God,
2 for they had not met the Israelites with food and water, but instead had hired
Balaam to curse them.(Our God, however, turned the curse into blessing.)
3 When they heard the law, they removed from Israel all who were of mixed
ancestry.
4 But prior to this time, Eliashib the priest, a relative of Tobiah, had been
appointed over the storerooms of the temple of our God.
5 He made for himself a large storeroom where previously they had been keeping
the grain offering, the incense, and the vessels, along with the tithes of the
grain, the new wine, and the olive oil as commanded for the Levites, the
singers, the gate keepers, and the offering for the priests.
6 During all this time I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of
King Artaxerxes of Babylon, I had gone back to the king. After some time I had
requested leave of the king,
7 and I returned to Jerusalem. Then I discovered the evil that Eliashib had done
for Tobiah by supplying him with a storeroom in the courts of the temple of God.
8 I was very upset, and I threw all of Tobiah’s household possessions out of
the storeroom.
9 Then I gave instructions that the storerooms should be purified, and I brought
back the equipment of the temple of God, along with the grain offering and the
incense.
10 I also discovered that the portions for the Levites had not been provided,
and that as a result the Levites and the singers who performed this work had all
gone off to their fields.
11 So I registered a complaint with the leaders, asking,“Why is the temple of
God neglected?” Then I gathered them and reassigned them to their positions.
12 Then all of Judah brought the tithe of the grain, the new wine, and the olive
oil to the storerooms.
13 I gave instructions that Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and a
certain Levite named Pedaiah be put in charge of the storerooms, and that Hanan
son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah, be their assistant, for they were regarded
as trustworthy. It was then their responsibility to oversee the distribution to
their colleagues.
14 Please remember me for this, O my God, and do not wipe out the kindness that
I have done for the temple of my God and for its services!
15 In those days I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath,
bringing in heaps of grain and loading them onto donkeys, along with wine,
grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, and bringing them to Jerusalem on the
Sabbath day. So I warned them on the day that they sold these provisions.
16 The people from Tyre who lived there were bringing fish and all kinds of
merchandise and were selling it on the Sabbath to the people of Judah– and in
Jerusalem, of all places!
17 So I registered a complaint with the nobles of Judah, saying to them,“What
is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day?
18 Isn’t this the way your ancestors acted, causing our God to bring on them
and on this city all this misfortune? And now you are causing even more wrath on
Israel, profaning the Sabbath like this!”
19 When the evening shadows began to fall on the gates of Jerusalem before the
Sabbath, I ordered the doors to be closed. I further directed that they were not
to be opened until after the Sabbath. I positioned some of my young men at the
gates so that no load could enter on the Sabbath day.
20 The traders and sellers of all kinds of merchandise spent the night outside
Jerusalem once or twice.
21 But I warned them and said,“Why do you spend the night by the wall? If you
repeat this, I will forcibly remove you!” From that time on they did not show
up on the Sabbath.
22 Then I directed the Levites to purify themselves and come and guard the gates
in order to keep the Sabbath day holy.For this please remember me, O my God, and
have pity on me in keeping with your great love.
23 Also in those days I saw the men of Judah who had married women from Ashdod,
Ammon, and Moab.
24 Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod(or the language of one of
the other peoples mentioned) and were unable to speak the language of Judah.
25 So I entered a complaint with them. I called down a curse on them, and I
struck some of the men and pulled out their hair. I had them swear by God
saying,“You will not marry off your daughters to their sons, and you will not
take any of their daughters as wives for your sons or for yourselves!
26 Was it not because of things like these that King Solomon of Israel sinned?
Among the many nations there was no king like him. He was loved by his God, and
God made him king over all Israel. But the foreign wives made even him sin!
27 Should we then in your case hear that you do all this great evil, thereby
being unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign wives?”
28 Now one of the sons of Joiada son of Eliashib the high priest was a
son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite. So I banished him from my sight.
29 Please remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood, the
covenant of the priesthood, and the Levites.
30 So I purified them of everything foreign, and I assigned specific duties to
the priests and the Levites.
31 I also provided for the wood offering at the appointed times and also for the
first fruits. Please remember me for good, O my God.


Esther

Chapter 1

1 ¶ The King Throws a Lavish Party The following events happened in the days of
Ahasuerus.(I am referring to that Ahasuerus who used to rule over a hundred and
twenty-seven provinces extending all the way from India to Ethiopia.)
2 In those days, as King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne in Susa the citadel,
3 in the third year of his reign he provided a banquet for all his officials and
his servants. The army of Persia and Media was present, as well as the nobles
and the officials of the provinces.
4 He displayed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor of his majestic
greatness for a lengthy period of time– a hundred and eighty days, to be
exact!
5 When those days were completed, the king then provided a seven-day banquet for
all the people who were present in Susa the citadel, for those of highest
standing to the most lowly. It was held in the court located in the garden of
the royal palace.
6 The furnishings included white linen and blue curtains hung by cords of the
finest linen and purple wool on silver rings, alabaster columns, gold and silver
couches displayed on a floor made of valuable stones of alabaster,
mother-of-pearl, and mineral stone.
7 Drinks were served in golden containers, all of which differed from one
another. Royal wine was available in abundance at the king’s expense.
8 There were no restrictions on the drinking, for the king had instructed all of
his supervisors that they should do as everyone so desired.
9 Queen Vashti also gave a banquet for the women in King Ahasuerus’ royal
palace.
10 Queen Vashti is Removed from Her Royal Position On the seventh day, as King
Ahasuerus was feeling the effects of the wine, he ordered Mehuman, Biztha,
Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven eunuchs who attended
him,
11 to bring Queen Vashti into the king’s presence wearing her royal high
turban. He wanted to show the people and the officials her beauty, for she was
very attractive.
12 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s bidding conveyed through the
eunuchs. Then the king became extremely angry, and his rage consumed him.
13 The king then inquired of the wise men who were discerners of the times–
for it was the royal custom to confer with all those who were proficient in laws
and legalities.
14 Those who were closest to him were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish,
Meres, Marsena, and Memucan. These men were the seven officials of Persia and
Media who saw the king on a regular basis and had the most prominent offices in
the kingdom.
15 The king asked,“By law, what should be done to Queen Vashti in light of the
fact that she has not obeyed the instructions of King Ahasuerus conveyed through
the eunuchs?”
16 Memucan then replied to the king and the officials,“The wrong of Queen
Vashti is not against the king alone, but against all the officials and all the
people who are throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus.
17 For the matter concerning the queen will spread to all the women, leading
them to treat their husbands with contempt, saying,‘When King Ahasuerus gave
orders to bring Queen Vashti into his presence, she would not come.’
18 And this very day the noble ladies of Persia and Media who have heard the
matter concerning the queen will respond in the same way to all the royal
officials, and there will be more than enough contempt and anger!
19 If the king is so inclined, let a royal edict go forth from him, and let it
be written in the laws of Persia and Media that cannot be repealed, that Vashti
may not come into the presence of King Ahasuerus, and let the king convey her
royalty to another who is more deserving than she.
20 And let the king’s decision which he will enact be disseminated throughout
all his kingdom, vast though it is. Then all the women will give honor to their
husbands, from the most prominent to the lowly.”
21 The matter seemed appropriate to the king and the officials. So the king
acted on the advice of Memucan.
22 He sent letters throughout all the royal provinces, to each province
according to its own script and to each people according to its own language,
that every man should be ruling his family and should be speaking the language
of his own people.

Chapter 2

1 Esther Becomes Queen in Vashti’s Place When these things had been
accomplished and the rage of King Ahasuerus had diminished, he remembered Vashti
and what she had done and what had been decided against her.
2 The king’s servants who attended him said,“Let a search be conducted on
the king’s behalf for attractive young women.
3 And let the king appoint officers throughout all the provinces of his kingdom
to gather all the attractive young women to Susa the citadel, to the harem under
the authority of Hegai, the king’s eunuch who oversees the women, and let him
provide whatever cosmetics they desire.
4 Let the young woman whom the king finds most attractive become queen in place
of Vashti.” This seemed like a good idea to the king, so he acted accordingly.
5 Now there happened to be a Jewish man in Susa the citadel whose name was
Mordecai. He was the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a
Benjaminite,
6 who had been taken into exile from Jerusalem with the captives who had been
carried into exile with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon had taken into exile.
7 Now he was acting as the guardian of Hadassah(that is, Esther), the daughter
of his uncle, for neither her father nor her mother was alive. This young woman
was very attractive and had a beautiful figure. When her father and mother died,
Mordecai had raised her as if she were his own daughter.
8 It so happened that when the king’s edict and his law became known many
young women were taken to Susa the citadel to be placed under the authority of
Hegai. Esther also was taken to the royal palace to be under the authority of
Hegai, who was overseeing the women.
9 This young woman pleased him, and she found favor with him. He quickly
provided her with her cosmetics and her rations; he also provided her with the
seven specially chosen young women who were from the palace. He then transferred
her and her young women to the best quarters in the harem.
10 Now Esther had not disclosed her people or her lineage, for Mordecai had
instructed her not to do so.
11 And day after day Mordecai used to walk back and forth in front of the court
of the harem in order to learn how Esther was doing and what might happen to
her.
12 At the end of the twelve months that were required for the women, when the
turn of each young woman arrived to go to King Ahasuerus– for in this way they
had to fulfill their time of cosmetic treatment: six months with oil of myrrh,
and six months with perfume and various ointments used by women–
13 the woman would go to the king in the following way: Whatever she asked for
would be provided for her to take with her from the harem to the royal palace.
14 In the evening she went, and in the morning she returned to a separate part
of the harem, to the authority of Shaashgaz the king’s eunuch who was
overseeing the concubines. She would not go back to the king unless the king was
pleased with her and she was requested by name.
15 When it became the turn of Esther daughter of Abihail the uncle of
Mordecai(who had raised her as if she were his own daughter) to go to the king,
she did not request anything except what Hegai the king’s eunuch, who was
overseer of the women, had recommended. Yet Esther met with the approval of all
who saw her.
16 Then Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus at his royal residence in the tenth
month(that is, the month of Tebeth) in the seventh year of his reign.
17 And the king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she met with his
loving approval more than all the other young women. So he placed the royal high
turban on her head and appointed her queen in place of Vashti.
18 Then the king prepared a large banquet for all his officials and his
servants– it was actually Esther’s banquet. He also set aside a holiday for
the provinces, and he provided for offerings at the king’s expense.
19 Mordecai Learns of a Plot against the King Now when the young women were
being gathered again, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate.
20 Esther was still not divulging her lineage or her people, just as Mordecai
had instructed her. Esther continued to do whatever Mordecai said, just as she
had done when he was raising her.
21 In those days while Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthan and
Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs who protected the entrance, became angry and
plotted to assassinate King Ahasuerus.
22 When Mordecai learned of the conspiracy, he informed Queen Esther, and Esther
told the king in Mordecai’s name.
23 The king then had the matter investigated and, finding it to be so, had the
two conspirators hanged on a gallows. It was then recorded in the daily
chronicles in the king’s presence.

Chapter 3

1 Haman Conspires to Destroy the Jews Some time later King Ahasuerus promoted
Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, exalting him and setting his position
above that of all the officials who were with him.
2 As a result, all the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate were
bowing and paying homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded. However,
Mordecai did not bow, nor did he pay him homage.
3 Then the servants of the king who were at the king’s gate asked
Mordecai,“Why are you violating the king’s commandment?”
4 And after they had spoken to him day after day without his paying any
attention to them, they informed Haman to see whether this attitude on
Mordecai’s part would be permitted. Furthermore, he had disclosed to them that
he was a Jew.
5 When Haman saw that Mordecai was not bowing or paying homage to him, he was
filled with rage.
6 But the thought of striking out against Mordecai alone was repugnant to him,
for he had been informed of the identity of Mordecai’s people. So Haman sought
to destroy all the Jews(that is, the people of Mordecai) who were in all the
kingdom of Ahasuerus.
7 In the first month(that is, the month of Nisan), in the twelfth year of King
Ahasuerus’ reign, pur(that is, the lot) was cast before Haman in order to
determine a day and a month. It turned out to be the twelfth month(that is, the
month of Adar).
8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus,“There is a particular people that is
dispersed and spread among the inhabitants throughout all the provinces of your
kingdom whose laws differ from those of all other peoples. Furthermore, they do
not observe the king’s laws. It is not appropriate for the king to provide a
haven for them.
9 If the king is so inclined, let an edict be issued to destroy them. I will pay
10,000 talents of silver to be conveyed to the king’s treasuries for the
officials who carry out this business.”
10 So the king removed his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman the
son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, who was hostile toward the Jews.
11 The king replied to Haman,“Keep your money, and do with those people
whatever you wish.”
12 So the royal scribes were summoned in the first month, on the thirteenth day
of the month. Everything Haman commanded was written to the king’s satraps and
governors who were in every province and to the officials of every people,
province by province according to its script and people by people according to
its language. In the name of King Ahasuerus it was written and sealed with the
king’s signet ring.
13 Letters were sent by the runners to all the king’s provinces stating that
they should destroy, kill, and annihilate all the Jews, from youth to elderly,
both women and children, on a particular day, namely the thirteenth day of the
twelfth month(that is, the month of Adar), and to loot and plunder their
possessions.
14 A copy of this edict was to be presented as law throughout every province; it
was to be made known to all the inhabitants, so that they would be prepared for
this day.
15 The messengers scurried forth with the king’s order. The edict was issued
in Susa the citadel. While the king and Haman sat down to drink, the city of
Susa was in an uproar!

Chapter 4

1 Esther Decides to Risk Everything in order to Help Her People Now when
Mordecai became aware of all that had been done, he tore his garments and put on
sackcloth and ashes. He went out into the city, crying out in a loud and bitter
voice.
2 But he went no further than the king’s gate, for no one was permitted to
enter the king’s gate clothed in sackcloth.
3 Throughout each and every province where the king’s edict and law were
announced there was considerable mourning among the Jews, along with fasting,
weeping, and sorrow. Sackcloth and ashes were characteristic of many.
4 When Esther’s female attendants and her eunuchs came and informed her about
Mordecai’s behavior, the queen was overcome with anguish. Although she sent
garments for Mordecai to put on so that he could remove his sackcloth, he would
not accept them.
5 So Esther called for Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs who had been placed
at her service, and instructed him to find out the cause and reason for
Mordecai’s behavior.
6 So Hathach went to Mordecai at the plaza of the city in front of the king’s
gate.
7 Then Mordecai related to him everything that had happened to him, even the
specific amount of money that Haman had offered to pay to the king’s
treasuries for the Jews to be destroyed.
8 He also gave him a written copy of the law that had been disseminated in Susa
for their destruction so that he could show it to Esther and talk to her about
it. He also gave instructions that she should go to the king to implore him and
petition him on behalf of her people.
9 So Hathach returned and related Mordecai’s instructions to Esther.
10 Then Esther replied to Hathach with instructions for Mordecai:
11 “All the servants of the king and the people of the king’s provinces know
that there is only one law applicable to any man or woman who comes uninvited to
the king in the inner court– that person will be put to death, unless the king
extends to him the gold scepter, permitting him to be spared. Now I have not
been invited to come to the king for some thirty days!”
12 When Esther’s reply was conveyed to Mordecai,
13 he said to take back this answer to Esther:“Don’t imagine that because
you are part of the king’s household you will be the one Jew who will escape.
14 If you keep quiet at this time, liberation and protection for the Jews will
appear from another source, while you and your father’s household perish. It
may very well be that you have achieved royal status for such a time as this!”
15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai:
16 “Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa and fast in my behalf.
Don’t eat and don’t drink for three days, night or day. My female attendants
and I will also fast in the same way. Afterward I will go to the king, even
though it violates the law. If I perish, I perish!”
17 So Mordecai set out to do everything that Esther had instructed him.

Chapter 5

1 Esther Appeals to the King for Help It so happened that on the third day
Esther put on her royal attire and stood in the inner court of the palace,
opposite the king’s quarters. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the
palace, opposite the entrance.
2 When the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she met with his
approval. The king extended to Esther the gold scepter that was in his hand, and
Esther approached and touched the end of the scepter.
3 The king said to her,“What is on your mind, Queen Esther? What is your
request? Even as much as half the kingdom will be given to you!”
4 Esther replied,“If the king is so inclined, let the king and Haman come
today to the banquet that I have prepared for him.”
5 The king replied,“Find Haman quickly so that we can do as Esther
requests.”So the king and Haman went to the banquet that Esther had prepared.
6 While at the banquet of wine, the king said to Esther,“What is your request?
It shall be given to you. What is your petition? Ask for as much as half the
kingdom, and it shall be done!”
7 Esther responded,“My request and my petition is this:
8 If I have found favor in the king’s sight and if the king is inclined to
grant my request and perform my petition, let the king and Haman come tomorrow
to the banquet that I will prepare for them. At that time I will do as the king
wishes.”
9 Haman Expresses His Hatred of Mordecai Now Haman went forth that day pleased
and very much encouraged. But when Haman saw Mordecai at the king’s gate, and
he did not rise nor tremble in his presence, Haman was filled with rage toward
Mordecai.
10 But Haman restrained himself and went on to his home.He then sent for his
friends to join him, along with his wife Zeresh.
11 Haman then recounted to them his fabulous wealth, his many sons, and how the
king had magnified him and exalted him over the king’s other officials and
servants.
12 Haman said,“Furthermore, Queen Esther invited only me to accompany the king
to the banquet that she prepared! And also tomorrow I am invited along with the
king.
13 Yet all of this fails to satisfy me so long as I have to see Mordecai the Jew
sitting at the king’s gate.”
14 Haman’s wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him,“Have a gallows
seventy-five feet high built, and in the morning tell the king that Mordecai
should be hanged on it. Then go with the king to the banquet contented.” It
seemed like a good idea to Haman, so he had the gallows built.

Chapter 6

1 The Turning Point: The King Honors Mordecai Throughout that night the king was
unable to sleep, so he asked for the book containing the historical records to
be brought. As the records were being read in the king’s presence,
2 it was found written that Mordecai had disclosed that Bigthana and Teresh, two
of the king’s eunuchs who guarded the entrance, had plotted to assassinate
King Ahasuerus.
3 The king asked,“What great honor was bestowed on Mordecai because of
this?” The king’s attendants who served him responded,“Not a thing was
done for him.”
4 Then the king said,“Who is that in the courtyard?” Now Haman had come to
the outer courtyard of the palace to suggest that the king hang Mordecai on the
gallows that he had constructed for him.
5 The king’s attendants said to him,“It is Haman who is standing in the
courtyard.” The king said,“Let him enter.”
6 So Haman came in, and the king said to him,“What should be done for the man
whom the king wishes to honor?” Haman thought to himself,“Who is it that the
king would want to honor more than me?”
7 So Haman said to the king,“For the man whom the king wishes to honor,
8 let them bring royal attire which the king himself has worn and a horse on
which the king himself has ridden– one bearing the royal insignia!
9 Then let this clothing and this horse be given to one of the king’s noble
officials. Let him then clothe the man whom the king wishes to honor, and let
him lead him about through the plaza of the city on the horse, calling before
him,‘So shall it be done to the man whom the king wishes to honor!’”
10 The king then said to Haman,“Go quickly! Take the clothing and the horse,
just as you have described, and do as you just indicated to Mordecai the Jew who
sits at the king’s gate. Don’t neglect a single thing of all that you have
said.”
11 So Haman took the clothing and the horse, and he clothed Mordecai. He led him
about on the horse throughout the plaza of the city, calling before him,“So
shall it be done to the man whom the king wishes to honor!”
12 Then Mordecai again sat at the king’s gate, while Haman hurried away to his
home, mournful and with a veil over his head.
13 Haman then related to his wife Zeresh and to all his friends everything that
had happened to him. These wise men, along with his wife Zeresh, said to
him,“If indeed this Mordecai before whom you have begun to fall is Jewish, you
will not prevail against him. No, you will surely fall before him!”
14 While they were still speaking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived. They
quickly brought Haman to the banquet that Esther had prepared.

Chapter 7

1 The King Has Haman Executed So the king and Haman came to dine with Queen
Esther.
2 On the second day of the banquet of wine the king asked Esther,“What is your
request, Queen Esther? It shall be granted to you. And what is your petition?
Ask up to half the kingdom, and it shall be done!”
3 Queen Esther replied,“If I have met with your approval, O king, and if the
king is so inclined, grant me my life as my request, and my people as my
petition.
4 For we have been sold– both I and my people– to destruction and to
slaughter and to annihilation! If we had simply been sold as male and female
slaves, I would have remained silent, for such distress would not have been
sufficient for troubling the king.”
5 Then King Ahasuerus responded to Queen Esther,“Who is this individual? Where
is this person to be found who is presumptuous enough to act in this way?”
6 Esther replied,“The oppressor and enemy is this evil Haman!”Then Haman
became terrified in the presence of the king and queen.
7 In rage the king arose from the banquet of wine and withdrew to the palace
garden. Meanwhile, Haman stood to beg Queen Esther for his life, for he realized
that the king had now determined a catastrophic end for him.
8 When the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet of wine, Haman
was throwing himself down on the couch where Esther was lying. The king
exclaimed,“Will he also attempt to rape the queen while I am still in the
building!”As these words left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.
9 Harbona, one of the king’s eunuchs, said,“Indeed, there is the gallows
that Haman made for Mordecai, who spoke out in the king’s behalf. It stands
near Haman’s home and is seventy-five feet high.”The king said,“Hang him
on it!”
10 So they hanged Haman on the very gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai.
The king’s rage then abated.

Chapter 8

1 The King Acts to Protect the Jews On that same day King Ahasuerus gave the
estate of Haman, that adversary of the Jews, to Queen Esther. Now Mordecai had
come before the king, for Esther had revealed how he was related to her.
2 The king then removed his signet ring(the very one he had taken back from
Haman) and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther designated Mordecai to be in charge
of Haman’s estate.
3 Then Esther again spoke with the king, falling at his feet. She wept and
begged him for mercy, that he might nullify the evil of Haman the Agagite and
the plot that he had intended against the Jews.
4 When the king extended to Esther the gold scepter, she arose and stood before
the king.
5 She said,“If the king is so inclined and if I have met with his approval and
if the matter is agreeable to the king and if I am attractive to him, let an
edict be written rescinding those recorded intentions of Haman the son of
Hammedatha, the Agagite, which he wrote in order to destroy the Jews who are
throughout all the king’s provinces.
6 For how can I watch the calamity that will befall my people, and how can I
watch the destruction of my relatives?”
7 King Ahasuerus replied to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew,“Look, I have
already given Haman’s estate to Esther, and he has been hanged on the gallows
because he took hostile action against the Jews.
8 Now you write in the king’s name whatever in your opinion is appropriate
concerning the Jews and seal it with the king’s signet ring. Any decree that
is written in the king’s name and sealed with the king’s signet ring cannot
be rescinded.
9 The king’s scribes were quickly summoned– in the third month(that is, the
month of Sivan), on the twenty-third day. They wrote out everything that
Mordecai instructed to the Jews and to the satraps and the governors and the
officials of the provinces all the way from India to Ethiopia– a hundred and
twenty-seven provinces in all– to each province in its own script and to each
people in their own language, and to the Jews according to their own script and
their own language.
10 Mordecai wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed it with the king’s
signet ring. He then sent letters by couriers on horses, who rode royal horses
that were very swift.
11 The king thereby allowed the Jews who were in every city to assemble and to
stand up for themselves– to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate any army of
whatever people or province that should become their adversaries, including
their women and children, and to confiscate their property.
12 This was to take place on a certain day throughout all the provinces of King
Ahasuerus– namely, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month(that is, the
month of Adar).
13 A copy of the edict was to be presented as law throughout each and every
province and made known to all peoples, so that the Jews might be prepared on
that day to avenge themselves from their enemies.
14 The couriers who were riding the royal horses went forth with the king’s
edict without delay. And the law was presented in Susa the citadel as well.
15 Now Mordecai went out from the king’s presence in blue and white royal
attire, with a large golden crown and a purple linen mantle. The city of Susa
shouted with joy.
16 For the Jews there was radiant happiness and joyous honor.
17 Throughout every province and throughout every city where the king’s edict
and his law arrived, the Jews experienced happiness and joy, banquets and
holidays. Many of the resident peoples pretended to be Jews, because the fear of
the Jews had overcome them.

Chapter 9

1 The Jews Prevail over Their Enemies In the twelfth month(that is, the month of
Adar), on its thirteenth day, the edict of the king and his law were to be
executed. It was on this day that the enemies of the Jews had supposed that they
would gain power over them. But contrary to expectations, the Jews gained power
over their enemies.
2 The Jews assembled themselves in their cities throughout all the provinces of
King Ahasuerus to strike out against those who were seeking their harm. No one
was able to stand before them, for dread of them fell on all the peoples.
3 All the officials of the provinces, the satraps, the governors and those who
performed the king’s business were assisting the Jews, for the dread of
Mordecai had fallen on them.
4 Mordecai was of high rank in the king’s palace, and word about him was
spreading throughout all the provinces. His influence continued to become
greater and greater.
5 The Jews struck all their enemies with the sword, bringing death and
destruction, and they did as they pleased with their enemies.
6 In Susa the citadel the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men.
7 In addition, they also killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha,
8 Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha,
9 Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha,
10 the ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. But they did
not confiscate their property.
11 On that same day the number of those killed in Susa the citadel was brought
to the king’s attention.
12 Then the king said to Queen Esther,“In Susa the citadel the Jews have
killed and destroyed five hundred men and the ten sons of Haman! What then have
they done in the rest of the king’s provinces? What is your request? It shall
be given to you. What other petition do you have? It shall be done.”
13 Esther replied,“If the king is so inclined, let the Jews who are in Susa be
permitted to act tomorrow also according to today’s law, and let them hang the
ten sons of Haman on the gallows.”
14 So the king issued orders for this to be done. A law was passed in Susa, and
the ten sons of Haman were hanged.
15 The Jews who were in Susa then assembled on the fourteenth day of the month
of Adar, and they killed three hundred men in Susa. But they did not confiscate
their property.
16 The rest of the Jews who were throughout the provinces of the king assembled
in order to stand up for themselves and to have rest from their enemies. They
killed seventy-five thousand of their adversaries, but they did not confiscate
their property.
17 All of this happened on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar. They then
rested on the fourteenth day and made it a day for banqueting and happiness.
18 The Origins of the Feast of Purim But the Jews who were in Susa assembled on
the thirteenth and fourteenth days, and rested on the fifteenth, making it a day
for banqueting and happiness.
19 This is why the Jews who are in the rural country– those who live in rural
cities– set aside the fourteenth day of the month of Adar for happiness,
banqueting, a holiday, and sending gifts to one another.
20 Mordecai wrote these matters down and sent letters to all the Jews who were
throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far,
21 to have them observe the fourteenth and the fifteenth day of the month of
Adar each year
22 as the time when the Jews gave themselves rest from their enemies– the
month when their trouble was turned to happiness and their mourning to a
holiday. These were to be days of banqueting, happiness, sending gifts to one
another, and providing for the poor.
23 So the Jews committed themselves to continue what they had begun to do and to
what Mordecai had written to them.
24 For Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had
devised plans against the Jews to destroy them. He had cast pur(that is, the
lot) in order to afflict and destroy them.
25 But when the matter came to the king’s attention, the king gave written
orders that Haman’s evil intentions that he had devised against the Jews
should fall on his own head. He and his sons were hanged on the gallows.
26 For this reason these days are known as Purim, after the name of pur.
Therefore, because of the account found in this letter and what they had faced
in this regard and what had happened to them,
27 the Jews established as binding on themselves, their descendants, and all who
joined their company that they should observe these two days without fail, just
as written and at the appropriate time on an annual basis.
28 These days were to be remembered and to be celebrated in every generation and
in every family, every province, and every city. The Jews were not to fail to
observe these days of Purim; the remembrance of them was not to cease among
their descendants.
29 So Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew wrote with
full authority to confirm this second letter about Purim.
30 Letters were sent to all the Jews in the hundred and twenty-seven provinces
of the empire of Ahasuerus– words of true peace–
31 to establish these days of Purim in their proper times, just as Mordecai the
Jew and Queen Esther had established, and just as they had established both for
themselves and their descendants, matters pertaining to fasting and lamentation.
32 Esther’s command established these matters of Purim, and the matter was
officially recorded.

Chapter 10

1 Mordecai’s Fame Increases King Ahasuerus then imposed forced labor on the
land and on the coastlands of the sea.
2 Now all the actions carried out under his authority and his great
achievements, along with an exact statement concerning the greatness of
Mordecai, whom the king promoted, are they not written in the Book of the
Chronicles of the Kings of Media and Persia?
3 Mordecai the Jew was second only to King Ahasuerus. He was the highest-ranking
Jew, and he was admired by his numerous relatives. He worked enthusiastically
for the good of his people and was an advocate for the welfare of all his
descendants.


Job

Chapter 1

1 ¶ I. The Prologue(1:1-2:13)Job’s Good Life There was a man in the land of
Uz whose name was Job. And that man was blameless and upright, one who feared
God and turned away from evil.
2 Seven sons and three daughters were born to him.
3 His possessions included 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500
female donkeys; in addition he had a very great household. Thus he was the
greatest of all the people in the east.
4 Now his sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one in turn, and
they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.
5 When the days of their feasting were finished, Job would send for them and
sanctify them; he would get up early in the morning and offer burnt offerings
according to the number of them all. For Job thought,“Perhaps my children have
sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s customary practice.
6 Satan’s Accusation of Job Now the day came when the sons of God came to
present themselves before the LORD– and Satan also arrived among them.
7 The LORD said to Satan,“Where have you come from?” And Satan answered the
LORD,“From roving about on the earth, and from walking back and forth across
it.”
8 So the LORD said to Satan,“Have you considered my servant Job? There is no
one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and
turns away from evil.”
9 Then Satan answered the LORD,“Is it for nothing that Job fears God?
10 Have you not made a hedge around him and his household and all that he has on
every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his livestock have
increased in the land.
11 But extend your hand and strike everything he has, and he will no doubt curse
you to your face!”
12 So the LORD said to Satan,“All right then, everything he has is in your
power. Only do not extend your hand against the man himself!” So Satan went
out from the presence of the LORD.
13 Job’s Integrity in Adversity Now the day came when Job’s sons and
daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house,
14 and a messenger came to Job, saying,“The oxen were plowing and the donkeys
were grazing beside them,
15 and the Sabeans swooped down and carried them all away, and they killed the
servants with the sword! And I– only I alone– escaped to tell you!”
16 While this one was still speaking, another messenger arrived and said,“The
fire of God has fallen from heaven and has burned up the sheep and the
servants– it has consumed them! And I– only I alone– escaped to tell
you!”
17 While this one was still speaking another messenger arrived and said,“The
Chaldeans formed three bands and made a raid on the camels and carried them all
away, and they killed the servants with the sword! And I– only I alone–
escaped to tell you!”
18 While this one was still speaking another messenger arrived and said,“Your
sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest
brother’s house,
19 and suddenly a great wind swept across the wilderness and struck the four
corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they died! And I–
only I alone– escaped to tell you!”
20 Then Job got up and tore his robe. He shaved his head, and then he threw
himself down with his face to the ground.
21 He said,“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will return
there. The LORD gives, and the LORD takes away. May the name of the LORD be
blessed!”
22 In all this Job did not sin, nor did he charge God with moral impropriety.

Chapter 2

1 Satan’s Additional Charge Again the day came when the sons of God came to
present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also arrived among them to present
himself before the LORD.
2 And the LORD said to Satan,“Where do you come from?” Satan answered the
LORD,“From roving about on the earth, and from walking back and forth across
it.”
3 Then the LORD said to Satan,“Have you considered my servant Job? For there
is no one like him on the earth, a pure and upright man, one who fears God and
turns away from evil. And he still holds firmly to his integrity, so that you
stirred me up to destroy him without reason.”
4 But Satan answered the LORD,“Skin for skin! Indeed, a man will give up all
that he has to save his life!
5 But extend your hand and strike his bone and his flesh, and he will no doubt
curse you to your face!”
6 So the LORD said to Satan,“All right, he is in your power; only preserve his
life.”
7 Job’s Integrity in Suffering So Satan went out from the presence of the
LORD, and he afflicted Job with a malignant ulcer from the soles of his feet to
the top of his head.
8 Job took a shard of broken pottery to scrape himself with while he was sitting
among the ashes.
9 Then his wife said to him,“Are you still holding firmly to your integrity?
Curse God, and die!”
10 But he replied,“You’re talking like one of the godless women would do!
Should we receive what is good from God, and not also receive what is evil?”
In all this Job did not sin by what he said.
11 The Visit of Job’s Friends When Job’s three friends heard about all this
calamity that had happened to him, each of them came from his own country–
Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They met
together to come to show sympathy for him and to console him.
12 But when they gazed intently from a distance but did not recognize him, they
began to weep loudly. Each of them tore his robes, and they threw dust into the
air over their heads.
13 Then they sat down with him on the ground for seven days and seven nights,
yet no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.

Chapter 3

1 II. Job’s Dialogue With His Friends(3:1-27:33) Job Regrets His Birth After
this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day he was born.
2 Job spoke up and said:
3 “Let the day on which I was born perish, and the night that said,‘A man
has been conceived!’
4 That day– let it be darkness; let not God on high regard it, nor let light
shine on it!
5 Let darkness and the deepest shadow claim it; let a cloud settle on it; let
whatever blackens the day terrify it!
6 That night– let darkness seize it; let it not be included among the days of
the year; let it not enter among the number of the months!
7 Indeed, let that night be barren; let no shout of joy penetrate it!
8 Let those who curse the day curse it– those who are prepared to rouse
Leviathan.
9 Let its morning stars be darkened; let it wait for daylight but find none, nor
let it see the first rays of dawn,
10 because it did not shut the doors of my mother’s womb on me, nor did it
hide trouble from my eyes!
11 Job Wishes He Had Died at Birth“Why did I not die at birth, and why did I
not expire as I came out of the womb?
12 Why did the knees welcome me, and why were there two breasts that I might
nurse at them?
13 For now I would be lying down and would be quiet, I would be asleep and then
at peace
14 with kings and counselors of the earth who built for themselves places now
desolate,
15 or with princes who possessed gold, who filled their palaces with silver.
16 Or why was I not buried like a stillborn infant, like infants who have never
seen the light?
17 There the wicked cease from turmoil, and there the weary are at rest.
18 There the prisoners relax together; they do not hear the voice of the
oppressor.
19 Small and great are there, and the slave is free from his master.
20 Longing for Death“Why does God give light to one who is in misery, and life
to those whose soul is bitter,
21 to those who wait for death that does not come, and search for it more than
for hidden treasures,
22 who rejoice even to jubilation, and are exultant when they find the grave?
23 Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, and whom God has hedged in?
24 For my sighing comes in place of my food, and my groanings flow forth like
water.
25 For the very thing I dreaded has happened to me, and what I feared has come
upon me.
26 I have no ease, I have no quietness; I cannot rest; turmoil has come upon
me.”

Chapter 4

1 Eliphaz Begins to Speak Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered:
2 “If someone should attempt a word with you, will you be impatient? But who
can refrain from speaking?
3 Look, you have instructed many; you have strengthened feeble hands.
4 Your words have supported those who stumbled, and you have strengthened the
knees that gave way.
5 But now the same thing comes to you, and you are discouraged; it strikes you,
and you are terrified.
6 Is not your piety your confidence, and your blameless ways your hope?
7 Call to mind now: Who, being innocent, ever perished? And where were upright
people ever destroyed?
8 Even as I have seen, those who plow iniquity and those who sow trouble reap
the same.
9 By the breath of God they perish, and by the blast of his anger they are
consumed.
10 There is the roaring of the lion and the growling of the young lion, but the
teeth of the young lions are broken.
11 The mighty lion perishes for lack of prey, and the cubs of the lioness are
scattered.
12 Ungodly Complainers Provoke God’s Wrath“Now a word was secretly brought
to me, and my ear caught a whisper of it.
13 In the troubling thoughts of the dreams in the night when a deep sleep falls
on men,
14 dread gripped me and trembling, which made all my bones shake.
15 Then a breath of air passes by my face; it makes the hair of my flesh stand
up.
16 It stands still, but I cannot recognize its appearance; an image is before my
eyes, and I hear a murmuring voice:
17 “Is a mortal man righteous before God? Or a man pure before his Creator?
18 If God puts no trust in his servants and attributes folly to his angels,
19 how much more to those who live in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the
dust, who are crushed like a moth?
20 They are destroyed between morning and evening; they perish forever without
anyone regarding it.
21 Is not their excess wealth taken away from them? They die, yet without
attaining wisdom.

Chapter 5

1 “Call now! Is there anyone who will answer you? To which of the holy ones
will you turn?
2 For wrath kills the foolish person, and anger slays the silly one.
3 I myself have seen the fool taking root, but suddenly I cursed his place of
residence.
4 His children are far from safety, and they are crushed at the place where
judgment is rendered, nor is there anyone to deliver them.
5 The hungry eat up his harvest, and take it even from behind the thorns, and
the thirsty pant for their wealth.
6 For evil does not come up from the dust, nor does trouble spring up from the
ground,
7 but people are born to trouble, as surely as the sparks fly upward.
8 Blessings for the One Who Seeks God“But as for me, I would seek God, and to
God I would set forth my case.
9 He does great and unsearchable things, marvelous things without number;
10 he gives rain on the earth, and sends water on the fields;
11 he sets the lowly on high, that those who mourn are raised to safety.
12 He frustrates the plans of the crafty so that their hands cannot accomplish
what they had planned!
13 He catches the wise in their own craftiness, and the counsel of the cunning
is brought to a quick end.
14 They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope about in the noontime as if
it were night.
15 So he saves from the sword that comes from their mouth, even the poor from
the hand of the powerful.
16 Thus the poor have hope, and iniquity shuts its mouth.
17 “Therefore, blessed is the man whom God corrects, so do not despise the
discipline of the Almighty.
18 For he wounds, but he also bandages; he strikes, but his hands also heal.
19 He will deliver you from six calamities; yes, in seven no evil will touch
you.
20 In time of famine he will redeem you from death, and in time of war from the
power of the sword.
21 You will be protected from malicious gossip, and will not be afraid of the
destruction when it comes.
22 You will laugh at destruction and famine and need not be afraid of the beasts
of the earth.
23 For you will have a pact with the stones of the field, and the wild animals
will be at peace with you.
24 And you will know that your home will be secure, and when you inspect your
domains, you will not be missing anything.
25 You will also know that your children will be numerous, and your descendants
like the grass of the earth.
26 You will come to your grave in a full age, As stacks of grain are harvested
in their season.
27 Look, we have investigated this, so it is true. Hear it, and apply it for
your own good.”

Chapter 6

1 Job Replies to Eliphaz Then Job responded:
2 “Oh, if only my grief could be weighed, and my misfortune laid on the scales
too!
3 But because it is heavier than the sand of the sea, that is why my words have
been wild.
4 For the arrows of the Almighty are within me; my spirit drinks their poison;
God’s sudden terrors are arrayed against me.
5 Complaints Reflect Suffering“Does the wild donkey bray when it is near
grass? Or does the ox bellow over its fodder?
6 Can food that is tasteless be eaten without salt? Or is there any taste in the
white of an egg?
7 I have refused to touch such things; they are like loathsome food to me.
8 A Cry for Death“Oh that my request would be realized, and that God would
grant me what I long for!
9 And that God would be willing to crush me, that he would let loose his hand
and kill me.
10 Then I would yet have my comfort, then I would rejoice, in spite of pitiless
pain, for I have not concealed the words of the Holy One.
11 What is my strength, that I should wait? and what is my end, that I should
prolong my life?
12 Is my strength like that of stones? or is my flesh made of bronze?
13 Is not my power to help myself nothing, and has not every resource been
driven from me?
14 Disappointing Friends“To the one in despair, kindness should come from his
friend even if he forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
15 My brothers have been as treacherous as a seasonal stream, and as the
riverbeds of the intermittent streams that flow away.
16 They are dark because of ice; snow is piled up over them.
17 When they are scorched, they dry up, when it is hot, they vanish from their
place.
18 Caravans turn aside from their routes; they go into the wasteland and perish.
19 The caravans of Tema looked intently for these streams; the traveling
merchants of Sheba hoped for them.
20 They were distressed, because each one had been so confident; they arrived
there, but were disappointed.
21 For now you have become like these streams that are no help; you see a
terror, and are afraid.
22 Friends’ Fears“Have I ever said,‘Give me something, and from your
fortune make gifts in my favor’?
23 Or‘Deliver me from the enemy’s power, and from the hand of tyrants ransom
me’?
24 No Sin Discovered“Teach me and I, for my part, will be silent; explain to
me how I have been mistaken.
25 How painful are honest words! But what does your reproof prove?
26 Do you intend to criticize mere words, and treat the words of a despairing
man as wind?
27 Yes, you would gamble for the fatherless, and auction off your friend.
28 Other Explanation“Now then, be good enough to look at me; and I will not
lie to your face!
29 Relent, let there be no falsehood; reconsider, for my righteousness is
intact!
30 Is there any falsehood on my lips? Can my mouth not discern evil things?

Chapter 7

1 The Brevity of Life“Does not humanity have hard service on earth? Are not
their days also like the days of a hired man?
2 Like a servant longing for the evening shadow, and like a hired man looking
for his wages,
3 thus I have been made to inherit months of futility, and nights of sorrow have
been appointed to me.
4 If I lie down, I say,‘When will I arise?’, and the night stretches on and
I toss and turn restlessly until the day dawns.
5 My body is clothed with worms and dirty scabs; my skin is broken and
festering.
6 My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle and they come to an end without
hope.
7 Remember that my life is but a breath, that my eyes will never again see
happiness.
8 The eye of him who sees me now will see me no more; your eyes will look for
me, but I will be gone.
9 As a cloud is dispersed and then disappears, so the one who goes down to the
grave does not come up again.
10 He returns no more to his house, nor does his place of residence know him any
more.
11 Job Remonstrates with God“Therefore, I will not refrain my mouth; I will
speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
12 Am I the sea, or the creature of the deep, that you must put me under guard?
13 If I say,“My bed will comfort me, my couch will ease my complaint,”
14 then you scare me with dreams and terrify me with visions,
15 so that I would prefer strangling, and death more than life.
16 I loathe it; I do not want to live forever; leave me alone, for my days are a
vapor!
17 Insignificance of Humans“What is mankind that you make so much of them, and
that you pay attention to them?
18 And that you visit them every morning, and try them every moment?
19 Will you never look away from me, will you not let me alone long enough to
swallow my spittle?
20 If I have sinned– what have I done to you, O watcher of men? Why have you
set me as your target? Have I become a burden to you?
21 And why do you not pardon my transgression, and take away my iniquity? For
now I will lie down in the dust, and you will seek me diligently, but I will be
gone.”

Chapter 8

1 Bildad’s First Speech to Job Then Bildad the Shuhite spoke up and said:
2 “How long will you speak these things, seeing that the words of your mouth
are like a great wind?
3 Does God pervert justice? Or does the Almighty pervert what is right?
4 If your children sinned against him, he gave them over to the penalty of their
sin.
5 But if you will look to God, and make your supplication to the Almighty,
6 if you become pure and upright, even now he will rouse himself for you, and
will restore your righteous home.
7 Your beginning will seem so small, since your future will flourish.
8 “For inquire now of the former generation, and pay attention to the findings
of their ancestors;
9 For we were born yesterday and do not have knowledge, since our days on earth
are but a shadow.
10 Will they not instruct you and speak to you, and bring forth words from their
understanding?
11 Can the papyrus plant grow tall where there is no marsh? Can reeds flourish
without water?
12 While they are still beginning to flower and not ripe for cutting, they can
wither away faster than any grass!
13 Such is the destiny of all who forget God; the hope of the godless perishes,
14 whose trust is in something futile, whose security is a spider’s web.
15 He leans against his house but it does not hold up, he takes hold of it but
it does not stand.
16 He is a well-watered plant in the sun, its shoots spread over its garden.
17 It wraps its roots around a heap of stones and it looks for a place among
stones.
18 If he is uprooted from his place, then that place will disown him,
saying,‘I have never seen you!’
19 Indeed, this is the joy of his way, and out of the earth others spring up.
20 “Surely, God does not reject a blameless man, nor does he grasp the hand of
the evildoers.
21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, and your lips with gladness.
22 Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, and the tent of the wicked
will be no more.”

Chapter 9

1 Job’s Reply to Bildad Then Job answered:
2 “Truly, I know that this is so. But how can a human be just before God?
3 If someone wishes to contend with him, he cannot answer him one time in a
thousand.
4 He is wise in heart and mighty in strength– who has resisted him and
remained safe?
5 He who removes mountains suddenly, who overturns them in his anger;
6 he who shakes the earth out of its place so that its pillars tremble;
7 he who commands the sun and it does not shine and seals up the stars;
8 he alone spreads out the heavens, and treads on the waves of the sea;
9 he makes the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, and the constellations of the
southern sky;
10 he does great and unsearchable things, and wonderful things without number.
11 If he passes by me, I cannot see him, if he goes by, I cannot perceive him.
12 If he snatches away, who can turn him back? Who dares to say to him,‘What
are you doing?’
13 God does not restrain his anger; under him the helpers of Rahab lie crushed.
14 The Impossibility of Facing God in Court“How much less, then, can I answer
him and choose my words to argue with him!
15 Although I am innocent, I could not answer him; I could only plead with my
judge for mercy.
16 If I summoned him, and he answered me, I would not believe that he would be
listening to my voice–
17 he who crushes me with a tempest, and multiplies my wounds for no reason.
18 He does not allow me to recover my breath, for he fills me with bitterness.
19 If it is a matter of strength, most certainly he is the strong one! And if it
is a matter of justice, he will say,‘Who will summon me?’
20 Although I am innocent, my mouth would condemn me; although I am blameless,
it would declare me perverse.
21 I am blameless. I do not know myself. I despise my life.
22 Accusation of God’s Justice“It is all one! That is why I say,‘He
destroys the blameless and the guilty.’
23 If a scourge brings sudden death, he mocks at the despair of the innocent.
24 If a land has been given into the hand of a wicked man, he covers the faces
of its judges; if it is not he, then who is it?
25 Renewed Complaint“My days are swifter than a runner, they speed by without
seeing happiness.
26 They glide by like reed boats, like an eagle that swoops down on its prey.
27 If I say,‘I will forget my complaint, I will change my expression and be
cheerful,’
28 I dread all my sufferings, for I know that you do not hold me blameless.
29 If I am guilty, why then weary myself in vain?
30 If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands clean with lye,
31 then you plunge me into a slimy pit and my own clothes abhor me.
32 For he is not a human being like I am, that I might answer him, that we might
come together in judgment.
33 Nor is there an arbiter between us, who might lay his hand on us both,
34 who would take his rod away from me so that his terror would not make me
afraid.
35 Then would I speak and not fear him, but it is not so with me.

Chapter 10

1 An Appeal for Revelation“I am weary of my life; I will complain without
restraint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
2 I will say to God,‘Do not condemn me; tell me why you are contending with
me.’
3 Is it good for you to oppress, to despise the work of your hands, while you
smile on the schemes of the wicked?
4 Motivations of God“Do you have eyes of flesh, or do you see as a human being
sees?
5 Are your days like the days of a mortal, or your years like the years of a
mortal,
6 that you must search out my iniquity, and inquire about my sin,
7 although you know that I am not guilty, and that there is no one who can
deliver out of your hand?
8 Contradictions in God’s Dealings“Your hands have shaped me and made me,
but now you destroy me completely.
9 Remember that you have made me as with the clay; will you return me to dust?
10 Did you not pour me out like milk, and curdle me like cheese?
11 You clothed me with skin and flesh and knit me together with bones and
sinews.
12 You gave me life and favor, and your intervention watched over my spirit.
13 “But these things you have concealed in your heart; I know that this is
with you:
14 If I sinned, then you would watch me and you would not acquit me of my
iniquity.
15 If I am guilty, woe to me, and if I am innocent, I cannot lift my head; I am
full of shame, and satiated with my affliction.
16 If I lift myself up, you hunt me as a fierce lion, and again you display your
power against me.
17 You bring new witnesses against me, and increase your anger against me;
relief troops come against me.
18 An Appeal for Relief“Why then did you bring me out from the womb? I should
have died and no eye would have seen me!
19 I should have been as though I had never existed; I should have been carried
right from the womb to the grave!
20 Are not my days few? Cease, then, and leave me alone, that I may find a
little comfort,
21 before I depart, never to return, to the land of darkness and the deepest
shadow,
22 to the land of utter darkness, like the deepest darkness, and the deepest
shadow and disorder, where even the light is like darkness.”

Chapter 11

1 Zophar’s First Speech to Job Then Zophar the Naamathite spoke up and said:
2 “Should not this abundance of words be answered, or should this talkative
man be vindicated?
3 Should people remain silent at your idle talk, and should no one rebuke you
when you mock?
4 For you have said,‘My teaching is flawless, and I am pure in your sight.’
5 But if only God would speak, if only he would open his lips against you,
6 and reveal to you the secrets of wisdom– for true wisdom has two sides– so
that you would know that God has forgiven some of your sins.
7 “Can you discover the essence of God? Can you find out the perfection of the
Almighty?
8 It is higher than the heavens– what can you do? It is deeper than Sheol–
what can you know?
9 Its measure is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea.
10 If he comes by and confines you and convenes a court, then who can prevent
him?
11 For he knows deceitful men; when he sees evil, will he not consider it?
12 But an empty man will become wise, when a wild donkey’s colt is born a
human being.
13 “As for you, if you prove faithful, and if you stretch out your hands
toward him,
14 if iniquity is in your hand– put it far away, and do not let evil reside in
your tents.
15 For then you will lift up your face without blemish; you will be securely
established and will not fear.
16 For you will forget your trouble; you will remember it like water that has
flowed away.
17 And life will be brighter than the noonday; though there be darkness, it will
be like the morning.
18 And you will be secure, because there is hope; you will be protected and will
take your rest in safety.
19 You will lie down with no one to make you afraid, and many will seek your
favor.
20 But the eyes of the wicked fail, and escape eludes them; their one hope is to
breathe their last.”

Chapter 12

1 Job’s Reply to Zophar Then Job answered:
2 “Without a doubt you are the people, and wisdom will die with you.
3 I also have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Who does
not know such things as these?
4 I am a laughingstock to my friends, I, who called on God and whom he
answered– a righteous and blameless man is a laughingstock!
5 For calamity, there is derision(according to the ideas of the fortunate)– a
fate for those whose feet slip!
6 But the tents of robbers are peaceful, and those who provoke God are
confident– who carry their god in their hands.
7 Knowledge of God’s Wisdom“But now, ask the animals and they will teach
you, or the birds of the sky and they will tell you.
8 Or speak to the earth and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea
declare to you.
9 Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this,
10 in whose hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all the human
race.
11 Does not the ear test words, as the tongue tastes food?
12 Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?
13 “With God are wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his.
14 If he tears down, it cannot be rebuilt; if he imprisons a person, there is no
escape.
15 If he holds back the waters, then they dry up; if he releases them, they
destroy the land.
16 With him are strength and prudence; both the one who goes astray and the one
who misleads are his.
17 He leads counselors away stripped and makes judges into fools.
18 He loosens the bonds of kings and binds a loincloth around their waist.
19 He leads priests away stripped and overthrows the potentates.
20 He deprives the trusted advisers of speech and takes away the discernment of
elders.
21 He pours contempt on noblemen and disarms the powerful.
22 He reveals the deep things of darkness, and brings deep shadows into the
light.
23 He makes nations great, and destroys them; he extends the boundaries of
nations and disperses them.
24 He deprives the leaders of the earth of their understanding; he makes them
wander in a trackless desert waste.
25 They grope about in darkness without light; he makes them stagger like
drunkards.

Chapter 13

1 Job Pleads His Cause to God“Indeed, my eyes have seen all this, my ears have
heard and understood it.
2 What you know, I know also; I am not inferior to you!
3 But I wish to speak to the Almighty, and I desire to argue my case with God.
4 But you, however, are inventors of lies; all of you are worthless physicians!
5 If only you would keep completely silent! For you, that would be wisdom.
6 “Listen now to my argument, and be attentive to my lips’ contentions.
7 Will you speak wickedly on God’s behalf? Will you speak deceitfully for him?
8 Will you show him partiality? Will you argue the case for God?
9 Would it turn out well if he would examine you? Or as one deceives a man would
you deceive him?
10 He would certainly rebuke you if you secretly showed partiality!
11 Would not his splendor terrify you and the fear he inspires fall on you?
12 Your maxims are proverbs of ashes; your defenses are defenses of clay.
13 “Refrain from talking with me so that I may speak; then let come to me what
may.
14 Why do I put myself in peril, and take my life in my hands?
15 Even if he slays me, I will hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his
face!
16 Moreover, this will become my deliverance, for no godless person would come
before him.
17 Listen carefully to my words; let your ears be attentive to my explanation.
18 See now, I have prepared my case; I know that I am right.
19 Who will contend with me? If anyone can, I will be silent and die.
20 Only in two things spare me, O God, and then I will not hide from your face:
21 Remove your hand far from me and stop making me afraid with your terror.
22 Then call, and I will answer, or I will speak, and you respond to me.
23 How many are my iniquities and sins? Show me my transgression and my sin.
24 Why do you hide your face and regard me as your enemy?
25 Do you wish to torment a windblown leaf and chase after dry chaff?
26 For you write down bitter things against me and cause me to inherit the sins
of my youth.
27 And you put my feet in the stocks and you watch all my movements; you put
marks on the soles of my feet.
28 So I waste away like something rotten, like a garment eaten by moths.

Chapter 14

1 The Brevity of Life“Man, born of woman, lives but a few days, and they are
full of trouble.
2 He grows up like a flower and then withers away; he flees like a shadow, and
does not remain.
3 Do you fix your eye on such a one? And do you bring me before you for
judgment?
4 Who can make a clean thing come from an unclean? No one!
5 Since man’s days are determined, the number of his months is under your
control; you have set his limit and he cannot pass it.
6 Look away from him and let him desist, until he fulfills his time like a hired
man.
7 The Inevitability of Death“But there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down,
it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail.
8 Although its roots may grow old in the ground and its stump begins to die in
the soil,
9 at the scent of water it will flourish and put forth shoots like a new plant.
10 But man dies and is powerless; he expires– and where is he?
11 As water disappears from the sea, or a river drains away and dries up,
12 so man lies down and does not rise; until the heavens are no more, they will
not awake nor arise from their sleep.
13 The Possibility of Another Life“O that you would hide me in Sheol, and
conceal me till your anger has passed! O that you would set me a time and then
remember me!
14 If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my hard service I will
wait until my release comes.
15 You will call and I– I will answer you; you will long for the creature you
have made.
16 The Present Condition“Surely now you count my steps; then you would not
mark my sin.
17 My offenses would be sealed up in a bag; you would cover over my sin.
18 But as a mountain falls away and crumbles, and as a rock will be removed from
its place,
19 as water wears away stones, and torrents wash away the soil, so you destroy
man’s hope.
20 You overpower him once for all, and he departs; you change his appearance and
send him away.
21 If his sons are honored, he does not know it; if they are brought low, he
does not see it.
22 His flesh only has pain for him, and he mourns for himself.”

Chapter 15

1 Eliphaz’s Second Speech Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered:
2 “Does a wise man answer with blustery knowledge, or fill his belly with the
east wind?
3 Does he argue with useless talk, with words that have no value in them?
4 But you even break off piety, and hinder meditation before God.
5 Your sin inspires your mouth; you choose the language of the crafty.
6 Your own mouth condemns you, not I; your own lips testify against you.
7 “Were you the first man ever born? Were you brought forth before the hills?
8 Do you listen in on God’s secret council? Do you limit wisdom to yourself?
9 What do you know that we don’t know? What do you understand that we don’t
understand?
10 The gray-haired and the aged are on our side, men far older than your father.
11 Are God’s consolations too trivial for you; or a word spoken in gentleness
to you?
12 Why has your heart carried you away, and why do your eyes flash,
13 when you turn your rage against God and allow such words to escape from your
mouth?
14 What is man that he should be pure, or one born of woman, that he should be
righteous?
15 If God places no trust in his holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in
his eyes,
16 how much less man, who is abominable and corrupt, who drinks in evil like
water!
17 “I will explain to you; listen to me, and what I have seen, I will declare,
18 what wise men declare, hiding nothing, from the tradition of their ancestors,
19 to whom alone the land was given when no foreigner passed among them.
20 All his days the wicked man suffers torment, throughout the number of the
years that are stored up for the tyrant.
21 Terrifying sounds fill his ears; in a time of peace marauders attack him.
22 He does not expect to escape from darkness; he is marked for the sword;
23 he wanders about– food for vultures; he knows that the day of darkness is
at hand.
24 Distress and anguish terrify him; they prevail against him like a king ready
to launch an attack,
25 for he stretches out his hand against God, and vaunts himself against the
Almighty,
26 defiantly charging against him with a thick, strong shield!
27 Because he covered his face with fat, and made his hips bulge with fat,
28 he lived in ruined towns and in houses where no one lives, where they are
ready to crumble into heaps.
29 He will not grow rich, and his wealth will not endure, nor will his
possessions spread over the land.
30 He will not escape the darkness; a flame will wither his shoots and he will
depart by the breath of God’s mouth.
31 Let him not trust in what is worthless, deceiving himself; for worthlessness
will be his reward.
32 Before his time he will be paid in full, and his branches will not flourish.
33 Like a vine he will let his sour grapes fall, and like an olive tree he will
shed his blossoms.
34 For the company of the godless is barren, and fire consumes the tents of
those who accept bribes.
35 They conceive trouble and bring forth evil; their belly prepares
deception.”

Chapter 16

1 Job’s Reply to Eliphaz Then Job replied:
2 “I have heard many things like these before. What miserable comforters are
you all!
3 Will there be an end to your windy words? Or what provokes you that you
answer?
4 I also could speak like you, if you were in my place; I could pile up words
against you and I could shake my head at you.
5 But I would strengthen you with my words; comfort from my lips would bring you
relief.
6 Abandonment by God and Man“But if I speak, my pain is not relieved, and if I
refrain from speaking– how much of it goes away?
7 Surely now he has worn me out, you have devastated my entire household.
8 You have seized me, and it has become a witness; my leanness has risen up
against me and testifies against me.
9 His anger has torn me and persecuted me; he has gnashed at me with his teeth;
my adversary locks his eyes on me.
10 People have opened their mouths against me, they have struck my cheek in
scorn; they unite together against me.
11 God abandons me to evil men, and throws me into the hands of wicked men.
12 I was in peace, and he has shattered me. He has seized me by the neck and
crushed me. He has made me his target;
13 his archers surround me. Without pity he pierces my kidneys and pours out my
gall on the ground.
14 He breaks through against me, time and time again; he rushes against me like
a warrior.
15 I have sewed sackcloth on my skin, and buried my horn in the dust;
16 my face is reddened because of weeping, and on my eyelids there is a deep
darkness,
17 although there is no violence in my hands and my prayer is pure.
18 An Appeal to God as Witness“O earth, do not cover my blood, nor let there
be a secret place for my cry.
19 Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high.
20 My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God;
21 and he contends with God on behalf of man as a man pleads for his friend.
22 For the years that lie ahead are few, and then I will go on the way of no
return.

Chapter 17

1 My spirit is broken, my days have faded out, the grave awaits me.
2 Surely mockery is with me; my eyes must dwell on their hostility.
3 Set my pledge beside you. Who else will put up security for me?
4 Because you have closed their minds to understanding, therefore you will not
exalt them.
5 If a man denounces his friends for personal gain, the eyes of his children
will fail.
6 He has made me a byword to people, I am the one in whose face they spit.
7 My eyes have grown dim with grief; my whole frame is but a shadow.
8 Upright men are appalled at this; the innocent man is troubled with the
godless.
9 But the righteous man holds to his way, and the one with clean hands grows
stronger.
10 Anticipation of Death“But turn, all of you, and come now! I will not find a
wise man among you.
11 My days have passed, my plans are shattered, even the desires of my heart.
12 These men change night into day; they say,‘The light is near in the face of
darkness.’
13 If I hope for the grave to be my home, if I spread out my bed in darkness,
14 If I cry to corruption,‘You are my father,’ and to the worm,‘My
mother,’ or‘My sister,’
15 where then is my hope? And my hope, who sees it?
16 Will it go down to the barred gates of death? Will we descend together into
the dust?”

Chapter 18

1 Bildad’s Second Speech Then Bildad the Shuhite answered:
2 “How long until you make an end of words? You must consider, and then we can
talk.
3 Why should we be regarded as beasts, and considered stupid in your sight?
4 You who tear yourself to pieces in your anger, will the earth be abandoned for
your sake? Or will a rock be moved from its place?
5 “Yes, the lamp of the wicked is extinguished; his flame of fire does not
shine.
6 The light in his tent grows dark; his lamp above him is extinguished.
7 His vigorous steps are restricted, and his own counsel throws him down.
8 For he has been thrown into a net by his feet and he wanders into a mesh.
9 A trap seizes him by the heel; a snare grips him.
10 A rope is hidden for him on the ground and a trap for him lies on the path.
11 Terrors frighten him on all sides and dog his every step.
12 Calamity is hungry for him, and misfortune is ready at his side.
13 It eats away parts of his skin; the most terrible death devours his limbs.
14 He is dragged from the security of his tent, and marched off to the king of
terrors.
15 Fire resides in his tent; over his residence burning sulfur is scattered.
16 Below his roots dry up, and his branches wither above.
17 His memory perishes from the earth, he has no name in the land.
18 He is driven from light into darkness and is banished from the world.
19 He has neither children nor descendants among his people, no survivor in
those places he once stayed.
20 People of the west are appalled at his fate; people of the east are seized
with horror, saying,
21 ‘Surely such is the residence of an evil man; and this is the place of one
who has not known God.’”

Chapter 19

1 Job’s Reply to Bildad Then Job answered:
2 “How long will you torment me and crush me with your words?
3 These ten times you have been reproaching me; you are not ashamed to attack
me!
4 But even if it were true that I have erred, my error remains solely my
concern!
5 If indeed you would exalt yourselves above me and plead my disgrace against
me,
6 know then that God has wronged me and encircled me with his net.
7 Job’s Abandonment and Affliction“If I cry out,‘Violence!’ I receive no
answer; I cry for help, but there is no justice.
8 He has blocked my way so I cannot pass, and has set darkness over my paths.
9 He has stripped me of my honor and has taken the crown off my head.
10 He tears me down on every side until I perish; he uproots my hope like an
uprooted tree.
11 Thus his anger burns against me, and he considers me among his enemies.
12 His troops advance together; they throw up a siege ramp against me, and they
camp around my tent.
13 Job’s Forsaken State“He has put my relatives far from me; my
acquaintances only turn away from me.
14 My kinsmen have failed me; my friends have forgotten me.
15 My guests and my servant girls consider me a stranger; I am a foreigner in
their eyes.
16 I summon my servant, but he does not respond, even though I implore him with
my own mouth.
17 My breath is repulsive to my wife; I am loathsome to my brothers.
18 Even youngsters have scorned me; when I get up, they scoff at me.
19 All my closest friends detest me; and those whom I love have turned against
me.
20 My bones stick to my skin and my flesh; I have escaped alive with only the
skin of my teeth.
21 Have pity on me, my friends, have pity on me, for the hand of God has struck
me.
22 Why do you pursue me like God does? Will you never be satiated with my flesh?
23 Job’s Assurance of Vindication“O that my words were written down, O that
they were written on a scroll,
24 that with an iron chisel and with lead they were engraved in a rock forever!
25 As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and that as the last he will stand
upon the earth.
26 And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God,
27 whom I will see for myself, and whom my own eyes will behold, and not
another. My heart grows faint within me.
28 If you say,‘How we will pursue him, since the root of the trouble is found
in him!’
29 Fear the sword yourselves, for wrath brings the punishment by the sword, so
that you may know that there is judgment.”

Chapter 20

1 Zophar’s Second Speech Then Zophar the Naamathite answered:
2 “This is why my troubled thoughts bring me back– because of my feelings
within me.
3 When I hear a reproof that dishonors me, then my understanding prompts me to
answer.
4 “Surely you know that it has been from old, ever since humankind was placed
on the earth,
5 that the elation of the wicked is brief, the joy of the godless lasts but a
moment.
6 Even though his stature reaches to the heavens and his head touches the
clouds,
7 he will perish forever, like his own excrement; those who used to see him will
say,‘Where is he?’
8 Like a dream he flies away, never again to be found, and like a vision of the
night he is put to flight.
9 People who had seen him will not see him again, and the place where he was
will recognize him no longer.
10 His sons must recompense the poor; his own hands must return his wealth.
11 His bones were full of his youthful vigor, but that vigor will lie down with
him in the dust.
12 “If evil is sweet in his mouth and he hides it under his tongue,
13 if he retains it for himself and does not let it go, and holds it fast in his
mouth,
14 his food is turned sour in his stomach; it becomes the venom of serpents
within him.
15 The wealth that he consumed he vomits up, God will make him throw it out of
his stomach.
16 He sucks the poison of serpents; the fangs of a viper kill him.
17 He will not look on the streams, the rivers, which are the torrents of honey
and butter.
18 He gives back the ill-gotten gain without assimilating it; he will not enjoy
the wealth from his commerce.
19 For he has oppressed the poor and abandoned them; he has seized a house which
he did not build.
20 For he knows no satisfaction in his appetite; he does not let anything he
desires escape.
21 “Nothing is left for him to devour; that is why his prosperity does not
last.
22 In the fullness of his sufficiency, distress overtakes him. The full force of
misery will come upon him.
23 “While he is filling his belly, God sends his burning anger against him,
and rains down his blows upon him.
24 If he flees from an iron weapon, then an arrow from a bronze bow pierces him.
25 When he pulls it out and it comes out of his back, the gleaming point out of
his liver, terrors come over him.
26 Total darkness waits to receive his treasures; a fire which has not been
kindled will consume him and devour what is left in his tent.
27 The heavens reveal his iniquity; the earth rises up against him.
28 A flood will carry off his house, rushing waters on the day of God’s wrath.
29 Such is the lot God allots the wicked, and the heritage of his appointment
from God.”

Chapter 21

1 Job’s Reply to Zophar Then Job answered:
2 “Listen carefully to my words; let this be the consolation you offer me.
3 Bear with me and I will speak, and after I have spoken you may mock.
4 Is my complaint against a man? If so, why should I not be impatient?
5 Look at me and be appalled; put your hands over your mouths.
6 For, when I think about this, I am terrified and my body feels a shudder.
7 The Wicked Prosper“Why do the wicked go on living, grow old, even increase
in power?
8 Their children are firmly established in their presence, their offspring
before their eyes.
9 Their houses are safe and without fear; and no rod of punishment from God is
upon them.
10 Their bulls breed without fail; their cows calve and do not miscarry.
11 They allow their children to run like a flock; their little ones dance about.
12 They sing to the accompaniment of tambourine and harp, and make merry to the
sound of the flute.
13 They live out their years in prosperity and go down to the grave in peace.
14 So they say to God,‘Turn away from us! We do not want to know your ways.
15 Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him? What would we gain if we were
to pray to him?’
16 But their prosperity is not their own doing. The counsel of the wicked is far
from me!
17 How Often Do the Wicked Suffer?“How often is the lamp of the wicked
extinguished? How often does their misfortune come upon them? How often does God
apportion pain to them in his anger?
18 How often are they like straw before the wind, and like chaff swept away by a
whirlwind?
19 You may say,‘God stores up a man’s punishment for his children!’
Instead let him repay the man himself so that he may be humbled!
20 Let his own eyes see his destruction; let him drink of the anger of the
Almighty.
21 For what is his interest in his home after his death, when the number of his
months has been broken off?
22 Can anyone teach God knowledge, since he judges those that are on high?
23 Death Levels Everything“One man dies in his full vigor, completely secure
and prosperous,
24 his body well nourished, and the marrow of his bones moist.
25 And another man dies in bitterness of soul, never having tasted anything
good.
26 Together they lie down in the dust, and worms cover over them both.
27 Futile Words, Deceptive Answers“Yes, I know what you are thinking, the
schemes by which you would wrong me.
28 For you say,‘Where now is the nobleman’s house, and where are the tents
in which the wicked lived?’
29 Have you never questioned those who travel the roads? Do you not recognize
their accounts–
30 that the evil man is spared from the day of his misfortune, that he is
delivered from the day of God’s wrath?
31 No one denounces his conduct to his face; no one repays him for what he has
done.
32 And when he is carried to the tombs, and watch is kept over the funeral
mound,
33 The clods of the torrent valley are sweet to him; behind him everybody
follows in procession, and before him goes a countless throng.
34 So how can you console me with your futile words? Nothing is left of your
answers but deception!”

Chapter 22

1 Eliphaz’s Third Speech Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered:
2 “Is it to God that a strong man is of benefit? Is it to him that even a wise
man is profitable?
3 Is it of any special benefit to the Almighty that you should be righteous, or
is it any gain to him that you make your ways blameless?
4 Is it because of your piety that he rebukes you and goes to judgment with you?
5 Is not your wickedness great and is there no end to your iniquity?
6 “For you took pledges from your brothers for no reason, and you stripped the
clothing from the naked.
7 You gave the weary no water to drink and from the hungry you withheld food.
8 Although you were a powerful man, owning land, an honored man living on it,
9 you sent widows away empty-handed, and the arms of the orphans you crushed.
10 That is why snares surround you, and why sudden fear terrifies you,
11 why it is so dark you cannot see, and why a flood of water covers you.
12 “Is not God on high in heaven? And see the lofty stars, how high they are!
13 But you have said,‘What does God know? Does he judge through such deep
darkness?
14 Thick clouds are a veil for him, so he does not see us, as he goes back and
forth in the vault of heaven.’
15 Will you keep to the old path that evil men have walked–
16 men who were carried off before their time, when the flood was poured out on
their foundations?
17 They were saying to God,‘Turn away from us,’ and‘What can the Almighty
do to us?’
18 But it was he who filled their houses with good things– yet the counsel of
the wicked was far from me.
19 The righteous see their destruction and rejoice; the innocent mock them
scornfully, saying,
20 ‘Surely our enemies are destroyed, and fire consumes their wealth.’
21 “Reconcile yourself with God, and be at peace with him; in this way your
prosperity will be good.
22 Accept instruction from his mouth and store up his words in your heart.
23 If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up; if you remove wicked
behavior far from your tent,
24 and throw your gold in the dust– your gold of Ophir among the rocks in the
ravines–
25 then the Almighty himself will be your gold, and the choicest silver for you.
26 Surely then you will delight yourself in the Almighty, and will lift up your
face toward God.
27 You will pray to him and he will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows to
him.
28 Whatever you decide on a matter, it will be established for you, and light
will shine on your ways.
29 When people are brought low and you say‘Lift them up!’ then he will save
the downcast;
30 he will deliver even someone who is not innocent, who will escape through the
cleanness of your hands.”

Chapter 23

1 Job’s Reply to Eliphaz Then Job answered:
2 “Even today my complaint is still bitter; his hand is heavy despite my
groaning.
3 O that I knew where I might find him, that I could come to his place of
residence!
4 I would lay out my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments.
5 I would know with what words he would answer me, and understand what he would
say to me.
6 Would he contend with me with great power? No, he would only pay attention to
me.
7 There an upright person could present his case before him, and I would be
delivered forever from my judge.
8 The Inaccessibility and Power of God“If I go to the east, he is not there,
and to the west, yet I do not perceive him.
9 In the north when he is at work, I do not see him; when he turns to the south,
I see no trace of him.
10 But he knows the pathway that I take; if he tested me, I would come forth
like gold.
11 My feet have followed his steps closely; I have kept to his way and have not
turned aside.
12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words
of his mouth more than my allotted portion.
13 But he is unchangeable, and who can change him? Whatever he has desired, he
does.
14 For he fulfills his decree against me, and many such things are his plans.
15 That is why I am terrified in his presence; when I consider, I am afraid
because of him.
16 Indeed, God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me.
17 Yet I have not been silent because of the darkness, because of the thick
darkness that covered my face.

Chapter 24

1 The Apparent Indifference of God“Why are times not appointed by the
Almighty? Why do those who know him not see his days?
2 Men move boundary stones; they seize the flock and pasture them.
3 They drive away the orphan’s donkey; they take the widow’s ox as a pledge.
4 They turn the needy from the pathway, and the poor of the land hide themselves
together.
5 Like wild donkeys in the wilderness, they go out to their labor seeking
diligently for food; the arid rift valley provides food for them and for their
children.
6 They reap fodder in the field, and glean in the vineyard of the wicked.
7 They spend the night naked because they lack clothing; they have no covering
against the cold.
8 They are soaked by mountain rains and huddle in the rocks because they lack
shelter.
9 The fatherless child is snatched from the breast, the infant of the poor is
taken as a pledge.
10 They go about naked, without clothing, and go hungry while they carry the
sheaves.
11 They press out the olive oil between the rows of olive trees; they tread the
winepresses while they are thirsty.
12 From the city the dying groan, and the wounded cry out for help, but God
charges no one with wrongdoing.
13 There are those who rebel against the light; they do not know its ways and
they do not stay on its paths.
14 Before daybreak the murderer rises up; he kills the poor and the needy; in
the night he is like a thief.
15 And the eye of the adulterer watches for the twilight, thinking,‘No eye can
see me,’ and covers his face with a mask.
16 In the dark the robber breaks into houses, but by day they shut themselves
in; they do not know the light.
17 For all of them, the morning is to them like deep darkness; they are friends
with the terrors of darkness.
18 “You say,‘He is foam on the face of the waters; their portion of the land
is cursed so that no one goes to their vineyard.
19 The drought as well as the heat snatch up the melted snow; so the grave
snatches up the sinner.
20 The womb forgets him, the worm feasts on him, no longer will he be
remembered. Like a tree, wickedness will be broken down.
21 He preys on the barren and childless woman, and does not treat the widow
well.
22 But God drags off the mighty by his power; when God rises up against him, he
has no faith in his life.
23 God may let them rest in a feeling of security, but he is constantly watching
all their ways.
24 They are exalted for a little while, and then they are gone, they are brought
low like all others, and gathered in, and like a head of grain they are cut
off.’
25 “If this is not so, who can prove me a liar and reduce my words to
nothing?”

Chapter 25

1 Bildad’s Third Speech Then Bildad the Shuhite answered:
2 “Dominion and awesome might belong to God; he establishes peace in his
heights.
3 Can his armies be numbered? On whom does his light not rise?
4 How then can a human being be righteous before God? How can one born of a
woman be pure?
5 If even the moon is not bright, and the stars are not pure as far as he is
concerned,
6 how much less a mortal man, who is but a maggot– a son of man, who is only a
worm!”

Chapter 26

1 Job’s Reply to Bildad Then Job replied:
2 “How you have helped the powerless! How you have saved the person who has no
strength!
3 How you have advised the one without wisdom, and abundantly revealed your
insight!
4 To whom did you utter these words? And whose spirit has come forth from your
mouth?
5 A Better Description of God’s Greatness“The dead tremble– those beneath
the waters and all that live in them.
6 The underworld is naked before God; the place of destruction lies uncovered.
7 He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth on
nothing.
8 He locks the waters in his clouds, and the clouds do not burst with the weight
of them.
9 He conceals the face of the full moon, shrouding it with his clouds.
10 He marks out the horizon on the surface of the waters as a boundary between
light and darkness.
11 The pillars of the heavens tremble and are amazed at his rebuke.
12 By his power he stills the sea; by his wisdom he cut Rahab the great sea
monster to pieces.
13 By his breath the skies became fair; his hand pierced the fleeing serpent.
14 Indeed, these are but the outer fringes of his ways! How faint is the whisper
we hear of him! But who can understand the thunder of his power?”

Chapter 27

1 A Protest of Innocence And Job took up his discourse again:
2 “As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice, the Almighty, who has
made my life bitter–
3 for while my spirit is still in me, and the breath from God is in my nostrils,
4 my lips will not speak wickedness, and my tongue will whisper no deceit.
5 I will never declare that you three are in the right; until I die, I will not
set aside my integrity!
6 I will maintain my righteousness and never let it go; my conscience will not
reproach me for as long as I live.
7 The Condition of the Wicked“May my enemy be like the wicked, my adversary
like the unrighteous.
8 For what hope does the godless have when he is cut off, when God takes away
his life?
9 Does God listen to his cry when distress overtakes him?
10 Will he find delight in the Almighty? Will he call out to God at all times?
11 I will teach you about the power of God; What is on the Almighty’s mind I
will not conceal.
12 If you yourselves have all seen this, Why in the world do you continue this
meaningless talk?
13 This is the portion of the wicked man allotted by God, the inheritance that
evildoers receive from the Almighty.
14 If his children increase– it is for the sword! His offspring never have
enough to eat.
15 Those who survive him are buried by the plague, and their widows do not mourn
for them.
16 If he piles up silver like dust and stores up clothing like mounds of clay,
17 what he stores up a righteous man will wear, and an innocent man will inherit
his silver.
18 The house he builds is as fragile as a moth’s cocoon, like a hut that a
watchman has made.
19 He goes to bed wealthy, but will do so no more. When he opens his eyes, it is
all gone.
20 Terrors overwhelm him like a flood; at night a whirlwind carries him off.
21 The east wind carries him away, and he is gone; it sweeps him out of his
place.
22 It hurls itself against him without pity as he flees headlong from its power.
23 It claps its hands at him in derision and hisses him away from his place.

Chapter 28

1 III. Job’s Search for Wisdom(28:1-28)No Known Road to Wisdom“Surely there
is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined.
2 Iron is taken from the ground, and rock is poured out as copper.
3 Man puts an end to the darkness; he searches the farthest recesses for the ore
in the deepest darkness.
4 Far from where people live he sinks a shaft, in places travelers have long
forgotten, far from other people he dangles and sways.
5 The earth, from which food comes, is overturned below as though by fire;
6 a place whose stones are sapphires and which contains dust of gold;
7 a hidden path no bird of prey knows– no falcon’s eye has spotted it.
8 Proud beasts have not set foot on it, and no lion has passed along it.
9 On the flinty rock man has set to work with his hand; he has overturned
mountains at their bases.
10 He has cut out channels through the rocks; his eyes have spotted every
precious thing.
11 He has searched the sources of the rivers and what was hidden he has brought
into the light.
12 No Price Can Buy Wisdom“But wisdom– where can it be found? Where is the
place of understanding?
13 Mankind does not know its place; it cannot be found in the land of the
living.
14 The deep says,‘It is not with me.’ And the sea says,‘It is not with
me.’
15 Fine gold cannot be given in exchange for it, nor can its price be weighed
out in silver.
16 It cannot be measured out for purchase with the gold of Ophir, with precious
onyx or sapphires.
17 Neither gold nor crystal can be compared with it, nor can a vase of gold
match its worth.
18 Of coral and jasper no mention will be made; the price of wisdom is more than
pearls.
19 The topaz of Cush cannot be compared with it; it cannot be purchased with
pure gold.
20 God Alone Has Wisdom“But wisdom– where does it come from? Where is the
place of understanding?
21 For it has been hidden from the eyes of every living creature, and from the
birds of the sky it has been concealed.
22 Destruction and Death say,‘With our ears we have heard a rumor about where
it can be found.’
23 God understands the way to it, and he alone knows its place.
24 For he looks to the ends of the earth and observes everything under the
heavens.
25 When he made the force of the wind and measured the waters with a gauge,
26 when he imposed a limit for the rain, and a path for the thunderstorm,
27 then he looked at wisdom and assessed its value; he established it and
examined it closely.
28 And he said to mankind,‘The fear of the LORD– that is wisdom, and to turn
away from evil is understanding.’”

Chapter 29

1 IV. Job’s Concluding Soliloquy(29:1-31:40)Job Recalls His Former Condition
Then Job continued his speech:
2 “O that I could be as I was in the months now gone, in the days when God
watched over me,
3 when he caused his lamp to shine upon my head, and by his light I walked
through darkness;
4 just as I was in my most productive time, when God’s intimate friendship was
experienced in my tent,
5 when the Almighty was still with me and my children were around me;
6 when my steps were bathed with butter and the rock poured out for me streams
of olive oil!
7 When I went out to the city gate and secured my seat in the public square,
8 the young men would see me and step aside, and the old men would get up and
remain standing;
9 the chief men refrained from talking and covered their mouths with their
hands;
10 the voices of the nobles fell silent, and their tongues stuck to the roof of
their mouths.
11 Job’s Benevolence“As soon as the ear heard these things, it blessed me,
and when the eye saw them, it bore witness to me,
12 for I rescued the poor who cried out for help, and the orphan who had no one
to assist him;
13 the blessing of the dying man descended on me, and I made the widow’s heart
rejoice;
14 I put on righteousness and it clothed me, my just dealing was like a robe and
a turban;
15 I was eyes for the blind and feet for the lame;
16 I was a father to the needy, and I investigated the case of the person I did
not know;
17 I broke the fangs of the wicked, and made him drop his prey from his teeth.
18 Job’s Confidence“Then I thought,‘I will die in my own home, my days as
numerous as the grains of sand.
19 My roots reach the water, and the dew lies on my branches all night long.
20 My glory will always be fresh in me, and my bow ever new in my hand.’
21 Job’s Reputation“People listened to me and waited silently; they kept
silent for my advice.
22 After I had spoken, they did not respond; my words fell on them drop by drop.
23 They waited for me as people wait for the rain, and they opened their mouths
as for the spring rains.
24 If I smiled at them, they hardly believed it; and they did not cause the
light of my face to darken.
25 I chose the way for them and sat as their chief; I lived like a king among
his troops; I was like one who comforts mourners.

Chapter 30

1 Job’s Present Misery“But now they mock me, those who are younger than I,
whose fathers I disdained too much to put with my sheep dogs.
2 Moreover, the strength of their hands– what use was it to me? Men whose
strength had perished;
3 gaunt with want and hunger, they would roam the parched land, by night a
desolate waste.
4 By the brush they would gather herbs from the salt marshes, and the root of
the broom tree was their food.
5 They were banished from the community– people shouted at them like they
would shout at thieves–
6 so that they had to live in the dry stream beds, in the holes of the ground,
and among the rocks.
7 They brayed like animals among the bushes and were huddled together under the
nettles.
8 Sons of senseless and nameless people, they were driven out of the land with
whips.
9 Job’s Indignities“And now I have become their taunt song; I have become a
byword among them.
10 They detest me and maintain their distance; they do not hesitate to spit in
my face.
11 Because God has untied my tent cord and afflicted me, people throw off all
restraint in my presence.
12 On my right the young rabble rise up; they drive me from place to place, and
build up siege ramps against me.
13 They destroy my path; they succeed in destroying me without anyone assisting
them.
14 They come in as through a wide breach; amid the crash they come rolling in.
15 Terrors are turned loose on me; they drive away my honor like the wind, and
like a cloud my deliverance has passed away.
16 Job’s Despondency“And now my soul pours itself out within me; days of
suffering take hold of me.
17 Night pierces my bones; my gnawing pains never cease.
18 With great power God grasps my clothing; he binds me like the collar of my
tunic.
19 He has flung me into the mud, and I have come to resemble dust and ashes.
20 I cry out to you, but you do not answer me; I stand up, and you only look at
me.
21 You have become cruel to me; with the strength of your hand you attack me.
22 You pick me up on the wind and make me ride on it; you toss me about in the
storm.
23 I know that you are bringing me to death, to the meeting place for all the
living.
24 The Contrast With the Past“Surely one does not stretch out his hand against
a broken man when he cries for help in his distress.
25 Have I not wept for the unfortunate? Was not my soul grieved for the poor?
26 But when I hoped for good, trouble came; when I expected light, then darkness
came.
27 My heart is in turmoil unceasingly; the days of my affliction confront me.
28 I go about blackened, but not by the sun; in the assembly I stand up and cry
for help.
29 I have become a brother to jackals and a companion of ostriches.
30 My skin has turned dark on me; my body is hot with fever.
31 My harp is used for mourning and my flute for the sound of weeping.

Chapter 31

1 Job Vindicates Himself“I made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I
entertain thoughts against a virgin?
2 What then would be one’s lot from God above, one’s heritage from the
Almighty on high?
3 Is it not misfortune for the unjust, and disaster for those who work iniquity?
4 Does he not see my ways and count all my steps?
5 If I have walked in falsehood, and if my foot has hastened to deceit–
6 let him weigh me with honest scales; then God will discover my integrity.
7 If my footsteps have strayed from the way, if my heart has gone after my eyes,
or if anything has defiled my hands,
8 then let me sow and let another eat, and let my crops be uprooted.
9 If my heart has been enticed by a woman, and I have lain in wait at my
neighbor’s door,
10 then let my wife turn the millstone for another man, and may other men commit
adultery with her.
11 For I would have committed a shameful act, an iniquity to be judged.
12 For it is a fire that devours even to Destruction, and it would uproot all my
harvest.
13 “If I have disregarded the right of my male servants or my female servants
when they disputed with me,
14 then what will I do when God confronts me in judgment; when he intervenes,
how will I respond to him?
15 Did not the one who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same one form
us in the womb?
16 If I have refused to give the poor what they desired, or caused the eyes of
the widow to fail,
17 If I ate my morsel of bread myself, and did not share any of it with
orphans–
18 but from my youth I raised the orphan like a father, and from my mother’s
womb I guided the widow!
19 If I have seen anyone about to perish for lack of clothing, or a poor man
without a coat,
20 whose heart did not bless me as he warmed himself with the fleece of my
sheep,
21 if I have raised my hand to vote against the orphan, when I saw my support in
the court,
22 then let my arm fall from the shoulder, let my arm be broken off at the
socket.
23 For the calamity from God was a terror to me, and by reason of his majesty I
was powerless.
24 “If I have put my confidence in gold or said to pure gold,‘You are my
security!’
25 if I have rejoiced because of the extent of my wealth, or because of the
great wealth my hand had gained,
26 if I looked at the sun when it was shining, and the moon advancing as a
precious thing,
27 so that my heart was secretly enticed, and my hand threw them a kiss from my
mouth,
28 then this also would be iniquity to be judged, for I would have been false to
God above.
29 If I have rejoiced over the misfortune of my enemy or exulted because
calamity found him–
30 I have not even permitted my mouth to sin by asking for his life through a
curse–
31 if the members of my household have never said,‘If only there were someone
who has not been satisfied from Job’s meat!’–
32 But no stranger had to spend the night outside, for I opened my doors to the
traveler–
33 if I have covered my transgressions as men do, by hiding iniquity in my
heart,
34 because I was terrified of the great multitude, and the contempt of families
terrified me, so that I remained silent and would not go outdoors–
35 Job’s Appeal“If only I had someone to hear me! Here is my signature–
let the Almighty answer me! If only I had an indictment that my accuser had
written.
36 Surely I would wear it proudly on my shoulder, I would bind it on me like a
crown;
37 I would give him an accounting of my steps; like a prince I would approach
him.
38 Job’s Final Solemn Oath“If my land cried out against me and all its
furrows wept together,
39 if I have eaten its produce without paying, or caused the death of its
owners,
40 then let thorns sprout up in place of wheat, and in place of barley,
weeds!” The words of Job are ended.

Chapter 32

1 V. The Speeches of Elihu(32:1-37:24)Elihu’s First Speech So these three men
refused to answer Job further, because he was righteous in his own eyes.
2 Then Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, became very angry.
He was angry with Job for justifying himself rather than God.
3 With Job’s three friends he was also angry, because they could not find an
answer, and so declared Job guilty.
4 Now Elihu had waited before speaking to Job, because the others were older
than he was.
5 But when Elihu saw that the three men had no further reply, he became very
angry.
6 Elihu Claims Wisdom So Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite spoke up:“I am young,
but you are elderly; that is why I was fearful, and afraid to explain to you
what I know.
7 I said to myself,‘Age should speak, and length of years should make wisdom
known.’
8 But it is a spirit in people, the breath of the Almighty, that makes them
understand.
9 It is not the aged who are wise, nor old men who understand what is right.
10 Therefore I say,‘Listen to me. I, even I, will explain what I know.’
11 Look, I waited for you to speak; I listened closely to your wise thoughts,
while you were searching for words.
12 Now I was paying you close attention, yet there was no one proving Job wrong,
not one of you was answering his statements!
13 So do not say,‘We have found wisdom! God will refute him, not man!’
14 Job has not directed his words to me, and so I will not reply to him with
your arguments.
15 Job’s Friends Failed to Answer“They are dismayed and cannot answer any
more; they have nothing left to say.
16 And I have waited. But because they do not speak, because they stand there
and answer no more,
17 I too will answer my part, I too will explain what I know.
18 For I am full of words, and the spirit within me constrains me.
19 Inside I am like wine which has no outlet, like new wineskins ready to burst!
20 I will speak, so that I may find relief; I will open my lips, so that I may
answer.
21 I will not show partiality to anyone, nor will I confer a title on any man.
22 for I do not know how to give honorary titles, if I did, my Creator would
quickly do away with me.

Chapter 33

1 Elihu Invites Job’s Attention“But now, O Job, listen to my words, and hear
everything I have to say!
2 See now, I have opened my mouth; my tongue in my mouth has spoken.
3 My words come from the uprightness of my heart, and my lips will utter
knowledge sincerely.
4 The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
5 Reply to me, if you can; set your arguments in order before me and take your
stand!
6 Look, I am just like you in relation to God; I too have been molded from clay.
7 Therefore no fear of me should terrify you, nor should my pressure be heavy on
you.
8 Elihu Rejects Job’s Plea of Innocence“Indeed, you have said in my
hearing(I heard the sound of the words!):
9 ‘I am pure, without transgression; I am clean and have no iniquity.
10 Yet God finds occasions with me; he regards me as his enemy!
11 He puts my feet in shackles; he watches closely all my paths.’
12 Now in this, you are not right– I answer you, for God is greater than a
human being.
13 Why do you contend against him, that he does not answer all a person’s
words?
14 Elihu Disagrees With Job’s View of God“For God speaks, the first time in
one way, the second time in another, though a person does not perceive it.
15 In a dream, a night vision, when deep sleep falls on people as they sleep in
their beds.
16 Then he gives a revelation to people, and terrifies them with warnings,
17 to turn a person from his sin, and to cover a person’s pride.
18 He spares a person’s life from corruption, his very life from crossing over
the river.
19 Or a person is chastened by pain on his bed, and with the continual strife of
his bones,
20 so that his life loathes food, and his soul rejects appetizing fare.
21 His flesh wastes away from sight, and his bones, which were not seen, are
easily visible.
22 He draws near to the place of corruption, and his life to the messengers of
death.
23 If there is an angel beside him, one mediator out of a thousand, to tell a
person what constitutes his uprightness;
24 and if God is gracious to him and says,‘Spare him from going down to the
place of corruption, I have found a ransom for him,’
25 then his flesh is restored like a youth’s; he returns to the days of his
youthful vigor.
26 He entreats God, and God delights in him, he sees God’s face with
rejoicing, and God restores to him his righteousness.
27 That person sings to others, saying:‘I have sinned and falsified what is
right, but I was not punished according to what I deserved.
28 He redeemed my life from going down to the place of corruption, and my life
sees the light!’
29 Elihu’s Appeal to Job“Indeed, God does all these things, twice, three
times, in his dealings with a person,
30 to turn back his life from the place of corruption, that he may be
enlightened with the light of life.
31 Pay attention, Job– listen to me; be silent, and I will speak.
32 If you have any words, reply to me; speak, for I want to justify you.
33 If not, you listen to me; be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”

Chapter 34

1 Elihu’s Second Speech Elihu answered:
2 “Listen to my words, you wise men; hear me, you learned men.
3 For the ear assesses words as the mouth tastes food.
4 Let us evaluate for ourselves what is right; let us come to know among
ourselves what is good.
5 For Job says,‘I am innocent, but God turns away my right.
6 Concerning my right, should I lie? My wound is incurable, although I am
without transgression.’
7 What man is like Job, who drinks derision like water!
8 He goes about in company with evildoers, he goes along with wicked men.
9 For he says,‘It does not profit a man when he makes his delight with God.’
10 God is Not Unjust“Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be
it from God to do wickedness, from the Almighty to do evil.
11 For he repays a person for his work, and according to the conduct of a
person, he causes the consequences to find him.
12 Indeed, in truth, God does not act wickedly, and the Almighty does not
pervert justice.
13 Who entrusted to him the earth? And who put him over the whole world?
14 If God were to set his heart on it, and gather in his spirit and his breath,
15 all flesh would perish together and human beings would return to dust.
16 God Is Impartial and Omniscient“If you have understanding, listen to this,
hear what I have to say.
17 Do you really think that one who hates justice can govern? And will you
declare guilty the supremely Righteous One,
18 who says to a king,‘Worthless man’ and to nobles,‘Wicked men,’
19 who shows no partiality to princes, and does not take note of the rich more
than the poor, because all of them are the work of his hands?
20 In a moment they die, in the middle of the night, people are shaken and they
pass away. The mighty are removed effortlessly.
21 For his eyes are on the ways of an individual, he observes all a person’s
steps.
22 There is no darkness, and no deep darkness, where evildoers can hide
themselves.
23 For he does not still consider a person, that he should come before God in
judgment.
24 He shatters the great without inquiry, and sets up others in their place.
25 Therefore, he knows their deeds, he overthrows them in the night and they are
crushed.
26 He strikes them for their wickedness, in a place where people can see,
27 because they have turned away from following him, and have not understood any
of his ways,
28 so that they caused the cry of the poor to come before him, so that he hears
the cry of the needy.
29 But if God is quiet, who can condemn him? If he hides his face, then who can
see him? Yet he is over the individual and the nation alike,
30 so that the godless man should not rule, and not lay snares for the people.
31 Job Is Foolish to Rebel“Has anyone said to God,‘I have endured
chastisement, but I will not act wrongly any more.
32 Teach me what I cannot see. If I have done evil, I will do so no more.’
33 Is it your opinion that God should recompense it, because you reject this?
But you must choose, and not I, so tell us what you know.
34 Men of understanding say to me– any wise man listening to me says–
35 that Job speaks without knowledge and his words are without understanding.
36 But Job will be tested to the end, because his answers are like those of
wicked men.
37 For he adds transgression to his sin; in our midst he claps his hands, and
multiplies his words against God.”

Chapter 35

1 Elihu’s Third Speech Then Elihu answered:
2 “Do you think this to be just: when you say,‘My right before God.’
3 But you say,‘What will it profit you,’ and,‘What do I gain by not
sinning?’
4 I will reply to you, and to your friends with you.
5 Gaze at the heavens and see; consider the clouds, which are higher than you!
6 If you sin, how does it affect God? If your transgressions are many, what does
it do to him?
7 If you are righteous, what do you give to God, or what does he receive from
your hand?
8 Your wickedness affects only a person like yourself, and your righteousness
only other people.
9 “People cry out because of the excess of oppression; they cry out for help
because of the power of the mighty.
10 But no one says,‘Where is God, my Creator, who gives songs in the night,
11 who teaches us more than the wild animals of the earth, and makes us wiser
than the birds of the sky?’
12 Then they cry out– but he does not answer– because of the arrogance of
the wicked.
13 Surely it is an empty cry– God does not hear it; the Almighty does not take
notice of it.
14 How much less, then, when you say that you do not perceive him, that the case
is before him and you are waiting for him!
15 And further, when you say that his anger does not punish, and that he does
not know transgression!
16 So Job opens his mouth to no purpose; without knowledge he multiplies
words.”

Chapter 36

1 Elihu’s Fourth Speech Elihu said further:
2 “Be patient with me a little longer and I will instruct you, for I still
have words to speak on God’s behalf.
3 With my knowledge I will speak comprehensively, and to my Creator I will
ascribe righteousness.
4 For in truth, my words are not false; it is one complete in knowledge who is
with you.
5 Indeed, God is mighty; and he does not despise people, he is mighty, and firm
in his intent.
6 He does not allow the wicked to live, but he gives justice to the poor.
7 He does not take his eyes off the righteous; but with kings on the throne he
seats the righteous and exalts them forever.
8 But if they are bound in chains, and held captive by the cords of affliction,
9 then he reveals to them what they have done, and their transgressions, that
they were behaving proudly.
10 And he reveals this for correction, and says that they must turn from evil.
11 If they obey and serve him, they live out their days in prosperity and their
years in pleasantness.
12 But if they refuse to listen, they pass over the river of death, and expire
without knowledge.
13 The godless at heart nourish anger, they do not cry out even when he binds
them.
14 They die in their youth, and their life ends among the male cultic
prostitutes.
15 He delivers the afflicted by their afflictions, he reveals himself to them by
their suffering.
16 And surely, he drew you from the mouth of distress, to a wide place,
unrestricted, and to the comfort of your table filled with rich food.
17 But now you are preoccupied with the judgment due the wicked, judgment and
justice take hold of you.
18 Be careful that no one entices you with riches; do not let a large bribe turn
you aside.
19 Would your wealth sustain you, so that you would not be in distress, even all
your mighty efforts?
20 Do not long for the cover of night to drag people away from their homes.
21 Take heed, do not turn to evil, for because of this you have been tested by
affliction.
22 Indeed, God is exalted in his power; who is a teacher like him?
23 Who has prescribed his ways for him? Or said to him,‘You have done what is
wicked’?
24 Remember to extol his work, which people have praised in song.
25 All humanity has seen it; people gaze on it from afar.
26 The Work and Wisdom of God“Yes, God is great– beyond our knowledge! The
number of his years is unsearchable.
27 He draws up drops of water; they distill the rain into its mist,
28 which the clouds pour down and shower on humankind abundantly.
29 Who can understand the spreading of the clouds, the thunderings of his
pavilion?
30 See how he scattered his lightning about him; he has covered the depths of
the sea.
31 It is by these that he judges the nations and supplies food in abundance.
32 With his hands he covers the lightning, and directs it against its target.
33 His thunder announces the coming storm, the cattle also, concerning the
storm’s approach.

Chapter 37

1 At this also my heart pounds and leaps from its place.
2 Listen carefully to the thunder of his voice, to the rumbling that proceeds
from his mouth.
3 Under the whole heaven he lets it go, even his lightning to the far corners of
the earth.
4 After that a voice roars; he thunders with an exalted voice, and he does not
hold back his lightning bolts when his voice is heard.
5 God thunders with his voice in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our
understanding.
6 For to the snow he says,‘Fall to earth,’ and to the torrential
rains,‘Pour down.’
7 He causes everyone to stop working, so that all people may know his work.
8 The wild animals go to their lairs, and in their dens they remain.
9 A tempest blows out from its chamber, icy cold from the driving winds.
10 The breath of God produces ice, and the breadth of the waters freeze solid.
11 He loads the clouds with moisture; he scatters his lightning through the
clouds.
12 The clouds go round in circles, wheeling about according to his plans, to
carry out all that he commands them over the face of the whole inhabited world.
13 Whether it is for punishment, or for his land, or for mercy, he causes it to
find its mark.
14 “Pay attention to this, Job! Stand still and consider the wonders God
works.
15 Do you know how God commands them, how he makes lightning flash in his storm
cloud?
16 Do you know about the balancing of the clouds, that wondrous activity of him
who is perfect in knowledge?
17 You, whose garments are hot when the earth is still because of the south
wind,
18 will you, with him, spread out the clouds, solid as a mirror of molten metal?
19 Tell us what we should say to him. We cannot prepare a case because of the
darkness.
20 Should he be informed that I want to speak? If a man speaks, surely he will
be swallowed up!
21 But now, the sun cannot be looked at– it is bright in the skies– after a
wind passed and swept the clouds away.
22 From the north he comes in golden splendor; around God is awesome majesty.
23 As for the Almighty, we cannot attain to him! He is great in power, but
justice and abundant righteousness he does not oppress.
24 Therefore people fear him, for he does not regard all the wise in heart.”

Chapter 38

1 VI. The Divine Speeches(38:1-42:6)The Lord’s First Speech Then the LORD
answered Job out of the whirlwind:
2 “Who is this who darkens counsel with words without knowledge?
3 Get ready for a difficult task like a man; I will question you and you will
inform me!
4 God’s questions to Job“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the
earth? Tell me, if you possess understanding!
5 Who set its measurements– if you know– or who stretched a measuring line
across it?
6 On what were its bases set, or who laid its cornerstone–
7 when the morning stars sang in chorus, and all the sons of God shouted for
joy?
8 “Who shut up the sea with doors when it burst forth, coming out of the womb,
9 when I made the storm clouds its garment, and thick darkness its swaddling
band,
10 when I prescribed its limits, and set in place its bolts and doors,
11 when I said,‘To here you may come and no farther, here your proud waves
will be confined’?
12 Have you ever in your life commanded the morning, or made the dawn know its
place,
13 that it might seize the corners of the earth, and shake the wicked out of it?
14 The earth takes shape like clay under a seal; its features are dyed like a
garment.
15 Then from the wicked the light is withheld, and the arm raised in violence is
broken.
16 Have you gone to the springs that fill the sea, or walked about in the
recesses of the deep?
17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Have you seen the gates of
deepest darkness?
18 Have you considered the vast expanses of the earth? Tell me, if you know it
all!
19 “In what direction does light reside, and darkness, where is its place,
20 that you may take them to their borders and perceive the pathways to their
homes?
21 You know, for you were born before them; and the number of your days is
great!
22 Have you entered the storehouse of the snow, or seen the armory of the hail,
23 which I reserve for the time of trouble, for the day of war and battle?
24 In what direction is lightning dispersed, or the east winds scattered over
the earth?
25 Who carves out a channel for the heavy rains, and a path for the rumble of
thunder,
26 to cause it to rain on an uninhabited land, a wilderness where there are no
human beings,
27 to satisfy a devastated and desolate land, and to cause it to sprout with
vegetation?
28 Does the rain have a father, or who has fathered the drops of the dew?
29 From whose womb does the ice emerge, and the frost from the sky, who gives
birth to it,
30 when the waters become hard like stone, when the surface of the deep is
frozen solid?
31 Can you tie the bands of the Pleiades, or release the cords of Orion?
32 Can you lead out the constellations in their seasons, or guide the Bear with
its cubs?
33 Do you know the laws of the heavens, or can you set up their rule over the
earth?
34 Can you raise your voice to the clouds so that a flood of water covers you?
35 Can you send out lightning bolts, and they go? Will they say to you,‘Here
we are’?
36 Who has put wisdom in the heart, or has imparted understanding to the mind?
37 Who by wisdom can count the clouds, and who can tip over the water jars of
heaven,
38 when the dust hardens into a mass, and the clumps of earth stick together?
39 “Do you hunt prey for the lioness, and satisfy the appetite of the lions,
40 when they crouch in their dens, when they wait in ambush in the thicket?
41 Who prepares prey for the raven, when its young cry out to God and wander
about for lack of food?

Chapter 39

1 “Are you acquainted with the way the mountain goats give birth? Do you watch
as the wild deer give birth to their young?
2 Do you count the months they must fulfill, and do you know the time they give
birth?
3 They crouch, they bear their young, they bring forth the offspring they have
carried.
4 Their young grow strong, and grow up in the open; they go off, and do not
return to them.
5 Who let the wild donkey go free? Who released the bonds of the donkey,
6 to whom I appointed the arid rift valley for its home, the salt wastes as its
dwelling place?
7 It scorns the tumult in the town; it does not hear the shouts of a driver.
8 It ranges the hills as its pasture, and searches after every green plant.
9 Is the wild ox willing to be your servant? Will it spend the night at your
feeding trough?
10 Can you bind the wild ox to a furrow with its rope, will it till the valleys,
following after you?
11 Will you rely on it because its strength is great? Will you commit your labor
to it?
12 Can you count on it to bring in your grain, and gather the grain to your
threshing floor?
13 “The wings of the ostrich flap with joy, but are they the pinions and
plumage of a stork?
14 For she leaves her eggs on the ground, and lets them be warmed on the soil.
15 She forgets that a foot might crush them, or that a wild animal might trample
them.
16 She is harsh with her young, as if they were not hers; she is unconcerned
about the uselessness of her labor.
17 For God deprived her of wisdom, and did not impart understanding to her.
18 But as soon as she springs up, she laughs at the horse and its rider.
19 “Do you give the horse its strength? Do you clothe its neck with a mane?
20 Do you make it leap like a locust? Its proud neighing is terrifying!
21 It paws the ground in the valley, exulting mightily, it goes out to meet the
weapons.
22 It laughs at fear and is not dismayed; it does not shy away from the sword.
23 On it the quiver rattles; the lance and javelin flash.
24 In excitement and impatience it consumes the ground; it cannot stand still
when the trumpet is blown.
25 At the sound of the trumpet, it says,‘Aha!’ And from a distance it
catches the scent of battle, the thunderous shouting of commanders, and the
battle cries.
26 “Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars, and spreads its wings
toward the south?
27 Is it at your command that the eagle soars, and builds its nest on high?
28 It lives on a rock and spends the night there, on a rocky crag and a
fortress.
29 From there it spots its prey, its eyes gaze intently from a distance.
30 And its young ones devour the blood, and where the dead carcasses are, there
it is.”

Chapter 40

1 Job’s Reply to God’s Challenge Then the LORD answered Job:
2 “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let the person who
accuses God give him an answer!”
3 Then Job answered the LORD:
4 “Indeed, I am completely unworthy– how could I reply to you? I put my hand
over my mouth to silence myself.
5 I have spoken once, but I cannot answer; twice, but I will say no more.”
6 The Lord’s Second Speech Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind:
7 “Get ready for a difficult task like a man. I will question you and you will
inform me!
8 Would you indeed annul my justice? Would you declare me guilty so that you
might be right?
9 Do you have an arm as powerful as God’s, and can you thunder with a voice
like his?
10 Adorn yourself, then, with majesty and excellency, and clothe yourself with
glory and honor!
11 Scatter abroad the abundance of your anger. Look at every proud man and bring
him low;
12 Look at every proud man and abase him; crush the wicked on the spot!
13 Hide them in the dust together, imprison them in the grave.
14 Then I myself will acknowledge to you that your own right hand can save you.
15 The Description of Behemoth“Look now at Behemoth, which I made as I made
you; it eats grass like the ox.
16 Look at its strength in its loins, and its power in the muscles of its belly.
17 It makes its tail stiff like a cedar, the sinews of its thighs are tightly
wound.
18 Its bones are tubes of bronze, its limbs like bars of iron.
19 It ranks first among the works of God, the One who made it has furnished it
with a sword.
20 For the hills bring it food, where all the wild animals play.
21 Under the lotus trees it lies, in the secrecy of the reeds and the marsh.
22 The lotus trees conceal it in their shadow; the poplars by the stream conceal
it.
23 If the river rages, it is not disturbed, it is secure, though the Jordan
should surge up to its mouth.
24 Can anyone catch it by its eyes, or pierce its nose with a snare?

Chapter 41

1 The Description of Leviathan(40:25)“Can you pull in Leviathan with a hook,
and tie down its tongue with a rope?
2 Can you put a cord through its nose, or pierce its jaw with a hook?
3 Will it make numerous supplications to you, will it speak to you with tender
words?
4 Will it make a pact with you, so you could take it as your slave for life?
5 Can you play with it, like a bird, or tie it on a leash for your girls?
6 Will partners bargain for it? Will they divide it up among the merchants?
7 Can you fill its hide with harpoons or its head with fishing spears?
8 If you lay your hand on it, you will remember the fight. Do not do it again!
9 (41:1) See, his expectation is wrong, he is laid low even at the sight of it.
10 Is it not fierce when it is awakened? Who is he, then, who can stand before
it?
11 (Who has confronted me that I should repay? Everything under heaven belongs
to me!)
12 I will not keep silent about its limbs, and the extent of its might, and the
grace of its arrangement.
13 Who can uncover its outer covering? Who can penetrate to the inside of its
armor?
14 Who can open the doors of its mouth? Its teeth all around are fearsome.
15 Its back has rows of shields, shut up closely together as with a seal;
16 each one is so close to the next that no air can come between them.
17 They lock tightly together, one to the next; they cling together and cannot
be separated.
18 Its snorting throws out flashes of light; its eyes are like the red glow of
dawn.
19 Out of its mouth go flames, sparks of fire shoot forth!
20 Smoke streams from its nostrils as from a boiling pot over burning rushes.
21 Its breath sets coals ablaze and a flame shoots from its mouth.
22 Strength lodges in its neck, and despair runs before it.
23 The folds of its flesh are tightly joined; they are firm on it, immovable.
24 Its heart is hard as rock, hard as a lower millstone.
25 When it rises up, the mighty are terrified, at its thrashing about they
withdraw.
26 Whoever strikes it with a sword will have no effect, nor with the spear,
arrow, or dart.
27 It regards iron as straw and bronze as rotten wood.
28 Arrows do not make it flee; slingstones become like chaff to it.
29 A club is counted as a piece of straw; it laughs at the rattling of the
lance.
30 Its underparts are the sharp points of potsherds, it leaves its mark in the
mud like a threshing sledge.
31 It makes the deep boil like a cauldron and stirs up the sea like a pot of
ointment,
32 It leaves a glistening wake behind it; one would think the deep had a head of
white hair.
33 The likes of it is not on earth, a creature without fear.
34 It looks on every haughty being; it is king over all that are proud.”

Chapter 42

1 Job’s Confession Then Job answered the LORD:
2 “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted;
3 you asked,‘Who is this who darkens counsel without knowledge?’ But I have
declared without understanding things too wonderful for me to know.
4 You said,‘Pay attention, and I will speak; I will question you, and you will
answer me.’
5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye has seen you.
6 Therefore I despise myself, and I repent in dust and ashes!
7 After the LORD had spoken these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the
Temanite,“My anger is stirred up against you and your two friends, because you
have not spoken about me what is right, as my servant Job has.
8 So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer a
burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job will intercede for you, and I
will respect him, so that I do not deal with you according to your folly,
because you have not spoken about me what is right, as my servant Job has.”
9 So they went, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the
Naamathite, and did just as the LORD had told them; and the LORD had respect for
Job.
10 So the LORD restored what Job had lost after he prayed for his friends, and
the LORD doubled all that had belonged to Job.
11 So they came to him, all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him
before, and they dined with him in his house. They comforted him and consoled
him for all the trouble the LORD had brought on him, and each one gave him a
piece of silver and a gold ring.
12 So the LORD blessed the second part of Job’s life more than the first. He
had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys.
13 And he also had seven sons and three daughters.
14 The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third
Keren-Happuch.
15 Nowhere in all the land could women be found who were as beautiful as Job’s
daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance alongside their
brothers.
16 After this Job lived 140 years; he saw his children and their children to the
fourth generation.
17 And so Job died, old and full of days.


Psalms

Psalm 1

1 ¶ Book 1(Psalms 1-41) How blessed is the one who does not follow the advice
of the wicked, or stand in the pathway with sinners, or sit in the assembly of
scoffers!
2 Instead he finds pleasure in obeying the LORD’s commands; he meditates on
his commands day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by flowing streams; it yields its fruit at the
proper time, and its leaves never fall off. He succeeds in everything he
attempts.
4 Not so with the wicked! Instead they are like wind-driven chaff.
5 For this reason the wicked cannot withstand judgment, nor can sinners join the
assembly of the godly.
6 Certainly the LORD guards the way of the godly, but the way of the wicked ends
in destruction.

Psalm 2

1 Why do the nations rebel? Why are the countries devising plots that will fail?
2 The kings of the earth form a united front; the rulers collaborate against the
LORD and his anointed king.
3 They say,“Let’s tear off the shackles they’ve put on us! Let’s free
ourselves from their ropes!”
4 The one enthroned in heaven laughs in disgust; the Lord taunts them.
5 Then he angrily speaks to them and terrifies them in his rage, saying,
6 “I myself have installed my king on Zion, my holy hill.”
7 The king says,“I will announce the LORD’s decree. He said to me:‘You are
my son! This very day I have become your father!
8 Ask me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the ends of the
earth as your personal property.
9 You will break them with an iron scepter; you will smash them like a
potter’s jar!’”
10 So now, you kings, do what is wise; you rulers of the earth, submit to
correction!
11 Serve the LORD in fear! Repent in terror!
12 Give sincere homage! Otherwise he will be angry, and you will die because of
your behavior, when his anger quickly ignites. How blessed are all who take
shelter in him!

Psalm 3

1 A psalm of David, written when he fled from his son Absalom. LORD, how
numerous are my enemies! Many attack me.
2 Many say about me,“God will not deliver him.”(Selah)
3 But you, LORD, are a shield that protects me; you are my glory and the one who
restores me.
4 To the LORD I cried out, and he answered me from his holy hill.(Selah)
5 I rested and slept; I awoke, for the LORD protects me.
6 I am not afraid of the multitude of people who attack me from all directions.
7 Rise up, LORD! Deliver me, my God! Yes, you will strike all my enemies on the
jaw; you will break the teeth of the wicked.
8 The LORD delivers; you show favor to your people.(Selah)

Psalm 4

1 For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm of
David. When I call out, answer me, O God who vindicates me! Though I am hemmed
in, you will lead me into a wide, open place. Have mercy on me and respond to my
prayer!
2 You men, how long will you try to turn my honor into shame? How long will you
love what is worthless and search for what is deceptive?(Selah)
3 Realize that the LORD shows the godly special favor; the LORD responds when I
cry out to him.
4 Tremble with fear and do not sin! Meditate as you lie in bed, and repent of
your ways!(Selah)
5 Offer the prescribed sacrifices and trust in the LORD!
6 Many say,“Who can show us anything good?” Smile upon us, LORD!
7 You make me happier than those who have abundant grain and wine.
8 I will lie down and sleep peacefully, for you, LORD, make me safe and secure.

Psalm 5

1 For the music director, to be accompanied by wind instruments; a psalm of
David. Listen to what I say, LORD! Carefully consider my complaint!
2 Pay attention to my cry for help, my king and my God, for I am praying to you!
3 LORD, in the morning you will hear me; in the morning I will present my case
to you and then wait expectantly for an answer.
4 Certainly you are not a God who approves of evil; evil people cannot dwell
with you.
5 Arrogant people cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who behave
wickedly.
6 You destroy liars; the LORD despises violent and deceitful people.
7 But as for me, because of your great faithfulness I will enter your house; I
will bow down toward your holy temple as I worship you.
8 LORD, lead me in your righteousness because of those who wait to ambush me,
remove the obstacles in the way in which you are guiding me!
9 For they do not speak the truth; their stomachs are like the place of
destruction, their throats like an open grave, their tongues like a steep slope
leading into it.
10 Condemn them, O God! May their own schemes be their downfall! Drive them away
because of their many acts of insurrection, for they have rebelled against you.
11 But may all who take shelter in you be happy! May they continually shout for
joy! Shelter them so that those who are loyal to you may rejoice!
12 Certainly you reward the godly, LORD. Like a shield you protect them in your
good favor.

Psalm 6

1 For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments, according
to the sheminith style; a psalm of David. LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger!
Do not discipline me in your raging fury!
2 Have mercy on me, LORD, for I am frail! Heal me, LORD, for my bones are
shaking!
3 I am absolutely terrified, and you, LORD– how long will this continue?
4 Relent, LORD, rescue me! Deliver me because of your faithfulness!
5 For no one remembers you in the realm of death, In Sheol who gives you thanks?
6 I am exhausted as I groan; all night long I drench my bed in tears; my tears
saturate the cushion beneath me.
7 My eyes grow dim from suffering; they grow weak because of all my enemies.
8 Turn back from me, all you who behave wickedly, for the LORD has heard the
sound of my weeping!
9 The LORD has heard my appeal for mercy; the LORD has accepted my prayer.
10 They will be humiliated and absolutely terrified! All my enemies will turn
back and be suddenly humiliated!

Psalm 7

1 A musical composition by David, which he sang to the LORD concerning a
Benjaminite named Cush. O LORD my God, in you I have taken shelter. Deliver me
from all who chase me! Rescue me!
2 Otherwise they will rip me to shreds like a lion; they will tear me to bits
and no one will be able to rescue me.
3 O LORD my God, if I have done what they say, or am guilty of unjust actions,
4 or have wronged my ally, or helped his lawless enemy,
5 may an enemy relentlessly chase me and catch me; may he trample me to death
and leave me lying dishonored in the dust.(Selah)
6 Stand up angrily, LORD! Rise up with raging fury against my enemies! Wake up
for my sake and execute the judgment you have decreed for them!
7 The countries are assembled all around you; take once more your rightful place
over them!
8 The LORD judges the nations. Vindicate me, LORD, because I am innocent,
because I am blameless, O Exalted One!
9 May the evil deeds of the wicked come to an end! But make the innocent secure,
O righteous God, you who examine inner thoughts and motives!
10 The Exalted God is my shield, the one who delivers the morally upright.
11 God is a just judge; he is angry throughout the day.
12 If a person does not repent, God will wield his sword. He has prepared to
shoot his bow.
13 He has prepared deadly weapons to use against him; he gets ready to shoot
flaming arrows.
14 See the one who is pregnant with wickedness, who conceives destructive plans,
and gives birth to harmful lies–
15 he digs a pit and then falls into the hole he has made.
16 He becomes the victim of his own destructive plans and the violence he
intended for others falls on his own head.
17 I will thank the LORD for his justice; I will sing praises to the LORD Most
High!

Psalm 8

1 For the music director, according to the gittith style; a psalm of David. O
LORD, our Lord, how magnificent is your reputation throughout the earth! You
reveal your majesty in the heavens above!
2 From the mouths of children and nursing babies you have ordained praise on
account of your adversaries, so that you might put an end to the vindictive
enemy.
3 When I look up at the heavens, which your fingers made, and see the moon and
the stars, which you set in place,
4 Of what importance is the human race, that you should notice them? Of what
importance is mankind, that you should pay attention to them?
5 You made them a little less than the heavenly beings. You crowned mankind with
honor and majesty.
6 you appoint them to rule over your creation; you have placed everything under
their authority,
7 including all the sheep and cattle, as well as the wild animals,
8 the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea and everything that moves through
the currents of the seas.
9 O LORD, our Lord, how magnificent is your reputation throughout the earth!

Psalm 9

1 For the music director; according to the alumoth-labben style; a psalm of
David. I will thank the LORD with all my heart! I will tell about all your
amazing deeds!
2 I will be happy and rejoice in you! I will sing praises to you, O Most High!
3 When my enemies turn back, they trip and are defeated before you.
4 For you defended my just cause; from your throne you pronounced a just
decision.
5 You terrified the nations with your battle cry; you destroyed the wicked; you
permanently wiped out all memory of them.
6 The enemy’s cities have been reduced to permanent ruins; you destroyed their
cities; all memory of the enemies has perished.
7 But the LORD rules forever; he reigns in a just manner.
8 He judges the world fairly; he makes just legal decisions for the nations.
9 Consequently the LORD provides safety for the oppressed; he provides safety in
times of trouble.
10 Your loyal followers trust in you, for you, LORD, do not abandon those who
seek your help.
11 Sing praises to the LORD, who rules in Zion! Tell the nations what he has
done!
12 For the one who takes revenge against murderers took notice of the oppressed;
he did not overlook their cry for help
13 when they prayed:“Have mercy on me, LORD! See how I am oppressed by those
who hate me, O one who can snatch me away from the gates of death!
14 Then I will tell about all your praiseworthy acts; in the gates of Daughter
Zion I will rejoice because of your deliverance.”
15 The nations fell into the pit they had made; their feet were caught in the
net they had hidden.
16 The LORD revealed himself; he accomplished justice; the wicked were ensnared
by their own actions.(Higgaion. Selah)
17 The wicked are turned back and sent to Sheol; this is the destiny of all the
nations that ignore God,
18 for the needy are not permanently ignored, the hopes of the oppressed are not
forever dashed.
19 Rise up, LORD! Don’t let men be defiant! May the nations be judged in your
presence!
20 Terrify them, LORD! Let the nations know they are mere mortals!(Selah)

Psalm 10

1 Why, LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you pay no attention during times of
trouble?
2 The wicked arrogantly chase the oppressed; the oppressed are trapped by the
schemes the wicked have dreamed up.
3 Yes, the wicked man boasts because he gets what he wants; the one who robs
others curses and rejects the LORD.
4 The wicked man is so arrogant he always thinks,“God won’t hold me
accountable; he doesn’t care.”
5 He is secure at all times. He has no regard for your commands; he disdains all
his enemies.
6 He says to himself,“I will never be shaken, because I experience no
calamity.”
7 His mouth is full of curses and deceptive, harmful words; his tongue injures
and destroys.
8 He waits in ambush near the villages; in hidden places he kills the innocent.
His eyes look for some unfortunate victim.
9 He lies in ambush in a hidden place, like a lion in a thicket; he lies in
ambush, waiting to catch the oppressed; he catches the oppressed by pulling in
his net.
10 His victims are crushed and beaten down; they are trapped in his sturdy nets.
11 He says to himself,“God overlooks it; he does not pay attention; he never
notices.”
12 Rise up, LORD! O God, strike him down! Do not forget the oppressed!
13 Why does the wicked man reject God? He says to himself,“You will not hold
me accountable.”
14 You have taken notice, for you always see one who inflicts pain and
suffering. The unfortunate victim entrusts his cause to you; you deliver the
fatherless.
15 Break the arm of the wicked and evil man! Hold him accountable for his wicked
deeds, which he thought you would not discover.
16 The LORD rules forever! The nations are driven out of his land.
17 LORD, you have heard the request of the oppressed; you make them feel secure
because you listen to their prayer.
18 You defend the fatherless and oppressed, so that mere mortals may no longer
terrorize them.

Psalm 11

1 For the music director; by David. In the LORD I have taken shelter. How can
you say to me,“Flee to a mountain like a bird!
2 For look, the wicked prepare their bows, they put their arrows on the strings,
to shoot in the darkness at the morally upright.
3 When the foundations are destroyed, what can the godly accomplish?”
4 The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD’s throne is in heaven. His eyes
watch; his eyes examine all people.
5 The LORD approves of the godly, but he hates the wicked and those who love to
do violence.
6 May he rain down burning coals and brimstone on the wicked! A whirlwind is
what they deserve!
7 Certainly the LORD is just; he rewards godly deeds; the upright will
experience his favor.

Psalm 12

1 For the music director; according to the sheminith style; a psalm of David.
Deliver, LORD! For the godly have disappeared; people of integrity have
vanished.
2 People lie to one another; they flatter and deceive.
3 May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that boasts!
4 They say,“We speak persuasively; we know how to flatter and boast. Who is
our master?”
5 “Because of the violence done to the oppressed, because of the painful cries
of the needy, I will spring into action,” says the LORD.“I will provide the
safety they so desperately desire.”
6 The LORD’s words are absolutely reliable. They are as untainted as silver
purified in a furnace on the ground, where it is thoroughly refined.
7 You, LORD, will protect them; you will continually shelter each one from these
evil people,
8 for the wicked seem to be everywhere, when people promote evil.

Psalm 13

1 For the music director; a psalm of David. How long, LORD, will you continue to
ignore me? How long will you pay no attention to me?
2 How long must I worry, and suffer in broad daylight? How long will my enemy
gloat over me?
3 Look at me! Answer me, O LORD my God! Revive me, or else I will die!
4 Then my enemy will say,“I have defeated him!” Then my foes will rejoice
because I am shaken.
5 But I trust in your faithfulness. May I rejoice because of your deliverance!
6 I will sing praises to the LORD when he vindicates me.

Psalm 14

1 For the music director; by David. Fools say to themselves,“There is no
God.” They sin and commit evil deeds; none of them does what is right.
2 The LORD looks down from heaven at the human race, to see if there is anyone
who is wise and seeks God.
3 Everyone rejects God; they are all morally corrupt. None of them does what is
right, not even one!
4 All those who behave wickedly do not understand– those who devour my people
as if they were eating bread, and do not call out to the LORD.
5 They are absolutely terrified, for God defends the godly.
6 You want to humiliate the oppressed, even though the LORD is their shelter.
7 I wish the deliverance of Israel would come from Zion! When the LORD restores
the well-being of his people, may Jacob rejoice, may Israel be happy!

Psalm 15

1 A psalm of David. LORD, who may be a guest in your home? Who may live on your
holy hill?
2 Whoever lives a blameless life, does what is right, and speaks honestly.
3 He does not slander, or do harm to others, or insult his neighbor.
4 He despises a reprobate, but honors the LORD’s loyal followers. He makes
firm commitments and does not renege on his promise.
5 He does not charge interest when he lends his money. He does not take bribes
to testify against the innocent. The one who lives like this will never be
shaken.

Psalm 16

1 A prayer of David. Protect me, O God, for I have taken shelter in you.
2 I say to the LORD,“You are the Lord, my only source of well-being.”
3 As for God’s chosen people who are in the land, and the leading officials I
admired so much–
4 their troubles multiply; they desire other gods. I will not pour out drink
offerings of blood to their gods, nor will I make vows in the name of their
gods.
5 LORD, you give me stability and prosperity; you make my future secure.
6 It is as if I have been given fertile fields or received a beautiful tract of
land.
7 I will praise the LORD who guides me; yes, during the night I reflect and
learn.
8 I constantly trust in the LORD; because he is at my right hand, I will not be
shaken.
9 So my heart rejoices and I am happy; My life is safe.
10 You will not abandon me to Sheol; you will not allow your faithful follower
to see the Pit.
11 You lead me in the path of life; I experience absolute joy in your presence;
you always give me sheer delight.

Psalm 17

1 A prayer of David. LORD, consider my just cause! Pay attention to my cry for
help! Listen to the prayer I sincerely offer!
2 Make a just decision on my behalf! Decide what is right!
3 You have scrutinized my inner motives; you have examined me during the night.
You have carefully evaluated me, but you find no sin. I am determined I will say
nothing sinful.
4 As for the actions of people– just as you have commanded, I have not
followed in the footsteps of violent men.
5 I carefully obey your commands; I do not deviate from them.
6 I call to you for you will answer me, O God. Listen to me! Hear what I say!
7 Accomplish awesome, faithful deeds, you who powerfully deliver those who look
to you for protection from their enemies.
8 Protect me as you would protect the pupil of your eye! Hide me in the shadow
of your wings!
9 Protect me from the wicked men who attack me, my enemies who crowd around me
for the kill.
10 They are calloused; they speak arrogantly.
11 They attack me, now they surround me; they intend to throw me to the ground.
12 He is like a lion that wants to tear its prey to bits, like a young lion
crouching in hidden places.
13 Rise up, LORD! Confront him! Knock him down! Use your sword to rescue me from
the wicked man!
14 LORD, use your power to deliver me from these murderers, from the murderers
of this world! They enjoy prosperity; you overwhelm them with the riches they
desire. They have many children, and leave their wealth to their offspring.
15 As for me, because I am innocent I will see your face; when I awake you will
reveal yourself to me.

Psalm 18

1 For the music director; by the LORD’s servant David, who sang to the LORD
the words of this song when the LORD rescued him from the power of all his
enemies, including Saul. He said:“I love you, LORD, my source of strength!
2 The LORD is my high ridge, my stronghold, my deliverer. My God is my rocky
summit where I take shelter, my shield, the horn that saves me, and my refuge.
3 I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I was delivered from my
enemies.
4 The waves of death engulfed me, the currents of chaos overwhelmed me.
5 The ropes of Sheol tightened around me, the snares of death trapped me.
6 In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried out to my God. From his heavenly
temple he heard my voice; he listened to my cry for help.
7 The earth heaved and shook; the roots of the mountains trembled; they heaved
because he was angry.
8 Smoke ascended from his nose; fire devoured as it came from his mouth; he
hurled down fiery coals.
9 He made the sky sink as he descended; a thick cloud was under his feet.
10 He mounted a winged angel and flew; he glided on the wings of the wind.
11 He shrouded himself in darkness, in thick rain clouds.
12 From the brightness in front of him came hail and fiery coals.
13 The LORD thundered in the sky; the Most High shouted.
14 He shot his arrows and scattered them, many lightning bolts and routed them.
15 The depths of the sea were exposed; the inner regions of the world were
uncovered by your battle cry, LORD, by the powerful breath from your nose.
16 He reached down from above and took hold of me; he pulled me from the surging
water.
17 He rescued me from my strong enemy, from those who hate me, for they were too
strong for me.
18 They confronted me in my day of calamity, but the LORD helped me.
19 He brought me out into a wide open place; he delivered me because he was
pleased with me.
20 The LORD repaid me for my godly deeds; he rewarded my blameless behavior.
21 For I have obeyed the LORD’s commands; I have not rebelled against my God.
22 For I am aware of all his regulations, and I do not reject his rules.
23 I was innocent before him, and kept myself from sinning.
24 The LORD rewarded me for my godly deeds; he took notice of my blameless
behavior.
25 You prove to be loyal to one who is faithful; you prove to be trustworthy to
one who is innocent.
26 You prove to be reliable to one who is blameless, but you prove to be
deceptive to one who is perverse.
27 For you deliver oppressed people, but you bring down those who have a proud
look.
28 Indeed, you light my lamp, LORD. My God illuminates the darkness around me.
29 Indeed, with your help I can charge against an army; by my God’s power I
can jump over a wall.
30 The one true God acts in a faithful manner; the LORD’s promise is reliable;
he is a shield to all who take shelter in him.
31 Indeed, who is God besides the LORD? Who is a protector besides our God?
32 The one true God gives me strength; he removes the obstacles in my way.
33 He gives me the agility of a deer; he enables me to negotiate the rugged
terrain.
34 He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend even the strongest bow.
35 You give me your protective shield; your right hand supports me; your
willingness to help enables me to prevail.
36 You widen my path; my feet do not slip.
37 I chase my enemies and catch them; I do not turn back until I wipe them out.
38 I beat them to death; they fall at my feet.
39 You give me strength for battle; you make my foes kneel before me.
40 You make my enemies retreat; I destroy those who hate me.
41 They cry out, but there is no one to help them; they cry out to the LORD, but
he does not answer them.
42 I grind them as fine windblown dust; I beat them underfoot like clay in the
streets.
43 You rescue me from a hostile army; you make me a leader of nations; people
over whom I had no authority are now my subjects.
44 When they hear of my exploits, they submit to me. Foreigners are powerless
before me;
45 foreigners lose their courage; they shake with fear as they leave their
strongholds.
46 The LORD is alive! My protector is praiseworthy! The God who delivers me is
exalted as king!
47 The one true God completely vindicates me; he makes nations submit to me.
48 He delivers me from my enemies; you snatch me away from those who attack me;
you rescue me from violent men.
49 So I will give you thanks before the nations, O LORD! I will sing praises to
you!
50 He gives his king magnificent victories; he is faithful to his chosen ruler,
to David and his descendants forever.”

Psalm 19

1 For the music director; a psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of
God; the sky displays his handiwork.
2 Day after day it speaks out; night after night it reveals his greatness.
3 There is no actual speech or word, nor is its voice literally heard.
4 Yet its voice echoes throughout the earth; its words carry to the distant
horizon. In the sky he has pitched a tent for the sun.
5 Like a bridegroom it emerges from its chamber; like a strong man it enjoys
running its course.
6 It emerges from the distant horizon, and goes from one end of the sky to the
other; nothing can escape its heat.
7 The law of the LORD is perfect and preserves one’s life. The rules set down
by the LORD are reliable and impart wisdom to the inexperienced.
8 The LORD’s precepts are fair and make one joyful. The LORD’s commands are
pure and give insight for life.
9 The commands to fear the LORD are right and endure forever. The judgments
given by the LORD are trustworthy and absolutely just.
10 They are of greater value than gold, than even a great amount of pure gold;
they bring greater delight than honey, than even the sweetest honey from a
honeycomb.
11 Yes, your servant finds moral guidance there; those who obey them receive a
rich reward.
12 Who can know all his errors? Please do not punish me for sins I am unaware
of.
13 Moreover, keep me from committing flagrant sins; do not allow such sins to
control me. Then I will be blameless, and innocent of blatant rebellion.
14 May my words and my thoughts be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my
sheltering rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 20

1 For the music director; a psalm of David. May the LORD answer you when you are
in trouble; may the God of Jacob make you secure!
2 May he send you help from his temple; from Zion may he give you support!
3 May he take notice of all your offerings; may he accept your burnt
sacrifice!(Selah)
4 May he grant your heart’s desire; may he bring all your plans to pass!
5 Then we will shout for joy over your victory; we will rejoice in the name of
our God! May the LORD grant all your requests!
6 Now I am sure that the LORD will deliver his chosen king; he will intervene
for him from his holy heavenly temple, and display his mighty ability to
deliver.
7 Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we depend on the LORD our
God.
8 They will fall down, but we will stand firm.
9 The LORD will deliver the king; he will answer us when we call to him for
help!

Psalm 21

1 For the music director; a psalm of David. O LORD, the king rejoices in the
strength you give; he takes great delight in the deliverance you provide.
2 You grant him his heart’s desire; you do not refuse his request.(Selah)
3 For you bring him rich blessings; you place a golden crown on his head.
4 He asked you to sustain his life, and you have granted him long life and an
enduring dynasty.
5 Your deliverance brings him great honor; you give him majestic splendor.
6 For you grant him lasting blessings; you give him great joy by allowing him
into your presence.
7 For the king trusts in the LORD, and because of the Most High’s faithfulness
he is not shaken.
8 You prevail over all your enemies; your power is too great for those who hate
you.
9 You burn them up like a fiery furnace when you appear; the LORD angrily
devours them; the fire consumes them.
10 You destroy their offspring from the earth, their descendants from among the
human race.
11 Yes, they intend to do you harm; they dream up a scheme, but they do not
succeed.
12 For you make them retreat when you aim your arrows at them.
13 Rise up, O LORD, in strength! We will sing and praise your power!

Psalm 22

1 For the music director; according to the tune“Morning Doe;” a psalm of
David. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? I groan in prayer, but help
seems far away.
2 My God, I cry out during the day, but you do not answer, and during the night
my prayers do not let up.
3 You are holy; you sit as king receiving the praises of Israel.
4 In you our ancestors trusted; they trusted in you and you rescued them.
5 To you they cried out, and they were saved; in you they trusted and they were
not disappointed.
6 But I am a worm, not a man; people insult me and despise me.
7 All who see me taunt me; they mock me and shake their heads.
8 They say,“Commit yourself to the LORD! Let the LORD rescue him! Let the LORD
deliver him, for he delights in him.”
9 Yes, you are the one who brought me out from the womb and made me feel secure
on my mother’s breasts.
10 I have been dependent on you since birth; from the time I came out of my
mother’s womb you have been my God.
11 Do not remain far away from me, for trouble is near and I have no one to help
me.
12 Many bulls surround me; powerful bulls of Bashan hem me in.
13 They open their mouths to devour me like a roaring lion that rips its prey.
14 My strength drains away like water; all my bones are dislocated; my heart is
like wax; it melts away inside me.
15 The roof of my mouth is as dry as a piece of pottery; my tongue sticks to my
gums. You set me in the dust of death.
16 Yes, wild dogs surround me– a gang of evil men crowd around me; like a lion
they pin my hands and feet.
17 I can count all my bones; my enemies are gloating over me in triumph.
18 They are dividing up my clothes among themselves; they are rolling dice for
my garments.
19 But you, O LORD, do not remain far away! You are my source of strength! Hurry
and help me!
20 Deliver me from the sword! Save my life from the claws of the wild dogs!
21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lion, and from the horns of the wild oxen!
You have answered me!
22 I will declare your name to my countrymen! In the middle of the assembly I
will praise you!
23 You loyal followers of the LORD, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob,
honor him! All you descendants of Israel, stand in awe of him!
24 For he did not despise or detest the suffering of the oppressed; he did not
ignore him; when he cried out to him, he responded.
25 You are the reason I offer praise in the great assembly; I will fulfill my
promises before the LORD’s loyal followers.
26 Let the oppressed eat and be filled! Let those who seek his help praise the
LORD! May you live forever!
27 Let all the people of the earth acknowledge the LORD and turn to him! Let all
the nations worship you!
28 For the LORD is king and rules over the nations.
29 All of the thriving people of the earth will join the celebration and
worship; all those who are descending into the grave will bow before him,
including those who cannot preserve their lives.
30 A whole generation will serve him; they will tell the next generation about
the Lord.
31 They will come and tell about his saving deeds; they will tell a future
generation what he has accomplished.

Psalm 23

1 A psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He takes me to lush pastures, he leads me to refreshing water.
3 He restores my strength. He leads me down the right paths for the sake of his
reputation.
4 Even when I must walk through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you
are with me; your rod and your staff reassure me.
5 You prepare a feast before me in plain sight of my enemies. You refresh my
head with oil; my cup is completely full.
6 Surely your goodness and faithfulness will pursue me all my days, and I will
live in the LORD’s house for the rest of my life.

Psalm 24

1 A psalm of David. The LORD owns the earth and all it contains, the world and
all who live in it.
2 For he set its foundation upon the seas, and established it upon the ocean
currents.
3 Who is allowed to ascend the mountain of the LORD? Who may go up to his holy
dwelling place?
4 The one whose deeds are blameless and whose motives are pure, who does not
lie, or make promises with no intention of keeping them.
5 Such godly people are rewarded by the LORD, and vindicated by the God who
delivers them.
6 Such purity characterizes the people who seek his favor, Jacob’s
descendants, who pray to him.(Selah)
7 Look up, you gates! Rise up, you eternal doors! Then the majestic king will
enter!
8 Who is this majestic king? The LORD who is strong and mighty! The LORD who is
mighty in battle!
9 Look up, you gates! Rise up, you eternal doors! Then the majestic king will
enter!
10 Who is this majestic king? The LORD of Heaven’s Armies! He is the majestic
king!(Selah)

Psalm 25

1 By David. O LORD, I come before you in prayer.
2 My God, I trust in you. Please do not let me be humiliated; do not let my
enemies triumphantly rejoice over me!
3 Certainly none who rely on you will be humiliated. Those who deal in treachery
will be thwarted and humiliated.
4 Make me understand your ways, O LORD! Teach me your paths!
5 Guide me into your truth and teach me. For you are the God who delivers me; on
you I rely all day long.
6 Remember your compassionate and faithful deeds, O LORD, for you have always
acted in this manner.
7 Do not hold against me the sins of my youth or my rebellious acts! Because you
are faithful to me, extend to me your favor, O LORD!
8 The LORD is both kind and fair; that is why he teaches sinners the right way
to live.
9 May he show the humble what is right! May he teach the humble his way!
10 The LORD always proves faithful and reliable to those who follow the demands
of his covenant.
11 For the sake of your reputation, O LORD, forgive my sin, because it is great.
12 The LORD shows his faithful followers the way they should live.
13 They experience his favor; their descendants inherit the land.
14 The LORD’s loyal followers receive his guidance, and he reveals his
covenantal demands to them.
15 I continually look to the LORD for help, for he will free my feet from the
enemy’s net.
16 Turn toward me and have mercy on me, for I am alone and oppressed!
17 Deliver me from my distress; rescue me from my suffering!
18 See my pain and suffering! Forgive all my sins!
19 Watch my enemies, for they outnumber me; they hate me and want to harm me.
20 Protect me and deliver me! Please do not let me be humiliated, for I have
taken shelter in you!
21 May integrity and godliness protect me, for I rely on you!
22 O God, rescue Israel from all their distress!

Psalm 26

1 By David. Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have integrity, and I trust in the LORD
without wavering.
2 Examine me, O LORD, and test me! Evaluate my inner thoughts and motives!
3 For I am ever aware of your faithfulness, and your loyalty continually
motivates me.
4 I do not associate with deceitful men, or consort with those who are
dishonest.
5 I hate the mob of evil men, and do not associate with the wicked.
6 I maintain a pure lifestyle, so I can appear before your altar, O LORD,
7 to give you thanks, and to tell about all your amazing deeds.
8 O LORD, I love the temple where you live, the place where your splendor is
revealed.
9 Do not sweep me away with sinners, or execute me along with violent people,
10 who are always ready to do wrong or offer a bribe.
11 But I have integrity! Rescue me and have mercy on me!
12 I am safe, and among the worshipers I will praise the LORD.

Psalm 27

1 By David. The LORD delivers and vindicates me! I fear no one! The LORD
protects my life! I am afraid of no one!
2 When evil men attack me to devour my flesh, when my adversaries and enemies
attack me, they stumble and fall.
3 Even when an army is deployed against me, I do not fear. Even when war is
imminent, I remain confident.
4 I have asked the LORD for one thing– this is what I desire! I want to live
in the LORD’s house all the days of my life, so I can gaze at the splendor of
the LORD and contemplate in his temple.
5 He will surely give me shelter in the day of danger; he will hide me in his
home; he will place me on an inaccessible rocky summit.
6 Now I will triumph over my enemies who surround me! I will offer sacrifices in
his dwelling place and shout for joy! I will sing praises to the LORD!
7 Hear me, O LORD, when I cry out! Have mercy on me and answer me!
8 My heart tells me to pray to you, and I do pray to you, O LORD.
9 Do not reject me! Do not push your servant away in anger! You are my
deliverer! Do not forsake or abandon me, O God who vindicates me!
10 Even if my father and mother abandoned me, the LORD would take me in.
11 Teach me how you want me to live, LORD; lead me along a level path because of
those who wait to ambush me!
12 Do not turn me over to my enemies, for false witnesses who want to destroy me
testify against me.
13 Where would I be if I did not believe I would experience the LORD’s favor
in the land of the living?
14 Rely on the LORD! Be strong and confident! Rely on the LORD!

Psalm 28

1 By David. To you, O LORD, I cry out! My protector, do not ignore me! If you do
not respond to me, I will join those who are descending into the grave.
2 Hear my plea for mercy when I cry out to you for help, when I lift my hands
toward your holy temple!
3 Do not drag me away with evil men, with those who behave wickedly, who talk so
friendly to their neighbors, while they plan to harm them!
4 Pay them back for their evil deeds! Pay them back for what they do! Punish
them!
5 For they do not understand the LORD’s actions, or the way he carries out
justice. The LORD will permanently demolish them.
6 The LORD deserves praise, for he has heard my plea for mercy!
7 The LORD strengthens and protects me; I trust in him with all my heart. I am
rescued and my heart is full of joy; I will sing to him in gratitude.
8 The LORD strengthens his people; he protects and delivers his chosen king.
9 Deliver your people! Empower the nation that belongs to you! Care for them
like a shepherd and carry them in your arms at all times!

Psalm 29

1 A psalm of David. Acknowledge the LORD, you heavenly beings, acknowledge the
LORD’s majesty and power!
2 Acknowledge the majesty of the LORD’s reputation! Worship the LORD in holy
attire!
3 The LORD’s shout is heard over the water; the majestic God thunders, the
LORD appears over the surging water.
4 The LORD’s shout is powerful, the LORD’s shout is majestic.
5 The LORD’s shout breaks the cedars, the LORD shatters the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf and Sirion like a young ox.
7 The LORD’s shout strikes with flaming fire.
8 The LORD’s shout shakes the wilderness, the LORD shakes the wilderness of
Kadesh.
9 The LORD’s shout bends the large trees and strips the leaves from the
forests. Everyone in his temple says,“Majestic!”
10 The LORD sits enthroned over the engulfing waters, the LORD sits enthroned as
the eternal king.
11 The LORD gives his people strength; the LORD grants his people security.

Psalm 30

1 A psalm– a song used at the dedication of the temple; by David. I will
praise you, O LORD, for you lifted me up, and did not allow my enemies to gloat
over me.
2 O LORD my God, I cried out to you and you healed me.
3 O LORD, you pulled me up from Sheol; you rescued me from among those
descending into the grave.
4 Sing to the LORD, you faithful followers of his; give thanks to his holy name.
5 For his anger lasts only a brief moment, and his good favor restores one’s
life. One may experience sorrow during the night, but joy arrives in the
morning.
6 In my self-confidence I said,“I will never be shaken.”
7 O LORD, in your good favor you made me secure. Then you rejected me and I was
terrified.
8 To you, O LORD, I cried out; I begged the Lord for mercy:
9 “What profit is there in taking my life, in my descending into the Pit? Can
the dust of the grave praise you? Can it declare your loyalty?
10 Hear, O LORD, and have mercy on me! O LORD, deliver me!”
11 Then you turned my lament into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and covered
me with joy.
12 So now my heart will sing to you and not be silent; O LORD my God, I will
always give thanks to you.

Psalm 31

1 For the music director; a psalm of David. In you, O LORD, I have taken
shelter! Never let me be humiliated! Vindicate me by rescuing me!
2 Listen to me! Quickly deliver me! Be my protector and refuge, a stronghold
where I can be safe!
3 For you are my high ridge and my stronghold; for the sake of your own
reputation you lead me and guide me.
4 You will free me from the net they hid for me, for you are my place of refuge.
5 Into your hand I entrust my life; you will rescue me, O LORD, the faithful
God.
6 I hate those who serve worthless idols, but I trust in the LORD.
7 I will be happy and rejoice in your faithfulness, because you notice my pain
and you are aware of how distressed I am.
8 You do not deliver me over to the power of the enemy; you enable me to stand
in a wide open place.
9 Have mercy on me, LORD, for I am in distress! My eyes grow dim from suffering.
I have lost my strength.
10 For my life nears its end in pain; my years draw to a close as I groan. My
strength fails me because of my sin, and my bones become brittle.
11 Because of all my enemies, people disdain me; my neighbors are appalled by my
suffering– those who know me are horrified by my condition; those who see me
in the street run away from me.
12 I am forgotten, like a dead man no one thinks about; I am regarded as
worthless, like a broken jar.
13 For I hear what so many are saying, the terrifying news that comes from every
direction. When they plot together against me, they figure out how they can take
my life.
14 But I trust in you, O LORD! I declare,“You are my God!”
15 You determine my destiny! Rescue me from the power of my enemies and those
who chase me.
16 Smile on your servant! Deliver me because of your faithfulness!
17 O LORD, do not let me be humiliated, for I call out to you! May evil men be
humiliated! May they go wailing to the grave!
18 May lying lips be silenced– lips that speak defiantly against the innocent
with arrogance and contempt!
19 How great is your favor, which you store up for your loyal followers! In
plain sight of everyone you bestow it on those who take shelter in you.
20 You hide them with you, where they are safe from the attacks of men; you
conceal them in a shelter, where they are safe from slanderous attacks.
21 The LORD deserves praise for he demonstrated his amazing faithfulness to me
when I was besieged by enemies.
22 I jumped to conclusions and said,“I am cut off from your presence!” But
you heard my plea for mercy when I cried out to you for help.
23 Love the LORD, all you faithful followers of his! The LORD protects those who
have integrity, but he pays back in full the one who acts arrogantly.
24 Be strong and confident, all you who wait on the LORD!

Psalm 32

1 By David; a well-written song. How blessed is the one whose rebellious acts
are forgiven, whose sin is pardoned!
2 How blessed is the one whose wrongdoing the LORD does not punish, in whose
spirit there is no deceit.
3 When I refused to confess my sin, my whole body wasted away, while I groaned
in pain all day long.
4 For day and night you tormented me; you tried to destroy me in the intense
heat of summer.(Selah)
5 Then I confessed my sin; I no longer covered up my wrongdoing. I said,“I
will confess my rebellious acts to the LORD.” And then you forgave my
sins.(Selah)
6 For this reason every one of your faithful followers should pray to you while
there is a window of opportunity. Certainly when the surging water rises, it
will not reach them.
7 You are my hiding place; you protect me from distress. You surround me with
shouts of joy from those celebrating deliverance.(Selah)
8 I will instruct and teach you about how you should live. I will advise you as
I look you in the eye.
9 Do not be like an unintelligent horse or mule, which will not obey you unless
they are controlled by a bridle and bit.
10 An evil person suffers much pain, but the LORD’s faithfulness overwhelms
the one who trusts in him.
11 Rejoice in the LORD and be happy, you who are godly! Shout for joy, all you
who are morally upright!

Psalm 33

1 You godly ones, shout for joy because of the LORD! It is appropriate for the
morally upright to offer him praise.
2 Give thanks to the LORD with the harp! Sing to him to the accompaniment of a
ten-stringed instrument!
3 Sing to him a new song! Play skillfully as you shout out your praises to him!
4 For the LORD’s decrees are just, and everything he does is fair.
5 He promotes equity and justice; the LORD’s faithfulness extends throughout
the earth.
6 By the LORD’s decree the heavens were made; and by the breath of his mouth
all the starry hosts.
7 He piles up the water of the sea; he puts the oceans in storehouses.
8 Let the whole earth fear the LORD! Let all who live in the world stand in awe
of him!
9 For he spoke, and it came into existence, he issued the decree, and it stood
firm.
10 The LORD frustrates the decisions of the nations; he nullifies the plans of
the peoples.
11 The LORD’s decisions stand forever; his plans abide throughout the ages.
12 How blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has
chosen to be his special possession.
13 The LORD watches from heaven; he sees all people.
14 From the place where he lives he looks carefully at all the earth’s
inhabitants.
15 He is the one who forms every human heart, and takes note of all their
actions.
16 No king is delivered by his vast army; a warrior is not saved by his great
might.
17 A horse disappoints those who trust in it for victory; despite its great
strength, it cannot deliver.
18 Look, the LORD takes notice of his loyal followers, those who wait for him to
demonstrate his faithfulness
19 by saving their lives from death and sustaining them during times of famine.
20 We wait for the LORD; he is our deliverer and shield.
21 For our hearts rejoice in him, for we trust in his holy name.
22 May we experience your faithfulness, O LORD, for we wait for you.

Psalm 34

1 Written by David, when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, causing the
king to send him away. I will praise the LORD at all times; my mouth will
continually praise him.
2 I will boast in the LORD; let the oppressed hear and rejoice!
3 Magnify the LORD with me! Let’s praise his name together!
4 I sought the LORD’s help and he answered me; he delivered me from all my
fears.
5 Look to him and be radiant; do not let your faces be ashamed.
6 This oppressed man cried out and the LORD heard; he saved him from all his
troubles.
7 The LORD’s angel camps around the LORD’s loyal followers and delivers
them.
8 Taste and see that the LORD is good! How blessed is the one who takes shelter
in him!
9 Fear the LORD, you chosen people of his, for those who fear him lack nothing!
10 Even young lions sometimes lack food and are hungry, but those who seek the
LORD lack no good thing.
11 Come children! Listen to me! I will teach you what it means to fear the LORD.
12 Do you want to really live? Would you love to live a long, happy life?
13 Then make sure you don’t speak evil words or use deceptive speech!
14 Turn away from evil and do what is right! Strive for peace and promote it!
15 The LORD pays attention to the godly and hears their cry for help.
16 But the LORD opposes evildoers and wipes out all memory of them from the
earth.
17 The godly cry out and the LORD hears; he saves them from all their troubles.
18 The LORD is near the brokenhearted; he delivers those who are discouraged.
19 The godly face many dangers, but the LORD saves them from each one of them.
20 He protects all his bones; not one of them is broken.
21 Evil people self-destruct; those who hate the godly are punished.
22 The LORD rescues his servants; all who take shelter in him escape punishment.

Psalm 35

1 By David. O LORD, fight those who fight with me! Attack those who attack me!
2 Grab your small shield and large shield, and rise up to help me!
3 Use your spear and lance against those who chase me! Assure me with these
words:“I am your deliverer!”
4 May those who seek my life be embarrassed and humiliated! May those who plan
to harm me be turned back and ashamed!
5 May they be like wind-driven chaff, as the LORD’s angel attacks them!
6 May their path be dark and slippery, as the LORD’s angel chases them!
7 I did not harm them, but they hid a net to catch me and dug a pit to trap me.
8 Let destruction take them by surprise! Let the net they hid catch them! Let
them fall into destruction!
9 Then I will rejoice in the LORD and be happy because of his deliverance.
10 With all my strength I will say,“O LORD, who can compare to you? You rescue
the oppressed from those who try to overpower them; the oppressed and needy from
those who try to rob them.”
11 Violent men perjure themselves, and falsely accuse me.
12 They repay me evil for the good I have done; I am overwhelmed with sorrow.
13 When they were sick, I wore sackcloth, and refrained from eating food.(If I
am lying, may my prayers go unanswered!)
14 I mourned for them as I would for a friend or my brother. I bowed down in
sorrow as if I were mourning for my mother.
15 But when I stumbled, they rejoiced and gathered together; they gathered
together to ambush me. They tore at me without stopping to rest.
16 When I tripped, they taunted me relentlessly, and tried to bite me.
17 O Lord, how long are you going to watch this? Rescue me from their
destructive attacks; guard my life from the young lions!
18 Then I will give you thanks in the great assembly; I will praise you before a
large crowd of people!
19 Do not let those who are my enemies for no reason gloat over me! Do not let
those who hate me without cause carry out their wicked schemes!
20 For they do not try to make peace with others, but plan ways to deceive those
who live peacefully in the land.
21 They are ready to devour me; they say,“Aha! Aha! We’ve got you!”
22 But you take notice, LORD; do not be silent! O Lord, do not remain far away
from me!
23 Rouse yourself, wake up and vindicate me! My God and Lord, defend my just
cause!
24 Vindicate me by your justice, O LORD my God! Do not let them gloat over me!
25 Do not let them say to themselves,“Aha! We have what we wanted!” Do not
let them say,“We have devoured him!”
26 May those who rejoice in my troubles be totally embarrassed and ashamed! May
those who arrogantly taunt me be covered with shame and humiliation!
27 May those who desire my vindication shout for joy and rejoice! May they
continually say,“May the LORD be praised, for he wants his servant to be
secure.”
28 Then I will tell others about your justice, and praise you all day long.

Psalm 36

1 For the music director; written by the LORD’s servant, David; an oracle. An
evil man is rebellious to the core. He does not fear God,
2 for he is too proud to recognize and give up his sin.
3 The words he speaks are sinful and deceitful; he does not care about doing
what is wise and right.
4 He plans ways to sin while he lies in bed; he is committed to a sinful
lifestyle; he does not reject what is evil.
5 O LORD, your loyal love reaches to the sky; your faithfulness to the clouds.
6 Your justice is like the highest mountains, your fairness like the deepest
sea; you, LORD, preserve mankind and the animal kingdom.
7 How precious is your loyal love, O God! The human race finds shelter under
your wings.
8 They are filled with food from your house, and you allow them to drink from
the river of your delicacies.
9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.
10 Extend your loyal love to your faithful followers, and vindicate the morally
upright!
11 Do not let arrogant men overtake me, or let evil men make me homeless!
12 I can see the evildoers! They have fallen! They have been knocked down and
are unable to get up!

Psalm 37

1 By David. Do not fret when wicked men seem to succeed! Do not envy evildoers!
2 For they will quickly dry up like grass, and wither away like plants.
3 Trust in the LORD and do what is right! Settle in the land and maintain your
integrity!
4 Then you will take delight in the LORD, and he will answer your prayers.
5 Commit your future to the LORD! Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf.
6 He will vindicate you in broad daylight, and publicly defend your just cause.
7 Wait patiently for the LORD! Wait confidently for him! Do not fret over the
apparent success of a sinner, a man who carries out wicked schemes!
8 Do not be angry and frustrated! Do not fret! That only leads to trouble!
9 Wicked men will be wiped out, but those who rely on the LORD are the ones who
will possess the land.
10 Evil men will soon disappear; you will stare at the spot where they once
were, but they will be gone.
11 But the oppressed will possess the land and enjoy great prosperity.
12 Evil men plot against the godly and viciously attack them.
13 The Lord laughs in disgust at them, for he knows that their day is coming.
14 Evil men draw their swords and prepare their bows, to bring down the
oppressed and needy, and to slaughter those who are godly.
15 Their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.
16 The little bit that a godly man owns is better than the wealth of many evil
men,
17 for evil men will lose their power, but the LORD sustains the godly.
18 The LORD watches over the innocent day by day and they possess a permanent
inheritance.
19 They will not be ashamed when hard times come; when famine comes they will
have enough to eat.
20 But evil men will die; the LORD’s enemies will be incinerated– they will
go up in smoke.
21 Evil men borrow, but do not repay their debt, but the godly show compassion
and are generous.
22 Surely those favored by the LORD will possess the land, but those rejected by
him will be wiped out.
23 The LORD grants success to the one whose behavior he finds commendable.
24 Even if he trips, he will not fall headlong, for the LORD holds his hand.
25 I was once young, now I am old. I have never seen a godly man abandoned, or
his children forced to search for food.
26 All day long he shows compassion and lends to others, and his children are
blessed.
27 Turn away from evil! Do what is right! Then you will enjoy lasting security.
28 For the LORD promotes justice, and never abandons his faithful followers.
They are permanently secure, but the children of evil men are wiped out.
29 The godly will possess the land and will dwell in it permanently.
30 The godly speak wise words and promote justice.
31 The law of their God controls their thinking; their feet do not slip.
32 Evil men set an ambush for the godly and try to kill them.
33 But the LORD does not surrender the godly, or allow them to be condemned in a
court of law.
34 Rely on the LORD! Obey his commands! Then he will permit you to possess the
land; you will see the demise of evil men.
35 I have seen ruthless evil men growing in influence, like a green tree grows
in its native soil.
36 But then one passes by, and suddenly they have disappeared! I looked for
them, but they could not be found.
37 Take note of the one who has integrity! Observe the upright! For the one who
promotes peace has a future.
38 Sinful rebels are totally destroyed; evil men have no future.
39 But the LORD delivers the godly; he protects them in times of trouble.
40 The LORD helps them and rescues them; he rescues them from evil men and
delivers them, for they seek his protection.

Psalm 38

1 A psalm of David, written to get God’s attention. O LORD, do not continue to
rebuke me in your anger! Do not continue to punish me in your raging fury!
2 For your arrows pierce me, and your hand presses me down.
3 My whole body is sick because of your judgment; I am deprived of health
because of my sin.
4 For my sins overwhelm me; like a heavy load, they are too much for me to bear.
5 My wounds are infected and starting to smell, because of my foolish sins.
6 I am dazed and completely humiliated; all day long I walk around mourning.
7 For I am overcome with shame and my whole body is sick.
8 I am numb with pain and severely battered; I groan loudly because of the
anxiety I feel.
9 O Lord, you understand my heart’s desire; my groaning is not hidden from
you.
10 My heart beats quickly; my strength leaves me; I can hardly see.
11 Because of my condition, even my friends and acquaintances keep their
distance; my neighbors stand far away.
12 Those who seek my life try to entrap me; those who want to harm me speak
destructive words; all day long they say deceitful things.
13 But I am like a deaf man– I hear nothing; I am like a mute who cannot
speak.
14 I am like a man who cannot hear and is incapable of arguing his defense.
15 Yet I wait for you, O LORD! You will respond, O Lord, my God!
16 I have prayed for deliverance, because otherwise they will gloat over me;
when my foot slips they will arrogantly taunt me.
17 For I am about to stumble, and I am in constant pain.
18 Yes, I confess my wrongdoing, and I am concerned about my sins.
19 But those who are my enemies for no reason are numerous; those who hate me
without cause outnumber me.
20 They repay me evil for the good I have done; though I have tried to do good
to them, they hurl accusations at me.
21 Do not abandon me, O LORD! My God, do not remain far away from me!
22 Hurry and help me, O Lord, my deliverer!

Psalm 39

1 For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of David. I decided,“I will watch
what I say and make sure I do not sin with my tongue. I will put a muzzle over
my mouth while in the presence of an evil man.”
2 I was stone silent; I held back the urge to speak. My frustration grew;
3 my anxiety intensified. As I thought about it, I became impatient. Finally I
spoke these words:
4 “O LORD, help me understand my mortality and the brevity of life! Let me
realize how quickly my life will pass!
5 Look, you make my days short-lived, and my life span is nothing from your
perspective. Surely all people, even those who seem secure, are nothing but
vapor.(Selah)
6 Surely people go through life as mere ghosts. Surely they accumulate worthless
wealth without knowing who will eventually haul it away.”
7 But now, O Lord, upon what am I relying? You are my only hope!
8 Deliver me from all my sins of rebellion! Do not make me the object of
fools’ insults!
9 I am silent and cannot open my mouth because of what you have done.
10 Please stop wounding me! You have almost beaten me to death!
11 You severely discipline people for their sins; like a moth you slowly devour
their strength. Surely all people are a mere vapor.(Selah)
12 Hear my prayer, O LORD! Listen to my cry for help! Do not ignore my sobbing!
For I am a foreign resident with you, a temporary settler, just as all my
ancestors were.
13 Turn your angry gaze away from me, so I can be happy before I pass away.

Psalm 40

1 For the music director; By David, a psalm. I relied completely on the LORD,
and he turned toward me and heard my cry for help.
2 He lifted me out of the watery pit, out of the slimy mud. He placed my feet on
a rock and gave me secure footing.
3 He gave me reason to sing a new song, praising our God. May many see what God
has done, so that they might swear allegiance to him and trust in the LORD!
4 How blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD and does not seek help from the
proud or from liars!
5 O LORD, my God, you have accomplished many things; you have done amazing
things and carried out your purposes for us. No one can thwart you! I want to
declare them and talk about them, but they are too numerous to recount!
6 Receiving sacrifices and offerings are not your primary concern. You make that
quite clear to me! You do not ask for burnt sacrifices and sin offerings.
7 Then I say,“Look! I come! What is written in the scroll pertains to me.
8 I want to do what pleases you, my God. Your law dominates my thoughts.”
9 I have told the great assembly about your justice. Look! I spare no words! O
LORD, you know this is true.
10 I have not failed to tell about your justice; I spoke about your reliability
and deliverance; I have not neglected to tell the great assembly about your
loyal love and faithfulness.
11 O LORD, you do not withhold your compassion from me. May your loyal love and
faithfulness continually protect me!
12 For innumerable dangers surround me. My sins overtake me so I am unable to
see; they outnumber the hairs of my head so my strength fails me.
13 Please be willing, O LORD, to rescue me! O LORD, hurry and help me!
14 May those who are trying to snatch away my life be totally embarrassed and
ashamed! May those who want to harm me be turned back and ashamed!
15 May those who say to me,“Aha! Aha!” be humiliated and disgraced!
16 May all those who seek you be happy and rejoice in you! May those who love to
experience your deliverance say continually,“May the LORD be praised!”
17 I am oppressed and needy! May the Lord pay attention to me! You are my helper
and my deliverer! O my God, do not delay!

Psalm 41

1 For the music director; a psalm of David. How blessed is the one who treats
the poor properly! When trouble comes, may the LORD deliver him.
2 May the LORD protect him and save his life! May he be blessed in the land! Do
not turn him over to his enemies!
3 The LORD supports him on his sickbed; you have healed him from his illness.
4 As for me, I said:“O LORD, have mercy on me! Heal me, for I have sinned
against you!
5 My enemies ask this cruel question about me,‘When will he finally die and be
forgotten?’
6 When someone comes to visit, he pretends to be friendly; he thinks of ways to
defame me, and when he leaves he slanders me.
7 All who hate me whisper insults about me to one another; they plan ways to
harm me.
8 They say,‘An awful disease overwhelms him, and now that he is bed-ridden he
will never recover.’
9 Even my close friend whom I trusted, he who shared meals with me, has turned
against me.
10 As for you, O LORD, have mercy on me and raise me up, so I can pay them
back!”
11 By this I know that you are pleased with me, for my enemy does not triumph
over me.
12 As for me, you uphold me because of my integrity; you allow me permanent
access to your presence.
13 The LORD God of Israel deserves praise in the future and forevermore! We
agree! We agree!

Psalm 42

1 Book 2(Psalms 42-72) For the music director; a well-written song by the
Korahites. As a deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God!
2 I thirst for God, for the living God. I say,“When will I be able to go and
appear in God’s presence?”
3 I cannot eat, I weep day and night; all day long they say to me,“Where is
your God?”
4 I will remember and weep! For I was once walking along with the great throng
to the temple of God, shouting and giving thanks along with the crowd as we
celebrated the holy festival.
5 Why are you depressed, O my soul? Why are you upset? Wait for God! For I will
again give thanks to my God for his saving intervention.
6 I am depressed, so I will pray to you while in the region of the upper Jordan,
from Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
7 One deep stream calls out to another at the sound of your waterfalls; all your
billows and waves overwhelm me.
8 By day the LORD decrees his loyal love, and by night he gives me a song, a
prayer to the God of my life.
9 I will pray to God, my high ridge:“Why do you ignore me? Why must I walk
around mourning because my enemies oppress me?”
10 My enemies’ taunts cut into me to the bone, as they say to me all day
long,“Where is your God?”
11 Why are you depressed, O my soul? Why are you upset? Wait for God! For I will
again give thanks to my God for his saving intervention.

Psalm 43

1 Vindicate me, O God! Fight for me against an ungodly nation! Deliver me from
deceitful and evil men!
2 For you are the God who shelters me. Why do you reject me? Why must I walk
around mourning because my enemies oppress me?
3 Reveal your light and your faithfulness! They will lead me, they will escort
me back to your holy hill, and to the place where you live.
4 Then I will go to the altar of God, to the God who gives me ecstatic joy, so
that I express my thanks to you, O God, my God, with a harp.
5 Why are you depressed, O my soul? Why are you upset? Wait for God! For I will
again give thanks to my God for his saving intervention.

Psalm 44

1 For the music director; by the Korahites, a well-written song. O God, we have
clearly heard; our ancestors have told us what you did in their days, in ancient
times.
2 You, by your power, defeated nations and settled our fathers on their land;
you crushed the people living there and enabled our ancestors to occupy it.
3 For they did not conquer the land by their swords, and they did not prevail by
their strength, but rather by your power, strength and good favor, for you were
partial to them.
4 You are my king, O God! Decree Jacob’s deliverance!
5 By your power we will drive back our enemies; by your strength we will trample
down our foes!
6 For I do not trust in my bow, and I do not prevail by my sword.
7 For you deliver us from our enemies; you humiliate those who hate us.
8 In God we boast all day long, and we will continually give thanks to your
name.(Selah)
9 But you rejected and embarrassed us! You did not go into battle with our
armies.
10 You made us retreat from the enemy. Those who hate us take whatever they want
from us.
11 You handed us over like sheep to be eaten; you scattered us among the
nations.
12 You sold your people for a pittance; you did not ask a high price for them.
13 You made us an object of disdain to our neighbors; those who live on our
borders taunt and insult us.
14 You made us an object of ridicule among the nations; foreigners treat us with
contempt.
15 All day long I feel humiliated and am overwhelmed with shame,
16 before the vindictive enemy who ridicules and insults me.
17 All this has happened to us, even though we have not rejected you or violated
your covenant with us.
18 We have not been unfaithful, nor have we disobeyed your commands.
19 Yet you have battered us, leaving us a heap of ruins overrun by wild dogs;
you have covered us with darkness.
20 If we had rejected our God, and spread out our hands in prayer to another
god,
21 would not God discover it, for he knows one’s thoughts?
22 Yet because of you we are killed all day long; we are treated like sheep at
the slaughtering block.
23 Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord? Wake up! Do not reject us forever!
24 Why do you look the other way, and ignore the way we are oppressed and
mistreated?
25 For we lie in the dirt, with our bellies pressed to the ground.
26 Rise up and help us! Rescue us because of your loyal love!

Psalm 45

1 For the music director; according to the tune of“Lilies;” by the
Korahites, a well-written poem, a love song. My heart is stirred by a beautiful
song. I say,“I have composed this special song for the king; my tongue is as
skilled as the stylus of an experienced scribe.”
2 You are the most handsome of all men! You speak in an impressive and fitting
manner! For this reason God grants you continual blessings.
3 Strap your sword to your thigh, O warrior! Appear in your majestic splendor!
4 Appear in your majesty and be victorious! Ride forth for the sake of what is
right, on behalf of justice! Then your right hand will accomplish mighty acts!
5 Your arrows are sharp and penetrate the hearts of the king’s enemies.
Nations fall at your feet.
6 Your throne, O God, is permanent. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of
justice.
7 You love justice and hate evil. For this reason God, your God, has anointed
you with the oil of joy, elevating you above your companions.
8 All your garments are perfumed with myrrh, aloes, and cassia. From the
luxurious palaces comes the music of stringed instruments that makes you happy.
9 Princesses are among your honored women, your bride stands at your right hand,
wearing jewelry made with gold from Ophir.
10 Listen, O princess! Observe and pay attention! Forget your homeland and your
family!
11 Then the king will be attracted by your beauty. After all, he is your master!
Submit to him!
12 Rich people from Tyre will seek your favor by bringing a gift.
13 The princess looks absolutely magnificent, decked out in pearls and clothed
in a brocade trimmed with gold.
14 In embroidered robes she is escorted to the king. Her attendants, the maidens
of honor who follow her, are led before you.
15 They are bubbling with joy as they walk in procession and enter the royal
palace.
16 Your sons will carry on the dynasty of your ancestors; you will make them
princes throughout the land.
17 I will proclaim your greatness through the coming years, then the nations
will praise you forever.

Psalm 46

1 For the music director; by the Korahites; according to the alamoth style; a
song. God is our strong refuge; he is truly our helper in times of trouble.
2 For this reason we do not fear when the earth shakes, and the mountains tumble
into the depths of the sea,
3 when its waves crash and foam, and the mountains shake before the surging
sea.(Selah)
4 The river’s channels bring joy to the city of God, the special, holy
dwelling place of the Most High.
5 God lives within it, it cannot be moved. God rescues it at the break of dawn.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms are overthrown. God gives a shout, the earth
dissolves.
7 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies is on our side! The God of Jacob is our
protector!(Selah)
8 Come! Witness the exploits of the LORD, who brings devastation to the earth!
9 He brings an end to wars throughout the earth; he shatters the bow and breaks
the spear; he burns the shields with fire.
10 He says,“Stop your striving and recognize that I am God! I will be exalted
over the nations! I will be exalted over the earth!”
11 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies is on our side! The God of Jacob is our
protector!(Selah)

Psalm 47

1 For the music director; by the Korahites; a psalm. All you nations, clap your
hands! Shout out to God in celebration!
2 For the LORD Most High is awe-inspiring; he is the great king who rules the
whole earth!
3 He subdued nations beneath us and countries under our feet.
4 He picked out for us a special land to be a source of pride for Jacob, whom he
loves.(Selah)
5 God has ascended his throne amid loud shouts; the LORD has ascended amid the
blaring of ram’s horns.
6 Sing to God! Sing! Sing to our king! Sing!
7 For God is king of the whole earth! Sing a well-written song!
8 God reigns over the nations! God sits on his holy throne!
9 The nobles of the nations assemble, along with the people of the God of
Abraham, for God has authority over the rulers of the earth. He is highly
exalted!

Psalm 48

1 A song, a psalm by the Korahites. The LORD is great and certainly worthy of
praise in the city of our God, his holy hill.
2 It is lofty and pleasing to look at, a source of joy to the whole earth. Mount
Zion resembles the peaks of Zaphon; it is the city of the great king.
3 God is in its fortresses; he reveals himself as its defender.
4 For look, the kings assemble; they advance together.
5 As soon as they see, they are shocked; they are terrified, they quickly
retreat.
6 Look at them shake uncontrollably, like a woman writhing in childbirth.
7 With an east wind you shatter the large ships.
8 We heard about God’s mighty deeds, now we have seen them, in the city of the
LORD of Heaven’s Armies, in the city of our God. God makes it permanently
secure.(Selah)
9 We reflect on your loyal love, O God, within your temple.
10 The praise you receive as far away as the ends of the earth is worthy of your
reputation, O God. You execute justice!
11 Mount Zion rejoices; the towns of Judah are happy, because of your acts of
judgment.
12 Walk around Zion! Encircle it! Count its towers!
13 Consider its defenses! Walk through its fortresses, so you can tell the next
generation about it!
14 For God, our God, is our defender forever! He guides us!

Psalm 49

1 For the music director, a psalm by the Korahites. Listen to this, all you
nations! Pay attention, all you inhabitants of the world!
2 Pay attention, all you people, both rich and poor!
3 I will declare a wise saying; I will share my profound thoughts.
4 I will learn a song that imparts wisdom; I will then sing my insightful song
to the accompaniment of a harp.
5 Why should I be afraid in times of trouble, when the sinful deeds of deceptive
men threaten to overwhelm me?
6 They trust in their wealth and boast in their great riches.
7 Certainly a man cannot rescue his brother; he cannot pay God an adequate
ransom price
8 (the ransom price for a human life is too high, and people go to their final
destiny),
9 so that he might continue to live forever and not experience death.
10 Surely one sees that even wise people die; fools and spiritually insensitive
people all pass away and leave their wealth to others.
11 Their grave becomes their permanent residence, their eternal dwelling place.
They name their lands after themselves,
12 but, despite their wealth, people do not last, they are like animals that
perish.
13 This is the destiny of fools, and of those who approve of their
philosophy.(Selah)
14 They will travel to Sheol like sheep, with death as their shepherd. The godly
will rule over them when the day of vindication dawns; Sheol will consume their
bodies and they will no longer live in impressive houses.
15 But God will rescue my life from the power of Sheol; certainly he will pull
me to safety.(Selah)
16 Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich and his wealth multiplies!
17 For he will take nothing with him when he dies; his wealth will not follow
him down into the grave.
18 He pronounces this blessing on himself while he is alive:“May men praise
you, for you have done well!”
19 But he will join his ancestors; they will never again see the light of day.
20 Wealthy people do not understand; they are like animals that perish.

Psalm 50

1 A psalm by Asaph. El, God, the LORD has spoken, and summoned the earth to come
from the east and west.
2 From Zion, the most beautiful of all places, God has come in splendor.
3 “May our God come and not be silent.” Consuming fire goes ahead of him and
all around him a storm rages.
4 He summons the heavens above, as well as the earth, so that he might judge his
people.
5 He says:“Assemble my covenant people before me, those who ratified a
covenant with me by sacrifice!”
6 The heavens declare his fairness, for God is judge.(Selah)
7 He says:“Listen my people! I am speaking! Listen Israel! I am accusing you!
I am God, your God!
8 I am not condemning you because of your sacrifices, or because of your burnt
sacrifices that you continually offer me.
9 I do not need to take a bull from your household or goats from your
sheepfolds.
10 For every wild animal in the forest belongs to me, as well as the cattle that
graze on a thousand hills.
11 I keep track of every bird in the hills, and the insects of the field are
mine.
12 Even if I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and all it
contains belong to me.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls? Do I drink the blood of goats?
14 Present to God a thank-offering! Repay your vows to the Most High!
15 Pray to me when you are in trouble! I will deliver you, and you will honor
me!”
16 God says this to the evildoer:“How can you declare my commands, and talk
about my covenant?
17 For you hate instruction and reject my words.
18 When you see a thief, you join him; you associate with men who are unfaithful
to their wives.
19 You do damage with words, and use your tongue to deceive.
20 You plot against your brother; you slander your own brother.
21 When you did these things, I was silent, so you thought I was exactly like
you. But now I will condemn you and state my case against you!
22 Carefully consider this, you who reject God! Otherwise I will rip you to
shreds and no one will be able to rescue you.
23 Whoever presents a thank-offering honors me. To whoever obeys my commands, I
will reveal my power to deliver.”

Psalm 51

1 For the music director; a psalm of David, written when Nathan the prophet
confronted him after David’s affair with Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God,
because of your loyal love! Because of your great compassion, wipe away my
rebellious acts!
2 Wash away my wrongdoing! Cleanse me of my sin!
3 For I am aware of my rebellious acts; I am forever conscious of my sin.
4 Against you– you above all– I have sinned; I have done what is evil in
your sight. So you are just when you confront me; you are right when you condemn
me.
5 Look, I was guilty of sin from birth, a sinner the moment my mother conceived
me.
6 Look, you desire integrity in the inner man; you want me to possess wisdom.
7 Cleanse me with hyssop and I will be pure; wash me and I will be whiter than
snow.
8 Grant me the ultimate joy of being forgiven! May the bones you crushed
rejoice!
9 Hide your face from my sins! Wipe away all my guilt!
10 Create for me a pure heart, O God! Renew a resolute spirit within me!
11 Do not reject me! Do not take your holy Spirit away from me!
12 Let me again experience the joy of your deliverance! Sustain me by giving me
the desire to obey!
13 Then I will teach rebels your merciful ways, and sinners will turn to you.
14 Rescue me from the guilt of murder, O God, the God who delivers me! Then my
tongue will shout for joy because of your righteousness.
15 O Lord, give me the words! Then my mouth will praise you.
16 Certainly you do not want a sacrifice, or else I would offer it; you do not
desire a burnt sacrifice.
17 The sacrifices God desires are a humble spirit– O God, a humble and
repentant heart you will not reject.
18 Because you favor Zion, do what is good for her! Fortify the walls of
Jerusalem!
19 Then you will accept the proper sacrifices, burnt sacrifices and whole
offerings; then bulls will be sacrificed on your altar.

Psalm 52

1 For the music director; a well-written song by David. It was written when Doeg
the Edomite went and informed Saul:“David has arrived at the home of
Ahimelech.” Why do you boast about your evil plans, O powerful man? God’s
loyal love protects me all day long!
2 Your tongue carries out your destructive plans; it is as effective as a sharp
razor, O deceiver.
3 You love evil more than good, lies more than speaking the truth.(Selah)
4 You love to use all the words that destroy, and the tongue that deceives.
5 Yet God will make you a permanent heap of ruins. He will scoop you up and
remove you from your home; he will uproot you from the land of the
living.(Selah)
6 When the godly see this, they will be filled with awe, and will mock the
evildoer, saying:
7 “Look, here is the man who would not make God his protector! He trusted in
his great wealth and was confident about his plans to destroy others.”
8 But I am like a flourishing olive tree in the house of God; I continually
trust in God’s loyal love.
9 I will continually thank you when you execute judgment; I will rely on you,
for your loyal followers know you are good.

Psalm 53

1 For the music director; according to the machalath style; a well-written song
by David. Fools say to themselves,“There is no God.” They sin and commit
evil deeds; none of them does what is right.
2 God looks down from heaven at the human race, to see if there is anyone who is
wise and seeks God.
3 Everyone rejects God; they are all morally corrupt. None of them does what is
right, not even one!
4 All those who behave wickedly do not understand– those who devour my people
as if they were eating bread, and do not call out to God.
5 They are absolutely terrified, even by things that do not normally cause fear.
For God annihilates those who attack you. You are able to humiliate them because
God has rejected them.
6 I wish the deliverance of Israel would come from Zion! When God restores the
well-being of his people, may Jacob rejoice, may Israel be happy!

Psalm 54

1 For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a
well-written song by David. It was written when the Ziphites came and informed
Saul:“David is hiding with us.” O God, deliver me by your name! Vindicate me
by your power!
2 O God, listen to my prayer! Pay attention to what I say!
3 For foreigners attack me; ruthless men, who do not respect God, seek my
life.(Selah)
4 Look, God is my deliverer! The Lord is among those who support me.
5 May those who wait to ambush me be repaid for their evil! As a demonstration
of your faithfulness, destroy them!
6 With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you! I will give thanks to your
name, O LORD, for it is good!
7 Surely he rescues me from all trouble, and I triumph over my enemies.

Psalm 55

1 For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a
well-written song by David. Listen, O God, to my prayer! Do not ignore my appeal
for mercy!
2 Pay attention to me and answer me! I am so upset and distressed, I am beside
myself,
3 because of what the enemy says, and because of how the wicked pressure me, for
they hurl trouble down upon me and angrily attack me.
4 My heart beats violently within me; the horrors of death overcome me.
5 Fear and panic overpower me; terror overwhelms me.
6 I say,“I wish I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and settle in a safe
place!
7 Look, I will escape to a distant place; I will stay in the wilderness.(Selah)
8 I will hurry off to a place that is safe from the strong wind and the gale.”
9 Confuse them, O Lord! Frustrate their plans! For I see violence and conflict
in the city.
10 Day and night they walk around on its walls, while wickedness and destruction
are within it.
11 Disaster is within it; violence and deceit do not depart from its public
square.
12 Indeed, it is not an enemy who insults me, or else I could bear it; it is not
one who hates me who arrogantly taunts me, or else I could hide from him.
13 But it is you, a man like me, my close friend in whom I confided.
14 We would share personal thoughts with each other; in God’s temple we would
walk together among the crowd.
15 May death destroy them! May they go down alive into Sheol! For evil is in
their dwelling place and in their midst.
16 As for me, I will call out to God, and the LORD will deliver me.
17 During the evening, morning, and noontime I will lament and moan, and he will
hear me.
18 He will rescue me and protect me from those who attack me, even though they
greatly outnumber me.
19 God, the one who has reigned as king from long ago, will hear and humiliate
them.(Selah) They refuse to change, and do not fear God.
20 He attacks his friends; he breaks his solemn promises to them.
21 His words are as smooth as butter, but he harbors animosity in his heart. His
words seem softer than oil, but they are really like sharp swords.
22 Throw your burden upon the LORD, and he will sustain you. He will never allow
the godly to be shaken.
23 But you, O God, will bring them down to the deep Pit. Violent and deceitful
people will not live even half a normal lifespan. But as for me, I trust in you.

Psalm 56

1 For the music director; according to the yonath-elem-rekhoqim style; a prayer
of David, written when the Philistines captured him in Gath. Have mercy on me, O
God, for men are attacking me! All day long hostile enemies are tormenting me.
2 Those who anticipate my defeat attack me all day long. Indeed, many are
fighting against me, O Exalted One.
3 When I am afraid, I trust in you.
4 In God– I boast in his promise– in God I trust, I am not afraid. What can
mere men do to me?
5 All day long they cause me trouble; they make a habit of plotting my demise.
6 They stalk and lurk; they watch my every step, as they prepare to take my
life.
7 Because they are bent on violence, do not let them escape! In your anger bring
down the nations, O God!
8 You keep track of my misery. Put my tears in your leather container! Are they
not recorded in your scroll?
9 My enemies will turn back when I cry out to you for help; I know that God is
on my side.
10 In God– I boast in his promise– in the LORD– I boast in his promise–
11 in God I trust, I am not afraid. What can mere men do to me?
12 I am obligated to fulfill the vows I made to you, O God; I will give you the
thank-offerings you deserve,
13 when you deliver my life from death. You keep my feet from stumbling, so that
I might serve God as I enjoy life.

Psalm 57

1 For the music director; according to the al-tashcheth style; a prayer of
David, written when he fled from Saul into the cave. Have mercy on me, O God!
Have mercy on me! For in you I have taken shelter. In the shadow of your wings I
take shelter until trouble passes.
2 I cry out for help to God Most High, to the God who vindicates me.
3 May he send help from heaven and deliver me from my enemies who hurl
insults!(Selah) May God send his loyal love and faithfulness!
4 I am surrounded by lions; I lie down among those who want to devour me; men
whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are a sharp sword.
5 Rise up above the sky, O God! May your splendor cover the whole earth!
6 They have prepared a net to trap me; I am discouraged. They have dug a pit for
me. They will fall into it!(Selah)
7 I am determined, O God! I am determined! I will sing and praise you!
8 Awake, my soul! Awake, O stringed instrument and harp! I will wake up at dawn!
9 I will give you thanks before the nations, O Lord! I will sing praises to you
before foreigners!
10 For your loyal love extends beyond the sky, and your faithfulness reaches the
clouds.
11 Rise up above the sky, O God! May your splendor cover the whole earth!

Psalm 58

1 For the music director; according to the al-tashcheth style; a prayer of
David. Do you rulers really pronounce just decisions? Do you judge people
fairly?
2 No! You plan how to do what is unjust; you deal out violence in the earth.
3 The wicked turn aside from birth; liars go astray as soon as they are born.
4 Their venom is like that of a snake, like a deaf serpent that does not hear,
5 that does not respond to the magicians, or to a skilled snake charmer.
6 O God, break the teeth in their mouths! Smash the jawbones of the lions, O
LORD!
7 Let them disappear like water that flows away! Let them wither like grass!
8 Let them be like a snail that melts away as it moves along! Let them be like
stillborn babies that never see the sun!
9 Before the kindling is even placed under your pots, he will sweep it away
along with both the raw and cooked meat.
10 The godly will rejoice when they see vengeance carried out; they will bathe
their feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 Then observers will say,“Yes indeed, the godly are rewarded! Yes indeed,
there is a God who judges in the earth!”

Psalm 59

1 For the music director; according to the al-tashcheth style; a prayer of
David, written when Saul sent men to surround his house and murder him. Deliver
me from my enemies, my God! Protect me from those who attack me!
2 Deliver me from evildoers! Rescue me from violent men!
3 For look, they wait to ambush me; powerful men stalk me, but not because I
have rebelled or sinned, O LORD.
4 Though I have done nothing wrong, they are anxious to attack. Spring into
action and help me! Take notice of me!
5 You, O LORD God of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, rouse yourself and
punish all the nations! Have no mercy on any treacherous evildoers!(Selah)
6 They return in the evening; they growl like a dog and prowl around outside the
city.
7 Look, they hurl insults at me and openly threaten to kill me, for they
say,“Who hears?”
8 But you, O LORD, laugh in disgust at them; you taunt all the nations.
9 You are my source of strength! I will wait for you! For God is my refuge.
10 The God who loves me will help me; God will enable me to triumph over my
enemies.
11 Do not strike them dead suddenly, because then my people might forget the
lesson. Use your power to make them homeless vagabonds and then bring them down,
O Lord who shields us!
12 They speak sinful words. So let them be trapped by their own pride and by the
curses and lies they speak!
13 Angrily wipe them out! Wipe them out so they vanish! Let them know that God
rules in Jacob and to the ends of the earth!(Selah)
14 They return in the evening; they growl like a dog and prowl around outside
the city.
15 They wander around looking for something to eat; they refuse to sleep until
they are full.
16 As for me, I will sing about your strength; I will praise your loyal love in
the morning. For you are my refuge and my place of shelter when I face trouble.
17 You are my source of strength! I will sing praises to you! For God is my
refuge, the God who loves me.

Psalm 60

1 For the music director; according to the shushan-eduth style; a prayer of
David written to instruct others. It was written when he fought against Aram
Naharaim and Aram-Zobah. That was when Joab turned back and struck down
12,000Edomites in the Valley of Salt. O God, you have rejected us. You suddenly
turned on us in your anger. Please restore us!
2 You made the earth quake; you split it open. Repair its breaches, for it is
ready to fall.
3 You have made your people experience hard times; you have made us drink
intoxicating wine.
4 You have given your loyal followers a rallying flag, so that they might seek
safety from the bow.(Selah)
5 Deliver by your power and answer me, so that the ones you love may be safe.
6 God has spoken in his sanctuary:“I will triumph! I will parcel out Shechem;
the Valley of Succoth I will measure off.
7 Gilead belongs to me, as does Manasseh! Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my royal
scepter.
8 Moab is my washbasin. I will make Edom serve me. I will shout in triumph over
Philistia.”
9 Who will lead me into the fortified city? Who will bring me to Edom?
10 Have you not rejected us, O God? O God, you do not go into battle with our
armies.
11 Give us help against the enemy, for any help men might offer is futile.
12 By God’s power we will conquer; he will trample down our enemies.

Psalm 61

1 For the music director; to be played on a stringed instrument; written by
David. O God, hear my cry for help! Pay attention to my prayer!
2 From the most remote place on earth I call out to you in my despair. Lead me
up to a rocky summit where I can be safe!
3 Indeed, you are my shelter, a strong tower that protects me from the enemy.
4 I will be a permanent guest in your home; I will find shelter in the
protection of your wings.(Selah)
5 For you, O God, hear my vows; you grant me the reward that belongs to your
loyal followers.
6 Give the king long life! Make his lifetime span several generations!
7 May he reign forever before God! Decree that your loyal love and faithfulness
should protect him.
8 Then I will sing praises to your name continually, as I fulfill my vows day
after day.

Psalm 62

1 For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of David. For God alone I patiently
wait; he is the one who delivers me.
2 He alone is my protector and deliverer. He is my refuge; I will not be
upended.
3 How long will you threaten a man? All of you are murderers, as dangerous as a
leaning wall or an unstable fence.
4 They spend all their time planning how to bring him down. They love to use
deceit; they pronounce blessings with their mouths, but inwardly they utter
curses.(Selah)
5 Patiently wait for God alone, my soul! For he is the one who gives me hope.
6 He alone is my protector and deliverer. He is my refuge; I will not be shaken.
7 God delivers me and exalts me; God is my strong protector and my shelter.
8 Trust in him at all times, you people! Pour out your hearts before him! God is
our shelter!(Selah)
9 Men are nothing but a mere breath; human beings are unreliable. When they are
weighed in the scales, all of them together are lighter than air.
10 Do not trust in what you can gain by oppression! Do not put false confidence
in what you can gain by robbery! If wealth increases, do not become attached to
it!
11 God has declared one principle; two principles I have heard: God is strong,
12 and you, O Lord, demonstrate loyal love. For you repay men for what they do.

Psalm 63

1 A psalm of David, written when he was in the Judean wilderness. O God, you are
my God! I long for you! My soul thirsts for you, my flesh yearns for you, in a
dry and parched land where there is no water.
2 Yes, in the sanctuary I have seen you, and witnessed your power and splendor.
3 Because experiencing your loyal love is better than life itself, my lips will
praise you.
4 For this reason I will praise you while I live; in your name I will lift up my
hands.
5 As if with choice meat you satisfy my soul. My mouth joyfully praises you,
6 whenever I remember you on my bed, and think about you during the nighttime
hours.
7 For you are my deliverer; under your wings I rejoice.
8 My soul pursues you; your right hand upholds me.
9 Enemies seek to destroy my life, but they will descend into the depths of the
earth.
10 Each one will be handed over to the sword; their corpses will be eaten by
jackals.
11 But the king will rejoice in God; everyone who takes oaths in his name will
boast, for the mouths of those who speak lies will be shut up.

Psalm 64

1 For the music director; a psalm of David. Listen to me, O God, as I offer my
lament! Protect my life from the enemy’s terrifying attacks.
2 Hide me from the plots of evil men, from the crowd of evildoers.
3 They sharpen their tongues like a sword; they aim their arrow, a slanderous
charge,
4 in order to shoot down the innocent in secluded places. They shoot at him
suddenly and are unafraid of retaliation.
5 They encourage one another to carry out their evil deed. They plan how to hide
snares, and boast,“Who will see them?”
6 They devise unjust schemes; they disguise a well-conceived plot. Man’s inner
thoughts cannot be discovered.
7 But God will shoot at them; suddenly they will be wounded by an arrow.
8 Their slander will bring about their demise. All who see them will shudder,
9 and all people will fear. They will proclaim what God has done, and reflect on
his deeds.
10 The godly will rejoice in the LORD and take shelter in him. All the morally
upright will boast.

Psalm 65

1 For the music director; a psalm of David, a song. Praise awaits you, O God, in
Zion. Vows made to you are fulfilled.
2 You hear prayers; all people approach you.
3 Our record of sins overwhelms me, but you forgive our acts of rebellion.
4 How blessed is the one whom you choose, and allow to live in your palace
courts. May we be satisfied with the good things of your house– your holy
palace.
5 You answer our prayers by performing awesome acts of deliverance, O God, our
savior. All the ends of the earth trust in you, as well as those living across
the wide seas.
6 You created the mountains by your power, and demonstrated your strength.
7 You calm the raging seas and their roaring waves, as well as the commotion
made by the nations.
8 Even those living in the most remote areas are awestruck by your acts; you
cause those living in the east and west to praise you.
9 You visit the earth and give it rain; you make it rich and fertile. God’s
streams are full of water; you provide grain for them, for you have prepared the
earth in this way.
10 You saturate its furrows, and soak its plowed ground. With rain showers you
soften its soil, and make its crops grow.
11 You crown the year with your good blessings, and you leave abundance in your
wake.
12 The pastures in the wilderness glisten with moisture, and the hills are
clothed with joy.
13 The meadows are clothed with sheep, and the valleys are covered with grain.
They shout joyfully, yes, they sing.

Psalm 66

1 For the music director; a song, a psalm. Shout out praise to God, all the
earth!
2 Sing praises about the majesty of his reputation! Give him the honor he
deserves!
3 Say to God:“How awesome are your deeds! Because of your great power your
enemies cower in fear before you.
4 All the earth worships you and sings praises to you! They sing praises to your
name!”(Selah)
5 Come and witness God’s exploits! His acts on behalf of people are awesome!
6 He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. Let us
rejoice in him there!
7 He rules by his power forever; he watches the nations. Stubborn rebels should
not exalt themselves.(Selah)
8 Praise our God, you nations! Loudly proclaim his praise!
9 He preserves our lives and does not allow our feet to slip.
10 For you, O God, tested us; you purified us like refined silver.
11 You led us into a trap; you caused us to suffer.
12 You allowed men to ride over our heads; we passed through fire and water, but
you brought us out into a wide open place.
13 I will enter your temple with burnt sacrifices; I will fulfill the vows I
made to you,
14 which my lips uttered and my mouth spoke when I was in trouble.
15 I will offer up to you fattened animals as burnt sacrifices, along with the
smell of sacrificial rams. I will offer cattle and goats.(Selah)
16 Come! Listen, all you who are loyal to God! I will declare what he has done
for me.
17 I cried out to him for help and praised him with my tongue.
18 If I had harbored sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
19 However, God heard; he listened to my prayer.
20 God deserves praise, for he did not reject my prayer or abandon his love for
me!

Psalm 67

1 For the music director; to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm, a
song. May God show us his favor and bless us! May he smile on us!(Selah)
2 Then those living on earth will know what you are like; all nations will know
how you deliver your people.
3 Let the nations thank you, O God! Let all the nations thank you!
4 Let foreigners rejoice and celebrate! For you execute justice among the
nations, and govern the people living on earth.(Selah)
5 Let the nations thank you, O God! Let all the nations thank you!
6 The earth yields its crops. May God, our God, bless us!
7 May God bless us! Then all the ends of the earth will give him the honor he
deserves.

Psalm 68

1 For the music director; by David, a psalm, a song. God springs into action!
His enemies scatter; his adversaries run from him.
2 As smoke is driven away by the wind, so you drive them away. As wax melts
before fire, so the wicked are destroyed before God.
3 But the godly are happy; they rejoice before God and are overcome with joy.
4 Sing to God! Sing praises to his name! Exalt the one who rides on the clouds!
For the LORD is his name! Rejoice before him!
5 He is a father to the fatherless and an advocate for widows. God rules from
his holy dwelling place.
6 God settles those who have been deserted in their own homes; he frees
prisoners and grants them prosperity. But sinful rebels live in the desert.
7 O God, when you lead your people into battle, when you march through the
wastelands,(Selah)
8 the earth shakes, yes, the heavens pour down rain before God, the God of
Sinai, before God, the God of Israel.
9 O God, you cause abundant showers to fall on your chosen people. When they are
tired, you sustain them,
10 for you live among them. You sustain the oppressed with your good blessings,
O God.
11 The Lord speaks; many, many women spread the good news.
12 Kings leading armies run away– they run away! The lovely lady of the house
divides up the loot.
13 When you lie down among the sheepfolds, the wings of the dove are covered
with silver and with glittering gold.
14 When the Sovereign One scatters kings, let it snow on Zalmon!
15 The mountain of Bashan is a towering mountain; the mountain of Bashan is a
mountain with many peaks.
16 Why do you look with envy, O mountains with many peaks, at the mountain where
God has decided to live? Indeed the LORD will live there permanently!
17 God has countless chariots; they number in the thousands. The Lord comes from
Sinai in holy splendor.
18 You ascend on high, you have taken many captives. You receive tribute from
men, including even sinful rebels. Indeed the LORD God lives there!
19 The Lord deserves praise! Day after day he carries our burden, the God who
delivers us.(Selah)
20 Our God is a God who delivers; the LORD, the sovereign Lord, can rescue from
death.
21 Indeed God strikes the heads of his enemies, the hairy foreheads of those who
persist in rebellion.
22 The Lord says,“I will retrieve them from Bashan, I will bring them back
from the depths of the sea,
23 so that your feet may stomp in their blood, and your dogs may eat their
portion of the enemies’ corpses.”
24 They see your processions, O God– the processions of my God, my king, who
marches along in holy splendor.
25 Singers walk in front; musicians follow playing their stringed instruments,
in the midst of young women playing tambourines.
26 In your large assemblies praise God, the LORD, in the assemblies of Israel!
27 There is little Benjamin, their ruler, and the princes of Judah in their
robes, along with the princes of Zebulun and the princes of Naphtali.
28 God has decreed that you will be powerful. O God, you who have acted on our
behalf, demonstrate your power.
29 Because of your temple in Jerusalem, kings bring tribute to you.
30 Sound your battle cry against the wild beast of the reeds, and the nations
that assemble like a herd of calves led by bulls! They humble themselves and
offer gold and silver as tribute. God scatters the nations that like to do
battle.
31 They come with red cloth from Egypt, Ethiopia voluntarily offers tribute to
God.
32 O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God! Sing praises to the Lord,(Selah)
33 to the one who rides through the sky from ancient times! Look! He thunders
loudly.
34 Acknowledge God’s power, his sovereignty over Israel, and the power he
reveals in the skies!
35 You are awe-inspiring, O God, as you emerge from your holy temple! It is the
God of Israel who gives the people power and strength. God deserves praise!

Psalm 69

1 For the music director; according to the tune of“Lilies;” by David.
Deliver me, O God, for the water has reached my neck.
2 I sink into the deep mire where there is no solid ground; I am in deep water,
and the current overpowers me.
3 I am exhausted from shouting for help; my throat is sore; my eyes grow tired
of looking for my God.
4 Those who hate me without cause are more numerous than the hairs of my head.
Those who want to destroy me, my enemies for no reason, outnumber me. They make
me repay what I did not steal!
5 O God, you are aware of my foolish sins; my guilt is not hidden from you.
6 Let none who rely on you be disgraced because of me, O Sovereign LORD of
Heaven’s Armies! Let none who seek you be ashamed because of me, O God of
Israel!
7 For I suffer humiliation for your sake and am thoroughly disgraced.
8 My own brothers treat me like a stranger; they act as if I were a foreigner.
9 Certainly zeal for your house consumes me; I endure the insults of those who
insult you.
10 I weep and refrain from eating food, which causes others to insult me.
11 I wear sackcloth and they ridicule me.
12 Those who sit at the city gate gossip about me; drunkards mock me in their
songs.
13 O LORD, may you hear my prayer and be favorably disposed to me! O God,
because of your great loyal love, answer me with your faithful deliverance!
14 Rescue me from the mud! Don’t let me sink! Deliver me from those who hate
me, from the deep water!
15 Don’t let the current overpower me! Don’t let the deep swallow me up!
Don’t let the Pit devour me!
16 Answer me, O LORD, for your loyal love is good! Because of your great
compassion, turn toward me!
17 Do not ignore your servant, for I am in trouble! Answer me right away!
18 Come near me and redeem me! Because of my enemies, rescue me!
19 You know how I am insulted, humiliated and disgraced; you can see all my
enemies.
20 Their insults are painful and make me lose heart; I look for sympathy, but
receive none, for comforters, but find none.
21 They put bitter poison into my food, and to quench my thirst they give me
vinegar to drink.
22 May their dining table become a trap before them! May it be a snare for that
group of friends!
23 May their eyes be blinded! Make them shake violently!
24 Pour out your judgment on them! May your raging anger overtake them!
25 May their camp become desolate, their tents uninhabited!
26 For they harass the one whom you discipline; they spread the news about the
suffering of those whom you punish.
27 Hold them accountable for all their sins! Do not vindicate them!
28 May their names be deleted from the scroll of the living! Do not let their
names be listed with the godly!
29 I am oppressed and suffering! O God, deliver and protect me!
30 I will sing praises to God’s name! I will magnify him as I give him thanks!
31 That will please the LORD more than an ox or a bull with horns and hooves.
32 The oppressed look on– let them rejoice! You who seek God, may you be
encouraged!
33 For the LORD listens to the needy; he does not despise his captive people.
34 Let the heavens and the earth praise him, along with the seas and everything
that swims in them!
35 For God will deliver Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah, and his people
will again live in them and possess Zion.
36 The descendants of his servants will inherit it, and those who are loyal to
him will live in it.

Psalm 70

1 For the music director; by David; written to get God’s attention. O God,
please be willing to rescue me! O LORD, hurry and help me!
2 May those who are trying to take my life be embarrassed and ashamed! May those
who want to harm me be turned back and ashamed!
3 May those who say,“Aha! Aha!” be driven back and disgraced!
4 May all those who seek you be happy and rejoice in you! May those who love to
experience your deliverance say continually,“May God be praised!”
5 I am oppressed and needy! O God, hurry to me! You are my helper and my
deliverer! O LORD, do not delay!

Psalm 71

1 In you, O LORD, I have taken shelter! Never let me be humiliated!
2 Vindicate me by rescuing me! Listen to me! Deliver me!
3 Be my protector and refuge, a stronghold where I can be safe! For you are my
high ridge and my stronghold.
4 My God, rescue me from the power of the wicked, from the hand of the cruel
oppressor!
5 For you are my hope; O Sovereign LORD, I have trusted in you since I was
young.
6 I have leaned on you since birth; you pulled me from my mother’s womb. I
praise you continually.
7 Many are appalled when they see me, but you are my secure shelter.
8 I praise you constantly and speak of your splendor all day long.
9 Do not reject me in my old age! When my strength fails, do not abandon me!
10 For my enemies talk about me; those waiting for a chance to kill me plot my
demise.
11 They say,“God has abandoned him. Run and seize him, for there is no one who
will rescue him!”
12 O God, do not remain far away from me! My God, hurry and help me!
13 May my accusers be humiliated and defeated! May those who want to harm me be
covered with scorn and disgrace!
14 As for me, I will wait continually, and will continue to praise you.
15 I will tell about your justice, and all day long proclaim your salvation,
though I cannot fathom its full extent.
16 I will come and tell about the mighty acts of the Sovereign LORD. I will
proclaim your justice– yours alone.
17 O God, you have taught me since I was young, and I am still declaring your
amazing deeds.
18 Even when I am old and gray, O God, do not abandon me, until I tell the next
generation about your strength, and those coming after me about your power.
19 Your justice, O God, extends to the skies above; you have done great things.
O God, who can compare to you?
20 Though you have allowed me to experience much trouble and distress, revive me
once again! Bring me up once again from the depths of the earth!
21 Raise me to a position of great honor! Turn and comfort me!
22 I will express my thanks to you with a stringed instrument, praising your
faithfulness, O my God! I will sing praises to you accompanied by a harp, O Holy
One of Israel!
23 My lips will shout for joy! Yes, I will sing your praises! I will praise you
when you rescue me!
24 All day long my tongue will also tell about your justice, for those who want
to harm me will be embarrassed and ashamed.

Psalm 72

1 For Solomon. O God, grant the king the ability to make just decisions! Grant
the king’s son the ability to make fair decisions!
2 Then he will judge your people fairly, and your oppressed ones equitably.
3 The mountains will bring news of peace to the people, and the hills will
announce justice.
4 He will defend the oppressed among the people; he will deliver the children of
the poor and crush the oppressor.
5 People will fear you as long as the sun and moon remain in the sky, for
generation after generation.
6 He will descend like rain on the mown grass, like showers that drench the
earth.
7 During his days the godly will flourish; peace will prevail as long as the
moon remains in the sky.
8 May he rule from sea to sea, and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the
earth!
9 Before him the coastlands will bow down, and his enemies will lick the dust.
10 The kings of Tarshish and the coastlands will offer gifts; the kings of Sheba
and Seba will bring tribute.
11 All kings will bow down to him; all nations will serve him.
12 For he will rescue the needy when they cry out for help, and the oppressed
who have no defender.
13 He will take pity on the poor and needy; the lives of the needy he will save.
14 From harm and violence he will defend them; he will value their lives.
15 May he live! May they offer him gold from Sheba! May they continually pray
for him! May they pronounce blessings on him all day long!
16 May there be an abundance of grain in the earth; on the tops of the mountains
may it sway! May its fruit trees flourish like the forests of Lebanon! May its
crops be as abundant as the grass of the earth!
17 May his fame endure! May his dynasty last as long as the sun remains in the
sky! May they use his name when they formulate their blessings! May all nations
consider him to be favored by God!
18 The LORD God, the God of Israel, deserves praise! He alone accomplishes
amazing things!
19 His glorious name deserves praise forevermore! May his majestic splendor fill
the whole earth! We agree! We agree!
20 This collection of the prayers of David son of Jesse ends here.

Psalm 73

1 Book 3(Psalms 73-89) A psalm by Asaph. Certainly God is good to Israel, and to
those whose motives are pure!
2 But as for me, my feet almost slipped; my feet almost slid out from under me.
3 For I envied those who are proud, as I observed the prosperity of the wicked.
4 For they suffer no pain; their bodies are strong and well-fed.
5 They are immune to the trouble common to men; they do not suffer as other men
do.
6 Arrogance is their necklace, and violence covers them like clothing.
7 Their prosperity causes them to do wrong; their thoughts are sinful.
8 They mock and say evil things; they proudly threaten violence.
9 They speak as if they rule in heaven, and lay claim to the earth.
10 Therefore they have more than enough food to eat, and even suck up the water
of the sea.
11 They say,“How does God know what we do? Is the Most High aware of what goes
on?”
12 Take a good look! This is what the wicked are like, those who always have it
so easy and get richer and richer.
13 I concluded,“Surely in vain I have kept my motives pure and maintained a
pure lifestyle.
14 I suffer all day long, and am punished every morning.”
15 If I had publicized these thoughts, I would have betrayed your people.
16 When I tried to make sense of this, it was troubling to me.
17 Then I entered the precincts of God’s temple, and understood the destiny of
the wicked.
18 Surely you put them in slippery places; you bring them down to ruin.
19 How desolate they become in a mere moment! Terrifying judgments make their
demise complete!
20 They are like a dream after one wakes up. O Lord, when you awake you will
despise them.
21 Yes, my spirit was bitter, and my insides felt sharp pain.
22 I was ignorant and lacked insight; I was as senseless as an animal before
you.
23 But I am continually with you; you hold my right hand.
24 You guide me by your wise advice, and then you will lead me to a position of
honor.
25 Whom do I have in heaven but you? I desire no one but you on earth.
26 My flesh and my heart may grow weak, but God always protects my heart and
gives me stability.
27 Yes, look! Those far from you die; you destroy everyone who is unfaithful to
you.
28 But as for me, God’s presence is all I need. I have made the Sovereign LORD
my shelter, as I declare all the things you have done.

Psalm 74

1 A well-written song by Asaph. Why, O God, have you permanently rejected us?
Why does your anger burn against the sheep of your pasture?
2 Remember your people whom you acquired in ancient times, whom you rescued so
they could be your very own nation, as well as Mount Zion, where you dwell!
3 Hurry to the permanent ruins, and to all the damage the enemy has done to the
temple!
4 Your enemies roar in the middle of your sanctuary; they set up their battle
flags.
5 They invade like lumberjacks swinging their axes in a thick forest.
6 And now they are tearing down all its engravings with axes and crowbars.
7 They set your sanctuary on fire; they desecrate your dwelling place by
knocking it to the ground.
8 They say to themselves,“We will oppress all of them.” They burn down all
the places where people worship God in the land.
9 We do not see any signs of God’s presence; there are no longer any prophets
and we have no one to tell us how long this will last.
10 How long, O God, will the adversary hurl insults? Will the enemy blaspheme
your name forever?
11 Why do you remain inactive? Intervene and destroy him!
12 But God has been my king from ancient times, performing acts of deliverance
on the earth.
13 You destroyed the sea by your strength; you shattered the heads of the sea
monster in the water.
14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan; you fed him to the people who live along
the coast.
15 You broke open the spring and the stream; you dried up perpetually flowing
rivers.
16 You established the cycle of day and night; you put the moon and sun in
place.
17 You set up all the boundaries of the earth; you created the cycle of summer
and winter.
18 Remember how the enemy hurls insults, O LORD, and how a foolish nation
blasphemes your name!
19 Do not hand the life of your dove over to a wild animal! Do not continue to
disregard the lives of your oppressed people!
20 Remember your covenant promises, for the dark regions of the earth are full
of places where violence rules.
21 Do not let the afflicted be turned back in shame! Let the oppressed and poor
praise your name!
22 Rise up, O God! Defend your honor! Remember how fools insult you all day
long!
23 Do not disregard what your enemies say, or the unceasing shouts of those who
defy you.

Psalm 75

1 For the music director; according to the al-tashcheth style; a psalm of Asaph;
a song. We give thanks to you, O God! We give thanks! You reveal your presence;
people tell about your amazing deeds.
2 God says,“At the appointed times, I judge fairly.
3 When the earth and all its inhabitants dissolve in fear, I make its pillars
secure.”(Selah)
4 I say to the proud,“Do not be proud,” and to the wicked,“Do not be so
confident of victory!
5 Do not be so certain you have won! Do not speak with your head held so high!
6 For victory does not come from the east or west, or from the wilderness.
7 For God is the judge! He brings one down and exalts another.
8 For the LORD holds in his hand a cup full of foaming wine mixed with spices,
and pours it out. Surely all the wicked of the earth will slurp it up and drink
it to its very last drop.”
9 As for me, I will continually tell what you have done; I will sing praises to
the God of Jacob!
10 God says,“I will bring down all the power of the wicked; the godly will be
victorious.”

Psalm 76

1 For the music director; to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm of
Asaph, a song. God has revealed himself in Judah; in Israel his reputation is
great.
2 He lives in Salem; he dwells in Zion.
3 There he shattered the arrows, the shield, the sword, and the rest of the
weapons of war.(Selah)
4 You shine brightly and reveal your majesty, as you descend from the hills
where you killed your prey.
5 The bravehearted were plundered; they“fell asleep.” All the warriors were
helpless.
6 At the sound of your battle cry, O God of Jacob, both rider and horse“fell
asleep.”
7 You are awesome! Yes, you! Who can withstand your intense anger?
8 From heaven you announced what their punishment would be. The earth was afraid
and silent
9 when God arose to execute judgment, and to deliver all the oppressed of the
earth.(Selah)
10 Certainly your angry judgment upon men will bring you praise; you reveal your
anger in full measure.
11 Make vows to the LORD your God and repay them! Let all those who surround him
bring tribute to the awesome one!
12 He humbles princes; the kings of the earth regard him as awesome.

Psalm 77

1 For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of Asaph. I will cry out to God and
call for help! I will cry out to God and he will pay attention to me.
2 In my time of trouble I sought the Lord. I kept my hand raised in prayer
throughout the night. I refused to be comforted.
3 I said,“I will remember God while I groan; I will think about him while my
strength leaves me.”(Selah)
4 You held my eyelids open; I was troubled and could not speak.
5 I thought about the days of old, about ancient times.
6 I said,“During the night I will remember the song I once sang; I will think
very carefully.” I tried to make sense of what was happening.
7 I asked,“Will the Lord reject me forever? Will he never again show me his
favor?
8 Has his loyal love disappeared forever? Has his promise failed forever?
9 Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has his anger stifled his
compassion?”(Selah)
10 Then I said,“I am sickened by the thought that the Most High might become
inactive.
11 I will remember the works of the LORD. Yes, I will remember the amazing
things you did long ago!
12 I will think about all you have done; I will reflect upon your deeds!”
13 O God, your deeds are extraordinary! What god can compare to our great God?
14 You are the God who does amazing things; you have revealed your strength
among the nations.
15 You delivered your people by your strength– the children of Jacob and
Joseph.(Selah)
16 The waters saw you, O God, the waters saw you and trembled. Yes, the depths
of the sea shook with fear.
17 The clouds poured down rain; the skies thundered. Yes, your arrows flashed
about.
18 Your thunderous voice was heard in the wind; the lightning bolts lit up the
world; the earth trembled and shook.
19 You walked through the sea; you passed through the surging waters, but left
no footprints.
20 You led your people like a flock of sheep, by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Psalm 78

1 A well-written song by Asaph. Pay attention, my people, to my instruction!
Listen to the words I speak!
2 I will sing a song that imparts wisdom; I will make insightful observations
about the past.
3 What we have heard and learned– that which our ancestors have told us–
4 we will not hide from their descendants. We will tell the next generation
about the LORD’s praiseworthy acts, about his strength and the amazing things
he has done.
5 He established a rule in Jacob; he set up a law in Israel. He commanded our
ancestors to make his deeds known to their descendants,
6 so that the next generation, children yet to be born, might know about them.
They will grow up and tell their descendants about them.
7 Then they will place their confidence in God. They will not forget the works
of God, and they will obey his commands.
8 Then they will not be like their ancestors, who were a stubborn and rebellious
generation, a generation that was not committed and faithful to God.
9 The Ephraimites were armed with bows, but they retreated in the day of battle.
10 They did not keep their covenant with God, and they refused to obey his law.
11 They forgot what he had done, the amazing things he had shown them.
12 He did amazing things in the sight of their ancestors, in the land of Egypt,
in the region of Zoan.
13 He divided the sea and led them across it; he made the water stand in a heap.
14 He led them with a cloud by day, and with the light of a fire all night long.
15 He broke open rocks in the wilderness, and gave them enough water to fill the
depths of the sea.
16 He caused streams to flow from the rock, and made the water flow like rivers.
17 Yet they continued to sin against him, and rebelled against the Most High in
the desert.
18 They willfully challenged God by asking for food to satisfy their appetite.
19 They insulted God, saying,“Is God really able to give us food in the
wilderness?
20 Yes, he struck a rock and water flowed out, streams gushed forth. But can he
also give us food? Will he provide meat for his people?”
21 When the LORD heard this, he was furious. A fire broke out against Jacob, and
his anger flared up against Israel,
22 because they did not have faith in God, and did not trust his ability to
deliver them.
23 He gave a command to the clouds above, and opened the doors in the sky.
24 He rained down manna for them to eat; he gave them the grain of heaven.
25 Man ate the food of the mighty ones. He sent them more than enough to eat.
26 He brought the east wind through the sky, and by his strength led forth the
south wind.
27 He rained down meat on them like dust, birds as numerous as the sand on the
seashores.
28 He caused them to fall right in the middle of their camp, all around their
homes.
29 They ate until they were beyond full; he gave them what they desired.
30 They were not yet filled up, their food was still in their mouths,
31 when the anger of God flared up against them. He killed some of the strongest
of them; he brought the young men of Israel to their knees.
32 Despite all this, they continued to sin, and did not trust him to do amazing
things.
33 So he caused them to die unsatisfied and filled with terror.
34 When he struck them down, they sought his favor; they turned back and longed
for God.
35 They remembered that God was their protector, and that God Most High was
their deliverer.
36 But they deceived him with their words, and lied to him.
37 They were not really committed to him, and they were unfaithful to his
covenant.
38 Yet he is compassionate. He forgives sin and does not destroy. He often holds
back his anger, and does not stir up his fury.
39 He remembered that they were made of flesh, and were like a wind that blows
past and does not return.
40 How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness, and insulted him in
the wastelands!
41 They again challenged God, and offended the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not remember what he had done, how he delivered them from the enemy,
43 when he performed his awesome deeds in Egypt, and his acts of judgment in the
region of Zoan.
44 He turned their rivers into blood, and they could not drink from their
streams.
45 He sent swarms of biting insects against them, as well as frogs that overran
their land.
46 He gave their crops to the grasshopper, the fruit of their labor to the
locust.
47 He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycamore-fig trees with driving
rain.
48 He rained hail down on their cattle, and hurled lightning bolts down on their
livestock.
49 His raging anger lashed out against them, He sent fury, rage, and trouble as
messengers who bring disaster.
50 He sent his anger in full force; he did not spare them from death; he handed
their lives over to destruction.
51 He struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, the firstfruits of their
reproductive power in the tents of Ham.
52 Yet he brought out his people like sheep; he led them through the wilderness
like a flock.
53 He guided them safely along, and they were not afraid; but the sea covered
their enemies.
54 He brought them to the border of his holy land, to this mountainous land
which his right hand acquired.
55 He drove the nations out from before them; he assigned them their tribal
allotments and allowed the tribes of Israel to settle down.
56 Yet they challenged and defied God Most High, and did not obey his commands.
57 They were unfaithful and acted as treacherously as their ancestors; they were
as unreliable as a malfunctioning bow.
58 They made him angry with their pagan shrines, and made him jealous with their
idols.
59 God heard and was angry; he completely rejected Israel.
60 He abandoned the sanctuary at Shiloh, the tent where he lived among men.
61 He allowed the symbol of his strong presence to be captured; he gave the
symbol of his splendor into the hand of the enemy.
62 He delivered his people over to the sword, and was angry with his chosen
nation.
63 Fire consumed their young men, and their virgins remained unmarried.
64 Their priests fell by the sword, but their widows did not weep.
65 But then the Lord awoke from his sleep; he was like a warrior in a drunken
rage.
66 He drove his enemies back; he made them a permanent target for insults.
67 He rejected the tent of Joseph; he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
68 He chose the tribe of Judah, and Mount Zion, which he loves.
69 He made his sanctuary as enduring as the heavens above; as secure as the
earth, which he established permanently.
70 He chose David, his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds.
71 He took him away from following the mother sheep, and made him the shepherd
of Jacob, his people, and of Israel, his chosen nation.
72 David cared for them with pure motives; he led them with skill.

Psalm 79

1 A psalm of Asaph. O God, foreigners have invaded your chosen land; they have
polluted your holy temple and turned Jerusalem into a heap of ruins.
2 They have given the corpses of your servants to the birds of the sky; the
flesh of your loyal followers to the beasts of the earth.
3 They have made their blood flow like water all around Jerusalem, and there is
no one to bury them.
4 We have become an object of disdain to our neighbors; those who live on our
borders taunt and insult us.
5 How long will this go on, O LORD? Will you stay angry forever? How long will
your rage burn like fire?
6 Pour out your anger on the nations that do not acknowledge you, on the
kingdoms that do not pray to you!
7 For they have devoured Jacob and destroyed his home.
8 Do not hold us accountable for the sins of earlier generations! Quickly send
your compassion our way, for we are in serious trouble!
9 Help us, O God, our deliverer! For the sake of your glorious reputation,
rescue us! Forgive our sins for the sake of your reputation!
10 Why should the nations say,“Where is their God?” Before our very eyes may
the shed blood of your servants be avenged among the nations!
11 Listen to the painful cries of the prisoners! Use your great strength to set
free those condemned to die!
12 Pay back our neighbors in full! May they be insulted the same way they
insulted you, O Lord!
13 Then we, your people, the sheep of your pasture, will continually thank you.
We will tell coming generations of your praiseworthy acts.

Psalm 80

1 For the music director; according to the shushan-eduth style; a psalm of
Asaph. O shepherd of Israel, pay attention, you who lead Joseph like a flock of
sheep! You who sit enthroned above the cherubim, reveal your splendor!
2 In the sight of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh reveal your power! Come and
deliver us!
3 O God, restore us! Smile on us! Then we will be delivered!
4 O LORD God of Heaven’s Armies! How long will you remain angry at your people
while they pray to you?
5 You have given them tears as food; you have made them drink tears by the
measure.
6 You have made our neighbors dislike us, and our enemies insult us.
7 O God of Heaven’s Armies, restore us! Smile on us! Then we will be
delivered!
8 You uprooted a vine from Egypt; you drove out nations and transplanted it.
9 You cleared the ground for it; it took root, and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered by its shadow, the highest cedars by its branches.
11 Its branches reached the Mediterranean Sea, and its shoots the Euphrates
River.
12 Why did you break down its walls, so that all who pass by pluck its fruit?
13 The wild boars of the forest ruin it; the insects of the field feed on it.
14 O God of Heaven’s Armies, come back! Look down from heaven and take notice!
Take care of this vine,
15 the root your right hand planted, the shoot you made to grow!
16 It is burned and cut down. They die because you are displeased with them.
17 May you give support to the one you have chosen, to the one whom you raised
up for yourself!
18 Then we will not turn away from you. Revive us and we will pray to you!
19 O LORD God of Heaven’s Armies, restore us! Smile on us! Then we will be
delivered!

Psalm 81

1 For the music director; according to the gittith style; by Asaph. Shout for
joy to God, our source of strength! Shout out to the God of Jacob!
2 Sing a song and play the tambourine, the pleasant sounding harp, and the
ten-stringed instrument!
3 Sound the ram’s horn on the day of the new moon, and on the day of the full
moon when our festival begins.
4 For observing the festival is a requirement for Israel; it is an ordinance
given by the God of Jacob.
5 He decreed it as a regulation in Joseph, when he attacked the land of Egypt. I
heard a voice I did not recognize.
6 It said:“I removed the burden from his shoulder; his hands were released
from holding the basket.
7 In your distress you called out and I rescued you. I answered you from a dark
thundercloud. I tested you at the waters of Meribah.(Selah)
8 I said,‘Listen, my people! I will warn you! O Israel, if only you would obey
me!
9 There must be no other god among you. You must not worship a foreign god.
10 I am the LORD, your God, the one who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide and I will fill it!’
11 But my people did not obey me; Israel did not submit to me.
12 I gave them over to their stubborn desires; they did what seemed right to
them.
13 If only my people would obey me! If only Israel would keep my commands!
14 Then I would quickly subdue their enemies, and attack their adversaries.”
15 (May those who hate the LORD cower in fear before him! May they be
permanently humiliated!)
16 “I would feed Israel the best wheat, and would satisfy your appetite with
honey from the rocky cliffs.”

Psalm 82

1 A psalm of Asaph. God stands in the assembly of El; in the midst of the gods
he renders judgment.
2 He says,“How long will you make unjust legal decisions and show favoritism
to the wicked?(Selah)
3 Defend the cause of the poor and the fatherless! Vindicate the oppressed and
suffering!
4 Rescue the poor and needy! Deliver them from the power of the wicked!
5 They neither know nor understand. They stumble around in the dark, while all
the foundations of the earth crumble.
6 I thought,‘You are gods; all of you are sons of the Most High.’
7 Yet you will die like mortals; you will fall like all the other rulers.”
8 Rise up, O God, and execute judgment on the earth! For you own all the
nations.

Psalm 83

1 A song, a psalm of Asaph. O God, do not be silent! Do not ignore us! Do not be
inactive, O God!
2 For look, your enemies are making a commotion; those who hate you are hostile.
3 They carefully plot against your people, and make plans to harm the ones you
cherish.
4 They say,“Come on, let’s annihilate them so they are no longer a nation!
Then the name of Israel will be remembered no more.”
5 Yes, they devise a unified strategy; they form an alliance against you.
6 It includes the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites,
7 Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek, Philistia and the inhabitants of Tyre.
8 Even Assyria has allied with them, lending its strength to the descendants of
Lot.(Selah)
9 Do to them as you did to Midian– as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the
Kishon River!
10 They were destroyed at En Dor; their corpses were like manure on the ground.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, and all their rulers like Zebah and
Zalmunna,
12 who said,“Let’s take over the pastures of God!”
13 O my God, make them like dead thistles, like dead weeds blown away by the
wind!
14 Like the fire that burns down the forest, or the flames that consume the
mountainsides,
15 chase them with your gale winds, and terrify them with your windstorm.
16 Cover their faces with shame, so they might seek you, O LORD.
17 May they be humiliated and continually terrified! May they die in shame!
18 Then they will know that you alone are the LORD, the Most High over all the
earth.

Psalm 84

1 For the music director; according to the gittith style; written by the
Korahites, a psalm. How lovely is the place where you live, O LORD of Heaven’s
Armies!
2 I desperately want to be in the courts of the LORD’s temple. My heart and my
entire being shout for joy to the living God.
3 Even the birds find a home there, and the swallow builds a nest, where she can
protect her young near your altars, O LORD of Heaven’s Armies, my king and my
God.
4 How blessed are those who live in your temple and praise you
continually!(Selah)
5 How blessed are those who find their strength in you, and long to travel the
roads that lead to your temple!
6 As they pass through the Baca Valley, he provides a spring for them. The rain
even covers it with pools of water.
7 They are sustained as they travel along; each one appears before God in Zion.
8 O LORD God of Heaven’s Armies, hear my prayer! Listen, O God of
Jacob!(Selah)
9 O God, take notice of our shield! Show concern for your chosen king!
10 Certainly spending just one day in your temple courts is better than spending
a thousand elsewhere. I would rather stand at the entrance to the temple of my
God than live in the tents of the wicked.
11 For the LORD God is our sovereign protector. The LORD bestows favor and
honor; he withholds no good thing from those who have integrity.
12 O LORD of Heaven’s Armies, how blessed are those who trust in you!

Psalm 85

1 For the music director; written by the Korahites, a psalm. O LORD, you showed
favor to your land; you restored the well-being of Jacob.
2 You pardoned the wrongdoing of your people; you forgave all their sin.(Selah)
3 You withdrew all your fury; you turned back from your raging anger.
4 Restore us, O God our deliverer! Do not be displeased with us!
5 Will you stay mad at us forever? Will you remain angry throughout future
generations?
6 Will you not revive us once more? Then your people will rejoice in you!
7 O LORD, show us your loyal love! Bestow on us your deliverance!
8 I will listen to what God the LORD says. For he will make peace with his
people, his faithful followers. Yet they must not return to their foolish ways.
9 Certainly his loyal followers will soon experience his deliverance; then his
splendor will again appear in our land.
10 Loyal love and faithfulness meet; deliverance and peace greet each other with
a kiss.
11 Faithfulness grows from the ground, and deliverance looks down from the sky.
12 Yes, the LORD will bestow his good blessings, and our land will yield its
crops.
13 Deliverance goes before him, and prepares a pathway for him.

Psalm 86

1 A prayer of David. Listen O LORD! Answer me! For I am oppressed and needy.
2 Protect me, for I am loyal! You are my God; deliver your servant who trusts in
you!
3 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I cry out to you all day long!
4 Make your servant glad, for to you, O Lord, I pray!
5 Certainly O Lord, you are kind and forgiving, and show great faithfulness to
all who cry out to you.
6 O LORD, hear my prayer! Pay attention to my plea for mercy!
7 In my time of trouble I cry out to you, for you will answer me.
8 None can compare to you among the gods, O Lord! Your exploits are
incomparable!
9 All the nations, whom you created, will come and worship you, O Lord. They
will honor your name.
10 For you are great and do amazing things. You alone are God.
11 O LORD, teach me how you want me to live! Then I will obey your commands.
Make me wholeheartedly committed to you!
12 O Lord, my God, I will give you thanks with my whole heart! I will honor your
name continually!
13 For you will extend your great loyal love to me, and will deliver my life
from the depths of Sheol.
14 O God, arrogant men attack me; a gang of ruthless men, who do not respect
you, seek my life.
15 But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and merciful God. You are patient and
demonstrate great loyal love and faithfulness.
16 Turn toward me and have mercy on me! Give your servant your strength! Deliver
this son of your female servant!
17 Show me evidence of your favor! Then those who hate me will see it and be
ashamed, for you, O LORD, will help me and comfort me.

Psalm 87

1 Written by the Korahites; a psalm, a song. The LORD’s city is in the holy
hills.
2 The LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.
3 People say wonderful things about you, O city of God.(Selah)
4 I mention Rahab and Babylon to my followers. Here are Philistia and Tyre,
along with Ethiopia. It is said of them,“This one was born there.”
5 But it is said of Zion’s residents,“Each one of these was born in her, and
the Most High makes her secure.”
6 The LORD writes in the census book of the nations,“This one was born
there.”(Selah)
7 As for the singers, as well as the pipers– all of them sing within your
walls.

Psalm 88

1 A song, a psalm written by the Korahites; for the music director; according to
the machalath-leannoth style; a well-written song by Heman the Ezrachite. O LORD
God who delivers me! By day I cry out and at night I pray before you.
2 Listen to my prayer! Pay attention to my cry for help!
3 For my life is filled with troubles and I am ready to enter Sheol.
4 They treat me like those who descend into the grave. I am like a helpless man,
5 adrift among the dead, like corpses lying in the grave, whom you remember no
more, and who are cut off from your power.
6 You place me in the lowest regions of the Pit, in the dark places, in the
watery depths.
7 Your anger bears down on me, and you overwhelm me with all your waves.(Selah)
8 You cause those who know me to keep their distance; you make me an appalling
sight to them. I am trapped and cannot get free.
9 My eyes grow weak because of oppression. I call out to you, O LORD, all day
long; I spread out my hands in prayer to you.
10 Do you accomplish amazing things for the dead? Do the departed spirits rise
up and give you thanks?(Selah)
11 Is your loyal love proclaimed in the grave, or your faithfulness in the place
of the dead?
12 Are your amazing deeds experienced in the dark region, or your deliverance in
the land of oblivion?
13 As for me, I cry out to you, O LORD; in the morning my prayer confronts you.
14 O LORD, why do you reject me, and pay no attention to me?
15 I am oppressed and have been on the verge of death since my youth. I have
been subjected to your horrors and am numb with pain.
16 Your anger overwhelms me; your terrors destroy me.
17 They surround me like water all day long; they join forces and encircle me.
18 You cause my friends and neighbors to keep their distance; those who know me
leave me alone in the darkness.

Psalm 89

1 A well-written song by Ethan the Ezrachite. I will sing continually about the
LORD’s faithful deeds; to future generations I will proclaim your
faithfulness.
2 For I say,“Loyal love is permanently established; in the skies you set up
your faithfulness.”
3 The LORD said,“I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have made a
promise on oath to David, my servant:
4 ‘I will give you an eternal dynasty and establish your throne throughout
future generations.’”(Selah)
5 O LORD, the heavens praise your amazing deeds, as well as your faithfulness in
the angelic assembly.
6 For who in the skies can compare to the LORD? Who is like the LORD among the
heavenly beings,
7 a God who is honored in the great angelic assembly, and more awesome than all
who surround him?
8 O LORD God of Heaven’s Armies! Who is strong like you, O LORD? Your
faithfulness surrounds you.
9 You rule over the proud sea. When its waves surge, you calm them.
10 You crushed the Proud One and killed it; with your strong arm you scattered
your enemies.
11 The heavens belong to you, as does the earth. You made the world and all it
contains.
12 You created the north and the south. Tabor and Hermon rejoice in your name.
13 Your arm is powerful, your hand strong, your right hand victorious.
14 Equity and justice are the foundation of your throne. Loyal love and
faithfulness characterize your rule.
15 How blessed are the people who worship you! O LORD, they experience your
favor.
16 They rejoice in your name all day long, and are vindicated by your justice.
17 For you give them splendor and strength. By your favor we are victorious.
18 For our shield belongs to the LORD, our king to the Holy One of Israel.
19 Then you spoke through a vision to your faithful followers and said:“I have
placed a young hero over a warrior; I have raised up a young man from the
people.
20 I have discovered David, my servant. With my holy oil I have anointed him as
king.
21 My hand will support him, and my arm will strengthen him.
22 No enemy will be able to exact tribute from him; a violent oppressor will not
be able to humiliate him.
23 I will crush his enemies before him; I will strike down those who hate him.
24 He will experience my faithfulness and loyal love, and by my name he will win
victories.
25 I will place his hand over the sea, his right hand over the rivers.
26 He will call out to me,‘You are my father, my God, and the protector who
delivers me.’
27 I will appoint him to be my firstborn son, the most exalted of the earth’s
kings.
28 I will always extend my loyal love to him, and my covenant with him is
secure.
29 I will give him an eternal dynasty, and make his throne as enduring as the
skies above.
30 If his sons reject my law and disobey my regulations,
31 if they break my rules and do not keep my commandments,
32 I will punish their rebellion by beating them with a club, their sin by
inflicting them with bruises.
33 But I will not remove my loyal love from him, nor be unfaithful to my
promise.
34 I will not break my covenant or go back on what I promised.
35 Once and for all I have vowed by my own holiness, I will never deceive David.
36 His dynasty will last forever. His throne will endure before me, like the
sun,
37 it will remain stable, like the moon, his throne will endure like the
skies.”(Selah)
38 But you have spurned and rejected him; you are angry with your chosen king.
39 You have repudiated your covenant with your servant; you have thrown his
crown to the ground.
40 You have broken down all his walls; you have made his strongholds a heap of
ruins.
41 All who pass by have robbed him; he has become an object of disdain to his
neighbors.
42 You have allowed his adversaries to be victorious, and all his enemies to
rejoice.
43 You turn back his sword from the adversary, and have not sustained him in
battle.
44 You have brought to an end his splendor, and have knocked his throne to the
ground.
45 You have cut short his youth, and have covered him with shame.(Selah)
46 How long, O LORD, will this last? Will you remain hidden forever? Will your
anger continue to burn like fire?
47 Take note of my brief lifespan! Why do you make all people so mortal?
48 No man can live on without experiencing death, or deliver his life from the
power of Sheol.(Selah)
49 Where are your earlier faithful deeds, O Lord, the ones performed in
accordance with your reliable oath to David?
50 Take note, O Lord, of the way your servants are taunted, and of how I must
bear so many insults from people!
51 Your enemies, O LORD, hurl insults; they insult your chosen king as they dog
his footsteps.
52 The LORD deserves praise forevermore! We agree! We agree!

Psalm 90

1 Book 4(Psalms 90-106) A prayer of Moses, the man of God. O Lord, you have been
our protector through all generations!
2 Even before the mountains came into existence, or you brought the world into
being, you were the eternal God.
3 You make mankind return to the dust, and say,“Return, O people!”
4 Yes, in your eyes a thousand years are like yesterday that quickly passes, or
like one of the divisions of the nighttime.
5 You bring their lives to an end and they“fall asleep.” In the morning they
are like the grass that sprouts up;
6 in the morning it glistens and sprouts up; at evening time it withers and
dries up.
7 Yes, we are consumed by your anger; we are terrified by your wrath.
8 You are aware of our sins; you even know about our hidden sins.
9 Yes, throughout all our days we experience your raging fury; the years of our
lives pass quickly, like a sigh.
10 The days of our lives add up to seventy years, or eighty, if one is
especially strong. But even one’s best years are marred by trouble and
oppression. Yes, they pass quickly and we fly away.
11 Who can really fathom the intensity of your anger? Your raging fury causes
people to fear you.
12 So teach us to consider our mortality, so that we might live wisely.
13 Turn back toward us, O LORD! How long must this suffering last? Have pity on
your servants!
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your loyal love! Then we will shout for joy
and be happy all our days!
15 Make us happy in proportion to the days you have afflicted us, in proportion
to the years we have experienced trouble!
16 May your servants see your work! May their sons see your majesty!
17 May our sovereign God extend his favor to us! Make our endeavors successful!
Yes, make them successful!

Psalm 91

1 As for you, the one who lives in the shelter of the Most High, and resides in
the protective shadow of the Sovereign One–
2 I say this about the LORD, my shelter and my stronghold, my God in whom I
trust–
3 he will certainly rescue you from the snare of the hunter and from the
destructive plague.
4 He will shelter you with his wings; you will find safety under his wings. His
faithfulness is like a shield or a protective wall.
5 You need not fear the terrors of the night, the arrow that flies by day,
6 the plague that stalks in the darkness, or the disease that ravages at noon.
7 Though a thousand may fall beside you, and a multitude on your right side, it
will not reach you.
8 Certainly you will see it with your very own eyes– you will see the wicked
paid back.
9 For you have taken refuge in the LORD, my shelter, the Most High.
10 No harm will overtake you; no illness will come near your home.
11 For he will order his angels to protect you in all you do.
12 They will lift you up in their hands, so you will not slip and fall on a
stone.
13 You will subdue a lion and a snake; you will trample underfoot a young lion
and a serpent.
14 The LORD says,“Because he is devoted to me, I will deliver him; I will
protect him because he is loyal to me.
15 When he calls out to me, I will answer him. I will be with him when he is in
trouble; I will rescue him and bring him honor.
16 I will satisfy him with long life, and will let him see my salvation.

Psalm 92

1 A psalm; a song for the Sabbath day. It is fitting to thank the LORD, and to
sing praises to your name, O Most High!
2 It is fitting to proclaim your loyal love in the morning, and your
faithfulness during the night,
3 to the accompaniment of a ten-stringed instrument and a lyre, to the
accompaniment of the meditative tone of the harp.
4 For you, O LORD, have made me happy by your work. I will sing for joy because
of what you have done.
5 How great are your works, O LORD! Your plans are very intricate!
6 The spiritually insensitive do not recognize this; the fool does not
understand this.
7 When the wicked sprout up like grass, and all the evildoers glisten, it is so
that they may be annihilated.
8 But you, O LORD, reign forever!
9 Indeed, look at your enemies, O LORD! Indeed, look at how your enemies perish!
All the evildoers are scattered!
10 You exalt my horn like that of a wild ox. I am covered with fresh oil.
11 I gloat in triumph over those who tried to ambush me; I hear the defeated
cries of the evil foes who attacked me.
12 The godly grow like a palm tree; they grow high like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 Planted in the LORD’s house, they grow in the courts of our God.
14 They bear fruit even when they are old; they are filled with vitality and
have many leaves.
15 So they proclaim that the LORD, my protector, is just and never unfair.

Psalm 93

1 The LORD reigns! He is robed in majesty, the LORD is robed, he wears strength
around his waist. Indeed, the world is established, it cannot be moved.
2 Your throne has been secure from ancient times; you have always been king.
3 The waves roar, O LORD, the waves roar, the waves roar and crash.
4 Above the sound of the surging water, and the mighty waves of the sea, the
LORD sits enthroned in majesty.
5 The rules you set down are completely reliable. Holiness aptly adorns your
house, O LORD, forever.

Psalm 94

1 O LORD, the God who avenges! O God who avenges, reveal your splendor!
2 Rise up, O judge of the earth! Pay back the proud!
3 O LORD, how long will the wicked, how long will the wicked celebrate?
4 They spew out threats and speak defiantly; all the evildoers boast.
5 O LORD, they crush your people; they oppress the nation that belongs to you.
6 They kill the widow and the resident foreigner, and they murder the
fatherless.
7 Then they say,“The LORD does not see this; the God of Jacob does not take
notice of it.”
8 Take notice of this, you ignorant people! You fools, when will you ever
understand?
9 Does the one who makes the human ear not hear? Does the one who forms the
human eye not see?
10 Does the one who disciplines the nations not punish? He is the one who
imparts knowledge to human beings!
11 The LORD knows that peoples’ thoughts are morally bankrupt.
12 How blessed is the one whom you instruct, O LORD, the one whom you teach from
your law,
13 in order to protect him from times of trouble, until the wicked are
destroyed.
14 Certainly the LORD does not forsake his people; he does not abandon the
nation that belongs to him.
15 For justice will prevail, and all the morally upright will be vindicated.
16 Who will rise up to defend me against the wicked? Who will stand up for me
against the evildoers?
17 If the LORD had not helped me, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of
death.
18 If I say,“My foot is slipping,” your loyal love, O LORD, supports me.
19 When worries threaten to overwhelm me, your soothing touch makes me happy.
20 Cruel rulers are not your allies, those who make oppressive laws.
21 They conspire against the blameless, and condemn to death the innocent.
22 But the LORD will protect me, and my God will shelter me.
23 He will pay them back for their sin. He will destroy them because of their
evil; the LORD our God will destroy them.

Psalm 95

1 Come! Let’s sing for joy to the LORD! Let’s shout out praises to our
protector who delivers us!
2 Let’s enter his presence with thanksgiving! Let’s shout out to him in
celebration!
3 For the LORD is a great God, a great king who is superior to all gods.
4 The depths of the earth are in his hand, and the mountain peaks belong to him.
5 The sea is his, for he made it. His hands formed the dry land.
6 Come! Let’s bow down and worship! Let’s kneel before the LORD, our
Creator!
7 For he is our God; we are the people of his pasture, the sheep he owns. Today,
if only you would obey him!
8 He says,“Do not be stubborn like they were at Meribah, like they were that
day at Massah in the wilderness,
9 where your ancestors challenged my authority, and tried my patience, even
though they had seen my work.
10 For forty years I was continually disgusted with that generation, and I
said,‘These people desire to go astray; they do not obey my commands.’
11 So I made a vow in my anger,‘They will never enter into the resting place I
had set aside for them.’”

Psalm 96

1 Sing to the LORD a new song! Sing to the LORD, all the earth!
2 Sing to the LORD! Praise his name! Announce every day how he delivers!
3 Tell the nations about his splendor! Tell all the nations about his amazing
deeds!
4 For the LORD is great and certainly worthy of praise; he is more awesome than
all gods.
5 For all the gods of the nations are worthless, but the LORD made the sky.
6 Majestic splendor emanates from him; his sanctuary is firmly established and
beautiful.
7 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the nations, ascribe to the LORD splendor
and strength!
8 Ascribe to the LORD the splendor he deserves! Bring an offering and enter his
courts!
9 Worship the LORD in holy attire! Tremble before him, all the earth!
10 Say among the nations,“The LORD reigns! The world is established, it cannot
be moved. He judges the nations fairly.”
11 Let the sky rejoice, and the earth be happy! Let the sea and everything in it
shout!
12 Let the fields and everything in them celebrate! Then let the trees of the
forest shout with joy
13 before the LORD, for he comes! For he comes to judge the earth! He judges the
world fairly, and the nations in accordance with his justice.

Psalm 97

1 The LORD reigns! Let the earth be happy! Let the many coastlands rejoice!
2 Dark clouds surround him; equity and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3 Fire goes before him; on every side it burns up his enemies.
4 His lightning bolts light up the world; the earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of the whole
earth.
6 The sky declares his justice, and all the nations see his splendor.
7 All who worship idols are ashamed, those who boast about worthless idols. All
the gods bow down before him.
8 Zion hears and rejoices, the towns of Judah are happy, because of your
judgments, O LORD.
9 For you, O LORD, are the Most High over the whole earth; you are elevated high
above all gods.
10 You who love the LORD, hate evil! He protects the lives of his faithful
followers; he delivers them from the power of the wicked.
11 The godly bask in the light; the morally upright experience joy.
12 You godly ones, rejoice in the LORD! Give thanks to his holy name.

Psalm 98

1 A psalm. Sing to the LORD a new song, for he performs amazing deeds! His right
hand and his mighty arm accomplish deliverance.
2 The LORD demonstrates his power to deliver; in the sight of the nations he
reveals his justice.
3 He remains loyal and faithful to the family of Israel. All the ends of the
earth see our God deliver us.
4 Shout out praises to the LORD, all the earth! Break out in a joyful shout and
sing!
5 Sing to the LORD accompanied by a harp, accompanied by a harp and the sound of
music!
6 With trumpets and the blaring of the ram’s horn, shout out praises before
the king, the LORD!
7 Let the sea and everything in it shout, along with the world and those who
live in it!
8 Let the rivers clap their hands! Let the mountains sing in unison
9 before the LORD! For he comes to judge the earth! He judges the world fairly,
and the nations in a just manner.

Psalm 99

1 The LORD reigns! The nations tremble. He sits enthroned above the cherubim;
the earth shakes.
2 The LORD is elevated in Zion; he is exalted over all the nations.
3 Let them praise your great and awesome name! He is holy!
4 The king is strong; he loves justice. You ensure that legal decisions will be
made fairly; you promote justice and equity in Jacob.
5 Praise the LORD our God! Worship before his footstool! He is holy!
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests; Samuel was one of those who prayed to
him. They prayed to the LORD and he answered them.
7 He spoke to them from a pillar of cloud; they obeyed his regulations and the
ordinance he gave them.
8 O LORD our God, you answered them. They found you to be a forgiving God, but
also one who punished their sinful deeds.
9 Praise the LORD our God! Worship on his holy hill, for the LORD our God is
holy!

Psalm 100

1 A thanksgiving psalm. Shout out praises to the LORD, all the earth!
2 Worship the LORD with joy! Enter his presence with joyful singing!
3 Acknowledge that the LORD is God! He made us and we belong to him; we are his
people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give him
thanks! Praise his name!
5 For the LORD is good. His loyal love endures, and he is faithful through all
generations.

Psalm 101

1 A psalm of David. I will sing about loyalty and justice! To you, O LORD, I
will sing praises!
2 I will walk in the way of integrity. When will you come to me? I will conduct
my business with integrity in the midst of my palace.
3 I will not even consider doing what is dishonest. I hate doing evil; I will
have no part of it.
4 I will have nothing to do with a perverse person; I will not permit evil.
5 I will destroy anyone who slanders his neighbor in secret. I will not tolerate
anyone who has a haughty demeanor and an arrogant attitude.
6 I will favor the honest people of the land, and allow them to live with me.
Those who walk in the way of integrity will attend me.
7 Deceitful people will not live in my palace. Liars will not be welcome in my
presence.
8 Each morning I will destroy all the wicked people in the land, and remove all
evildoers from the city of the LORD.

Psalm 102

1 The prayer of an oppressed man, as he grows faint and pours out his lament
before the LORD. O LORD, hear my prayer! Pay attention to my cry for help!
2 Do not ignore me in my time of trouble! Listen to me! When I call out to you,
quickly answer me!
3 For my days go up in smoke, and my bones are charred like a fireplace.
4 My heart is parched and withered like grass, for I am unable to eat food.
5 Because of the anxiety that makes me groan, my bones protrude from my skin.
6 I am like an owl in the wilderness; I am like a screech owl among the ruins.
7 I stay awake; I am like a solitary bird on a roof.
8 All day long my enemies taunt me; those who mock me use my name in their
curses.
9 For I eat ashes as if they were bread, and mix my drink with my tears,
10 because of your anger and raging fury. Indeed, you pick me up and throw me
away.
11 My days are coming to an end, and I am withered like grass.
12 But you, O LORD, rule forever, and your reputation endures.
13 You will rise up and have compassion on Zion. For it is time to have mercy on
her, for the appointed time has come.
14 Indeed, your servants take delight in her stones, and feel compassion for the
dust of her ruins.
15 The nations will respect the reputation of the LORD, and all the kings of the
earth will respect his splendor,
16 when the LORD rebuilds Zion, and reveals his splendor,
17 when he responds to the prayer of the destitute, and does not reject their
request.
18 The account of his intervention will be recorded for future generations;
people yet to be born will praise the LORD.
19 For he will look down from his sanctuary above; from heaven the LORD will
look toward earth,
20 in order to hear the painful cries of the prisoners, and to set free those
condemned to die,
21 so they may proclaim the name of the LORD in Zion, and praise him in
Jerusalem,
22 when the nations gather together, and the kingdoms pay tribute to the LORD.
23 He has taken away my strength in the middle of life; he has cut short my
days.
24 I say,“O my God, please do not take me away in the middle of my life! You
endure through all generations.
25 In earlier times you established the earth; the skies are your handiwork.
26 They will perish, but you will endure. They will wear out like a garment;
like clothes you will remove them and they will disappear.
27 But you remain; your years do not come to an end.
28 The children of your servants will settle down here, and their descendants
will live securely in your presence.”

Psalm 103

1 By David. Praise the LORD, O my soul! With all that is within me, praise his
holy name!
2 Praise the LORD, O my soul! Do not forget all his kind deeds!
3 He is the one who forgives all your sins, who heals all your diseases,
4 who delivers your life from the Pit, who crowns you with his loyal love and
compassion,
5 who satisfies your life with good things, so your youth is renewed like an
eagle’s.
6 The LORD does what is fair, and executes justice for all the oppressed.
7 The LORD revealed his faithful acts to Moses, his deeds to the Israelites.
8 The LORD is compassionate and merciful; he is patient and demonstrates great
loyal love.
9 He does not always accuse, and does not stay angry.
10 He does not deal with us as our sins deserve; he does not repay us as our
misdeeds deserve.
11 For as the skies are high above the earth, so his loyal love towers over his
faithful followers.
12 As far as the eastern horizon is from the west, so he removes the guilt of
our rebellious actions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on his
faithful followers.
14 For he knows what we are made of; he realizes we are made of clay.
15 A person’s life is like grass. Like a flower in the field it flourishes,
16 but when the hot wind blows by, it disappears, and one can no longer even
spot the place where it once grew.
17 But the LORD continually shows loyal love to his faithful followers, and is
faithful to their descendants,
18 to those who keep his covenant, who are careful to obey his commands.
19 The LORD has established his throne in heaven; his kingdom extends over
everything.
20 Praise the LORD, you angels of his, you powerful warriors who carry out his
decrees and obey his orders!
21 Praise the LORD, all you warriors of his, you servants of his who carry out
his desires!
22 Praise the LORD, all that he has made, in all the regions of his kingdom!
Praise the LORD, O my soul!

Psalm 104

1 Praise the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, you are magnificent. You are robed
in splendor and majesty.
2 He covers himself with light as if it were a garment. He stretches out the
skies like a tent curtain,
3 and lays the beams of the upper rooms of his palace on the rain clouds. He
makes the clouds his chariot, and travels along on the wings of the wind.
4 He makes the winds his messengers, and the flaming fire his attendant.
5 He established the earth on its foundations; it will never be moved.
6 The watery deep covered it like a garment; the waters reached above the
mountains.
7 Your shout made the waters retreat; at the sound of your thunderous voice they
hurried off–
8 as the mountains rose up, and the valleys went down– to the place you
appointed for them.
9 You set up a boundary for them that they could not cross, so that they would
not cover the earth again.
10 He turns springs into streams; they flow between the mountains.
11 They provide water for all the animals in the field; the wild donkeys quench
their thirst.
12 The birds of the sky live beside them; they chirp among the bushes.
13 He waters the mountains from the upper rooms of his palace; the earth is full
of the fruit you cause to grow.
14 He provides grass for the cattle, and crops for people to cultivate, so they
can produce food from the ground,
15 as well as wine that makes people feel so good, and so they can have oil to
make their faces shine, as well as food that sustains people’s lives.
16 The trees of the LORD receive all the rain they need, the cedars of Lebanon
which he planted,
17 where the birds make nests, near the evergreens in which the herons live.
18 The wild goats live in the high mountains; the rock badgers find safety in
the cliffs.
19 He made the moon to mark the months, and the sun sets according to a regular
schedule.
20 You make it dark and night comes, during which all the beasts of the forest
prowl around.
21 The lions roar for prey, seeking their food from God.
22 When the sun rises, they withdraw and sleep in their dens.
23 Men then go out to do their work, and labor away until evening.
24 How many living things you have made, O LORD! You have exhibited great skill
in making all of them; the earth is full of the living things you have made.
25 Over here is the deep, wide sea, which teems with innumerable swimming
creatures, living things both small and large.
26 The ships travel there, and over here swims the whale you made to play in it.
27 All of your creatures wait for you to provide them with food on a regular
basis.
28 You give food to them and they receive it; you open your hand and they are
filled with food.
29 When you ignore them, they panic. When you take away their life’s breath,
they die and return to dust.
30 When you send your life-giving breath, they are created, and you replenish
the surface of the ground.
31 May the splendor of the LORD endure! May the LORD find pleasure in the living
things he has made!
32 He looks down on the earth and it shakes; he touches the mountains and they
start to smolder.
33 I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God as
long as I exist!
34 May my thoughts be pleasing to him! I will rejoice in the LORD.
35 May sinners disappear from the earth, and the wicked vanish! Praise the LORD,
O my soul! Praise the LORD!

Psalm 105

1 Give thanks to the LORD! Call on his name! Make known his accomplishments
among the nations!
2 Sing to him! Make music to him! Tell about all his miraculous deeds!
3 Boast about his holy name! Let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!
4 Seek the LORD and the strength he gives! Seek his presence continually!
5 Recall the miraculous deeds he performed, his mighty acts and the judgments he
decreed,
6 O children of Abraham, God’s servant, you descendants of Jacob, God’s
chosen ones!
7 He is the LORD our God; he carries out judgment throughout the earth.
8 He always remembers his covenantal decree, the promise he made to a thousand
generations–
9 the promise he made to Abraham, the promise he made by oath to Isaac!
10 He gave it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as a lasting promise,
11 saying,“To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion of your
inheritance.”
12 When they were few in number, just a very few, and resident foreigners within
it,
13 they wandered from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another.
14 He let no one oppress them; he disciplined kings for their sake,
15 saying,“Don’t touch my chosen ones! Don’t harm my prophets!”
16 He called down a famine upon the earth; he cut off all the food supply.
17 He sent a man ahead of them– Joseph was sold as a servant.
18 The shackles hurt his feet; his neck was placed in an iron collar,
19 until the time when his prediction came true. The LORD’s word proved him
right.
20 The king authorized his release; the ruler of nations set him free.
21 He put him in charge of his palace, and made him manager of all his property,
22 giving him authority to imprison his officials and to teach his advisers.
23 Israel moved to Egypt; Jacob lived for a time in the land of Ham.
24 The LORD made his people very fruitful, and made them more numerous than
their enemies.
25 He caused them to hate his people, and to mistreat his servants.
26 He sent his servant Moses, and Aaron, whom he had chosen.
27 They executed his miraculous signs among them, and his amazing deeds in the
land of Ham.
28 He made it dark; they did not disobey his orders.
29 He turned their water into blood, and killed their fish.
30 Their land was overrun by frogs, which even got into the rooms of their
kings.
31 He ordered flies to come; gnats invaded their whole territory.
32 He sent hail along with the rain; there was lightning in their land.
33 He destroyed their vines and fig trees, and broke the trees throughout their
territory.
34 He ordered locusts to come, innumerable grasshoppers.
35 They ate all the vegetation in their land, and devoured the crops of their
fields.
36 He struck down all the firstborn in their land, the firstfruits of their
reproductive power.
37 He brought his people out enriched with silver and gold; none of his tribes
stumbled.
38 Egypt was happy when they left, for they were afraid of them.
39 He spread out a cloud for a cover, and provided a fire to light up the night.
40 They asked for food, and he sent quails; he satisfied them with food from the
sky.
41 He opened up a rock and water flowed out; a river ran through dry regions.
42 Yes, he remembered the sacred promise he made to Abraham his servant.
43 When he led his people out, they rejoiced; his chosen ones shouted with joy.
44 He handed the territory of nations over to them, and they took possession of
what other peoples had produced,
45 so that they might keep his commands and obey his laws. Praise the LORD!

Psalm 106

1 Praise the LORD! Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, and his loyal love
endures!
2 Who can adequately recount the LORD’s mighty acts, or relate all his
praiseworthy deeds?
3 How blessed are those who promote justice, and do what is right all the time!
4 Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people! Pay attention to me,
when you deliver,
5 so I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones, rejoice along with your
nation, and boast along with the people who belong to you.
6 We have sinned like our ancestors; we have done wrong, we have done evil.
7 Our ancestors in Egypt failed to appreciate your miraculous deeds, they failed
to remember your many acts of loyal love, and they rebelled at the sea, by the
Red Sea.
8 Yet he delivered them for the sake of his reputation, that he might reveal his
power.
9 He shouted at the Red Sea and it dried up; he led them through the deep water
as if it were a desert.
10 He delivered them from the power of the one who hated them, and rescued them
from the power of the enemy.
11 The water covered their enemies; not even one of them survived.
12 They believed his promises; they sang praises to him.
13 They quickly forgot what he had done; they did not wait for his instructions.
14 In the wilderness they had an insatiable craving for meat; they challenged
God in the wastelands.
15 He granted their request, then struck them with a disease.
16 In the camp they resented Moses, and Aaron, the LORD’s holy priest.
17 The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan; it engulfed the group led by
Abiram.
18 Fire burned their group; the flames scorched the wicked.
19 They made an image of a calf at Horeb, and worshiped a metal idol.
20 They traded their majestic God for the image of an ox that eats grass.
21 They rejected the God who delivered them, the one who performed great deeds
in Egypt,
22 amazing feats in the land of Ham, mighty acts by the Red Sea.
23 He threatened to destroy them, but Moses, his chosen one, interceded with him
and turned back his destructive anger.
24 They rejected the fruitful land; they did not believe his promise.
25 They grumbled in their tents; they did not obey the LORD.
26 So he made a solemn vow that he would make them die in the wilderness,
27 make their descendants die among the nations, and scatter them among foreign
lands.
28 They worshiped Baal of Peor, and ate sacrifices offered to the dead.
29 They made the LORD angry by their actions, and a plague broke out among them.
30 Phinehas took a stand and intervened, and the plague subsided.
31 This was credited to him as a righteous act for all generations to come.
32 They made him angry by the waters of Meribah, and Moses suffered because of
them,
33 for they aroused his temper, and he spoke rashly.
34 They did not destroy the nations, as the LORD had commanded them to do.
35 They mixed in with the nations and learned their ways.
36 They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them.
37 They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons.
38 They shed innocent blood– the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they
sacrificed to the idols of Canaan. The land was polluted by bloodshed.
39 They were defiled by their deeds, and unfaithful in their actions.
40 So the LORD was angry with his people and despised the people who belong to
him.
41 He handed them over to the nations, and those who hated them ruled over them.
42 Their enemies oppressed them; they were subject to their authority.
43 Many times he delivered them, but they had a rebellious attitude, and
degraded themselves by their sin.
44 Yet he took notice of their distress, when he heard their cry for help.
45 He remembered his covenant with them, and relented because of his great loyal
love.
46 He caused all their conquerors to have pity on them.
47 Deliver us, O LORD, our God! Gather us from among the nations! Then we will
give thanks to your holy name, and boast about your praiseworthy deeds.
48 The LORD God of Israel deserves praise, in the future and forevermore. Let
all the people say,“We agree! Praise the LORD!”

Psalm 107

1 Book 5(Psalms 107-150) Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, and his loyal
love endures!
2 Let those delivered by the LORD speak out, those whom he delivered from the
power of the enemy,
3 and gathered from foreign lands, from east and west, from north and south.
4 They wandered through the wilderness, in a wasteland; they found no road to a
city in which to live.
5 They were hungry and thirsty; they fainted from exhaustion.
6 They cried out to the LORD in their distress; he delivered them from their
troubles.
7 He led them on a level road, that they might find a city in which to live.
8 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his loyal love, and for the amazing
things he has done for people!
9 For he has satisfied those who thirst, and those who hunger he has filled with
food.
10 They sat in utter darkness, bound in painful iron chains,
11 because they had rebelled against God’s commands, and rejected the
instructions of the Most High.
12 So he used suffering to humble them; they stumbled and no one helped them up.
13 They cried out to the LORD in their distress; he delivered them from their
troubles.
14 He brought them out of the utter darkness, and tore off their shackles.
15 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his loyal love, and for the amazing
things he has done for people!
16 For he shattered the bronze gates, and hacked through the iron bars.
17 They acted like fools in their rebellious ways, and suffered because of their
sins.
18 They lost their appetite for all food, and they drew near the gates of death.
19 They cried out to the LORD in their distress; he delivered them from their
troubles.
20 He sent them an assuring word and healed them; he rescued them from the pits
where they were trapped.
21 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his loyal love, and for the amazing
things he has done for people!
22 Let them present thank offerings, and loudly proclaim what he has done!
23 Some traveled on the sea in ships, and carried cargo over the vast waters.
24 They witnessed the acts of the LORD, his amazing feats on the deep water.
25 He gave the order for a windstorm, and it stirred up the waves of the sea.
26 They reached up to the sky, then dropped into the depths. The sailors’
strength left them because the danger was so great.
27 They swayed and staggered like a drunk, and all their skill proved
ineffective.
28 They cried out to the LORD in their distress; he delivered them from their
troubles.
29 He calmed the storm, and the waves grew silent.
30 The sailors rejoiced because the waves grew quiet, and he led them to the
harbor they desired.
31 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his loyal love, and for the amazing
things he has done for people!
32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people! Let them praise him in the
place where the leaders preside!
33 He turned streams into a desert, springs of water into arid land,
34 and a fruitful land into a barren place, because of the sin of its
inhabitants.
35 As for his people, he turned a desert into a pool of water, and a dry land
into springs of water.
36 He allowed the hungry to settle there, and they established a city in which
to live.
37 They cultivated fields, and planted vineyards, which yielded a harvest of
fruit.
38 He blessed them so that they became very numerous. He would not allow their
cattle to decrease in number.
39 As for their enemies, they decreased in number and were beaten down, because
of painful distress and suffering.
40 He would pour contempt upon princes, and he made them wander in a wasteland
with no road.
41 Yet he protected the needy from oppression, and cared for his families like a
flock of sheep.
42 When the godly see this, they rejoice, and every sinner shuts his mouth.
43 Whoever is wise, let him take note of these things! Let them consider the
LORD’s acts of loyal love!

Psalm 108

1 A song, a psalm of David. I am determined, O God! I will sing and praise you
with my whole heart.
2 Awake, O stringed instrument and harp! I will wake up at dawn!
3 I will give you thanks before the nations, O LORD! I will sing praises to you
before foreigners!
4 For your loyal love extends beyond the sky, and your faithfulness reaches the
clouds.
5 Rise up above the sky, O God! May your splendor cover the whole earth!
6 Deliver by your power and answer me, so that the ones you love may be safe.
7 God has spoken in his sanctuary:“I will triumph! I will parcel out Shechem,
the Valley of Succoth I will measure off.
8 Gilead belongs to me, as does Manasseh! Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my royal
scepter.
9 Moab is my washbasin. I will make Edom serve me. I will shout in triumph over
Philistia.”
10 Who will lead me into the fortified city? Who will bring me to Edom?
11 Have you not rejected us, O God? O God, you do not go into battle with our
armies.
12 Give us help against the enemy, for any help men might offer is futile.
13 By God’s power we will conquer; he will trample down our enemies.

Psalm 109

1 For the music director, a psalm of David. O God whom I praise, do not ignore
me!
2 For they say cruel and deceptive things to me; they lie to me.
3 They surround me and say hateful things; they attack me for no reason.
4 They repay my love with accusations, but I continue to pray.
5 They repay me evil for good, and hate for love.
6 Appoint an evil man to testify against him! May an accuser stand at his right
side!
7 When he is judged, he will be found guilty! Then his prayer will be regarded
as sinful.
8 May his days be few! May another take his job!
9 May his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow!
10 May his children roam around begging, asking for handouts as they leave their
ruined home!
11 May the creditor seize all he owns! May strangers loot his property!
12 May no one show him kindness! May no one have compassion on his fatherless
children!
13 May his descendants be cut off! May the memory of them be wiped out by the
time the next generation arrives!
14 May his ancestors’ sins be remembered by the LORD! May his mother’s sin
not be forgotten!
15 May the LORD be constantly aware of them, and cut off the memory of his
children from the earth!
16 For he never bothered to show kindness; he harassed the oppressed and needy,
and killed the disheartened.
17 He loved to curse others, so those curses have come upon him. He had no
desire to bless anyone, so he has experienced no blessings.
18 He made cursing a way of life, so curses poured into his stomach like water
and seeped into his bones like oil.
19 May a curse attach itself to him, like a garment one puts on, or a belt one
wears continually!
20 May the LORD repay my accusers in this way, those who say evil things about
me!
21 O sovereign LORD, intervene on my behalf for the sake of your reputation!
Because your loyal love is good, deliver me!
22 For I am oppressed and needy, and my heart beats violently within me.
23 I am fading away like a shadow at the end of the day; I am shaken off like a
locust.
24 I am so starved my knees shake; I have turned into skin and bones.
25 I am disdained by them. When they see me, they shake their heads.
26 Help me, O LORD my God! Because you are faithful to me, deliver me!
27 Then they will realize this is your work, and that you, LORD, have
accomplished it.
28 They curse, but you will bless. When they attack, they will be humiliated,
but your servant will rejoice.
29 My accusers will be covered with shame, and draped in humiliation as if it
were a robe.
30 I will thank the LORD profusely, in the middle of a crowd I will praise him,
31 because he stands at the right hand of the needy, to deliver him from those
who threaten his life.

Psalm 110

1 A psalm of David. Here is the LORD’s proclamation to my lord:“Sit down at
my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool!”
2 The LORD extends your dominion from Zion. Rule in the midst of your enemies!
3 Your people willingly follow you when you go into battle. On the holy hills at
sunrise the dew of your youth belongs to you.
4 The LORD makes this promise on oath and will not revoke it:“You are an
eternal priest after the pattern of Melchizedek.”
5 O Lord, at your right hand he strikes down kings in the day he unleashes his
anger.
6 He executes judgment against the nations; he fills the valleys with corpses;
he shatters their heads over the vast battlefield.
7 From the stream along the road he drinks; then he lifts up his head.

Psalm 111

1 Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the
assembly of the godly and the congregation.
2 The LORD’s deeds are great, eagerly awaited by all who desire them.
3 His work is majestic and glorious, and his faithfulness endures forever.
4 He does amazing things that will be remembered; the LORD is merciful and
compassionate.
5 He gives food to his faithful followers; he always remembers his covenant.
6 He announced that he would do mighty deeds for his people, giving them a land
that belonged to other nations.
7 His acts are characterized by faithfulness and justice; all his precepts are
reliable.
8 They are forever firm, and should be faithfully and properly carried out.
9 He delivered his people; he ordained that his covenant be observed forever.
His name is holy and awesome.
10 To obey the LORD is the fundamental principle for wise living; all who carry
out his precepts acquire good moral insight. He will receive praise forever.

Psalm 112

1 Praise the LORD! How blessed is the one who obeys the LORD, who takes great
delight in keeping his commands.
2 His descendants will be powerful on the earth; the godly will be blessed.
3 His house contains wealth and riches; his integrity endures.
4 In the darkness a light shines for the godly, for each one who is merciful,
compassionate, and just.
5 It goes well for the one who generously lends money, and conducts his business
honestly.
6 For he will never be shaken; others will always remember one who is just.
7 He does not fear bad news. He is confident; he trusts in the LORD.
8 His resolve is firm; he will not succumb to fear before he looks in triumph on
his enemies.
9 He generously gives to the needy; his integrity endures. He will be vindicated
and honored.
10 When the wicked see this, they will worry; they will grind their teeth in
frustration and melt away; the desire of the wicked will perish.

Psalm 113

1 Praise the LORD! Praise, you servants of the LORD, praise the name of the
LORD!
2 May the LORD’s name be praised now and forevermore!
3 From east to west the LORD’s name is deserving of praise.
4 The LORD is exalted over all the nations; his splendor reaches beyond the sky.
5 Who can compare to the LORD our God, who sits on a high throne?
6 He bends down to look at the sky and the earth.
7 He raises the poor from the dirt, and lifts up the needy from the garbage
pile,
8 that he might seat him with princes, with the princes of his people.
9 He makes the barren woman of the family a happy mother of children. Praise the
LORD!

Psalm 114

1 When Israel left Egypt, when the family of Jacob left a foreign nation behind,
2 Judah became his sanctuary, Israel his kingdom.
3 The sea looked and fled; the Jordan River turned back.
4 The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs.
5 Why do you flee, O sea? Why do you turn back, O Jordan River?
6 Why do you skip like rams, O mountains, like lambs, O hills?
7 Tremble, O earth, before the Lord– before the God of Jacob,
8 who turned a rock into a pool of water, a hard rock into springs of water!

Psalm 115

1 Not to us, O LORD, not to us! But to your name bring honor, for the sake of
your loyal love and faithfulness.
2 Why should the nations say,“Where is their God?”
3 Our God is in heaven! He does whatever he pleases!
4 Their idols are made of silver and gold– they are man-made.
5 They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see,
6 ears, but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell,
7 hands, but cannot touch, feet, but cannot walk. They cannot even clear their
throats.
8 Those who make them will end up like them, as will everyone who trusts in
them.
9 O Israel, trust in the LORD! He is their deliverer and protector.
10 O family of Aaron, trust in the LORD! He is their deliverer and protector.
11 You loyal followers of the LORD, trust in the LORD! He is their deliverer and
protector.
12 The LORD takes notice of us, he will bless– he will bless the family of
Israel, he will bless the family of Aaron.
13 He will bless his loyal followers, both young and old.
14 May he increase your numbers, yours and your children’s!
15 May you be blessed by the LORD, the Creator of heaven and earth!
16 The heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth he has given to mankind.
17 The dead do not praise the LORD, nor do any of those who descend into the
silence of death.
18 But we will praise the LORD now and forevermore. Praise the LORD!

Psalm 116

1 I love the LORD because he heard my plea for mercy,
2 and listened to me. As long as I live, I will call to him when I need help.
3 The ropes of death tightened around me, the snares of Sheol confronted me. I
was confronted with trouble and sorrow.
4 I called on the name of the LORD,“Please LORD, rescue my life!”
5 The LORD is merciful and fair; our God is compassionate.
6 The LORD protects the untrained; I was in serious trouble and he delivered me.
7 Rest once more, my soul, for the LORD has vindicated you.
8 Yes, LORD, you rescued my life from death, kept my eyes from tears and my feet
from stumbling.
9 I will serve the LORD in the land of the living.
10 I had faith when I said,“I am severely oppressed.”
11 I rashly declared,“All men are liars.”
12 How can I repay the LORD for all his acts of kindness to me?
13 I will celebrate my deliverance, and call on the name of the LORD.
14 I will fulfill my vows to the LORD before all his people.
15 The LORD values the lives of his faithful followers.
16 Yes, LORD! I am indeed your servant; I am your servant, the son of your
female servant. You saved me from death.
17 I will present a thank offering to you, and call on the name of the LORD.
18 I will fulfill my vows to the LORD before all his people,
19 in the courts of the LORD’s temple, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the
LORD!

Psalm 117

1 Praise the LORD, all you nations! Applaud him, all you foreigners!
2 For his loyal love towers over us, and the LORD’s faithfulness endures.
Praise the LORD!

Psalm 118

1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good and his loyal love endures!
2 Let Israel say,“Yes, his loyal love endures!”
3 Let the family of Aaron say,“Yes, his loyal love endures!”
4 Let the loyal followers of the LORD say,“Yes, his loyal love endures!”
5 In my distress I cried out to the LORD. The LORD answered me and put me in a
wide open place.
6 The LORD is on my side, I am not afraid! What can people do to me?
7 The LORD is on my side as my helper. I look in triumph on those who hate me.
8 It is better to take shelter in the LORD than to trust in people.
9 It is better to take shelter in the LORD than to trust in princes.
10 All the nations surrounded me. Indeed, in the name of the LORD I pushed them
away.
11 They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me. Indeed, in the name of the LORD
I pushed them away.
12 They surrounded me like bees. But they disappeared as quickly as a fire among
thorns. Indeed, in the name of the LORD I pushed them away.
13 “You aggressively attacked me and tried to knock me down, but the LORD
helped me.
14 The LORD gives me strength and protects me; he has become my deliverer.”
15 They celebrate deliverance in the tents of the godly. The LORD’s right hand
conquers,
16 the LORD’s right hand gives victory, the LORD’s right hand conquers.
17 I will not die, but live, and I will proclaim what the LORD has done.
18 The LORD severely punished me, but he did not hand me over to death.
19 Open for me the gates of the just king’s temple! I will enter through them
and give thanks to the LORD.
20 This is the LORD’s gate– the godly enter through it.
21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me, and have become my deliverer.
22 The stone which the builders discarded has become the cornerstone.
23 This is the LORD’s work. We consider it amazing!
24 This is the day the LORD has brought about. We will be happy and rejoice in
it.
25 Please LORD, deliver! Please LORD, grant us success!
26 May the one who comes in the name of the LORD be blessed! We will pronounce
blessings on you in the LORD’s temple.
27 The LORD is God and he has delivered us. Tie the offering with ropes to the
horns of the altar!
28 You are my God and I will give you thanks! You are my God and I will praise
you!
29 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good and his loyal love endures!

Psalm 119

1 א(Alef) How blessed are those whose actions are blameless, who obey the law
of the LORD.
2 How blessed are those who observe his rules, and seek him with all their
heart,
3 who, moreover, do no wrong, but follow in his footsteps.
4 You demand that your precepts be carefully kept.
5 If only I were predisposed to keep your statutes!
6 Then I would not be ashamed, if I were focused on all your commands.
7 I will give you sincere thanks, when I learn your just regulations.
8 I will keep your statutes. Do not completely abandon me!
9 ב(Bet) How can a young person maintain a pure life? By guarding it according
to your instructions!
10 With all my heart I seek you. Do not allow me to stray from your commands!
11 In my heart I store up your words, so I might not sin against you.
12 You deserve praise, O LORD! Teach me your statutes!
13 With my lips I proclaim all the regulations you have revealed.
14 I rejoice in the lifestyle prescribed by your rules as if they were riches of
all kinds.
15 I will meditate on your precepts and focus on your behavior.
16 I find delight in your statutes; I do not forget your instructions.
17 ג(Gimel) Be kind to your servant! Then I will live and keep your
instructions.
18 Open my eyes so I can truly see the marvelous things in your law!
19 I am a resident foreigner in this land. Do not hide your commands from me!
20 I desperately long to know your regulations at all times.
21 You reprimand arrogant people. Those who stray from your commands are doomed.
22 Spare me shame and humiliation, for I observe your rules.
23 Though rulers plot and slander me, your servant meditates on your statutes.
24 Yes, I find delight in your rules; they give me guidance.
25 ד(Dalet) I collapse in the dirt. Revive me with your word!
26 I told you about my ways and you answered me. Teach me your statutes!
27 Help me to understand what your precepts mean! Then I can meditate on your
marvelous teachings.
28 I collapse from grief. Sustain me by your word!
29 Remove me from the path of deceit! Graciously give me your law!
30 I choose the path of faithfulness; I am committed to your regulations.
31 I hold fast to your rules. O LORD, do not let me be ashamed!
32 I run along the path of your commands, for you enable me to do so.
33 ה(He) Teach me, O LORD, the lifestyle prescribed by your statutes, so that I
might observe it continually.
34 Give me understanding so that I might observe your law, and keep it with all
my heart.
35 Guide me in the path of your commands, for I delight to walk in it.
36 Give me a desire for your rules, rather than for wealth gained unjustly.
37 Turn my eyes away from what is worthless! Revive me with your word!
38 Confirm to your servant your promise, which you made to the one who honors
you.
39 Take away the insults that I dread! Indeed, your regulations are good.
40 Look, I long for your precepts. Revive me with your deliverance!
41 ו(Vav) May I experience your loyal love, O LORD, and your deliverance, as
you promised.
42 Then I will have a reply for the one who insults me, for I trust in your
word.
43 Do not completely deprive me of a truthful testimony, for I await your
justice.
44 Then I will keep your law continually now and for all time.
45 I will be secure, for I seek your precepts.
46 I will speak about your regulations before kings and not be ashamed.
47 I will find delight in your commands, which I love.
48 I will lift my hands to your commands, which I love, and I will meditate on
your statutes.
49 ז(Zayin) Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope.
50 This is what comforts me in my trouble, for your promise revives me.
51 Arrogant people do nothing but scoff at me. Yet I do not turn aside from your
law.
52 I remember your ancient regulations, O LORD, and console myself.
53 Rage takes hold of me because of the wicked, those who reject your law.
54 Your statutes have been my songs in the house where I live.
55 I remember your name during the night, O LORD, and I will keep your law.
56 This has been my practice, for I observe your precepts.
57 ח(Khet) The LORD is my source of security. I have determined to follow your
instructions.
58 I seek your favor with all my heart. Have mercy on me as you promised!
59 I consider my actions and follow your rules.
60 I keep your commands eagerly and without delay.
61 The ropes of the wicked tighten around me, but I do not forget your law.
62 In the middle of the night I arise to thank you for your just regulations.
63 I am a friend to all your loyal followers, and to those who keep your
precepts.
64 O LORD, your loyal love fills the earth. Teach me your statutes!
65 ט(Tet) You are good to your servant, O LORD, just as you promised.
66 Teach me proper discernment and understanding! For I consider your commands
to be reliable.
67 Before I was afflicted I used to stray off, but now I keep your instructions.
68 You are good and you do good. Teach me your statutes!
69 Arrogant people smear my reputation with lies, but I observe your precepts
with all my heart.
70 Their hearts are calloused, but I find delight in your law.
71 It was good for me to suffer, so that I might learn your statutes.
72 The law you have revealed is more important to me than thousands of pieces of
gold and silver.
73 י(Yod) Your hands made me and formed me. Give me understanding so that I
might learn your commands.
74 Your loyal followers will be glad when they see me, for I find hope in your
word.
75 I know, LORD, that your regulations are just. You disciplined me because of
your faithful devotion to me.
76 May your loyal love console me, as you promised your servant.
77 May I experience your compassion, so I might live! For I find delight in your
law.
78 May the arrogant be humiliated, for they have slandered me! But I meditate on
your precepts.
79 May your loyal followers turn to me, those who know your rules.
80 May I be fully committed to your statutes, so that I might not be ashamed.
81 כ(Kaf) I desperately long for your deliverance. I find hope in your word.
82 My eyes grow tired as I wait for your promise to be fulfilled. I say,“When
will you comfort me?”
83 For I am like a wineskin dried up in smoke. I do not forget your statutes.
84 How long must your servant endure this? When will you judge those who pursue
me?
85 The arrogant dig pits to trap me, which violates your law.
86 All your commands are reliable. I am pursued without reason. Help me!
87 They have almost destroyed me here on the earth, but I do not reject your
precepts.
88 Revive me with your loyal love, that I might keep the rules you have
revealed.
89 ל(Lamed) O LORD, your instructions endure; they stand secure in heaven.
90 You demonstrate your faithfulness to all generations. You established the
earth and it stood firm.
91 Today they stand firm by your decrees, for all things are your servants.
92 If I had not found encouragement in your law, I would have died in my sorrow.
93 I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have revived me.
94 I belong to you. Deliver me! For I seek your precepts.
95 The wicked prepare to kill me, yet I concentrate on your rules.
96 I realize that everything has its limits, but your commands are beyond full
comprehension.
97 מ(Mem) O how I love your law! All day long I meditate on it.
98 Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, for I am always aware of
them.
99 I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your rules.
100 I am more discerning than those older than I, for I observe your precepts.
101 I stay away from every evil path, so that I might keep your instructions.
102 I do not turn aside from your regulations, for you teach me.
103 Your words are sweeter in my mouth than honey!
104 Your precepts give me discernment. Therefore I hate all deceitful actions.
105 נ(Nun) Your word is a lamp to walk by, and a light to illumine my path.
106 I have vowed and solemnly sworn to keep your just regulations.
107 I am suffering terribly. O LORD, revive me with your word!
108 O LORD, please accept the freewill offerings of my praise! Teach me your
regulations!
109 My life is in continual danger, but I do not forget your law.
110 The wicked lay a trap for me, but I do not wander from your precepts.
111 I claim your rules as my permanent possession, for they give me joy.
112 I am determined to obey your statutes at all times, to the very end.
113 ס(Samek) I hate people with divided loyalties, but I love your law.
114 You are my hiding place and my shield. I find hope in your word.
115 Turn away from me, you evil men, so that I can observe the commands of my
God.
116 Sustain me as you promised, so that I will live. Do not disappoint me!
117 Support me, so that I will be delivered. Then I will focus on your statutes
continually.
118 You despise all who stray from your statutes, for they are deceptive and
unreliable.
119 You remove all the wicked of the earth like slag. Therefore I love your
rules.
120 My body trembles because I fear you; I am afraid of your judgments.
121 ע(Ayin) I do what is fair and right. Do not abandon me to my oppressors!
122 Guarantee the welfare of your servant! Do not let the arrogant oppress me!
123 My eyes grow tired as I wait for your deliverance, for your reliable promise
to be fulfilled.
124 Show your servant your loyal love! Teach me your statutes!
125 I am your servant. Give me insight, so that I can understand your rules.
126 It is time for the LORD to act– they break your law!
127 For this reason I love your commands more than gold, even purest gold.
128 For this reason I carefully follow all your precepts. I hate all deceitful
actions.
129 פ(Pe) Your rules are marvelous. Therefore I observe them.
130 Your instructions are a doorway through which light shines. They give
insight to the untrained.
131 I open my mouth and pant, because I long for your commands.
132 Turn toward me and extend mercy to me, as you typically do to your loyal
followers.
133 Direct my steps by your word! Do not let any sin dominate me!
134 Deliver me from oppressive men, so that I can keep your precepts.
135 Smile on your servant! Teach me your statutes!
136 Tears stream down from my eyes, because people do not keep your law.
137 צ(Tsade) You are just, O LORD, and your judgments are fair.
138 The rules you impose are just, and absolutely reliable.
139 My zeal consumes me, for my enemies forget your instructions.
140 Your word is absolutely pure, and your servant loves it!
141 I am insignificant and despised, yet I do not forget your precepts.
142 Your justice endures, and your law is reliable.
143 Distress and hardship confront me, yet I find delight in your commands.
144 Your rules remain just. Give me insight so that I can live.
145 ק(Qof) I cried out with all my heart,“Answer me, O LORD! I will observe
your statutes.”
146 I cried out to you,“Deliver me, so that I can keep your rules.”
147 I am up before dawn crying for help. I find hope in your word.
148 My eyes anticipate the nighttime hours, so that I can meditate on your word.
149 Listen to me because of your loyal love! O LORD, revive me, as you typically
do!
150 Those who are eager to do wrong draw near; they are far from your law.
151 You are near, O LORD, and all your commands are reliable.
152 I learned long ago that you ordained your rules to last.
153 ר(Resh) See my pain and rescue me! For I do not forget your law.
154 Fight for me and defend me! Revive me with your word!
155 The wicked have no chance for deliverance, for they do not seek your
statutes.
156 Your compassion is great, O LORD. Revive me, as you typically do!
157 The enemies who chase me are numerous. Yet I do not turn aside from your
rules.
158 I take note of the treacherous and despise them, because they do not keep
your instructions.
159 See how I love your precepts! O LORD, revive me with your loyal love!
160 Your instructions are totally reliable; all your just regulations endure.
161 שׂ/שׁ(Sin/Shin) Rulers pursue me for no reason, yet I am more afraid of
disobeying your instructions.
162 I rejoice in your instructions, like one who finds much plunder.
163 I hate and despise deceit; I love your law.
164 Seven times a day I praise you because of your just regulations.
165 Those who love your law are completely secure; nothing causes them to
stumble.
166 I hope for your deliverance, O LORD, and I obey your commands.
167 I keep your rules; I love them greatly.
168 I keep your precepts and rules, for you are aware of everything I do.
169 ת(Tav) Listen to my cry for help, O LORD! Give me insight by your word!
170 Listen to my appeal for mercy! Deliver me, as you promised.
171 May praise flow freely from my lips, for you teach me your statutes.
172 May my tongue sing about your instructions, for all your commands are just.
173 May your hand help me, for I choose to obey your precepts.
174 I long for your deliverance, O LORD; I find delight in your law.
175 May I live and praise you! May your regulations help me!
176 I have wandered off like a lost sheep. Come looking for your servant, for I
do not forget your commands.

Psalm 120

1 A song of ascents. In my distress I cried out to the LORD and he answered me.
2 I said,“O LORD, rescue me from those who lie with their lips and those who
deceive with their tongue.
3 How will he severely punish you, you deceptive talker?
4 Here’s how! With the sharp arrows of warriors, with arrowheads forged over
the hot coals.
5 How miserable I am! For I have lived temporarily in Meshech; I have resided
among the tents of Kedar.
6 For too long I have had to reside with those who hate peace.
7 I am committed to peace, but when I speak, they want to make war.

Psalm 121

1 A song of ascents. I look up toward the hills. From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the LORD, the Creator of heaven and earth!
3 May he not allow your foot to slip! May your protector not sleep!
4 Look! Israel’s protector does not sleep or slumber!
5 The LORD is your protector; the LORD is the shade at your right hand.
6 The sun will not harm you by day, or the moon by night.
7 The LORD will protect you from all harm; he will protect your life.
8 The LORD will protect you in all you do, now and forevermore.

Psalm 122

1 A song of ascents, by David. I was glad because they said to me,“We will go
to the LORD’s temple.”
2 Our feet are standing inside your gates, O Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem is a city designed to accommodate an assembly.
4 The tribes go up there, the tribes of the LORD, where it is required that
Israel give thanks to the name of the LORD.
5 Indeed, the leaders sit there on thrones and make legal decisions, on the
thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! May those who love her prosper!
7 May there be peace inside your defenses, and prosperity inside your
fortresses!
8 For the sake of my brothers and my neighbors I will say,“May there be peace
in you!”
9 For the sake of the temple of the LORD our God I will pray for you to prosper.

Psalm 123

1 A song of ascents. I look up toward you, the one enthroned in heaven.
2 Look, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of
a female servant look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes will look to the
LORD, our God, until he shows us favor.
3 Show us favor, O LORD, show us favor! For we have had our fill of humiliation,
and then some.
4 We have had our fill of the taunts of the self-assured, of the contempt of the
proud.

Psalm 124

1 A song of ascents, by David.“If the LORD had not been on our side”– let
Israel say this!–
2 if the LORD had not been on our side, when men attacked us,
3 they would have swallowed us alive, when their anger raged against us.
4 The water would have overpowered us; the current would have overwhelmed us.
5 The raging water would have overwhelmed us.
6 The LORD deserves praise, for he did not hand us over as prey to their teeth.
7 We escaped with our lives, like a bird from a hunter’s snare. The snare
broke, and we escaped.
8 Our deliverer is the LORD, the Creator of heaven and earth.

Psalm 125

1 A song of ascents. Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which
cannot be moved and will endure forever.
2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people, now and
forevermore.
3 Indeed, the scepter of a wicked king will not settle upon the allotted land of
the godly. Otherwise the godly might do what is wrong.
4 Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, to the morally upright!
5 As for those who are bent on traveling a sinful path, may the LORD remove
them, along with those who behave wickedly! May Israel experience peace!

Psalm 126

1 A song of ascents. When the LORD restored the well-being of Zion, we thought
we were dreaming.
2 At that time we laughed loudly and shouted for joy. At that time the nations
said,“The LORD has accomplished great things for these people.”
3 The LORD did indeed accomplish great things for us. We were happy.
4 O LORD, restore our well-being, just as the streams in the arid south are
replenished.
5 Those who shed tears as they plant will shout for joy when they reap the
harvest.
6 The one who weeps as he walks along, carrying his bag of seed, will certainly
come in with a shout of joy, carrying his sheaves of grain.

Psalm 127

1 A song of ascents, by Solomon. If the LORD does not build a house, then those
who build it work in vain. If the LORD does not guard a city, then the watchman
stands guard in vain.
2 It is vain for you to rise early, come home late, and work so hard for your
food. Yes, he provides for those whom he loves even when they sleep.
3 Yes, sons are a gift from the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward.
4 Sons born during one’s youth are like arrows in a warrior’s hand.
5 How blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! They will not be put to
shame when they confront enemies at the city gate.

Psalm 128

1 A song of ascents. How blessed is every one of the LORD’s loyal followers,
each one who keeps his commands!
2 You will eat what you worked so hard to grow. You will be blessed and secure.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine in the inner rooms of your house; your
children will be like olive branches, as they sit all around your table.
4 Yes indeed, the man who fears the LORD will be blessed in this way.
5 May the LORD bless you from Zion, that you might see Jerusalem prosper all the
days of your life,
6 and that you might see your grandchildren. May Israel experience peace!

Psalm 129

1 A song of ascents.“Since my youth they have often attacked me,” let Israel
say.
2 “Since my youth they have often attacked me, but they have not defeated me.
3 The plowers plowed my back; they made their furrows long.
4 The LORD is just; he cut the ropes of the wicked.”
5 May all who hate Zion be humiliated and turned back!
6 May they be like the grass on the rooftops which withers before one can even
pull it up,
7 which cannot fill the reaper’s hand, or the lap of the one who gathers the
grain!
8 Those who pass by will not say,“May you experience the LORD’s blessing! We
pronounce a blessing on you in the name of the LORD.

Psalm 130

1 A song of ascents. From the deep water I cry out to you, O LORD.
2 O Lord, listen to me! Pay attention to my plea for mercy!
3 If you, O LORD, were to keep track of sins, O Lord, who could stand before
you?
4 But you are willing to forgive, so that you might be honored.
5 I rely on the LORD, I rely on him with my whole being; I wait for his assuring
word.
6 I yearn for the Lord, more than watchmen do for the morning, yes, more than
watchmen do for the morning.
7 O Israel, hope in the LORD, for the LORD exhibits loyal love, and is more than
willing to deliver.
8 He will deliver Israel from all their sins.

Psalm 131

1 A song of ascents, by David. O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor do I have a
haughty look. I do not have great aspirations, or concern myself with things
that are beyond me.
2 Indeed, I have calmed and quieted myself like a weaned child with its mother;
I am content like a young child.
3 O Israel, hope in the LORD now and forevermore!

Psalm 132

1 A song of ascents. O LORD, for David’s sake remember all his strenuous
effort,
2 and how he made a vow to the LORD, and swore an oath to the Powerful One of
Jacob.
3 He said,“I will not enter my own home, or get into my bed.
4 I will not allow my eyes to sleep, or my eyelids to slumber,
5 until I find a place for the LORD, a fine dwelling place for the Powerful One
of Jacob.”
6 Look, we heard about it in Ephrathah, we found it in the territory of Jaar.
7 Let us go to his dwelling place! Let us worship before his footstool!
8 Ascend, O LORD, to your resting place, you and the ark of your strength!
9 May your priests be clothed with integrity! May your loyal followers shout for
joy!
10 For the sake of David, your servant, do not reject your chosen king!
11 The LORD made a reliable promise to David; he will not go back on his word.
He said,“I will place one of your descendants on your throne.
12 If your sons keep my covenant and the rules I teach them, their sons will
also sit on your throne forever.”
13 Certainly the LORD has chosen Zion; he decided to make it his home.
14 He said,“This will be my resting place forever; I will live here, for I
have chosen it.
15 I will abundantly supply what she needs; I will give her poor all the food
they need.
16 I will protect her priests, and her godly people will shout exuberantly.
17 There I will make David strong; I have determined that my chosen king’s
dynasty will continue.
18 I will humiliate his enemies, and his crown will shine.

Psalm 133

1 A song of ascents, by David. Look! How good and how pleasant it is when
brothers truly live in unity!
2 It is like fine oil poured on the head which flows down the beard– Aaron’s
beard, and then flows down his garments.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon, which flows down upon the hills of Zion. Indeed,
that is where the LORD has decreed a blessing will be available– eternal life.

Psalm 134

1 A song of ascents. Attention! Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD,
who serve in the LORD’s temple during the night.
2 Lift your hands toward the sanctuary and praise the LORD!
3 May the LORD, the Creator of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion!

Psalm 135

1 Praise the LORD! Praise the name of the LORD! Offer praise, you servants of
the LORD,
2 who serve in the LORD’s temple, in the courts of the temple of our God.
3 Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good! Sing praises to his name, for it is
pleasant!
4 Indeed, the LORD has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel to be his special
possession.
5 Yes, I know the LORD is great, and our Lord is superior to all gods.
6 He does whatever he pleases in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all the
ocean depths.
7 He causes the clouds to arise from the end of the earth, makes lightning bolts
accompany the rain, and brings the wind out of his storehouses.
8 He struck down the firstborn of Egypt, including both men and animals.
9 He performed awesome deeds and acts of judgment in your midst, O Egypt,
against Pharaoh and all his servants.
10 He defeated many nations, and killed mighty kings–
11 Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of
Canaan.
12 He gave their land as an inheritance, as an inheritance to Israel his people.
13 O LORD, your name endures, your reputation, O LORD, lasts.
14 For the LORD vindicates his people, and has compassion on his servants.
15 The nations’ idols are made of silver and gold, they are man-made.
16 They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see,
17 and ears, but cannot hear. Indeed, they cannot breathe.
18 Those who make them will end up like them, as will everyone who trusts in
them.
19 O family of Israel, praise the LORD! O family of Aaron, praise the LORD!
20 O family of Levi, praise the LORD! You loyal followers of the LORD, praise
the LORD!
21 The LORD deserves praise in Zion– he who dwells in Jerusalem. Praise the
LORD!

Psalm 136

1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his loyal love endures.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods, for his loyal love endures.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his loyal love endures,
4 to the one who performs magnificent, amazing deeds all by himself, for his
loyal love endures,
5 to the one who used wisdom to make the heavens, for his loyal love endures,
6 to the one who spread out the earth over the water, for his loyal love
endures,
7 to the one who made the great lights, for his loyal love endures,
8 the sun to rule by day, for his loyal love endures,
9 the moon and stars to rule by night, for his loyal love endures,
10 to the one who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, for his loyal love
endures,
11 and led Israel out from their midst, for his loyal love endures,
12 with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, for his loyal love endures,
13 to the one who divided the Red Sea in two, for his loyal love endures,
14 and led Israel through its midst, for his loyal love endures,
15 and tossed Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea, for his loyal love endures,
16 to the one who led his people through the wilderness, for his loyal love
endures,
17 to the one who struck down great kings, for his loyal love endures,
18 and killed powerful kings, for his loyal love endures,
19 Sihon, king of the Amorites, for his loyal love endures,
20 Og, king of Bashan, for his loyal love endures,
21 and gave their land as an inheritance, for his loyal love endures,
22 as an inheritance to Israel his servant, for his loyal love endures,
23 to the one who remembered us when we were down, for his loyal love endures,
24 and snatched us away from our enemies, for his loyal love endures,
25 to the one who gives food to all living things, for his loyal love endures.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his loyal love endures!

Psalm 137

1 By the rivers of Babylon we sit down and weep when we remember Zion.
2 On the poplars in her midst we hang our harps,
3 for there our captors ask us to compose songs; those who mock us demand that
we be happy, saying:“Sing for us a song about Zion!”
4 How can we sing a song to the LORD in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand be crippled!
6 May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, and do
not give Jerusalem priority over whatever gives me the most joy.
7 Remember, O LORD, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. They
said,“Tear it down, tear it down, right to its very foundation!”
8 O daughter Babylon, soon to be devastated! How blessed will be the one who
repays you for what you dished out to us!
9 How blessed will be the one who grabs your babies and smashes them on a rock!

Psalm 138

1 By David. I will give you thanks with all my heart; before the heavenly
assembly I will sing praises to you.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple, and give thanks to your name, because
of your loyal love and faithfulness, for you have exalted your promise above the
entire sky.
3 When I cried out for help, you answered me. You made me bold and energized me.
4 Let all the kings of the earth give thanks to you, O LORD, when they hear the
words you speak.
5 Let them sing about the LORD’s deeds, for the LORD’s splendor is
magnificent.
6 Though the LORD is exalted, he looks after the lowly, and humbles the proud
from far away.
7 Even when I must walk in the midst of danger, you revive me. You oppose my
angry enemies, and your right hand delivers me.
8 The LORD avenges me. O LORD, your loyal love endures. Do not abandon those
whom you have made!

Psalm 139

1 For the music director, a psalm of David. O LORD, you examine me and know.
2 You know when I sit down and when I get up; even from far away you understand
my motives.
3 You carefully observe me when I travel or when I lie down to rest; you are
aware of everything I do.
4 Certainly my tongue does not frame a word without you, O LORD, being
thoroughly aware of it.
5 You squeeze me in from behind and in front; you place your hand on me.
6 Your knowledge is beyond my comprehension; it is so far beyond me, I am unable
to fathom it.
7 Where can I go to escape your Spirit? Where can I flee to escape your
presence?
8 If I were to ascend to heaven, you would be there. If I were to sprawl out in
Sheol, there you would be.
9 If I were to fly away on the wings of the dawn, and settle down on the other
side of the sea,
10 even there your hand would guide me, your right hand would grab hold of me.
11 If I were to say,“Certainly the darkness will cover me, and the light will
turn to night all around me,”
12 even the darkness is not too dark for you to see, and the night is as bright
as day; darkness and light are the same to you.
13 Certainly you made my mind and heart; you wove me together in my mother’s
womb.
14 I will give you thanks because your deeds are awesome and amazing. You knew
me thoroughly;
15 my bones were not hidden from you, when I was made in secret and sewed
together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw me when I was inside the womb. All the days ordained for me
were recorded in your scroll before one of them came into existence.
17 How difficult it is for me to fathom your thoughts about me, O God! How vast
is their sum total!
18 If I tried to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. Even if I
finished counting them, I would still have to contend with you.
19 If only you would kill the wicked, O God! Get away from me, you violent men!
20 They rebel against you and act deceitfully; your enemies lie.
21 O LORD, do I not hate those who hate you, and despise those who oppose you?
22 I absolutely hate them, they have become my enemies!
23 Examine me, O God, and probe my thoughts! Test me, and know my concerns!
24 See if there is any idolatrous way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way!

Psalm 140

1 For the music director; a psalm of David. O LORD, rescue me from wicked men!
Protect me from violent men,
2 who plan ways to harm me. All day long they stir up conflict.
3 Their tongues wound like a serpent; a viper’s venom is behind their
lips.(Selah)
4 O LORD, shelter me from the power of the wicked! Protect me from violent men,
who plan to knock me over.
5 Proud men hide a snare for me; evil men spread a net by the path; they set
traps for me.(Selah)
6 I say to the LORD,“You are my God.” O LORD, pay attention to my plea for
mercy!
7 O Sovereign LORD, my strong deliverer, you shield my head in the day of
battle.
8 O LORD, do not let the wicked have their way! Do not allow their plan to
succeed when they attack!(Selah)
9 As for the heads of those who surround me– may the harm done by their lips
overwhelm them!
10 May he rain down fiery coals upon them! May he throw them into the fire! From
bottomless pits they will not escape.
11 A slanderer will not endure on the earth; calamity will hunt down a violent
man and strike him down.
12 I know that the LORD defends the cause of the oppressed and vindicates the
poor.
13 Certainly the godly will give thanks to your name; the morally upright will
live in your presence.

Psalm 141

1 A psalm of David. O LORD, I cry out to you. Come quickly to me! Pay attention
to me when I cry out to you!
2 May you accept my prayer like incense, my uplifted hands like the evening
offering!
3 O LORD, place a guard on my mouth! Protect the opening of my lips!
4 Do not let me have evil desires, or participate in sinful activities with men
who behave wickedly. I will not eat their delicacies.
5 May the godly strike me in love and correct me! May my head not refuse choice
oil! Indeed, my prayer is a witness against their evil deeds.
6 They will be thrown down the side of a cliff by their judges. They will listen
to my words, for they are pleasant.
7 As when one plows and breaks up the soil, so our bones are scattered at the
mouth of Sheol.
8 Surely I am looking to you, O Sovereign LORD. In you I take shelter. Do not
expose me to danger!
9 Protect me from the snare they have laid for me, and the traps the evildoers
have set.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I escape.

Psalm 142

1 A well-written song by David, when he was in the cave; a prayer. To the LORD I
cry out; to the LORD I plead for mercy.
2 I pour out my lament before him; I tell him about my troubles.
3 Even when my strength leaves me, you watch my footsteps. In the path where I
walk they have hidden a trap for me.
4 Look to the right and see! No one cares about me. I have nowhere to run; no
one is concerned about my life.
5 I cry out to you, O LORD; I say,“You are my shelter, my security in the land
of the living.”
6 Listen to my cry for help, for I am in serious trouble! Rescue me from those
who chase me, for they are stronger than I am.
7 Free me from prison, that I may give thanks to your name. Because of me the
godly will assemble, for you will vindicate me.

Psalm 143

1 A psalm of David. O LORD, hear my prayer! Pay attention to my plea for help!
Because of your faithfulness and justice, answer me!
2 Do not sit in judgment on your servant, for no one alive is innocent before
you.
3 Certainly my enemies chase me. They smash me into the ground. They force me to
live in dark regions, like those who have been dead for ages.
4 My strength leaves me; I am absolutely shocked.
5 I recall the old days; I meditate on all you have done; I reflect on your
accomplishments.
6 I spread my hands out to you in prayer; my soul thirsts for you in a parched
land.(Selah)
7 Answer me quickly, LORD! My strength is fading. Do not reject me, or I will
join those descending into the grave.
8 May I hear about your loyal love in the morning, for I trust in you. Show me
the way I should go, because I long for you.
9 Rescue me from my enemies, O LORD! I run to you for protection.
10 Teach me to do what pleases you, for you are my God. May your kind presence
lead me into a level land.
11 O LORD, for the sake of your reputation, revive me! Because of your justice,
rescue me from trouble!
12 As a demonstration of your loyal love, destroy my enemies! Annihilate all who
threaten my life, for I am your servant.

Psalm 144

1 By David. The LORD, my protector, deserves praise– the one who trains my
hands for battle, and my fingers for war,
2 who loves me and is my stronghold, my refuge and my deliverer, my shield and
the one in whom I take shelter, who makes nations submit to me.
3 O LORD, of what importance is the human race, that you should notice them? Of
what importance is mankind, that you should be concerned about them?
4 People are like a vapor, their days like a shadow that disappears.
5 O LORD, make the sky sink and come down! Touch the mountains and make them
smolder!
6 Hurl lightning bolts and scatter them! Shoot your arrows and rout them!
7 Reach down from above! Grab me and rescue me from the surging water, from the
power of foreigners,
8 who speak lies, and make false promises.
9 O God, I will sing a new song to you! Accompanied by a ten-stringed
instrument, I will sing praises to you,
10 the one who delivers kings, and rescued David his servant from a deadly
sword.
11 Grab me and rescue me from the power of foreigners, who speak lies, and make
false promises.
12 Then our sons will be like plants, that quickly grow to full size. Our
daughters will be like corner pillars, carved like those in a palace.
13 Our storehouses will be full, providing all kinds of food. Our sheep will
multiply by the thousands and fill our pastures.
14 Our cattle will be weighted down with produce. No one will break through our
walls, no one will be taken captive, and there will be no terrified cries in our
city squares.
15 How blessed are the people who experience these things! How blessed are the
people whose God is the LORD!

Psalm 145

1 A psalm of praise, by David. I will extol you, my God, O king! I will praise
your name continually!
2 Every day I will praise you! I will praise your name continually!
3 The LORD is great and certainly worthy of praise! No one can fathom his
greatness!
4 One generation will praise your deeds to another, and tell about your mighty
acts!
5 I will focus on your honor and majestic splendor, and your amazing deeds!
6 They will proclaim the power of your awesome acts! I will declare your great
deeds!
7 They will talk about the fame of your great kindness, and sing about your
justice.
8 The LORD is merciful and compassionate; he is patient and demonstrates great
loyal love.
9 The LORD is good to all, and has compassion on all he has made.
10 All your works will give thanks to you, LORD. Your loyal followers will
praise you.
11 They will proclaim the splendor of your kingdom; they will tell about your
power,
12 so that mankind might acknowledge your mighty acts, and the majestic splendor
of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an eternal kingdom, and your dominion endures through all
generations.
14 The LORD supports all who fall, and lifts up all who are bent over.
15 Everything looks to you in anticipation, and you provide them with food on a
regular basis.
16 You open your hand, and fill every living thing with the food they desire.
17 The LORD is just in all his actions, and exhibits love in all he does.
18 The LORD is near all who cry out to him, all who cry out to him sincerely.
19 He satisfies the desire of his loyal followers; he hears their cry for help
and delivers them.
20 The LORD protects all those who love him, but he destroys all the wicked.
21 My mouth will praise the LORD. Let all who live praise his holy name forever!

Psalm 146

1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!
2 I will praise the LORD as long as I live! I will sing praises to my God as
long as I exist!
3 Do not trust in princes, or in human beings, who cannot deliver!
4 Their life’s breath departs, they return to the ground; on that day their
plans die.
5 How blessed is the one whose helper is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the
LORD his God,
6 the one who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who
remains forever faithful,
7 vindicates the oppressed, and gives food to the hungry. The LORD releases the
imprisoned.
8 The LORD gives sight to the blind. The LORD lifts up all who are bent over.
The LORD loves the godly.
9 The LORD protects the resident foreigner; he lifts up the fatherless and the
widow, but he opposes the wicked.
10 The LORD rules forever, your God, O Zion, throughout the generations to come!
Praise the LORD!

Psalm 147

1 Praise the LORD, for it is good to sing praises to our God! Yes, praise is
pleasant and appropriate!
2 The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem, and gathers the exiles of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted, and bandages their wounds.
4 He counts the number of the stars; he names all of them.
5 Our Lord is great and has awesome power; there is no limit to his wisdom.
6 The LORD lifts up the oppressed, but knocks the wicked to the ground.
7 Offer to the LORD a song of thanks! Sing praises to our God to the
accompaniment of a harp!
8 He covers the sky with clouds, provides the earth with rain, and causes grass
to grow on the hillsides.
9 He gives food to the animals, and to the young ravens when they chirp.
10 He is not enamored with the strength of a horse, nor is he impressed by the
warrior’s strong legs.
11 The LORD takes delight in his faithful followers, and in those who wait for
his loyal love.
12 Extol the LORD, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For he makes the bars of your gates strong. He blesses your children within
you.
14 He brings peace to your territory. He abundantly provides for you the best
grain.
15 He sends his command through the earth; swiftly his order reaches its
destination.
16 He sends the snow that is white like wool; he spreads the frost that is white
like ashes.
17 He throws his hailstones like crumbs. Who can withstand the cold wind he
sends?
18 He then orders it all to melt; he breathes on it, and the water flows.
19 He proclaims his word to Jacob, his statutes and regulations to Israel.
20 He has not done so with any other nation; they are not aware of his
regulations. Praise the LORD!

Psalm 148

1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the sky! Praise him in the heavens!
2 Praise him, all his angels! Praise him, all his heavenly assembly!
3 Praise him, O sun and moon! Praise him, all you shiny stars!
4 Praise him, O highest heaven, and you waters above the sky!
5 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he gave the command and they came
into existence.
6 He established them so they would endure; he issued a decree that will not be
revoked.
7 Praise the LORD from the earth, you sea creatures and all you ocean depths,
8 O fire and hail, snow and clouds, O stormy wind that carries out his orders,
9 you mountains and all you hills, you fruit trees and all you cedars,
10 you animals and all you cattle, you creeping things and birds,
11 you kings of the earth and all you nations, you princes and all you leaders
on the earth,
12 you young men and young women, you elderly, along with you children!
13 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his
majesty extends over the earth and sky.
14 He has made his people victorious, and given all his loyal followers reason
to praise– the Israelites, the people who are close to him. Praise the LORD!

Psalm 149

1 Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song! Praise him in the assembly of
the godly!
2 Let Israel rejoice in their Creator! Let the people of Zion delight in their
King!
3 Let them praise his name with dancing! Let them sing praises to him to the
accompaniment of the tambourine and harp!
4 For the LORD takes delight in his people; he exalts the oppressed by
delivering them.
5 Let the godly rejoice because of their vindication! Let them shout for joy
upon their beds!
6 May the praises of God be in their mouths and a two-edged sword in their
hands,
7 in order to take revenge on the nations, and punish foreigners.
8 They bind their kings in chains, and their nobles in iron shackles,
9 and execute the judgment to which their enemies have been sentenced. All his
loyal followers will be vindicated. Praise the LORD!

Psalm 150

1 Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary! Praise him in the sky, which
testifies to his strength!
2 Praise him for his mighty acts! Praise him for his surpassing greatness!
3 Praise him with the blast of the horn! Praise him with the lyre and the harp!
4 Praise him with the tambourine and with dancing! Praise him with stringed
instruments and the flute!
5 Praise him with loud cymbals! Praise him with clanging cymbals!
6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!


Proverbs

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Introduction to the Book The Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of
Israel:
2 To learn wisdom and moral instruction, to discern wise counsel.
3 To receive moral instruction in skillful living, with righteousness, justice,
and equity.
4 To impart shrewdness to the morally naive, a discerning plan to the young
person.
5 (Let the wise also hear and gain instruction, and let the discerning acquire
guidance!)
6 To discern the meaning of a proverb and a parable, the sayings of the wise and
their riddles.
7 Introduction to the Theme of the Book Fearing the LORD is the beginning of
discernment, but fools have despised wisdom and moral instruction.
8 Listen, my child, to the instruction from your father, and do not forsake the
teaching from your mother.
9 For they will be like an elegant garland on your head, and like pendants
around your neck.
10 Admonition to Avoid Easy but Unjust Riches My child, if sinners try to entice
you, do not consent!
11 If they say,“Come with us! We will lie in wait to shed blood; we will
ambush an innocent person capriciously.
12 We will swallow them alive like Sheol, those full of vigor like those going
down to the Pit.
13 We will seize all kinds of precious wealth; we will fill our houses with
plunder.
14 Join with us! We will all share equally in what we steal.”
15 My child, do not go down their way, withhold yourself from their path;
16 for they are eager to inflict harm, and they hasten to shed blood.
17 Surely it is futile to spread a net in plain sight of any bird,
18 but these men lie in wait for their own blood, they ambush their own lives!
19 Such are the ways of all who gain profit unjustly; it takes away the life of
those who obtain it!
20 Warning Against Disregarding Wisdom Wisdom calls out in the street, she
shouts loudly in the plazas;
21 at the head of the noisy streets she calls, in the entrances of the gates in
the city she utters her words:
22 “How long will you simpletons love naiveté? How long have mockers
delighted in mockery? And how long will fools hate knowledge?
23 You should respond to my rebuke. Then I would pour out my thoughts to you; I
would make my words known to you.
24 However, because I called but you refused to listen, because I stretched out
my hand but no one was paying attention,
25 and you neglected all my advice, and did not comply with my rebuke,
26 so I myself will laugh when disaster strikes you, I will mock when what you
dread comes,
27 when what you dread comes like a whirlwind, and disaster strikes you like a
devastating storm, when distressing trouble comes on you.
28 Then they will call to me, but I will not answer; they will diligently seek
me, but they will not find me.
29 Because they hated moral knowledge, and did not choose to fear the LORD,
30 they did not comply with my advice, they spurned all my rebuke.
31 Therefore they will eat from the fruit of their way, and they will be stuffed
full of their own counsel.
32 For the waywardness of the simpletons will kill them, and the careless ease
of fools will destroy them.
33 But the one who listens to me will live in security, and will be at ease from
the dread of harm.

Chapter 2

1 Benefits of Seeking Wisdom My child, if you receive my words, and store up my
commands inside yourself,
2 by making your ear attentive to wisdom, and by turning your heart to
understanding,
3 indeed, if you call out for discernment– shout loudly for understanding–
4 if you seek it like silver, and search for it like hidden treasure,
5 then you will understand how to fear the LORD, and you will discover knowledge
about God.
6 For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth comes knowledge and
understanding.
7 He stores up effective counsel for the upright, and is like a shield for those
who live with integrity,
8 to guard the paths of the righteous and to protect the way of his pious ones.
9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity– every good
way.
10 For wisdom will enter your heart, and moral knowledge will be attractive to
you.
11 Discretion will protect you, understanding will guard you,
12 to deliver you from the way of the wicked, from those speaking perversity,
13 who leave the upright paths to walk on the dark ways,
14 who delight in doing evil, they rejoice in perverse evil;
15 whose paths are morally crooked, and who are devious in their ways;
16 to deliver you from the adulterous woman, from the loose woman who has
flattered you with her words;
17 who leaves the husband from her younger days, and has ignored her marriage
covenant made before God.
18 For she has set her house by death, and her paths by the place of the
departed spirits.
19 None who go in to her will return, nor will they reach the paths of life.
20 So you will walk in the way of good people, and will keep on the paths of the
righteous.
21 For the upright will reside in the land, and those with integrity will remain
in it,
22 but the wicked will be removed from the land, and the treacherous will be
torn away from it.

Chapter 3

1 Exhortations to Seek Wisdom and Walk with the Lord My child, do not forget my
teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments,
2 for they will provide a long and full life, and well-being for you.
3 Do not let mercy and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them
on the tablet of your heart.
4 Then you will find favor and good understanding, in the sight of God and
people.
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own
understanding.
6 Acknowledge him in all your ways, and he will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own estimation; fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
8 This will bring healing to your body, and refreshment to your inner self.
9 Honor the LORD from your wealth and from the first fruits of all your crops;
10 then your barns will be filled completely, and your vats will overflow with
new wine.
11 My child, do not despise discipline from the LORD, and do not loathe his
rebuke.
12 For the LORD disciplines those he loves, just as a father disciplines the son
in whom he delights.
13 Blessings of Obtaining Wisdom Blessed is the one who has found wisdom, and
the one who obtains understanding.
14 For her benefit is more profitable than silver, and her gain is better than
gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies, and none of the things you desire can
compare with her.
16 Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.
17 Her ways are very pleasant, and all her paths are peaceful.
18 She is like a tree of life to those who grasp onto her, and everyone who
takes hold of her will be blessed.
19 By wisdom the LORD laid the foundation of the earth; he established the
heavens by understanding.
20 By his knowledge the primordial sea was broken open, so that the clouds drip
down dew.
21 My child, do not let them escape from your sight; safeguard sound wisdom and
discretion.
22 So they will become life for your soul, and grace around your neck.
23 Then you will walk on your way with security, and you will not stumble.
24 When you lie down you will not be filled with fear; when you lie down your
sleep will be pleasant.
25 Do not be afraid of sudden disaster, or when destruction overtakes the
wicked;
26 for the LORD will be the source of your confidence, and he will guard your
foot from being caught in a trap.
27 Wisdom Demonstrated in Relationships with People Do not withhold good from
those who need it, when you have the ability to help.
28 Do not say to your neighbor,“Go! Return tomorrow and I will give it,”
when you have it with you at the time.
29 Do not plot evil against your neighbor when he dwells by you unsuspectingly.
30 Do not accuse anyone without legitimate cause, if he has not treated you
wrongly.
31 Do not envy a violent man, and do not choose any of his ways;
32 for one who goes astray is an abomination to the LORD, but he reveals his
intimate counsel to the upright.
33 The LORD’s curse is on the household of the wicked, but he blesses the home
of the righteous.
34 With arrogant scoffers he is scornful, yet he shows favor to the humble.
35 The wise inherit honor, but he holds fools up to public contempt.

Chapter 4

1 Admonition to Follow Righteousness and Avoid Wickedness Listen, children, to a
father’s instruction, and pay attention so that you may gain discernment.
2 Because I hereby give you good instruction, do not forsake my teaching.
3 When I was a son to my father, a tender only child before my mother,
4 he taught me, and he said to me:“Let your heart lay hold of my words; keep
my commands so that you will live.
5 Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding; do not forget and do not turn aside
from the words I speak.
6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will guard
you.
7 Wisdom is supreme– so acquire wisdom, and whatever you acquire, acquire
understanding!
8 Esteem her highly and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace
her.
9 She will place a fair garland on your head; she will bestow a beautiful crown
on you.”
10 Listen, my child, and accept my words, so that the years of your life will be
many.
11 I hereby guide you in the way of wisdom and I lead you in upright paths.
12 When you walk, your steps will not be hampered, and when you run, you will
not stumble.
13 Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; protect it, because it is your
life.
14 Do not enter the path of the wicked or walk in the way of those who are evil.
15 Avoid it, do not go on it; turn away from it, and go on.
16 For they cannot sleep unless they cause harm; they are robbed of sleep until
they make someone stumble.
17 Indeed they have eaten bread gained from wickedness and drink wine obtained
from violence.
18 But the path of the righteous is like the bright morning light, growing
brighter and brighter until full day.
19 The way of the wicked is like gloomy darkness; they do not know what they
stumble over.
20 My child, pay attention to my words; listen attentively to my sayings.
21 Do not let them depart from your sight, guard them within your heart;
22 for they are life to those who find them and healing to one’s entire body.
23 Guard your heart with all vigilance, for from it are the sources of life.
24 Remove perverse speech from your mouth; keep devious talk far from your lips.
25 Let your eyes look directly in front of you and let your gaze look straight
before you.
26 Make the path for your feet level, so that all your ways may be established.
27 Do not turn to the right or to the left; turn yourself away from evil.

Chapter 5

1 Admonition to Avoid Seduction to Evil My child, be attentive to my wisdom, pay
close attention to my understanding,
2 in order to safeguard discretion, and that your lips may guard knowledge.
3 For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey, and her seductive words are
smoother than olive oil,
4 but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave.
6 Lest she should make level the path leading to life, her paths have wandered,
but she is not able to discern it.
7 So now, children, listen to me; do not turn aside from the words I speak.
8 Keep yourself far from her, and do not go near the door of her house,
9 lest you give your vigor to others and your years to a cruel person,
10 lest strangers devour your strength, and your labor benefit another man’s
house.
11 And at the end of your life you will groan when your flesh and your body are
wasted away.
12 And you will say,“How I hated discipline! My heart spurned reproof!
13 For I did not obey my teachers and I did not heed my instructors.
14 I almost came to complete ruin in the midst of the whole congregation!”
15 Drink water from your own cistern and running water from your own well.
16 Should your springs be dispersed outside, your streams of water in the wide
plazas?
17 Let them be for yourself alone, and not for strangers with you.
18 May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife you married in
your youth–
19 a loving doe, a graceful deer; may her breasts satisfy you at all times, may
you be captivated by her love always.
20 But why should you be captivated, my son, by an adulteress, and embrace the
bosom of a different woman?
21 For the ways of a person are in front of the LORD’s eyes, and the LORD
weighs all that person’s paths.
22 The wicked will be captured by his own iniquities, and he will be held by the
cords of his own sin.
23 He will die because there was no discipline; because of the greatness of his
folly he will reel.

Chapter 6

1 Admonitions and Warnings against Dangerous and Destructive Acts My child, if
you have made a pledge for your neighbor, if you have become a guarantor for a
stranger,
2 if you have been ensnared by the words you have uttered, and have been caught
by the words you have spoken,
3 then, my child, do this in order to deliver yourself, because you have fallen
into your neighbor’s power: go, humble yourself, and appeal firmly to your
neighbor.
4 Permit no sleep to your eyes or slumber to your eyelids.
5 Deliver yourself like a gazelle from a snare, and like a bird from the trap of
the fowler.
6 Go to the ant, you sluggard; observe its ways and be wise!
7 It has no commander, overseer, or ruler,
8 yet it would prepare its food in the summer; it gathered at the harvest what
it will eat.
9 How long, you sluggard, will you lie there? When will you rise from your
sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to relax,
11 and your poverty will come like a robber, and your need like an armed man.
12 A worthless and wicked person walks around saying perverse things;
13 he winks with his eyes, signals with his feet, and points with his fingers;
14 he plots evil with perverse thoughts in his heart, he spreads contention at
all times.
15 Therefore, his disaster will come suddenly; in an instant he will be broken,
and there will be no remedy.
16 There are six things that the LORD hates, even seven things that are an
abomination to him:
17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift to run to evil,
19 a false witness who pours out lies, and a person who spreads discord among
family members.
20 My child, guard the commands of your father and do not forsake the
instruction of your mother.
21 Bind them on your heart continually; fasten them around your neck.
22 When you walk about, they will guide you; when you lie down, they will watch
over you; when you wake up, they will talk to you.
23 For the commandments are like a lamp, instruction is like a light, and
rebukes of discipline are like the road leading to life,
24 by keeping you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the loose
woman.
25 Do not lust in your heart for her beauty, and do not let her captivate you
with her alluring eyes;
26 for on account of a prostitute one is brought down to a loaf of bread, but
the wife of another man preys on your precious life.
27 Can a man hold fire against his chest without burning his clothes?
28 Can a man walk on hot coals without scorching his feet?
29 So it is with the one who sleeps with his neighbor’s wife; no one who
touches her will escape punishment.
30 People do not despise a thief when he steals to fulfill his need when he is
hungry.
31 Yet if he is caught he must repay seven times over, he might even have to
give all the wealth of his house.
32 A man who commits adultery with a woman lacks sense, whoever does it destroys
his own life.
33 He will be beaten and despised, and his reproach will not be wiped away;
34 for jealousy kindles a husband’s rage, and he will not show mercy when he
takes revenge.
35 He will not consider any compensation; he will not be willing, even if you
multiply the compensation.

Chapter 7

1 Admonition to Avoid the Wiles of the Adulteress My child, devote yourself to
my words and store up my commands inside yourself.
2 Keep my commands so that you may live, and obey my instruction as your most
prized possession.
3 Bind them on your forearm; write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom,“You are my sister,” and call understanding a close
relative,
5 so that they may keep you from the adulterous woman, from the loose woman who
has flattered you with her words.
6 For at the window of my house through my window lattice I looked out
7 and I saw among the naive– I discerned among the youths– a young man who
lacked sense.
8 He was passing by the street near her corner, making his way along the road to
her house
9 in the twilight, the evening, in the dark of the night.
10 Suddenly a woman came out to meet him! She was dressed like a prostitute and
with secret intent.
11 (She is loud and rebellious, she does not remain at home–
12 at one time outside, at another in the wide plazas, and by every corner she
lies in wait.)
13 So she grabbed him and kissed him, and with a bold expression she said to
him,
14 “I have meat from my peace offerings at home; today I have fulfilled my
vows!
15 That is why I came out to meet you, to look for you, and I found you!
16 I have spread my bed with elegant coverings, with richly colored fabric from
Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let’s drink deeply of lovemaking until morning, let’s delight
ourselves with love’s pleasures.
19 For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a journey of some distance.
20 He has taken a bag of money with him; he will not return until the end of the
month.”
21 She turned him aside with her persuasions; with her smooth talk she was
enticing him along.
22 Suddenly he was going after her like an ox that goes to the slaughter, like a
stag prancing into a trapper’s snare
23 till an arrow pierces his liver– like a bird hurrying into a trap, and he
does not know that it will cost him his life.
24 So now, sons, listen to me, and pay attention to the words I speak.
25 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways– do not wander into her
pathways;
26 for she has brought down many fatally wounded, and all those she has slain
are many.
27 Her house is the way to the grave, going down to the chambers of death.

Chapter 8

1 The Appeal of Wisdom Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise
her voice?
2 At the top of the prominent places along the way, at the intersection of the
paths she has taken her stand;
3 beside the gates opening into the city, at the entrance of the doorways she
cries out:
4 “To you, O people, I call out, and my voice calls to all mankind.
5 You who are naive, discern wisdom! And you fools, understand discernment!
6 Listen, for I will speak excellent things, and my lips will utter what is
right.
7 For my mouth speaks truth, and my lips hate wickedness.
8 All the words of my mouth are righteous; there is nothing in them twisted or
crooked.
9 All of them are clear to the discerning and upright to those who find
knowledge.
10 Receive my instruction rather than silver, and knowledge rather than choice
gold.
11 For wisdom is better than rubies, and desirable things cannot be compared to
her.
12 “I, wisdom, have dwelt with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion.
13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; I hate arrogant pride and the evil way
and perverse utterances.
14 Counsel and sound wisdom belong to me; I possess understanding and might.
15 By me kings reign, and by me potentates decree righteousness;
16 by me princes rule, as well as nobles and all righteous judges.
17 I will love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me.
18 Riches and honor are with me, long-lasting wealth and righteousness.
19 My fruit is better than the purest gold, and my harvest is better than choice
silver.
20 I walk in the path of righteousness, in the pathway of justice,
21 that I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth, and that I may fill
their treasuries.
22 The LORD created me as the beginning of his works, before his deeds of long
ago.
23 From eternity I have been fashioned, from the beginning, from before the
world existed.
24 When there were no deep oceans I was born, when there were no springs
overflowing with water;
25 before the mountains were set in place– before the hills– I was born,
26 before he made the earth and its fields, or the top soil of the world.
27 When he established the heavens, I was there; when he marked out the horizon
over the face of the deep,
28 when he established the clouds above, when he secured the fountains of the
deep,
29 when he gave the sea his decree that the waters should not pass over his
command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth,
30 then I was beside him as a master craftsman, and I was his delight day by
day, rejoicing before him at all times,
31 rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth, and delighting in its people.
32 “So now, children, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways.
33 Listen to my instruction so that you may be wise, and do not neglect it.
34 Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching at my doors day by day,
waiting beside my doorway.
35 For the one who finds me has found life and received favor from the LORD.
36 But the one who misses me brings harm to himself; all who hate me love
death."

Chapter 9

1 The Consequences of Accepting Wisdom or Folly Wisdom has built her house; she
has carved out its seven pillars.
2 She has prepared her meat, she has mixed her wine; she also has arranged her
table.
3 She has sent out her female servants; she calls out on the highest places of
the city.
4 “Whoever is naive, let him turn in here,” To those who lack understanding,
she has said,
5 “Come, eat some of my food, and drink some of the wine I have mixed.
6 Abandon your foolish ways so that you may live, and proceed in the way of
understanding.”
7 Whoever corrects a mocker is asking for insult; whoever reproves a wicked
person receives abuse.
8 Do not reprove a mocker or he will hate you; reprove a wise person and he will
love you.
9 Give instruction to a wise person, and he will become wiser still; teach a
righteous person and he will add to his learning.
10 The beginning of wisdom is to fear the LORD, and acknowledging the Holy One
is understanding.
11 For because of me your days will be many, and years will be added to your
life.
12 If you are wise, you are wise to your own advantage, but if you have mocked,
you alone must bear it.
13 The woman called Folly is brash, she is naive and does not know anything.
14 And she has sat down at the door of her house, on a seat at the highest point
of the city,
15 calling out to those who are passing by her in the way, who go straight on
their way.
16 “Whoever is naive, let him turn in here,” To those who lack understanding
she has said,
17 “Stolen waters are sweet, and food obtained in secret is pleasant!”
18 But they do not realize that the dead are there, that her guests are in the
depths of the grave.

Chapter 10

1 The First Collection of Solomonic Proverbs The Proverbs of Solomon: A wise
child makes a father rejoice, but a foolish child is a grief to his mother.
2 Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from
death.
3 The LORD satisfies the appetite of the righteous, but he thwarts the craving
of the wicked.
4 The one who is lazy becomes poor, but the one who works diligently becomes
wealthy.
5 The one who gathers crops in the summer is a wise son, but the one who sleeps
during harvest is a shameful son.
6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the speech of the wicked
conceals violence.
7 The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the reputation of the wicked
will rot.
8 The wise person accepts instructions, but the one who speaks foolishness will
come to ruin.
9 The one who conducts himself in integrity will live securely, but the one who
behaves perversely will be found out.
10 The one who winks his eye causes trouble, and the one who speaks foolishness
will come to ruin.
11 The speech of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the speech of the
wicked conceals violence.
12 Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers all transgressions.
13 Wisdom is found in the words of the discerning person, but the one who lacks
sense will be disciplined.
14 Those who are wise store up knowledge, but foolish speech leads to imminent
destruction.
15 The wealth of a rich person is like a fortified city, but the poor are
brought to ruin by their poverty.
16 The reward which the righteous receive is life; the recompense which the
wicked receive is judgment.
17 The one who heeds instruction is on the way to life, but the one who rejects
rebuke goes astray.
18 The one who conceals hatred utters lies, and the one who spreads slander is
certainly a fool.
19 When words abound, transgression is inevitable, but the one who restrains his
words is wise.
20 What the righteous say is like the best silver, but what the wicked think is
of little value.
21 The teaching of the righteous feeds many, but fools die for lack of sense.
22 The blessing from the LORD makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow to it.
23 Carrying out a wicked scheme is enjoyable to a fool, and so is wisdom for the
one who has discernment.
24 What the wicked fears will come on him; what the righteous desire will be
granted.
25 When the storm passes through, the wicked are swept away, but the righteous
are an everlasting foundation.
26 Like vinegar to the teeth and like smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to
those who send him.
27 Fearing the LORD prolongs life, but the life span of the wicked will be
shortened.
28 The hope of the righteous is joy, but the expectation of the wicked perishes.
29 The way of the LORD is like a stronghold for the upright, but it is
destruction to evildoers.
30 The righteous will never be moved, but the wicked will not inhabit the land.
31 The speech of the righteous bears the fruit of wisdom, but the one who speaks
perversion will be destroyed.
32 The lips of the righteous know what is pleasing, but the speech of the wicked
is perverse.

Chapter 11

1 The LORD abhors dishonest scales, but an accurate weight is his delight.
2 After pride came, disgrace followed; but wisdom came with humility.
3 The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the
treacherous destroys them.
4 Wealth does not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from
death.
5 The righteousness of the blameless will make their way smooth, but the wicked
will fall through their own wickedness.
6 The righteousness of the upright will deliver them, but the treacherous will
be ensnared by their own desires.
7 When a wicked person dies, his expectation perishes, and hope based on power
has perished.
8 A righteous person was delivered out of trouble, then a wicked person took his
place.
9 With his speech the godless person destroys his neighbor, but by knowledge the
righteous will be delivered.
10 When the righteous do well, the city rejoices; when the wicked perish, there
is joy.
11 A city is exalted by the blessing provided from the upright, but it is
destroyed by the counsel of the wicked.
12 The one who denounces his neighbor lacks sense, but a discerning person keeps
silent.
13 The one who goes about slandering others reveals secrets, but the one who is
trustworthy conceals a matter.
14 When there is no guidance a nation falls, but there is success in the
abundance of counselors.
15 The one who has put up security for a stranger will surely have trouble, but
whoever avoids shaking hands is secure.
16 A generous woman gains honor, and ruthless men seize wealth.
17 A kind person benefits himself, but a cruel person brings himself trouble.
18 The wicked person earns deceitful wages, but the one who sows righteousness
reaps a genuine reward.
19 True righteousness leads to life, but the one who pursues evil pursues it to
his own death.
20 The LORD abhors those who are perverse in heart, but those who are blameless
in their ways are his delight.
21 Be assured that the evil person will not be unpunished, but the descendants
of the righteous have escaped harm.
22 Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who rejects
discretion.
23 The desire of the righteous is only good, but the expectation of the wicked
is wrath.
24 One person is generous and yet grows more wealthy, but another withholds more
than he should and comes to poverty.
25 A generous person will be enriched, and the one who provides water for others
will himself be satisfied.
26 People will curse the one who withholds grain, but they will praise the one
who sells it.
27 The one who diligently seeks good seeks favor, but the one who searches for
evil– it will come to him.
28 The one who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish
like a green leaf.
29 The one who troubles his family will inherit nothing, and the fool will be a
servant to the wise person.
30 The fruit of the righteous is like a tree producing life, and the one who
wins souls is wise.
31 If the righteous are recompensed on earth, how much more the wicked sinner!

Chapter 12

1 The one who loves discipline loves knowledge, but the one who hates reproof is
stupid.
2 A good person obtains favor from the LORD, but the LORD condemns a person with
wicked schemes.
3 No one can be established through wickedness, but a righteous root cannot be
moved.
4 A noble wife is the crown of her husband, but the wife who acts shamefully is
like rottenness in his bones.
5 The plans of the righteous are just; the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.
6 The words of the wicked lie in wait to shed innocent blood, but the words of
the upright will deliver them.
7 The wicked are overthrown and perish, but the righteous household will stand.
8 A person will be praised in accordance with his wisdom, but the one with a
bewildered mind will be despised.
9 Better is a person of humble standing who works for himself, than one who
pretends to be somebody important yet has no food.
10 A righteous person cares for the life of his animal, but even the most
compassionate acts of the wicked are cruel.
11 The one who works his field will have plenty of food, but whoever chases
daydreams lacks sense.
12 The wicked person has desired the stronghold of the wicked, but the root of
the righteous will yield fruit.
13 The evil person is ensnared by the transgression of his speech, but the
righteous person escapes out of trouble.
14 A person will be satisfied with good from the fruit of his words, and the
work of his hands will be rendered to him.
15 The way of a fool is right in his own opinion, but the one who listens to
advice is wise.
16 A fool’s annoyance is known at once, but the prudent conceals dishonor.
17 The faithful witness tells what is right, but a false witness speaks deceit.
18 Speaking recklessly is like the thrusts of a sword, but the words of the wise
bring healing.
19 The one who tells the truth will endure forever, but the one who lies will
last only for a moment.
20 Deceit is in the heart of those who plot evil, but those who promote peace
have joy.
21 No harm will be directed at the righteous, but the wicked are filled with
calamity.
22 The LORD abhors a person who lies, but those who deal truthfully are his
delight.
23 The shrewd person conceals knowledge, but foolish people proclaim folly.
24 The diligent person will rule, but the slothful will be put to forced labor.
25 Anxiety in a person’s heart weighs him down, but an encouraging word brings
him joy.
26 The righteous person is cautious in his friendship, but the way of the wicked
leads them astray.
27 The lazy person does not roast his prey, but personal possessions are
precious to the diligent.
28 In the path of righteousness there is life, but another path leads to death.

Chapter 13

1 A wise son accepts his father’s discipline, but a scoffer has never listened
to rebuke.
2 From the fruit of his speech a person eats good things, but the treacherous
desire the fruit of violence.
3 The one who guards his words guards his life; whoever is talkative will come
to ruin.
4 The appetite of the sluggard craves but gets nothing, but the desire of the
diligent will be abundantly satisfied.
5 The righteous person will reject anything false, but the wicked person will
act in shameful disgrace.
6 Righteousness guards the one who lives with integrity, but wickedness
overthrows the sinner.
7 There is one who pretends to be rich and yet has nothing; another pretends to
be poor and yet possesses great wealth.
8 The ransom of a person’s life is his wealth, thus the poor person has never
heard a threat.
9 The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked goes
out.
10 With pride comes only contention, but wisdom is with the well-advised.
11 Wealth gained quickly will dwindle away, but the one who gathers it little by
little will become rich.
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is like a tree of
life.
13 The one who despises instruction will pay the penalty, but whoever esteems
direction will be rewarded.
14 Instruction from the wise is like a life-giving fountain, to turn a person
from deadly snares.
15 Keen insight wins favor, but the conduct of the treacherous ends in
destruction.
16 Every shrewd person acts with knowledge, but a fool displays his folly.
17 An unreliable messenger falls into trouble, but a faithful envoy brings
healing.
18 The one who neglects discipline ends up in poverty and shame, but the one who
accepts reproof is honored.
19 A desire fulfilled will be sweet to the soul, but fools abhor turning away
from evil.
20 The one who associates with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools
suffers harm.
21 Calamity pursues sinners, but prosperity rewards the righteous.
22 A good person leaves an inheritance for his grandchildren, but the wealth of
a sinner is stored up for the righteous.
23 Abundant food may come from the field of the poor, but it is swept away by
injustice.
24 The one who spares his rod hates his child, but the one who loves his child
is diligent in disciplining him.
25 The righteous has enough food to satisfy his appetite, but the belly of the
wicked will be empty.

Chapter 14

1 Every wise woman has built her household, but a foolish woman tears it down
with her own hands.
2 The one who walks in his uprightness fears the LORD, but the one who is
perverted in his ways despises him.
3 In the speech of a fool is a rod for his back, but the words of the wise
protect them.
4 Where there are no oxen, the feeding trough is clean, but an abundant harvest
is produced by strong oxen.
5 A truthful witness does not lie, but a false witness breathes out lies.
6 The scorner sought wisdom–there was none, but understanding was easy for a
discerning person.
7 Walk abreast with a foolish person, and you do not understand wise counsel.
8 The wisdom of the shrewd person is to discern his way, but the folly of fools
is deception.
9 Fools mock at reparation, but among the upright there is favor.
10 The heart knows its own bitterness, and with its joy no one else can share.
11 The household of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright
will flourish.
12 There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way that
leads to death.
13 Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief.
14 The backslider will be paid back from his own ways, but a good person will be
rewarded for his.
15 A naive person will believe anything, but the shrewd person discerns his
steps.
16 A wise person is cautious and turns from evil, but a fool throws off
restraint and is overconfident.
17 A person who has a quick temper will do foolish things, and a person with
crafty schemes will be hated.
18 The naive have inherited folly, but the shrewd will be crowned with
knowledge.
19 Bad people have bowed before good people, and wicked people have bowed at the
gates of someone righteous.
20 A poor person will be disliked even by his neighbors, but those who love the
rich are many.
21 The one who despises his neighbor sins, but whoever is kind to the needy is
blessed.
22 Do not those who devise evil go astray? But those who plan good exhibit
faithful covenant love.
23 In all hard work there is profit, but merely talking about it only brings
poverty.
24 The crown of the wise is their riches, but the folly of fools is folly.
25 A truthful witness rescues lives, but one who testifies falsely betrays them.
26 In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence, and it will be a refuge
for his children.
27 The fear of the LORD is like a life-giving fountain, to turn people from
deadly snares.
28 A king’s glory is the abundance of people, but the lack of subjects is the
ruin of a ruler.
29 Someone with great understanding is slow to anger, but the one who has a
quick temper exalts folly.
30 A tranquil spirit revives the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones.
31 The one who oppresses the poor has insulted his Creator, but whoever honors
him shows favor to the needy.
32 An evil person will be thrown down through his wickedness, but a righteous
person takes refuge in his integrity.
33 Wisdom rests in the heart of the discerning; it is not known in the inner
parts of fools.
34 Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.
35 The king shows favor to a wise servant, but his wrath falls on one who acts
shamefully.

Chapter 15

1 A gentle response turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath.
2 The tongue of the wise treats knowledge correctly, but the mouth of the fool
spouts out folly.
3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on those who are evil
and those who are good.
4 Speech that heals is like a life-giving tree, but a perverse speech breaks the
spirit.
5 A fool rejects his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds reproof shows good
sense.
6 In the house of the righteous is abundant wealth, but the income of the wicked
will be ruined.
7 The lips of the wise spread knowledge, but not so the heart of fools.
8 The LORD abhors the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright
pleases him.
9 The LORD abhors the way of the wicked, but he will love those who pursue
righteousness.
10 Severe discipline is for the one who abandons the way; the one who hates
reproof will die.
11 Death and Destruction are before the LORD– how much more the hearts of
humans!
12 The scorner will not love one who corrects him; he will not go to the wise.
13 A joyful heart makes the face cheerful, but by a painful heart the spirit is
broken.
14 The discerning mind seeks knowledge, but the mouth of fools feeds on folly.
15 All the days of the afflicted are bad, but one with a cheerful heart has a
continual feast.
16 Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great wealth and turmoil with
it.
17 Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened ox where
there is hatred.
18 A quick-tempered person stirs up dissension, but one who is slow to anger
calms a quarrel.
19 The way of the sluggard is like a hedge of thorns, but the path of the
upright is like a highway.
20 A wise child brings joy to his father, but a foolish person despises his
mother.
21 Folly is a joy to one who lacks sense, but one who has understanding follows
an upright course.
22 Plans fail when there is no counsel, but with abundant advisers they are
established.
23 A person has joy in giving an appropriate answer, and a word at the right
time– how good it is!
24 The path of life is upward for the wise person, to keep him from going
downward to Sheol.
25 The LORD tears down the house of the proud, but he maintains the boundaries
of the widow.
26 The LORD abhors the plans of the wicked, but pleasant words are pure.
27 The one who is greedy for gain troubles his household, but whoever hates
bribes will live.
28 The heart of the righteous considers how to answer, but the mouth of the
wicked pours out evil things.
29 The LORD is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.
30 A bright look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the
body.
31 The person who hears the reproof that leads to life is at home among the
wise.
32 The one who refuses correction despises himself, but whoever listens to
reproof acquires understanding.
33 The fear of the LORD provides wise instruction, and before honor comes
humility.

Chapter 16

1 The intentions of the heart belong to a man, but the answer of the tongue
comes from the LORD.
2 All a person’s ways seem right in his own opinion, but the LORD evaluates
the motives.
3 Commit your works to the LORD, and your plans will be established.
4 The LORD has worked everything for his own ends– even the wicked for the day
of disaster.
5 The LORD abhors every arrogant person; rest assured that they will not go
unpunished.
6 Through loyal love and truth iniquity is appeased; through fearing the LORD
one avoids evil.
7 When a person’s ways are pleasing to the LORD, he even reconciles his
enemies to himself.
8 Better to have a little with righteousness than to have abundant income
without justice.
9 A person plans his course, but the LORD directs his steps.
10 The divine verdict is in the words of the king, his pronouncements must not
act treacherously against justice.
11 Honest scales and balances are from the LORD; all the weights in the bag are
his handiwork.
12 Doing wickedness is an abomination to kings, because a throne is established
in righteousness.
13 The delight of a king is righteous counsel, and he will love the one who
speaks uprightly.
14 A king’s wrath is like a messenger of death, but a wise person appeases it.
15 In the light of the king’s face there is life, and his favor is like the
clouds of the spring rain.
16 How much better it is to acquire wisdom than gold; to acquire understanding
is more desirable than silver.
17 The highway of the upright is to turn away from evil; the one who guards his
way safeguards his life.
18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
19 It is better to be lowly in spirit with the afflicted than to share the
spoils with the proud.
20 The one who deals wisely in a matter will find success, and blessed is the
one who trusts in the LORD.
21 The one who is wise in heart is called discerning, and kind speech increases
persuasiveness.
22 Insight is like a life-giving fountain to the one who possesses it, but folly
leads to the discipline of fools.
23 A wise person’s heart makes his speech wise and it adds persuasiveness to
his words.
24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the
bones.
25 There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way that
leads to death.
26 A laborer’s appetite has labored for him, for his hunger has pressed him to
work.
27 A wicked scoundrel digs up evil, and his slander is like a scorching fire.
28 A perverse person spreads dissension, and a gossip separates the closest
friends.
29 A violent person entices his neighbor, and then leads him down a path that is
terrible.
30 The one who winks his eyes devises perverse things, and one who compresses
his lips has accomplished evil.
31 Gray hair is like a crown of glory; it is attained in the path of
righteousness.
32 Better to be slow to anger than to be a mighty warrior, and one who controls
his temper is better than one who captures a city.
33 The dice are thrown into the lap, but their every decision is from the LORD.

Chapter 17

1 Better is a dry crust of bread where there is quietness than a house full of
feasting with strife.
2 A servant who acts wisely will rule over an heir who behaves shamefully, and
will share the inheritance along with the relatives.
3 The crucible is for refining silver and the furnace is for gold, likewise the
LORD tests hearts.
4 One who acts wickedly pays attention to evil counsel; a liar listens to a
malicious tongue.
5 The one who mocks the poor has insulted his Creator; whoever rejoices over
disaster will not go unpunished.
6 Grandchildren are like a crown to the elderly, and the glory of children is
their parents.
7 Excessive speech is not becoming for a fool; how much less are lies for a
ruler!
8 A bribe works like a charm for the one who offers it; in whatever he does he
succeeds.
9 The one who forgives an offense seeks love, but whoever repeats a matter
separates close friends.
10 A rebuke makes a greater impression on a discerning person than a hundred
blows on a fool.
11 An evil person seeks only rebellion, and so a cruel messenger will be sent
against him.
12 It is better for a person to meet a mother bear being robbed of her cubs,
than to encounter a fool in his folly.
13 As for the one who repays evil for good, evil will not leave his house.
14 Starting a quarrel is like letting out water; abandon strife before it breaks
out!
15 The one who acquits the guilty and the one who condemns the innocent– both
of them are an abomination to the LORD.
16 What’s the point of a fool having money in hand to buy wisdom, when his
head is empty?
17 A friend loves at all times, and a relative is born to help in adversity.
18 The one who lacks sense strikes hands in pledge, and puts up financial
security for his neighbor.
19 The one who loves a quarrel loves transgression; whoever builds his gate high
seeks destruction.
20 The one who has a perverse heart does not find good, and the one who is
deceitful in speech falls into trouble.
21 Whoever brings a fool into the world does so to his grief, and the father of
a fool has no joy.
22 A cheerful heart brings good healing, but a crushed spirit dries up the
bones.
23 A wicked person receives a bribe secretly to pervert the ways of justice.
24 Wisdom is directly in front of the discerning person, but the eyes of a fool
run to the ends of the earth.
25 A foolish child is a grief to his father, and bitterness to the mother who
bore him.
26 It is terrible to punish a righteous person, and to flog honorable men is
wrong.
27 The truly wise person restrains his words, and the one who stays calm is
discerning.
28 Even a fool who remains silent is considered wise, and the one who holds his
tongue is deemed discerning.

Chapter 18

1 One who has isolated himself seeks his own desires; he rejects all sound
judgment.
2 A fool takes no pleasure in understanding but only in disclosing what is on
his mind.
3 When a wicked person arrives, contempt shows up with him, and with shame comes
a reproach.
4 The words of a person’s mouth are like deep waters, and the fountain of
wisdom is like a flowing brook.
5 It is terrible to show partiality to the wicked, by depriving a righteous man
of justice.
6 The lips of a fool enter into strife, and his mouth invites a flogging.
7 The mouth of a fool is his ruin, and his lips are a snare for his life.
8 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; and they have gone down into
the person’s innermost being.
9 The one who is slack in his work is a brother to one who destroys.
10 The name of the LORD is like a strong tower; the righteous person runs to it
and is set safely on high.
11 The wealth of a rich person is like a strong city, and it is like a high wall
in his imagination.
12 Before destruction the heart of a person is proud, but humility comes before
honor.
13 The one who gives an answer before he listens– that is his folly and his
shame.
14 A person’s spirit sustains him through sickness– but who can bear a
crushed spirit?
15 The discerning person acquires knowledge, and the wise person seeks
knowledge.
16 A person’s gift makes room for him, and leads him before important people.
17 The first to state his case seems right, until his opponent begins to
cross-examine him.
18 A toss of a coin ends disputes, and settles the issue between strong
opponents.
19 A relative offended is harder to reach than a strong city, and disputes are
like the barred gates of a fortified citadel.
20 From the fruit of a person’s mouth his stomach will be satisfied, with the
product of his lips he will be satisfied.
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love its use
will eat its fruit.
22 The one who has found a good wife has found what goodness is, and obtained a
delightful gift from the LORD.
23 A poor person makes supplications, but a rich man answers harshly.
24 There are companions who harm one another, but there is a friend who sticks
closer than a brother.

Chapter 19

1 Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity than one who is perverse in
his speech and is a fool.
2 It is dangerous to have zeal without knowledge, and the one who acts hastily
makes poor choices.
3 A person’s folly subverts his way, and his heart rages against the LORD.
4 Wealth adds many friends, but a poor person is separated from his friend.
5 A false witness will not go unpunished, and the one who spouts out lies will
not escape punishment.
6 Many people entreat the favor of a generous person, and everyone is the friend
of the person who gives gifts.
7 All the relatives of a poor person hate him; how much more do his friends
avoid him– one who chases words, which are nothing.
8 The one who acquires understanding loves himself; the one who preserves
understanding will prosper.
9 A false witness will not go unpunished, and the one who spouts out lies will
perish.
10 Luxury is not appropriate for a fool; how much less for a servant to rule
over princes!
11 A person’s wisdom has made him slow to anger, and it is his glory to
overlook an offense.
12 A king’s wrath is like the roar of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the
grass.
13 A foolish child is the ruin of his father, and a contentious wife is like a
constant dripping.
14 A house and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the
LORD.
15 Laziness brings on a deep sleep, and the idle person will go hungry.
16 The one who obeys commandments guards his life; the one who despises his ways
will die.
17 The one who is gracious to the poor lends to the LORD, and the LORD will
repay him for his good deed.
18 Discipline your child, for there is hope, but do not set your heart on
causing his death.
19 A person with great anger bears the penalty, but if you deliver him from it
once, you will have to do it again.
20 Listen to advice and receive discipline, that you may become wise by the end
of your life.
21 There are many plans in a person’s mind, but it is the counsel of the LORD
which will stand.
22 What is desirable for a person is to show loyal love, and a poor person is
better than a liar.
23 Fearing the LORD leads to life, and one who does so will live satisfied; he
will not be afflicted by calamity.
24 The sluggard has plunged his hand into the dish, and he will not even bring
it back to his mouth!
25 Flog a scorner, and as a result the simpleton will learn prudence; correct a
discerning person, and as a result he will understand knowledge.
26 The one who robs his father and chases away his mother is a son who brings
shame and disgrace.
27 If you stop listening to instruction, my child, you will stray from the words
of knowledge.
28 A crooked witness scorns justice, and the mouth of the wicked devours
iniquity.
29 Penalties have been prepared for scorners, and floggings for the backs of
fools.

Chapter 20

1 Wine is a mocker and strong drink is a brawler; whoever goes astray by them is
not wise.
2 The king’s terrifying anger is like the roar of a lion; whoever provokes him
sins against himself.
3 It is an honor for a person to cease from strife, but every fool quarrels.
4 The sluggard will not plow during the planting season, so at harvest time he
asks for grain but has nothing.
5 Counsel in a person’s heart is like deep water, but an understanding person
draws it out.
6 Many people profess their loyalty, but a faithful person– who can find?
7 The righteous person behaves in integrity; blessed are his children after him.
8 A king sitting on the throne to judge separates out all evil with his eyes.
9 Who can say,“I have kept my heart clean; I am pure from my sin”?
10 Diverse weights and diverse measures– the LORD abhors both of them.
11 Even a young man is known by his actions, whether his activity is pure and
whether it is right.
12 The ear that hears and the eye that sees– the LORD has made them both.
13 Do not love sleep, lest you become impoverished; open your eyes so that you
might be satisfied with food.
14 “It’s worthless! It’s worthless!” says the buyer, but when he goes on
his way, he boasts.
15 There is gold, and an abundance of rubies, but words of knowledge are like a
precious jewel.
16 Take a man’s garment when he has given security for a stranger, and hold
him in pledge on behalf of strangers.
17 Bread gained by deceit tastes sweet to a person, but afterward his mouth will
be filled with gravel.
18 Plans are established by counsel, so make war with guidance.
19 The one who goes about gossiping reveals secrets; therefore do not associate
with someone who is always opening his mouth.
20 The one who curses his father and his mother, his lamp will be extinguished
in the blackest darkness.
21 An inheritance gained easily in the beginning will not be blessed in the end.
22 Do not say,“I will pay back evil!” Wait for the LORD, so that he may
vindicate you.
23 The LORD abhors differing weights, and dishonest scales are wicked.
24 The steps of a person are ordained by the LORD– so how can anyone
understand his own way?
25 It is a snare for a person to rashly cry,“Holy!” and only afterward to
consider what he has vowed.
26 A wise king separates out the wicked; he turns the threshing wheel over them.
27 The human spirit is like the lamp of the LORD, searching all his innermost
parts.
28 Loyal love and truth preserve a king, and his throne is upheld by loyal love.
29 The glory of young men is their strength, and the splendor of old men is gray
hair.
30 Beatings and wounds cleanse away evil, and floggings cleanse the innermost
being.

Chapter 21

1 The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD like channels of water; he turns
it wherever he wants.
2 All of a person’s ways seem right in his own opinion, but the LORD evaluates
his thoughts.
3 To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.
4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart– what the wicked cultivate is sin.
5 The plans of the diligent lead only to plenty, but everyone who is hasty comes
only to poverty.
6 Making a fortune by a lying tongue is like a vapor driven back and forth; they
seek death.
7 The violence done by the wicked will drag them away because they have refused
to do what is right.
8 The way of the guilty person is devious, but as for the pure, his way is
upright.
9 It is better to live on a corner of the housetop than to share a house with a
quarrelsome wife.
10 The appetite of the wicked has desired evil; his neighbor is shown no favor
in his eyes.
11 When a scorner is punished, the naive becomes wise; when a wise person is
instructed, he gains knowledge.
12 The Righteous One considers the house of the wicked; he overthrows the wicked
to their ruin.
13 The one who shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and
will not be answered.
14 A gift given in secret subdues anger, and a bribe given secretly subdues
strong wrath.
15 Doing justice brings joy to the righteous and terror to those who do evil.
16 The one who wanders from the way of wisdom will end up in the company of the
departed.
17 The one who loves pleasure will be a poor person; whoever loves wine and
anointing oil will not be rich.
18 The wicked become a ransom for the righteous, and the treacherous are taken
in the place of the upright.
19 It is better to live in the wilderness than with a quarrelsome and
easily-provoked woman.
20 There is desirable treasure and olive oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a
foolish person devours all he has.
21 The one who pursues righteousness and love finds life, bounty, and honor.
22 A wise man went up against the city of the mighty and brought down the
stronghold in which they trust.
23 The one who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps his life from troubles.
24 A proud and arrogant person, whose name is“Scoffer,” acts with
overbearing pride.
25 What the sluggard desires will kill him, for his hands have refused to work.
26 All day long he has craved greedily, but the righteous gives and does not
hold back.
27 The wicked person’s sacrifice is an abomination; how much more when he
brings it with evil intent!
28 A lying witness will perish, but the one who reports accurately speaks
forever.
29 A wicked person has put on a bold face, but as for the upright, he
establishes his ways.
30 There is no wisdom and there is no understanding, and there is no counsel
against the LORD.
31 A horse is prepared for the day of battle, but the victory is from the LORD.

Chapter 22

1 A good name is to be chosen rather than great wealth, good favor more than
silver or gold.
2 The rich and the poor are met together; the LORD is the Creator of them both.
3 A shrewd person saw danger and hid himself, but the naive passed on by and
paid for it.
4 The reward for humility and fearing the LORD is riches and honor and life.
5 Thorns and snares are in the path of the perverse, but the one who guards
himself keeps far from them.
6 Train a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not
turn from it.
7 The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
8 The one who sows iniquity will reap trouble, and the rod of his fury will end.
9 A generous person will be blessed, for he has given some of his food to the
poor.
10 Drive out the scorner and contention will leave; strife and insults will
cease.
11 The one who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious– the king will
be his friend.
12 The eyes of the LORD watched over a cause, and subverted the words of the
treacherous person.
13 The sluggard has said,“There is a lion outside! I will be killed in the
middle of the streets!”
14 The mouth of an adulteress is like a deep pit; the one against whom the LORD
is angry will fall into it.
15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will
drive it far from him.
16 The one who oppresses the poor to increase his own gain and the one who gives
to the rich– both end up only in poverty.
17 The Sayings of the Wise Incline your ear and listen to the words of the wise,
and apply your mind to my instruction.
18 For it is pleasing if you keep these sayings within you, and they are ready
on your lips.
19 So that your confidence may be in the LORD, I hereby make them known to you
today– even you.
20 Have I not written thirty sayings for you, sayings of counsel and knowledge,
21 to show you true and reliable words, so that you may give accurate answers to
those who sent you?
22 Do not exploit a poor person because he is poor and do not crush the needy in
court,
23 for the LORD will plead their case and will rob the life those who are
robbing them.
24 Do not make friends with an angry person, and do not associate with a
wrathful person,
25 lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.
26 Do not be one who strikes hands in pledge or who puts up security for debts.
27 If you do not have enough to pay, your bed will be taken right out from under
you!
28 Do not move an ancient boundary stone which was put in place by your
ancestors.
29 You have seen a person skilled in his work– he will take his position
before kings; he will not take his position before obscure people.

Chapter 23

1 When you sit down to eat with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you,
2 and put a knife to your throat if you possess a large appetite.
3 Do not crave that ruler’s delicacies, for that food is deceptive.
4 Do not wear yourself out to become rich; be wise enough to restrain yourself.
5 When you gaze upon riches, they are gone, for they surely make wings for
themselves, and fly off into the sky like an eagle!
6 Do not eat the food of a stingy person, do not crave his delicacies;
7 for he is like someone who has calculated the cost in his mind.“Eat and
drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you;
8 you will vomit up the little bit you have eaten, and will have wasted your
pleasant words.
9 Do not speak in the ears of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your
words.
10 Do not move an ancient boundary stone, or take over the fields of the
fatherless,
11 for their Protector is strong; he will plead their case against you.
12 Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to the words of knowledge.
13 Do not withhold discipline from a child; even if you strike him with the rod,
he will not die.
14 If you strike him with the rod, you will deliver him from death.
15 My child, if your heart is wise, then my heart also will be glad;
16 my soul will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.
17 Do not let your heart envy sinners, but rather be zealous in fearing the LORD
all the time.
18 For surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.
19 Listen, my child, and be wise, and guide your heart on the right way.
20 Do not spend time among drunkards, among those who eat too much meat,
21 because drunkards and gluttons become impoverished, and drowsiness clothes
them with rags.
22 Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when
she is old.
23 Acquire truth and do not sell it– wisdom, and discipline, and
understanding.
24 The father of a righteous person will rejoice greatly; whoever fathers a wise
child will have joy in him.
25 May your father and your mother have joy; may she who bore you rejoice.
26 Give me your heart, my son, and let your eyes observe my ways;
27 for a prostitute is like a deep pit; a harlot is like a narrow well.
28 Indeed, she lies in wait like a robber, and increases the unfaithful among
men.
29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has
wounds without cause? Who has dullness of the eyes?
30 Those who linger over wine, those who go looking for mixed wine.
31 Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it
goes down smoothly.
32 Afterward it bites like a snake, and stings like a viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange things, and your mind will speak perverse things.
34 And you will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, and like one
who lies down on the top of the rigging.
35 You will say,“They have struck me, but I am not harmed! They beat me, but I
did not know it! When will I awake? I will look for another drink.”

Chapter 24

1 Do not envy evil people, do not desire to be with them;
2 for their hearts contemplate violence, and their lips speak harm.
3 By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established;
4 by knowledge its rooms are filled with all kinds of precious and pleasing
treasures.
5 A wise warrior is strong, and a man of knowledge makes his strength stronger;
6 for with guidance you wage your war, and with numerous advisers there is
victory.
7 Wisdom is unattainable for a fool; in court he does not open his mouth.
8 The one who plans to do evil will be called a scheming person.
9 A foolish scheme is sin, and the scorner is an abomination to people.
10 You have slacked off in the day of trouble– your strength is small!
11 Deliver those being taken away to death, and hold back those slipping to the
slaughter.
12 If you say,“But we did not know about this,” won’t the one who
evaluates hearts discern it? Won’t the one who guards your life realize and
repay each person according to his deeds?
13 Eat honey, my child, for it is good, and honey from the honeycomb is sweet to
your taste.
14 Likewise, know that wisdom is sweet to your soul; if you have found it, you
have a future, and your hope will not be cut off.
15 Do not lie in wait like the wicked against the place where the righteous
live; do not assault his home.
16 Indeed a righteous person will fall seven times, and then get up again, but
the guilty will collapse in calamity.
17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and when he stumbles do not let your
heart rejoice,
18 lest the LORD see it, and be displeased, and turn his wrath away from him.
19 Do not fret because of evil people or be envious of wicked people,
20 for the evil person has no future, and the lamp of the wicked will be
extinguished.
21 Fear the LORD, my child, as well as the king, and do not associate with
rebels,
22 for suddenly their destruction will overtake them, and who knows the ruinous
judgment both the LORD and the king can bring?
23 Further Sayings of the Wise These sayings also are from the wise: To show
partiality in judgment is terrible:
24 The one who says to the guilty,“You are innocent,” peoples will curse
him, and nations will denounce him.
25 But there will be delight for those who convict the guilty, and a pleasing
blessing will come on them.
26 Like a kiss on the lips is the one who gives an honest answer.
27 Establish your work outside and get your fields ready; afterward build your
house.
28 Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive
with your words.
29 Do not say,“I will do to him just as he has done to me; I will pay him back
according to what he has done.”
30 I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of one who lacks sense.
31 I saw that thorns had grown up all over it, the ground was covered with
weeds, and its stone wall was broken down.
32 Then I scrutinized it. I was putting my mind to it– I saw; I took in a
lesson:
33 “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to relax,
34 and your poverty will come like a bandit, and your need like an armed
robber.”

Chapter 25

1 Proverbs of Solomon Collected by Hezekiah These also are proverbs of Solomon,
which the men of King Hezekiah of Judah copied:
2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, and it is the glory of a king to
search out a matter.
3 As the heaven is high and the earth is deep so the hearts of kings are
unsearchable.
4 Remove the dross from the silver, and material for the silversmith will
emerge;
5 remove the wicked from before the king, and his throne will be established in
righteousness.
6 Do not honor yourself before the king, and do not stand in the place of great
men;
7 for it is better for him to say to you,“Come up here,” than to put you
lower before a prince, whom your eyes have seen.
8 Do not go out hastily to litigation, or what will you do afterward when your
neighbor puts you to shame?
9 When you argue a case with your neighbor, do not reveal the secret of another
person,
10 lest the one who hears it put you to shame and your infamy will never go
away.
11 Like apples of gold in settings of silver, so is a word skillfully spoken.
12 Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover
to the ear of the one who listens.
13 Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to
those who send him, for he refreshes the heart of his masters.
14 Like cloudy skies and wind that produce no rain, so is the one who boasts of
a gift not given.
15 Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a soft tongue can break a
bone.
16 You have found honey–eat only what is sufficient for you, lest you become
stuffed with it and vomit it up.
17 Don’t set foot too frequently in your neighbor’s house, lest he become
weary of you and hate you.
18 Like a club or a sword or a sharp arrow, so is the one who testifies against
his neighbor as a false witness.
19 Like a bad tooth or a foot out of joint, so is confidence in an unfaithful
person at the time of trouble.
20 Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar poured on
soda, so is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.
21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him
water to drink,
22 for you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the LORD will reward you.
23 The north wind brings forth rain, and a gossiping tongue brings forth an
angry look.
24 It is better to live on a corner of the housetop than in a house in company
with a quarrelsome wife.
25 Like cold water to a weary person, so is good news from a distant land.
26 Like a muddied spring and a polluted well, so is a righteous person who gives
way before the wicked.
27 It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable for people to seek
their own glory.
28 Like a city that is broken down and without a wall, so is a person who cannot
control his temper.

Chapter 26

1 Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, so honor is not fitting for a fool.
2 Like a fluttering bird or like a flying swallow, so a curse without cause does
not come to rest.
3 A whip for the horse and a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the backs of
fools!
4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you yourself also be like
him.
5 Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own opinion.
6 Like cutting off the feet or drinking violence, so is sending a message by the
hand of a fool.
7 Like legs dangle uselessly from the lame, so a proverb dangles in the mouth of
fools.
8 Like tying a stone in a sling, so is giving honor to a fool.
9 Like a thorn has gone up into the hand of a drunkard, so a proverb has gone up
into the mouth of a fool.
10 Like an archer who wounds at random, so is the one who hires a fool or hires
any passerby.
11 Like a dog that returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.
12 You have seen a man wise in his own opinion– there is more hope for a fool
than for him.
13 The sluggard has said,“There is a lion in the road! A lion in the
streets!”
14 Like a door that turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed.
15 The sluggard has plunged his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it
back to his mouth.
16 The sluggard is wiser in his own opinion than seven people who respond with
good sense.
17 Like one who grabs a wild dog by the ears, so is the person passing by who
becomes furious over a quarrel not his own.
18 Like a madman who shoots firebrands and deadly arrows,
19 so is a person who has deceived his neighbor, and said,“Was I not only
joking?”
20 Where there is no wood, a fire goes out, and where there is no gossip,
contention ceases.
21 Like charcoal is to burning coals, and wood to fire, so is a contentious
person to kindle strife.
22 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; and they have gone down into a
person’s innermost being.
23 Like a coating of glaze over earthenware are fervent lips with an evil heart.
24 The one who hates others disguises it with his lips, but he stores up deceit
within him.
25 When he speaks graciously, do not believe him, for there are seven
abominations within him.
26 Though his hatred may be concealed by deceit, his evil will be uncovered in
the assembly.
27 The one who digs a pit will fall into it; the one who rolls a stone– it
will come back on him.
28 A lying tongue hates those crushed by it, and a flattering mouth works ruin.

Chapter 27

1 Do not boast about tomorrow; for you do not know what a day may bring forth.
2 Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own
lips.
3 A stone is heavy and sand is weighty, but vexation by a fool is more
burdensome than the two of them.
4 Wrath is cruel and anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?
5 Better is open rebuke than hidden love.
6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are excessive.
7 The one whose appetite is satisfied loathes honey, but to the hungry mouth
every bitter thing is sweet.
8 Like a bird that wanders from its nest, so is a person who wanders from his
home.
9 Ointment and incense make the heart rejoice, likewise the sweetness of one’s
friend from sincere counsel.
10 Do not forsake your friend and your father’s friend, and do not enter your
brother’s house in the day of your disaster; a neighbor nearby is better than
a brother far away.
11 Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad, so that I may answer anyone who
taunts me.
12 A shrewd person saw danger–he hid himself; the naive passed right on by–
they had to pay for it.
13 Take a man’s garment when he has given security for a stranger, and hold
him in pledge on behalf of a stranger.
14 If someone blesses his neighbor with a loud voice early in the morning, it
will be counted as a curse to him.
15 A continual dripping on a rainy day– a contentious wife makes herself like
that.
16 Whoever contains her has contained the wind or can grasp oil with his right
hand.
17 As iron sharpens iron, so a person sharpens his friend.
18 The one who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and whoever takes care of
his master will be honored.
19 As in water the face is reflected as a face, so a person’s heart reflects
the person.
20 As Death and Destruction are never satisfied, so the eyes of a person are
never satisfied.
21 As the crucible is for silver and the furnace is for gold, so a person must
put his praise to the test.
22 If you should pound the fool in the mortar among the grain with the pestle,
his foolishness would not depart from him.
23 Pay careful attention to the condition of your flocks, set your mind on your
herds,
24 for riches do not last forever, nor does a crown last from generation to
generation.
25 When the hay is removed and new grass appears, and the grass from the hills
is gathered in,
26 the lambs will be for your clothing, and the goats will be for the price of a
field.
27 And there will be enough goat’s milk for your food, for the food of your
household, and for the sustenance of your servant girls.

Chapter 28

1 Α wicked person fled, though no one was pursuing, but the righteous person
can be as confident as a lion.
2 When a country is rebellious it has many princes, but by someone who is
discerning and knowledgeable order is maintained.
3 A poor person who oppresses the weak is like a driving rain without food.
4 Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law
contend with them.
5 Evil people do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand
it all.
6 A poor person who walks in his integrity is better than one who is perverse in
his ways even though he is rich.
7 The one who keeps the law is a discerning child, but a companion of gluttons
brings shame to his parents.
8 The one who increases his wealth by increasing interest gathers it for someone
who is gracious to the needy.
9 The one who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an
abomination.
10 The one who leads the upright astray in an evil way will himself fall into
his own pit, but the blameless will inherit what is good.
11 A rich person is wise in his own opinion, but a discerning poor person can
evaluate him properly.
12 When the righteous rejoice, great is the glory, but when the wicked rise to
power, people are sought out.
13 The one who covers his transgressions will not prosper, but whoever confesses
them and forsakes them will find mercy.
14 Blessed is the one who is always cautious, but whoever hardens his heart will
fall into evil.
15 Like a roaring lion or a roving bear, so is a wicked ruler over a poor
people.
16 The prince who is a great oppressor lacks wisdom, but the one who hates
unjust gain will prolong his days.
17 The one who is tormented by the murder of another will flee to the pit; let
no one support him.
18 The one who walks blamelessly will be delivered, but whoever is perverse in
his ways will fall at once.
19 The one who works his land will be satisfied with food, but whoever chases
daydreams will have his fill of poverty.
20 A faithful person will have an abundance of blessings, but the one who
hastens to gain riches will not go unpunished.
21 To show partiality is terrible, for a person will transgress over the
smallest piece of bread.
22 The stingy person hastens after riches and does not know that poverty will
overtake him.
23 The one who reproves another will in the end find more favor than the one who
flatters with the tongue.
24 The one who robs his father and mother and says,“There is no
transgression,” is a companion to the one who destroys.
25 The greedy person stirs up dissension, but the one who trusts in the LORD
will prosper.
26 The one who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but the one who walks in
wisdom will escape.
27 The one who gives to the poor will not lack, but whoever shuts his eyes to
them will receive many curses.
28 When the wicked gain control, people hide themselves, but when they perish,
the righteous increase.

Chapter 29

1 The one who stiffens his neck after numerous rebukes will suddenly be
destroyed without remedy.
2 When the righteous become numerous, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule,
the people groan.
3 The man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but whoever associates with
prostitutes wastes his wealth.
4 A king brings stability to a land by justice, but one who exacts tribute tears
it down.
5 The one who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his steps.
6 In the transgression of an evil person there is a snare, but a righteous
person can sing and rejoice.
7 The righteous person cares for the legal rights of the poor; the wicked does
not understand such knowledge.
8 Scornful people inflame a city, but those who are wise turn away wrath.
9 When a wise person goes to court with a foolish person, there is no peace
whether he is angry or laughs.
10 Bloodthirsty people hate someone with integrity; as for the upright, they
seek his life.
11 A fool lets fly with all his temper, but a wise person keeps it back.
12 If a ruler listens to lies, all his ministers will be wicked.
13 The poor person and the oppressor have this in common: the LORD gives light
to the eyes of them both.
14 If a king judges the poor in truth, his throne will be established forever.
15 A rod and reproof impart wisdom, but a child who is unrestrained brings shame
to his mother.
16 When the wicked increase, transgression increases, but the righteous will see
their downfall.
17 Discipline your child, and he will give you rest; he will bring you
happiness.
18 When there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but the one
who keeps the law, blessed is he!
19 A servant cannot be corrected by words, for although he understands, there is
no answer.
20 You have seen someone who is hasty in his words– there is more hope for a
fool than for him.
21 If someone pampers his servant from youth, he will be a weakling in the end.
22 An angry person stirs up dissension, and a wrathful person is abounding in
transgression.
23 A person’s pride will bring him low, but one who has a lowly spirit will
gain honor.
24 Whoever shares with a thief is his own enemy; he hears the oath to testify,
but does not talk.
25 The fear of people becomes a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD will be
set on high.
26 Many people seek the face of a ruler, but it is from the LORD that one
receives justice.
27 An unjust person is an abomination to the righteous, and the one who lives an
upright life is an abomination to the wicked.

Chapter 30

1 The Words of Agur The words of Agur, the son of Jakeh; an oracle: This man
says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and to Ukal:
2 Surely I am more brutish than any other human being, and I do not have human
understanding;
3 I have not learned wisdom, nor can I have knowledge of the Holy One.
4 Who has ascended into heaven, and then descended? Who has gathered up the
winds in his fists? Who has bound up the waters in his cloak? Who has
established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s
name? Surely you can know!
5 Every word of God is purified; he is like a shield for those who take refuge
in him.
6 Do not add to his words, lest he reprove you, and prove you to be a liar.
7 Two things I have asked from you; do not refuse me before I die:
8 Remove falsehood and lies far from me; do not give me poverty or riches, feed
me with my allotted portion of bread,
9 lest I become satisfied and act deceptively and say,“Who is the LORD?” Or
lest I become poor and steal and demean the name of my God.
10 Do not slander a servant to his master, lest he curse you, and you are found
guilty.
11 There is a generation who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers.
12 There is a generation who are pure in their own opinion and yet are not
washed from their filthiness.
13 There is a generation whose eyes are so lofty, and whose eyelids are lifted
up disdainfully.
14 There is a generation whose teeth are like swords and whose molars are like
knives to devour the poor from the earth and the needy from among the human
race.
15 The leech has two daughters:“Give! Give!” There are three things that
will never be satisfied, four that have never said,“Enough”–
16 the grave, the barren womb; earth has not been satisfied with water; and fire
has never said,“Enough!”
17 The eye that mocks at a father and despises obeying a mother– the ravens of
the valley will peck it out and the young vultures will eat it.
18 There are three things that are too wonderful for me, four that I do not
understand:
19 the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a
ship in the sea, and the way of a man with a woman.
20 This is the way of an adulterous woman: she has eaten and wiped her mouth and
has said,“I have not done wrong.”
21 Under three things the earth has trembled, and under four things it cannot
bear up:
22 under a servant who becomes king, under a fool who becomes stuffed with food,
23 under an unloved woman who becomes married, and under a female servant who
dispossesses her mistress.
24 There are four things on earth that are small, but they are exceedingly wise:
25 ants are creatures with little strength, but they prepare their food in the
summer;
26 rock badgers are creatures with little power, but they make their homes in
the crags;
27 locusts have no king, but they all go forward by ranks;
28 a lizard you can catch with the hand, but it gets into the palaces of the
king.
29 There are three things that are magnificent in their step, four things that
move about magnificently:
30 a lion, mightiest of the beasts, who does not retreat from anything;
31 a strutting rooster, a male goat, and a king with his army around him.
32 If you have done foolishly by exalting yourself or if you have planned evil,
put your hand over your mouth!
33 For as the churning of milk produces butter and as punching the nose produces
blood, so stirring up anger produces strife.

Chapter 31

1 The Words of Lemuel The words of King Lemuel, an oracle that his mother taught
him:
2 O my son, O son of my womb, O son of my vows,
3 Do not give your strength to women, nor your ways to that which ruins kings.
4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for
rulers to crave strong drink,
5 lest they drink and forget what is decreed, and remove from all the poor their
legal rights.
6 Give strong drink to the one who is perishing, and wine to those who are
bitterly distressed;
7 let them drink and forget their poverty, and remember their misery no more.
8 Open your mouth on behalf of those unable to speak, for the legal rights of
all the dying.
9 Open your mouth, judge in righteousness, and plead the cause of the poor and
needy.
10 The Wife of Noble Character Who can find a wife of noble character? For her
value is far more than rubies.
11 Her husband’s heart has trusted her, and he does not lack the dividends.
12 She has rewarded him with good and not harm all the days of her life.
13 She sought out wool and flax, then worked happily with her hands.
14 She was like the merchant ships; she would bring in her food from afar.
15 Then she rose while it was still night, and provided food for her household
and a portion to her female servants.
16 She considered a field and bought it; from her own income she planted a
vineyard.
17 She clothed herself in might, and she strengthened her arms.
18 She perceived that her merchandise was good. Her lamp would not go out in the
night.
19 She extended her hands to the spool, and her hands grasped the spindle.
20 She opened her hand to the poor, and extended her hands to the needy.
21 She would not fear for her household in winter, because all of her household
were clothed with scarlet,
22 because she had made coverings for herself; and because her clothing was fine
linen and purple.
23 Her husband is well-known in the city gate when he sits with the elders of
the land.
24 She made linen garments then sold them, and traded belts to the merchants;
25 her clothing was strong and splendid; and she laughed at the time to come.
26 She has opened her mouth with wisdom, with loving instruction on her tongue.
27 Watching over the ways of her household, she would not eat the bread of
idleness.
28 Her children have risen and called her blessed; her husband also has praised
her:
29 “Many daughters have done valiantly, but you have surpassed them all!”
30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is fleeting. A woman who fears the LORD– she
makes herself praiseworthy.
31 Give her credit for what she has accomplished, and let her works praise her
in the city gates.


Ecclesiastes

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Title The words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:
2 Introduction: Utter Futility“Futile! Futile!” laments the
Teacher,“Absolutely futile! Everything is futile!”
3 Futility Illustrated from Nature What benefit do people get from all the
effort which they expend on earth?
4 A generation comes and a generation goes, but the earth remains the same
through the ages.
5 The sun rises and the sun sets; it hurries away to a place from which it rises
again.
6 The wind goes to the south and circles around to the north; round and round
the wind goes and on its rounds it returns.
7 All the streams flow into the sea, but the sea is not full, and to the place
where the streams flow, there they will flow again.
8 All this monotony is tiresome; no one can bear to describe it: The eye is
never satisfied with seeing, nor is the ear ever content with hearing.
9 What exists now is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done;
there is nothing truly new on earth.
10 Is there anything about which someone can say,“Look at this! It is new!”?
It was already done long ago, before our time.
11 No one remembers the former events, nor will anyone remember the events that
are yet to happen; they will not be remembered by the future generations.
12 Futility of Secular Accomplishment I, the Teacher, have been king over Israel
in Jerusalem.
13 I decided to carefully and thoroughly examine all that has been accomplished
on earth. I concluded: God has given people a burdensome task that keeps them
occupied.
14 I reflected on everything that is accomplished by man on earth, and I
concluded: Everything he has accomplished is futile– like chasing the wind!
15 What is bent cannot be straightened, and what is missing cannot be supplied.
16 Futility of Secular Wisdom I thought to myself,“I have become much wiser
than any of my predecessors who ruled over Jerusalem; I have acquired much
wisdom and knowledge.”
17 So I decided to discern the benefit of wisdom and knowledge over foolish
behavior and ideas; however, I concluded that even this endeavor is like trying
to chase the wind!
18 For with great wisdom comes great frustration; whoever increases his
knowledge merely increases his heartache.

Chapter 2

1 Futility of Self-Indulgent Pleasure I thought to myself,“Come now, I will
try self-indulgent pleasure to see if it is worthwhile.” But I found that it
also is futile.
2 I said of partying,“It is folly,” and of self-indulgent pleasure,“It
accomplishes nothing!”
3 I thought deeply about the effects of indulging myself with wine(all the while
my mind was guiding me with wisdom) and the effects of behaving foolishly, so
that I might discover what is profitable for people to do on earth during the
few days of their lives.
4 Futility of Materialism I increased my possessions: I built houses for myself;
I planted vineyards for myself.
5 I designed royal gardens and parks for myself, and I planted all kinds of
fruit trees in them.
6 I constructed pools of water for myself, to irrigate my grove of flourishing
trees.
7 I purchased male and female slaves, and I owned slaves who were born in my
house; I also possessed more livestock– both herds and flocks– than any of
my predecessors in Jerusalem.
8 I also amassed silver and gold for myself, as well as valuable treasures taken
from kingdoms and provinces. I acquired male singers and female singers for
myself, and what gives a man sensual delight– a harem of beautiful concubines!
9 So I was far wealthier than all my predecessors in Jerusalem, yet I maintained
my objectivity:
10 I did not restrain myself from getting whatever I wanted; I did not deny
myself anything that would bring me pleasure. So all my accomplishments gave me
joy; this was my reward for all my effort.
11 Yet when I reflected on everything I had accomplished and on all the effort
that I had expended to accomplish it, I concluded:“All these achievements and
possessions are ultimately profitless– like chasing the wind! There is nothing
gained from them on earth.”
12 Wisdom is Better than Folly Next, I decided to consider wisdom, as well as
foolish behavior and ideas. For what more can the king’s successor do than
what the king has already done?
13 I realized that wisdom is preferable to folly, just as light is preferable to
darkness:
14 The wise man can see where he is going, but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I
also realized that the same fate happens to them both.
15 So I thought to myself,“The fate of the fool will happen even to me! Then
what did I gain by becoming so excessively wise?” So I lamented to
myself,“The benefits of wisdom are ultimately meaningless!”
16 For the wise man, like the fool, will not be remembered for very long,
because in the days to come, both will already have been forgotten. Alas, the
wise man dies– just like the fool!
17 So I loathed life because what happens on earth seems awful to me; for all
the benefits of wisdom are futile– like chasing the wind.
18 Futility of Being a Workaholic So I loathed all the fruit of my effort, for
which I worked so hard on earth, because I must leave it behind in the hands of
my successor.
19 Who knows if he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will be master over all
the fruit of my labor for which I worked so wisely on earth! This also is
futile!
20 So I began to despair about all the fruit of my labor for which I worked so
hard on earth.
21 For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; however, he must
hand over the fruit of his labor as an inheritance to someone else who did not
work for it. This also is futile, and an awful injustice!
22 Painful Days and Restless Nights What does a man acquire from all his labor
and from the anxiety that accompanies his toil on earth?
23 For all day long his work produces pain and frustration, and even at night
his mind cannot relax! This also is futile!
24 Enjoy Work and its Benefits There is nothing better for people than to eat
and drink, and to find enjoyment in their work. I also perceived that this
ability to find enjoyment comes from God.
25 For no one can eat and drink or experience joy apart from him.
26 For to the one who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, but to
the sinner, he gives the task of amassing wealth– only to give it to the one
who pleases God. This task of the wicked is futile– like chasing the wind!

Chapter 3

1 A Time for All Events in Life For everything there is an appointed time, and
an appropriate time for every activity on earth:
2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot
what was planted;
3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build
up;
4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
5 A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace,
and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to search, and a time to give something up as lost; a time to keep, and
a time to throw away;
7 A time to rip, and a time to sew; a time to keep silent, and a time to speak.
8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.
9 Man is Ignorant of God’s Timing What benefit can a worker gain from his
toil?
10 I have observed the burden that God has given to people to keep them
occupied.
11 God has made everything fit beautifully in its appropriate time, but he has
also placed ignorance in the human heart so that people cannot discover what God
has ordained, from the beginning to the end of their lives.
12 Enjoy Life in the Present I have concluded that there is nothing better for
people than to be happy and to enjoy themselves as long as they live,
13 and also that everyone should eat and drink, and find enjoyment in all his
toil, for these things are a gift from God.
14 God’s Sovereignty I also know that whatever God does will endure forever;
nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken away from it. God has made it this
way, so that men will fear him.
15 Whatever exists now has already been, and whatever will be has already been;
for God will seek to do again what has occurred in the past.
16 The Problem of Injustice and Oppression I saw something else on earth: In the
place of justice, there was wickedness, and in the place of fairness, there was
wickedness.
17 I thought to myself,“God will judge both the righteous and the wicked; for
there is an appropriate time for every activity, and there is a time of judgment
for every deed.
18 I also thought to myself,“It is for the sake of people, so God can clearly
show them that they are like animals.
19 For the fate of humans and the fate of animals are the same: As one dies, so
dies the other; both have the same breath. There is no advantage for humans over
animals, for both are fleeting.
20 Both go to the same place, both come from the dust, and to dust both return.
21 Who really knows if the human spirit ascends upward, and the animal’s
spirit descends into the earth?
22 So I perceived there is nothing better than for people to enjoy their work,
because that is their reward; for who can show them what the future holds?

Chapter 4

1 Evil Oppression on Earth So I again considered all the oppression that
continually occurs on earth. This is what I saw: The oppressed were in tears,
but no one was comforting them; no one delivers them from the power of their
oppressors.
2 So I considered those who are dead and gone more fortunate than those who are
still alive.
3 But better than both is the one who has not been born and has not seen the
evil things that are done on earth.
4 Labor Motivated by Envy Then I considered all the skillful work that is done:
Surely it is nothing more than competition between one person and another. This
also is profitless– like chasing the wind.
5 The fool folds his hands and does no work, so he has nothing to eat but his
own flesh.
6 Better is one handful with some rest than two hands full of toil and chasing
the wind.
7 Labor Motivated by Greed So I again considered another futile thing on earth:
8 A man who is all alone with no companion, he has no children nor siblings; yet
there is no end to all his toil, and he is never satisfied with riches. He
laments,“For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also
is futile and a burdensome task!
9 Labor is Beneficial When Its Rewards Are Shared Two people are better than
one, because they can reap more benefit from their labor.
10 For if they fall, one will help his companion up, but pity the person who
falls down and has no one to help him up.
11 Furthermore, if two lie down together, they can keep each other warm, but how
can one person keep warm by himself?
12 Although an assailant may overpower one person, two can withstand him.
Moreover, a three-stranded cord is not quickly broken.
13 Labor Motivated by Prestige-Seeking A poor but wise youth is better than an
old and foolish king who no longer knows how to receive advice.
14 For he came out of prison to become king, even though he had been born poor
in what would become his kingdom.
15 I considered all the living who walk on earth, as well as the successor who
would arise in his place.
16 There is no end to all the people nor to the past generations, yet future
generations will not rejoice in him. This also is profitless and like chasing
the wind.

Chapter 5

1 Rash Vows(4:17) Be careful what you do when you go to the temple of God; draw
near to listen rather than to offer a sacrifice like fools, for they do not
realize that they are doing wrong.
2 (5:1) Do not be rash with your mouth or hasty in your heart to bring up a
matter before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth! Therefore, let
your words be few.
3 Just as dreams come when there are many cares, so the rash vow of a fool
occurs when there are many words.
4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay in paying it. For God takes no
pleasure in fools: Pay what you vow!
5 It is better for you not to vow than to vow and not pay it.
6 Do not let your mouth cause you to sin, and do not tell the priest,“It was a
mistake!” Why make God angry at you so that he would destroy the work of your
hands?”
7 Just as there is futility in many dreams, so also in many words. Therefore,
fear God!
8 Government Corruption If you see the extortion of the poor, or the perversion
of justice and fairness in the government, do not be astonished by the matter.
For the high official is watched by a higher official, and there are higher ones
over them!
9 The produce of the land is seized by all of them, even the king is served by
the fields.
10 Covetousness The one who loves money will never be satisfied with money, he
who loves wealth will never be satisfied with his income. This also is futile.
11 When someone’s prosperity increases, those who consume it also increase; so
what does its owner gain, except that he gets to see it with his eyes?
12 The sleep of the laborer is pleasant– whether he eats little or much– but
the wealth of the rich will not allow him to sleep.
13 Materialism Thwarts Enjoyment of Life Here is a misfortune on earth that I
have seen: Wealth hoarded by its owner to his own misery.
14 Then that wealth was lost through bad luck; although he fathered a son, he
has nothing left to give him.
15 Just as he came forth from his mother’s womb, naked will he return as he
came, and he will take nothing in his hand that he may carry away from his toil.
16 This is another misfortune: Just as he came, so will he go. What did he gain
from toiling for the wind?
17 Surely, he ate in darkness every day of his life, and he suffered greatly
with sickness and anger.
18 Enjoy the Fruit of Your Labor I have seen personally what is the only
beneficial and appropriate course of action for people: to eat and drink, and
find enjoyment in all their hard work on earth during the few days of their life
which God has given them, for this is their reward.
19 To every man whom God has given wealth, and possessions, he has also given
him the ability to eat from them, to receive his reward and to find enjoyment in
his toil; these things are the gift of God.
20 For he does not think much about the fleeting days of his life because God
keeps him preoccupied with the joy he derives from his activity.

Chapter 6

1 Not Everyone Enjoys Life Here is another misfortune that I have seen on earth,
and it weighs heavily on people:
2 God gives a man riches, property, and wealth so that he lacks nothing that his
heart desires, yet God does not enable him to enjoy the fruit of his labor–
instead, someone else enjoys it! This is fruitless and a grave misfortune.
3 Even if a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years– even if he
lives a long, long time, but cannot enjoy his prosperity– even if he were to
live forever– I would say,“A stillborn child is better off than he is!”
4 Though the stillborn child came into the world for no reason and departed into
darkness, though its name is shrouded in darkness,
5 though it never saw the light of day nor knew anything, yet it has more rest
than that man–
6 if he should live a thousand years twice, yet does not enjoy his prosperity.
For both of them die!
7 All of man’s labor is for nothing more than to fill his stomach– yet his
appetite is never satisfied!
8 So what advantage does a wise man have over a fool? And what advantage does a
pauper gain by knowing how to survive?
9 It is better to be content with what the eyes can see than for one’s heart
always to crave more. This continual longing is futile– like chasing the wind.
10 The Futile Way Life Works Whatever has happened was foreordained, and what
happens to a person was also foreknown. It is useless for him to argue with God
about his fate because God is more powerful than he is.
11 The more one argues with words, the less he accomplishes. How does that
benefit him?
12 For no one knows what is best for a person during his life– during the few
days of his fleeting life– for they pass away like a shadow. Nor can anyone
tell him what the future will hold for him on earth.

Chapter 7

1 Life is Brief and Death is Certain! A good reputation is better than precious
perfume; likewise, the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s
birth.
2 It is better to go to a funeral than a feast. For death is the destiny of
every person, and the living should take this to heart.
3 Sorrow is better than laughter, because sober reflection is good for the
heart.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is
in the house of merrymaking.
5 Frivolous Living Versus Wisdom It is better for a person to receive a rebuke
from those who are wise than to listen to the song of fools.
6 For like the crackling of quick-burning thorns under a cooking pot, so is the
laughter of the fool. This kind of folly also is useless.
7 Human Wisdom Overturned by Adversity Surely oppression can turn a wise person
into a fool; likewise, a bribe corrupts the heart.
8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning; likewise, patience is better
than pride.
9 Do not let yourself be quickly provoked, for anger resides in the lap of
fools.
10 Do not say,“Why were the old days better than these days?” for it is not
wise to ask that.
11 Wisdom Can Lengthen One’s Life Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good
thing; it benefits those who see the light of day.
12 For wisdom provides protection, just as money provides protection. But the
advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves the life of its owner.
13 Wisdom Acknowledges God’s Orchestration of Life Consider the work of God:
For who can make straight what he has bent?
14 In times of prosperity be joyful, but in times of adversity consider this:
God has made one as well as the other, so that no one can discover what the
future holds.
15 Exceptions to the Law of Retribution During the days of my fleeting life I
have seen both of these things: Sometimes a righteous person dies prematurely in
spite of his righteousness, and sometimes a wicked person lives long in spite of
his evil deeds.
16 So do not be excessively righteous or excessively wise; otherwise you might
be disappointed.
17 Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool; otherwise you might die
before your time.
18 It is best to take hold of one warning without letting go of the other
warning; for the one who fears God will follow both warnings.
19 Wisdom Needed Because No One is Truly Righteous Wisdom gives a wise person
more protection than ten rulers in a city.
20 For there is not one truly righteous person on the earth who continually does
good and never sins.
21 Also, do not pay attention to everything that people say; otherwise, you
might even hear your servant cursing you.
22 For you know in your own heart that you also have cursed others many times.
23 Human Wisdom is Limited I have examined all this by wisdom; I said,“I am
determined to comprehend this”– but it was beyond my grasp.
24 Whatever has happened is beyond human understanding; it is far deeper than
anyone can fathom.
25 True Righteousness and Wisdom Are Virtually Nonexistent I tried to
understand, examine, and comprehend the role of wisdom in the scheme of things,
and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the insanity of folly.
26 I discovered this: More bitter than death is the kind of woman who is like a
hunter’s snare; her heart is like a hunter’s net and her hands are like
prison chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is captured
by her.
27 The Teacher says: I discovered this while trying to discover the scheme of
things, item by item.
28 What I have continually sought, I have not found; I have found only one
upright man among a thousand, but I have not found one upright woman among all
of them.
29 This alone have I discovered: God made humankind upright, but they have
sought many evil schemes.

Chapter 8

1 Human Government Demonstrates Limitations of Wisdom Who is a wise person? Who
knows the solution to a problem? A person’s wisdom brightens his appearance,
and softens his harsh countenance.
2 Obey the king’s command, because you took an oath before God to be loyal to
him.
3 Do not rush out of the king’s presence in haste– do not delay when the
matter is unpleasant, for he can do whatever he pleases.
4 Surely the king’s authority is absolute; no one can say to him,“What are
you doing?”
5 Whoever obeys his command will not experience harm, and a wise person knows
the proper time and procedure.
6 For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter, for the oppression
of the king is severe upon his victim.
7 Surely no one knows the future, and no one can tell another person what will
happen.
8 Just as no one has power over the wind to restrain it, so no one has power
over the day of his death. Just as no one can be discharged during the battle,
so wickedness cannot rescue the wicked.
9 While applying my mind to everything that happens in this world, I have seen
all this: Sometimes one person dominates other people to their harm.
10 Contradictions to the Law of Retribution Not only that, but I have seen the
wicked approaching and entering the temple, and as they left the holy temple,
they boasted in the city that they had done so. This also is an enigma.
11 When a sentence is not executed at once against a crime, the human heart is
encouraged to do evil.
12 Even though a sinner might commit a hundred crimes and still live a long
time, yet I know that it will go well with God-fearing people– for they stand
in fear before him.
13 But it will not go well with the wicked, nor will they prolong their days
like a shadow, because they do not stand in fear before God.
14 Here is another enigma that occurs on earth: Sometimes there are righteous
people who get what the wicked deserve, and sometimes there are wicked people
who get what the righteous deserve. I said,“This also is an enigma.”
15 Enjoy Life In Spite of Its Injustices So I recommend the enjoyment of life,
for there is nothing better on earth for a person to do except to eat, drink,
and enjoy life. So joy will accompany him in his toil during the days of his
life which God gives him on earth.
16 Limitations of Human Wisdom When I tried to gain wisdom and to observe the
activity on earth– even though it prevents anyone from sleeping day or
night–
17 then I discerned all that God has done: No one really comprehends what
happens on earth. Despite all human efforts to discover it, no one can ever
grasp it. Even if a wise person claimed that he understood, he would not really
comprehend it.

Chapter 9

1 Everyone Will Die So I reflected on all this, attempting to clear it all up. I
concluded that the righteous and the wise, as well as their works, are in the
hand of God; whether a person will be loved or hated– no one knows what lies
ahead.
2 Everyone shares the same fate– the righteous and the wicked, the good and
the bad, the ceremonially clean and unclean, those who offer sacrifices and
those who do not. What happens to the good person, also happens to the sinner;
what happens to those who make vows, also happens to those who are afraid to
make vows.
3 This is the unfortunate fact about everything that happens on earth: the same
fate awaits everyone. In addition to this, the hearts of all people are full of
evil, and there is folly in their hearts during their lives– then they die.
4 Better to Be Poor but Alive than Rich but Dead But whoever is among the living
has hope; a live dog is better than a dead lion.
5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead do not know anything;
they have no further reward– and even the memory of them disappears.
6 What they loved, as well as what they hated and envied, perished long ago, and
they no longer have a part in anything that happens on earth.
7 Life is Brief, so Cherish its Joys Go, eat your food with joy, and drink your
wine with a happy heart, because God has already approved your works.
8 Let your clothes always be white, and do not spare precious ointment on your
head.
9 Enjoy life with your beloved wife during all the days of your fleeting life
that God has given you on earth during all your fleeting days; for that is your
reward in life and in your burdensome work on earth.
10 Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, because
there is neither work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave, the
place where you will eventually go.
11 Wisdom Cannot Protect against Seemingly Chance Events Again, I observed this
on the earth: the race is not always won by the swiftest, the battle is not
always won by the strongest; prosperity does not always belong to those who are
the wisest, wealth does not always belong to those who are the most discerning,
nor does success always come to those with the most knowledge– for time and
chance may overcome them all.
12 Surely, no one knows his appointed time! Like fish that are caught in a
deadly net, and like birds that are caught in a snare– just like them, all
people are ensnared at an unfortunate time that falls upon them suddenly.
13 Most People Are Not Receptive to Wise Counsel This is what I also observed
about wisdom on earth, and it is a great burden to me:
14 There was once a small city with a few men in it, and a mighty king attacked
it, besieging it and building strong siege works against it.
15 However, a poor but wise man lived in the city, and he could have delivered
the city by his wisdom, but no one listened to that poor man.
16 So I concluded that wisdom is better than might, but a poor man’s wisdom is
despised; no one ever listens to his advice.
17 Wisdom versus Fools, Sin, and Folly The words of the wise are heard in quiet,
more than the shouting of a ruler is heard among fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner can destroy much that is
good.

Chapter 10

1 One dead fly makes the perfumer’s ointment give off a rancid stench, so a
little folly can outweigh much wisdom.
2 Wisdom Can Be Nullified By the Caprice of Rulers A wise person’s good sense
protects him, but a fool’s lack of sense leaves him vulnerable.
3 Even when a fool walks along the road he lacks sense, and shows everyone what
a fool he is.
4 If the anger of the ruler flares up against you, do not resign from your
position, for a calm response can undo great offenses.
5 I have seen another misfortune on the earth: It is an error a ruler makes.
6 Fools are placed in many positions of authority, while wealthy men sit in
lowly positions.
7 I have seen slaves on horseback and princes walking on foot like slaves.
8 Wisdom is Needed to Avert Dangers in Everyday Life One who digs a pit may fall
into it, and one who breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.
9 One who quarries stones may be injured by them; one who splits logs may be
endangered by them.
10 If an iron axhead is blunt and a workman does not sharpen its edge, he must
exert a great deal of effort; so wisdom has the advantage of giving success.
11 If the snake should bite before it is charmed, the snake charmer is in
trouble.
12 Words and Works of Wise Men and Fools The words of a wise person win him
favor, but the words of a fool are self-destructive.
13 At the beginning his words are foolish and at the end his talk is wicked
madness,
14 yet a fool keeps on babbling. No one knows what will happen; who can tell him
what will happen in the future?
15 The toil of a stupid fool wears him out, because he does not even know the
way to the city.
16 The Problem with Foolish Rulers Woe to you, O land, when your king is
childish, and your princes feast in the morning!
17 Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobility, and your
princes feast at the proper time– with self-control and not in drunkenness.
18 Because of laziness the roof caves in, and because of idle hands the house
leaks.
19 Feasts are made for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the
answer for everything.
20 Do not curse a king even in your thoughts, and do not curse the rich while in
your bedroom; for a bird might report what you are thinking, or some winged
creature might repeat your words.

Chapter 11

1 Ignorance of the Future Demands Diligence in the Present Send your grain
overseas, for after many days you will get a return.
2 Divide your merchandise among seven or even eight investments, for you do not
know what calamity may happen on earth.
3 If the clouds are full of rain, they will empty themselves on the earth, and
whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, the tree will lie wherever it
falls.
4 He who watches the wind will not sow, and he who observes the clouds will not
reap.
5 Just as you do not know the path of the wind, or how the bones form in the
womb of a pregnant woman, so you do not know the work of God who makes
everything.
6 Sow your seed in the morning, and do not stop working until the evening; for
you do not know which activity will succeed– whether this one or that one, or
whether both will prosper equally.
7 Life Should Be Enjoyed Because Death is Inevitable Light is sweet, and it is
pleasant for a person to see the sun.
8 So, if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all, but let him
remember that the days of darkness will be many– all that is about to come is
obscure.
9 Enjoy Life to the Fullest under the Fear of God Rejoice, young man, while you
are young, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Follow the
impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes, but know that God will
judge your motives and actions.
10 Banish emotional stress from your mind. and put away pain from your body; for
youth and the prime of life are fleeting.

Chapter 12

1 Fear God Now Because Old Age and Death Come Quickly So remember your Creator
in the days of your youth– before the difficult days come, and the years draw
near when you will say,“I have no pleasure in them”;
2 before the sun and the light of the moon and the stars grow dark, and the
clouds disappear after the rain;
3 when those who keep watch over the house begin to tremble, and the virile men
begin to stoop over, and the grinders begin to cease because they grow few, and
those who look through the windows grow dim,
4 and the doors along the street are shut; when the sound of the grinding mill
grows low, and one is awakened by the sound of a bird, and all their songs grow
faint,
5 and they are afraid of heights and the dangers in the street; the almond
blossoms grow white, and the grasshopper drags itself along, and the caper berry
shrivels up– because man goes to his eternal home, and the mourners go about
in the streets–
6 before the silver cord is removed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the
pitcher is shattered at the well, or the water wheel is broken at the cistern–
7 and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the life’s breath returns
to God who gave it.
8 Concluding Refrain: Qoheleth Restates His Thesis“Absolutely futile!”
laments the Teacher,“All of these things are futile!”
9 Concluding Epilogue: Qoheleth’s Advice is Wise Not only was the Teacher
wise, but he also taught knowledge to the people; he carefully evaluated and
arranged many proverbs.
10 The Teacher sought to find delightful words, and to write accurately truthful
sayings.
11 The words of the sages are like prods, and the collected sayings are like
firmly fixed nails; they are given by one shepherd.
12 Concluding Exhortation: Fear God and Obey His Commands! Be warned, my son, of
anything in addition to them. There is no end to the making of many books, and
much study is exhausting to the body.
13 Having heard everything, I have reached this conclusion: Fear God and keep
his commandments, because this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God will evaluate every deed, including every secret thing, whether good
or evil.


Song of Solomon

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Title/Superscription Solomon’s Most Excellent Love Song.
2 The Desire for LoveThe Beloved to Her Lover: Oh, how I wish you would kiss me
passionately! For your lovemaking is more delightful than wine.
3 The fragrance of your colognes is delightful; your name is like the finest
perfume. No wonder the young women adore you!
4 Draw me after you; let us hurry! May the king bring me into his bedroom
chambers! The Maidens to the Lover: We will rejoice and delight in you; we will
praise your love more than wine.The Beloved to Her Lover: How rightly the young
women adore you!
5 The Country Maiden and the Daughters of JerusalemThe Beloved to the Maidens: I
am dark but lovely, O maidens of Jerusalem, dark like the tents of Qedar, lovely
like the tent curtains of Salmah.
6 Do not stare at me because I am dark, for the sun has burned my skin. My
brothers were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards. Alas, my
own vineyard I could not keep!
7 The Shepherd and the ShepherdessThe Beloved to Her Lover: Tell me, O you whom
my heart loves, where do you pasture your sheep? Where do you rest your sheep
during the midday heat? Tell me lest I wander around beside the flocks of your
companions!
8 The Lover to His Beloved: If you do not know, O most beautiful of women,
simply follow the tracks of my flock, and pasture your little lambs beside the
tents of the shepherds.
9 The Beautiful Mare and the Fragrant MyrrhThe Lover to His Beloved: O my
beloved, you are like a mare among Pharaoh’s stallions.
10 Your cheeks are beautiful with ornaments; your neck is lovely with strings of
jewels.
11 We will make for you gold ornaments studded with silver.
12 The Beloved about Her Lover: While the king was at his banqueting table, my
nard gave forth its fragrance.
13 My beloved is like a fragrant pouch of myrrh spending the night between my
breasts.
14 My beloved is like a cluster of henna blossoms in the vineyards of En Gedi.
15 Mutual Praise and AdmirationThe Lover to His Beloved: Oh, how beautiful you
are, my beloved! Oh, how beautiful you are! Your eyes are like doves!
16 The Beloved to Her Lover: Oh, how handsome you are, my lover! Oh, how
delightful you are! The lush foliage is our canopied bed;
17 the cedars are the beams of our bedroom chamber; the pines are the rafters of
our bedroom.

Chapter 2

1 The Lily among the Thorns and the Apple Tree in the ForestThe Beloved to Her
Lover: I am a meadow flower from Sharon, a lily from the valleys.
2 The Lover to His Beloved: Like a lily among the thorns, so is my darling among
the maidens.
3 The Beloved about Her Lover: Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest,
so is my beloved among the young men. I delight to sit in his shade, and his
fruit is sweet to my taste.
4 The Banquet Hall for the Love-SickThe Beloved about Her Lover: He brought me
into the banquet hall, and he looked at me lovingly.
5 Sustain me with raisin cakes, refresh me with apples, for I am faint with
love. The Double Refrain: Embracing and Adjuration
6 His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me.
7 The Beloved to the Maidens: I admonish you, O maidens of Jerusalem, by the
gazelles and by the young does of the open fields: Do not awaken or arouse love
until it pleases!
8 The Arrival of the LoverThe Beloved about Her Lover: Listen! My lover is
approaching! Look! Here he comes, leaping over the mountains, bounding over the
hills!
9 My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag. Look! There he stands behind our
wall, gazing through the window, peering through the lattice.
10 The Season of Love and the Song of the TurtledoveThe Lover to His Beloved: My
lover spoke to me, saying:“Arise, my darling; My beautiful one, come away with
me!
11 Look! The winter has passed, the winter rains are over and gone.
12 Blossoms have appeared in the land, the time for pruning and singing has
come; the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree has ripened its figs, the vines have blossomed and give off
their fragrance. Arise, come away my darling; my beautiful one, come away with
me!”
14 The Dove in the Clefts of En GediThe Lover to His Beloved: O my dove, in the
clefts of the rock, in the hiding places of the mountain crags, let me see your
face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.
15 The Foxes in the VineyardThe Beloved to Her Lover: Catch the foxes for us,
the little foxes, that ruin the vineyards– for our vineyard is in bloom.
16 Poetic Refrain: Mutual PossessionThe Beloved about Her Lover: My lover is
mine and I am his; he grazes among the lilies.
17 The Gazelle and the Rugged MountainsThe Beloved to Her Lover: Until the dawn
arrives and the shadows flee, turn, my beloved– be like a gazelle or a young
stag on the mountain gorges.

Chapter 3

1 The Lost Lover is FoundThe Beloved about Her Lover: All night long on my bed I
longed for my lover. I longed for him but he never appeared.
2 “I will arise and look all around throughout the town, and throughout the
streets and squares; I will search for my beloved.” I searched for him but I
did not find him.
3 The night watchmen found me– the ones who guard the city walls.“Have you
seen my beloved?”
4 Scarcely had I passed them by when I found my beloved! I held onto him tightly
and would not let him go until I brought him to my mother’s house, to the
bedroom chamber of the one who conceived me.
5 The Adjuration RefrainThe Beloved to the Maidens: I admonish you, O maidens of
Jerusalem, by the gazelles and by the young does of the open fields:“Do not
awake or arouse love until it pleases!”
6 The Royal Wedding ProcessionThe Speaker: Who is this coming up from the
wilderness like a column of smoke, like a fragrant billow of myrrh and
frankincense, every kind of fragrant powder of the traveling merchants?
7 Look! It is Solomon’s portable couch! It is surrounded by sixty warriors,
some of Israel’s mightiest warriors.
8 All of them are skilled with a sword, well-trained in the art of warfare. Each
has his sword at his side, to guard against the terrors of the night.
9 King Solomon made a sedan chair for himself of wood imported from Lebanon.
10 Its posts were made of silver; its back was made of gold. Its seat was
upholstered with purple wool; its interior was inlaid with leather by the
maidens of Jerusalem.
11 Come out, O maidens of Zion, and gaze upon King Solomon! He is wearing the
crown with which his mother crowned him on his wedding day, on the most joyous
day of his life!

Chapter 4

1 The Wedding Night: Praise of the Bride The Lover to His Beloved: Oh, you are
beautiful, my darling! Oh, you are beautiful! Your eyes behind your veil are
like doves. Your hair is like a flock of female goats descending from Mount
Gilead.
2 Your teeth are like a flock of newly-shorn sheep coming up from the washing
place; each of them has a twin, and not one of them is missing.
3 Your lips are like a scarlet thread; your mouth is lovely. Your forehead
behind your veil is like a slice of pomegranate.
4 Your neck is like the tower of David built with courses of stones; one
thousand shields are hung on it– all shields of valiant warriors.
5 Your two breasts are like two fawns, twins of the gazelle grazing among the
lilies.
6 Until the dawn arrives and the shadows flee, I will go up to the mountain of
myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.
7 You are altogether beautiful, my darling! There is no blemish in you!
8 The Wedding Night: Beautiful as Lebanon Come with me from Lebanon, my bride,
come with me from Lebanon. Descend from the crest of Amana, from the top of
Senir, the summit of Hermon, from the lions’ dens and the mountain haunts of
the leopards.
9 You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride! You have stolen my heart with
one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace.
10 How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much better is your
love than wine; the fragrance of your perfume is better than any spice!
11 Your lips drip sweetness like the honeycomb, my bride, honey and milk are
under your tongue. The fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of
Lebanon.
12 The Wedding Night: The Delightful GardenThe Lover to His Beloved: You are a
locked garden, my sister, my bride; you are an enclosed spring, a sealed-up
fountain.
13 Your shoots are a royal garden full of pomegranates with choice fruits: henna
with nard,
14 nard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon with every kind of spice, myrrh and
aloes with all the finest spices.
15 You are a garden spring, a well of fresh water flowing down from Lebanon.
16 The Beloved to Her Lover: Awake, O north wind; come, O south wind! Blow on my
garden so that its fragrant spices may send out their sweet smell. May my
beloved come into his garden and eat its delightful fruit!

Chapter 5

1 The Lover to His Beloved: I have entered my garden, O my sister, my bride; I
have gathered my myrrh with my balsam spice. I have eaten my honeycomb and my
honey; I have drunk my wine and my milk!The Poet to the Couple: Eat, friends,
and drink! Drink freely, O lovers!
2 The Trials of Love: The Beloved’s Dream of Losing Her LoverThe Beloved about
Her Lover: I was asleep, but my mind was dreaming. Listen! My lover is knocking
at the door! The Lover to His Beloved:“Open for me, my sister, my darling, my
dove, my flawless one! My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness
of the night.”
3 The Beloved to Her Lover:“I have already taken off my robe– must I put it
on again? I have already washed my feet– must I soil them again?”
4 My lover thrust his hand through the hole, and my feelings were stirred for
him.
5 I arose to open for my beloved; my hands dripped with myrrh– my fingers
flowed with myrrh on the handles of the lock.
6 I opened for my beloved, but my lover had already turned and gone away. I fell
into despair when he departed. I looked for him but did not find him; I called
him but he did not answer me.
7 The watchmen found me as they made their rounds in the city. They beat me,
they bruised me; they took away my cloak, those watchmen on the walls!
8 The Triumph of Love: The Beloved Praises Her LoverThe Beloved to the Maidens:
I admonish you, O maidens of Jerusalem– If you find my beloved, what will you
tell him? Tell him that I am lovesick!
9 The Maidens to The Beloved: Why is your beloved better than others, O most
beautiful of women? Why is your beloved better than others, that you would
admonish us in this manner?
10 The Beloved to the Maidens: My beloved is dazzling and ruddy; he stands out
in comparison to all other men.
11 His head is like the purest gold. His hair is curly– black like a raven.
12 His eyes are like doves by streams of water, washed in milk, mounted like
jewels.
13 His cheeks are like garden beds full of balsam trees yielding perfume. His
lips are like lilies dripping with drops of myrrh.
14 His arms are like rods of gold set with chrysolite. His abdomen is like
polished ivory inlaid with sapphires.
15 His legs are like pillars of marble set on bases of pure gold. His appearance
is like Lebanon, choice as its cedars.
16 His mouth is very sweet; he is totally desirable. This is my beloved! This is
my companion, O maidens of Jerusalem!

Chapter 6

1 The Lost Lover FoundThe Maidens to the Beloved: Where has your beloved gone, O
most beautiful among women? Where has your beloved turned? Tell us, that we may
seek him with you.
2 The Beloved to the Maidens: My beloved has gone down to his garden, to the
flowerbeds of balsam spices, to graze in the gardens, and to gather lilies.
3 Poetic Refrain: Mutual PossessionThe Beloved about Her Lover: I am my
lover’s and my lover is mine; he grazes among the lilies.
4 The Renewal of LoveThe Lover to His Beloved: My darling, you are as beautiful
as Tirzah, as lovely as Jerusalem, as awe-inspiring as bannered armies!
5 Turn your eyes away from me– they overwhelm me! Your hair is like a flock of
goats descending from Mount Gilead.
6 Your teeth are like a flock of sheep coming up from the washing; each has its
twin; not one of them is missing.
7 Like a slice of pomegranate is your forehead behind your veil.
8 There may be sixty queens, and eighty concubines, and young women without
number.
9 But she is unique! My dove, my perfect one! She is the special daughter of her
mother, she is the favorite of the one who bore her. The maidens saw her and
complimented her; the queens and concubines praised her:
10 “Who is this who appears like the dawn? Beautiful as the moon, bright as
the sun, awe-inspiring as the stars in procession?”
11 The Return to the VineyardsThe Lover to His Beloved: I went down to the
orchard of walnut trees, to look for the blossoms of the valley, to see if the
vines had budded or if the pomegranates were in bloom.
12 I was beside myself with joy! There please give me your myrrh, O daughter of
my princely people.
13 The Love Song and DanceThe Lover to His Beloved:(7:1) Turn, turn, O Perfect
One! Turn, turn, that I may stare at you!The Beloved to Her Lover: Why do you
gaze upon the Perfect One like the dance of the Mahanaim?

Chapter 7

1 The Lover to His Beloved:(7:2) How beautiful are your sandaled feet, O
nobleman’s daughter! The curves of your thighs are like jewels, the work of
the hands of a master craftsman.
2 Your navel is a round mixing bowl– may it never lack mixed wine! Your belly
is a mound of wheat, encircled by lilies.
3 Your two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle.
4 Your neck is like a tower made of ivory. Your eyes are the pools in Heshbon by
the gate of Bath-Rabbim. Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon overlooking
Damascus.
5 Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel. The locks of your hair are like royal
tapestries– the king is held captive in its tresses!
6 How beautiful you are! How lovely, O love, with your delights!
7 The Palm Tree and the Palm Tree ClimberThe Lover to His Beloved: Your stature
is like a palm tree, and your breasts are like clusters of grapes.
8 I want to climb the palm tree, and take hold of its fruit stalks. May your
breasts be like the clusters of grapes, and may the fragrance of your breath be
like apples!
9 May your mouth be like the best wine, flowing smoothly for my beloved, gliding
gently over our lips as we sleep together.
10 Poetic Refrain: Mutual PossessionThe Beloved about Her Lover: I am my
beloved’s, and he desires me!
11 The Journey to the CountrysideThe Beloved to Her Lover: Come, my beloved, let
us go to the countryside; let us spend the night in the villages.
12 Let us rise early to go to the vineyards, to see if the vines have budded, to
see if their blossoms have opened, if the pomegranates are in bloom– there I
will give you my love.
13 The mandrakes send out their fragrance; over our door is every delicacy, both
new and old, which I have stored up for you, my lover.

Chapter 8

1 The Beloved’s Wish SongThe Beloved to Her Lover: Oh, how I wish you were my
little brother, nursing at my mother’s breasts; if I saw you outside, I could
kiss you– surely no one would despise me!
2 I would lead you and bring you to my mother’s house, the one who taught me.
I would give you spiced wine to drink, the nectar of my pomegranates.
3 Double Refrain: Embracing and AdjurationThe Beloved about Her Lover: His left
hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me.
4 The Beloved to the Maidens: I admonish you, O maidens of Jerusalem:“Do not
arouse or awaken love until it pleases!”
5 The Awakening of LoveThe Maidens about His Beloved: Who is this coming up from
the wilderness, leaning on her beloved?The Beloved to Her Lover: Under the apple
tree I aroused you; there your mother conceived you, there she who bore you was
in labor of childbirth.
6 The Nature of True LoveThe Beloved to Her Lover: Set me like a cylinder seal
over your heart, like a signet on your arm. For love is as strong as death,
passion is as unrelenting as Sheol. Its flames burst forth, it is a blazing
flame.
7 Surging waters cannot quench love; floodwaters cannot overflow it. If someone
were to offer all his possessions to buy love, the offer would be utterly
despised.
8 The Brother’s Plan and the Sister’s RewardThe Beloved’s Brothers: We
have a little sister, and as yet she has no breasts. What shall we do for our
sister on the day when she is spoken for?
9 If she is a wall, we will build on her a battlement of silver; but if she is a
door, we will barricade her with boards of cedar.
10 The Beloved: I was a wall, and my breasts were like fortress towers. Then I
found favor in his eyes.
11 Solomon’s Vineyard and the Beloved’s VineyardThe Beloved to Her Lover:
Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-Hamon; he leased out the vineyard to those who
maintained it. Each was to bring a thousand shekels of silver for its fruit.
12 My vineyard, which belongs to me, is at my disposal alone. The thousand
shekels belong to you, O Solomon, and two hundred shekels belong to those who
maintain it for its fruit.
13 Epilogue: The Lover’s Request and His Beloved’s InvitationThe Lover to
His Beloved: O you who stay in the gardens, my companions are listening
attentively for your voice; let me be the one to hear it!
14 The Beloved to Her Lover: Make haste, my beloved! Be like a gazelle or a
young stag on the mountains of spices.


Isaiah

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Heading Here is the message about Judah and Jerusalem that was revealed to
Isaiah son of Amoz during the time when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah
reigned over Judah.
2 Obedience, not Sacrifice Listen, O heavens, pay attention, O earth! For the
LORD speaks:“I raised children, I brought them up, but they have rebelled
against me!
3 An ox recognizes its owner, a donkey recognizes where its owner puts its food;
but Israel does not recognize me, my people do not understand.”
4 Beware sinful nation, the people weighed down by evil deeds. They are
offspring who do wrong, children who do wicked things. They have abandoned the
LORD, and rejected the Holy One of Israel. They are alienated from him.
5 Why do you insist on being battered? Why do you continue to rebel? Your head
has a massive wound, your whole heart is sick.
6 From the soles of your feet to your head, there is no spot that is unharmed.
There are only bruises, cuts, and open wounds. They have not been cleansed or
bandaged, nor have they been treated with olive oil.
7 Your land is devastated, your cities burned with fire. Right before your eyes
your crops are being destroyed by foreign invaders. They leave behind
devastation and destruction.
8 Daughter Zion is left isolated, like a hut in a vineyard, or a shelter in a
cucumber field; she is a besieged city.
9 If the LORD of Heaven’s Armies had not left us a few survivors, we would
have quickly been like Sodom, we would have become like Gomorrah.
10 Listen to the LORD’s message, you leaders of Sodom! Pay attention to our
God’s rebuke, people of Gomorrah!
11 “Of what importance to me are your many sacrifices?” says the LORD.“I
have had my fill of burnt sacrifices of rams and the fat from steers. The blood
of bulls, lambs, and goats I do not want.
12 When you enter my presence, do you actually think I want this– animals
trampling on my courtyards?
13 Do not bring any more meaningless offerings; I consider your incense
detestable! You observe new moon festivals, Sabbaths, and convocations, but I
cannot tolerate sin-stained celebrations!
14 I hate your new moon festivals and assemblies; they are a burden that I am
tired of carrying.
15 When you spread out your hands in prayer, I look the other way; when you
offer your many prayers, I do not listen, because your hands are covered with
blood.
16 Wash! Cleanse yourselves! Remove your sinful deeds from my sight. Stop
sinning!
17 Learn to do what is right! Promote justice! Give the oppressed reason to
celebrate! Take up the cause of the orphan! Defend the rights of the widow!
18 Come, let’s consider your options,” says the LORD.“Though your sins
have stained you like the color red, you can become white like snow; though they
are as easy to see as the color scarlet, you can become white like wool.
19 If you have a willing attitude and obey, then you will again eat the good
crops of the land.
20 But if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” Know for
certain that the LORD has spoken.
21 Purifying Judgment How tragic that the once-faithful city has become a
prostitute! She was once a center of justice, fairness resided in her, but now
only murderers.
22 Your silver has become scum, your beer is diluted with water.
23 Your officials are rebels, they associate with thieves. All of them love
bribery, and look for payoffs. They do not take up the cause of the orphan, or
defend the rights of the widow.
24 Therefore, the Sovereign LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the Powerful One of
Israel, says this:“Ah, I will seek vengeance against my adversaries, I will
take revenge against my enemies.
25 I will attack you; I will purify your metal with flux. I will remove all your
slag.
26 I will reestablish honest judges as in former times, wise advisers as in
earlier days. Then you will be called,‘The Just City, Faithful Town.’”
27 Zion will be freed by justice, and her returnees by righteousness.
28 All rebellious sinners will be shattered, those who abandon the LORD will
perish.
29 Indeed, they will be ashamed of the sacred trees you find so desirable; you
will be embarrassed because of the sacred orchards where you choose to worship.
30 For you will be like a tree whose leaves wither, like an orchard that is
unwatered.
31 The powerful will be like a thread of yarn, their deeds like a spark; both
will burn together, and no one will put out the fire.

Chapter 2

1 The Future Glory of Jerusalem Here is the message about Judah and Jerusalem
that was revealed to Isaiah son of Amoz.
2 In the future the mountain of the LORD’s temple will endure as the most
important of mountains, and will be the most prominent of hills. All the nations
will stream to it,
3 many peoples will come and say,“Come, let us go up to the LORD’s mountain,
to the temple of the God of Jacob, so he can teach us his requirements, and we
can follow his standards.” For Zion will be the center for moral instruction;
the LORD’s message will issue from Jerusalem.
4 He will judge disputes between nations; he will settle cases for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning
hooks. Nations will not take up the sword against other nations, and they will
no longer train for war.
5 O descendants of Jacob, come, let us walk in the LORD’s guiding light.
6 The Lord’s Day of Judgment Indeed, O LORD, you have abandoned your people,
the descendants of Jacob. For diviners from the east are everywhere; they
consult omen readers like the Philistines do. Plenty of foreigners are around.
7 Their land is full of gold and silver; there is no end to their wealth. Their
land is full of horses; there is no end to their chariots.
8 Their land is full of worthless idols; they worship the product of their own
hands, what their own fingers have fashioned.
9 Men bow down to them in homage, they lie flat on the ground in worship.
Don’t spare them!
10 Go up into the rocky cliffs, hide in the ground. Get away from the dreadful
judgment of the LORD, from his royal splendor!
11 Proud men will be brought low, arrogant men will be humiliated; the LORD
alone will be exalted in that day.
12 Indeed, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has planned a day of judgment, for all
the high and mighty, for all who are proud– they will be humiliated;
13 for all the cedars of Lebanon, that are so high and mighty, for all the oaks
of Bashan;
14 for all the tall mountains, for all the high hills,
15 for every high tower, for every fortified wall,
16 for all the large ships, for all the impressive ships.
17 Proud men will be humiliated, arrogant men will be brought low; the LORD
alone will be exalted in that day.
18 The worthless idols will be completely eliminated.
19 They will go into caves in the rocky cliffs and into holes in the ground,
trying to escape the dreadful judgment of the LORD and his royal splendor, when
he rises up to terrify the earth.
20 At that time men will throw their silver and gold idols, which they made for
themselves to worship, into the caves where rodents and bats live,
21 so they themselves can go into the crevices of the rocky cliffs and the
openings under the rocky overhangs, trying to escape the dreadful judgment of
the LORD and his royal splendor, when he rises up to terrify the earth.
22 Stop trusting in human beings, whose life’s breath is in their nostrils.
For why should they be given special consideration?

Chapter 3

1 A Coming Leadership Crisis Look, the Sovereign LORD of Heaven’s Armies is
about to remove from Jerusalem and Judah every source of security, including all
the food and water,
2 the mighty men and warriors, judges and prophets, omen readers and leaders,
3 captains of groups of fifty, the respected citizens, advisers and those
skilled in magical arts, and those who know incantations.
4 The LORD says,“I will make youths their officials; malicious young men will
rule over them.
5 The people will treat each other harshly; men will oppose each other;
neighbors will fight. Youths will proudly defy the elderly and riffraff will
challenge those who were once respected.
6 Indeed, a man will grab his brother right in his father’s house and
say,‘You own a coat– you be our leader! This heap of ruins will be under
your control.’
7 At that time the brother will shout,‘I am no doctor, I have no food or coat
in my house; don’t make me a leader of the people!’”
8 Jerusalem certainly stumbles, Judah falls, for their words and their actions
offend the LORD; they rebel against his royal authority.
9 The look on their faces testifies to their guilt; like the people of Sodom
they openly boast of their sin. Woe to them! For they bring disaster on
themselves.
10 Tell the innocent it will go well with them, for they will be rewarded for
what they have done.
11 Woe to the wicked sinners! For they will get exactly what they deserve.
12 Oppressors treat my people cruelly; creditors rule over them. My people’s
leaders mislead them; they give you confusing directions.
13 The LORD takes his position to judge; he stands up to pass sentence on his
people.
14 The LORD comes to pronounce judgment on the leaders of his people and their
officials. He says,“It is you who have ruined the vineyard! You have stashed
in your houses what you have stolen from the poor.
15 Why do you crush my people and grind the faces of the poor?” The Sovereign
LORD of Heaven’s Armies has spoken.
16 Washing Away Impurity The LORD says,“The women of Zion are proud. They walk
with their heads high and flirt with their eyes. They skip along and the jewelry
on their ankles jingles.
17 So the Lord will afflict the foreheads of Zion’s women with skin diseases;
the LORD will make the front of their heads bald.”
18 At that time the Lord will remove their beautiful ankle jewelry, neck
ornaments, crescent shaped ornaments,
19 earrings, bracelets, veils,
20 headdresses, ankle ornaments, sashes, sachets, amulets,
21 rings, nose rings,
22 festive dresses, robes, shawls, purses,
23 garments, vests, head coverings, and gowns.
24 A putrid stench will replace the smell of spices, a rope will replace a belt,
baldness will replace braided locks of hair, a sackcloth garment will replace a
fine robe, and a prisoner’s brand will replace beauty.
25 Your men will fall by the sword, your strong men will die in battle.
26 Her gates will mourn and lament; deprived of her people, she will sit on the
ground.

Chapter 4

1 Seven women will grab hold of one man at that time. They will say,“We will
provide our own food, we will provide our own clothes; but let us belong to
you– take away our shame!”
2 The Branch of the Lord At that time the crops given by the LORD will bring
admiration and honor; the produce of the land will be a source of pride and
delight to those who remain in Israel.
3 Those remaining in Zion, those left in Jerusalem, will be called“holy,”
all in Jerusalem who are destined to live.
4 At that time the Lord will wash the excrement from Zion’s women, he will
rinse the bloodstains from Jerusalem’s midst, as he comes to judge and to
bring devastation.
5 Then the LORD will create over all of Mount Zion and over its convocations a
cloud and smoke by day and a bright flame of fire by night; indeed a canopy will
accompany the LORD’s glorious presence.
6 By day it will be a shelter to provide shade from the heat, as well as safety
and protection from the heavy downpour.

Chapter 5

1 A Love Song Gone Sour I will sing to my love– a song to my lover about his
vineyard. My love had a vineyard on a fertile hill.
2 He built a hedge around it, removed its stones, and planted a vine. He built a
tower in the middle of it, and constructed a winepress. He waited for it to
produce edible grapes, but it produced sour ones instead.
3 So now, residents of Jerusalem, people of Judah, you decide between me and my
vineyard!
4 What more can I do for my vineyard beyond what I have already done? When I
waited for it to produce edible grapes, why did it produce sour ones instead?
5 Now I will inform you what I am about to do to my vineyard: I will remove its
hedge and turn it into pasture, I will break its wall and allow animals to graze
there.
6 I will make it a wasteland; no one will prune its vines or hoe its ground, and
thorns and briers will grow there. I will order the clouds not to drop any rain
on it.
7 Indeed Israel is the vineyard of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the people of
Judah are the cultivated place in which he took delight. He waited for justice,
but look what he got– disobedience! He waited for fairness, but look what he
got– cries for help!
8 Disaster is Coming Beware, those who accumulate houses, who also accumulate
landed property until there is no land left, and you are the only landowners
remaining within the land.
9 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies told me this:“Many houses will certainly
become desolate, large, impressive houses will have no one living in them.
10 Indeed, a large vineyard will produce just a few gallons, and enough seed to
yield several bushels will produce less than a bushel.”
11 Beware, those who get up early to drink beer, those who keep drinking long
after dark until they are intoxicated with wine.
12 They have stringed instruments, tambourines, flutes, and wine at their
parties. So they do not recognize what the LORD is doing, they do not perceive
what he is bringing about.
13 Therefore my people will be deported because of their lack of understanding.
Their leaders will have nothing to eat, their masses will have nothing to drink.
14 So Death will open up its throat, and open wide its mouth; Zion’s
dignitaries and masses will descend into it, including those who revel and
celebrate within her.
15 Men will be humiliated, they will be brought low; the proud will be brought
low.
16 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies will be exalted when he punishes, the holy
God’s authority will be recognized when he judges.
17 Lambs will graze as if in their pastures, amid the ruins the rich sojourners
will graze.
18 Beware, those who pull evil along using cords of emptiness are as good as
dead, who pull sin as with cart ropes.
19 They say,“Let him hurry, let him act quickly, so we can see; let the plan
of the Holy One of Israel take shape and come to pass, then we will know it!”
20 Beware, those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness into light
and light into darkness, who turn bitter into sweet and sweet into bitter.
21 Beware, those who think they are wise, those who think they possess
understanding.
22 Beware, those who are champions at drinking, who display great courage when
mixing strong drinks.
23 They pronounce the guilty innocent for a payoff, they ignore the just cause
of the innocent.
24 Therefore, as flaming fire devours straw, and dry grass disintegrates in the
flames, so their root will rot, and their flower will blow away like dust. For
they have rejected the law of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, they have spurned
the commands of the Holy One of Israel.
25 So the LORD is furious with his people; he lifts his hand and strikes them.
The mountains shake, and corpses lie like manure in the middle of the streets.
Despite all this, his anger does not subside, and his hand is ready to strike
again.
26 He lifts a signal flag for a distant nation, he whistles for it to come from
the far regions of the earth. Look, they come quickly and swiftly.
27 None tire or stumble, they don’t stop to nap or sleep. They don’t loosen
their belts, or unstrap their sandals to rest.
28 Their arrows are sharpened, and all their bows are prepared. The hooves of
their horses are hard as flint, and their chariot wheels are like a windstorm.
29 Their roar is like a lion’s; they roar like young lions. They growl and
seize their prey; they drag it away and no one can come to the rescue.
30 At that time they will growl over their prey, it will sound like sea waves
crashing against rocks. One will look out over the land and see the darkness of
disaster, clouds will turn the light into darkness.

Chapter 6

1 Isaiah’s Commission In the year of King Uzziah’s death, I saw the Lord
seated on a high, elevated throne. The hem of his robe filled the temple.
2 Seraphs stood over him; each one had six wings. With two wings they covered
their faces, with two they covered their feet, and they used the remaining two
to fly.
3 They called out to one another,“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Heaven’s
Armies! His majestic splendor fills the entire earth!”
4 The sound of their voices shook the door frames, and the temple was filled
with smoke.
5 I said,“Woe to me! I am destroyed, for my lips are contaminated by sin, and
I live among people whose lips are contaminated by sin. My eyes have seen the
king, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.”
6 But then one of the seraphs flew toward me. In his hand was a hot coal he had
taken from the altar with tongs.
7 He touched my mouth with it and said,“Look, this coal has touched your lips.
Your evil is removed; your sin is forgiven.”
8 I heard the voice of the Lord say,“Whom will I send? Who will go on our
behalf?” I answered,“Here I am, send me!”
9 He said,“Go and tell these people:‘Listen continually, but don’t
understand! Look continually, but don’t perceive!’
10 Make the hearts of these people calloused; make their ears deaf and their
eyes blind! Otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears,
their hearts might understand and they might repent and be healed.”
11 I replied,“How long, Lord?” He said,“Until cities are in ruins and
unpopulated, and houses are uninhabited, and the land is ruined and devastated,
12 and the LORD has sent the people off to a distant place, and the very heart
of the land is completely abandoned.
13 Even if only a tenth of the people remain in the land, it will again be
destroyed, like one of the large sacred trees or an Asherah pole, when a sacred
pillar on a high place is thrown down. That sacred pillar symbolizes the special
chosen family.”

Chapter 7

1 Ahaz Receives a Sign During the reign of Ahaz son of Jotham, son of Uzziah,
king of Judah, King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel
marched up to Jerusalem to do battle, but they were unable to prevail against
it.
2 It was reported to the family of David,“Syria has allied with Ephraim.”
They and their people were emotionally shaken, just as the trees of the forest
shake before the wind.
3 So the LORD told Isaiah,“Go out with your son Shear-jashub and meet Ahaz at
the end of the conduit of the upper pool which is located on the road to the
field where they wash and dry cloth.
4 Tell him,‘Make sure you stay calm! Don’t be afraid! Don’t be intimidated
by these two stubs of smoking logs, or by the raging anger of Rezin, Syria, and
the son of Remaliah.
5 Syria has plotted with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah to bring about your
demise.
6 They say,“Let’s attack Judah, terrorize it, and conquer it. Then we’ll
set up the son of Tabeel as its king.”
7 For this reason the Sovereign LORD says:“It will not take place; it will not
happen.
8 For Syria’s leader is Damascus, and the leader of Damascus is Rezin. Within
sixty-five years Ephraim will no longer exist as a nation.
9 Ephraim’s leader is Samaria, and Samaria’s leader is the son of Remaliah.
If your faith does not remain firm, then you will not remain secure.”
10 The LORD again spoke to Ahaz:
11 “Ask for a confirming sign from the LORD your God. You can even ask for
something miraculous.”
12 But Ahaz responded,“I don’t want to ask; I don’t want to put the LORD
to a test.”
13 So Isaiah replied,“Pay attention, family of David. Do you consider it too
insignificant to try the patience of men? Is that why you are also trying the
patience of my God?
14 For this reason the Lord himself will give you a confirming sign. Look, this
young woman is about to conceive and will give birth to a son. You, young woman,
will name him Immanuel.
15 He will eat sour milk and honey, which will help him know how to reject evil
and choose what is right.
16 Here is why this will be so: Before the child knows how to reject evil and
choose what is right, the land whose two kings you fear will be desolate.
17 The LORD will bring on you, your people, and your father’s family a time
unlike any since Ephraim departed from Judah– the king of Assyria!”
18 At that time the LORD will whistle for flies from the distant streams of
Egypt and for bees from the land of Assyria.
19 All of them will come and make their home in the ravines between the cliffs,
and in the crevices of the cliffs, in all the thorn bushes, and in all the
watering holes.
20 At that time the Lord will use a razor hired from the banks of the Euphrates
River, the king of Assyria, to shave the hair off the head and private parts; it
will also shave off the beard.
21 At that time a man will keep alive a young cow from the herd and a couple of
goats.
22 From the abundance of milk they produce, he will have sour milk for his
meals. Indeed, everyone left in the heart of the land will eat sour milk and
honey.
23 At that time every place where there had been a thousand vines worth a
thousand shekels will be overrun with thorns and briers.
24 With bow and arrow men will hunt there, for the whole land will be covered
with thorns and briers.
25 They will stay away from all the hills that were cultivated, for fear of the
thorns and briers. Cattle will graze there and sheep will trample on them.

Chapter 8

1 A Sign-Child is Born The LORD told me,“Take a large tablet and inscribe
these words on it with an ordinary stylus:‘Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.’
2 Then I will summon as my reliable witnesses Uriah the priest and Zechariah son
of Jeberekiah.”
3 I then approached the prophetess for marital relations; she conceived and gave
birth to a son. The LORD told me,“Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz,
4 for before the child knows how to cry out,‘My father’ or‘My mother,’
the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the
king of Assyria.”
5 The LORD spoke to me again:
6 “These people have rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah and melt in
fear over Rezin and the son of Remaliah.
7 So look, the Lord is bringing up against them the turbulent and mighty waters
of the Euphrates River– the king of Assyria and all his majestic power. It
will reach flood stage and overflow its banks.
8 It will spill into Judah, flooding and engulfing, as it reaches to the necks
of its victims. He will spread his wings out over your entire land, O
Immanuel.”
9 You will be broken, O nations; you will be shattered! Pay attention, all you
distant lands of the earth! Get ready for battle, and you will be shattered! Get
ready for battle, and you will be shattered!
10 Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted! Issue your orders, but they
will not be executed! For God is with us!
11 The Lord Encourages Isaiah Indeed this is what the LORD told me quite
forcefully. He warned me not to act like these people:
12 “Do not say,‘Conspiracy,’ every time these people say the word. Don’t
be afraid of what scares them; don’t be terrified.
13 You must recognize the authority of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. He is the
one you must respect; he is the one you must fear.
14 He will become a sanctuary, but a stone that makes a person trip, and a rock
that makes one stumble– to the two houses of Israel. He will become a trap and
a snare to the residents of Jerusalem.
15 Many will stumble over the stone and the rock, and will fall and be seriously
injured, and will be ensnared and captured.”
16 Tie up the scroll as legal evidence, seal the official record of God’s
instructions and give it to my followers.
17 I will wait patiently for the LORD, who has rejected the family of Jacob; I
will wait for him.
18 Look, I and the sons whom the LORD has given me are reminders and object
lessons in Israel, sent from the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, who lives on Mount
Zion.
19 Darkness Turns to Light as an Ideal King Arrives They will say to you,“Seek
oracles at the pits used to conjure up underworld spirits, from the magicians
who chirp and mutter incantations. Should people not seek oracles from their
gods, by asking the dead about the destiny of the living?”
20 Then you must recall the LORD’s instructions and the prophetic testimony of
what would happen. Certainly they say such things because their minds are
spiritually darkened.
21 They will pass through the land destitute and starving. Their hunger will
make them angry, and they will curse their king and their God as they look
upward.
22 When one looks out over the land, he sees distress and darkness, gloom and
anxiety, darkness and people forced from the land.

Chapter 9

1 (8:23) The gloom will be dispelled for those who were anxious. In earlier
times he humiliated the land of Zebulun, and the land of Naphtali; but now he
brings honor to the way of the sea, the region beyond the Jordan, and Galilee of
the nations.
2 (9:1) The people walking in darkness see a bright light; light shines on those
who live in a land of deep darkness.
3 You have enlarged the nation; you give them great joy. They rejoice in your
presence as harvesters rejoice; as warriors celebrate when they divide up the
plunder.
4 For their oppressive yoke and the club that strikes their shoulders, the
cudgel the oppressor uses on them, you have shattered, as in the day of
Midian’s defeat.
5 Indeed every boot that marches and shakes the earth and every garment dragged
through blood is used as fuel for the fire.
6 For a child has been born to us, a son has been given to us. He shoulders
responsibility and is called: Amazing Adviser, Mighty God, Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.
7 His dominion will be vast and he will bring immeasurable prosperity. He will
rule on David’s throne and over David’s kingdom, establishing it and
strengthening it by promoting justice and fairness, from this time forward and
forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will accomplish this.
8 God’s Judgment Intensifies The Lord decreed judgment on Jacob, and it fell
on Israel.
9 All the people were aware of it, the people of Ephraim and those living in
Samaria. Yet with pride and an arrogant attitude, they said,
10 “The bricks have fallen, but we will rebuild with chiseled stone; the
sycamore fig trees have been cut down, but we will replace them with cedars.”
11 Then the LORD provoked their adversaries to attack them, he stirred up their
enemies–
12 Syria from the east, and the Philistines from the west, they gobbled up
Israelite territory. Despite all this, his anger does not subside, and his hand
is ready to strike again.
13 The people did not return to the one who struck them, they did not seek
reconciliation with the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
14 So the LORD cut off Israel’s head and tail, both the shoots and stalk in
one day.
15 The leaders and the highly respected people are the head, the prophets who
teach lies are the tail.
16 The leaders of this nation were misleading people, and the people being led
were destroyed.
17 So the Lord was not pleased with their young men, he took no pity on their
orphans and widows; for the whole nation was godless and did wicked things,
every mouth was speaking disgraceful words. Despite all this, his anger does not
subside, and his hand is ready to strike again.
18 For evil burned like a fire, it consumed thorns and briers; it burned up the
thickets of the forest, and they went up in smoke.
19 Because of the anger of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the land was scorched,
and the people became fuel for the fire. People had no compassion on one
another.
20 They devoured on the right, but were still hungry, they ate on the left, but
were not satisfied. People even ate the flesh of their own arm!
21 Manasseh fought against Ephraim, and Ephraim against Manasseh; together they
fought against Judah. Despite all this, his anger does not subside, and his hand
is ready to strike again.

Chapter 10

1 Beware, those who enact unjust policies, those who are always instituting
unfair regulations,
2 to keep the poor from getting fair treatment, and to deprive the oppressed
among my people of justice, so they can steal what widows own, and loot what
belongs to orphans.
3 What will you do on judgment day, when destruction arrives from a distant
place? To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your wealth?
4 You will have no place to go, except to kneel with the prisoners, or to fall
among those who have been killed. Despite all this, his anger does not subside,
and his hand is ready to strike again.
5 The Lord Turns on Arrogant Assyria Beware, Assyria, the club I use to vent my
anger, a cudgel with which I angrily punish.
6 I sent him against a godless nation, I ordered him to attack the people with
whom I was angry, to take plunder and to carry away loot, to trample them down
like dirt in the streets.
7 But he does not agree with this, his mind does not reason this way, for his
goal is to destroy, and to eliminate many nations.
8 Indeed, he says:“Are not my officials all kings?
9 Is not Calneh like Carchemish? Hamath like Arpad? Samaria like Damascus?
10 I overpowered kingdoms ruled by idols, whose carved images were more
impressive than Jerusalem’s or Samaria’s.
11 As I have done to Samaria and its idols, so I will do to Jerusalem and its
idols.”
12 But when the Lord finishes judging Mount Zion and Jerusalem, then I will
punish the king of Assyria for what he has proudly planned and for the arrogant
attitude he displays.
13 For he says:“By my strong hand I have accomplished this, by my strategy
that I devised. I invaded the territory of nations, and looted their
storehouses. Like a mighty conqueror, I brought down rulers.
14 My hand discovered the wealth of the nations, as if it were in a nest, as one
gathers up abandoned eggs, I gathered up the whole earth. There was no wing
flapping, or open mouth chirping.”
15 Does an ax exalt itself over the one who wields it, or a saw magnify itself
over the one who cuts with it? As if a scepter should brandish the one who
raises it, or a staff should lift up what is not made of wood!
16 For this reason the Sovereign LORD of Heaven’s Armies, will make his
healthy ones emaciated. His majestic glory will go up in smoke.
17 The Light of Israel will become a fire, their Holy One will become a flame;
it will burn and consume the Assyrian king’s briers and his thorns in one day.
18 The splendor of his forest and his orchard will be completely destroyed, as
when a sick man’s life ebbs away.
19 There will be so few trees left in his forest, a child will be able to count
them.
20 At that time those left in Israel, those who remain of the family of Jacob,
will no longer rely on a foreign leader that abuses them. Instead they will
truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.
21 A remnant will come back, a remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.
22 For though your people, Israel, are as numerous as the sand on the seashore,
only a remnant will come back. Destruction has been decreed; just punishment is
about to engulf you.
23 The Sovereign LORD of Heaven’s Armies, is certainly ready to carry out the
decreed destruction throughout the land.
24 So here is what the Sovereign LORD of Heaven’s Armies, says:“My people
who live in Zion, do not be afraid of Assyria, even though they beat you with a
club and lift their cudgel against you as Egypt did.
25 For very soon my fury will subside, and my anger will be directed toward
their destruction.”
26 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies is about to beat them with a whip, similar to
the way he struck down Midian at the rock of Oreb. He will use his staff against
the sea, lifting it up as he did in Egypt.
27 At that time the LORD will remove their burden from your shoulders, and their
yoke from your neck; the yoke will be taken off because your neck will be too
large.
28 They attacked Aiath, moved through Migron, depositing their supplies at
Micmash.
29 They went through the pass, spent the night at Geba. Ramah trembled, Gibeah
of Saul ran away.
30 Shout out, daughter of Gallim! Pay attention, Laishah! Answer her, Anathoth!
31 Madmenah flees, the residents of Gebim have hidden.
32 This very day, standing in Nob, they shake their fist at Daughter Zion’s
mountain– at the hill of Jerusalem.
33 Look, the Sovereign LORD of Heaven’s Armies, is ready to cut off the
branches with terrifying power. The tallest trees will be cut down, the loftiest
ones will be brought low.
34 The thickets of the forest will be chopped down with an ax, and mighty
Lebanon will fall.

Chapter 11

1 An Ideal King Establishes a Kingdom of Peace A shoot will grow out of
Jesse’s root stock, a bud will sprout from his roots.
2 The LORD’s Spirit will rest on him– a Spirit that gives extraordinary
wisdom, a Spirit that provides the ability to execute plans, a Spirit that
produces absolute loyalty to the LORD.
3 He will take delight in obeying the LORD. He will not judge by mere
appearances, or make decisions on the basis of hearsay.
4 He will treat the poor fairly, and make right decisions for the downtrodden of
the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and order the
wicked to be executed.
5 Justice will be like a belt around his waist, integrity will be like a belt
around his hips.
6 A wolf will reside with a lamb, and a leopard will lie down with a young goat;
an ox and a young lion will graze together, as a small child leads them along.
7 A cow and a bear will graze together, their young will lie down together. A
lion, like an ox, will eat straw.
8 A baby will play over the hole of a snake; over the nest of a serpent an
infant will put his hand.
9 They will no longer injure or destroy on my entire royal mountain. For there
will be universal submission to the LORD’s sovereignty, just as the waters
completely cover the sea.
10 Israel is Reclaimed and Reunited At that time a root from Jesse will stand
like a signal flag for the nations. Nations will look to him for guidance, and
his residence will be majestic.
11 At that time the Lord will again lift his hand to reclaim the remnant of his
people from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and the
seacoasts.
12 He will lift a signal flag for the nations; he will gather Israel’s
dispersed people and assemble Judah’s scattered people from the four corners
of the earth.
13 Ephraim’s jealousy will end, and Judah’s hostility will be eliminated.
Ephraim will no longer be jealous of Judah, and Judah will no longer be hostile
toward Ephraim.
14 They will swoop down on the Philistine hills to the west; together they will
loot the people of the east. They will take over Edom and Moab, and the
Ammonites will be their subjects.
15 The LORD will divide the gulf of the Egyptian Sea; he will wave his hand over
the Euphrates River and send a strong wind, he will turn it into seven dried-up
streams, and enable them to walk across in their sandals.
16 There will be a highway leading out of Assyria for the remnant of his people,
just as there was for Israel, when they went up from the land of Egypt.

Chapter 12

1 At that time you will say:“I praise you, O LORD, for even though you were
angry with me, your anger subsided, and you consoled me.
2 Look, God is my deliverer! I will trust in him and not fear. For the LORD
gives me strength and protects me; he has become my deliverer.”
3 Joyfully you will draw water from the springs of deliverance.
4 At that time you will say:“Praise the LORD! Ask him for help! Publicize his
mighty acts among the nations! Make it known that he is unique!
5 Sing to the LORD, for he has done magnificent things, let this be known
throughout the earth!
6 Cry out and shout for joy, O citizens of Zion, for the Holy One of Israel acts
mightily among you!”

Chapter 13

1 The Lord Will Judge Babylon This is an oracle about Babylon that Isaiah son of
Amoz saw:
2 On a bare hill raise a signal flag, shout to them, wave your hand, so they
might enter the gates of the princes!
3 I have given orders to my chosen soldiers; I have summoned the warriors
through whom I will vent my anger, my boasting, arrogant ones.
4 There is a loud noise on the mountains– it sounds like a large army! There
is great commotion among the kingdoms– nations are being assembled! The LORD
of Heaven’s Armies is mustering forces for battle.
5 They come from a distant land, from the horizon. It is the LORD with his
instruments of judgment, coming to destroy the whole earth.
6 Wail, for the LORD’s day of judgment is near; it comes with all the
destructive power of the Sovereign One.
7 For this reason all hands hang limp, every human heart loses its courage.
8 They panic– cramps and pain seize hold of them like those of a woman who is
straining to give birth. They look at one another in astonishment; their faces
are flushed red.
9 Look, the LORD’s day of judgment is coming; it is a day of cruelty and
savage, raging anger, destroying the earth and annihilating its sinners.
10 Indeed the stars in the sky and their constellations no longer give out their
light; the sun is darkened as soon as it rises, and the moon does not shine.
11 I will punish the world for its evil, and wicked people for their sin. I will
put an end to the pride of the insolent, I will bring down the arrogance of
tyrants.
12 I will make human beings more scarce than pure gold, and people more scarce
than gold from Ophir.
13 So I will shake the heavens, and the earth will shake loose from its
foundation, because of the fury of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, in the day he
vents his raging anger.
14 Like a frightened gazelle or a sheep with no shepherd, each will turn toward
home, each will run to his homeland.
15 Everyone who is caught will be stabbed; everyone who is seized will die by
the sword.
16 Their children will be smashed to pieces before their very eyes; their houses
will be looted and their wives raped.
17 Look, I am stirring up the Medes to attack them; they are not concerned about
silver, nor are they interested in gold.
18 Their arrows will cut young men to ribbons; they have no compassion on a
person’s offspring, they will not look with pity on children.
19 Babylon, the most admired of kingdoms, the Chaldeans’ source of honor and
pride, will be destroyed by God just as Sodom and Gomorrah were.
20 No one will live there again; no one will ever reside there again. No bedouin
will camp there, no shepherds will rest their flocks there.
21 Wild animals will rest there, the ruined houses will be full of hyenas.
Ostriches will live there, wild goats will skip among the ruins.
22 Wild dogs will yip in her ruined fortresses, jackals will yelp in the
once-splendid palaces. Her time is almost up, her days will not be prolonged.

Chapter 14

1 The LORD will certainly have compassion on Jacob; he will again choose Israel
as his special people and restore them to their land. Resident foreigners will
join them and unite with the family of Jacob.
2 Nations will take them and bring them back to their own place. Then the family
of Israel will make foreigners their servants as they settle in the LORD’s
land. They will make their captors captives and rule over the ones who oppressed
them.
3 When the LORD gives you relief from your suffering and anxiety, and from the
hard labor which you were made to perform,
4 you will taunt the king of Babylon with these words:“Look how the oppressor
has met his end! Hostility has ceased!
5 The LORD has broken the club of the wicked, the scepter of rulers.
6 It furiously struck down nations with unceasing blows. It angrily ruled over
nations, oppressing them without restraint.
7 The whole earth rests and is quiet; they break into song.
8 The evergreens also rejoice over your demise, as do the cedars of Lebanon,
singing,‘Since you fell asleep, no woodsman comes up to chop us down!’
9 Sheol below is stirred up about you, ready to meet you when you arrive. It
rouses the spirits of the dead for you, all the former leaders of the earth; it
makes all the former kings of the nations rise from their thrones.
10 All of them respond to you, saying:‘You too have become weak like us! You
have become just like us!
11 Your splendor has been brought down to Sheol, as well as the sound of your
stringed instruments. You lie on a bed of maggots, with a blanket of worms over
you.
12 Look how you have fallen from the sky, O shining one, son of the dawn! You
have been cut down to the ground, O conqueror of the nations!
13 You said to yourself,“I will climb up to the sky. Above the stars of El I
will set up my throne. I will rule on the mountain of assembly on the remote
slopes of Zaphon.
14 I will climb up to the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most
High!”
15 But you were brought down to Sheol, to the remote slopes of the Pit.
16 Those who see you stare at you, they look at you carefully, thinking:“Is
this the man who shook the earth, the one who made kingdoms tremble?
17 Is this the one who made the world like a wilderness, who ruined its cities,
and refused to free his prisoners so they could return home?”’
18 As for all the kings of the nations, all of them lie down in splendor, each
in his own tomb.
19 But you have been thrown out of your grave like a shoot that is thrown away.
You lie among the slain, among those who have been slashed by the sword, among
those headed for the stones of the Pit, as if you were a mangled corpse.
20 You will not be buried with them, because you destroyed your land and killed
your people. The offspring of the wicked will never be mentioned again.
21 Prepare to execute his sons for the sins their ancestors have committed. They
must not rise up and take possession of the earth, or fill the surface of the
world with cities.”
22 “I will rise up against them,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.“I
will blot out all remembrance of Babylon and destroy all her people, including
the offspring she produces,” says the LORD.
23 “I will turn her into a place that is overrun with wild animals and covered
with pools of stagnant water. I will get rid of her, just as one sweeps away
dirt with a broom,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
24 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies makes this solemn vow:“Be sure of this: Just
as I have intended, so it will be; just as I have planned, it will happen.
25 I will break Assyria in my land, I will trample them underfoot on my hills.
Their yoke will be removed from my people, the burden will be lifted from their
shoulders.
26 This is the plan I have devised for the whole earth; my hand is ready to
strike all the nations.”
27 Indeed, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has a plan, and who can possibly
frustrate it? His hand is ready to strike, and who can possibly stop it?
28 The Lord Will Judge the Philistines This oracle came in the year that King
Ahaz died:
29 Don’t be so happy, all you Philistines, just because the club that beat you
has been broken! For a viper will grow out of the serpent’s root, and its
fruit will be a darting adder.
30 The poor will graze in my pastures; the needy will rest securely. But I will
kill your root by famine; it will put to death all your survivors.
31 Wail, O city gate! Cry out, O city! Melt with fear, all you Philistines! For
out of the north comes a cloud of smoke, and there are no stragglers in its
ranks.
32 How will they respond to the messengers of this nation? Indeed, the LORD has
made Zion secure; the oppressed among his people will find safety in her.

Chapter 15

1 The Lord Will Judge Moab This is an oracle about Moab: Indeed, in a night it
is devastated, Ar of Moab is destroyed! Indeed, in a night it is devastated, Kir
of Moab is destroyed!
2 They went up to the temple, the people of Dibon went up to the high places to
lament. Because of what happened to Nebo and Medeba, Moab wails. Every head is
shaved bare, every beard is trimmed off.
3 In their streets they wear sackcloth; on their roofs and in their town squares
all of them wail, they fall down weeping.
4 The people of Heshbon and Elealeh cry out, their voices are heard as far away
as Jahaz. For this reason Moab’s soldiers shout in distress; their courage
wavers.
5 My heart cries out because of Moab’s plight, and for the fugitives stretched
out as far as Zoar and Eglath Shelishiyah. For they weep as they make their way
up the ascent of Luhith; they loudly lament their demise on the road to
Horonaim.
6 For the waters of Nimrim are gone; the grass is dried up, the vegetation has
disappeared, and there are no plants.
7 For this reason what they have made and stored up, they carry over the Stream
of the Poplars.
8 Indeed, the cries of distress echo throughout Moabite territory; their wailing
can be heard in Eglaim and Beer Elim.
9 Indeed, the waters of Dimon are full of blood! Indeed, I will heap even more
trouble on Dimon. A lion will attack the Moabite fugitives and the people left
in the land.

Chapter 16

1 Send rams as tribute to the ruler of the land, from Sela in the wilderness to
the hill of Daughter Zion.
2 At the fords of the Arnon the Moabite women are like a bird that flies about
when forced from its nest.
3 “Bring a plan, make a decision! Provide some shade in the middle of the day!
Hide the fugitives! Do not betray the one who tries to escape!
4 Please let the Moabite fugitives live among you. Hide them from the
destroyer!” Certainly the one who applies pressure will cease, the destroyer
will come to an end, those who trample will disappear from the earth.
5 Then a trustworthy king will be established; he will rule in a reliable
manner, this one from David’s family. He will be sure to make just decisions
and will be experienced in executing justice.
6 We have heard about Moab’s pride, their great arrogance, their boasting,
pride, and excess. But their boastful claims are empty!
7 So Moab wails over its demise– they all wail! Completely devastated, they
moan about what has happened to the raisin cakes of Kir Hareseth.
8 For the fields of Heshbon are dried up, as well as the vines of Sibmah. The
rulers of the nations trample all over its vines, which reach Jazer and spread
to the wilderness; their shoots spread out and cross the sea.
9 So I weep along with Jazer over the vines of Sibmah. I will saturate you with
my tears, Heshbon and Elealeh, for the conquering invaders shout triumphantly
over your fruit and crops.
10 Joy and happiness disappear from the orchards, and in the vineyards no one
rejoices or shouts; no one treads out juice in the wine vats– I have brought
the joyful shouts to an end.
11 So my heart constantly sighs for Moab, like the strumming of a harp, my inner
being sighs for Kir Hareseth.
12 When the Moabites plead with all their might at their high places, and enter
their temples to pray, their prayers will be ineffective!
13 This is the message the LORD previously announced about Moab.
14 Now the LORD makes this announcement:“Within exactly three years Moab’s
splendor will disappear, along with all her many people; there will be just a
few, insignificant survivors left.”

Chapter 17

1 The Lord Will Judge Damascus This is an oracle about Damascus:“Look,
Damascus is no longer a city, it is a heap of ruins!
2 The cities of Aroer are abandoned. They will be used for herds, which will lie
down there in peace.
3 Fortified cities will disappear from Ephraim, and Damascus will lose its
kingdom. The survivors in Syria will end up like the splendor of the
Israelites,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
4 “At that time Jacob’s splendor will be greatly diminished, and he will
become skin and bones.
5 It will be as when one gathers the grain harvest, and his hand gleans the ear
of grain. It will be like one gathering the ears of grain in the Valley of
Rephaim.
6 There will be some left behind, like when an olive tree is beaten– two or
three ripe olives remain toward the very top, four or five on its fruitful
branches,” says the LORD God of Israel.
7 At that time men will trust in their Creator; they will depend on the Holy One
of Israel.
8 They will no longer trust in the altars their hands made, or depend on the
Asherah poles and incense altars their fingers made.
9 At that time their fortified cities will be like the abandoned summits of the
Amorites, which they abandoned because of the Israelites; there will be
desolation.
10 For you ignore the God who rescues you; you pay no attention to your strong
protector. So this is what happens: You cultivate beautiful plants and plant
exotic vines.
11 The day you begin cultivating, you do what you can to make it grow; the
morning you begin planting, you do what you can to make it sprout. Yet the
harvest will disappear in the day of disease and incurable pain.
12 Beware, you many nations massing together, those who make a commotion as loud
as the roaring of the sea’s waves. Beware, you people making such an uproar,
those who make an uproar as loud as the roaring of powerful waves.
13 Though these people make an uproar as loud as the roaring of powerful waves,
when he shouts at them, they will flee to a distant land, driven before the wind
like dead weeds on the hills, or like dead thistles before a strong gale.
14 In the evening there is sudden terror; by morning they vanish. This is the
fate of those who try to plunder us, the destiny of those who try to loot us!

Chapter 18

1 The Lord Will Judge a Distant Land in the South Beware, land of buzzing wings,
the one beyond the rivers of Cush,
2 that sends messengers by sea, who glide over the water’s surface in boats
made of papyrus. Go, you swift messengers, to a nation of tall, smooth-skinned
people, to a people that are feared far and wide, to a nation strong and
victorious, whose land rivers divide.
3 All you who live in the world, who reside on the earth, you will see a signal
flag raised on the mountains; you will hear a trumpet being blown.
4 For this is what the LORD has told me:“I will wait and watch from my place,
like scorching heat produced by the sunlight, like a cloud of mist in the heat
of harvest.”
5 For before the harvest, when the bud has sprouted, and the ripening fruit
appears, he will cut off the unproductive shoots with pruning knives; he will
prune the tendrils.
6 They will all be left for the birds of the hills and the wild animals; the
birds will eat them during the summer, and all the wild animals will eat them
during the winter.
7 At that time tribute will be brought to the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, by a
people that are tall and smooth-skinned, a people that are feared far and wide,
a nation strong and victorious, whose land rivers divide. The tribute will be
brought to the place where the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has chosen to reside,
on Mount Zion.

Chapter 19

1 The Lord Will Judge Egypt This is an oracle about Egypt: Look, the LORD rides
on a swift-moving cloud and approaches Egypt. The idols of Egypt tremble before
him; the Egyptians lose their courage.
2 “I will provoke civil strife in Egypt, brothers will fight with each other,
as will neighbors, cities, and kingdoms.
3 The Egyptians will panic, and I will confuse their strategy. They will seek
guidance from the idols and from the spirits of the dead, from the pits used to
conjure up underworld spirits, and from the magicians.
4 I will hand Egypt over to a harsh master; a powerful king will rule over
them,” says the Sovereign LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
5 The water of the sea will be dried up, and the river will dry up and be empty.
6 The canals will stink; the streams of Egypt will trickle and then dry up; the
bulrushes and reeds will decay,
7 along with the plants by the mouth of the river. All the cultivated land near
the river will turn to dust and be blown away.
8 The fishermen will mourn and lament, all those who cast a fishhook into the
river, and those who spread out a net on the water’s surface will grieve.
9 Those who make clothes from combed flax will be embarrassed; those who weave
will turn pale.
10 Those who make cloth will be demoralized; all the hired workers will be
depressed.
11 The officials of Zoan are nothing but fools; Pharaoh’s wise advisers give
stupid advice. How dare you say to Pharaoh,“I am one of the sages, one
well-versed in the writings of the ancient kings?”
12 But where, oh where, are your wise men? Let them tell you, let them find out
what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has planned for Egypt.
13 The officials of Zoan are fools, the officials of Memphis are misled; the
rulers of her tribes lead Egypt astray.
14 The LORD has made them undiscerning; they lead Egypt astray in all she does,
so that she is like a drunk sliding around in his own vomit.
15 Egypt will not be able to do a thing, head or tail, shoots or stalk.
16 At that time the Egyptians will be like women. They will tremble and fear
because the LORD of Heaven’s Armies brandishes his fist against them.
17 The land of Judah will humiliate Egypt. Everyone who hears about Judah will
be afraid because of what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies is planning to do to
them.
18 At that time five cities in the land of Egypt will speak the language of
Canaan and swear allegiance to the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. One will be called
the City of the Sun.
19 At that time there will be an altar for the LORD in the middle of the land of
Egypt, as well as a sacred pillar dedicated to the LORD at its border.
20 It will become a visual reminder in the land of Egypt of the LORD of
Heaven’s Armies. When they cry out to the LORD because of oppressors, he will
send them a deliverer and defender who will rescue them.
21 The LORD will reveal himself to the Egyptians, and they will acknowledge the
LORD’s authority at that time. They will present sacrifices and offerings;
they will make vows to the LORD and fulfill them.
22 The LORD will strike Egypt, striking and then healing them. They will turn to
the LORD and he will listen to their prayers and heal them.
23 At that time there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians
will visit Egypt, and the Egyptians will visit Assyria. The Egyptians and
Assyrians will worship together.
24 At that time Israel will be the third member of the group, along with Egypt
and Assyria, and will be a recipient of blessing in the earth.
25 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies will pronounce a blessing over the earth,
saying,“Blessed be my people, Egypt, and the work of my hands, Assyria, and my
special possession, Israel!”

Chapter 20

1 The LORD revealed the following message during the year in which King Sargon
of Assyria sent his commanding general to Ashdod, and he fought against it and
captured it.
2 At that time the LORD announced through Isaiah son of Amoz:“Go, remove the
sackcloth from your waist and take your sandals off your feet.” He did as
instructed and walked around in undergarments and barefoot.
3 Later the LORD explained,“In the same way that my servant Isaiah has walked
around in undergarments and barefoot for the past three years, as an object
lesson and omen pertaining to Egypt and Cush,
4 so the king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of
Cush, both young and old. They will be in undergarments and barefoot, with the
buttocks exposed; the Egyptians will be publicly humiliated.
5 Those who put their hope in Cush and took pride in Egypt will be afraid and
embarrassed.
6 At that time those who live on this coast will say,‘Look what has happened
to our source of hope to whom we fled for help, expecting to be rescued from the
king of Assyria! How can we escape now?’”

Chapter 21

1 The Lord Will Judge Babylon This is an oracle about the wilderness by the Sea:
Like strong winds blowing in the south, one invades from the wilderness, from a
land that is feared.
2 I have received a distressing message:“The deceiver deceives, the destroyer
destroys. Attack, you Elamites! Lay siege, you Medes! I will put an end to all
the groaning!”
3 For this reason my stomach churns; cramps overwhelm me like the contractions
of a woman in labor. I am disturbed by what I hear, horrified by what I see.
4 My heart palpitates, I shake in fear; the twilight I desired has brought me
terror.
5 Arrange the table, lay out the carpet, eat and drink! Get up, you officers,
smear oil on the shields!
6 For this is what the Lord has told me:“Go, post a guard! He must report what
he sees.
7 When he sees chariots, teams of horses, riders on donkeys, riders on camels,
he must be alert, very alert.”
8 Then the guard cries out:“On the watchtower, O Lord, I stand all day long;
at my post I am stationed every night.
9 Look what’s coming! A charioteer, a team of horses.” When questioned, he
replies,“Babylon has fallen, fallen! All the idols of her gods lie shattered
on the ground!”
10 O my downtrodden people, crushed like stalks on the threshing floor, what I
have heard from the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, I have
reported to you.
11 Bad News for Seir This is an oracle about Dumah: Someone calls to me from
Seir,“Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of the
night?”
12 The watchman replies,“Morning is coming, but then night. If you want to
ask, ask; come back again.”
13 The Lord Will Judge Arabia This is an oracle about Arabia: In the thicket of
Arabia you spend the night, you Dedanite caravans.
14 Bring out some water for the thirsty. You who live in the land of Tema, bring
some food for the fugitives.
15 For they flee from the swords– from the drawn sword and from the
battle-ready bow and from the severity of the battle.
16 For this is what the Lord has told me:“Within exactly one year all the
splendor of Kedar will come to an end.
17 Just a handful of archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be left.” Indeed,
the LORD God of Israel has spoken.

Chapter 22

1 The Lord Will Judge Jerusalem This is an oracle about the Valley of Vision:
What is the reason that all of you go up to the rooftops?
2 The noisy city is full of raucous sounds; the town is filled with revelry.
Your slain were not cut down by the sword; they did not die in battle.
3 All your leaders ran away together– they fled to a distant place; all your
refugees were captured together– they were captured without a single arrow
being shot.
4 So I say:“Don’t look at me! I am weeping bitterly. Don’t try to console
me concerning the destruction of my defenseless people.”
5 For the Sovereign LORD of Heaven’s Armies, has planned a day of panic,
defeat, and confusion. In the Valley of Vision people shout and cry out to the
hill.
6 The Elamites picked up the quiver, and came with chariots and horsemen; the
men of Kir prepared the shield.
7 Your very best valleys were full of chariots; horsemen confidently took their
positions at the gate.
8 They removed the defenses of Judah. At that time you looked for the weapons in
the House of the Forest.
9 You saw the many breaks in the walls of the City of David; you stored up water
in the lower pool.
10 You counted the houses in Jerusalem, and demolished houses so you could have
material to reinforce the wall.
11 You made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool–
but you did not trust in the one who made it; you did not depend on the one who
formed it long ago!
12 At that time the Sovereign LORD of Heaven’s Armies, called for weeping and
mourning, for shaved heads and sackcloth.
13 But look, there is outright celebration! You say,“Kill the ox and slaughter
the sheep, eat meat and drink wine. Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”
14 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies told me this:“Certainly this sin will not be
forgiven as long as you live,” says the Sovereign LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
15 This is what the Sovereign LORD of Heaven’s Armies, says:“Go visit this
administrator, Shebna, who supervises the palace, and tell him:
16 ‘What right do you have to be here? What relatives do you have buried here?
Why do you chisel out a tomb for yourself here? He chisels out his burial site
in an elevated place, he carves out his tomb on a cliff.
17 Look, the LORD will throw you far away, you mere man! He will wrap you up
tightly.
18 He will wind you up tightly into a ball and throw you into a wide, open land.
There you will die, and there with you will be your impressive chariots, which
bring disgrace to the house of your master.
19 I will remove you from your office; you will be thrown down from your
position.
20 “At that time I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah.
21 I will put your robe on him, tie your belt around him, and transfer your
authority to him. He will become a protector of the residents of Jerusalem and
of the people of Judah.
22 I will place the key to the house of David on his shoulder. When he opens the
door, no one can close it; when he closes the door, no one can open it.
23 I will fasten him like a peg into a solid place; he will bring honor and
respect to his father’s family.
24 His father’s family will gain increasing prominence because of him,
including the offspring and the offshoots. All the small containers, including
the bowls and all the jars will hang from this peg.’
25 “At that time,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies,“the peg fastened
into a solid place will come loose. It will be cut off and fall, and the load
hanging on it will be cut off.” Indeed, the LORD has spoken.

Chapter 23

1 The Lord Will Judge Tyre This is an oracle about Tyre: Wail, you large ships,
for the port is too devastated to enter! From the land of Cyprus this news is
announced to them.
2 Lament, you residents of the coast, you merchants of Sidon who travel over the
sea, whose agents sail over
3 the deep waters! Grain from the Shihor region, crops grown near the Nile she
receives; she is the trade center of the nations.
4 Be ashamed, O Sidon, for the sea says this, O fortress of the sea:“I have
not gone into labor or given birth; I have not raised young men or brought up
young women.”
5 When the news reaches Egypt, they will be shaken by what has happened to Tyre.
6 Travel to Tarshish! Wail, you residents of the coast!
7 Is this really your boisterous city whose origins are in the distant past, and
whose feet led her to a distant land to reside?
8 Who planned this for royal Tyre, whose merchants are princes, whose traders
are the dignitaries of the earth?
9 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies planned it– to dishonor the pride that comes
from all her beauty, to humiliate all the dignitaries of the earth.
10 Daughter Tarshish, travel back to your land, as one crosses the Nile; there
is no longer any marketplace in Tyre.
11 The LORD stretched out his hand over the sea, he shook kingdoms; he gave the
order to destroy Canaan’s fortresses.
12 He said,“You will no longer celebrate, oppressed virgin daughter Sidon! Get
up, travel to Cyprus, but you will find no relief there.”
13 Look at the land of the Chaldeans, these people who have lost their identity!
The Assyrians have made it a home for wild animals. They erected their siege
towers, demolished its fortresses, and turned it into a heap of ruins.
14 Wail, you large ships, for your fortress is destroyed!
15 At that time Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, the typical life span
of a king. At the end of seventy years Tyre will try to attract attention again,
like the prostitute in the popular song:
16 “Take the harp, go through the city, forgotten prostitute! Play it well,
play lots of songs, so you’ll be noticed!”
17 At the end of seventy years the LORD will revive Tyre. She will start making
money again by selling her services to all the earth’s kingdoms.
18 Her profits and earnings will be set apart for the LORD. They will not be
stored up or accumulated, for her profits will be given to those who live in the
LORD’s presence and will be used to purchase large quantities of food and
beautiful clothes.

Chapter 24

1 The Lord Will Judge the Earth Look, the LORD is ready to devastate the earth
and leave it in ruins; he will mar its surface and scatter its inhabitants.
2 Everyone will suffer– the priest as well as the people, the master as well
as the servant, the elegant lady as well as the female attendant, the seller as
well as the buyer, the borrower as well as the lender, the creditor as well as
the debtor.
3 The earth will be completely devastated and thoroughly ransacked. For the LORD
has decreed this judgment.
4 The earth dries up and withers, the world shrivels up and withers; the
prominent people of the earth fade away.
5 The earth is defiled by its inhabitants, for they have violated laws,
disregarded the regulation, and broken the permanent treaty.
6 So a treaty curse devours the earth; its inhabitants pay for their guilt. This
is why the inhabitants of the earth disappear, and are reduced to just a handful
of people.
7 The new wine dries up, the vines shrivel up, all those who like to celebrate
groan.
8 The happy sound of the tambourines stops, the revelry of those who celebrate
comes to a halt, the happy sound of the harp ceases.
9 They no longer sing and drink wine; the beer tastes bitter to those who drink
it.
10 The ruined town is shattered; all of the houses are shut up tight.
11 They howl in the streets because of what happened to the wine; all joy turns
to sorrow; celebrations disappear from the earth.
12 The city is left in ruins; the gate is reduced to rubble.
13 This is what will happen throughout the earth, among the nations. It will be
like when they beat an olive tree, and just a few olives are left at the end of
the harvest.
14 They lift their voices and shout joyfully; they praise the majesty of the
LORD in the west.
15 So in the east extol the LORD, along the seacoasts extol the fame of the LORD
God of Israel.
16 From the ends of the earth we hear songs– the Just One is majestic. But I
say,“I’m wasting away! I’m wasting away! I’m doomed! Deceivers deceive,
deceivers thoroughly deceive!”
17 Terror, pit, and snare are ready to overtake you inhabitants of the earth!
18 The one who runs away from the sound of the terror will fall into the pit;
the one who climbs out of the pit, will be trapped by the snare. For the
floodgates of the heavens are opened up and the foundations of the earth shake.
19 The earth is broken in pieces, the earth is ripped to shreds, the earth
shakes violently.
20 The earth will stagger around like a drunk; it will sway back and forth like
a hut in a windstorm. Its sin will weigh it down, and it will fall and never get
up again.
21 The Lord Will Become King At that time the LORD will punish the heavenly
forces in the heavens and the earthly kings on the earth.
22 They will be imprisoned in a pit, locked up in a prison, and after staying
there for a long time, they will be punished.
23 The full moon will be covered up, the bright sun will be darkened; for the
LORD of Heaven’s Armies will rule on Mount Zion in Jerusalem in the presence
of his assembly, in majestic splendor.

Chapter 25

1 O LORD, you are my God! I will exalt you in praise, I will extol your fame.
For you have done extraordinary things, and executed plans made long ago exactly
as you decreed.
2 Indeed, you have made the city into a heap of rubble, the fortified town into
a heap of ruins; the fortress of foreigners is no longer a city, it will never
be rebuilt.
3 So a strong nation will extol you; the towns of powerful nations will fear
you.
4 For you are a protector for the poor, a protector for the needy in their
distress, a shelter from the rainstorm, a shade from the heat. Though the breath
of tyrants is like a winter rainstorm,
5 like heat in a dry land, you humble the boasting foreigners. Just as the
shadow of a cloud causes the heat to subside, so he causes the song of tyrants
to cease.
6 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies will hold a banquet for all the nations on this
mountain. At this banquet there will be plenty of meat and aged wine– tender
meat and choicest wine.
7 On this mountain he will swallow up the shroud that is over all the peoples,
the woven covering that is over all the nations;
8 he will swallow up death permanently. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the
tears from every face, and remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth.
Indeed, the LORD has announced it!
9 At that time they will say,“Look, here is our God! We waited for him and he
delivered us. Here is the LORD! We waited for him. Let’s rejoice and celebrate
his deliverance!”
10 For the LORD’s power will make this mountain secure. Moab will be trampled
down where it stands, as a heap of straw is trampled down in a manure pile.
11 Moab will spread out its hands in the middle of it, just as a swimmer spreads
his hands to swim; the LORD will bring down Moab’s pride as it spreads its
hands.
12 The fortified city(along with the very tops of your walls) he will knock
down, he will bring it down, he will throw it down to the dusty ground.

Chapter 26

1 Judah Will Celebrate At that time this song will be sung in the land of
Judah:“We have a strong city! The LORD’s deliverance, like walls and a
rampart, makes it secure.
2 Open the gates so a righteous nation can enter– one that remains
trustworthy.
3 You keep completely safe the people who maintain their faith, for they trust
in you.
4 Trust in the LORD from this time forward, even in Yah, the LORD, an enduring
protector!
5 Indeed, the LORD knocks down those who live in a high place, he brings down an
elevated town; he brings it down to the ground, he throws it down to the dust.
6 It is trampled underfoot by the feet of the oppressed, by the soles of the
poor.”
7 God’s People Anticipate Vindication The way of the righteous is level, the
path of the righteous that you make is straight.
8 Yes, as your judgments unfold, O LORD, we wait for you. We desire your fame
and reputation to grow.
9 I look for you during the night, my spirit within me seeks you at dawn, for
when your judgments come upon the earth, those who live in the world learn about
justice.
10 If the wicked are shown mercy, they do not learn about justice. Even in a
land where right is rewarded, they act unjustly; they do not see the LORD’s
majesty revealed.
11 O LORD, you are ready to act, but they don’t even notice. They will see and
be put to shame by your angry judgment against humankind, yes, fire will consume
your enemies.
12 O LORD, you make us secure, for even all we have accomplished, you have done
for us.
13 O LORD, our God, masters other than you have ruled us, but we praise your
name alone.
14 The dead do not come back to life, the spirits of the dead do not rise. That
is because you came in judgment and destroyed them, you wiped out all memory of
them.
15 You have made the nation larger, O LORD, you have made the nation larger and
revealed your splendor, you have extended all the borders of the land.
16 O LORD, in distress they looked for you; they uttered incantations because of
your discipline.
17 As when a pregnant woman gets ready to deliver and strains and cries out
because of her labor pains, so were we because of you, O LORD.
18 We were pregnant, we strained, we gave birth, as it were, to wind. We cannot
produce deliverance on the earth; people to populate the world are not born.
19 Your dead will come back to life; your corpses will rise up. Wake up and
shout joyfully, you who live in the ground! For you will grow like plants
drenched with the morning dew, and the earth will bring forth its dead spirits.
20 Go, my people! Enter your inner rooms! Close your doors behind you! Hide for
a little while, until his angry judgment is over!
21 For look, the LORD is coming out of the place where he lives, to punish the
sin of those who live on the earth. The earth will display the blood shed on it;
it will no longer cover up its slain.

Chapter 27

1 At that time the LORD will punish with his destructive, great, and powerful
sword Leviathan the fast-moving serpent, Leviathan the squirming serpent; he
will kill the sea monster.
2 When that time comes, sing about a delightful vineyard!
3 I, the LORD, protect it; I water it regularly. I guard it night and day, so no
one can harm it.
4 I am not angry. I wish I could confront some thorns and briers! Then I would
march against them for battle; I would set them all on fire,
5 unless they became my subjects and made peace with me; let them make peace
with me.
6 The time is coming when Jacob will take root; Israel will blossom and grow
branches. The produce will fill the surface of the world.
7 Has the LORD struck down Israel like he did their oppressors? Has Israel been
killed like their enemies?
8 When you summon her for divorce, you prosecute her; he drives her away with
his strong wind in the day of the east wind.
9 So in this way Jacob’s sin will be forgiven, and this is how they will show
they are finished sinning: They will make all the stones of the altars like
crushed limestone, and the Asherah poles and the incense altars will no longer
stand.
10 For the fortified city is left alone; it is a deserted settlement and
abandoned like the wilderness. Calves graze there; they lie down there and eat
its branches bare.
11 When its branches get brittle, they break; women come and use them for
kindling. For these people lack understanding, therefore the one who made them
has no compassion on them; the one who formed them has no mercy on them.
12 At that time the LORD will shake the tree, from the Euphrates River to the
Stream of Egypt. Then you will be gathered up one by one, O Israelites.
13 At that time a large trumpet will be blown, and the ones lost in the land of
Assyria will come, as well as the refugees in the land of Egypt. They will
worship the LORD on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.

Chapter 28

1 The Lord Will Judge Samaria The splendid crown of Ephraim’s drunkards is
doomed, the withering flower, its beautiful splendor, situated at the head of a
rich valley, the crown of those overcome with wine.
2 Look, the Lord sends a strong, powerful one. With the force of a hailstorm or
a destructive windstorm, with the might of a driving, torrential rainstorm, he
will knock that crown to the ground with his hand.
3 The splendid crown of Ephraim’s drunkards will be trampled underfoot.
4 The withering flower, its beautiful splendor, situated at the head of a rich
valley, will be like an early fig before harvest– as soon as someone notices
it, he grabs it and swallows it.
5 At that time the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will become a beautiful crown and a
splendid diadem for the remnant of his people.
6 He will give discernment to the one who makes judicial decisions, and strength
to those who defend the city from attackers.
7 Even these men stagger because of wine, they stumble around because of beer–
priests and prophets stagger because of beer, they are confused because of wine,
they stumble around because of beer; they stagger while seeing prophetic
visions, they totter while making legal decisions.
8 Indeed, all the tables are covered with vomit, with filth, leaving no clean
place.
9 Who is the LORD trying to teach? To whom is he explaining a message? Those
just weaned from milk! Those just taken from their mother’s breast!
10 Indeed, they will hear meaningless gibberish, senseless babbling, a syllable
here, a syllable there.
11 For with mocking lips and a foreign tongue he will speak to these people.
12 In the past he said to them,“This is where security can be found. Provide
security for the one who is exhausted! This is where rest can be found.” But
they refused to listen.
13 So the LORD’s message to them will sound like meaningless gibberish,
senseless babbling, a syllable here, a syllable there. As a result, they will
fall on their backsides when they try to walk, and be injured, ensnared, and
captured.
14 The Lord Will Judge Jerusalem Therefore, listen to the LORD’s message, you
who mock, you rulers of these people who reside in Jerusalem!
15 For you say,“We have made a treaty with death, with Sheol we have made an
agreement. When the overwhelming judgment sweeps by it will not reach us. For we
have made a lie our refuge, we have hidden ourselves in a deceitful word.”
16 Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD, says:“Look, I am laying a stone
in Zion, an approved stone, set in place as a precious cornerstone for the
foundation. The one who maintains his faith will not panic.
17 I will make justice the measuring line, fairness the plumb line; hail will
sweep away the unreliable refuge, the floodwaters will overwhelm the hiding
place.
18 Your treaty with death will be dissolved; your agreement with Sheol will not
last. When the overwhelming judgment sweeps by, you will be overrun by it.
19 Whenever it sweeps by, it will overtake you; indeed, every morning it will
sweep by, it will come through during the day and the night.” When this
announcement is understood, it will cause nothing but terror.
20 For the bed is too short to stretch out on, and the blanket is too narrow to
wrap around oneself.
21 For the LORD will rise up, as he did at Mount Perazim, he will rouse himself,
as he did in the Valley of Gibeon, to accomplish his work, his peculiar work, to
perform his task, his strange task.
22 So now, do not mock, or your chains will become heavier! For I have heard a
message about decreed destruction, from the Sovereign LORD of Heaven’s Armies,
against the entire land.
23 Pay attention and listen to my message! Be attentive and listen to what I
have to say!
24 Does a farmer just keep on plowing at planting time? Does he keep breaking up
and harrowing his ground?
25 Once he has leveled its surface, does he not scatter the seed of the caraway
plant, sow the seed of the cumin plant, and plant the wheat, barley, and grain
in their designated places?
26 His God instructs him; he teaches him the principles of agriculture.
27 Certainly caraway seed is not threshed with a sledge, nor is the wheel of a
cart rolled over cumin seed. Certainly caraway seed is beaten with a stick, and
cumin seed with a flail.
28 Grain is crushed, though one certainly does not thresh it forever. The wheel
of one’s wagon rolls over it, but his horses do not crush it.
29 This also comes from the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, who gives supernatural
guidance and imparts great wisdom.

Chapter 29

1 Ariel is Besieged Ariel is as good as dead– Ariel, the town David besieged!
Keep observing your annual rituals; celebrate your festivals on schedule.
2 I will threaten Ariel, and she will mourn intensely and become like an altar
hearth before me.
3 I will lay siege to you on all sides; I will besiege you with troops; I will
raise siege works against you.
4 You will fall; while lying on the ground you will speak; from the dust where
you lie, your words will be heard. Your voice will sound like a spirit speaking
from the underworld; from the dust you will chirp as if muttering an
incantation.
5 But the horde of invaders will be like fine dust, the horde of tyrants like
chaff that is blown away. It will happen suddenly, in a flash.
6 Judgment will come from the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, accompanied by thunder,
earthquake, and a loud noise, by a strong gale, a windstorm, and a consuming
flame of fire.
7 It will be like a dream, a night vision. There will be a horde from all the
nations that fight against Ariel, those who attack her and her stronghold and
besiege her.
8 It will be like a hungry man dreaming that he is eating, only to awaken and
find that his stomach is empty. It will be like a thirsty man dreaming that he
is drinking, only to awaken and find that he is still weak and his thirst
unquenched. So it will be for the horde from all the nations that fight against
Mount Zion.
9 God’s People Are Spiritually Insensitive You will be shocked and amazed! You
are totally blind! They are drunk, but not because of wine; they stagger, but
not because of beer.
10 For the LORD has poured out on you a strong urge to sleep deeply. He has shut
your eyes(the prophets), and covered your heads(the seers).
11 To you this entire prophetic revelation is like words in a sealed scroll.
When they hand it to one who can read and say,“Read this,” he responds,“I
can’t, because it is sealed.”
12 Or when they hand the scroll to one who can’t read and say,“Read this,”
he says,“I can’t read.”
13 The Lord says,“These people say they are loyal to me; they say wonderful
things about me, but they are not really loyal to me. Their worship consists of
nothing but man-made ritual.
14 Therefore I will again do an amazing thing for these people– an absolutely
extraordinary deed. Wise men will have nothing to say, the sages will have no
explanations.”
15 Those who try to hide their plans from the LORD are as good as dead, who do
their work in secret and boast,“Who sees us? Who knows what we’re doing?”
16 Your thinking is perverse! Should the potter be regarded as clay? Should the
thing made say about its maker,“He didn’t make me”? Or should the pottery
say about the potter,“He doesn’t understand”?
17 Changes Are Coming In just a very short time Lebanon will turn into an
orchard, and the orchard will be considered a forest.
18 At that time the deaf will be able to hear words read from a scroll, and the
eyes of the blind will be able to see through deep darkness.
19 The downtrodden will again rejoice in the LORD; the poor among humankind will
take delight in the Holy One of Israel.
20 For tyrants will disappear, those who taunt will vanish, and all those who
love to do wrong will be eliminated–
21 those who bear false testimony against a person, who entrap the one who
arbitrates at the city gate and deprive the innocent of justice by making false
charges.
22 So this is what the LORD, the one who delivered Abraham, has said to the
family of Jacob:“Jacob will no longer be ashamed; their faces will no longer
show their embarrassment.
23 For when they see their children, whom I will produce among them, they will
honor my name. They will honor the Holy One of Jacob; they will respect the God
of Israel.
24 Those who stray morally will gain understanding; those who complain will
acquire insight.

Chapter 30

1 Egypt Will Prove Unreliable“The rebellious children are as good as dead,”
says the LORD,“those who make plans without consulting me, who form alliances
without consulting my Spirit, and thereby compound their sin.
2 They travel down to Egypt without seeking my will, seeking Pharaoh’s
protection, and looking for safety in Egypt’s protective shade.
3 But Pharaoh’s protection will bring you nothing but shame, and the safety of
Egypt’s protective shade nothing but humiliation.
4 Though his officials are in Zoan and his messengers arrive at Hanes,
5 all will be put to shame because of a nation that cannot help them, who cannot
give them aid or help, but only shame and disgrace.”
6 This is an oracle about the animals in the Negev: Through a land of distress
and danger, inhabited by lionesses and roaring lions, by snakes and darting
adders, they transport their wealth on the backs of donkeys, their riches on the
humps of camels, to a nation that cannot help them.
7 Egypt is totally incapable of helping. For this reason I call her‘Proud one
who is silenced.’”
8 Now go, write it down on a tablet in their presence, inscribe it on a scroll,
so that it might be preserved for a future time as an enduring witness.
9 For these are rebellious people– they are lying children, children unwilling
to obey the LORD’s law.
10 They say to the visionaries,“See no more visions!” and to the
seers,“Don’t relate messages to us about what is right! Tell us nice things;
relate deceptive messages.
11 Turn aside from the way; stray off the path. Remove from our presence the
Holy One of Israel.”
12 For this reason this is what the Holy One of Israel says:“You have rejected
this message; you trust instead in your ability to oppress and trick, and rely
on that kind of behavior.
13 So this sin will become your downfall. You will be like a high wall that
bulges and cracks and is ready to collapse; it crumbles suddenly, in a flash.
14 It shatters in pieces like a clay jar, so shattered to bits that none of it
can be salvaged. Among its fragments one cannot find a shard large enough to
scoop a hot coal from a fire or to skim off water from a cistern.”
15 For this is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel says:“If you
repented and patiently waited for me, you would be delivered; if you calmly
trusted in me you would find strength, but you are unwilling.
16 You say,‘No, we will flee on horses,’ so you will indeed flee. You
say,‘We will ride on fast horses,’ so your pursuers will be fast.
17 One thousand will scurry at the battle cry of one enemy soldier; at the
battle cry of five enemy soldiers you will all run away, until the remaining few
are as isolated as a flagpole on a mountaintop or a signal flag on a hill.”
18 The Lord Will Not Abandon His People For this reason the LORD is ready to
show you mercy; he sits on his throne, ready to have compassion on you. Indeed,
the LORD is a just God; all who wait for him in faith will be blessed.
19 For people will live in Zion; in Jerusalem you will weep no more. When he
hears your cry of despair, he will indeed show you mercy; when he hears it, he
will respond to you.
20 The Lord will give you distress to eat and suffering to drink; but your
teachers will no longer be hidden; your eyes will see them.
21 You will hear a word spoken behind you, saying,“This is the correct way,
walk in it,” whether you are heading to the right or the left.
22 You will desecrate your silver-plated idols and your gold-plated images. You
will throw them away as if they were a menstrual rag, saying to them,“Get
out!”
23 He will water the seed you plant in the ground, and the ground will produce
crops in abundance. At that time your cattle will graze in wide pastures.
24 The oxen and donkeys used in plowing will eat seasoned feed winnowed with a
shovel and pitchfork.
25 On every high mountain and every high hill there will be streams flowing with
water, at the time of great slaughter when the fortified towers collapse.
26 The light of the full moon will be like the sun’s glare and the sun’s
glare will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven days, when the LORD
binds up his people’s fractured bones and heals their severe wound.
27 Look, the name of the LORD comes from a distant place in raging anger and
awesome splendor. He speaks angrily and his word is like destructive fire.
28 His battle cry overwhelms like a flooding river that reaches one’s neck. He
shakes the nations in a sieve that isolates the chaff; he puts a bit into the
mouth of the nations and leads them to destruction.
29 You will sing as you do in the evening when you are celebrating a festival.
You will be happy like one who plays a flute as he goes to the mountain of the
LORD, the Rock who shelters Israel.
30 The LORD will give a mighty shout and intervene in power, with furious anger
and flaming, destructive fire, with a driving rainstorm and hailstones.
31 Indeed, the LORD’s shout will shatter Assyria; he will beat them with a
club.
32 Every blow from his punishing cudgel, with which the LORD will beat them,
will be accompanied by music from the tambourine and harp, and he will attack
them with his weapons.
33 For the burial place is already prepared; it has been made deep and wide for
the king. The firewood is piled high on it. The LORD’s breath, like a stream
flowing with brimstone, will ignite it.

Chapter 31

1 Egypt Will Disappoint Those who go down to Egypt for help are as good as dead,
those who rely on war horses, and trust in Egypt’s many chariots and in their
many, many horsemen. But they do not rely on the Holy One of Israel and do not
seek help from the LORD.
2 Yet he too is wise and he will bring disaster; he does not retract his decree.
He will attack the wicked nation, and the nation that helps those who commit
sin.
3 The Egyptians are mere humans, not God; their horses are made of flesh, not
spirit. The LORD will strike with his hand; the one who helps will stumble and
the one being helped will fall. Together they will perish.
4 The Lord Will Defend Zion Indeed, this is what the LORD has said to me:“The
LORD will be like a growling lion, like a young lion growling over its prey.
Though a whole group of shepherds gathers against it, it is not afraid of their
shouts or intimidated by their yelling. In this same way the LORD of Heaven’s
Armies will descend to do battle on Mount Zion and on its hill.
5 Just as birds hover over a nest, so the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will protect
Jerusalem. He will protect and deliver it; as he passes over he will rescue it.
6 You Israelites! Return to the one against whom you have so blatantly rebelled!
7 For at that time everyone will get rid of the silver and gold idols your hands
sinfully made.
8 Assyria will fall by a sword, but not one human-made; a sword not made by
humankind will destroy them. They will run away from this sword and their young
men will be forced to do hard labor.
9 They will surrender their stronghold because of fear; their officers will be
afraid of the LORD’s battle flag.” This is what the LORD says– the one
whose fire is in Zion, whose firepot is in Jerusalem.

Chapter 32

1 Justice and Wisdom Will Prevail Look, a king will promote fairness; officials
will promote justice.
2 Each of them will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from a
rainstorm; like streams of water in a dry region and like the shade of a large
cliff in a parched land.
3 Eyes will no longer be blind and ears will be attentive.
4 The mind that acts rashly will possess discernment and the tongue that
stutters will speak with ease and clarity.
5 A fool will no longer be called honorable; a deceiver will no longer be called
principled.
6 For a fool speaks disgraceful things; his mind plans out sinful deeds. He
commits godless deeds and says misleading things about the LORD; he gives the
hungry nothing to satisfy their appetite and gives the thirsty nothing to drink.
7 A deceiver’s methods are evil; he dreams up evil plans to ruin the poor with
lies, even when the needy are in the right.
8 An honorable man makes honorable plans; his honorable character gives him
security.
9 The Lord Will Give True Security You complacent women, get up and listen to
me! You carefree daughters, pay attention to what I say!
10 In a year’s time you carefree ones will shake with fear, for the grape
harvest will fail, and the fruit harvest will not arrive.
11 Tremble, you complacent ones! Shake with fear, you carefree ones! Strip off
your clothes and expose yourselves– put sackcloth on your waist!
12 Mourn over the field, over the delightful fields and the fruitful vine!
13 Mourn over the land of my people, which is overgrown with thorns and briers,
and over all the once-happy houses in the city filled with revelry.
14 For the fortress is neglected; the once-crowded city is abandoned. Hill and
watchtower are permanently uninhabited. Wild donkeys love to go there, and
flocks graze there.
15 This desolation will continue until new life is poured out on us from heaven.
Then the wilderness will become an orchard and the orchard will be considered a
forest.
16 Justice will settle down in the wilderness and fairness will live in the
orchard.
17 Fairness will produce peace and result in lasting security.
18 My people will live in peaceful settlements, in secure homes, and in safe,
quiet places.
19 Even if the forest is destroyed and the city is annihilated,
20 you will be blessed, you who plant seed by all the banks of the streams, you
who let your ox and donkey graze.

Chapter 33

1 The Lord Will Restore Zion The destroyer is as good as dead, you who have not
been destroyed! The deceitful one is as good as dead, the one whom others have
not deceived! When you are through destroying, you will be destroyed; when you
finish deceiving, others will deceive you!
2 LORD, be merciful to us! We wait for you. Give us strength each morning!
Deliver us when distress comes.
3 The nations run away when they hear a loud noise; the nations scatter when you
spring into action!
4 Your plunder disappears as if locusts were eating it; they swarm over it like
locusts!
5 The LORD is exalted, indeed, he lives in heaven; he fills Zion with justice
and fairness.
6 He is your constant source of stability; he abundantly provides safety and
great wisdom; he gives all this to those who fear him.
7 Look, ambassadors cry out in the streets; messengers sent to make peace weep
bitterly.
8 Highways are empty, there are no travelers. Treaties are broken, witnesses are
despised, human life is treated with disrespect.
9 The land dries up and withers away; the forest of Lebanon shrivels up and
decays. Sharon is like the arid rift valley; Bashan and Carmel are parched.
10 “Now I will rise up,” says the LORD.“Now I will exalt myself; now I
will magnify myself.
11 You conceive straw, you give birth to chaff; your breath is a fire that
destroys you.
12 The nations will be burned to ashes; like thorn bushes that have been cut
down, they will be set on fire.
13 You who are far away, listen to what I have done! You who are close by,
recognize my strength!”
14 Sinners are afraid in Zion; panic grips the godless. They say,‘Who among us
can coexist with destructive fire? Who among us can coexist with unquenchable
fire?’
15 The one who lives uprightly and speaks honestly; the one who refuses to
profit from oppressive measures and rejects a bribe; the one who does not plot
violent crimes and does not seek to harm others–
16 This is the person who will live in a secure place; he will find safety in
the rocky, mountain strongholds; he will have food and a constant supply of
water.
17 You will see a king in his splendor; you will see a wide land.
18 Your mind will recall the terror you experienced, and you will ask
yourselves,“Where is the scribe? Where is the one who weighs the money? Where
is the one who counts the towers?”
19 You will no longer see a defiant people whose language you do not comprehend,
whose derisive speech you do not understand.
20 Look at Zion, the city where we hold religious festivals! You will see
Jerusalem, a peaceful settlement, a tent that stays put; its stakes will never
be pulled up; none of its ropes will snap in two.
21 Instead the LORD will rule there as our mighty king. Rivers and wide streams
will flow through it; no war galley will enter; no large ships will sail
through.
22 For the LORD, our ruler, the LORD, our commander, the LORD, our king– he
will deliver us.
23 Though at this time your ropes are slack, the mast is not secured, and the
sail is not unfurled, at that time you will divide up a great quantity of loot;
even the lame will drag off plunder.
24 No resident of Zion will say,“I am ill”; the people who live there will
have their sin forgiven.

Chapter 34

1 The Lord Will Judge Edom Come near, you nations, and listen! Pay attention,
you people! The earth and everything it contains must listen, the world and
everything that lives in it.
2 For the LORD is angry at all the nations and furious with all their armies. He
will annihilate them and slaughter them.
3 Their slain will be left unburied, their corpses will stink; the hills will
soak up their blood.
4 All the stars in the sky will fade away, the sky will roll up like a scroll;
all its stars will wither, like a leaf withers and falls from a vine or a fig
withers and falls from a tree.
5 He says,“Indeed, my sword has slaughtered heavenly powers. Look, it now
descends on Edom, on the people I will annihilate in judgment.”
6 The LORD’s sword is dripping with blood, it is covered with fat; it drips
with the blood of young rams and goats and is covered with the fat of rams’
kidneys. For the LORD is holding a sacrifice in Bozrah, a bloody slaughter in
the land of Edom.
7 Wild oxen will be slaughtered along with them, as well as strong bulls. Their
land is drenched with blood, their soil is covered with fat.
8 For the LORD has planned a day of revenge, a time when he will repay Edom for
her hostility toward Zion.
9 Edom’s streams will be turned into pitch and her soil into brimstone; her
land will become burning pitch.
10 Night and day it will burn; its smoke will ascend continually. Generation
after generation it will be a wasteland and no one will ever pass through it
again.
11 Owls and wild animals will live there, all kinds of wild birds will settle in
it. The LORD will stretch out over her the measuring line of ruin and the plumb
line of destruction.
12 Her nobles will have nothing left to call a kingdom and all her officials
will disappear.
13 Her fortresses will be overgrown with thorns; thickets and weeds will grow in
her fortified cities. Jackals will settle there; ostriches will live there.
14 Wild animals and wild dogs will congregate there; wild goats will bleat to
one another. Yes, nocturnal animals will rest there and make for themselves a
nest.
15 Owls will make nests and lay eggs there; they will hatch them and protect
them. Yes, hawks will gather there, each with its mate.
16 Carefully read the scroll of the LORD! Not one of these creatures will be
missing, none will lack a mate. For the LORD has issued the decree, and his own
spirit gathers them.
17 He assigns them their allotment; he measures out their assigned place. They
will live there permanently; they will settle in it through successive
generations.

Chapter 35

1 The Land and Its People Are Transformed Let the wilderness and desert be
happy; let the arid rift valley rejoice and bloom like a lily!
2 Let it richly bloom; let it rejoice and shout with delight! It is given the
grandeur of Lebanon, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon. They will see the
grandeur of the LORD, the splendor of our God.
3 Strengthen the hands that have gone limp, steady the knees that shake!
4 Tell those who panic,“Be strong! Do not fear! Look, your God comes to
avenge! With divine retribution he comes to deliver you.”
5 Then blind eyes will open, deaf ears will hear.
6 Then the lame will leap like a deer, the mute tongue will shout for joy; for
water will burst forth in the wilderness, streams in the arid rift valley.
7 The dry soil will become a pool of water, the parched ground springs of water.
Where jackals once lived and sprawled out, grass, reeds, and papyrus will grow.
8 A thoroughfare will be there– it will be called the Way of Holiness. The
unclean will not travel on it; it is reserved for those authorized to use it–
fools will not stray into it.
9 No lions will be there, no ferocious wild animals will be on it– they will
not be found there. Those delivered from bondage will travel on it,
10 those whom the LORD has ransomed will return that way. They will enter Zion
with a happy shout. Unending joy will crown them, happiness and joy will
overwhelm them; grief and suffering will disappear.

Chapter 36

1 Sennacherib Invades Judah In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign,
King Sennacherib of Assyria marched up against all the fortified cities of Judah
and captured them.
2 The king of Assyria sent his chief adviser from Lachish to King Hezekiah in
Jerusalem, along with a large army. The chief adviser stood at the conduit of
the upper pool which is located on the road to the field where they wash and dry
cloth.
3 Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna the
scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went out to meet him.
4 The chief adviser said to them,“Tell Hezekiah:‘This is what the great
king, the king of Assyria, says:“What is your source of confidence?
5 Your claim to have a strategy and military strength is just empty talk. In
whom are you trusting, that you would dare to rebel against me?
6 Look, you must be trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed staff. If someone
leans on it for support, it punctures his hand and wounds him. That is what
Pharaoh king of Egypt does to all who trust in him!
7 Perhaps you will tell me,‘We are trusting in the LORD our God.’ But
Hezekiah is the one who eliminated his high places and altars and then told the
people of Judah and Jerusalem,‘You must worship at this altar.’
8 Now make a deal with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two
thousand horses, provided you can find enough riders for them.
9 Certainly you will not refuse one of my master’s minor officials and trust
in Egypt for chariots and horsemen.
10 Furthermore it was by the command of the LORD that I marched up against this
land to destroy it. The LORD told me,‘March up against this land and destroy
it!’”’”
11 Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the chief adviser,“Speak to your servants
in Aramaic, for we understand it. Don’t speak with us in the Judahite dialect
in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.”
12 But the chief adviser said,“My master did not send me to speak these words
only to your master and to you. His message is also for the men who sit on the
wall, for they will eat their own excrement and drink their own urine along with
you!”
13 The chief adviser then stood there and called out loudly in the Judahite
dialect,“Listen to the message of the great king, the king of Assyria.
14 This is what the king says:‘Don’t let Hezekiah mislead you, for he is not
able to rescue you!
15 Don’t let Hezekiah talk you into trusting in the LORD by saying,“The LORD
will certainly rescue us; this city will not be handed over to the king of
Assyria.”
16 Don’t listen to Hezekiah!’ For this is what the king of Assyria
says,‘Send me a token of your submission and surrender to me. Then each of you
may eat from his own vine and fig tree and drink water from his own cistern,
17 until I come and take you to a land just like your own– a land of grain and
new wine, a land of bread and vineyards.
18 Hezekiah is misleading you when he says,“The LORD will rescue us.” Has
any of the gods of the nations rescued his land from the power of the king of
Assyria?
19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim?
Indeed, did any gods rescue Samaria from my power?
20 Who among all the gods of these lands have rescued their lands from my power?
So how can the LORD rescue Jerusalem from my power?’”
21 They were silent and did not respond, for the king had ordered,“Don’t
respond to him.”
22 Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna the
scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went to Hezekiah with their clothes
torn and reported to him what the chief adviser had said.

Chapter 37

1 When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went
to the LORD’s temple.
2 Eliakim the palace supervisor, Shebna the scribe, and the leading priests,
clothed in sackcloth, sent this message to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz:
3 “This is what Hezekiah says:‘This is a day of distress, insults, and
humiliation, as when a baby is ready to leave the birth canal, but the mother
lacks the strength to push it through.
4 Perhaps the LORD your God will hear all these things the chief adviser has
spoken on behalf of his master, the king of Assyria, who sent him to taunt the
living God. When the LORD your God hears, perhaps he will punish him for the
things he has said. So pray for this remnant that remains.’”
5 When King Hezekiah’s servants came to Isaiah,
6 Isaiah said to them,“Tell your master this:‘This is what the LORD has
said:“Don’t be afraid because of the things you have heard– these insults
the king of Assyria’s servants have hurled against me.
7 Look, I will take control of his mind; he will receive a report and return to
his own land. I will cut him down with a sword in his own land.”’”
8 When the chief adviser heard the king of Assyria had departed from Lachish, he
left and went to Libnah, where the king was campaigning.
9 The king heard that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia was marching out to fight him.
He again sent messengers to Hezekiah, ordering them:
10 “Tell King Hezekiah of Judah this:‘Don’t let your God in whom you trust
mislead you when he says,“Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of
Assyria.”
11 Certainly you have heard how the kings of Assyria have annihilated all lands.
Do you really think you will be rescued?
12 Were the nations whom my predecessors destroyed– the nations of Gozan,
Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden in Telassar– rescued by their gods?
13 Where are the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the kings of Lair,
Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?’”
14 Hezekiah took the letter from the messengers and read it. Then Hezekiah went
up to the LORD’s temple and spread it out before the LORD.
15 Hezekiah prayed before the LORD:
16 “O LORD of Heaven’s Armies, O God of Israel, who is enthroned on the
cherubim! You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the sky
and the earth.
17 Pay attention, LORD, and hear! Open your eyes, LORD, and observe! Listen to
this entire message Sennacherib sent and how he taunts the living God!
18 It is true, LORD, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all the nations
and their lands.
19 They have burned the gods of the nations, for they are not really gods, but
only the product of human hands manufactured from wood and stone. That is why
the Assyrians could destroy them.
20 Now, O LORD our God, rescue us from his power, so all the kingdoms of the
earth may know that you alone are the LORD.”
21 Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah:“This is what the LORD God
of Israel has said:‘As to what you have prayed to me concerning King
Sennacherib of Assyria,
22 this is what the LORD says about him:“The virgin daughter Zion despises
you– she makes fun of you; daughter Jerusalem shakes her head after you.
23 Whom have you taunted and hurled insults at? At whom have you shouted and
looked so arrogantly? At the Holy One of Israel!
24 Through your messengers you taunted the Lord,‘With my many chariots I
climbed up the high mountains, the slopes of Lebanon. I cut down its tall cedars
and its best evergreens. I invaded its most remote regions, its thickest woods.
25 I dug wells and drank water. With the soles of my feet I dried up all the
rivers of Egypt.’
26 Certainly you must have heard! Long ago I worked it out, in ancient times I
planned it, and now I am bringing it to pass. The plan is this: Fortified cities
will crash into heaps of ruins.
27 Their residents are powerless; they are terrified and ashamed. They are as
short-lived as plants in the field or green vegetation. They are as short-lived
as grass on the rooftops when it is scorched by the east wind.
28 I know where you live and everything you do and how you rage against me.
29 Because you rage against me and the uproar you create has reached my ears, I
will put my hook in your nose, and my bridle between your lips, and I will lead
you back the way you came.”
30 “This will be your reminder that I have spoken the truth: This year you
will eat what grows wild, and next year what grows on its own. But the year
after that you will plant seed and harvest crops; you will plant vines and
consume their produce.
31 Those who remain in Judah will take root in the ground and bear fruit.
32 “For a remnant will leave Jerusalem; survivors will come out of Mount Zion.
The zeal of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will accomplish this.
33 So this is what the LORD says about the king of Assyria:‘He will not enter
this city, nor will he shoot an arrow here. He will not attack it with his
shielded warriors, nor will he build siege works against it.
34 He will go back the way he came– he will not enter this city,’ says the
LORD.
35 I will shield this city and rescue it for the sake of my reputation and
because of my promise to David my servant.”’”
36 The LORD’s angel went out and killed 185,000 troops in the Assyrian camp.
When they got up early the next morning, there were all the corpses!
37 So King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and went on his way. He went home
and stayed in Nineveh.
38 One day, as he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons
Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword. They ran away to the
land of Ararat; his son Esarhaddon replaced him as king.

Chapter 38

1 The Lord Hears Hezekiah’s Prayer In those days Hezekiah was stricken with a
terminal illness. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz visited him and told
him,“This is what the LORD says,‘Give instructions to your household, for
you are about to die; you will not get well.’”
2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD,
3 “Please, LORD. Remember how I have served you faithfully and with
wholehearted devotion, and how I have carried out your will.” Then Hezekiah
wept bitterly.
4 The LORD’s message came to Isaiah,
5 “Go and tell Hezekiah:‘This is what the LORD God of your ancestor David
says:“I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I will add
fifteen years to your life,
6 and rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. I will shield this
city.”’”
7 Isaiah replied,“This is your sign from the LORD confirming that the LORD
will do what he has said:
8 Look, I will make the shadow go back ten steps on the stairs of Ahaz.” And
then the shadow went back ten steps.
9 Hezekiah’s Song of Thanks This is the prayer of King Hezekiah of Judah when
he was sick and then recovered from his illness:
10 “I thought,‘In the middle of my life I must walk through the gates of
Sheol, I am deprived of the rest of my years.’
11 “I thought,‘I will no longer see the LORD in the land of the living, I
will no longer look on humankind with the inhabitants of the world.
12 My dwelling place is removed and taken away from me like a shepherd’s tent.
I rolled up my life like a weaver rolls cloth; from the loom he cuts me off. You
turn day into night and end my life.
13 I cry out until morning; like a lion he shatters all my bones; you turn day
into night and end my life.
14 Like a swallow or a thrush I chirp, I coo like a dove; my eyes grow tired
from looking up to the sky. O Lord, I am oppressed; help me!
15 What can I say? He has decreed and acted. I will walk slowly all my years
because I am overcome with grief.
16 O Lord, your decrees can give men life; may years of life be restored to me.
Restore my health and preserve my life.’
17 “Look, the grief I experienced was for my benefit. You delivered me from
the Pit of oblivion. For you removed all my sins from your sight.
18 Indeed Sheol does not give you thanks; death does not praise you. Those who
descend into the Pit do not anticipate your faithfulness.
19 The living person, the living person, he gives you thanks, as I do today. A
father tells his sons about your faithfulness.
20 The LORD is about to deliver me, and we will celebrate with music for the
rest of our lives in the LORD’s temple.”
21 Isaiah ordered,“Let them take a fig cake and apply it to the ulcerated sore
and he will get well.”
22 Hezekiah said,“What is the confirming sign that I will go up to the
LORD’s temple?”

Chapter 39

1 Messengers from Babylon Visit Hezekiah At that time Merodach-Baladan son of
Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he heard that
Hezekiah had been ill and had recovered.
2 Hezekiah welcomed them and showed them his storehouse with its silver, gold,
spices, and high-quality olive oil, as well as his whole armory and everything
in his treasuries. Hezekiah showed them everything in his palace and in his
whole kingdom.
3 Isaiah the prophet visited King Hezekiah and asked him,“What did these men
say? Where do they come from?” Hezekiah replied,“They come from the distant
land of Babylon.”
4 Isaiah asked,“What have they seen in your palace?” Hezekiah
replied,“They have seen everything in my palace. I showed them everything in
my treasuries.”
5 Isaiah said to Hezekiah,“Listen to the message of the LORD of Heaven’s
Armies:
6 ‘Look, a time is coming when everything in your palace and the things your
ancestors have accumulated to this day will be carried away to Babylon; nothing
will be left,’ says the LORD.
7 ‘Some of your very own descendants whom you father will be taken away and
will be made eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’”
8 Hezekiah said to Isaiah,“The LORD’s message which you have announced is
appropriate.” Then he thought,“For there will be peace and stability during
my lifetime.”

Chapter 40

1 The Lord Returns to Jerusalem“Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God.
2 “Speak kindly to Jerusalem, and tell her that her time of warfare is over,
that her punishment is completed. For the LORD has made her pay double for all
her sins.”
3 A voice cries out,“In the wilderness clear a way for the LORD; build a level
road through the rift valley for our God.
4 Every valley must be elevated, and every mountain and hill leveled. The rough
terrain will become a level plain, the rugged landscape a wide valley.
5 The splendor of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it at the
same time. For the LORD has decreed it.”
6 A voice says,“Cry out!” Another asks,“What should I cry out?” The
first voice responds:“All people are like grass, and all their promises are
like the flowers in the field.
7 The grass dries up, the flowers wither, when the wind sent by the LORD blows
on them. Surely humanity is like grass.
8 The grass dries up, the flowers wither, but the decree of our God is forever
reliable.”
9 Go up on a high mountain, O herald Zion! Shout out loudly, O herald Jerusalem!
Shout, don’t be afraid! Say to the towns of Judah,“Here is your God!”
10 Look, the Sovereign LORD comes as a victorious warrior; his military power
establishes his rule. Look, his reward is with him; his prize goes before him.
11 Like a shepherd he tends his flock; he gathers up the lambs with his arm; he
carries them close to his heart; he leads the ewes along.
12 The Lord is Incomparable Who has measured out the waters in the hollow of his
hand, or carefully measured the sky, or carefully weighed the soil of the earth,
or weighed the mountains in a balance, or the hills on scales?
13 Who comprehends the mind of the LORD, or gives him instruction as his
counselor?
14 From whom does he receive directions? Who teaches him the correct way to do
things, or imparts knowledge to him, or instructs him in skillful design?
15 Look, the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on
the scales. He lifts the coastlands as if they were dust.
16 Not even Lebanon could supply enough firewood for a sacrifice; its wild
animals would not provide enough burnt offerings.
17 All the nations are insignificant before him; they are regarded as absolutely
nothing.
18 To whom can you compare God? To what image can you liken him?
19 A craftsman casts an idol; a metalsmith overlays it with gold and forges
silver chains for it.
20 To make a contribution one selects wood that will not rot; he then seeks a
skilled craftsman to make an idol that will not fall over.
21 Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told to you since the very
beginning? Have you not understood from the time the earth’s foundations were
made?
22 He is the one who sits on the earth’s horizon; its inhabitants are like
grasshoppers before him. He is the one who stretches out the sky like a thin
curtain, and spreads it out like a pitched tent.
23 He is the one who reduces rulers to nothing; he makes the earth’s leaders
insignificant.
24 Indeed, they are barely planted; yes, they are barely sown; yes, they barely
take root in the earth, and then he blows on them, causing them to dry up, and
the wind carries them away like straw.
25 “To whom can you compare me? Whom do I resemble?” says the Holy One.
26 Look up at the sky! Who created all these heavenly lights? He is the one who
leads out their ranks; he calls them all by name. Because of his absolute power
and awesome strength, not one of them is missing.
27 Why do you say, Jacob, Why do you say, Israel,“The LORD is not aware of
what is happening to me, My God is not concerned with my vindication”?
28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is an eternal God, the Creator
of the whole earth. He does not get tired or weary; there is no limit to his
wisdom.
29 He gives strength to those who are tired; to the ones who lack power, he
gives renewed energy.
30 Even youths get tired and weary; even strong young men clumsily stumble.
31 But those who wait for the LORD’s help find renewed strength; they rise up
as if they had eagles’ wings, they run without growing weary, they walk
without getting tired.

Chapter 41

1 The Lord Challenges the Nations“Listen to me in silence, you coastlands! Let
the nations find renewed strength! Let them approach and then speak; let us come
together for debate!
2 Who stirs up this one from the east? Who officially commissions him for
service? He hands nations over to him, and enables him to subdue kings. He makes
them like dust with his sword, like windblown straw with his bow.
3 He pursues them and passes by unharmed; he advances with great speed.
4 Who acts and carries out decrees? Who summons the successive generations from
the beginning? I, the LORD, am present at the very beginning, and at the very
end– I am the one.
5 The coastlands see and are afraid; the whole earth trembles; they approach and
come.
6 They help one another; one says to the other,‘Be strong!’
7 The craftsman encourages the metalsmith, the one who wields the hammer
encourages the one who pounds on the anvil. He approves the quality of the
welding, and nails it down so it won’t fall over.”
8 The Lord Encourages His People“You, my servant Israel, Jacob whom I have
chosen, offspring of Abraham my friend,
9 you whom I am bringing back from the earth’s extremities, and have summoned
from the remote regions– I told you,“You are my servant.” I have chosen
you and not rejected you.
10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you! Don’t be frightened, for I am your
God! I strengthen you– yes, I help you– yes, I uphold you with my saving
right hand!
11 Look, all who were angry at you will be ashamed and humiliated; your
adversaries will be reduced to nothing and perish.
12 When you will look for your opponents, you will not find them; your enemies
will be reduced to absolutely nothing.
13 For I am the LORD your God, the one who takes hold of your right hand, who
says to you,‘Don’t be afraid, I am helping you.’
14 Don’t be afraid, despised insignificant Jacob, men of Israel. I am helping
you,” says the LORD, your protector, the Holy One of Israel.
15 “Look, I am making you like a sharp threshing sledge, new and double-edged.
You will thresh the mountains and crush them; you will make the hills like
straw.
16 You will winnow them and the wind will blow them away; the wind will scatter
them. You will rejoice in the LORD; you will boast in the Holy One of Israel.
17 The oppressed and the poor look for water, but there is none; their tongues
are parched from thirst. I, the LORD, will respond to their prayers; I, the God
of Israel, will not abandon them.
18 I will make streams flow down the slopes and produce springs in the middle of
the valleys. I will turn the wilderness into a pool of water and the arid land
into springs.
19 I will make cedars, acacias, myrtles, and olive trees grow in the wilderness;
I will make evergreens, firs, and cypresses grow together in the arid rift
valley.
20 I will do this so people will observe and recognize, so they will pay
attention and understand that the LORD’s power has accomplished this, and that
the Holy One of Israel has brought it into being.”
21 The Lord Challenges the Pagan Gods“Present your argument,” says the
LORD.“Produce your evidence,” says Jacob’s king.
22 “Let them produce evidence! Let them tell us what will happen! Tell us
about your earlier predictive oracles, so we may examine them and see how they
were fulfilled. Or decree for us some future events!
23 Predict how future events will turn out, so we might know you are gods. Yes,
do something good or bad, so we might be frightened and in awe.
24 Look, you are nothing, and your accomplishments are nonexistent; the one who
chooses to worship you is disgusting.
25 I have stirred up one out of the north and he advances, one from the eastern
horizon who prays in my name. He steps on rulers as if they were clay, like a
potter treading the clay.
26 Who decreed this from the beginning, so we could know? Who announced it ahead
of time, so we could say,‘He’s correct’? Indeed, none of them decreed it!
Indeed, none of them announced it! Indeed, no one heard you say anything!
27 I first decreed to Zion,‘Look, here’s what will happen!’ I sent a
herald to Jerusalem.
28 I look, but there is no one, among them there is no one who serves as an
adviser, that I might ask questions and receive answers.
29 Look, all of them are nothing, their accomplishments are nonexistent; their
metal images lack any real substance.

Chapter 42

1 The Lord Commissions His Special Servant“Here is my servant whom I support,
my chosen one in whom I take pleasure. I have placed my Spirit on him; he will
make just decrees for the nations.
2 He will not cry out or shout; he will not publicize himself in the streets.
3 A crushed reed he will not break, a dim wick he will not extinguish; he will
faithfully make just decrees.
4 He will not grow dim or be crushed before establishing justice on the earth;
the coastlands will wait in anticipation for his decrees.”
5 This is what the true God, the LORD, says– the one who created the sky and
stretched it out, the one who fashioned the earth and everything that lives on
it, the one who gives breath to the people on it, and life to those who live on
it:
6 “I, the LORD, officially commission you; I take hold of your hand. I protect
you and make you a covenant mediator for people, and a light to the nations,
7 to open blind eyes, to release prisoners from dungeons, those who live in
darkness from prisons.
8 The Lord Intervenes I am the LORD! That is my name! I will not share my glory
with anyone else, or the praise due me with idols.
9 Look, my earlier predictive oracles have come to pass; now I announce new
events. Before they begin to occur, I reveal them to you.”
10 Sing to the LORD a brand new song! Praise him from the horizon of the earth,
you who go down to the sea, and everything that lives in it, you coastlands and
those who live there!
11 Let the wilderness and its cities shout out, the towns where the nomads of
Kedar live! Let the residents of Sela shout joyfully; let them shout loudly from
the mountaintops.
12 Let them give the LORD the honor he deserves; let them praise his deeds in
the coastlands.
13 The LORD emerges like a hero, like a warrior he inspires himself for battle;
he shouts, yes, he yells, he shows his enemies his power.
14 “I have been inactive for a long time; I kept quiet and held back. Like a
woman in labor I groan; I pant and gasp.
15 I will make the trees on the mountains and hills wither up; I will dry up all
their vegetation. I will turn streams into islands, and dry up pools of water.
16 I will lead the blind along an unfamiliar way; I will guide them down paths
they have never traveled. I will turn the darkness in front of them into light,
and level out the rough ground. This is what I will do for them. I will not
abandon them.
17 Those who trust in idols will turn back and be utterly humiliated, those who
say to metal images,‘You are our gods.’”
18 The Lord Reasons with His People“Listen, you deaf ones! Take notice, you
blind ones!
19 My servant is truly blind, my messenger is truly deaf. My covenant partner,
the servant of the LORD, is truly blind.
20 You see many things, but don’t comprehend; their ears are open, but do not
hear.”
21 The LORD wanted to exhibit his justice by magnifying his law and displaying
it.
22 But these people are looted and plundered; all of them are trapped in pits
and held captive in prisons. They were carried away as loot with no one to
rescue them; they were carried away as plunder, and no one says,“Bring that
back!”
23 Who among you will pay attention to this? Who will listen attentively in the
future?
24 Who handed Jacob over to the robber? Who handed Israel over to the looters?
Was it not the LORD, against whom we sinned? They refused to follow his
commands; they disobeyed his law.
25 So he poured out his fierce anger on them, along with the devastation of war.
Its flames encircled them, but they did not realize it; it burned against them,
but they did not take it to heart.

Chapter 43

1 The Lord Will Rescue His People Now, this is what the LORD says, the one who
created you, O Jacob, and formed you, O Israel:“Don’t be afraid, for I will
protect you. I call you by name, you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I am with you; when you pass through the
streams, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will
not be burned; the flames will not harm you.
3 For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your deliverer. I have
handed over Egypt as a ransom price, Ethiopia and Seba in place of you.
4 Since you are precious and special in my sight, and I love you, I will hand
over people in place of you, nations in place of your life.
5 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. From the east I will bring your
descendants; from the west I will gather you.
6 I will say to the north,‘Hand them over!’ and to the south,‘Don’t hold
any back!’ Bring my sons from distant lands, and my daughters from the remote
regions of the earth,
7 everyone who belongs to me, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed– yes,
whom I made!
8 The Lord Declares His Sovereignty Bring out the people who are blind, even
though they have eyes, those who are deaf, even though they have ears!
9 All nations gather together, the peoples assemble. Who among them announced
this? Who predicted earlier events for us? Let them produce their witnesses to
testify they were right; let them listen and affirm,‘It is true.’
10 You are my witnesses,” says the LORD,“my servant whom I have chosen, so
that you may consider and believe in me, and understand that I am he. No god was
formed before me, and none will outlive me.
11 I, I am the LORD, and there is no deliverer besides me.
12 I decreed and delivered and proclaimed, and there was no other god among you.
You are my witnesses,” says the LORD,“that I am God.
13 From this day forward I am he; no one can deliver from my power; I will act,
and who can prevent it?”
14 The Lord Will Do Something New This is what the LORD says, your protector,
the Holy One of Israel:“For your sake I send to Babylon and make them all
fugitives, turning the Babylonians’ joyful shouts into mourning songs.
15 I am the LORD, your Holy One, the one who created Israel, your king.”
16 This is what the LORD says, the one who made a road through the sea, a
pathway through the surging waters,
17 the one who led chariots and horses to destruction, together with a mighty
army. They fell down, never to rise again; they were extinguished, put out like
a burning wick:
18 “Don’t remember these earlier events; don’t recall these former events.
19 “Look, I am about to do something new. Now it begins to happen! Do you not
recognize it? Yes, I will make a road in the wilderness and paths in the
wastelands.
20 The wild animals honor me, the jackals and ostriches, because I put water in
the wilderness and streams in the wastelands, to quench the thirst of my chosen
people,
21 the people whom I formed for myself, so they might praise me.”
22 The Lord Rebukes His People“But you did not call for me, O Jacob; you did
not long for me, O Israel.
23 You did not bring me lambs for your burnt offerings; you did not honor me
with your sacrifices. I did not burden you with offerings; I did not make you
weary by demanding incense.
24 You did not buy me aromatic reeds; you did not present to me the fat of your
sacrifices. Yet you burdened me with your sins; you made me weary with your evil
deeds.
25 I, I am the one who blots out your rebellious deeds for my sake; your sins I
do not remember.
26 Remind me of what happened! Let’s debate! You, prove to me that you are
right!
27 The father of your nation sinned; your spokesmen rebelled against me.
28 So I defiled your holy princes, and handed Jacob over to destruction, and
subjected Israel to humiliating abuse.”

Chapter 44

1 The Lord Will Renew Israel“Now, listen, Jacob my servant, Israel whom I have
chosen!”
2 This is what the LORD, the one who made you, says– the one who formed you in
the womb and helps you:“Don’t be afraid, my servant Jacob, Jeshurun, whom I
have chosen!
3 For I will pour water on the parched ground and cause streams to flow on the
dry land. I will pour my Spirit on your offspring and my blessing on your
children.
4 They will sprout up like a tree in the grass, like poplars beside channels of
water.
5 One will say,‘I belong to the LORD,’ and another will use the
name‘Jacob.’ One will write on his hand,‘The LORD’s,’ and use the
name‘Israel.’”
6 The Absurdity of Idolatry This is what the LORD, Israel’s king, says, their
protector, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies:“I am the first and I am the last,
there is no God but me.
7 Who is like me? Let him make his claim! Let him announce it and explain it to
me– since I established an ancient people– let them announce future events!
8 Don’t panic! Don’t be afraid! Did I not tell you beforehand and decree it?
You are my witnesses! Is there any God but me? There is no other sheltering
rock; I know of none.
9 All who form idols are nothing; the things in which they delight are
worthless. Their witnesses cannot see; they recognize nothing, so they are put
to shame.
10 Who forms a god and casts an idol that will prove worthless?
11 Look, all his associates will be put to shame; the craftsmen are mere humans.
Let them all assemble and take their stand! They will panic and be put to shame.
12 A blacksmith works with his tool and forges metal over the coals. He forms it
with hammers; he makes it with his strong arm. He gets hungry and loses his
energy; he drinks no water and gets tired.
13 A carpenter takes measurements; he marks out an outline of its form; he
scrapes it with chisels, and marks it with a compass. He patterns it after the
human form, like a well-built human being, and puts it in a shrine.
14 He cuts down cedars and acquires a cypress or an oak. He gets trees from the
forest; he plants a cedar and the rain makes it grow.
15 A man uses it to make a fire; he takes some of it and warms himself. Yes, he
kindles a fire and bakes bread. Then he makes a god and worships it; he makes an
idol and bows down to it.
16 Half of it he burns in the fire– over that half he cooks meat; he roasts a
meal and fills himself. Yes, he warms himself and says,‘Ah! I am warm as I
look at the fire.’
17 With the rest of it he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships
it. He prays to it, saying,‘Rescue me, for you are my god!’
18 They do not comprehend or understand, for their eyes are blind and cannot
see; their minds do not discern.
19 No one thinks to himself, nor do they comprehend or understand and say to
themselves:‘I burned half of it in the fire– yes, I baked bread over the
coals; I roasted meat and ate it. With the rest of it should I make a disgusting
idol? Should I bow down to dry wood?’
20 He feeds on ashes; his deceived mind misleads him. He cannot rescue himself,
nor does he say,‘Is this not a false god I hold in my right hand?’
21 Remember these things, O Jacob, O Israel, for you are my servant. I formed
you to be my servant; O Israel, I will not forget you!
22 I remove the guilt of your rebellious deeds as if they were a cloud, the
guilt of your sins as if they were a cloud. Come back to me, for I protect
you.”
23 Shout for joy, O sky, for the LORD intervenes; shout out, you subterranean
regions of the earth. O mountains, give a joyful shout; you too, O forest and
all your trees! For the LORD protects Jacob; he reveals his splendor through
Israel.
24 The Lord Empowers Cyrus This is what the LORD, your protector, says, the one
who formed you in the womb:“I am the LORD, who made everything, who alone
stretched out the sky, who fashioned the earth all by myself,
25 who frustrates the omens of the empty talkers and humiliates the omen
readers, who overturns the counsel of the wise men and makes their advice seem
foolish,
26 who fulfills the oracles of his prophetic servants and brings to pass the
announcements of his messengers, who says about Jerusalem,‘She will be
inhabited,’ and about the towns of Judah,‘They will be rebuilt, her ruins I
will raise up,’
27 who says to the deep sea,‘Be dry! I will dry up your sea currents,’
28 who commissions Cyrus, the one I appointed as shepherd to carry out all my
wishes and to decree concerning Jerusalem,‘She will be rebuilt,’ and
concerning the temple,‘It will be reconstructed.’”

Chapter 45

1 This is what the LORD says to his chosen one, to Cyrus, whose right hand I
hold in order to subdue nations before him, and disarm kings, to open doors
before him, so gates remain unclosed:
2 “I will go before you and level mountains. Bronze doors I will shatter and
iron bars I will hack through.
3 I will give you hidden treasures, riches stashed away in secret places, so you
may recognize that I am the LORD, the one who calls you by name, the God of
Israel.
4 For the sake of my servant Jacob, Israel, my chosen one, I call you by name
and give you a title of respect, even though you do not submit to me.
5 I am the LORD, I have no peer, there is no God but me. I arm you for battle,
even though you do not recognize me.
6 I do this so people will recognize from east to west that there is no God but
me; I am the LORD, I have no peer.
7 I am the one who forms light and creates darkness; the one who brings about
peace and creates calamity. I am the LORD, who accomplishes all these things.
8 O sky, rain down from above! Let the clouds send down showers of deliverance!
Let the earth absorb it so salvation may grow, and deliverance may sprout up
along with it. I, the LORD, create it.
9 The Lord Gives a Warning One who argues with his Creator is in grave danger,
one who is like a mere shard among the other shards on the ground! The clay
should not say to the potter,“What in the world are you doing? Your work lacks
skill!”
10 Danger awaits one who says to his father,“What in the world are you
fathering?” and to his mother,“What in the world are you bringing forth?”
11 This is what the LORD says, the Holy One of Israel, the one who formed him,
concerning things to come:“How dare you question me about my children! How
dare you tell me what to do with the work of my own hands!
12 I made the earth; I created the people who live on it. It was me– my hands
stretched out the sky. I give orders to all the heavenly lights.
13 It is me– I stir him up and commission him; I will make all his ways level.
He will rebuild my city; he will send my exiled people home, but not for a price
or a bribe,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
14 The Lord is the Nations’ Only Hope This is what the LORD says:“The profit
of Egypt and the revenue of Ethiopia, along with the Sabeans, those tall men,
will be brought to you and become yours. They will walk behind you, coming along
in chains. They will bow down to you and pray to you:‘Truly God is with you;
he has no peer; there is no other God!’”
15 Yes, you are a God who keeps hidden, O God of Israel, deliverer!
16 They will all be ashamed and embarrassed; those who fashion idols will all be
humiliated.
17 Israel will be delivered once and for all by the LORD; you will never again
be ashamed or humiliated.
18 For this is what the LORD says, the one who created the sky– he is the true
God, the one who formed the earth and made it; he established it, he did not
create it without order, he formed it to be inhabited–“I am the LORD, I have
no peer.
19 I have not spoken in secret, in some hidden place. I did not tell Jacob’s
descendants,‘Seek me in vain!’ I am the LORD, the one who speaks honestly,
who makes reliable announcements.
20 Gather together and come! Approach together, you refugees from the nations!
Those who carry wooden idols know nothing, those who pray to a god that cannot
deliver.
21 Tell me! Present the evidence! Let them consult with one another! Who
predicted this in the past? Who announced it beforehand? Was it not I, the LORD?
I have no peer, there is no God but me, a God who vindicates and delivers; there
is none but me.
22 Turn to me so you can be delivered, all you who live in the earth’s remote
regions! For I am God, and I have no peer.
23 I solemnly make this oath– what I say is true and reliable:‘Surely every
knee will bow to me, every tongue will solemnly affirm;
24 they will say about me,“Yes, the LORD is a powerful deliverer.”’” All
who are angry at him will cower before him.
25 All the descendants of Israel will be vindicated by the LORD and will boast
in him.

Chapter 46

1 The Lord Carries His People Bel kneels down, Nebo bends low. Their images
weigh down animals and beasts. Your heavy images are burdensome to tired
animals.
2 Together they bend low and kneel down; they are unable to rescue the images;
they themselves head off into captivity.
3 “Listen to me, O family of Jacob, all you who are left from the family of
Israel, you who have been carried from birth, you who have been supported from
the time you left the womb.
4 Even when you are old, I will take care of you, even when you have gray hair,
I will carry you. I made you and I will support you; I will carry you and rescue
you.
5 To whom can you compare and liken me? Tell me whom you think I resemble, so we
can be compared!
6 Those who empty out gold from a purse and weigh out silver on the scale hire a
metalsmith, who makes it into a god. They then bow down and worship it.
7 They put it on their shoulder and carry it; they put it in its place and it
just stands there; it does not move from its place. Even when someone cries out
to it, it does not reply; it does not deliver him from his distress.
8 Remember this, so you can be brave! Think about it, you rebels!
9 Remember what I accomplished in antiquity! Truly I am God, I have no peer; I
am God, and there is none like me,
10 who announces the end from the beginning and reveals beforehand what has not
yet occurred, who says,‘My plan will be realized, I will accomplish what I
desire,’
11 who summons an eagle from the east, from a distant land, one who carries out
my plan. Yes, I have decreed, yes, I will bring it to pass; I have formulated a
plan, yes, I will carry it out.
12 Listen to me, you stubborn people, you who distance yourself from doing what
is right.
13 I am bringing my deliverance near, it is not far away; I am bringing my
salvation near, it does not wait. I will save Zion; I will adorn Israel with my
splendor.”

Chapter 47

1 Babylon Will Fall“Fall down! Sit in the dirt, O virgin daughter Babylon! Sit
on the ground, not on a throne, O daughter of the Babylonians! Indeed, you will
no longer be called delicate and pampered.
2 Pick up millstones and grind flour! Remove your veil, strip off your skirt,
expose your legs, cross the streams!
3 Let your naked body be exposed! Your shame will be on display! I will get
revenge; I will not have pity on anyone,”
4 says our protector– the LORD of Heaven’s Armies is his name, the Holy One
of Israel.
5 “Sit silently! Go to a hiding place, O daughter of the Babylonians! Indeed,
you will no longer be called‘Queen of kingdoms.’
6 I was angry at my people; I defiled my special possession and handed them over
to you. You showed them no mercy; you even placed a very heavy burden on old
people.
7 You said,‘I will rule forever as permanent queen!’ You did not think about
these things; you did not consider how it would turn out.
8 So now, listen to this, O one who lives so lavishly, who lives securely, who
says to herself,‘I am unique! No one can compare to me! I will never have to
live as a widow; I will never lose my children.’
9 Both of these will come upon you suddenly, in one day! You will lose your
children and be widowed. You will be overwhelmed by these tragedies, despite
your many incantations and your numerous amulets.
10 You were complacent in your evil deeds; you thought,‘No one sees me.’
Your self-professed wisdom and knowledge lead you astray, when you say,‘I am
unique! No one can compare to me!’
11 Disaster will overtake you; you will not know how to charm it away.
Destruction will fall on you; you will not be able to appease it. Calamity will
strike you suddenly, before you recognize it.
12 Persist in trusting your amulets and your many incantations, which you have
faithfully recited since your youth! Maybe you will be successful– maybe you
will scare away disaster.
13 You are tired out from listening to so much advice. Let them take their
stand– the ones who see omens in the sky, who gaze at the stars, who make
monthly predictions– let them rescue you from the disaster that is about to
overtake you!
14 Look, they are like straw, which the fire burns up; they cannot rescue
themselves from the heat of the flames. There are no coals to warm them, no
firelight to enjoy.
15 They will disappoint you, those you have so faithfully dealt with since your
youth. Each strays off in his own direction, leaving no one to rescue you.”

Chapter 48

1 The Lord Appeals to the Exiles Listen to this, O family of Jacob, you who are
called by the name‘Israel,’ and are descended from Judah, who take oaths in
the name of the LORD, and invoke the God of Israel– but not in an honest and
just manner.
2 Indeed, they live in the holy city; they trust in the God of Israel, whose
name is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
3 “I announced events beforehand, I issued the decrees and made the
predictions; suddenly I acted and they came to pass.
4 I did this because I know how stubborn you are. Your neck muscles are like
iron and your forehead like bronze.
5 I announced them to you beforehand; before they happened, I predicted them for
you, so you could never say,‘My image did these things, my idol, my cast
image, decreed them.’
6 You have heard; now look at all the evidence! Will you not admit that what I
say is true? From this point on I am announcing to you new events that are
previously unrevealed and you do not know about.
7 Now they come into being, not in the past; before today you did not hear about
them, so you could not say,‘Yes, I know about them.’
8 You did not hear, you do not know, you were not told beforehand. For I know
that you are very deceitful; you were labeled a rebel from birth.
9 For the sake of my reputation I hold back my anger; for the sake of my
prestige I restrain myself from destroying you.
10 Look, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have purified you in the
furnace of misery.
11 For my sake alone I will act, for how can I allow my name to be defiled? I
will not share my glory with anyone else!
12 Listen to me, O Jacob, Israel, whom I summoned! I am the one; I am present at
the very beginning and at the very end.
13 Yes, my hand founded the earth; my right hand spread out the sky. I summon
them; they stand together.
14 All of you, gather together and listen! Who among them announced these
things? The LORD’s ally will carry out his desire against Babylon; he will
exert his power against the Babylonians.
15 I, I have spoken– yes, I have summoned him; I lead him and he will succeed.
16 Approach me! Listen to this! From the very first I have not spoken in secret;
when it happens, I am there.” So now, the Sovereign LORD has sent me,
accompanied by his Spirit.
17 This is what the LORD, your protector, says, the Holy One of Israel:“I am
the LORD your God, who teaches you how to succeed, who leads you in the way you
should go.
18 If only you had obeyed my commandments, prosperity would have flowed to you
like a river, deliverance would have come to you like the waves of the sea.
19 Your descendants would have been as numerous as sand, and your children like
its granules. Their name would not have been cut off and eliminated from my
presence.
20 Leave Babylon! Flee from the Babylonians! Announce it with a shout of joy!
Make this known! Proclaim it throughout the earth! Say,‘The LORD protects his
servant Jacob.
21 They do not thirst as he leads them through dry regions; he makes water flow
out of a rock for them; he splits open a rock and water flows out.’
22 There will be no prosperity for the wicked,” says the LORD.

Chapter 49

1 Ideal Israel Delivers the Exiles Listen to me, you coastlands! Pay attention,
you people who live far away! The LORD summoned me from birth; he commissioned
me when my mother brought me into the world.
2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword, he hid me in the hollow of his hand; he
made me like a sharpened arrow, he hid me in his quiver.
3 He said to me,“You are my servant, Israel, through whom I will reveal my
splendor.”
4 But I thought,“I have worked in vain; I have expended my energy for
absolutely nothing.” But the LORD will vindicate me; my God will reward me.
5 So now the LORD says, the one who formed me from birth to be his servant– he
did this to restore Jacob to himself, so that Israel might be gathered to him;
and I will be honored in the LORD’s sight, for my God is my source of
strength–
6 he says,“Is it too insignificant a task for you to be my servant, to
reestablish the tribes of Jacob, and restore the remnant of Israel? I will make
you a light to the nations, so you can bring my deliverance to the remote
regions of the earth.”
7 This is what the LORD, the protector of Israel, their Holy One, says to the
one who is despised and rejected by nations, a servant of rulers:“Kings will
see and rise in respect, princes will bow down, because of the faithful LORD,
the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you.”
8 This is what the LORD says:“At the time I decide to show my favor, I will
respond to you; in the day of deliverance I will help you; I will protect you
and make you a covenant mediator for people, to rebuild the land and to reassign
the desolate property.
9 You will say to the prisoners,‘Come out,’ and to those who are in dark
dungeons,‘Emerge.’ They will graze beside the roads; on all the slopes they
will find pasture.
10 They will not be hungry or thirsty; the sun’s oppressive heat will not beat
down on them, for one who has compassion on them will guide them; he will lead
them to springs of water.
11 I will make all my mountains into a road; I will construct my roadways.”
12 Look, they come from far away! Look, some come from the north and west, and
others from the land of Sinim!
13 Shout for joy, O sky! Rejoice, O earth! Let the mountains give a joyful
shout! For the LORD consoles his people and shows compassion to the oppressed.
14 The Lord Remembers Zion“Zion said,‘The LORD has abandoned me, the Lord
has forgotten me.’
15 Can a woman forget her baby who nurses at her breast? Can she withhold
compassion from the child she has borne? Even if mothers were to forget, I could
never forget you!
16 Look, I have inscribed your name on my palms; your walls are constantly
before me.
17 Your children hurry back, while those who destroyed and devastated you
depart.
18 Look all around you! All of them gather to you. As surely as I live,” says
the LORD,“you will certainly wear all of them like jewelry; you will put them
on as if you were a bride.
19 Yes, your land lies in ruins; it is desolate and devastated. But now you will
be too small to hold your residents, and those who devoured you will be far
away.
20 Yet the children born during your time of bereavement will say within your
hearing,‘This place is too cramped for us, make room for us so we can live
here.’
21 Then you will think to yourself,‘Who bore these children for me? I was
bereaved and barren, dismissed and divorced. Who raised these children? Look, I
was left all alone; where did these children come from?’”
22 This is what the Sovereign LORD says:“Look I will raise my hand to the
nations; I will raise my signal flag to the peoples. They will bring your sons
in their arms and carry your daughters on their shoulders.
23 Kings will be your children’s guardians; their princesses will nurse your
children. With their faces to the ground they will bow down to you and they will
lick the dirt on your feet. Then you will recognize that I am the LORD; those
who wait patiently for me are not put to shame.
24 Can spoils be taken from a warrior, or captives be rescued from a conqueror?
25 Indeed,” says the LORD,“captives will be taken from a warrior; spoils
will be rescued from a conqueror. I will oppose your adversary and I will rescue
your children.
26 I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh; they will get drunk on their
own blood, as if it were wine. Then all humankind will recognize that I am the
LORD, your deliverer, your protector, the Powerful One of Jacob.”

Chapter 50

1 This is what the LORD says:“Where is your mother’s divorce certificate by
which I divorced her? Or to which of my creditors did I sell you? Look, you were
sold because of your sins; because of your rebellious acts I divorced your
mother.
2 Why does no one challenge me when I come? Why does no one respond when I call?
Is my hand too weak to deliver you? Do I lack the power to rescue you? Look,
with a mere shout I can dry up the sea; I can turn streams into a desert, so the
fish rot away and die from lack of water.
3 I can clothe the sky in darkness; I can cover it with sackcloth.”
4 The Servant Perseveres The Sovereign LORD has given me the capacity to be his
spokesman, so that I know how to help the weary. He wakes me up every morning;
he makes me alert so I can listen attentively as disciples do.
5 The Sovereign LORD has spoken to me clearly; I have not rebelled, I have not
turned back.
6 I offered my back to those who attacked, my jaws to those who tore out my
beard; I did not hide my face from insults and spitting.
7 But the Sovereign LORD helps me, so I am not humiliated. For that reason I am
steadfastly resolved; I know I will not be put to shame.
8 The one who vindicates me is close by. Who dares to argue with me? Let us
confront each other! Who is my accuser? Let him challenge me!
9 Look, the Sovereign LORD helps me. Who dares to condemn me? Look, all of them
will wear out like clothes; a moth will eat away at them.
10 Who among you fears the LORD? Who obeys his servant? Whoever walks in deep
darkness, without light, should trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his
God.
11 Look, all of you who start a fire and who equip yourselves with flaming
arrows, walk in the light of the fire you started and among the flaming arrows
you ignited! This is what you will receive from me: you will lie down in a place
of pain.

Chapter 51

1 There is Hope for the Future“Listen to me, you who pursue godliness, who
seek the LORD! Look at the rock from which you were chiseled, at the quarry from
which you were dug!
2 Look at Abraham, your father, and Sarah, who gave you birth. When I summoned
him, he was a lone individual, but I blessed him and gave him numerous
descendants.
3 Certainly the LORD will console Zion; he will console all her ruins. He will
make her wilderness like Eden, her arid rift valley like the Garden of the LORD.
Happiness and joy will be restored to her, thanksgiving and the sound of music.
4 Pay attention to me, my people! Listen to me, my people! For I will issue a
decree, I will make my justice a light to the nations.
5 I am ready to vindicate, I am ready to deliver, I will establish justice among
the nations. The coastlands wait patiently for me; they wait in anticipation for
the revelation of my power.
6 Look up at the sky! Look at the earth below! For the sky will dissipate like
smoke, and the earth will wear out like clothes; its residents will die like
gnats. But the deliverance I give is permanent; the vindication I provide will
not disappear.
7 Listen to me, you who know what is right, you people who are aware of my law!
Don’t be afraid of the insults of men; don’t be discouraged because of their
abuse!
8 For a moth will eat away at them like clothes; a clothes moth will devour them
like wool. But the vindication I provide will be permanent; the deliverance I
give will last.”
9 Wake up! Wake up! Clothe yourself with strength, O arm of the LORD! Wake up as
in former times, as in antiquity! Did you not smash the Proud One? Did you not
wound the sea monster?
10 Did you not dry up the sea, the waters of the great deep? Did you not make a
path through the depths of the sea, so those delivered from bondage could cross
over?
11 Those whom the LORD has ransomed will return; they will enter Zion with a
happy shout. Unending joy will crown them, happiness and joy will overwhelm
them; grief and suffering will disappear.
12 “I, I am the one who consoles you. Why are you afraid of mortal men, of
mere human beings who are as short-lived as grass?
13 Why do you forget the LORD, who made you, who stretched out the sky and
founded the earth? Why do you constantly tremble all day long at the anger of
the oppressor, when he makes plans to destroy? Where is the anger of the
oppressor?
14 The one who suffers will soon be released; he will not die in prison, he will
not go hungry.
15 I am the LORD your God, who churns up the sea so that its waves surge. The
LORD of Heaven’s Armies is his name!
16 Zion’s Time to Celebrate I commission you as my spokesman; I cover you with
the palm of my hand, to establish the sky and to found the earth, to say to
Zion,‘You are my people.’”
17 Wake up! Wake up! Get up, O Jerusalem! You drank from the cup the LORD passed
to you, which was full of his anger! You drained dry the goblet full of
intoxicating wine.
18 There was no one to lead her among all the children she bore; there was no
one to take her by the hand among all the children she raised.
19 These double disasters confronted you. But who feels sorry for you?
Destruction and devastation, famine and sword. But who consoles you?
20 Your children faint; they lie at the head of every street like an antelope in
a snare. They are left in a stupor by the LORD’s anger, by the battle cry of
your God.
21 So listen to this, oppressed one, who is drunk, but not from wine!
22 This is what your Sovereign LORD, even your God who judges his people
says:“Look, I have removed from your hand the cup of intoxicating wine, the
goblet full of my anger. You will no longer have to drink it.
23 I will put it into the hand of your tormentors who said to you,‘Lie down,
so we can walk over you.’ You made your back like the ground, and like the
street for those who walked over you.”

Chapter 52

1 Wake up! Wake up! Clothe yourself with strength, O Zion! Put on your beautiful
clothes, O Jerusalem, holy city! For uncircumcised and unclean pagans will no
longer invade you.
2 Shake off the dirt! Get up, captive Jerusalem! Take off the iron chains around
your neck, O captive daughter Zion!
3 For this is what the LORD says:“You were sold for nothing, and you will not
be redeemed for money.”
4 For this is what the Sovereign LORD says:“In the beginning my people went to
live temporarily in Egypt; Assyria oppressed them for no good reason.
5 And now, what do we have here?” says the LORD.“Indeed my people have been
carried away for nothing, those who rule over them taunt,” says the
LORD,“and my name is constantly slandered all day long.
6 For this reason my people will know my name, for this reason they will know at
that time that I am the one who says,‘Here I am.’”
7 How delightful it is to see approaching over the mountains the feet of a
messenger who announces peace, a messenger who brings good news, who announces
deliverance, who says to Zion,“Your God reigns!”
8 Listen, your watchmen shout; in unison they shout for joy, for they see with
their very own eyes the LORD’s return to Zion.
9 In unison give a joyful shout, O ruins of Jerusalem! For the LORD consoles his
people; he protects Jerusalem.
10 The LORD reveals his royal power in the sight of all the nations; the entire
earth sees our God deliver.
11 Leave! Leave! Get out of there! Don’t touch anything unclean! Get out of
it! Stay pure, you who carry the LORD’s holy items!
12 Yet do not depart quickly or leave in a panic. For the LORD goes before you;
the God of Israel is your rear guard.
13 The Lord Will Vindicate His Servant“Look, my servant will succeed! He will
be elevated, lifted high, and greatly exalted–
14 (just as many were horrified by the sight of you) he was so disfigured he no
longer looked like a man; his form was so marred he no longer looked human–
15 so now he will startle many nations. Kings will be shocked by his exaltation,
for they will witness something unannounced to them, and they will understand
something they had not heard about.

Chapter 53

1 Who would have believed what we just heard? When was the LORD’s power
revealed through him?
2 He sprouted up like a twig before God, like a root out of parched soil; he had
no stately form or majesty that might catch our attention, no special appearance
that we should want to follow him.
3 He was despised and rejected by people, one who experienced pain and was
acquainted with illness; people hid their faces from him; he was despised, and
we considered him insignificant.
4 But he lifted up our illnesses, he carried our pain; even though we thought he
was being punished, attacked by God, and afflicted for something he had done.
5 He was wounded because of our rebellious deeds, crushed because of our sins;
he endured punishment that made us well; because of his wounds we have been
healed.
6 All of us had wandered off like sheep; each of us had strayed off on his own
path, but the LORD caused the sin of all of us to attack him.
7 He was treated harshly and afflicted, but he did not even open his mouth. Like
a lamb led to the slaughtering block, like a sheep silent before her shearers,
he did not even open his mouth.
8 He was led away after an unjust trial– but who even cared? Indeed, he was
cut off from the land of the living; because of the rebellion of his own people
he was wounded.
9 They intended to bury him with criminals, but he ended up in a rich man’s
tomb, because he had committed no violent deeds, nor had he spoken deceitfully.
10 Though the LORD desired to crush him and make him ill, once restitution is
made, he will see descendants and enjoy long life, and the LORD’s purpose will
be accomplished through him.
11 Having suffered, he will reflect on his work, he will be satisfied when he
understands what he has done.“My servant will acquit many, for he carried
their sins.
12 So I will assign him a portion with the multitudes, he will divide the spoils
of victory with the powerful, because he willingly submitted to death and was
numbered with the rebels, when he lifted up the sin of many and intervened on
behalf of the rebels.”

Chapter 54

1 Zion Will Be Secure“Shout for joy, O barren one who has not given birth!
Give a joyful shout and cry out, you who have not been in labor! For the
children of the desolate one are more numerous than the children of the married
woman,” says the LORD.
2 Make your tent larger, stretch your tent curtains farther out! Spare no
effort, lengthen your ropes, and pound your stakes deep.
3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your children will
conquer nations and will resettle desolate cities.
4 Don’t be afraid, for you will not be put to shame! Don’t be intimidated,
for you will not be humiliated! You will forget about the shame you experienced
in your youth; you will no longer remember the disgrace of your abandonment.
5 For your husband is the one who made you– the LORD of Heaven’s Armies is
his name. He is your protector, the Holy One of Israel. He is called“God of
the entire earth.”
6 “Indeed, the LORD will call you back like a wife who has been abandoned and
suffers from depression, like a young wife when she has been rejected,” says
your God.
7 “For a short time I abandoned you, but with great compassion I will gather
you.
8 In a burst of anger I rejected you momentarily, but with lasting devotion I
will have compassion on you,” says your protector, the LORD.
9 “As far as I am concerned, this is like in Noah’s time, when I vowed that
the waters of Noah’s flood would never again cover the earth. In the same way
I have vowed that I will not be angry at you or shout at you.
10 Even if the mountains are removed and the hills displaced, my devotion will
not be removed from you, nor will my covenant of friendship be displaced,”
says the LORD, the one who has compassion on you.
11 “O afflicted one, driven away, and unconsoled! Look, I am about to set your
stones in antimony and I lay your foundation with lapis lazuli.
12 I will make your pinnacles out of gems, your gates out of beryl, and your
outer wall out of beautiful stones.
13 All your children will be followers of the LORD, and your children will enjoy
great prosperity.
14 You will be reestablished when I vindicate you. You will not experience
oppression; indeed, you will not be afraid. You will not be terrified, for
nothing frightening will come near you.
15 If anyone dares to challenge you, it will not be my doing! Whoever tries to
challenge you will be defeated.
16 Look, I create the craftsman, who fans the coals into a fire and forges a
weapon. I create the destroyer so he might devastate.
17 No weapon forged to be used against you will succeed; you will refute
everyone who tries to accuse you. This is what the LORD will do for his
servants– I will vindicate them,” says the LORD.

Chapter 55

1 The Lord Gives an Invitation“Hey, all who are thirsty, come to the water!
You who have no money, come! Buy and eat! Come! Buy wine and milk without money
and without cost!
2 Why pay money for something that will not nourish you? Why spend your
hard-earned money on something that will not satisfy? Listen carefully to me and
eat what is nourishing! Enjoy fine food!
3 Pay attention and come to me! Listen, so you can live! Then I will make an
unconditional covenantal promise to you, just like the reliable covenantal
promises I made to David.
4 Look, I made him a witness to nations, a ruler and commander of nations.”
5 Look, you will summon nations you did not previously know; nations that did
not previously know you will run to you, because of the LORD your God, the Holy
One of Israel, for he bestows honor on you.
6 Seek the LORD while he makes himself available; call to him while he is
nearby!
7 The wicked need to abandon their lifestyle and sinful people their plans. They
should return to the LORD, and he will show mercy to them, and to their God, for
he will freely forgive them.
8 “Indeed, my plans are not like your plans, and my deeds are not like your
deeds,” says the LORD,
9 “for just as the sky is higher than the earth, so my deeds are superior to
your deeds and my plans superior to your plans.
10 The rain and snow fall from the sky and do not return, but instead water the
earth and make it produce and yield crops, and provide seed for the planter and
food for those who must eat.
11 In the same way, the promise that I make does not return to me, having
accomplished nothing. No, it is realized as I desire and is fulfilled as I
intend.”
12 Indeed you will go out with joy; you will be led along in peace; the
mountains and hills will give a joyful shout before you, and all the trees in
the field will clap their hands.
13 Evergreens will grow in place of thorn bushes, firs will grow in place of
nettles; they will be a monument to the LORD, a permanent reminder that will
remain.

Chapter 56

1 The Lord Invites Outsiders to Enter This is what the LORD says,“Promote
justice! Do what is right! For I am ready to deliver you; I am ready to
vindicate you openly.
2 The people who do this will be blessed, the people who commit themselves to
obedience, who observe the Sabbath and do not defile it, who refrain from doing
anything that is wrong.
3 No foreigner who becomes a follower of the LORD should say,‘The LORD will
certainly exclude me from his people.’ The eunuch should not say,‘Look, I am
like a dried-up tree.’”
4 For this is what the LORD says:“For the eunuchs who observe my Sabbaths and
choose what pleases me and are faithful to my covenant,
5 I will set up within my temple and my walls a monument that will be better
than sons and daughters. I will set up a permanent monument for them that will
remain.
6 As for foreigners who become followers of the LORD and serve him, who love the
name of the LORD and want to be his servants– all who observe the Sabbath and
do not defile it, and who are faithful to my covenant–
7 I will bring them to my holy mountain; I will make them happy in the temple
where people pray to me. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted
on my altar, for my temple will be known as a temple where all nations may
pray.”
8 The Sovereign LORD says this, the one who gathers the dispersed of Israel:“I
will still gather them up.”
9 The Lord Denounces Israel’s Paganism All you wild animals in the fields,
come and devour, all you wild animals in the forest!
10 All their watchmen are blind, they are unaware. All of them are like mute
dogs, unable to bark. They pant, lie down, and love to snooze.
11 The dogs have big appetites; they are never full. They are shepherds who have
no understanding; they all go their own way, each one looking for monetary gain.
12 Each one says,‘Come on, I’ll get some wine! Let’s guzzle some beer!
Tomorrow will be just like today! We’ll have everything we want!’

Chapter 57

1 The godly perish, but no one cares. Honest people disappear, when no one minds
that the godly disappear because of evil.
2 Those who live uprightly enter a place of peace; they rest on their beds.
3 But approach, you sons of omen readers, you offspring of adulteresses and
prostitutes!
4 At whom are you laughing? At whom are you opening your mouth and sticking out
your tongue? You are the children of rebels, the offspring of liars,
5 you who inflame your lusts among the oaks and under every green tree, who
slaughter children near the streams under the rocky overhangs.
6 Among the smooth stones of the stream are the idols you love; they, they are
the object of your devotion. You pour out liquid offerings to them, you make an
offering. Because of these things how can I relent from judgment?
7 On every high, elevated hill you prepare your bed; you go up there to offer
sacrifices.
8 Behind the door and doorpost you put your symbols. Indeed, you depart from me
and go up and invite them into bed with you. You purchase favors from them, you
love their bed, and gaze longingly on their naked bodies.
9 You take olive oil as tribute to your king, along with many perfumes. You send
your messengers to a distant place; you go all the way to Sheol.
10 Because of the long distance you must travel, you get tired, but you do not
say,‘I give up.’ You get renewed energy, so you don’t collapse.
11 Whom are you worried about? Whom do you fear, that you would act so
deceitfully and not remember me or think about me? Because I have been silent
for so long, you are not afraid of me.
12 I will denounce your so-called righteousness and your deeds, but they will
not help you.
13 When you cry out for help, let your idols help you! The wind blows them all
away, a breeze carries them away. But the one who looks to me for help will
inherit the land and will have access to my holy mountain.”
14 He says,“Build it! Build it! Clear a way! Remove all the obstacles out of
the way of my people!”
15 For this is what the high and exalted one says, the one who rules forever,
whose name is holy:“I dwell in an exalted and holy place, but also with the
discouraged and humiliated, in order to cheer up the humiliated and to encourage
the discouraged.
16 For I will not be hostile forever or perpetually angry, for then man’s
spirit would grow faint before me, the life-giving breath I created.
17 I was angry because of their sinful greed; I attacked them and angrily
rejected them, yet they remained disobedient and stubborn.
18 I have seen their behavior, but I will heal them. I will lead them, and I
will provide comfort to them and those who mourn with them.
19 I am the one who gives them reason to celebrate. Complete prosperity is
available both to those who are far away and those who are nearby,” says the
LORD,“and I will heal them.
20 But the wicked are like a surging sea that is unable to be quiet; its waves
toss up mud and sand.
21 There will be no prosperity,” says my God,“for the wicked.”

Chapter 58

1 The Lord Desires Genuine Devotion“Shout loudly! Don’t be quiet! Yell as
loud as a trumpet! Confront my people with their rebellious deeds; confront
Jacob’s family with their sin!
2 They seek me day after day; they want to know my requirements, like a nation
that does what is right and does not reject the law of their God. They ask me
for just decrees; they want to be near God.
3 They lament,‘Why don’t you notice when we fast? Why don’t you pay
attention when we humble ourselves?’ Look, at the same time you fast, you
satisfy your selfish desires, you oppress your workers.
4 Look, your fasting is accompanied by arguments, brawls, and fistfights. Do not
fast as you do today, trying to make your voice heard in heaven.
5 Is this really the kind of fasting I want? Do I want a day when people merely
humble themselves, bowing their heads like a reed and stretching out on
sackcloth and ashes? Is this really what you call a fast, a day that is pleasing
to the LORD?
6 No, this is the kind of fast I want. I want you to remove the sinful chains,
to tear away the ropes of the burdensome yoke, to set free the oppressed, and to
break every burdensome yoke.
7 I want you to share your food with the hungry and to provide shelter for
homeless, oppressed people. When you see someone naked, clothe him! Don’t turn
your back on your own flesh and blood!
8 Then your light will shine like the sunrise; your restoration will quickly
arrive; your godly behavior will go before you, and the LORD’s splendor will
be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call out, and the LORD will respond; you will cry out, and he
will reply,‘Here I am.’ You must remove the burdensome yoke from among you
and stop pointing fingers and speaking sinfully.
10 You must actively help the hungry and feed the oppressed. Then your light
will dispel the darkness, and your darkness will be transformed into noonday.
11 The LORD will continually lead you; he will feed you even in parched regions.
He will give you renewed strength, and you will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring that continually produces water.
12 Your perpetual ruins will be rebuilt; you will reestablish the ancient
foundations. You will be called,‘The one who repairs broken walls, the one who
makes the streets inhabitable again.’
13 You must observe the Sabbath rather than doing anything you please on my holy
day. You must look forward to the Sabbath and treat the LORD’s holy day with
respect. You must treat it with respect by refraining from your normal
activities, and by refraining from your selfish pursuits and from making
business deals.
14 Then you will find joy in your relationship to the LORD, and I will give you
great prosperity, and cause crops to grow on the land I gave to your ancestor
Jacob.” Know for certain that the LORD has spoken.

Chapter 59

1 Injustice Brings Alienation from God Look, the LORD’s hand is not too weak
to deliver you; his ear is not too deaf to hear you.
2 But your sinful acts have alienated you from your God; your sins have caused
him to reject you and not listen to your prayers.
3 For your hands are stained with blood and your fingers with sin; your lips
speak lies, your tongue utters malicious words.
4 No one is concerned about justice; no one sets forth his case truthfully. They
depend on false words and tell lies; they conceive of oppression and give birth
to sin.
5 They hatch the eggs of a poisonous snake and spin a spider’s web. Whoever
eats their eggs will die, a poisonous snake is hatched.
6 Their webs cannot be used for clothing; they cannot cover themselves with what
they make. Their deeds are sinful; they commit violent crimes.
7 They are eager to do evil, quick to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are
sinful; they crush and destroy.
8 They are unfamiliar with peace; their deeds are unjust. They use deceitful
methods, and whoever deals with them is unfamiliar with peace.
9 Israel Confesses its Sin For this reason deliverance is far from us and
salvation does not reach us. We wait for light, but see only darkness; we wait
for a bright light, but live in deep darkness.
10 We grope along the wall like the blind, we grope like those who cannot see;
we stumble at noontime as if it were evening. Though others are strong, we are
like dead men.
11 We all growl like bears, we coo mournfully like doves; we wait for
deliverance, but there is none, for salvation, but it is far from us.
12 For you are aware of our many rebellious deeds, and our sins testify against
us; indeed, we are aware of our rebellious deeds; we know our sins all too well.
13 We have rebelled and tried to deceive the LORD; we turned back from following
our God. We stir up oppression and rebellion; we tell lies we concocted in our
minds.
14 Justice is driven back; godliness stands far off. Indeed, honesty stumbles in
the city square and morality is not even able to enter.
15 Honesty has disappeared; the one who tries to avoid evil is robbed. The LORD
watches and is displeased, for there is no justice.
16 The Lord Intervenes He sees there is no advocate; he is shocked that no one
intervenes. So he takes matters into his own hands; his desire for justice
drives him on.
17 He wears his desire for justice like body armor, and his desire to deliver is
like a helmet on his head. He puts on the garments of vengeance and wears zeal
like a robe.
18 He repays them for what they have done, dispensing angry judgment to his
adversaries and punishing his enemies. He repays the coastlands.
19 In the west, people respect the LORD’s reputation; in the east they
recognize his splendor. For he comes like a rushing stream driven on by wind
sent from the LORD.
20 “A protector comes to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their
rebellious deeds,” says the LORD.
21 “As for me, this is my promise to them,” says the LORD.“My Spirit, who
is upon you, and my words, which I have placed in your mouth, will not depart
from your mouth or from the mouths of your children and descendants from this
time forward,” says the LORD.

Chapter 60

1 Zion’s Future Splendor“Arise! Shine! For your light arrives! The splendor
of the LORD shines on you!
2 For, look, darkness covers the earth and deep darkness covers the nations, but
the LORD shines on you; his splendor appears over you.
3 Nations come to your light, kings to your bright light.
4 Look all around you! They all gather and come to you– your sons come from
far away and your daughters are escorted by guardians.
5 Then you will look and smile, you will be excited and your heart will swell
with pride. For the riches of distant lands will belong to you and the wealth of
nations will come to you.
6 Camel caravans will cover your roads, young camels from Midian and Ephah. All
the merchants of Sheba will come, bringing gold and incense and singing praises
to the LORD.
7 All the sheep of Kedar will be gathered to you; the rams of Nebaioth will be
available to you as sacrifices. They will go up on my altar acceptably, and I
will bestow honor on my majestic temple.
8 Who are these who float along like a cloud, who fly like doves to their
shelters?
9 Indeed, the coastlands look eagerly for me, the large ships are in the lead,
bringing your sons from far away, along with their silver and gold, to honor the
LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has bestowed honor on you.
10 Foreigners will rebuild your walls; their kings will serve you. Even though I
struck you down in my anger, I will restore my favor and have compassion on you.
11 Your gates will remain open at all times; they will not be shut during the
day or at night, so that the wealth of nations may be delivered, with their
kings leading the way.
12 Indeed, nations or kingdoms that do not serve you will perish; such nations
will definitely be destroyed.
13 The splendor of Lebanon will come to you, its evergreens, firs, and cypresses
together, to beautify my palace; I will bestow honor on my throne room.
14 The children of your oppressors will come bowing to you; all who treated you
with disrespect will bow down at your feet. They will call you,‘The City of
the LORD, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.’
15 You were once abandoned and despised, with no one passing through, but I will
make you a permanent source of pride and joy to coming generations.
16 You will drink the milk of nations; you will nurse at the breasts of kings.
Then you will recognize that I, the LORD, am your deliverer, your protector, the
Powerful One of Jacob.
17 Instead of bronze, I will bring you gold, instead of iron, I will bring you
silver, instead of wood, I will bring you bronze, instead of stones, I will
bring you iron. I will make prosperity your overseer, and vindication your
sovereign ruler.
18 Sounds of violence will no longer be heard in your land, or the sounds of
destruction and devastation within your borders. You will name your
walls,‘Deliverance,’ and your gates,‘Praise.’
19 The sun will no longer supply light for you by day, nor will the moon’s
brightness shine on you; the LORD will be your permanent source of light– the
splendor of your God will shine upon you.
20 Your sun will no longer set; your moon will not disappear; the LORD will be
your permanent source of light; your time of sorrow will be over.
21 All of your people will be godly; they will possess the land permanently. I
will plant them like a shoot; they will be the product of my labor, through whom
I reveal my splendor.
22 The least of you will multiply into a thousand; the smallest of you will
become a large nation. When the right time comes, I the LORD will quickly do
this!”

Chapter 61

1 The Lord Will Rejuvenate His People The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon
me, because the LORD has chosen me. He has commissioned me to encourage the
poor, to help the brokenhearted, to decree the release of captives, and the
freeing of prisoners,
2 to announce the year when the LORD will show his favor, the day when our God
will seek vengeance, to console all who mourn,
3 to strengthen those who mourn in Zion, by giving them a turban, instead of
ashes, oil symbolizing joy, instead of mourning, a garment symbolizing praise,
instead of discouragement. They will be called oaks of righteousness, trees
planted by the LORD to reveal his splendor.
4 They will rebuild the perpetual ruins and restore the places that were
desolate; they will reestablish the ruined cities, the places that have been
desolate since ancient times.
5 “Foreigners will take care of your sheep; foreigners will work in your
fields and vineyards.
6 You will be called,‘the LORD’s priests, servants of our God.’ You will
enjoy the wealth of nations and boast about the riches you receive from them.
7 Instead of shame, you will get a double portion; instead of humiliation, they
will rejoice over the land they receive. Yes, they will possess a double portion
in their land and experience lasting joy.
8 For I, the LORD, love justice and hate robbery and sin. I will repay them
because of my faithfulness; I will make a permanent covenant with them.
9 Their descendants will be known among the nations, their offspring among the
peoples. All who see them will recognize that the LORD has blessed them.”
10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; I will be overjoyed because of my God.
For he clothes me in garments of deliverance; he puts on me a robe symbolizing
vindication. I look like a bridegroom when he wears a turban as a priest would;
I look like a bride when she puts on her jewelry.
11 For just as the ground produces its crops and a garden yields its produce, so
the Sovereign LORD will cause deliverance to grow, and give his people reason to
praise him in the sight of all the nations.

Chapter 62

1 The Lord Takes Delight in Zion“For the sake of Zion I will not be silent;
for the sake of Jerusalem I will not be quiet, until her vindication shines
brightly and her deliverance burns like a torch.”
2 Nations will see your vindication, and all kings your splendor. You will be
called by a new name that the LORD himself will give you.
3 You will be a majestic crown in the hand of the LORD, a royal turban in the
hand of your God.
4 You will no longer be called,“Abandoned,” and your land will no longer be
called“Desolate.” Indeed, you will be called“My Delight is in Her,” and
your land“Married.” For the LORD will take delight in you, and your land
will be married to him.
5 As a young man marries a young woman, so your sons will marry you. As a
bridegroom rejoices over a bride, so your God will rejoice over you.
6 I post watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they should keep praying all day
and all night. You who pray to the LORD, don’t be silent!
7 Don’t allow him to rest until he reestablishes Jerusalem, until he makes
Jerusalem the pride of the earth.
8 The LORD swears an oath by his right hand, by his strong arm:“I will never
again give your grain to your enemies as food, and foreigners will not drink
your wine, which you worked hard to produce.
9 But those who harvest the grain will eat it, and will praise the LORD. Those
who pick the grapes will drink the wine in the courts of my holy sanctuary.”
10 Come through! Come through the gates! Prepare the way for the people! Build
it! Build the roadway! Remove the stones! Lift a signal flag for the nations!
11 Look, the LORD announces to the entire earth:“Say to Daughter Zion,‘Look,
your deliverer comes! Look, his reward is with him and his reward goes before
him!’”
12 They will be called,“The Holy People, the Ones Protected by the LORD.”
You will be called,“Sought After, City Not Abandoned.”

Chapter 63

1 The Victorious Divine Warrior Who is this who comes from Edom, dressed in
bright red, coming from Bozrah? Who is this one wearing royal attire, who
marches confidently because of his great strength?“It is I, the one who
announces vindication, and who is able to deliver!”
2 Why are your clothes red? Why do you look like someone who has stomped on
grapes in a vat?
3 “I have stomped grapes in the winepress all by myself; no one from the
nations joined me. I stomped on them in my anger; I trampled them down in my
rage. Their juice splashed on my garments, and stained all my clothes.
4 For I looked forward to the day of vengeance, and then payback time arrived.
5 I looked, but there was no one to help; I was shocked because there was no one
offering support. So my right arm accomplished deliverance; my raging anger
drove me on.
6 I trampled nations in my anger, I made them drunk in my rage, I splashed their
blood on the ground.”
7 A Prayer for Divine Intervention I will tell of the faithful acts of the LORD,
of the LORD’s praiseworthy deeds. I will tell about all the LORD did for us,
the many good things he did for the family of Israel, because of his compassion
and great faithfulness.
8 He said,“Certainly they will be my people, children who are not disloyal.”
He became their deliverer.
9 Through all that they suffered, he suffered too. The messenger sent from his
very presence delivered them. In his love and mercy he protected them; he lifted
them up and carried them throughout ancient times.
10 But they rebelled and offended his holy Spirit, so he turned into an enemy
and fought against them.
11 His people remembered the ancient times. Where is the one who brought them up
out of the sea, along with the shepherd of his flock? Where is the one who
placed his holy Spirit among them,
12 the one who made his majestic power available to Moses, who divided the water
before them, gaining for himself a lasting reputation,
13 who led them through the deep water? Like a horse running through the
wilderness they did not stumble.
14 Like an animal that goes down into a valley to graze, so the Spirit of the
LORD granted them rest. In this way you guided your people, gaining for yourself
an honored reputation.
15 Look down from heaven and take notice, from your holy, majestic palace! Where
are your zeal and power? Do not hold back your tender compassion!
16 For you are our father, though Abraham does not know us and Israel does not
recognize us. You, LORD, are our father; you have been called our protector from
ancient times.
17 Why, LORD, do you make us stray from your ways, and make our minds stubborn
so that we do not obey you? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of
your inheritance!
18 For a short time your special nation possessed a land, but then our
adversaries knocked down your holy sanctuary.
19 We existed from ancient times, but you did not rule over them; they were not
your subjects.

Chapter 64

1 (63:19b) If only you would tear apart the sky and come down! The mountains
would tremble before you!
2 (64:1) As when fire ignites dry wood, or fire makes water boil, let your
adversaries know who you are, and may the nations shake at your presence!
3 When you performed awesome deeds that took us by surprise, you came down, and
the mountains trembled before you.
4 Since ancient times no one has heard or perceived, no eye has seen any God
besides you, who intervenes for those who wait for him.
5 You assist those who delight in doing what is right, who observe your
commandments. Look, you were angry because we violated them continually. How
then can we be saved?
6 We are all like one who is unclean, all our so-called righteous acts are like
a menstrual rag in your sight. We all wither like a leaf; our sins carry us away
like the wind.
7 No one invokes your name, or makes an effort to take hold of you. For you have
rejected us and handed us over to our own sins.
8 Yet, LORD, you are our father. We are the clay, and you are our potter; we are
all the product of your labor.
9 LORD, do not be too angry! Do not hold our sins against us continually! Take a
good look at your people, at all of us!
10 Your chosen cities have become a wilderness; Zion has become a wilderness,
Jerusalem, a desolate ruin.
11 Our holy temple, our pride and joy, the place where our ancestors praised
you, has been burned with fire; all our prized possessions have been destroyed.
12 In light of all this, how can you still hold back, LORD? How can you be
silent and continue to humiliate us?

Chapter 65

1 The Lord Will Distinguish Between Sinners and the Godly“I made myself
available to those who did not ask for me; I appeared to those who did not look
for me. I said,‘Here I am! Here I am!’ to a nation that did not invoke my
name.
2 I spread out my hands all day long to my rebellious people, who lived in a way
that is morally unacceptable, and who did what they desired.
3 These people continually and blatantly offend me as they sacrifice in their
sacred orchards and burn incense on brick altars.
4 They sit among the tombs and keep watch all night long. They eat pork, and
broth from unclean sacrificial meat is in their pans.
5 They say,‘Keep to yourself! Don’t get near me, for I am holier than
you!’ These people are like smoke in my nostrils, like a fire that keeps
burning all day long.
6 Look, I have decreed: I will not keep silent, but will pay them back; I will
pay them back exactly what they deserve,
7 for your sins and your ancestors’ sins,” says the LORD.“Because they
burned incense on the mountains and offended me on the hills, I will punish them
in full measure.”
8 This is what the LORD says:“When juice is discovered in a cluster of grapes,
someone says,‘Don’t destroy it, for it contains juice.’ So I will do for
the sake of my servants– I will not destroy everyone.
9 I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, and from Judah people to take
possession of my mountains. My chosen ones will take possession of the land; my
servants will live there.
10 Sharon will become a pasture for sheep, and the Valley of Achor a place where
cattle graze; they will belong to my people, who seek me.
11 But as for you who abandon the LORD and forget about worshiping at my holy
mountain, who prepare a feast for the god called‘Fortune,’ and fill up wine
jugs for the god called‘Destiny’–
12 I predestine you to die by the sword, all of you will kneel down at the
slaughtering block, because I called to you, and you did not respond, I spoke
and you did not listen. You did evil before me; you chose to do what displeases
me.”
13 So this is what the Sovereign LORD says:“Look, my servants will eat, but
you will be hungry! Look, my servants will drink, but you will be thirsty! Look,
my servants will rejoice, but you will be humiliated!
14 Look, my servants will shout for joy as happiness fills their hearts! But you
will cry out as sorrow fills your hearts; you will wail because your spirits
will be crushed.
15 Your names will live on in the curse formulas of my chosen ones. The
Sovereign LORD will kill you, but he will give his servants another name.
16 Whoever pronounces a blessing in the earth will do so in the name of the
faithful God; whoever makes an oath in the earth will do so in the name of the
faithful God. For past problems will be forgotten; I will no longer think about
them.
17 For look, I am ready to create new heavens and a new earth! The former ones
will not be remembered; no one will think about them anymore.
18 But be happy and rejoice forevermore over what I am about to create! For
look, I am ready to create Jerusalem to be a source of joy, and her people to be
a source of happiness.
19 Jerusalem will bring me joy, and my people will bring me happiness. The sound
of weeping or cries of sorrow will never be heard in her again.
20 Never again will one of her infants live just a few days or an old man die
before his time. Indeed, no one will die before the age of a hundred, anyone who
fails to reach the age of a hundred will be considered cursed.
21 They will build houses and live in them; they will plant vineyards and eat
their fruit.
22 No longer will they build a house only to have another live in it, or plant a
vineyard only to have another eat its fruit, for my people will live as long as
trees, and my chosen ones will enjoy to the fullest what they have produced.
23 They will not work in vain, or give birth to children that will experience
disaster. For the LORD will bless their children and their descendants.
24 Before they even call out, I will respond; while they are still speaking, I
will hear.
25 A wolf and a lamb will graze together; a lion, like an ox, will eat straw,
and a snake’s food will be dirt. They will no longer injure or destroy on my
entire royal mountain,” says the LORD.

Chapter 66

1 This is what the LORD says:“The heavens are my throne and the earth is my
footstool. Where then is the house you will build for me? Where is the place
where I will rest?
2 My hand made them; that is how they came to be,” says the LORD. I show
special favor to the humble and contrite, who respect what I have to say.
3 The one who slaughters a bull also strikes down a man; the one who sacrifices
a lamb also breaks a dog’s neck; the one who presents an offering includes
pig’s blood with it; the one who offers incense also praises an idol. They
have decided to behave this way; they enjoy these disgusting practices.
4 So I will choose severe punishment for them; I will bring on them what they
dread, because I called, and no one responded, I spoke and they did not listen.
They did evil before me; they chose to do what displeases me.”
5 Listen to the LORD’s message, you who respect his word! Your countrymen, who
hate you and exclude you, supposedly for the sake of my name, say,“May the
LORD be glorified, then we will witness your joy.” But they will be put to
shame.
6 The sound of battle comes from the city; the sound comes from the temple! It
is the sound of the LORD paying back his enemies.
7 Before she goes into labor, she gives birth! Before her contractions begin,
she delivers a boy!
8 Who has ever heard of such a thing? Who has ever seen this? Can a country be
brought forth in one day? Can a nation be born in a single moment? Yet as soon
as Zion goes into labor she gives birth to sons!
9 “Do I bring a baby to the birth opening and then not deliver it?” asks the
LORD.“Or do I bring a baby to the point of delivery and then hold it back?”
asks your God.
10 Be happy for Jerusalem and rejoice with her, all you who love her! Share in
her great joy, all you who have mourned over her!
11 For you will nurse from her satisfying breasts and be nourished; you will
feed with joy from her milk-filled breasts.
12 For this is what the LORD says:“Look, I am ready to extend to her
prosperity that will flow like a river, the riches of nations will flow into her
like a stream that floods its banks. You will nurse from her breast and be
carried at her side; you will play on her knees.
13 As a mother consoles a child, so I will console you, and you will be consoled
over Jerusalem.”
14 When you see this, you will be happy, and you will be revived. The LORD will
reveal his power to his servants and his anger to his enemies.
15 For look, the LORD comes with fire, his chariots come like a windstorm, to
reveal his raging anger, his battle cry, and his flaming arrows.
16 For the LORD judges all humanity with fire and his sword; the LORD will kill
many.
17 “As for those who consecrate and ritually purify themselves so they can
follow their leader and worship in the sacred orchards, those who eat the flesh
of pigs and other disgusting creatures, like mice– they will all be destroyed
together,” says the LORD.
18 “I hate their deeds and thoughts! So I am coming to gather all the nations
and ethnic groups; they will come and witness my splendor.
19 I will perform a mighty act among them and then send some of those who remain
to the nations– to Tarshish, Pul, Lud(known for its archers), Tubal, Javan,
and to the distant coastlands that have not heard about me or seen my splendor.
They will tell the nations of my splendor.
20 They will bring back all your countrymen from all the nations as an offering
to the LORD. They will bring them on horses, in chariots, in wagons, on mules,
and on camels to my holy hill Jerusalem,” says the LORD,“just as the
Israelites bring offerings to the LORD’s temple in ritually pure containers.
21 And I will choose some of them as priests and Levites,” says the LORD.
22 “For just as the new heavens and the new earth I am about to make will
remain standing before me,” says the LORD,“so your descendants and your name
will remain.
23 From one month to the next and from one Sabbath to the next, all people will
come to worship me,” says the LORD.
24 “They will go out and observe the corpses of those who rebelled against me,
for the maggots that eat them will not die, and the fire that consumes them will
not die out. All people will find the sight abhorrent.”


Jeremiah

Chapter 1

1 ¶ The Superscription The following is a record of what Jeremiah son of
Hilkiah prophesied. He was one of the priests who lived at Anathoth in the
territory of the tribe of Benjamin.
2 The LORD’s message came to him in the thirteenth year that Josiah son of
Amon ruled over Judah.
3 It also came in the days of Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, king of Judah, and
continued until the eleventh year of Zedekiah, son of Josiah, king of Judah,
until the people of Jerusalem were taken into exile in the fifth month of that
year.
4 Jeremiah’s Call and Commission The LORD’s message came to me,
5 “Before I formed you in your mother’s womb I chose you. Before you were
born I set you apart. I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations.”
6 I answered,“Oh, Sovereign LORD, Really I do not know how to speak well
enough for that, for I am too young.”
7 The LORD said to me,“Do not say,‘I am too young.’ But go to whomever I
send you and say whatever I tell you.
8 Do not be afraid of those to whom I send you, for I will be with you to
protect you,” says the LORD.
9 Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me,“I
will most assuredly give you the words you are to speak for me.
10 Know for certain that I hereby give you the authority to announce to nations
and kingdoms that they will be uprooted and torn down, destroyed and demolished,
rebuilt and firmly planted.”
11 Visions Confirming Jeremiah’s Call and Commission Later the LORD’s
message came to me,“What do you see, Jeremiah?” I answered,“I see a branch
of an almond tree.”
12 Then the LORD said,“You have observed correctly. This means I am watching
to make sure my threats are carried out.”
13 The LORD’s message came to me a second time,“What do you see?” I
answered,“I see a pot of boiling water; it is tipped away from the north.”
14 Then the LORD said,“From the north destruction will break out on all who
live in the land.
15 For I will soon summon all the peoples of the kingdoms of the north,” says
the LORD.“They will come and their kings will set up their thrones near the
entrances of the gates of Jerusalem. They will attack all the walls surrounding
it, and all the towns in Judah.
16 In this way I will pass sentence on the people of Jerusalem and Judah because
of all their wickedness. For they rejected me and offered sacrifices to other
gods, worshiping what they made with their own hands.”
17 “But you, Jeremiah, get yourself ready! Go and tell these people everything
I instruct you to say. Do not be terrified of them, or I will give you good
reason to be terrified of them.
18 I, the LORD, hereby promise to make you as strong as a fortified city, an
iron pillar, and a bronze wall. You will be able to stand up against all who
live in the land, including the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and
all the people of the land.
19 They will attack you but they will not be able to overcome you, for I will be
with you to rescue you,” says the LORD.

Chapter 2

1 The Lord Recalls Israel’s Earlier Faithfulness The LORD’s message came to
me,
2 “Go and declare in the hearing of the people of Jerusalem:‘This is what
the LORD says:“I have fond memories of you, how devoted you were to me in your
early years. I remember how you loved me like a new bride; you followed me
through the wilderness, through a land that had never been planted.
3 Israel was set apart to the LORD; they were like the first fruits of a harvest
to him. All who tried to devour them were punished; disaster came upon them,”
says the LORD.
4 The Lord Reminds Them of the Unfaithfulness of Their Ancestors Now listen to
what the LORD’s message, you descendants of Jacob, all you family groups from
the nation of Israel.
5 This is what the Lord says:“What fault could your ancestors have possibly
found in me that they strayed so far from me? They paid allegiance to worthless
idols, and so became worthless to me.
6 They did not ask:‘Where is the LORD who delivered us out of Egypt, who
brought us through the wilderness, through a land of valleys and gorges, through
a land of desert and deep darkness, through a land in which no one travels, and
where no one lives?’
7 I brought you into a fertile land so you could enjoy its fruits and its rich
bounty. But when you entered my land, you defiled it; you made the land I call
my own loathsome to me.
8 Your priests did not ask,‘Where is the LORD?’ Those responsible for
teaching my law did not really know me. Your rulers rebelled against me. Your
prophets prophesied in the name of the god Baal. They all worshiped idols that
could not help them.
9 The Lord Charges Contemporary Israel with Spiritual Adultery“So, once more I
will state my case against you,” says the LORD.“I will also state it against
your children and grandchildren.
10 Go west across the sea to the coasts of Cyprus and see. Send someone east to
Kedar and have them look carefully. See if such a thing as this has ever
happened:
11 Has a nation ever changed its gods(even though they are not really gods at
all)? But my people have exchanged me, their glorious God, for a god that cannot
help them at all!
12 Be amazed at this, O heavens! Be shocked and utterly dumbfounded,” says the
LORD.
13 “Do so because my people have committed a double wrong: they have rejected
me, the fountain of life-giving water, and they have dug cisterns for
themselves, cracked cisterns which cannot even hold water.”
14 Israel’s Reliance on Foreign Alliances(not on God)“Israel is not a slave,
is he? He was not born into slavery, was he? If not, why then is he being
carried off?
15 Like lions his enemies roar victoriously over him; they raise their voices in
triumph. They have laid his land waste; his cities have been burned down and
deserted.
16 Even the soldiers from Memphis and Tahpanhes have cracked your skulls, people
of Israel.
17 You have brought all this on yourself, Israel, by deserting the LORD your God
when he was leading you along the right path.
18 What good will it do you then to go down to Egypt to seek help from the
Egyptians? What good will it do you to go over to Assyria to seek help from the
Assyrians?
19 Your own wickedness will bring about your punishment. Your unfaithful acts
will bring down discipline on you. Know, then, and realize how utterly harmful
it was for you to reject me, the LORD your God, to show no respect for me,”
says the Sovereign LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
20 The Lord Expresses His Exasperation at Judah’s Persistent
Idolatry“Indeed, long ago you threw off my authority and refused to be subject
to me. You said,‘I will not serve you.’ Instead, you gave yourself to other
gods on every high hill and under every green tree, like a prostitute sprawls
out before her lovers.
21 I planted you in the land like a special vine of the very best stock. Why in
the world have you turned into something like a wild vine that produces rotten,
foul-smelling grapes?
22 You can try to wash away your guilt with a strong detergent. You can use as
much soap as you want. But the stain of your guilt is still there for me to
see,” says the Sovereign LORD.
23 “How can you say,‘I have not made myself unclean. I have not paid
allegiance to the gods called Baal.’ Just look at the way you have behaved in
the Valley of Hinnom! Think about the things you have done there! You are like a
flighty, young female camel that rushes here and there, crisscrossing its path.
24 You are like a wild female donkey brought up in the wilderness. In her lust
she sniffs the wind to get the scent of a male. No one can hold her back when
she is in heat. None of the males need wear themselves out chasing after her. At
mating time she is easy to find.
25 Do not chase after other gods until your shoes wear out and your throats
become dry. But you say,‘It is useless for you to try and stop me because I
love those foreign gods and want to pursue them!’
26 Just as a thief has to suffer dishonor when he is caught, so the people of
Israel will suffer dishonor for what they have done. So will their kings and
officials, their priests and their prophets.
27 They say to a wooden idol,‘You are my father.’ They say to a stone
image,‘You gave birth to me.’ Yes, they have turned away from me instead of
turning to me. Yet when they are in trouble, they say,‘Come and save us!’
28 But where are the gods you made for yourselves? Let them save you when you
are in trouble. The sad fact is that you have as many gods as you have towns,
Judah.
29 “Why do you try to refute me? All of you have rebelled against me,” says
the LORD.
30 “It did no good for me to punish your people. They did not respond to such
correction. You slaughtered your prophets like a voracious lion.”
31 You people of this generation, listen to the LORD’s message.“Have I been
like a wilderness to you, Israel? Have I been like a dark and dangerous land to
you? Why then do you say,‘We are free to wander. We will not come to you any
more?’
32 Does a young woman forget to put on her jewels? Does a bride forget to put on
her bridal attire? But my people have forgotten me for more days than can even
be counted.
33 “My, how good you have become at chasing after your lovers! Why, you could
even teach prostitutes a thing or two!
34 Even your clothes are stained with the lifeblood of the poor who had not done
anything wrong; you did not catch them breaking into your homes. Yet, in spite
of all these things you have done,
35 you say,‘I have not done anything wrong, so the LORD cannot really be angry
with me any more.’ But, watch out! I will bring down judgment on you because
you say,‘I have not committed any sin.’
36 Why do you constantly go about changing your political allegiances? You will
get no help from Egypt just as you got no help from Assyria.
37 Moreover, you will come away from Egypt with your hands covering your faces
in sorrow and shame because the LORD will not allow your reliance on them to be
successful and you will not gain any help from them.

Chapter 3

1 “If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him and becomes another man’s
wife, he may not take her back again. Doing that would utterly defile the land.
But you, Israel, have given yourself as a prostitute to many gods. So what makes
you think you can return to me?” says the LORD.
2 “Look up at the hilltops and consider this. Where have you not been
ravished? You waited for those gods like a thief lying in wait in the
wilderness. You defiled the land by your wicked prostitution to other gods.
3 That is why the rains have been withheld, and the spring rains have not come.
Yet in spite of this you are obstinate as a prostitute. You refuse to be ashamed
of what you have done.
4 Even now you say to me,‘You are my father! You have been my faithful
companion ever since I was young.
5 You will not always be angry with me, will you? You will not be mad at me
forever, will you?’ That is what you say, but you continually do all the evil
that you can.”
6 When Josiah was king of Judah, the LORD said to me,“Jeremiah, you have no
doubt seen what wayward Israel has done. You have seen how she went up to every
high hill and under every green tree to give herself like a prostitute to other
gods.
7 Yet even after she had done all that, I thought that she might come back to
me. But she did not. Her sister, unfaithful Judah, saw what she did.
8 She also saw that, because of wayward Israel’s adulterous worship of other
gods, I sent her away and gave her divorce papers. But still her unfaithful
sister Judah was not afraid, and she too went and gave herself like a prostitute
to other gods.
9 Because she took her prostitution so lightly, she defiled the land through her
adulterous worship of gods made of wood and stone.
10 In spite of all this, Israel’s sister, unfaithful Judah, has not turned
back to me with any sincerity; she has only pretended to do so,” says the
LORD.
11 Then the LORD said to me,“Under the circumstances, wayward Israel could
even be considered less guilty than unfaithful Judah.
12 The Lord Calls on Israel and Judah to Repent“Go and shout this message to
my people in the countries in the north. Tell them,‘Come back to me, wayward
Israel,’ says the LORD.‘I will not continue to look on you with displeasure.
For I am merciful,’ says the LORD.‘I will not be angry with you forever.
13 However, you must confess that you have done wrong, and that you have
rebelled against the LORD your God. You must confess that you have given
yourself to foreign gods under every green tree, and have not obeyed my
commands,’ says the LORD.
14 “Come back to me, my wayward sons,” says the LORD,“for I am your true
master. If you do, I will take one of you from each town and two of you from
each family group, and I will bring you back to Zion.
15 I will give you leaders who will be faithful to me. They will lead you with
knowledge and insight.
16 In those days, your population will greatly increase in the land. At that
time,” says the LORD,“people will no longer talk about having the ark that
contains the LORD’s covenant with us. They will not call it to mind, remember
it, or miss it. No, that will not be done any more!
17 At that time the city of Jerusalem will be called the LORD’s throne. All
nations will gather there in Jerusalem to honor the LORD’s name. They will no
longer follow the stubborn inclinations of their own evil hearts.
18 At that time the nation of Judah and the nation of Israel will be reunited.
Together they will come back from a land in the north to the land that I gave to
your ancestors as a permanent possession.
19 “I thought to myself,‘Oh what a joy it would be for me to treat you like
a son! What a joy it would be for me to give you a pleasant land, the most
beautiful piece of property there is in all the world!’ I thought you would
call me,‘Father’ and would never cease being loyal to me.
20 But, you have been unfaithful to me, nation of Israel, like an unfaithful
wife who has left her husband,” says the LORD.
21 “A noise is heard on the hilltops. It is the sound of the people of Israel
crying and pleading to their gods. Indeed they have followed sinful ways; they
have forgotten to be true to the LORD their God.
22 Come back to me, you wayward people. I want to cure your waywardness.
Say,‘Here we are. We come to you because you are the LORD our God.
23 We know our noisy worship of false gods on the hills and mountains did not
help us. We know that the LORD our God is the only one who can deliver Israel.
24 From earliest times our worship of that shameful god, Baal, has taken away
all that our ancestors worked for. It has taken away our flocks and our herds,
and even our sons and daughters.
25 Let us acknowledge our shame. Let us bear the disgrace that we deserve. For
we have sinned against the LORD our God, both we and our ancestors. From
earliest times to this very day we have not obeyed the LORD our God.’

Chapter 4

1 “If you, Israel, want to come back,” says the LORD,“if you want to come
back to me, you must get those disgusting idols out of my sight and must no
longer go astray.
2 You must be truthful, honest and upright when you take an oath saying,‘As
surely as the LORD lives!’ If you do, the nations will pray to be as blessed
by him as you are and will make him the object of their boasting.”
3 Yes, this is what the LORD has said to the people of Judah and
Jerusalem:“Break up your unplowed ground, do not cast seeds among thorns.
4 Commit yourselves to the LORD; Dedicate your hearts to me, people of Judah and
inhabitants of Jerusalem. Otherwise, my anger will blaze up like a flaming fire
against you that no one will be able to extinguish. That will happen because of
the evil you have done.”
5 Warning of Coming Judgment The LORD said,“Announce this in Judah and
proclaim it in Jerusalem:‘Sound the trumpet throughout the land!’ Shout out
loudly,‘Gather together! Let us flee into the fortified cities!’
6 Raise a signal flag that tells people to go to Zion. Run for safety! Do not
delay! For I am about to bring disaster out of the north. It will bring great
destruction.
7 Like a lion that has come up from its lair the one who destroys nations has
set out from his home base. He is coming out to lay your land waste. Your cities
will become ruins and lie uninhabited.
8 So put on sackcloth! Mourn and wail, saying,‘The fierce anger of the LORD
has not turned away from us!’”
9 “When this happens,” says the LORD,“the king and his officials will lose
their courage. The priests will be struck with horror, and the prophets will be
speechless in astonishment.”
10 In response to all this I said,“Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have surely allowed
the people of Judah and Jerusalem to be deceived by those who say,‘You will be
safe!’ But in fact a sword is already at our throats.”
11 “At that time the people of Judah and Jerusalem will be told,‘A scorching
wind will sweep down from the hilltops in the wilderness on my dear people. It
will not be a gentle breeze for winnowing the grain and blowing away the chaff.
12 No, a wind too strong for that will come at my bidding. Yes, even now I,
myself, am calling down judgment on them.’
13 Look! The enemy is approaching like gathering clouds. The roar of his
chariots is like that of a whirlwind. His horses move more swiftly than
eagles.” I cry out,“We are doomed, for we will be destroyed!”
14 “Oh people of Jerusalem, purify your hearts from evil so that you may yet
be delivered. How long will you continue to harbor up wicked schemes within you?
15 For messengers are coming, heralding disaster, from the city of Dan and from
the hills of Ephraim.
16 They are saying,‘Announce to the surrounding nations,“The enemy is
coming!” Proclaim this message to Jerusalem:“Those who besiege cities are
coming from a distant land. They are ready to raise the battle cry against the
towns in Judah.”’
17 They will surround Jerusalem like men guarding a field because they have
rebelled against me,” says the LORD.
18 “The way you have lived and the things you have done will bring this on
you. This is the punishment you deserve, and it will be painful indeed. The pain
will be so bad it will pierce your heart.”
19 I said,“Oh, the feeling in the pit of my stomach! I writhe in anguish. Oh,
the pain in my heart! My heart pounds within me. I cannot keep silent. For I
hear the sound of the trumpet; the sound of the battle cry pierces my soul!
20 I see one destruction after another taking place, so that the whole land lies
in ruins. I see our tents suddenly destroyed, their curtains torn down in a mere
instant.
21 “How long must I see the enemy’s battle flags and hear the military
signals of their bugles?”
22 The LORD answered,“This will happen because my people are foolish. They do
not know me. They are like children who have no sense. They have no
understanding. They are skilled at doing evil. They do not know how to do
good.”
23 “I looked at the land and saw that it was an empty wasteland. I looked up
at the sky, and its light had vanished.
24 I looked at the mountains and saw that they were shaking. All the hills were
swaying back and forth!
25 I looked and saw that there were no more people, and that all the birds in
the sky had flown away.
26 I looked and saw that the fruitful land had become a desert and that all of
the cities had been laid in ruins. The LORD had brought this all about because
of his blazing anger.
27 All this will happen because the LORD said,“The whole land will be
desolate; however, I will not completely destroy it.
28 Because of this the land will mourn and the sky above will grow black. For I
have made my purpose known and I will not relent or turn back from carrying it
out.”
29 At the sound of the approaching horsemen and archers the people of every town
will flee. Some of them will hide in the thickets. Others will climb up among
the rocks. All the cities will be deserted. No one will remain in them.
30 And you, Zion, city doomed to destruction, you accomplish nothing by wearing
a beautiful dress, decking yourself out in jewels of gold, and putting on eye
shadow! You are making yourself beautiful for nothing. Your lovers spurn you.
They want to kill you.
31 In fact, I hear a cry like that of a woman in labor, a cry of anguish like
that of a woman giving birth to her first baby. It is the cry of Daughter Zion
gasping for breath, reaching out for help, saying,“I am done in! My life is
ebbing away before these murderers!”

Chapter 5

1 Judah is Justly Deserving of Coming Judgment The LORD said,“Go up and down
through the streets of Jerusalem. Look around and see for yourselves. Search
through its public squares. See if any of you can find a single person who deals
honestly and tries to be truthful. If you can, then I will not punish this city.
2 These people make promises in the name of the LORD. But the fact is, what they
swear to is really a lie.”
3 LORD, I know you look for faithfulness. But even when you punish these people,
they feel no remorse. Even when you nearly destroy them, they refuse to be
corrected. They have become as hardheaded as a rock. They refuse to change their
ways.
4 I thought,“Surely it is only the ignorant poor who act this way. They act
like fools because they do not know what the LORD demands. They do not know what
their God requires of them.
5 I will go to the leaders and speak with them. Surely they know what the LORD
demands. Surely they know what their God requires of them.” Yet all of them,
too, have rejected his authority and refuse to submit to him.
6 So like a lion from the thicket their enemies will kill them. Like a wolf from
the rift valley they will destroy them. Like a leopard they will lie in wait
outside their cities and totally destroy anyone who ventures out. For they have
rebelled so much and done so many unfaithful things.
7 The LORD asked,“How can I leave you unpunished, Jerusalem? Your people have
rejected me and have worshiped gods that are not gods at all. Even though I
supplied all their needs, they were like an unfaithful wife to me. They went
flocking to the houses of prostitutes.
8 They are like lusty, well-fed stallions. Each of them lusts after his
neighbor’s wife.
9 I will surely punish them for doing such things!” says the LORD.“I will
surely bring retribution on such a nation as this!”
10 The LORD commanded the enemy,“March through the vineyards of Israel and
Judah and ruin them. But do not destroy them completely. Strip off their
branches for these people do not belong to the LORD.
11 For the nations of Israel and Judah have been very unfaithful to me,”says
the LORD.
12 “These people have denied what the LORD says. They have said,‘That is not
so! No harm will come to us. We will not experience war and famine.
13 The prophets will prove to be full of wind. The LORD has not spoken through
them. So, let what they say happen to them.’”
14 Because of that, the LORD God of Heaven’s Armies, said to me,“Because
these people have spoken like this, I will make the words that I put in your
mouth like fire. And I will make this people like wood which the fiery judgments
you speak will burn up.”
15 The LORD says,“Listen, nation of Israel! I am about to bring a nation from
far away to attack you. It will be a nation that was founded long ago and has
lasted for a long time. It will be a nation whose language you will not know.
Its people will speak words that you will not be able to understand.
16 All of its soldiers are strong and mighty. Their arrows will send you to your
grave.
17 They will eat up your crops and your food. They will kill off your sons and
your daughters. They will eat up your sheep and your cattle. They will destroy
your vines and your fig trees. Their weapons will batter down the fortified
cities you trust in.
18 Yet even then I will not completely destroy you,” says the LORD.
19 “So then, Jeremiah, when your people ask,‘Why has the LORD our God done
all this to us?’ tell them,‘It is because you rejected me and served foreign
gods in your own land. So you must serve foreigners in a land that does not
belong to you.’
20 “Proclaim this message among the descendants of Jacob. Make it known
throughout Judah.
21 Tell them:‘Hear this, you foolish people who have no understanding, who
have eyes but do not discern, who have ears but do not perceive:
22 “You should fear me!” says the LORD.“You should tremble in awe before
me! I made the sand to be a boundary for the sea, a permanent barrier that it
can never cross. Its waves may roll, but they can never prevail. They may roar,
but they can never cross beyond that boundary.”
23 But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned aside
and gone their own way.
24 They do not say to themselves,“Let us revere the LORD our God. It is he who
gives us the autumn rains and the spring rains at the proper time. It is he who
assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.”
25 Your misdeeds have stopped these things from coming. Your sins have deprived
you of my bounty.’
26 “Indeed, there are wicked scoundrels among my people. They lie in wait like
bird catchers hiding in ambush. They set deadly traps to catch people.
27 Like a cage filled with the birds that have been caught, their houses are
filled with the gains of their fraud and deceit. That is how they have gotten so
rich and powerful.
28 That is how they have grown fat and sleek. There is no limit to the evil
things they do. They do not plead the cause of the fatherless in such a way as
to win it. They do not defend the rights of the poor.
29 I will certainly punish them for doing such things!” says the LORD.“I
will certainly bring retribution on such a nation as this!
30 “Something horrible and shocking is going on in the land of Judah:
31 The prophets prophesy lies. The priests exercise power by their own
authority. And my people love to have it this way. But they will not be able to
help you when the time of judgment comes!

Chapter 6

1 The Destruction of Jerusalem Depicted“Run for safety, people of Benjamin!
Get out of Jerusalem! Sound the trumpet in Tekoa! Light the signal fires at Beth
Hakkerem! For disaster lurks out of the north; it will bring great destruction.
2 I will destroy Daughter Zion, who is as delicate and defenseless as a young
maiden.
3 Kings will attack it with their armies. They will encamp in siege all around
it. Each of them will devastate the portion assigned to him.
4 They will say,‘Prepare to do battle against it! Come on! Let’s attack it
at noon!’ But later they will say,‘Woe to us! For the day is almost over and
the shadows of evening are getting long.
5 So come on, let’s go ahead and attack it by night and destroy all its
fortified buildings.’
6 All of this is because the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has said:‘Cut down the
trees around Jerusalem and build up a siege ramp against its walls. This is the
city which is to be punished. Nothing but oppression happens in it.
7 As a well continually pours out fresh water so it continually pours out wicked
deeds. Sounds of violence and destruction echo throughout it. All I see are sick
and wounded people.’
8 So take warning, Jerusalem, or I will abandon you in disgust and make you
desolate, a place where no one can live.”
9 This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies said to me:“Those who remain in
Israel will be like the grapes thoroughly gleaned from a vine. So go over them
again, as though you were a grape harvester passing your hand over the branches
one last time.”
10 I answered,“Who would listen if I spoke to them and warned them? Their ears
are so closed that they cannot hear! Indeed, the LORD’s message is offensive
to them. They do not like it at all.
11 I am as full of anger as you are, LORD, I am tired of trying to hold it
in.”The LORD answered,“Vent it, then, on the children who play in the street
and on the young men who are gathered together. Husbands and wives are to be
included, as well as the old and those who are advanced in years.
12 Their houses will be turned over to others as will their fields and their
wives. For I will unleash my power against those who live in this land,”says
the LORD.
13 “That is because, from the least important to the most important of them,
all of them are greedy for dishonest gain. Prophets and priests alike, all of
them practice deceit.
14 They offer only superficial help for the harm my people have suffered. They
say,‘Everything will be all right!’ But everything is not all right!
15 Are they ashamed because they have done such shameful things? No, they are
not at all ashamed. They do not even know how to blush! So they will die, just
like others have died. They will be brought to ruin when I punish them,”says
the LORD.
16 The LORD said to his people:“You are standing at the crossroads. So
consider your path. Ask where the old, reliable paths are. Ask where the path is
that leads to blessing and follow it. If you do, you will find rest for your
souls.” But they said,“We will not follow it!”
17 The LORD said,“I appointed prophets as watchmen to warn you, saying:‘Pay
attention to the warning sound of the trumpet!’” But they said,“We will
not pay attention!”
18 So the LORD said,“Hear, you nations! Be witnesses and take note of what
will happen to these people.
19 Hear this, you peoples of the earth:‘Take note! I am about to bring
disaster on these people. It will come as punishment for their scheming. For
they have paid no attention to what I have said, and they have rejected my law.
20 I take no delight when they offer up to me frankincense that comes from Sheba
or sweet-smelling cane imported from a faraway land. I cannot accept the burnt
offerings they bring me. I get no pleasure from the sacrifices they offer to
me.’
21 So, this is what the LORD says:‘I will assuredly make these people stumble
to their doom. Parents and children will stumble and fall to their destruction.
Friends and neighbors will die.’
22 “This is what the LORD says:‘Beware! An army is coming from a land in the
north. A mighty nation is stirring into action in faraway parts of the earth.
23 Its soldiers are armed with bows and spears. They are cruel and show no
mercy. They sound like the roaring sea as they ride forth on their horses. Lined
up in formation like men going into battle to attack you, Daughter Zion.’”
24 The people cry out,“We have heard reports about them! We have become
helpless with fear! Anguish grips us, agony like that of a woman giving birth to
a baby!
25 Do not go out into the countryside. Do not travel on the roads. For the enemy
is there with sword in hand. They are spreading terror everywhere.”
26 So I said,“Oh, my dear people, put on sackcloth and roll in ashes. Mourn
with painful sobs as though you had lost your only child. For any moment now
that destructive army will come against us.”
27 The LORD said to me,“I have made you like a metal assayer to test my people
like ore. You are to observe them and evaluate how they behave.”
28 I reported,“All of them are the most stubborn of rebels! They are as hard
as bronze or iron. They go about telling lies. They all deal corruptly.
29 The fiery bellows of judgment burn fiercely. But there is too much dross to
be removed. The process of refining them has proved useless. The wicked have not
been purged.
30 They are regarded as‘rejected silver’ because the LORD rejects them.”

Chapter 7

1 Faulty Religion and Unethical Behavior Will Lead to Judgment The LORD said to
Jeremiah:
2 “Stand in the gate of the LORD’s temple and proclaim this
message:‘Listen to the LORD’s message, all you people of Judah who have
passed through these gates to worship the LORD.
3 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel says: Change the way you have
been living and do what is right. If you do, I will allow you to continue to
live in this land.
4 Stop putting your confidence in the false belief that says,“We are safe! The
temple of the LORD is here! The temple of the LORD is here! The temple of the
LORD is here!”
5 You must change the way you have been living and do what is right. You must
treat one another fairly.
6 Stop oppressing resident foreigners who live in your land, children who have
lost their fathers, and women who have lost their husbands. Stop killing
innocent people in this land. Stop paying allegiance to other gods. That will
only bring about your ruin.
7 If you stop doing these things, I will allow you to continue to live in this
land which I gave to your ancestors as a lasting possession.
8 “‘But just look at you! You are putting your confidence in a false belief
that will not deliver you.
9 You steal. You murder. You commit adultery. You lie when you swear on oath.
You sacrifice to the god Baal. You pay allegiance to other gods whom you have
not previously known.
10 Then you come and stand in my presence in this temple I have claimed as my
own and say,“We are safe!” You think you are so safe that you go on doing
all those hateful sins!
11 Do you think this temple I have claimed as my own is to be a hideout for
robbers? You had better take note! I have seen for myself what you have done!
says the LORD.
12 So, go to the place in Shiloh where I allowed myself to be worshiped in the
early days. See what I did to it because of the wicked things my people Israel
did.
13 You also have done all these things, says the LORD, and I have spoken to you
over and over again. But you have not listened! You have refused to respond when
I called you to repent!
14 So I will destroy this temple which I have claimed as my own, this temple
that you are trusting to protect you. I will destroy this place that I gave to
you and your ancestors, just like I destroyed Shiloh.
15 And I will drive you out of my sight just like I drove out your relatives,
the people of Israel.’”
16 “But as for you, Jeremiah, do not pray for these people! Do not raise a cry
of prayer for them! Do not plead with me to save them, because I will not listen
to you.
17 Do you see what they are doing in the towns of Judah and in the streets of
Jerusalem?
18 Children are gathering firewood, fathers are building fires with it, and
women are mixing dough to bake cakes to offer to the goddess they call the Queen
of Heaven. They are also pouring out drink offerings to other gods. They seem to
do all this just to trouble me.
19 But I am not really the one being troubled!” says the LORD.“Rather they
are bringing trouble on themselves to their own shame!
20 So,” the Sovereign LORD says,“my raging fury will be poured out on this
land. It will be poured out on human beings and animals, on trees and crops. And
it will burn like a fire which cannot be extinguished.”
21 “The LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel says to the people of
Judah:‘You might as well go ahead and add the meat of your burnt offerings to
that of the other sacrifices and eat it, too!
22 Consider this: When I spoke to your ancestors after I brought them out of
Egypt, I did not merely give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices.
23 I also explicitly commanded them:“Obey me. If you do, I will be your God
and you will be my people. Live exactly the way I tell you and things will go
well with you.”
24 But they did not listen to me or pay any attention to me. They followed the
stubborn inclinations of their own wicked hearts. They acted worse and worse
instead of better.
25 From the time your ancestors departed the land of Egypt until now, I sent my
servants the prophets to you again and again, day after day.
26 But your ancestors did not listen to me nor pay attention to me. They became
obstinate and were more wicked than even their own forefathers.’”
27 Then the LORD said to me,“When you tell them all this, they will not listen
to you. When you call out to them, they will not respond to you.
28 So tell them:‘This is a nation that has not obeyed the LORD their God and
has not accepted correction. Faithfulness is nowhere to be found in it. These
people do not even profess it anymore.
29 So, mourn, you people of this nation. Cut off your hair and throw it away.
Sing a song of mourning on the hilltops. For the LORD has decided to reject and
forsake this generation that has provoked his wrath!’”
30 The LORD says,“I have rejected them because the people of Judah have done
what I consider evil. They have set up their disgusting idols in the temple
which I have claimed for my own and have defiled it.
31 They have also built places of worship in a place called Topheth in the
Valley of Ben Hinnom so that they can sacrifice their sons and daughters by
fire. That is something I never commanded them to do! Indeed, it never even
entered my mind to command such a thing!
32 So, watch out!” says the LORD.“The time will soon come when people will
no longer call those places Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom. But they will
call that valley the Valley of Slaughter and they will bury so many people in
Topheth they will run out of room.
33 Then the dead bodies of these people will be left on the ground for the birds
and wild animals to eat. There will not be any survivors to scare them away.
34 I will put an end to the sounds of joy and gladness, or the glad celebration
of brides and grooms throughout the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem.
For the whole land will become a desolate wasteland.”

Chapter 8

1 The LORD says,“When that time comes, the bones of the kings of Judah and its
leaders, the bones of the priests and prophets and of all the other people who
lived in Jerusalem will be dug up from their graves.
2 They will be spread out and exposed to the sun, the moon and the stars. These
are things they adored and served, things to which they paid allegiance, from
which they sought guidance, and worshiped. The bones of these people will never
be regathered and reburied. They will be like manure used to fertilize the
ground.
3 However, I will leave some of these wicked people alive and banish them to
other places. But wherever these people who survive may go, they will wish they
had died rather than lived,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
4 Willful Disregard of God Will Lead to Destruction The LORD said to me,“Tell
them,‘The LORD says, Do people not get back up when they fall down? Do they
not turn around when they go the wrong way?
5 Why, then, do these people of Jerusalem continually turn away from me in
apostasy? They hold fast to their deception. They refuse to turn back to me.
6 I have listened to them very carefully, but they do not speak honestly. None
of them regrets the evil he has done. None of them says,“I have done wrong!”
All of them persist in their own wayward course like a horse charging recklessly
into battle.
7 Even the stork knows when it is time to move on. The turtledove, swallow, and
crane recognize the normal times for their migration. But my people pay no
attention to what I, the LORD, require of them.
8 How can you say,“We are wise! We have the law of the LORD”? The truth is,
those who teach it have used their writings to make it say what it does not
really mean.
9 Your wise men will be put to shame. They will be dumbfounded and be brought to
judgment. Since they have rejected the LORD’s message, what wisdom do they
really have?
10 So I will give their wives to other men and their fields to new owners. For
from the least important to the most important of them, all of them are greedy
for dishonest gain. Prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit.
11 They offer only superficial help for the hurt my dear people have suffered.
They say,“Everything will be all right!” But everything is not all right!
12 Are they ashamed because they have done such disgusting things? No, they are
not at all ashamed! They do not even know how to blush! So they will die just
like others have died. They will be brought to ruin when I punish them, says the
LORD.
13 I will take away their harvests, says the LORD. There will be no grapes on
their vines. There will be no figs on their fig trees. Even the leaves on their
trees will wither. The crops that I gave them will be taken away.’”
14 Jeremiah Laments over the Coming Destruction The people say,“Why are we
just sitting here? Let us gather together inside the fortified cities. Let us at
least die there fighting, since the LORD our God has condemned us to die. He has
condemned us to drink the poison waters of judgment because we have sinned
against him.
15 We hoped for good fortune, but nothing good has come of it. We hoped for a
time of relief, but instead we experience terror.
16 The snorting of the enemy’s horses is already being heard in the city of
Dan. The sound of the neighing of their stallions causes the whole land to
tremble with fear. They are coming to destroy the land and everything in it!
They are coming to destroy the cities and everyone who lives in them!”
17 The LORD says,“Yes indeed, I am sending an enemy against you that will be
like poisonous snakes which cannot be charmed away. And they will inflict fatal
wounds on you.”
18 Then I said,“There is no cure for my grief! I am sick at heart!
19 I hear my dear people crying out throughout the length and breadth of the
land. They are crying,‘Is the LORD no longer in Zion? Is her divine King no
longer there?’” The LORD answers,“Why then do they provoke me to anger
with their images, with their worthless foreign idols?”
20 “They cry,‘Harvest time has come and gone, and the summer is over, and
still we have not been delivered.’
21 My heart is crushed because my dear people are being crushed. I go about
crying and grieving. I am overwhelmed with dismay.
22 There is still medicinal ointment available in Gilead! There is still a
physician there! Why then have my dear people not been restored to health?

Chapter 9

1 (8:23) I wish that my head were a well full of water and my eyes were a
fountain full of tears! If they were, I could cry day and night for those of my
dear people who have been killed.
2 (9:1) I wish I had a lodging place in the wilderness where I could spend some
time like a weary traveler. Then I would desert my people and walk away from
them because they are all unfaithful to God, a congregation of people that has
been disloyal to him.
3 The Lord Laments That He Has No Choice But to Judge Them The LORD
says,“These people are like soldiers who have readied their bows. Their
tongues are always ready to shoot out lies. They have become powerful in the
land, but they have not done so by honest means. Indeed, they do one evil thing
after another and do not pay attention to me.
4 Everyone must be on his guard around his friends. He must not even trust any
of his relatives. For every one of them will find some way to cheat him. And all
of his friends will tell lies about him.
5 One friend deceives another and no one tells the truth. These people have
trained themselves to tell lies. They do wrong and are unable to repent.
6 They do one act of violence after another, and one deceitful thing after
another. They refuse to pay attention to me,” says the LORD.
7 Therefore the LORD of Heaven’s Armies,“I will now purify them in the fires
of affliction and test them. The wickedness of my dear people has left me no
choice. What else can I do?
8 Their tongues are like deadly arrows. They are always telling lies. Friendly
words for their neighbors come from their mouths. But their minds are thinking
up ways to trap them.
9 I will certainly punish them for doing such things!” says the LORD.“I will
certainly bring retribution on such a nation as this!”
10 The Coming Destruction Calls For Mourning I said,“I will weep and mourn for
the grasslands on the mountains, I will sing a mournful song for the pastures in
the wilderness because they are so scorched no one travels through them. The
sound of livestock is no longer heard there. Even the birds in the sky and the
wild animals in the fields have fled and are gone.”
11 The LORD said,“I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins. Jackals will make
their home there. I will destroy the towns of Judah so that no one will be able
to live in them.”
12 I said,“Who is wise enough to understand why this has happened? Who has a
word from the LORD that can explain it? Why does the land lie in ruins? Why is
it as scorched as a desert through which no one travels?”
13 The LORD answered,“This has happened because these people have rejected my
laws which I gave them. They have not obeyed me or followed those laws.
14 Instead they have followed the stubborn inclinations of their own hearts.
They have paid allegiance to the gods called Baal, as their fathers taught them
to do.
15 So then, listen to what I, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel,
say.‘I will make these people eat the bitter food of suffering and drink the
poison water of judgment.
16 I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their ancestors have
known anything about. I will send people chasing after them with swords until I
have destroyed them.’”
17 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies told me to say to this people,“Take note of
what I say. Call for the women who mourn for the dead! Summon those who are the
most skilled at it!”
18 I said,“Indeed, let them come quickly and sing a song of mourning for us.
Let them wail loudly until tears stream from our own eyes and our eyelids
overflow with water.
19 For the sound of wailing is soon to be heard in Zion,‘We are utterly
ruined! We are completely disgraced! For we have left our land! For our houses
have been torn down!’”
20 I said,“So now, you wailing women, listen to the LORD’s message. Open
your ears to the message from his mouth. Teach your daughters this mournful
song, and let every woman teach her neighbor this lament.
21 ‘Death has climbed in through our windows. It has entered into our
fortified houses. It has taken away our children who play in the streets. It has
taken away our young men who gather in the city squares.’
22 Tell your daughters and neighbors,‘The LORD says,“The dead bodies of
people will lie scattered everywhere like manure scattered on a field. They will
lie scattered on the ground like grain that has been cut down but has not been
gathered.”’”
23 The LORD says,“Wise people should not boast that they are wise. Powerful
people should not boast that they are powerful. Rich people should not boast
that they are rich.
24 If people want to boast, they should boast about this: They should boast that
they understand and know me. They should boast that they know and understand
that I, the LORD, act out of faithfulness, fairness, and justice in the earth
and that I desire people to do these things,” says the LORD.
25 The LORD says,“Watch out! The time is soon coming when I will punish all
those who are circumcised only in the flesh.
26 That is, I will punish the Egyptians, the Judeans, the Edomites, the
Ammonites, the Moabites, and all the desert people who cut their hair short at
the temples. I will do so because none of the people of those nations are really
circumcised in the LORD’s sight. Moreover, none of the people of Israel are
circumcised when it comes to their hearts.”

Chapter 10

1 The Lord, not Idols, is the Only Worthy Object of Worship You people of
Israel, listen to what the LORD has to say to you.
2 The LORD says,“Do not start following pagan religious practices. Do not be
in awe of signs that occur in the sky even though the nations hold them in awe.
3 For the religion of these people is worthless. They cut down a tree in the
forest, and a craftsman makes it into an idol with his tools.
4 He decorates it with overlays of silver and gold. He uses hammer and nails to
fasten it together so that it will not fall over.
5 Such idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field. They cannot talk. They
must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them because they
cannot hurt you. And they do not have any power to help you.”
6 I said,“There is no one like you, LORD. You are great. And you are renowned
for your power.
7 Everyone should revere you, O King of all nations, because you deserve to be
revered. For there is no one like you among any of the wise people of the
nations nor among any of their kings.
8 The people of those nations are both stupid and foolish. Instruction from a
wooden idol is worthless!
9 Hammered-out silver is brought from Tarshish and gold is brought from Ufaz to
cover those idols. They are the handiwork of carpenters and goldsmiths. They are
clothed in blue and purple clothes. They are all made by skillful workers.
10 The LORD is the only true God. He is the living God and the everlasting King.
When he shows his anger the earth shakes. None of the nations can stand up to
his fury.
11 You people of Israel should tell those nations this:‘These gods did not
make heaven and earth. They will disappear from the earth and from under the
heavens.’
12 The LORD is the one who by his power made the earth. He is the one who by his
wisdom established the world. And by his understanding he spread out the skies.
13 When his voice thunders, the heavenly ocean roars. He makes the clouds rise
from the far-off horizons. He makes the lightning flash out in the midst of the
rain. He unleashes the wind from the places where he stores it.
14 All these idolaters will prove to be stupid and ignorant. Every goldsmith
will be disgraced by the idol he made. For the image he forges is merely a sham.
There is no breath in any of those idols.
15 They are worthless, mere objects to be mocked. When the time comes to punish
them, they will be destroyed.
16 The LORD, who is the inheritance of Jacob’s descendants, is not like them.
He is the one who created everything. And the people of Israel are those he
claims as his own. His name is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.”
17 Jeremiah Laments for and Prays for the Soon-to-be-Judged People Gather your
belongings together and prepare to leave the land, you people of Jerusalem who
are being besieged.
18 For the LORD says,“I will now throw out those who live in this land. I will
bring so much trouble on them that they will actually feel it.”
19 And I cried out,“We are doomed! Our wound is severe! We once
thought,‘This is only an illness. And we will be able to bear it!’
20 But our tents have been destroyed. The ropes that held them in place have
been ripped apart. Our children are gone and are not coming back. There is no
survivor to put our tents back up, no one left to hang their tent curtains in
place.
21 For our leaders are stupid. They have not sought the LORD’s advice. So they
do not act wisely, and the people they are responsible for have all been
scattered.
22 Listen! News is coming even now. The rumble of a great army is heard
approaching from a land in the north. It is coming to turn the towns of Judah
into rubble, places where only jackals live.
23 LORD, we know that people do not control their own destiny. It is not in
their power to determine what will happen to them.
24 Correct us, LORD, but only in due measure. Do not punish us in anger or you
will reduce us to nothing.
25 Vent your anger on the nations that do not acknowledge you. Vent it on the
peoples who do not worship you. For they have destroyed the people of Jacob.
They have completely destroyed them and left their homeland in utter ruin.

Chapter 11

1 The People Have Violated Their Covenant with God The LORD said to Jeremiah:
2 “Hear the terms of the covenant I made with Israel and pass them on to the
people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem.
3 Tell them that the LORD, the God of Israel, says,‘Anyone who does not keep
the terms of the covenant will be under a curse.
4 Those are the terms that I charged your ancestors to keep when I brought them
out of Egypt, that place which was like an iron-smelting furnace. I said at that
time,“Obey me and carry out the terms of the covenant exactly as I commanded
you. If you do, you will be my people and I will be your God.
5 Then I will keep the promise I swore on oath to your ancestors to give them a
land flowing with milk and honey.” That is the very land that you still live
in today.’” And I responded,“Amen! Let it be so, LORD!”
6 The LORD said to me,“Announce all the following words in the towns of Judah
and in the streets of Jerusalem:‘Listen to the terms of my covenant with you
and carry them out!
7 For I solemnly warned your ancestors to obey me. I warned them again and
again, ever since I delivered them out of Egypt until this very day.
8 But they did not listen to me or pay any attention to me! Each one of them
followed the stubborn inclinations of his own wicked heart. So I brought on them
all the punishments threatened in the covenant because they did not carry out
its terms as I commanded them to do.’”
9 The LORD said to me,“The people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem have
plotted rebellion against me!
10 They have gone back to the evil ways of their ancestors of old who refused to
obey what I told them. They, too, have paid allegiance to other gods and
worshiped them. Both the nation of Israel and the nation of Judah have violated
the covenant I made with their ancestors.
11 So I, the LORD, say this:‘I will soon bring disaster on them which they
will not be able to escape! When they cry out to me for help, I will not listen
to them.
12 Then those living in the towns of Judah and in Jerusalem will go and cry out
for help to the gods to whom they have been sacrificing. However, those gods
will by no means be able to save them when disaster strikes them.
13 This is in spite of the fact that the people of Judah have as many gods as
they have towns and the citizens of Jerusalem have set up as many altars to
sacrifice to that disgusting god, Baal, as they have streets in the city!’
14 But as for you, Jeremiah, do not pray for these people. Do not raise a cry of
prayer for them. For I will not listen to them when they call out to me for help
when disaster strikes them.”
15 The LORD says to the people of Judah,“What right do you have to be in my
temple, my beloved people? Many of you have done wicked things. Can your acts of
treachery be so easily canceled by sacred offerings that you take joy in doing
evil even while you make them?
16 I, the LORD, once called you a thriving olive tree, one that produced
beautiful fruit. But I will set you on fire, fire that will blaze with a mighty
roar. Then all your branches will be good for nothing.
17 For though I, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, planted you in the land, I now
decree that disaster will come on you because the nations of Israel and Judah
have done evil and have made me angry by offering sacrifices to the god Baal.”
18 A Plot Against Jeremiah is Revealed and He Complains of Injustice The LORD
gave me knowledge, that I might have understanding. Then he showed me what the
people were doing.
19 Before this I had been like a docile lamb ready to be led to the slaughter. I
did not know they were making plans to kill me. I did not know they were
saying,“Let’s destroy the tree along with its fruit! Let’s remove Jeremiah
from the world of the living so people will not even be reminded of him any
more.”
20 So I said,“O LORD of Heaven’s Armies, you are a just judge! You examine
people’s hearts and minds. I want to see you pay them back for what they have
done because I trust you to vindicate my cause.”
21 Then the LORD told me about some men from Anathoth who were threatening to
kill me. They had threatened,“Stop prophesying in the name of the LORD or we
will kill you!”
22 So the LORD of Heaven’s Armies said,“I will surely punish them! Their
young men will be killed in battle. Their sons and daughters will die of
starvation.
23 Not one of them will survive. I will bring disaster on those men from
Anathoth who threatened you. A day of reckoning is coming for them.”

Chapter 12

1 LORD, you have always been fair whenever I have complained to you. However, I
would like to speak with you about the disposition of justice. Why are wicked
people successful? Why do all dishonest people have such easy lives?
2 You plant them like trees and they put down their roots. They grow prosperous
and are very fruitful. They always talk about you, but they really care nothing
about you.
3 But you, LORD, know all about me. You watch me and test my devotion to you.
Drag these wicked men away like sheep to be slaughtered! Appoint a time when
they will be killed!
4 How long must the land be parched and the grass in every field be withered?
How long must the animals and the birds die because of the wickedness of the
people who live in this land? For these people boast,“God will not see what
happens to us.”
5 The LORD answered,“If you have raced on foot against men and they have worn
you out, how will you be able to compete with horses? And if you feel secure
only in safe and open country, how will you manage in the thick undergrowth
along the Jordan River?
6 As a matter of fact, even your own brothers and the members of your own family
have betrayed you too. Even they have plotted to do away with you. So do not
trust them even when they say kind things to you.
7 “I will abandon my nation. I will forsake the people I call my own. I will
turn my beloved people over to the power of their enemies.
8 The people I call my own have turned on me like a lion in the forest. They
have roared defiantly at me. So I will treat them as though I hate them.
9 The people I call my own attack me like birds of prey or like hyenas. But
other birds of prey are all around them. Let all the nations gather together
like wild beasts. Let them come and destroy these people I call my own.
10 Many foreign rulers will ruin the land where I planted my people. They will
trample all over my chosen land. They will turn my beautiful land into a
desolate wilderness.
11 They will lay it waste. It will lie parched and empty before me. The whole
land will be laid waste. But no one living in it will pay any heed.
12 A destructive army will come marching over the hilltops in the wilderness.
For the LORD will use them as his destructive weapon against everyone from one
end of the land to the other. No one will be safe.
13 My people will sow wheat, but will harvest weeds. They will work until they
are exhausted, but will get nothing from it. They will be disappointed in their
harvests because the LORD will take them away in his fierce anger.
14 “I, the LORD, also have something to say concerning the wicked nations who
surround my land and have attacked and plundered the land that I gave to my
people as a permanent possession. I say:‘I will uproot the people of those
nations from their land and I will free the people of Judah who have been taken
there.
15 But after I have uprooted the people of those nations, I will relent and have
pity on them. I will restore the people of each of those nations to their own
lands and to their own country.
16 But they must make sure to learn to follow the religious practices of my
people. Once they taught my people to swear their oaths using the name of the
god Baal. But then, they must swear oaths using my name, saying,“As surely as
the LORD lives, I swear.” If they do these things, then they will be included
among the people I call my own.
17 But I will completely uproot and destroy any of those nations that will not
pay heed,’” says the LORD.

Chapter 13

1 An Object Lesson from Ruined Linen Shorts The LORD said to me,“Go and buy
some linen shorts and put them on. Do not put them in water.”
2 So I bought the shorts in keeping with the LORD’s instructions and put them
on.
3 Then the LORD’s message came to me again,
4 “Take the shorts that you bought and are wearing and go at once to Perath.
Bury the shorts there in a crack in the rocks.”
5 So I went and buried them at Perath as the LORD had ordered me to do.
6 Many days later the LORD said to me,“Go at once to Perath and get the shorts
I ordered you to bury there.”
7 So I went to Perath and dug up the shorts from the place where I had buried
them. I found that they were ruined; they were good for nothing.
8 Then the LORD’s message came to me,
9 “I, the LORD, say:‘This shows how I will ruin the highly exalted position
in which Judah and Jerusalem take pride.
10 These wicked people refuse to obey what I have said. They follow the stubborn
inclinations of their own hearts and pay allegiance to other gods by worshiping
and serving them. So they will become just like these linen shorts which are
good for nothing.
11 For,’ I say,‘just as shorts cling tightly to a person’s body, so I
bound the whole nation of Israel and the whole nation of Judah tightly to me.’
I intended for them to be my special people and to bring me fame, honor, and
praise. But they would not obey me.
12 “So tell them,‘The LORD, the God of Israel, says,“Every wine jar is
made to be filled with wine.”’ And they will probably say to you,‘Do you
not think we know that every wine jar is supposed to be filled with wine?’
13 Then tell them,‘The LORD says,“I will soon fill all the people who live
in this land with stupor. I will also fill the kings from David’s dynasty, the
priests, the prophets, and the citizens of Jerusalem with stupor.
14 And I will smash them like wine bottles against one another, children and
parents alike. I will not show any pity, mercy, or compassion. Nothing will keep
me from destroying them,’ says the LORD.”
15 Then I said to the people of Judah,“Listen and pay attention! Do not be
arrogant! For the LORD has spoken.
16 Show the LORD your God the respect that is due him. Do it before he brings
the darkness of disaster. Do it before you stumble into distress like a traveler
on the mountains at twilight. Do it before he turns the light of deliverance you
hope for into the darkness and gloom of exile.
17 But if you will not pay attention to this warning, I will weep alone because
of your arrogant pride. I will weep bitterly, and my eyes will overflow with
tears because you, the LORD’s flock, will be carried into exile.”
18 The LORD told me,“Tell the king and the queen mother,‘Surrender your
thrones, for your glorious crowns will be removed from your heads.
19 The gates of the towns in southern Judah will be shut tight. No one will be
able to go in or out of them. All Judah will be carried off into exile. They
will be completely carried off into exile.’”
20 Then I said,“Look up, Jerusalem, and see the enemy that is coming from the
north. Where now is the flock of people that were entrusted to your care? Where
now are the‘sheep’ that you take such pride in?
21 What will you say when the LORD appoints as rulers over you those allies that
you, yourself, had actually prepared as such? Then anguish and agony will grip
you like that of a woman giving birth to a baby.
22 You will probably ask yourself,‘Why have these things happened to me? Why
have I been treated like a disgraced adulteress whose skirt has been torn off
and her limbs exposed?’ It is because you have sinned so much.
23 But there is little hope for you ever doing good, you who are so accustomed
to doing evil. Can an Ethiopian change the color of his skin? Can a leopard
remove its spots?
24 “The LORD says,‘That is why I will scatter your people like chaff that is
blown away by a desert wind.
25 This is your fate, the destiny to which I have appointed you, because you
have forgotten me and have trusted in false gods.
26 So I will pull your skirt up over your face and expose you to shame like a
disgraced adulteress!
27 People of Jerusalem, I have seen your adulterous worship, your shameless
prostitution to, and your lustful pursuit of, other gods. I have seen your
disgusting acts of worship on the hills throughout the countryside. You are
doomed to destruction! How long will you continue to be unclean?’”

Chapter 14

1 A Lament over the Ravages of Drought This was the LORD’s message to Jeremiah
about the drought.
2 “The people of Judah are in mourning. The people in her cities are pining
away. They lie on the ground expressing their sorrow. Cries of distress come up
to me from Jerusalem.
3 The leading men of the cities send their servants for water. They go to the
cisterns, but they do not find any water there. They return with their
containers empty. Disappointed and dismayed, they bury their faces in their
hands.
4 They are dismayed because the ground is cracked because there has been no rain
in the land. The farmers, too, are dismayed and bury their faces in their hands.
5 Even the doe abandons her newborn fawn in the field because there is no grass.
6 Wild donkeys stand on the hilltops and pant for breath like jackals. Their
eyes are strained looking for food, because there is none to be found.”
7 Then I said,“O LORD, intervene for the honor of your name even though our
sins speak out against us. Indeed, we have turned away from you many times. We
have sinned against you.
8 You have been the object of Israel’s hopes. You have saved them when they
were in trouble. Why have you become like a resident foreigner in the land? Why
have you become like a traveler who only stops in to spend the night?
9 Why should you be like someone who is helpless, like a champion who cannot
save anyone? You are indeed with us, and we belong to you. Do not abandon us!”
10 Then the LORD spoke about these people.“They truly love to go astray. They
cannot keep from running away from me. So I am not pleased with them. I will now
call to mind the wrongs they have done and punish them for their sins.”
11 Judgment for Believing the Misleading Lies of the False Prophets Then the
LORD said to me,“Do not pray for good to come to these people!
12 Even if they fast, I will not hear their cries for help. Even if they offer
burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will
kill them through wars, famines, and plagues.”
13 Then I said,“Oh, Sovereign LORD, look! The prophets are telling them that
you said,‘You will not experience war or suffer famine. I will give you
lasting peace and prosperity in this land.’”
14 Then the LORD said to me,“Those prophets are prophesying lies while
claiming my authority! I did not send them. I did not commission them. I did not
speak to them. They are prophesying to these people false visions, worthless
predictions, and the delusions of their own mind.
15 I did not send those prophets, though they claim to be prophesying in my
name. They may be saying,‘No war or famine will happen in this land.’ But I,
the LORD, say this about them:‘War and starvation will kill those prophets.’
16 The people to whom they are prophesying will die through war and famine.
Their bodies will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem and there will be
no one to bury them. This will happen to the men and their wives, their sons,
and their daughters. For I will pour out on them the destruction they
deserve.”
17 Lament over Present Destruction and Threat of More to Come“Tell these
people this, Jeremiah:‘My eyes overflow with tears day and night without
ceasing. For my people, my dear children, have suffered a crushing blow. They
have suffered a serious wound.
18 If I go out into the countryside, I see those who have been killed in battle.
If I go into the city, I see those who are sick because of starvation. For both
prophet and priest– they go peddling in the land but they are not
humbled.’”
19 Then I said,“LORD, have you completely rejected the nation of Judah? Do you
despise the city of Zion? Why have you struck us with such force that we are
beyond recovery? We hope for peace, but nothing good has come of it. We hope for
a time of relief from our troubles, but experience terror.
20 LORD, we confess that we have been wicked. We confess that our ancestors have
done wrong. We have indeed sinned against you.
21 For the honor of your name, do not treat Jerusalem with contempt. Do not
treat with disdain the place where your glorious throne sits. Be mindful of your
covenant with us. Do not break it!
22 Do any of the worthless idols of the nations cause rain to fall? Do the skies
themselves send showers? Is it not you, O Lord our God, who does this? So we put
our hopes in you because you alone do all this.”

Chapter 15

1 Then the LORD said to me,“Even if Moses and Samuel stood before me pleading
for these people, I would not feel pity for them! Get them away from me! Tell
them to go away!
2 If they ask you,‘Where should we go?’ tell them the LORD says
this:“Those who are destined to die of disease will go to death by disease.
Those who are destined to die in war will go to death in war. Those who are
destined to die of starvation will go to death by starvation. Those who are
destined to go into exile will go into exile.”
3 “I will punish them in four different ways: I will have war kill them. I
will have dogs drag off their dead bodies. I will have birds and wild beasts
devour and destroy their corpses.
4 I will make all the people in all the kingdoms of the world horrified at what
has happened to them because of what Hezekiah’s son Manasseh, king of Judah,
did in Jerusalem.”
5 The LORD cried out,“Who in the world will have pity on you, Jerusalem? Who
will grieve over you? Who will stop long enough to inquire about how you are
doing?
6 I, the LORD, say:‘You people have deserted me! You keep turning your back on
me.’ So I have unleashed my power against you and have begun to destroy you. I
have grown tired of feeling sorry for you!”
7 The LORD continued,“In every town in the land I will purge them like straw
blown away by the wind. I will destroy my people. I will kill off their
children. I will do so because they did not change their behavior.
8 Their widows will become in my sight more numerous than the grains of sand on
the seashores. At noontime I will bring a destroyer against the mothers of their
young men. I will cause anguish and terror to fall suddenly upon them.
9 The mother who had seven children will grow faint. All the breath will go out
of her. Her pride and joy will be taken from her in the prime of their life. It
will seem as if the sun had set while it was still day. She will suffer shame
and humiliation. I will cause any of them who are still left alive to be killed
in war by the onslaughts of their enemies,” says the LORD.
10 Jeremiah Complains about His Lot and The Lord Responds I said,“Oh, mother,
how I regret that you ever gave birth to me! I am always starting arguments and
quarrels with the people of this land. I have not lent money to anyone and I
have not borrowed from anyone. Yet all of these people are treating me with
contempt.”
11 The LORD said,“Jerusalem, I will surely send you away for your own good. I
will surely bring the enemy upon you in a time of trouble and distress.
12 Can you people who are like iron and bronze break that iron fist from the
north?
13 I will give away your wealth and your treasures as plunder. I will give it
away free of charge for the sins you have committed throughout your land.
14 I will make you serve your enemies in a land that you know nothing about. For
my anger is like a fire that will burn against you.”
15 I said,“LORD, you know how I suffer. Take thought of me and care for me.
Pay back for me those who have been persecuting me. Do not be so patient with
them that you allow them to kill me. Be mindful of how I have put up with their
insults for your sake.
16 As your words came to me I drank them in, and they filled my heart with joy
and happiness because I belong to you, O LORD God of Heaven’s Armies.
17 I did not spend my time in the company of other people, laughing and having a
good time. I stayed to myself because I felt obligated to you and because I was
filled with anger at what they had done.
18 Why must I continually suffer such painful anguish? Why must I endure the
sting of their insults like an incurable wound? Will you let me down when I need
you like a brook one goes to for water, but that cannot be relied on?”
19 Because of this, the LORD said,“You must repent of such words and thoughts!
If you do, I will restore you to the privilege of serving me. If you say what is
worthwhile instead of what is worthless, I will again allow you to be my
spokesman. They must become as you have been. You must not become like them.
20 I will make you as strong as a wall to these people, a fortified wall of
bronze. They will attack you, but they will not be able to overcome you. For I
will be with you to rescue you and deliver you,” says the LORD.
21 “I will deliver you from the power of the wicked. I will free you from the
clutches of violent people.”

Chapter 16

1 Jeremiah Forbidden to Marry, to Mourn, or to Feast The LORD’s message came
to me,
2 “Do not get married and do not have children here in this land.
3 For I, the LORD, tell you what will happen to the children who are born here
in this land and to the men and women who are their mothers and fathers.
4 They will die of deadly diseases. No one will mourn for them. They will not be
buried. Their dead bodies will lie like manure spread on the ground. They will
be killed in war or die of starvation. Their corpses will be food for the birds
and wild animals.
5 “Moreover I, the LORD, tell you:‘Do not go into a house where they are
having a funeral meal. Do not go there to mourn and express your sorrow for
them. For I have stopped showing them my good favor, my love, and my compassion.
I, the LORD, so affirm it!
6 Rich and poor alike will die in this land. They will not be buried or mourned.
People will not cut their bodies or shave off their hair to show their grief for
them.
7 No one will take any food to those who mourn for the dead to comfort them. No
one will give them any wine to drink to console them for the loss of their
father or mother.
8 “‘Do not go to a house where people are feasting and sit down to eat and
drink with them either.
9 For I, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, tell you what will
happen. I will put an end to the sounds of joy and gladness, to the glad
celebration of brides and grooms in this land. You and the rest of the people
will live to see this happen.’”
10 The Lord Promises Exile(But Also Restoration)“When you tell these people
about all this, they will undoubtedly ask you,‘Why has the LORD threatened us
with such great disaster? What wrong have we done? What sin have we done to
offend the LORD our God?’
11 Then tell them that the LORD says,‘It is because your ancestors rejected me
and paid allegiance to other gods. They have served them and worshiped them. But
they have rejected me and not obeyed my law.
12 And you have acted even more wickedly than your ancestors! Each one of you
has followed the stubborn inclinations of your own wicked heart and not obeyed
me.
13 So I will throw you out of this land into a land that neither you nor your
ancestors have ever known. There you must worship other gods day and night, for
I will show you no mercy.’”
14 Yet I, the LORD, say:“A new time will certainly come. People now affirm
their oaths with‘I swear as surely as the LORD lives who delivered the people
of Israel out of Egypt.’
15 But in that time they will affirm them with‘I swear as surely as the LORD
lives who delivered the people of Israel from the land of the north and from all
the other lands where he had banished them.’ At that time I will bring them
back to the land I gave their ancestors.”
16 But for now I, the LORD, say:“I will send many enemies who will catch these
people like fishermen. After that I will send others who will hunt them out like
hunters from all the mountains, all the hills, and the crevices in the rocks.
17 For I see everything they do. Their wicked ways are not hidden from me. Their
sin is not hidden away where I cannot see it.
18 Before I restore them I will punish them in full for their sins and the
wrongs they have done. For they have polluted my land with the lifeless statues
of their disgusting idols. They have filled the land I have claimed as my own
with their detestable idols.”
19 Then I said,“LORD, you give me strength and protect me. You are the one I
can run to for safety when I am in trouble. Nations from all over the earth will
come to you and say,‘Our ancestors had nothing but false gods– worthless
idols that could not help them at all.
20 Can people make their own gods? No, what they make are not gods at all.”
21 The LORD said,“So I will now let this wicked people know– I will let them
know my mighty power in judgment. Then they will know that my name is the
LORD.”

Chapter 17

1 The sin of Judah is engraved with an iron chisel on their stone-hard hearts.
It is inscribed with a diamond point on the horns of their altars.
2 Their children are always thinking about their altars and their sacred poles
dedicated to the goddess Asherah, set up beside the green trees on the high
hills
3 and on the mountains and in the fields. I will give your wealth and all your
treasures away as plunder. I will give it away as the price for the sins you
have committed throughout your land.
4 You will lose your hold on the land which I gave to you as a permanent
possession. I will make you serve your enemies in a land that you know nothing
about. For you have made my anger burn like a fire that will never be put
out.”
5 Individuals Are Challenged to Put Their Trust in the Lord The LORD says,“I
will put a curse on people who trust in mere human beings, who depend on mere
flesh and blood for their strength, and whose hearts have turned away from the
LORD.
6 They will be like a shrub in the arid rift valley. They will not experience
good things even when they happen. It will be as though they were growing in the
stony wastes in the wilderness, in a salt land where no one can live.
7 My blessing is on those people who trust in me, who put their confidence in
me.
8 They will be like a tree planted near a stream whose roots spread out toward
the water. It has nothing to fear when the heat comes. Its leaves are always
green. It has no need to be concerned in a year of drought. It does not stop
bearing fruit.
9 The human mind is more deceitful than anything else. It is incurably bad. Who
can understand it?
10 I, the LORD, probe into people’s minds. I examine people’s hearts. I deal
with each person according to how he has behaved. I give them what they deserve
based on what they have done.
11 The person who gathers wealth by unjust means is like the partridge that
broods over eggs but does not hatch them. Before his life is half over he will
lose his ill-gotten gains. At the end of his life it will be clear he was a
fool.”
12 Jeremiah Appeals to the Lord for Vindication Then I said,“LORD, from the
very beginning you have been seated on your glorious throne on high. You are the
place where we can find refuge.
13 You are the one in whom Israel may find hope. All who leave you will suffer
shame. Those who turn away from you will be consigned to the netherworld. For
they have rejected you, the LORD, the fountain of life.
14 LORD, grant me relief from my suffering so that I may have some relief;
rescue me from those who persecute me so that I may be rescued, for you give me
reason to praise!
15 Look at what they are saying to me,“Where are the events in the LORD’s
message? Let’s see them happen, please!”
16 But I have not pestered you to bring disaster. I have not desired the time of
irreparable devastation. You know that. You are fully aware of every word that I
have spoken.
17 Do not cause me dismay! You are my source of safety in times of trouble.
18 May those who persecute me be disgraced. Do not let me be disgraced. May they
be dismayed. Do not let me be dismayed. Bring days of disaster on them. Bring on
them the destruction they deserve.”
19 Observance of the Sabbath Day Is a Key to the Future The LORD told me,“Go
and stand in the People’s Gate through which the kings of Judah enter and
leave the city. Then go and stand in all the other gates of the city of
Jerusalem.
20 And then announce to them,‘Listen to the LORD’s message, you kings of
Judah, and everyone from Judah, and all you citizens of Jerusalem, those who
pass through these gates.
21 The LORD says,‘Be very careful if you value your lives! Do not carry any
loads in through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day.
22 Do not carry any loads out of your houses or do any work on the Sabbath day.
But observe the Sabbath day as a day set apart to the LORD, as I commanded your
ancestors.
23 Your ancestors, however, did not listen to me or pay any attention to me.
They stubbornly refused to pay attention or to respond to any discipline.’
24 The LORD says,‘You must make sure to obey me. You must not bring any loads
through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day. You must set the Sabbath day
apart to me. You must not do any work on that day.
25 If you do this, then the kings and princes who follow in David’s succession
and ride in chariots or on horses will continue to enter through these gates, as
well as their officials and the people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem.
This city will always be filled with people.
26 Then people will come here from the towns in Judah, from the villages
surrounding Jerusalem, from the territory of Benjamin, from the foothills, from
the southern hill country, and from the southern part of Judah. They will come
bringing offerings to the temple of the LORD: burnt offerings, sacrifices, grain
offerings, and incense along with their thank offerings.
27 But you must obey me and set the Sabbath day apart to me. You must not carry
any loads in through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. If you disobey,
I will set the gates of Jerusalem on fire. It will burn down all the fortified
dwellings in Jerusalem and no one will be able to put it out.’”

Chapter 18

1 An Object Lesson from the Making of Pottery The LORD said to Jeremiah:
2 “Go down at once to the potter’s house. I will speak to you further
there.”
3 So I went down to the potter’s house and found him working at his wheel.
4 Now and then there would be something wrong with the pot he was molding from
the clay with his hands. So he would rework the clay into another kind of pot as
he saw fit.
5 Then the LORD’s message came to me,
6 “I, the LORD, say:‘O nation of Israel, can I not deal with you as this
potter deals with the clay? In my hands, you, O nation of Israel, are just like
the clay in this potter’s hand.’
7 There are times, Jeremiah, when I threaten to uproot, tear down, and destroy a
nation or kingdom.
8 But if that nation I threatened stops doing wrong, I will cancel the
destruction I intended to do to it.
9 And there are times when I promise to build up and establish a nation or
kingdom.
10 But if that nation does what displeases me and does not obey me, then I will
cancel the good I promised to do to it.
11 So now, tell the people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem this: The LORD
says,‘I am preparing to bring disaster on you! I am making plans to punish
you. So, every one of you, stop the evil things you have been doing. Correct the
way you have been living and do what is right.’
12 But they just keep saying,‘We do not care what you say! We will do whatever
we want to do! We will continue to behave wickedly and stubbornly!’”
13 Therefore, the LORD says,“Ask the people of other nations whether they have
heard of anything like this. Israel should have been like a virgin. But she has
done something utterly revolting!
14 Does the snow ever completely vanish from the rocky slopes of Lebanon? Do the
cool waters from those distant mountains ever cease to flow?
15 Yet my people have forgotten me and offered sacrifices to worthless idols!
This makes them stumble along in the way they live and leave the old reliable
path of their fathers. They have left them to walk in bypaths, in roads that are
not smooth and level.
16 So their land will become an object of horror. People will forever hiss out
their scorn over it. All who pass that way will be filled with horror and will
shake their heads in derision.
17 I will scatter them before their enemies like dust blowing in front of a
burning east wind. I will turn my back on them and not look favorably on them
when disaster strikes them.”
18 Jeremiah Petitions the Lord to Punish Those Who Attack Him Then some people
said,“Come on! Let us consider how to deal with Jeremiah! There will still be
priests to instruct us, wise men to give us advice, and prophets to declare
God’s word. Come on! Let’s bring charges against him and get rid of him!
Then we will not need to pay attention to anything he says.”
19 Then I said,“LORD, pay attention to me. Listen to what my enemies are
saying.
20 Should good be paid back with evil? Yet they are virtually digging a pit to
kill me. Just remember how I stood before you pleading on their behalf to keep
you from venting your anger on them.
21 So let their children die of starvation. Let them be cut down by the sword.
Let their wives lose their husbands and children. Let the older men die of
disease and the younger men die by the sword in battle.
22 Let cries of terror be heard in their houses when you send bands of raiders
unexpectedly to plunder them. For they have virtually dug a pit to capture me
and have hidden traps for me to step into.
23 But you, LORD, know all their plots to kill me. Do not pardon their crimes!
Do not ignore their sins as though you had erased them! Let them be brought down
in defeat before you! Deal with them while you are still angry!

Chapter 19

1 An Object Lesson from a Broken Clay Jar The LORD told Jeremiah,“Go and buy a
clay jar from a potter. Take with you some of the leaders of the people and some
of the leaders of the priests.
2 Go out to the part of the Hinnom Valley which is near the entrance of the
Potsherd Gate. Announce there what I tell you.
3 Say,‘Listen to the LORD’s message, you kings of Judah and citizens of
Jerusalem! This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, has
said,“Look here. I am about to bring a disaster on this place that will make
the ears of everyone who hears about it ring!
4 I will do so because these people have rejected me and have defiled this
place. They have offered sacrifices in it to other gods which neither they nor
their ancestors nor the kings of Judah knew anything about. They have filled it
with the blood of innocent children.
5 They have built places here for worship of the god Baal so that they could
sacrifice their children as burnt offerings to him in the fire. Such sacrifices
are something I never commanded them to make! They are something I never told
them to do! Indeed, such a thing never even entered my mind!
6 So I, the LORD, say:“The time will soon come that people will no longer call
this place Topheth or the Hinnom Valley. But they will call this valley the
Valley of Slaughter!
7 In this place I will thwart the plans of the people of Judah and Jerusalem. I
will deliver them over to the power of their enemies who are seeking to kill
them. They will die by the sword at the hands of their enemies. I will make
their dead bodies food for the birds and wild beasts to eat.
8 I will make this city an object of horror, a thing to be hissed at. All who
pass by it will be filled with horror and will hiss out their scorn because of
all the disasters that have happened to it.
9 I will reduce the people of this city to desperate straits during the siege
imposed on it by their enemies who are seeking to kill them. I will make them so
desperate that they will eat the flesh of their own sons and daughters and the
flesh of one another.”’”
10 The LORD continued,“Now break the jar in front of those who have come here
with you.
11 Tell them the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says,‘I will do just as Jeremiah
has done. I will smash this nation and this city as though it were a potter’s
vessel which is broken beyond repair. The dead will be buried here in Topheth
until there is no more room to bury them.’
12 I, the LORD, say:‘That is how I will deal with this city and its citizens.
I will make it like Topheth.
13 The houses in Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be defiled
by dead bodies just like this place, Topheth. For they offered sacrifice to the
stars and poured out drink offerings to other gods on the roofs of those
houses.’”
14 Then Jeremiah left Topheth where the LORD had sent him to give that prophecy.
He went to the LORD’s temple and stood in its courtyard and called out to all
the people.
15 “The LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel says,‘I will soon bring
on this city and all the towns surrounding it all the disaster I threatened to
do to it. I will do so because they have stubbornly refused to pay any attention
to what I have said!’”

Chapter 20

1 Jeremiah is Flogged and Put in A Cell Now Pashhur son of Immer heard Jeremiah
prophesy these things. He was the priest who was chief of security in the
LORD’s temple.
2 When he heard Jeremiah’s prophecy, he had the prophet flogged. Then he put
him in the stocks which were at the Upper Gate of Benjamin in the LORD’s
temple.
3 But the next day Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks. When he did,
Jeremiah said to him,“The LORD’s name for you is not‘Pashhur’
but‘Terror is Everywhere.’
4 For the LORD says,‘I will make both you and your friends terrified of what
will happen to you. You will see all of them die by the swords of their enemies.
I will hand all the people of Judah over to the king of Babylon. He will carry
some of them away into exile in Babylon and he will kill others of them with the
sword.
5 I will hand over all the wealth of this city to their enemies. I will hand
over to them all the fruits of the labor of the people of this city and all
their prized possessions, as well as all the treasures of the kings of Judah.
Their enemies will seize it all as plunder and carry it off to Babylon.
6 You, Pashhur, and all your household will go into exile in Babylon. You will
die there and you will be buried there. The same thing will happen to all your
friends to whom you have prophesied lies.’”
7 Jeremiah Complains about the Reaction to His Ministry LORD, you coerced me
into being a prophet, and I allowed you to do it. You overcame my resistance and
prevailed over me. Now I have become a constant laughingstock. Everyone
ridicules me.
8 For whenever I prophesy, I must cry out,“Violence and destruction are
coming!” This message from the LORD has made me an object of continual insults
and derision.
9 Sometimes I think,“I will make no mention of his message. I will not speak
as his messenger any more.” But then his message becomes like a fire locked up
inside of me, burning in my heart and soul. I grow weary of trying to hold it
in; I cannot contain it.
10 I hear many whispering words of intrigue against me. Those who would cause me
terror are everywhere! They are saying,“Come on, let’s publicly denounce
him!” All my so-called friends are just watching for something that would lead
to my downfall. They say,“Perhaps he can be enticed into slipping up, so we
can prevail over him and get our revenge on him.
11 But the LORD is with me to help me like an awe-inspiring warrior. Therefore
those who persecute me will fail and will not prevail over me. They will be
thoroughly disgraced because they did not succeed. Their disgrace will never be
forgotten.
12 O LORD of Heaven’s Armies, you test and prove the righteous. You see into
people’s hearts and minds. Pay them back for what they have done because I
trust you to vindicate my cause.
13 Sing to the LORD! Praise the LORD! For he rescues the oppressed from the
clutches of evildoers.
14 Cursed be the day I was born! May that day not be blessed when my mother gave
birth to me.
15 Cursed be the man who made my father very glad when he brought him the news
that a baby boy had been born to him!
16 May that man be like the cities that the LORD destroyed without showing any
mercy. May he hear a cry of distress in the morning and a battle cry at noon.
17 For he did not kill me before I came from the womb, making my pregnant
mother’s womb my grave forever.
18 Why did I ever come forth from my mother’s womb? All I experience is
trouble and grief, and I spend my days in shame.

Chapter 21

1 The Lord Will Hand Jerusalem over to Enemies The LORD spoke to Jeremiah when
King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur son of Malkijah and the priest Zephaniah son
of Maaseiah. Zedekiah sent them to Jeremiah to ask,
2 “Please ask the LORD to come and help us, because King Nebuchadnezzar of
Babylon is attacking us. Maybe the LORD will perform one of his miracles as in
times past and make him stop attacking us and leave.”
3 Jeremiah answered them,“Tell Zedekiah
4 that the LORD, the God of Israel, says,‘The forces at your disposal are now
outside the walls fighting against King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and the
Babylonians who have you under siege. I will gather those forces back inside the
city.
5 In anger, in fury, and in wrath I myself will fight against you with my mighty
power and great strength!
6 I will kill everything living in Jerusalem, people and animals alike! They
will die from terrible diseases.
7 Then I, the LORD, promise that I will hand over King Zedekiah of Judah, his
officials, and any of the people who survive the war, starvation, and disease. I
will hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and to their enemies who
want to kill them. He will slaughter them with the sword. He will not show them
any mercy, compassion, or pity.’
8 “But tell the people of Jerusalem that the LORD says,‘I will give you a
choice between two courses of action. One will result in life; the other will
result in death.
9 Those who stay in this city will die in battle or of starvation or disease.
Those who leave the city and surrender to the Babylonians who are besieging it
will live. They will escape with their lives.
10 For I, the LORD, say that I am determined not to deliver this city but to
bring disaster on it. It will be handed over to the king of Babylon and he will
destroy it with fire.’”
11 Warnings to the Royal Court The LORD told me to say to the royal court of
Judah,“Listen to the LORD’s message,
12 O royal family descended from David. The LORD says:‘See to it that people
each day are judged fairly. Deliver those who have been robbed from those who
oppress them. Otherwise, my wrath will blaze out against you. It will burn like
a fire that cannot be put out because of the evil that you have done.
13 Listen, you who sit enthroned above the valley on a rocky plateau. I am
opposed to you,’ says the LORD.‘You boast,“No one can swoop down on us. No
one can penetrate into our places of refuge.”
14 But I will punish you as your deeds deserve,’ says the LORD.‘I will set
fire to your palace; it will burn up everything around it.’”

Chapter 22

1 The LORD told me,“Go down to the palace of the king of Judah. Give him a
message from me there.
2 Say:‘Listen, O king of Judah who follows in David’s succession. You, your
officials, and your subjects who pass through the gates of this palace must
listen to the LORD’s message.
3 The LORD says,“Do what is just and right. Deliver those who have been robbed
from those who oppress them. Do not exploit or mistreat resident foreigners who
live in your land, children who have no fathers, or widows. Do not kill innocent
people in this land.
4 If you are careful to obey these commands, then the kings who follow in
David’s succession and ride in chariots or on horses will continue to come
through the gates of this palace, as will their officials and their subjects.
5 But, if you do not obey these commands, I solemnly swear that this palace will
become a pile of rubble. I, the LORD, affirm it!”
6 “‘For the LORD says concerning the palace of the king of Judah,“This
place looks like a veritable forest of Gilead to me. It is like the wooded
heights of Lebanon in my eyes. But I swear that I will make it like a wilderness
whose towns have all been deserted.
7 I will send men against it to destroy it with their axes and hatchets. They
will hack up its fine cedar panels and columns and throw them into the fire.
8 “‘People from other nations will pass by this city. They will ask one
another,“Why has the LORD done such a thing to this great city?”
9 The answer will come back,“It is because they broke their covenant with the
LORD their God and worshiped and served other gods.”
10 Judgment on Jehoahaz“‘Do not weep for the king who was killed. Do not
grieve for him. But weep mournfully for the king who has gone into exile. For he
will never return to see his native land again.
11 “‘For the LORD has spoken about Shallum son of Josiah, who succeeded his
father as king of Judah but was carried off into exile. He has said,“He will
never return to this land.
12 For he will die in the country where they took him as a captive. He will
never see this land again.”
13 Judgment on Jehoiakim“‘Sure to be judged is the king who builds his
palace using injustice and treats people unfairly while adding its upper rooms.
He makes his countrymen work for him for nothing. He does not pay them for their
labor.
14 He says,“I will build myself a large palace with spacious upper rooms.”
He cuts windows in its walls, panels it with cedar, and paints its rooms red.
15 Does it make you any more of a king that you outstrip everyone else in
building with cedar? Just think about your father. He was content that he had
food and drink. He did what was just and right. So things went well with him.
16 He upheld the cause of the poor and needy. So things went well for Judah.’
The LORD says,‘That is a good example of what it means to know me.’
17 But you are always thinking and looking for ways to increase your wealth by
dishonest means. Your eyes and your heart are set on killing some innocent
person and committing fraud and oppression.
18 So the LORD has this to say about Josiah’s son, King Jehoiakim of Judah:
People will not mourn for him, saying,“This makes me sad, my brother! This
makes me sad, my sister!” They will not mourn for him, saying,“Poor, poor
lord! Poor, poor majesty!”
19 He will be left unburied just like a dead donkey. His body will be dragged
off and thrown outside the gates of Jerusalem.’”
20 Warning to Jerusalem People of Jerusalem, go up to Lebanon and cry out in
mourning. Go to the land of Bashan and cry out loudly. Cry out in mourning from
the mountains of Moab. For your allies have all been defeated.
21 While you were feeling secure I gave you warning. But you said,“I refuse to
listen to you.” That is the way you have acted from your earliest history
onward. Indeed, you have never paid attention to me.
22 My judgment will carry off all your leaders like a storm wind! Your allies
will go into captivity. Then you will certainly be disgraced and put to shame
because of all the wickedness you have done.
23 You may feel as secure as a bird nesting in the cedars of Lebanon. But oh how
you will groan when the pains of judgment come on you. They will be like those
of a woman giving birth to a baby.
24 Jeconiah Will Be Permanently Exiled The LORD says,“As surely as I am the
living God, you, Jeconiah, king of Judah, son of Jehoiakim, will not be the
earthly representative of my authority. Indeed, I will take that right away from
you.
25 I will hand you over to those who want to take your life and of whom you are
afraid. I will hand you over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and his
Babylonian soldiers.
26 I will force you and your mother who gave you birth into exile. You will be
exiled to a country where neither of you were born, and you will both die there.
27 You will never come back to this land to which you will long to return!”
28 This man, Jeconiah, will be like a broken pot someone threw away. He will be
like a clay vessel that no one wants. Why will he and his children be forced
into exile? Why will they be thrown out into a country they know nothing about?
29 O land of Judah, land of Judah, land of Judah! Listen to the LORD’s
message!
30 The LORD says,“Enroll this man in the register as though he were childless.
Enroll him as a man who will not enjoy success during his lifetime. For none of
his sons will succeed in occupying the throne of David or ever succeed in ruling
over Judah.”

Chapter 23

1 New Leaders over a Regathered Remnant The LORD says,“The leaders of my
people are sure to be judged. They were supposed to watch over my people like
shepherds watch over their sheep. But they are causing my people to be destroyed
and scattered.
2 So the LORD God of Israel has this to say about the leaders who are ruling
over his people:“You have caused my people to be dispersed and driven into
exile. You have not taken care of them. So I will punish you for the evil that
you have done. I, the LORD, affirm it!
3 Then I myself will regather those of my people who are still alive from all
the countries where I have driven them. I will bring them back to their
homeland. They will greatly increase in number.
4 I will install rulers over them who will care for them. Then they will no
longer need to fear or be terrified. None of them will turn up missing. I, the
LORD, promise it!
5 “I, the LORD, promise that a new time will certainly come when I will raise
up for them a righteous branch, a descendant of David. He will rule over them
with wisdom and understanding and will do what is just and right in the land.
6 Under his rule Judah will enjoy safety and Israel will live in security. This
is the name he will go by:‘The LORD has provided us with justice.’
7 “So I, the LORD, say:‘A new time will certainly come. People now affirm
their oaths with“I swear as surely as the LORD lives who delivered the people
of Israel out of Egypt.”
8 But at that time they will affirm them with“I swear as surely as the LORD
lives who delivered the descendants of the former nation of Israel from the land
of the north and from all the other lands where he had banished them.” At that
time they will live in their own land.’”
9 Oracles Against the False Prophets Here is what the LORD says concerning the
false prophets: My heart and my mind are deeply disturbed. I tremble all over. I
am like a drunk person, like a person who has had too much wine, because of the
way the LORD and his holy word are being mistreated.
10 For the land is full of people unfaithful to him. They live wicked lives and
they misuse their power. So the land is dried up because it is under his curse.
The pastures in the wilderness are withered.
11 Moreover, the LORD says,“Both the prophets and priests are godless. I have
even found them doing evil in my temple!
12 So the paths they follow will be dark and slippery. They will stumble and
fall headlong. For I will bring disaster on them. A day of reckoning is coming
for them.” The LORD affirms it!
13 The LORD says,“I saw the prophets of Samaria doing something that was
disgusting. They prophesied in the name of the god Baal and led my people Israel
astray.
14 But I see the prophets of Jerusalem doing something just as shocking. They
are unfaithful to me and continually prophesy lies. So they give encouragement
to people who are doing evil, with the result that they do not stop their
evildoing. I consider all of them as bad as the people of Sodom, and the
citizens of Jerusalem as bad as the people of Gomorrah.
15 So then I, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, have something to say concerning
the prophets of Jerusalem:‘I will make these prophets eat the bitter food of
suffering and drink the poison water of judgment. For the prophets of Jerusalem
are the reason that ungodliness has spread throughout the land.’”
16 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies says to the people of Jerusalem:“Do not
listen to what those prophets are saying to you. They are filling you with false
hopes. They are reporting visions of their own imaginations, not something the
LORD has given them to say.
17 They continually say to those who reject what the LORD has said,‘Things
will go well for you!’ They say to all those who follow the stubborn
inclinations of their own hearts,‘Nothing bad will happen to you!’
18 Yet which of them has ever stood in the LORD’s inner circle so they could
see and hear what he has to say? Which of them have ever paid attention or
listened to what he has said?
19 But just watch! The wrath of the LORD will come like a storm! Like a raging
storm it will rage down on the heads of those who are wicked.
20 The anger of the LORD will not turn back until he has fully carried out his
intended purposes. In days to come you people will come to understand this
clearly.
21 I did not send those prophets. Yet they were in a hurry to give their
message. I did not tell them anything. Yet they prophesied anyway.
22 But if they had stood in my inner circle, they would have proclaimed my
message to my people. They would have caused my people to turn from their wicked
ways and stop doing the evil things they are doing.
23 Do you people think that I am some local deity and not the transcendent
God?” the LORD asks.
24 “Do you really think anyone can hide himself where I cannot see him?” the
LORD asks.“Do you not know that I am everywhere?” the LORD asks.
25 The LORD says,“I have heard what those prophets who are prophesying lies in
my name are saying. They are saying,‘I have had a dream! I have had a
dream!’
26 Those prophets are just prophesying lies. They are prophesying the delusions
of their own minds.
27 How long will they go on plotting to make my people forget who I am through
the dreams they tell one another? That is just as bad as what their ancestors
did when they forgot who I am by worshiping the god Baal.
28 Let the prophet who has had a dream go ahead and tell his dream. Let the
person who has received my message report that message faithfully. What is like
straw cannot compare to what is like grain! I, the LORD, affirm it!
29 My message is like a fire that purges dross! It is like a hammer that breaks
a rock in pieces! I, the LORD, so affirm it!
30 So I, the LORD, affirm that I am opposed to those prophets who steal messages
from one another that they claim are from me.
31 I, the LORD, affirm that I am opposed to those prophets who are using their
own tongues to declare,‘The LORD declares….’
32 I, the LORD, affirm that I am opposed to those prophets who dream up lies and
report them. They are misleading my people with their reckless lies. I did not
send them. I did not commission them. They are not helping these people at all.
I, the LORD, affirm it!”
33 The LORD said to me,“Jeremiah, when one of these people, or a prophet, or a
priest asks you,‘What burdensome message do you have from the LORD?’Tell
them,‘You are the burden, and I will cast you away. I, the LORD, affirm it!
34 I will punish any prophet, priest, or other person who says“The LORD’s
message is burdensome.” I will punish both that person and his whole
family.’”
35 So I, Jeremiah, tell you,“Each of you people should say to his friend or
his relative,‘How did the LORD answer? Or what did the LORD say?’
36 You must no longer say that the LORD’s message is burdensome. For what
is‘burdensome’ really pertains to what a person himself says. You are
misrepresenting the words of our God, the living God, the LORD of Heaven’s
Armies.
37 Each of you should merely ask the prophet,‘What answer did the LORD give
you? Or what did the LORD say?’
38 But just suppose you continue to say,‘The message of the LORD is
burdensome.’ Here is what the LORD says will happen:‘I sent word to you that
you must not say,“The LORD’s message is burdensome.” But you used the
words“The LORD’s message is burdensome” anyway.
39 So I will carry you far off and throw you away. I will send both you and the
city I gave to you and to your ancestors out of my sight.
40 I will bring on you lasting shame and lasting disgrace which will never be
forgotten!’”

Chapter 24

1 Good Figs and Bad Figs The LORD showed me two baskets of figs sitting before
his temple. This happened after King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon deported
Jehoiakim’s son, King Jeconiah of Judah. He deported him and the leaders of
Judah from Jerusalem, along with the craftsmen and metal workers, and took them
to Babylon.
2 One basket had very good-looking figs in it. They looked like those that had
ripened early. The other basket had very bad-looking figs in it, so bad they
could not be eaten.
3 The LORD said to me,“What do you see, Jeremiah?” I answered,“I see figs.
The good ones look very good. But the bad ones look very bad, so bad that they
cannot be eaten.”
4 The LORD’s message came to me,
5 “I, the LORD, the God of Israel, say:‘The exiles of Judah whom I sent away
from here to the land of Babylon are like those good figs. I consider them to be
good.
6 I will look after their welfare and will restore them to this land. There I
will build them up and will not tear them down. I will plant them firmly in the
land and will not uproot them.
7 I will give them the desire to acknowledge that I am the LORD. I will be their
God and they will be my people. For they will wholeheartedly return to me.’
8 “I, the LORD, also solemnly assert:‘King Zedekiah of Judah, his officials,
and the people who remain in Jerusalem or who have gone to live in Egypt are
like those bad figs. I consider them to be just like those bad figs that are so
bad they cannot be eaten.
9 I will bring such disaster on them that all the kingdoms of the earth will be
horrified. I will make them an object of reproach, a proverbial example of
disaster. I will make them an object of ridicule, an example to be used in
curses. That is how they will be remembered wherever I banish them.
10 I will bring war, starvation, and disease on them until they are completely
destroyed from the land I gave them and their ancestors.’”

Chapter 25

1 Seventy Years of Servitude for Failure to Give Heed In the fourth year that
Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king of Judah, the LORD spoke to Jeremiah concerning
all the people of Judah.(That was the same as the first year that Nebuchadnezzar
was king of Babylon.)
2 So the prophet Jeremiah spoke to all the people of Judah and to all the people
who were living in Jerusalem.
3 “For the last twenty-three years, from the thirteenth year that Josiah son
of Amon was ruling in Judah until now, the LORD’s messages have come to me and
I have told them to you over and over again. But you would not listen.
4 Over and over again the LORD has sent his servants the prophets to you. But
you have not listened or paid attention.
5 He said through them,‘Each of you must turn from your wicked ways and stop
doing the evil things you are doing. If you do, I will allow you to continue to
live here in the land that I gave to you and your ancestors as a lasting
possession.
6 Do not pay allegiance to other gods and worship and serve them. Do not make me
angry by the things that you do. Then I will not cause you any harm.’
7 So, now the LORD says,‘You have not listened to me. But you have made me
angry by the things that you have done. Thus you have brought harm on
yourselves.’
8 “Therefore, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says,‘You have not listened to
what I said.
9 So I, the LORD, affirm that I will send for all the peoples of the north and
my servant, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I will bring them against this land
and its inhabitants and all the nations that surround it. I will utterly destroy
this land, its inhabitants, and all the nations that surround it and make them
everlasting ruins. I will make them objects of horror and hissing scorn.
10 I will put an end to the sounds of joy and gladness, to the glad celebration
of brides and grooms in these lands. I will put an end to the sound of people
grinding meal. I will put an end to lamps shining in their houses.
11 This whole area will become a desolate wasteland. These nations will be
subject to the king of Babylon for seventy years.’
12 “‘But when the seventy years are over, I will punish the king of Babylon
and his nation for their sins. I will make the land of Babylon an everlasting
ruin. I, the LORD, affirm it!
13 I will bring on that land everything that I said I would. I will bring on it
everything that is written in this book. I will bring on it everything that
Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations.
14 For many nations and great kings will make slaves of the king of Babylon and
his nation too. I will repay them for all they have done!’”
15 Judah and the Nations Will Experience God’s Wrath So the LORD, the God of
Israel, spoke to me in a vision.“Take this cup from my hand. It is filled with
the wine of my wrath. Take it and make the nations to whom I send you drink it.
16 When they have drunk it, they will stagger to and fro and act insane. For I
will send wars sweeping through them.”
17 So I took the cup from the LORD’s hand. I made all the nations to whom he
sent me drink the wine of his wrath.
18 I made Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, its kings and its officials drink
it. I did it so Judah would become a ruin. I did it so Judah, its kings, and its
officials would become an object of horror and of hissing scorn, an example used
in curses. Such is already becoming the case!
19 I made all of these other people drink it: Pharaoh, king of Egypt; his
attendants, his officials, his people,
20 the foreigners living in Egypt; all the kings of the land of Uz; all the
kings of the land of the Philistines, the people of Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, the
people who had been left alive from Ashdod;
21 all the people of Edom, Moab, Ammon;
22 all the kings of Tyre, all the kings of Sidon; all the kings of the
coastlands along the sea;
23 the people of Dedan, Tema, Buz, all the desert people who cut their hair
short at the temples;
24 all the kings of Arabia who live in the desert;
25 all the kings of Zimri; all the kings of Elam; all the kings of Media;
26 all the kings of the north, whether near or far from one another; and all the
other kingdoms which are on the face of the earth. After all of them have drunk
the wine of the LORD’s wrath, the king of Babylon must drink it.
27 Then the LORD said to me,“Tell them that the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the
God of Israel says,‘Drink this cup until you get drunk and vomit. Drink until
you fall down and can’t get up. For I will send wars sweeping through you.’
28 If they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink it, tell them that
the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says‘You most certainly must drink it!
29 For take note, I am already beginning to bring disaster on the city that I
call my own. So how can you possibly avoid being punished? You will not go
unpunished! For I am proclaiming war against all who live on the earth. I, the
LORD of Heaven’s Armies, affirm it!’
30 “Then, Jeremiah, make the following prophecy against them:‘Like a lion
about to attack, the LORD will roar from the heights of heaven; from his holy
dwelling on high he will roar loudly. He will roar mightily against his land. He
will shout in triumph like those stomping juice from the grapes against all
those who live on the earth.
31 The sounds of battle will resound to the ends of the earth. For the LORD will
bring charges against the nations. He will pass judgment on all humankind and
will hand the wicked over to be killed in war.’ The LORD so affirms it!
32 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies says,‘Disaster will soon come on one nation
after another. A mighty storm of military destruction is rising up from the
distant parts of the earth.’
33 Those who have been killed by the LORD at that time will be scattered from
one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned over, gathered up,
or buried. Their dead bodies will lie scattered over the ground like manure.
34 Wail and cry out in anguish, you rulers! Roll in the dust, you who shepherd
flocks of people! The time for you to be slaughtered has come. You will lie
scattered and fallen like broken pieces of fine pottery.
35 The leaders will not be able to run away and hide. The shepherds of the
flocks will not be able to escape.
36 Listen to the cries of anguish of the leaders. Listen to the wails of the
shepherds of the flocks. They are wailing because the LORD is about to destroy
their lands.
37 Their peaceful dwelling places will be laid waste by the fierce anger of the
LORD.
38 The LORD is like a lion who has left his lair. So their lands will certainly
be laid waste by the warfare of the oppressive nation and by the fierce anger of
the LORD.”

Chapter 26

1 Jeremiah Is Put on Trial as a False Prophet The LORD spoke to Jeremiah at the
beginning of the reign of Josiah’s son, King Jehoiakim of Judah.
2 The LORD said,“Go stand in the courtyard of the LORD’s temple. Speak out
to all the people who are coming from the towns of Judah to worship in the
LORD’s temple. Tell them everything I command you to tell them. Do not leave
out a single word!
3 Maybe they will pay attention and each of them will stop living the evil way
they do. If they do that, then I will forgo destroying them as I had intended to
do because of the wicked things they have been doing.
4 Tell them that the LORD says,‘You must obey me! You must live according to
the way I have instructed you in my laws.
5 You must pay attention to the exhortations of my servants the prophets. I have
sent them to you over and over again. But you have not paid any attention to
them.
6 If you do not obey me, then I will do to this temple what I did to Shiloh. And
I will make this city an example to be used in curses by people from all the
nations on the earth.’”
7 The priests, the prophets, and all the people heard Jeremiah say these things
in the LORD’s temple.
8 Jeremiah had just barely finished saying all the LORD had commanded him to say
to all the people. All at once some of the priests, the prophets, and the people
grabbed him and shouted,“You deserve to die!
9 How dare you claim the LORD’s authority to prophesy such things! How dare
you claim his authority to prophesy that this temple will become like Shiloh and
that this city will become an uninhabited ruin!” Then all the people crowded
around Jeremiah in the LORD’s temple.
10 However, some of the officials of Judah heard about what was happening and
they rushed up to the LORD’s temple from the royal palace. They set up court
at the entrance of the New Gate of the LORD’s temple.
11 Then the priests and the prophets made their charges before the officials and
all the people. They said,“This man should be condemned to die because he
prophesied against this city. You have heard him do so with your own ears.”
12 Then Jeremiah made his defense before all the officials and all the
people.“The LORD sent me to prophesy everything you have heard me say against
this temple and against this city.
13 But correct the way you have been living and do what is right. Obey the LORD
your God. If you do, the LORD will forgo destroying you as he threatened he
would.
14 As to my case, I am in your power. Do to me what you deem fair and proper.
15 But you should take careful note of this: If you put me to death, you will
bring on yourselves and this city and those who live in it the guilt of
murdering an innocent man. For the LORD has sent me to speak all this where you
can hear it. That is the truth!”
16 Then the officials and all the people rendered their verdict to the priests
and the prophets. They said,“This man should not be condemned to die. For he
has spoken to us under the authority of the LORD our God.”
17 Then some of the elders of Judah stepped forward and spoke to all the people
gathered there. They said,
18 “Micah from Moresheth prophesied during the time Hezekiah was king of
Judah. He told all the people of Judah,‘The LORD of Heaven’s Armies
says,“Zion will become a plowed field. Jerusalem will become a pile of rubble.
The temple mount will become a mere wooded ridge.”’
19 King Hezekiah and all the people of Judah did not put him to death, did they?
Did not Hezekiah show reverence for the LORD and seek the LORD’s favor? Did
not the LORD forgo destroying them as he threatened he would? But we are on the
verge of bringing great disaster on ourselves.”
20 Now there was another man who prophesied as the LORD’s representative
against this city and this land just as Jeremiah did. His name was Uriah son of
Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearim.
21 When King Jehoiakim and all his bodyguards and officials heard what he was
prophesying, the king sought to have him executed. But Uriah found out about it
and fled to Egypt out of fear.
22 However, King Jehoiakim sent some men to Egypt, including Elnathan son of
Achbor,
23 and they brought Uriah back from there. They took him to King Jehoiakim, who
had him executed and had his body thrown into the burial place of the common
people.
24 However, Ahikam son of Shaphan used his influence to keep Jeremiah from being
handed over and executed by the people.

Chapter 27

1 Jeremiah Counsels Submission to Babylon The LORD spoke to Jeremiah early in
the reign of Josiah’s son, King Zedekiah of Judah.
2 The LORD told me,“Make a yoke out of leather straps and wooden crossbars and
put it on your neck.
3 Use it to send messages to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon.
Send them through the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to King Zedekiah of
Judah.
4 Charge them to give their masters a message from me. Tell them,‘The LORD of
Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel says to give your masters this message.
5 “I made the earth and the people and animals on it by my mighty power and
great strength, and I give it to whomever I see fit.
6 I have at this time placed all these nations of yours under the power of my
servant, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I have even made all the wild animals
subject to him.
7 All nations must serve him and his son and grandson until the time comes for
his own nation to fall. Then many nations and great kings will in turn subjugate
Babylon.
8 But suppose a nation or a kingdom will not be subject to King Nebuchadnezzar
of Babylon. Suppose it will not submit to the yoke of servitude to him. I, the
LORD, affirm that I will punish that nation. I will use the king of Babylon to
punish it with war, starvation, and disease until I have destroyed it.
9 So do not listen to your prophets or to those who claim to predict the future
by divination, by dreams, by consulting the dead, or by practicing magic. They
keep telling you,‘You do not need to be subject to the king of Babylon.’
10 Do not listen to them, because their prophecies are lies. Listening to them
will only cause you to be taken far away from your native land. I will drive you
out of your country and you will die in exile.
11 Things will go better for the nation that submits to the yoke of servitude to
the king of Babylon and is subject to him. I will leave that nation in its
native land. Its people can continue to farm it and live in it. I, the LORD,
affirm it!”’”
12 I told King Zedekiah of Judah the same thing. I said,“Submit to the yoke of
servitude to the king of Babylon. Be subject to him and his people. Then you
will continue to live.
13 There is no reason why you and your people should die in war or from
starvation or disease! That’s what the LORD says will happen to any nation
that will not be subject to the king of Babylon.
14 Do not listen to the prophets who are telling you that you do not need to
serve the king of Babylon. For they are prophesying lies to you.
15 For I, the LORD, affirm that I did not send them. They are prophesying lies
to you in my name. If you listen to them, I will drive you and the prophets who
are prophesying lies out of the land and you will all die in exile.”
16 I also told the priests and all the people,“The LORD says,‘Do not listen
to what your prophets are saying. They are prophesying to you that the valuable
articles taken from the LORD’s temple will be brought back from Babylon very
soon. But they are prophesying a lie to you.
17 Do not listen to them. Be subject to the king of Babylon. Then you will
continue to live. Why should this city be made a pile of rubble?’”
18 I also told them,“If they are really prophets and the LORD is speaking to
them, let them pray earnestly to the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. Let them plead
with him not to let the valuable articles that are still left in the LORD’s
temple, in the royal palace of Judah, and in Jerusalem be taken away to Babylon.
19 For the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has already spoken about the two bronze
pillars, the large bronze basin called‘The Sea,’ and the movable bronze
stands. He has already spoken about the rest of the valuable articles that are
left in this city.
20 He has already spoken about these things that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon
did not take away when he carried Jehoiakim’s son King Jeconiah of Judah and
the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem away as captives from Jerusalem to Babylon.
21 Indeed, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel has already spoken
about the valuable articles that are left in the LORD’s temple, in the royal
palace of Judah, and in Jerusalem.
22 He has said,‘They will be carried off to Babylon. They will remain there
until it is time for me to show consideration for them again. Then I will bring
them back and restore them to this place.’ I, the LORD, affirm this!”

Chapter 28

1 Jeremiah Confronted by a False Prophet The following events occurred in that
same year, early in the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah. To be more precise, it
was the fifth month of the fourth year of his reign. The prophet Hananiah son of
Azzur, who was from Gibeon, spoke to Jeremiah in the LORD’s temple in the
presence of the priests and all the people.
2 “The LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel says,‘I will break the
yoke of servitude to the king of Babylon.
3 Before two years are over, I will bring back to this place everything that
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took from it and carried away to Babylon.
4 I will also bring back to this place Jehoiakim’s son King Jeconiah of Judah
and all the exiles who were taken to Babylon.’ Indeed, the LORD affirms,‘I
will break the yoke of servitude to the king of Babylon.’”
5 Then the prophet Jeremiah responded to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of
the priests and all the people who were standing in the LORD’s temple.
6 The prophet Jeremiah said,“Amen! May the LORD do all this! May the LORD make
your prophecy come true! May he bring back to this place from Babylon all the
valuable articles taken from the LORD’s temple and the people who were carried
into exile.
7 But listen to what I say to you and to all these people.
8 From earliest times, the prophets who preceded you and me invariably
prophesied war, disaster, and plagues against many countries and great kingdoms.
9 So if a prophet prophesied peace and prosperity, it was only known that the
LORD truly sent him when what he prophesied came true.”
10 The prophet Hananiah then took the yoke off the prophet Jeremiah’s neck and
broke it.
11 Then he spoke up in the presence of all the people.“The LORD says,‘In the
same way I will break the yoke of servitude of all the nations to King
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon before two years are over.’” After he heard this,
the prophet Jeremiah departed and went on his way.
12 But shortly after the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke off the prophet
Jeremiah’s neck, the LORD’s message came to Jeremiah.
13 “Go and tell Hananiah that the LORD says,‘You have indeed broken the
wooden yoke. But you have only succeeded in replacing it with an iron one!
14 For the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel says,“I have put an
irresistible yoke of servitude on all these nations so they will serve King
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. And they will indeed serve him. I have even given him
control over the wild animals.”’”
15 Then the prophet Jeremiah told the prophet Hananiah,“Listen, Hananiah! The
LORD did not send you! You are making these people trust in a lie!
16 So the LORD says,‘I will most assuredly remove you from the face of the
earth. You will die this very year because you have counseled rebellion against
the LORD.’”
17 In the seventh month of that very same year the prophet Hananiah died.

Chapter 29

1 Jeremiah’s Letter to the Exiles The prophet Jeremiah sent a letter to the
exiles Nebuchadnezzar had carried off from Jerusalem to Babylon. It was
addressed to the elders who were left among the exiles, to the priests, to the
prophets, and to all the other people who were exiled in Babylon.
2 He sent it after King Jeconiah, the queen mother, the palace officials, the
leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metal workers had been
exiled from Jerusalem.
3 He sent it with Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah. King
Zedekiah of Judah had sent these men to Babylon to King Nebuchadnezzar of
Babylon. The letter said:
4 “The LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel says to all those he sent
into exile to Babylon from Jerusalem,
5 ‘Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat what they produce.
6 Marry and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons and allow your
daughters to get married so that they too can have sons and daughters. Grow in
number; do not dwindle away.
7 Work to see that the city where I sent you as exiles enjoys peace and
prosperity. Pray to the LORD for it. For as it prospers you will prosper.’
8 “For the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel says,‘Do not let the
prophets among you or those who claim to be able to predict the future by
divination deceive you. And do not pay any attention to the dreams that you are
encouraging them to dream.
9 They are prophesying lies to you and claiming my authority to do so. But I did
not send them. I, the LORD, affirm it!’
10 “For the LORD says,‘Only when the seventy years of Babylonian rule are
over will I again take up consideration for you. Then I will fulfill my gracious
promise to you and restore you to your homeland.
11 For I know what I have planned for you,’ says the LORD.‘I have plans to
prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with
hope.
12 When you call out to me and come to me in prayer, I will hear your prayers.
13 When you seek me in prayer and worship, you will find me available to you. If
you seek me with all your heart and soul,
14 I will make myself available to you,’ says the LORD.‘Then I will reverse
your plight and will regather you from all the nations and all the places where
I have exiled you,’ says the LORD.‘I will bring you back to the place from
which I exiled you.’
15 “You say,‘The LORD has raised up prophets of good news for us here in
Babylon.’
16 But just listen to what the LORD has to say about the king who occupies
David’s throne and all your fellow countrymen who are still living in this
city of Jerusalem and were not carried off into exile with you.
17 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies says,‘I will bring war, starvation, and
disease on them. I will treat them like figs that are so rotten they cannot be
eaten.
18 I will chase after them with war, starvation, and disease. I will make all
the kingdoms of the earth horrified at what happens to them. I will make them
examples of those who are cursed, objects of horror, hissing scorn, and ridicule
among all the nations where I exile them.
19 For they have not paid attention to what I said to them through my servants
the prophets whom I sent to them over and over again,’ says the LORD.‘And
you exiles have not paid any attention to them either,’ says the LORD.
20 ‘So pay attention to the LORD’s message, all you exiles whom I have sent
to Babylon from Jerusalem.’
21 “The LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel also has something to say
about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying lies
to you and claiming my authority to do so.‘I will hand them over to King
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and he will execute them before your very eyes.
22 And all the exiles of Judah who are in Babylon will use them as examples when
they put a curse on anyone. They will say,“May the LORD treat you like
Zedekiah and Ahab whom the king of Babylon roasted to death in the fire!”
23 This will happen to them because they have done what is shameful in Israel.
They have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives and have spoken lies
while claiming my authority. They have spoken words that I did not command them
to speak. I know what they have done. I have been a witness to it,’ says the
LORD.”
24 A Response to the Letter and a Subsequent Letter The LORD told
Jeremiah,“Tell Shemaiah the Nehelamite
25 that the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel has a message for him.
Tell him,‘On your own initiative you sent a letter to the priest Zephaniah son
of Maaseiah and to all the other priests and to all the people in Jerusalem. In
your letter you said to Zephaniah,
26 “The LORD has made you priest in place of Jehoiada. He has put you in
charge in the LORD’s temple of controlling any lunatic who pretends to be a
prophet. And it is your duty to put any such person in the stocks with an iron
collar around his neck.
27 You should have reprimanded Jeremiah from Anathoth who is pretending to be a
prophet among you!
28 For he has even sent a message to us here in Babylon. He wrote and told
us,“You will be there a long time. Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens
and eat what they produce.”’”
29 Zephaniah the priest read that letter to the prophet Jeremiah.
30 Then the LORD’s message came to Jeremiah.
31 “Send a message to all the exiles in Babylon. Tell them,‘The LORD has
spoken about Shemaiah the Nehelamite.“Shemaiah has spoken to you as a prophet
even though I did not send him. He is making you trust in a lie.
32 Because he has done this,” the LORD says,“I will punish Shemaiah the
Nehelamite and his whole family. There will not be any of them left to
experience the good things that I will do for my people. I, the LORD, affirm it!
For he counseled rebellion against the LORD.”’”

Chapter 30

1 Introduction to the Book of Consolation The LORD spoke to Jeremiah.
2 “The LORD God of Israel says,‘Write everything that I am about to tell you
in a scroll.
3 For I, the LORD, affirm that the time will come when I will reverse the plight
of my people, Israel and Judah,’ says the LORD.‘I will bring them back to
the land I gave their ancestors and they will take possession of it once
again.’”
4 Israel and Judah Will Be Delivered after a Time of Deep Distress So here is
what the LORD has to say about Israel and Judah.
5 Yes, here is what he says:“You hear cries of panic and of terror; there is
no peace in sight.
6 Ask yourselves this and consider it carefully: Have you ever seen a man give
birth to a baby? Why then do I see all these strong men grabbing their stomachs
in pain like a woman giving birth? And why do their faces turn so deathly pale?
7 Alas, what a terrible time of trouble it is! There has never been any like it.
It is a time of trouble for the descendants of Jacob, but some of them will be
rescued out of it.
8 When the time for them to be rescued comes,” says the LORD of Heaven’s
Armies,“I will rescue you from foreign subjugation. I will deliver you from
captivity. Foreigners will then no longer subjugate them.
9 But they will be subject to the LORD their God and to the Davidic ruler whom I
will raise up as king over them.
10 So I, the LORD, tell you not to be afraid, you descendants of Jacob, my
servants. Do not be terrified, people of Israel. For I will rescue you and your
descendants from a faraway land where you are captives. The descendants of Jacob
will return to their land and enjoy peace. They will be secure and no one will
terrify them.
11 For I, the LORD, affirm that I will be with you and will rescue you. I will
completely destroy all the nations where I scattered you. But I will not
completely destroy you. I will indeed discipline you, but only in due measure. I
will not allow you to go entirely unpunished.”
12 The Lord Will Heal the Wounds of Judah Moreover, the LORD says to the people
of Zion,“Your injuries are incurable; your wounds are severe.
13 There is no one to plead your cause. There are no remedies for your wounds.
There is no healing for you.
14 All your allies have abandoned you. They no longer have any concern for you.
For I have attacked you like an enemy would. I have chastened you cruelly. For
your wickedness is so great and your sin is so much.
15 Why do you complain about your injuries, that your pain is incurable? I have
done all this to you because your wickedness is so great and your sin is so
much.
16 But all who destroyed you will be destroyed. All your enemies will go into
exile. Those who plundered you will be plundered. I will cause those who
pillaged you to be pillaged.
17 Yes, I will restore you to health. I will heal your wounds. I, the LORD,
affirm it! For you have been called an outcast, Zion, whom no one cares for.”
18 The Lord Will Restore Israel and Judah The LORD says,“I will restore the
ruined houses of the descendants of Jacob. I will show compassion on their
ruined homes. Every city will be rebuilt on its former ruins. Every fortified
dwelling will occupy its traditional site.
19 Out of those places you will hear songs of thanksgiving and the sounds of
laughter and merriment. I will increase their number and they will not dwindle
away. I will bring them honor and they will no longer be despised.
20 The descendants of Jacob will enjoy their former privileges. Their community
will be reestablished in my favor and I will punish all who try to oppress them.
21 One of their own people will be their leader. Their ruler will come from
their own number. I will invite him to approach me, and he will do so. For no
one would dare approach me on his own. I, the LORD, affirm it!
22 Then you will again be my people and I will be your God.
23 Just watch! The wrath of the LORD will come like a storm. Like a raging storm
it will rage down on the heads of those who are wicked.
24 The anger of the LORD will not turn back until he has fully carried out his
intended purposes. In days to come you will come to understand this.

Chapter 31

1 At that time I will be the God of all the clans of Israel and they will be my
people. I, the LORD, affirm it!”
2 Israel Will Be Restored and Join Judah in Worship The LORD says,“The people
of Israel who survived death at the hands of the enemy will find favor in the
wilderness as they journey to find rest for themselves.
3 In a far-off land the LORD will manifest himself to them. He will say to
them,‘I have loved you with an everlasting love. That is why I have continued
to be faithful to you.
4 I will rebuild you, my dear children Israel, so that you will once again be
built up. Once again you will take up the tambourine and join in the happy
throng of dancers.
5 Once again you will plant vineyards on the hills of Samaria. Those who plant
them will once again enjoy their fruit.
6 Yes, a time is coming when watchmen will call out on the mountains of
Ephraim,“Come! Let us go to Zion to worship the LORD our God!”’”
7 Moreover, the LORD says,“Sing for joy for the descendants of Jacob. Utter
glad shouts for that foremost of the nations. Make your praises heard. Then
say,‘LORD, rescue your people. Deliver those of Israel who remain alive.’
8 Then I will reply,‘I will bring them back from the land of the north. I will
gather them in from the distant parts of the earth. Blind and lame people will
come with them, so will pregnant women and women about to give birth. A vast
throng of people will come back here.
9 They will come back shedding tears of contrition. I will bring them back
praying prayers of repentance. I will lead them besides streams of water, along
smooth paths where they will never stumble. I will do this because I am
Israel’s father; Ephraim is my firstborn son.’”
10 Listen to the LORD’s message, O nations. Proclaim it in the faraway lands
along the sea. Say,“The one who scattered Israel will regather them. He will
watch over his people like a shepherd watches over his flock.”
11 For the LORD will rescue the descendants of Jacob. He will secure their
release from those who had overpowered them.
12 They will come and shout for joy on Mount Zion. They will be radiant with joy
over the good things the LORD provides, the grain, the fresh wine, the olive
oil, the young sheep and calves he has given to them. They will be like a
well-watered garden and will not grow faint or weary any more.
13 The LORD says,“At that time young women will dance and be glad. Young men
and old men will rejoice. I will turn their grief into gladness. I will give
them comfort and joy in place of their sorrow.
14 I will provide the priests with abundant provisions. My people will be filled
to the full with the good things I provide.”
15 The LORD says,“A sound is heard in Ramah, a sound of crying in bitter
grief. It is the sound of Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be
comforted, because her children are gone.”
16 The LORD says to her,“Stop crying! Do not shed any more tears! For your
heartfelt repentance will be rewarded. Your children will return from the land
of the enemy. I, the LORD, affirm it!
17 Indeed, there is hope for your posterity. Your children will return to their
own territory. I, the LORD, affirm it!
18 I have indeed heard the people of Israel say mournfully,‘We were like a
calf untrained to the yoke. You disciplined us and we learned from it. Let us
come back to you and we will do so, for you are the LORD our God.
19 For after we turned away from you we repented. After we came to our senses we
struck our thigh in sorrow. We are ashamed and humiliated because of the
disgraceful things we did previously.’
20 Indeed, the people of Israel are my dear children. They are the children I
take delight in. For even though I must often rebuke them, I still remember them
with fondness. So I am deeply moved with pity for them and will surely have
compassion on them. I, the LORD, affirm it!
21 I will say,‘My dear children of Israel, keep in mind the road you took when
you were carried off. Mark off in your minds the landmarks. Make a mental note
of telltale signs marking the way back. Return, my dear children of Israel.
Return to these cities of yours.
22 How long will you vacillate, you who were once like an unfaithful daughter?
For I, the LORD, promise to bring about something new on the earth, something as
unique as a woman protecting a man!’”
23 Judah Will Be Restored The LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel
says,“I will restore the people of Judah to their land and to their towns.
When I do, they will again say of Jerusalem,‘May the LORD bless you, you holy
mountain, the place where righteousness dwells.’
24 The land of Judah will be inhabited by people who live in its towns as well
as by farmers and shepherds with their flocks.
25 I will fully satisfy the needs of those who are weary and fully refresh the
souls of those who are faint.
26 Then they will say,‘Under these conditions I can enjoy sweet sleep when I
wake up and look around.’”
27 Israel and Judah Will Be Repopulated“Indeed, a time is coming,” says the
LORD,“when I will cause people and animals to sprout up in the lands of Israel
and Judah.
28 In the past I saw to it that they were uprooted and torn down, that they were
destroyed and demolished and brought disaster. But now I will see to it that
they are built up and firmly planted. I, the LORD, affirm it!”
29 The Lord Will Make a New Covenant with Israel and Judah“When that time
comes, people will no longer say,‘The parents have eaten sour grapes, but the
children’s teeth have grown numb.’
30 Rather, each person will die for his own sins. The teeth of the person who
eats the sour grapes will themselves grow numb.
31 “Indeed, a time is coming,” says the LORD,“when I will make a new
covenant with the people of Israel and Judah.
32 It will not be like the old covenant that I made with their ancestors when I
delivered them from Egypt. For they violated that covenant, even though I was
like a faithful husband to them,” says the LORD.
33 “But I will make a new covenant with the whole nation of Israel after I
plant them back in the land,” says the LORD.“I will put my law within them
and write it on their hearts and minds. I will be their God and they will be my
people.
34 “People will no longer need to teach their neighbors and relatives to know
me. For all of them, from the least important to the most important, will know
me,” says the LORD.“For I will forgive their sin and will no longer call to
mind the wrong they have done.”
35 The Lord Guarantees Israel’s Continuance The LORD has made a promise to
Israel. He promises it as the one who fixed the sun to give light by day and the
moon and stars to give light by night. He promises it as the one who stirs up
the sea so that its waves roll. His name is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
36 The LORD affirms,“The descendants of Israel will not cease forever to be a
nation in my sight. That could only happen if the fixed ordering of the heavenly
lights were to cease to operate before me.”
37 The LORD says,“I will not reject all the descendants of Israel because of
all that they have done. That could only happen if the heavens above could be
measured or the foundations of the earth below could all be explored,” says
the LORD.
38 Jerusalem Will Be Enlarged“Indeed a time is coming,” says the
LORD,“when the city of Jerusalem will be rebuilt as my special city. It will
be built from the Tower of Hananel westward to the Corner Gate.
39 The boundary line will extend beyond that, straight west from there to the
Hill of Gareb and then turn southward to Goah.
40 The whole valley where dead bodies and sacrificial ashes are thrown and all
the terraced fields out to the Kidron Valley on the east as far north as the
corner of the Horse Gate will be included within this city that is sacred to the
LORD. The city will never again be torn down or destroyed.”

Chapter 32

1 Jeremiah Buys a Field In the tenth year that Zedekiah was ruling over Judah
the LORD spoke to Jeremiah. That was the same as the eighteenth year of
Nebuchadnezzar.
2 Now at that time, the armies of the king of Babylon were besieging Jerusalem.
The prophet Jeremiah was confined in the courtyard of the guardhouse attached to
the royal palace of Judah.
3 For King Zedekiah had confined Jeremiah there after he had reproved him for
prophesying as he did. He had asked Jeremiah,“Why do you keep prophesying
these things? Why do you keep saying that the LORD says,‘I will hand this city
over to the king of Babylon? I will let him capture it.
4 King Zedekiah of Judah will not escape from the Babylonians. He will certainly
be handed over to the king of Babylon. He must answer personally to the king of
Babylon and confront him face to face.
5 Zedekiah will be carried off to Babylon and will remain there until I have
fully dealt with him. I, the LORD, affirm it! Even if you continue to fight
against the Babylonians, you cannot win.’”
6 So now, Jeremiah said,“The LORD’s message came to me,
7 ‘Hanamel, the son of your uncle Shallum, will come to you soon. He will say
to you,“Buy my field at Anathoth because you are entitled as my closest
relative to buy it.”’
8 And then my cousin Hanamel did come to me in the courtyard of the guardhouse
in keeping with the LORD’s message. He said to me,‘Buy my field which is at
Anathoth in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin. Buy it for yourself since
you are entitled as my closest relative to take possession of it for
yourself.’ When this happened, I recognized that the LORD had indeed spoken to
me.
9 So I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel. I weighed out seven
ounces of silver and gave it to him to pay for it.
10 I signed the deed of purchase, sealed it, and had some men serve as witnesses
to the purchase. I weighed out the silver for him on a scale.
11 There were two copies of the deed of purchase. One was sealed and contained
the order of transfer and the conditions of purchase. The other was left
unsealed.
12 I took both copies of the deed of purchase and gave them to Baruch son of
Neriah, the son of Mahseiah. I gave them to him in the presence of my cousin
Hanamel, the witnesses who had signed the deed of purchase, and all the Judeans
who were housed in the courtyard of the guardhouse.
13 In the presence of all these people I instructed Baruch,
14 ‘The LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel says,“Take these
documents, both the sealed copy of the deed of purchase and the unsealed copy.
Put them in a clay jar so that they may be preserved for a long time to
come.”’
15 For the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel says,“Houses, fields,
and vineyards will again be bought in this land.”’
16 Jeremiah’s Prayer of Praise and Bewilderment“After I had given the copies
of the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the LORD,
17 ‘Oh, Sovereign LORD, you did indeed make heaven and earth by your mighty
power and great strength. Nothing is too hard for you!
18 You show unfailing love to thousands. But you also punish children for the
sins of their parents. You are the great and powerful God whose is name is the
LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
19 You plan great things and you do mighty deeds. You see everything people do.
You reward each of them for the way they live and for the things they do.
20 You did miracles and amazing deeds in the land of Egypt which have had
lasting effect. By this means you gained both in Israel and among humankind a
renown that lasts to this day.
21 You used your mighty power and your great strength to perform miracles and
amazing deeds and to bring great terror on the Egyptians. By this means you
brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt.
22 You kept the promise that you swore on oath to their ancestors. You gave them
a land flowing with milk and honey.
23 But when they came in and took possession of it, they did not obey you or
live as you had instructed them. They did not do anything that you commanded
them to do. So you brought all this disaster on them.
24 Even now siege ramps have been built up around the city in order to capture
it. War, starvation, and disease are sure to make the city fall into the hands
of the Babylonians who are attacking it. LORD, you threatened that this would
happen. Now you can see that it is already taking place.
25 The city is sure to fall into the hands of the Babylonians. Yet, in spite of
this, you, Sovereign LORD, have said to me,“Buy that field with silver and
have the transaction legally witnessed.”’”
26 The Lord Answers Jeremiah’s Prayer The LORD’s message came to Jeremiah.
27 “I am the LORD, the God of all humankind. There is, indeed, nothing too
difficult for me.
28 Therefore I, the LORD, say:‘I will indeed hand this city over to King
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and the Babylonian army. They will capture it.
29 The Babylonian soldiers that are attacking this city will break into it and
set it on fire. They will burn it down along with the houses where people have
made me angry by offering sacrifices to the god Baal and by pouring out drink
offerings to other gods on their rooftops.
30 This will happen because the people of Israel and Judah have repeatedly done
what displeases me from their earliest history until now and because they have
repeatedly made me angry by the things they have done. I, the LORD, affirm it!
31 This will happen because the people of this city have aroused my anger and my
wrath since the time they built it until now. They have made me so angry that I
am determined to remove it from my sight.
32 I am determined to do so because the people of Israel and Judah have made me
angry with all their wickedness– they, their kings, their officials, their
priests, their prophets, and especially the people of Judah and the citizens of
Jerusalem have done this wickedness.
33 They have turned away from me instead of turning to me. I tried over and over
again to instruct them, but they did not listen and respond to correction.
34 They set up their disgusting idols in the temple which I have claimed for my
own and defiled it.
35 They built places of worship for the god Baal in the valley of Ben Hinnom so
that they could sacrifice their sons and daughters to the god Molech. Such a
disgusting practice was not something I commanded them to do! It never even
entered my mind to command them to do such a thing! So Judah is certainly liable
for punishment.’
36 “You and your people are right in saying,‘War, starvation, and disease
are sure to make this city fall into the hands of the king of Babylon.’ But
now I, the LORD God of Israel, have something further to say about this city:
37 ‘I will certainly regather my people from all the countries where I will
have exiled them in my anger, fury, and great wrath. I will bring them back to
this place and allow them to live here in safety.
38 They will be my people, and I will be their God.
39 I will give them a single-minded purpose to live in a way that always shows
respect for me. They will want to do that for their own good and the good of the
children who descend from them.
40 I will make a lasting covenant with them that I will never stop doing good to
them. I will fill their hearts and minds with respect for me so that they will
never again turn away from me.
41 I will take delight in doing good to them. I will faithfully and
wholeheartedly plant them firmly in the land.’
42 “For I, the LORD, say:‘I will surely bring on these people all the good
fortune that I am hereby promising them. I will be just as sure to do that as I
have been in bringing all this great disaster on them.
43 You and your people are saying that this land will become desolate,
uninhabited by either people or animals. You are saying that it will be handed
over to the Babylonians. But fields will again be bought in this land.
44 Fields will again be bought with silver, and deeds of purchase signed,
sealed, and witnessed. This will happen in the territory of Benjamin, the
villages surrounding Jerusalem, the towns in Judah, the southern hill country,
the foothills, and southern Judah. For I will restore them to their land. I, the
LORD, affirm it!’”

Chapter 33

1 The Lord Promises a Second Time to Restore Israel and Judah The LORD’s
message came to Jeremiah a second time while he was still confined in the
courtyard of the guardhouse.
2 “I, the LORD, do these things. I, the LORD, form the plan to bring them
about. I am known as the LORD. I say to you,
3 ‘Call on me in prayer and I will answer you. I will show you great and
mysterious things which you still do not know about.’
4 For I, the LORD God of Israel, have something more to say about the houses in
this city and the royal buildings of Judah which have been torn down for
defenses against the siege ramps and military incursions of the Babylonians:
5 ‘The defenders of the city will go out and fight with the Babylonians. But
they will only fill those houses and buildings with the dead bodies of the
people that I will kill in my anger and my wrath. That will happen because I
have decided to turn my back on this city on account of the wicked things they
have done.
6 But I will most surely heal the wounds of this city and restore it and its
people to health. I will show them abundant peace and security.
7 I will restore Judah and Israel and will rebuild them as they were in days of
old.
8 I will purify them from all the sin that they committed against me. I will
forgive all their sins which they committed in rebelling against me.
9 All the nations will hear about all the good things which I will do to them.
This city will bring me fame, honor, and praise before them for the joy that I
bring it. The nations will tremble in awe at all the peace and prosperity that I
will provide for it.’
10 “I, the LORD, say:‘You and your people are saying about this place,“It
lies in ruins. There are no people or animals in it.” That is true. The towns
of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem will soon be desolate, uninhabited either
by people or by animals. But happy sounds will again be heard in these places.
11 Once again there will be sounds of joy and gladness and the glad celebrations
of brides and grooms. Once again people will bring their thank offerings to the
temple of the LORD and will say,“Give thanks to the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
For the LORD is good and his unfailing love lasts forever.” For I, the LORD,
affirm that I will restore the land to what it was in days of old.’
12 “I, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, say:‘This place will indeed lie in
ruins. There will be no people or animals in it. But there will again be in it
and in its towns sheepfolds where shepherds can rest their sheep.
13 I, the LORD, say that shepherds will once again count their sheep as they
pass into the fold. They will do this in all the towns in the hill country, the
foothills, the Negev, the territory of Benjamin, the villages surrounding
Jerusalem, and the towns of Judah.’
14 The Lord Reaffirms His Covenant with David, Israel, and Levi“I, the LORD,
affirm:‘The time will certainly come when I will fulfill my gracious promise
concerning the nations of Israel and Judah.
15 In those days and at that time I will raise up for them a righteous
descendant of David.“‘He will do what is just and right in the land.
16 Under his rule Judah will enjoy safety and Jerusalem will live in security.
At that time Jerusalem will be called“The LORD has provided us with
justice.”
17 For I, the LORD, promise:“David will never lack a successor to occupy the
throne over the nation of Israel.
18 Nor will the Levitical priests ever lack someone to stand before me and
continually offer up burnt offerings, sacrifice cereal offerings, and offer the
other sacrifices.”’”
19 The LORD’s message came to Jeremiah another time.
20 “I, the LORD, make the following promise:‘I have made a covenant with the
day and with the night that they will always come at their proper times. Only if
you people could break that covenant
21 could my covenant with my servant David and my covenant with the Levites ever
be broken. So David will by all means always have a descendant to occupy his
throne as king and the Levites will by all means always have priests who will
minister before me.
22 I will make the children who follow one another in the line of my servant
David very numerous. I will also make the Levites who minister before me very
numerous. I will make them all as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the
sands which are on the seashore.’”
23 The LORD’s message came to Jeremiah another time.
24 “You have surely noticed what these people are saying, haven’t you? They
are saying,‘The LORD has rejected the two families of Israel and Judah that he
chose.’ So they have little regard that my people will ever again be a nation.
25 But I, the LORD, make the following promise: I have made a covenant governing
the coming of day and night. I have established the fixed laws governing heaven
and earth.
26 Just as surely as I have done this, so surely will I never reject the
descendants of Jacob. Nor will I ever refuse to choose one of my servant
David’s descendants to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Indeed, I will restore them and show mercy to them.”

Chapter 34

1 The Lord Makes an Ominous Promise to Zedekiah The LORD’s message came to
Jeremiah while King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon was attacking Jerusalem and the
towns around it with a large army. This army consisted of troops from his own
army and from the kingdoms and peoples of the lands under his dominion.
2 This is what the LORD God of Israel told Jeremiah,“Go, speak to King
Zedekiah of Judah. Tell him,‘This is what the LORD has said,“Take note. I am
going to hand this city over to the king of Babylon and he will burn it down.
3 You yourself will not escape his clutches, but will certainly be captured and
handed over to him. You must confront the king of Babylon face to face and
answer to him personally. Then you must go to Babylon.”’”
4 However, listen to the LORD’s message, King Zedekiah of Judah. This is what
the LORD has said,“You will not die in battle or be executed.
5 You will die a peaceful death. They will burn incense at your burial just as
they did at the burial of your ancestors, the former kings who preceded you.
They will mourn for you, saying,‘Alas master!’ Indeed, you have my own word
on this. I, the LORD, affirm it!”
6 The prophet Jeremiah told all these things to King Zedekiah of Judah in
Jerusalem.
7 He did this while the army of the king of Babylon was attacking Jerusalem and
the cities of Lachish and Azekah. He was attacking these cities because they
were the only fortified cities of Judah which were still holding out.
8 The Lord Threatens to Destroy Those Who Wronged Their Slaves The LORD spoke to
Jeremiah after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in
Jerusalem to grant their slaves their freedom.
9 Everyone was supposed to free their male and female Hebrew slaves. No one was
supposed to keep a fellow Judean enslaved.
10 All the people and their leaders had agreed to this. They had agreed to free
their male and female slaves and not keep them enslaved any longer. They
originally complied with the covenant and freed them.
11 But later they had changed their minds. They had taken back their male and
female slaves that they had freed and forced them to be slaves again.
12 The LORD’s message came to Jeremiah,
13 “The LORD God of Israel has a message for you.‘I made a covenant with
your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt where they had been slaves. It
stipulated,
14 “Every seven years each of you must free any fellow Hebrews who have sold
themselves to you. After they have served you for six years, you shall set them
free.” But your ancestors did not obey me or pay any attention to me.
15 Recently, however, you yourselves showed a change of heart and did what is
pleasing to me. You granted your fellow countrymen their freedom and you made a
covenant to that effect in my presence in the house that I have claimed for my
own.
16 But then you turned right around and showed that you did not honor me. Each
of you took back your male and female slaves whom you had freed as they desired,
and you forced them to be your slaves again.
17 So I, the LORD, say:“You have not really obeyed me and granted freedom to
your neighbor and fellow countryman. Therefore, I will grant you freedom, the
freedom to die in war, or by starvation or disease. I, the LORD, affirm it! I
will make all the kingdoms of the earth horrified at what happens to you.
18 I will punish those people who have violated their covenant with me. I will
make them like the calf they cut in two and passed between its pieces. I will do
so because they did not keep the terms of the covenant they made in my presence.
19 I will punish the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials, the
priests, and all the other people of the land who passed between the pieces of
the calf.
20 I will hand them over to their enemies who want to kill them. Their dead
bodies will become food for the birds and the wild animals.
21 I will also hand King Zedekiah of Judah and his officials over to their
enemies who want to kill them. I will hand them over to the army of the king of
Babylon, even though they have temporarily withdrawn from attacking you.
22 For I, the LORD, affirm that I will soon give the order and bring them back
to this city. They will fight against it and capture it and burn it down. I will
also make the towns of Judah desolate so that there will be no one living in
them.”’”

Chapter 35

1 Judah’s Unfaithfulness Contrasted with the Rechabites’ Faithfulness The
LORD spoke to Jeremiah when Jehoiakim son of Josiah was ruling over Judah.
2 “Go to the Rechabite community. Invite them to come into one of the side
rooms of the LORD’s temple and offer them some wine to drink.”
3 So I went and got Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah the grandson of Habazziniah, his
brothers, all his sons, and all the rest of the Rechabite community.
4 I took them to the LORD’s temple. I took them into the room where the
disciples of the prophet Hanan son of Igdaliah stayed. That room was next to the
one where the temple officers stayed and above the room where Maaseiah son of
Shallum, one of the doorkeepers of the temple, stayed.
5 Then I set cups and pitchers full of wine in front of the members of the
Rechabite community and said to them,“Have some wine.”
6 But they answered,“We do not drink wine because our ancestor Jonadab son of
Rechab commanded us not to. He told us,‘You and your children must never drink
wine.
7 Do not build houses. Do not plant crops. Do not plant a vineyard or own one.
Live in tents all your lives. If you do these things you will live a long time
in the land that you wander about on.’
8 We and our wives and our sons and daughters have obeyed everything our
ancestor Jonadab son of Rechab commanded us. We have never drunk wine.
9 We have not built any houses to live in. We do not own any vineyards, fields,
or crops.
10 We have lived in tents. We have obeyed our ancestor Jonadab and done exactly
as he commanded us.
11 But when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invaded the land we said,‘Let’s
get up and go to Jerusalem to get away from the Babylonian and Aramean
armies.’ That is why we are staying here in Jerusalem.”
12 Then the LORD’s message came to Jeremiah.
13 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel told him,“Go and speak to
the people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem. Tell them,‘I, the LORD,
say:“You must learn a lesson from this about obeying what I say!
14 Jonadab son of Rechab ordered his descendants not to drink wine. His orders
have been carried out. To this day his descendants have drunk no wine because
they have obeyed what their ancestor commanded them. But I have spoken to you
over and over again, but you have not obeyed me!
15 I sent all my servants the prophets to warn you over and over again. They
said,“Every one of you, stop doing the evil things you have been doing and do
what is right. Do not pay allegiance to other gods and worship them. Then you
can continue to live in this land that I gave to you and your ancestors.” But
you did not pay any attention or listen to me.
16 Yes, the descendants of Jonadab son of Rechab have carried out the orders
that their ancestor gave them. But you people have not obeyed me!
17 So I, the LORD God of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, say:“I will
soon bring on Judah and all the citizens of Jerusalem all the disaster that I
threatened to bring on them. I will do this because I spoke to them but they did
not listen. I called out to them but they did not answer.”’”
18 Then Jeremiah spoke to the Rechabite community,“The LORD of Heaven’s
Armies, the God of Israel says,‘You have obeyed the orders of your ancestor
Jonadab. You have followed all his instructions. You have done exactly as he
commanded you.’
19 So the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel says,‘Jonadab son of
Rechab will never lack a male descendant to serve me.’”

Chapter 36

1 Jehoiakim Burns the Scroll Containing the Lord’s Messages The LORD spoke to
Jeremiah in the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was ruling over Judah.
2 “Get a scroll. Write on it everything I have told you to say about Israel,
Judah, and all the other nations since I began to speak to you in the reign of
Josiah until now.
3 Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about all the disaster I intend to bring
on them, they will all stop doing the evil things they have been doing. If they
do, I will forgive their sins and the wicked things they have done.”
4 So Jeremiah summoned Baruch son of Neriah. Then, Baruch wrote down in a scroll
all of the LORD’s words which he had told to Jeremiah as they came from his
mouth.
5 Then Jeremiah told Baruch,“I am no longer allowed to go into the LORD’s
temple.
6 So you go there the next time all the people of Judah come in from their towns
to fast in the LORD’s temple. Read out loud where all of them can hear you
what I told you the LORD said, which you wrote in the scroll.
7 Perhaps then they will ask the LORD for mercy and will all stop doing the evil
things they have been doing. For the LORD has threatened to bring great anger
and wrath against these people.”
8 So Baruch son of Neriah did exactly what the prophet Jeremiah had told him to
do. He read what the LORD had said from the scroll in the temple of the LORD.
9 All the people living in Jerusalem and all the people who came into Jerusalem
from the towns of Judah came to observe a fast before the LORD. The fast took
place in the ninth month of the fifth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was
ruling over Judah.
10 At that time Baruch went into the temple of the LORD. He stood in the
entrance of the room of Gemariah the son of Shaphan who had been the royal
secretary. That room was in the upper court near the entrance of the New Gate.
There, where all the people could hear him, he read from the scroll what
Jeremiah had said.
11 Micaiah, who was the son of Gemariah and the grandson of Shaphan, heard
Baruch read from the scroll everything the LORD had said.
12 He went down to the chamber of the royal secretary in the king’s palace and
found all the court officials in session there. Elishama the royal secretary,
Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Achbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan,
Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the other officials were seated there.
13 Micaiah told them everything he had heard Baruch read from the scroll in the
hearing of the people.
14 All the officials sent Jehudi, who was the son of Nethaniah, the son of
Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to Baruch. They ordered him to tell Baruch,“Come
here and bring with you the scroll you read in the hearing of the people.” So
Baruch son of Neriah went to them, carrying the scroll in his hand.
15 They said to him,“Please sit down and read it to us.” So Baruch sat down
and read it to them.
16 When they had heard it all, they expressed their alarm to one another. Then
they said to Baruch,“We must certainly give the king a report about everything
you have read!”
17 Then they asked Baruch,“How did you come to write all these words? Do they
actually come from Jeremiah’s mouth?”
18 Baruch answered,“Yes, they came from his own mouth. He dictated all these
words to me and I wrote them down in ink on this scroll.”
19 Then the officials said to Baruch,“You and Jeremiah must go and hide. You
must not let anyone know where you are.”
20 The officials put the scroll in the room of Elishama, the royal secretary,
for safekeeping. Then they went to the court and reported everything to the
king.
21 The king sent Jehudi to get the scroll. He went and got it from the room of
Elishama, the royal secretary. Then he himself read it to the king and all the
officials who were standing around him.
22 Since it was the ninth month of the year, the king was sitting in his winter
quarters. A fire was burning in the firepot in front of him.
23 As soon as Jehudi had read three or four columns of the scroll, the king
would cut them off with a penknife and throw them on the fire in the firepot. He
kept doing so until the whole scroll was burned up in the fire.
24 Neither he nor any of his attendants showed any alarm when they heard all
that had been read. Nor did they tear their clothes to show any grief or sorrow.
25 The king did not even listen to Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah, who had
urged him not to burn the scroll.
26 He also ordered Jerahmeel, who was one of the royal princes, Seraiah son of
Azriel, and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest the scribe Baruch and the prophet
Jeremiah. However, the LORD hid them.
27 Baruch and Jeremiah Write Another Scroll The LORD’s message came to
Jeremiah after the king had burned the scroll with the words Baruch had written
down at Jeremiah’s dictation.
28 “Get another scroll and write on it everything that was written on the
original scroll that King Jehoiakim of Judah burned.
29 Tell King Jehoiakim of Judah,‘The LORD says,“You burned the scroll. You
asked Jeremiah,‘How dare you write in this scroll that the king of Babylon
will certainly come and destroy this land and wipe out all the people and
animals on it?’”
30 So the LORD says concerning King Jehoiakim of Judah,“None of his line will
occupy the throne of David. His dead body will be thrown out to be exposed to
scorching heat by day and frost by night.
31 I will punish him and his descendants and the officials who serve him for the
wicked things they have done. I will bring on them, the citizens of Jerusalem,
and the people of Judah all the disaster that I threatened to do to them. I will
punish them because I threatened them but they still paid no heed.”’”
32 Then Jeremiah got another scroll and gave it to the scribe Baruch son of
Neriah. As Jeremiah dictated, Baruch wrote on this scroll everything that had
been on the scroll that King Jehoiakim of Judah burned in the fire. They also
added on this scroll several other messages of the same kind.

Chapter 37

1 Introduction to Incidents During the Reign of Zedekiah Zedekiah son of Josiah
succeeded Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim as king. He was elevated to the throne of
the land of Judah by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.
2 Neither he nor the officials who served him nor the people of Judah paid any
attention to what the LORD said through the prophet Jeremiah.
3 The Lord Responds to Zedekiah’s Hope for Help King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son
of Shelemiah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah to the prophet Jeremiah to
say,“Please pray to the LORD our God on our behalf.”
4 (Now Jeremiah had not yet been put in prison. So he was still free to come and
go among the people as he pleased.
5 At that time the Babylonian forces had temporarily given up their siege
against Jerusalem. They had had it under siege, but withdrew when they heard
that the army of Pharaoh had set out from Egypt.)
6 The LORD’s message came to the prophet Jeremiah,
7 “This is what the LORD God of Israel has said,‘This is what you must say
to the king of Judah who sent you to seek my help.“Beware, Pharaoh’s army
that was on its way to help you is about to go back home to Egypt.
8 Then the Babylonian forces will return. They will attack the city and will
capture it and burn it down.
9 Moreover, I, the LORD, warn you not to deceive yourselves into thinking that
the Babylonian forces will go away and leave you alone. For they will not go
away.
10 For even if you were to defeat all the Babylonian forces fighting against you
so badly that only wounded men were left lying in their tents, they would get up
and burn this city down.”’”
11 Jeremiah is Charged with Deserting, Arrested, and Imprisoned The following
events also occurred while the Babylonian forces had temporarily withdrawn from
Jerusalem because the army of Pharaoh was coming.
12 Jeremiah started to leave Jerusalem to go to the territory of Benjamin. He
wanted to make sure he got his share of the property that was being divided up
among his family there.
13 But he only got as far as the Benjamin Gate. There an officer in charge of
the guards named Irijah, who was the son of Shelemiah and the grandson of
Hananiah, stopped him. He seized Jeremiah and said,“You are deserting to the
Babylonians!”
14 Jeremiah answered,“That’s a lie! I am not deserting to the
Babylonians.” But Irijah would not listen to him. Irijah put Jeremiah under
arrest and took him to the officials.
15 The officials were very angry at Jeremiah. They had him flogged and put in
prison in the house of Jonathan, the royal secretary, which they had converted
into a place for confining prisoners.
16 So Jeremiah was put in prison in a cell in the dungeon in Jonathan’s house.
He was kept there for a long time.
17 Then King Zedekiah had him brought to the palace. There he questioned him
privately and asked him,“Is there any message from the LORD?”Jeremiah
answered,“Yes, there is.” Then he announced,“You will be handed over to
the king of Babylon.”
18 Then Jeremiah asked King Zedekiah,“What crime have I committed against you,
or the officials who serve you, or the people of Judah? What have I done to make
you people throw me into prison?
19 Where now are the prophets who prophesied to you that the king of Babylon
would not attack you or this land?
20 But now please listen, your royal Majesty, and grant my plea for mercy. Do
not send me back to the house of Jonathan, the royal secretary. If you do, I
will die there.”
21 Then King Zedekiah ordered that Jeremiah be committed to the courtyard of the
guardhouse. He also ordered that a loaf of bread be given to him every day from
the baker’s street until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah was
kept in the courtyard of the guardhouse.

Chapter 38

1 Jeremiah Is Charged with Treason and Put in a Cistern to Die Now Shephatiah
son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jehucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur
son of Malkijah had heard the things that Jeremiah had been telling the people.
They had heard him say,
2 “The LORD says,‘Those who stay in this city will die in battle or of
starvation or disease. Those who leave the city and surrender to the Babylonians
will live. They will escape with their lives.’”
3 They had also heard him say,“The LORD says,‘This city will certainly be
handed over to the army of the king of Babylon. They will capture it.’”
4 So these officials said to the king,“This man must be put to death. For he
is demoralizing the soldiers who are left in the city as well as all the other
people there by these things he is saying. This man is not seeking to help these
people but is trying to harm them.”
5 King Zedekiah said to them,“Very well, you can do what you want with him.
For I cannot do anything to stop you.”
6 So the officials took Jeremiah and put him in the cistern of Malkijah, one of
the royal princes, that was in the courtyard of the guardhouse. There was no
water in the cistern, only mud. So when they lowered Jeremiah into the cistern
with ropes he sank in the mud.
7 An Ethiopian Official Rescues Jeremiah from the Cistern An Ethiopian, Ebed
Melech, a court official in the royal palace, heard that Jeremiah had been put
in the cistern. While the king was holding court at the Benjamin Gate,
8 Ebed Melech departed the palace and went to speak to the king. He said to him,
9 “Your royal Majesty, those men have been very wicked in all that they have
done to the prophet Jeremiah. They have thrown him into a cistern and he is sure
to die of starvation there because there is no food left in the city.”
10 Then the king gave Ebed Melech the Ethiopian the following order:“Take
thirty men with you from here and go pull the prophet Jeremiah out of the
cistern before he dies.”
11 So Ebed Melech took the men with him and went to a room under the treasure
room in the palace. He got some worn-out clothes and old rags from there and let
them down by ropes to Jeremiah in the cistern.
12 Ebed Melech called down to Jeremiah,“Put these rags and worn-out clothes
under your armpits to pad the ropes.” Jeremiah did as Ebed Melech instructed.
13 So they pulled Jeremiah up from the cistern with ropes. Jeremiah, however,
still remained confined to the courtyard of the guardhouse.
14 Jeremiah Responds to Zedekiah’s Request for Secret Advice Some time later
Zedekiah sent and had Jeremiah brought to him at the third entrance of the
LORD’s temple. The king said to Jeremiah,“I would like to ask you a
question. Do not hide anything from me when you answer.”
15 Jeremiah said to Zedekiah,“If I answer you, you will certainly kill me. If
I give you advice, you will not listen to me.”
16 So King Zedekiah made a secret promise to Jeremiah and sealed it with an
oath. He promised,“As surely as the LORD lives who has given us life and
breath, I promise you this: I will not kill you or hand you over to those men
who want to kill you.”
17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah,“The LORD God of Heaven’s Armies, the God
of Israel, says,‘You must surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon. If
you do, your life will be spared and this city will not be burned down. Indeed,
you and your whole family will be spared.
18 But if you do not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, this city
will be handed over to the Babylonians and they will burn it down. You yourself
will not escape from them.’”
19 Then King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah,“I am afraid of the Judeans who have
deserted to the Babylonians. The Babylonians might hand me over to them and they
will torture me.”
20 Then Jeremiah answered,“You will not be handed over to them. Please obey
the LORD by doing what I have been telling you. Then all will go well with you
and your life will be spared.
21 But if you refuse to surrender, the LORD has shown me a vision of what will
happen. Here is what I saw:
22 All the women who are left in the royal palace of Judah will be led out to
the officers of the king of Babylon. They will taunt you saying,‘Your trusted
friends misled you; they have gotten the best of you. Now that your feet are
stuck in the mud, they have turned their backs on you.’
23 “All your wives and your children will be turned over to the Babylonians.
You yourself will not escape from them but will be captured by the king of
Babylon. This city will be burned down.”
24 Then Zedekiah told Jeremiah,“Do not let anyone know about the conversation
we have had. If you do, you will die.
25 The officials may hear that I have talked with you. They may come to you and
say,‘Tell us what you said to the king and what the king said to you. Do not
hide anything from us. If you do, we will kill you.’
26 If they do this, tell them,‘I was pleading with the king not to send me
back to die in the dungeon of Jonathan’s house.’”
27 All the officials did indeed come and question Jeremiah. He told them exactly
what the king had instructed him to say. They stopped questioning him any
further because no one had actually heard their conversation.
28 So Jeremiah remained confined in the courtyard of the guardhouse until the
day Jerusalem was captured.The Fall of Jerusalem and Its AftermathThe following
events occurred when Jerusalem was captured.

Chapter 39

1 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came against Jerusalem with his whole army and
laid siege to it. The siege began in the tenth month of the ninth year that
Zedekiah ruled over Judah.
2 It lasted until the ninth day of the fourth month of Zedekiah’s eleventh
year. On that day they broke through the city walls.
3 Then Nergal-Sharezer of Samgar, Nebo-Sarsekim, who was a chief officer,
Nergal-Sharezer, who was a high official, and all the other officers of the king
of Babylon came and set up quarters in the Middle Gate.
4 When King Zedekiah of Judah and all his soldiers saw them, they tried to
escape. They departed from the city during the night. They took a path through
the king’s garden and passed out through the gate between the two walls. Then
they headed for the rift valley.
5 But the Babylonian army chased after them. They caught up with Zedekiah in the
rift valley plains of Jericho and captured him. They took him to King
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon at Riblah in the territory of Hamath and
Nebuchadnezzar passed sentence on him there.
6 There at Riblah the king of Babylon had Zedekiah’s sons put to death while
Zedekiah was forced to watch. The king of Babylon also had all the nobles of
Judah put to death.
7 Then he had Zedekiah’s eyes put out and had him bound in chains to be led
off to Babylon.
8 The Babylonians burned down the royal palace, the temple of the LORD, and the
people’s homes, and they tore down the wall of Jerusalem.
9 Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, took captive the rest of the
people who were left in the city. He carried them off to Babylon along with the
people who had deserted to him.
10 But he left behind in the land of Judah some of the poor people who owned
nothing. He gave them fields and vineyards at that time.
11 Now King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had issued orders concerning Jeremiah. He
had passed them on through Nebuzaradan, the captain of his royal guard,
12 “Find Jeremiah and look out for him. Do not do anything to harm him, but do
with him whatever he tells you.”
13 So Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, Nebushazban, who was a chief
officer, Nergal-Sharezer, who was a high official, and all the other officers of
the king of Babylon
14 sent and had Jeremiah brought from the courtyard of the guardhouse. They
turned him over to Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam and the grandson of Shaphan, to
take him home with him. But Jeremiah stayed among the people.
15 Ebed Melech Is Promised Deliverance because of His Faith Now the LORD’s
message had come to Jeremiah while he was still confined in the courtyard of the
guardhouse,
16 “Go and tell Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian,‘This is what the LORD of
Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, has said,“I will carry out against this
city what I promised. It will mean disaster and not good fortune for it. When
that disaster happens, you will be there to see it.
17 But I will rescue you when it happens. I, the LORD, affirm it! You will not
be handed over to those whom you fear.
18 I will certainly save you. You will not fall victim to violence. You will
escape with your life because you trust in me. I, the LORD, affirm it!”’”

Chapter 40

1 Jeremiah Is Set Free A Second Time The LORD spoke to Jeremiah after
Nebuzaradan the captain of the royal guard had set him free at Ramah. He had
taken him there in chains along with all the people from Jerusalem and Judah who
were being carried off to exile to Babylon.
2 The captain of the royal guard took Jeremiah aside and said to him,“The LORD
your God threatened this place with this disaster.
3 Now he has brought it about. The LORD has done just as he threatened to do.
This disaster has happened because you people sinned against the LORD and did
not obey him.
4 But now, Jeremiah, today I will set you free from the chains on your wrists.
If you would like to come to Babylon with me, come along and I will take care of
you. But if you prefer not to come to Babylon with me, you are not required to
do so. You are free to go anywhere in the land you want to go. Go wherever you
choose.”
5 Before Jeremiah could turn to leave, the captain of the guard added,“Go back
to Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon
appointed to govern the towns of Judah. Go back and live with him among the
people. Or go wherever else you choose.” Then the captain of the guard gave
Jeremiah some food and a present and let him go.
6 So Jeremiah went to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah and lived there with him.
He stayed there to live among the people who had been left in the land of Judah.
7 A Small Judean Province is Established at Mizpah Now some of the officers of
the Judean army and their troops had been hiding in the countryside. They heard
that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam to govern the
country. They also heard that he had been put in charge over the men, women, and
children from the poorer classes of the land who had not been carried off into
exile in Babylon.
8 So all these officers and their troops came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. The
officers who came were Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan the sons
of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and
Jezaniah son of the Maacathite.
9 Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, took an oath so as to
give them and their troops some assurance of safety.“Do not be afraid to
submit to the Babylonians. Settle down in the land and submit to the king of
Babylon. Then things will go well for you.
10 I for my part will stay at Mizpah to represent you before the Babylonians
whenever they come to us. You for your part go ahead and harvest the wine, the
dates, the figs, and the olive oil, and store them in jars. Go ahead and settle
down in the towns that you have taken over.”
11 Moreover, all the Judeans who were in Moab, Ammon, Edom, and all the other
countries heard what had happened. They heard that the king of Babylon had
allowed some people to stay in Judah and that he had appointed Gedaliah, the son
of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, to govern them.
12 So all these Judeans returned to the land of Judah from the places where they
had been scattered. They came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. Thus they harvested a large
amount of wine and dates and figs.
13 Ishmael Murders Gedaliah and Carries Off the Judeans at Mizpah as Captives
Johanan and all the officers of the troops that had been hiding in the open
country came to Gedaliah at Mizpah.
14 They said to him,“Are you at all aware that King Baalis of Ammon has sent
Ishmael son of Nethaniah to kill you?” But Gedaliah son of Ahikam would not
believe them.
15 Then Johanan son of Kareah spoke privately to Gedaliah there at Mizpah,“Let
me go and kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah before anyone knows about it.
Otherwise he will kill you and all the Judeans who have rallied around you will
be scattered. Then what remains of Judah will disappear.”
16 But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan son of Kareah,“Do not do that
because what you are saying about Ishmael is not true.”

Chapter 41

1 But in the seventh month Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah and grandson of
Elishama who was a member of the royal family and had been one of Zedekiah’s
chief officers, came with ten of his men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah.
While they were eating a meal together with him there at Mizpah,
2 Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him stood up, pulled
out their swords, and killed Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam and grandson of
Shaphan. Thus Ishmael killed the man that the king of Babylon had appointed to
govern the country.
3 Ishmael also killed all the Judeans who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah and the
Babylonian soldiers who happened to be there.
4 On the day after Gedaliah had been murdered, before anyone even knew about it,
5 eighty men arrived from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria. They had shaved off
their beards, torn their clothes, and cut themselves to show they were mourning.
They were carrying grain offerings and incense to present at the temple of the
LORD in Jerusalem.
6 Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them. He was pretending
to cry as he walked along. When he met them, he said to them,“Come with me to
meet Gedaliah son of Ahikam.”
7 But as soon as they were inside the city, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the men
who were with him slaughtered them and threw their bodies in a cistern.
8 But there were ten men among them who said to Ishmael,“Do not kill us. For
we will give you the stores of wheat, barley, olive oil, and honey we have
hidden in a field.” So he spared their lives and did not kill them along with
the rest.
9 Now the cistern where Ishmael threw all the dead bodies of those he had killed
was a large one that King Asa had constructed as part of his defenses against
King Baasha of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with dead bodies.
10 Then Ishmael took captive all the people who were still left alive in Mizpah.
This included the royal princesses and all the rest of the people in Mizpah that
Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, had put under the authority of
Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael son of Nethaniah took all these people captive
and set out to cross over to the Ammonites.
11 Johanan Rescues the People Ishmael Had Carried Off Johanan son of Kareah and
all the army officers who were with him heard about all the atrocities that
Ishmael son of Nethaniah had committed.
12 So they took all their troops and went to fight against Ishmael son of
Nethaniah. They caught up with him near the large pool at Gibeon.
13 When all the people that Ishmael had taken captive saw Johanan son of Kareah
and all the army officers with him, they were glad.
14 All those people that Ishmael had taken captive from Mizpah turned and went
over to Johanan son of Kareah.
15 But Ishmael son of Nethaniah managed to escape from Johanan along with eight
of his men, and he went on over to Ammon.
16 Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him led off all
the people who had been left alive at Mizpah. They had rescued them from Ishmael
son of Nethaniah after he killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam. They led off the men,
women, children, soldiers, and court officials whom they had brought away from
Gibeon.
17 They set out to go to Egypt to get away from the Babylonians, but stopped at
Geruth Kimham near Bethlehem.
18 They were afraid of what the Babylonians might do because Ishmael son of
Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had
appointed to govern the country.

Chapter 42

1 The Survivors Ask the Lord for Advice but Refuse to Follow It Then all the
army officers, including Johanan son of Kareah and Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah and
all the people of every class, went to the prophet Jeremiah.
2 They said to him,“Please grant our request and pray to the LORD your God for
all those of us who are still left alive here. For, as you yourself can see,
there are only a few of us left out of the many there were before.
3 Pray that the LORD your God will tell us where we should go and what we should
do.”
4 The prophet Jeremiah answered them,“Agreed! I will indeed pray to the LORD
your God as you have asked. I will tell you everything the LORD replies in
response to you. I will not keep anything back from you.”
5 They answered Jeremiah,“May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against
us if we do not do just as the LORD your God sends you to tell us to do.
6 We will obey what the LORD our God to whom we are sending you tells us to do.
It does not matter whether we like what he tells us or not. We will obey what he
tells us to do so that things will go well for us.”
7 Ten days later the LORD’s message came to Jeremiah.
8 So Jeremiah summoned Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were
with him and all the people of every class.
9 Then Jeremiah said to them,“You sent me to the LORD God of Israel to make
your request known to him. Here is what he says to you:
10 ‘If you will just stay in this land, I will build you up. I will not tear
you down. I will firmly plant you. I will not uproot you. For I am filled with
sorrow because of the disaster that I have brought on you.
11 Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon whom you now fear. Do not be afraid
of him because I will be with you to save you and to rescue you from his power.
I, the LORD, affirm it!
12 I will have compassion on you so that he in turn will have mercy on you and
allow you to return to your land.’
13 “You must not disobey the LORD your God by saying,‘We will not stay in
this land.’
14 You must not say,‘No, we will not stay. Instead we will go and live in the
land of Egypt where we will not face war, or hear the enemy’s trumpet calls,
or starve for lack of food.’
15 If you people who remain in Judah do that, then listen to the LORD’s
message. This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel has
said,‘If you are so determined to go to Egypt that you go and settle there,
16 the wars you fear will catch up with you there in the land of Egypt. The
starvation you are worried about will follow you there to Egypt. You will die
there.
17 All the people who are determined to go and settle in Egypt will die from
war, starvation, or disease. No one will survive or escape the disaster I will
bring on them.’
18 For the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel says,‘If you go to
Egypt, I will pour out my wrath on you just as I poured out my anger and wrath
on the citizens of Jerusalem. You will become an object of horror and ridicule,
an example of those who have been cursed and that people use in pronouncing a
curse. You will never see this place again.’
19 “The LORD has told you people who remain in Judah,‘Do not go to Egypt.’
Be very sure of this: I warn you here and now.
20 You are making a fatal mistake. For you sent me to the LORD your God and
asked me,‘Pray to the LORD our God for us. Tell us what the LORD our God says
and we will do it.’
21 This day I have told you what he said. But you do not want to obey the LORD
your God by doing what he sent me to tell you.
22 So now be very sure of this: You will die from war, starvation, or disease in
the place where you want to go and live.”

Chapter 43

1 Jeremiah finished telling all the people all these things the LORD their God
had sent him to tell them.
2 Then Azariah son of Hoshaiah, Johanan son of Kareah, and other arrogant men
said to Jeremiah,“You are telling a lie! The LORD our God did not send you to
tell us,‘You must not go to Egypt and settle there.’
3 But Baruch son of Neriah is stirring you up against us. He wants to hand us
over to the Babylonians so that they will kill us or carry us off into exile in
Babylon.”
4 So Johanan son of Kareah, all the army officers, and all the rest of the
people did not obey the LORD’s command to stay in the land of Judah.
5 Instead Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers led off all the Judean
remnant who had come back to live in the land of Judah from all the nations
where they had been scattered.
6 They also led off all the men, women, children, and royal princesses that
Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, had left with Gedaliah, the son of
Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan. This included the prophet Jeremiah and Baruch
son of Neriah.
7 They went on to Egypt because they refused to obey the LORD, and came to
Tahpanhes.
8 Jeremiah Predicts that Nebuchadnezzar Will Plunder Egypt and Its Gods At
Tahpanhes the LORD’s message came to Jeremiah.
9 “Take some large stones and bury them in the mortar of the clay pavement at
the entrance of Pharaoh’s residence here in Tahpanhes. Do it while the people
of Judah present there are watching.
10 Then tell them,‘The LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel says,“I
will bring my servant King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I will set his throne over
these stones which I have buried. He will pitch his royal tent over them.
11 He will come and attack Egypt. Those who are destined to die of disease will
die of disease. Those who are destined to be carried off into exile will be
carried off into exile. Those who are destined to die in war will die in war.
12 He will set fire to the temples of the gods of Egypt. He will burn their gods
or carry them off as captives. He will pick Egypt clean like a shepherd picks
the lice from his clothing. He will leave there unharmed.
13 He will demolish the sacred pillars in the temple of the sun in Egypt and
will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt.”’”

Chapter 44

1 The Lord Will Punish the Judean Exiles in Egypt for Their Idolatry The LORD
spoke to Jeremiah concerning all the Judeans who were living in the land of
Egypt, those in Migdol, Tahpanhes, Memphis, and in the region of southern Egypt.
2 “The LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel says,‘You have seen all
the disaster I brought on Jerusalem and all the towns of Judah. Indeed, they now
lie in ruins and are deserted.
3 This happened because of the wickedness the people living there did. They made
me angry by worshiping and offering sacrifice to other gods whom neither they
nor you nor your ancestors previously knew.
4 I sent my servants the prophets to you people over and over again warning you
not to do this disgusting thing I hate.
5 But the people of Jerusalem and Judah would not listen or pay any attention.
They would not stop the wickedness they were doing nor quit sacrificing to other
gods.
6 So my anger and my wrath were poured out and burned like a fire through the
towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem. That is why they have become the
desolate ruins that they are today.’
7 “So now the LORD God of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, asks,‘Why
will you do such great harm to yourselves? Why should every man, woman, child,
and baby of yours be destroyed from the midst of Judah? Why should you leave
yourselves without a remnant?
8 That is what will result from your making me angry by what you are doing. You
are making me angry by sacrificing to other gods here in the land of Egypt where
you live. You will be destroyed for doing that! You will become an example used
in curses and an object of ridicule among all the nations of the earth.
9 Have you forgotten all the wicked things that have been done in the towns of
Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem by your ancestors, by the kings of Judah
and their wives, by you and your wives?
10 To this day your people have shown no contrition! They have not revered me
nor followed the laws and statutes I commanded you and your ancestors.’
11 “Because of this, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel
says,‘I am determined to bring disaster on you, even to the point of
destroying all the Judeans here.
12 I will see to it that all the Judean remnant that was determined to go and
live in the land of Egypt will be destroyed. Here in the land of Egypt they will
fall in battle or perish from starvation. People of every class will die in war
or from starvation. They will become an object of horror and ridicule, an
example of those who have been cursed and that people use in pronouncing a
curse.
13 I will punish those who live in the land of Egypt with war, starvation, and
disease just as I punished Jerusalem.
14 None of the Judean remnant who have come to live in the land of Egypt will
escape or survive to return to the land of Judah. Though they long to return and
live there, none of them shall return except a few fugitives.’”
15 Then all the men who were aware that their wives were sacrificing to other
gods, as well as all their wives, answered Jeremiah. There was a great crowd of
them representing all the people who lived in northern and southern Egypt. They
answered,
16 “We will not listen to what you claim the LORD has spoken to us!
17 Instead we will do everything we vowed we would do. We will sacrifice and
pour out drink offerings to the goddess called the Queen of Heaven just as we
and our ancestors, our kings, and our leaders previously did in the towns of
Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food, were
well-off, and had no troubles.
18 But ever since we stopped sacrificing and pouring out drink offerings to the
Queen of Heaven, we have been in great need. Our people have died in wars or of
starvation.”
19 The women added,“We did indeed sacrifice and pour out drink offerings to
the Queen of Heaven. But it was with the full knowledge and approval of our
husbands that we made cakes in her image and poured out drink offerings to
her.”
20 Then Jeremiah replied to all the people, both men and women, who responded to
him in this way.
21 “The LORD did indeed remember and call to mind what you did! He remembered
the sacrifices you and your ancestors, your kings, your leaders, and all the
rest of the people of the land offered to other gods in the towns of Judah and
in the streets of Jerusalem.
22 Finally the LORD could no longer endure your wicked deeds and the disgusting
things you did. That is why your land has become the desolate, uninhabited ruin
that it is today. That is why it has become a proverbial example used in curses.
23 You have sacrificed to other gods! You have sinned against the LORD! You have
not obeyed the LORD! You have not followed his laws, his statutes, and his
decrees! That is why this disaster that is evident to this day has happened to
you.”
24 Then Jeremiah spoke to all the people, particularly to all the
women.“Listen to the LORD’s message, all you people of Judah who are in
Egypt.
25 This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, has
said,‘You women have confirmed by your actions what you vowed with your lips!
You said,“We will certainly carry out our vows to sacrifice and pour out drink
offerings to the Queen of Heaven.” Well, then fulfill your vows! Carry them
out!’
26 But listen to the LORD’s message, all you people of Judah who are living in
the land of Egypt. The LORD says,‘I hereby swear by my own great name that
none of the people of Judah who are living anywhere in Egypt will ever again
invoke my name in their oaths! Never again will any of them use it in an oath
saying,“As surely as the Sovereign LORD lives….”
27 I will indeed see to it that disaster, not prosperity, happens to them. All
the people of Judah who are in the land of Egypt will die in war or from
starvation until not one of them is left.
28 Some who survive in battle will return to the land of Judah from the land of
Egypt. But they will be very few indeed! Then the Judean remnant who have come
to live in the land of Egypt will know whose word proves true, mine or
theirs.’
29 Moreover the LORD says,‘I will make something happen to prove that I will
punish you in this place. I will do it so that you will know that my threats to
bring disaster on you will prove true.
30 I, the LORD, promise that I will hand Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt over to
his enemies who are seeking to kill him. I will do that just as surely as I
handed King Zedekiah of Judah over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, his enemy
who was seeking to kill him.’”

Chapter 45

1 Baruch is Rebuked but also Comforted The prophet Jeremiah spoke to Baruch son
of Neriah while he was writing down in a scroll the words that Jeremiah spoke to
him. This happened in the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was ruling
over Judah.
2 “The LORD God of Israel has a message for you, Baruch.
3 ‘You have said,“I feel so hopeless! For the LORD has added sorrow to my
suffering. I am worn out from groaning. I can’t find any rest.”’”
4 The LORD told Jeremiah,“Tell Baruch,‘The LORD says,“I am about to tear
down what I have built and to uproot what I have planted. I will do this
throughout the whole earth.
5 Are you looking for great things for yourself? Do not look for such things.
For I, the LORD, affirm that I am about to bring disaster on all humanity. But I
will allow you to escape with your life wherever you go.”’”

Chapter 46

1 Prophecies Against Foreign Nations This was the LORD’s message to the
prophet Jeremiah about the nations.
2 The Prophecy about Egypt’s Defeat at Carchemish He spoke about Egypt and the
army of Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt which was encamped along the Euphrates River
at Carchemish. Now this was the army that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon
defeated in the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was ruling over Judah.
3 “Fall into ranks with your shields ready! Prepare to march into battle!
4 Harness the horses to the chariots! Mount your horses! Take your positions
with helmets on! Ready your spears! Put on the armor!
5 “What do I see! The soldiers are frightened. They are retreating. They are
being scattered. They have fled for refuge without looking back. Terror is all
around them,” says the LORD.
6 But even the swiftest cannot get away. Even the strongest cannot escape. There
in the north by the Euphrates River they have stumbled and fallen in defeat.
7 Who is this that rises like the Nile, like its streams turbulent at flood
stage?
8 Egypt rises like the Nile, like its streams turbulent at flood stage. Egypt
said,‘I will arise and cover the earth. I will destroy cities and the people
who inhabit them.’
9 Go ahead and charge into battle, you horsemen! Drive furiously, you
charioteers! Let the soldiers march out into battle, those from Ethiopia and
Libya who carry shields, and those from Lydia who are armed with the bow.
10 But that day belongs to the Sovereign LORD of Heaven’s Armies. It is a day
of reckoning, when he will pay back his adversaries. His sword will devour them
until its appetite is satisfied! It will drink its fill from their blood! Indeed
it will be a sacrifice for the Sovereign LORD of Heaven’s Armies in the land
of the north by the Euphrates River.
11 Go up to Gilead and get medicinal ointment, you dear poor people of Egypt.
But it will prove useless no matter how much medicine you use; there will be no
healing for you.
12 The nations have heard of your shameful defeat. Your cries of distress fill
the earth. One soldier has stumbled over another and both of them have fallen
down defeated.”
13 The Lord Predicts that Nebuchadnezzar Will Attack and Plunder Egypt The LORD
spoke to the prophet Jeremiah about Nebuchadnezzar coming to attack the land of
Egypt.
14 “Make an announcement throughout Egypt. Proclaim it in Migdol, Memphis, and
Tahpanhes.‘Take your positions and prepare to do battle. For the enemy army is
destroying all the nations around you.’
15 Why will your soldiers be defeated? They will not stand because I, the LORD,
will thrust them down.
16 I will make many stumble. They will fall over one another in their hurry to
flee. They will say,‘Get up! Let’s go back to our own people. Let’s go
back to our homelands because the enemy is coming to destroy us.’
17 There at home they will say,‘Pharaoh king of Egypt is just a big noise! He
has let the most opportune moment pass by.’
18 I the King, whose name is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, swear this: I swear
as surely as I live that a conqueror is coming. He will be as imposing as Mount
Tabor is among the mountains, as Mount Carmel is against the backdrop of the
sea.
19 Pack your bags for exile, you inhabitants of poor dear Egypt. For Memphis
will be laid waste. It will lie in ruins and be uninhabited.
20 Egypt is like a beautiful young cow. But northern armies will attack her like
swarms of stinging flies.
21 Even her mercenaries will prove to be like pampered, well-fed calves. For
they too will turn and run away. They will not stand their ground when the time
for them to be destroyed comes, the time for them to be punished.
22 Egypt will run away, hissing like a snake, as the enemy comes marching up in
force. They will come against her with axes as if they were woodsmen chopping
down trees.
23 The population of Egypt is like a vast, impenetrable forest. But I, the LORD,
affirm that the enemy will cut them down. For those who chop them down will be
more numerous than locusts. They will be too numerous to count.
24 Poor dear Egypt will be put to shame. She will be handed over to the people
from the north.”
25 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel says,“I will punish Amon,
the god of Thebes. I will punish Egypt, its gods, and its kings. I will punish
Pharaoh and all who trust in him.
26 I will hand them over to Nebuchadnezzar and his troops, who want to kill
them. But later on, people will live in Egypt again as they did in former times.
I, the LORD, affirm it!”
27 A Promise of Hope for Israel“You descendants of Jacob, my servants, do not
be afraid; do not be terrified, people of Israel. For I will rescue you and your
descendants from the faraway lands where you are captives. The descendants of
Jacob will return to their land and enjoy peace. They will be secure and no one
will terrify them.
28 I, the LORD, tell you not to be afraid, you descendants of Jacob, my servant,
for I am with you. Though I completely destroy all the nations where I scatter
you, I will not completely destroy you. I will indeed discipline you but only in
due measure. I will not allow you to go entirely unpunished.”

Chapter 47

1 Judgment on the Philistine Cities This was the LORD’s message to the prophet
Jeremiah about the Philistines before Pharaoh attacked Gaza.
2 “Look! Enemies are gathering in the north like water rising in a river. They
will be like an overflowing stream. They will overwhelm the whole country and
everything in it like a flood. They will overwhelm the cities and their
inhabitants. People will cry out in alarm. Everyone living in the country will
cry out in pain.
3 Fathers will hear the hoofbeats of the enemies’ horses, the clatter of their
chariots and the rumbling of their wheels. They will not turn back to save their
children because they will be paralyzed with fear.
4 For the time has come to destroy all the Philistines. The time has come to
destroy all the help that remains for Tyre and Sidon. For I, the LORD, will
destroy the Philistines, that remnant that came from the island of Crete.
5 The people of Gaza will shave their heads in mourning. The people of Ashkelon
will be struck dumb. How long will you gash yourselves to show your sorrow, you
who remain of Philistia’s power?
6 How long will you cry out,‘Oh, sword of the LORD, how long will it be before
you stop killing? Go back into your sheath! Stay there and rest!’
7 But how can it rest when I, the LORD, have given it orders? I have ordered it
to attack the people of Ashkelon and the seacoast.

Chapter 48

1 Judgment Against Moab The LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel spoke
about Moab.“Sure to be judged is Nebo! Indeed, it will be destroyed!
Kiriathaim will suffer disgrace. It will be captured! Its fortress will suffer
disgrace. It will be torn down!
2 People will not praise Moab any more. The enemy will capture Heshbon and plot
how to destroy Moab, saying,‘Come, let’s put an end to that nation!’ City
of Madmen, you will also be destroyed. A destructive army will march against
you.
3 Cries of anguish will arise in Horonaim,‘Oh, the ruin and great
destruction!’
4 “Moab will be crushed. Her children will cry out in distress.
5 Indeed they will climb the slopes of Luhith, weeping continually as they go.
For on the road down to Horonaim they will hear the cries of distress over the
destruction.
6 They will hear,‘Run! Save yourselves! Even if you must be like a lonely
shrub in the wilderness!’
7 “Moab, you trust in the things you do and in your riches. So you too will be
conquered. Your god Chemosh will go into exile along with his priests and his
officials.
8 The destroyer will come against every town. Not one town will escape. The
towns in the valley will be destroyed. The cities on the high plain will be laid
waste. I, the LORD, have spoken!
9 Set up a gravestone for Moab, for it will certainly be laid in ruins! Its
cities will be laid waste and become uninhabited.”
10 A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the LORD’s work! A curse on anyone
who keeps from carrying out his destruction!
11 “From its earliest days Moab has lived undisturbed. It has never been taken
into exile. Its people are like wine allowed to settle undisturbed on its dregs,
never poured out from one jar to another. They are like wine which tastes like
it always did, whose aroma has remained unchanged.
12 But the time is coming when I will send men against Moab who will empty it
out. They will empty the towns of their people, then will lay those towns in
ruins. I, the LORD, affirm it!
13 The people of Moab will be disappointed by their god Chemosh. They will be as
disappointed as the people of Israel were when they put their trust in the calf
god at Bethel.
14 How can you men of Moab say,‘We are heroes, men who are mighty in
battle?’
15 Moab will be destroyed. Its towns will be invaded. Its finest young men will
be slaughtered. I, the King, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, affirm it!
16 Moab’s destruction is at hand. Disaster will come on it quickly.
17 Mourn for that nation, all you nations living around it, all of you nations
that know of its fame. Mourn and say,‘Alas, its powerful influence has been
broken! Its glory and power have been done away!’
18 Come down from your place of honor; sit on the dry ground, you who live in
Dibon. For the one who will destroy Moab will attack you; he will destroy your
fortifications.
19 You who live in Aroer, stand by the road and watch. Question the man who is
fleeing and the woman who is escaping. Ask them,‘What has happened?’
20 They will answer,‘Moab is disgraced, for it has fallen! Wail and cry out in
mourning! Announce along the Arnon River that Moab has been destroyed.’
21 “Judgment will come on the cities on the high plain: on Holon, Jahzah, and
Mephaath,
22 on Dibon, Nebo, and Beth Diblathaim,
23 on Kiriathaim, Beth Gamul, and Beth Meon,
24 on Kerioth and Bozrah. It will come on all the towns of Moab, both far and
near.
25 Moab’s might will be crushed. Its power will be broken. I, the LORD, affirm
it!
26 “Moab has vaunted itself against me. So make him drunk with the wine of my
wrath until he splashes around in his own vomit, until others treat him as a
laughingstock.
27 For did not you people of Moab laugh at the people of Israel? Did you think
that they were nothing but thieves, that you shook your head in contempt every
time you talked about them?
28 Leave your towns, you inhabitants of Moab. Go and live in the cliffs. Be like
a dove that makes its nest high on the sides of a ravine.
29 I have heard how proud the people of Moab are, I know how haughty they are. I
have heard how arrogant, proud, and haughty they are, what a high opinion they
have of themselves.
30 I, the LORD, affirm that I know how arrogant they are. But their pride is
ill-founded. Their boastings will prove to be false.
31 So I will weep with sorrow for Moab. I will cry out in sadness for all of
Moab. I will moan for the people of Kir Heres.
32 I will weep for the grapevines of Sibmah just like the town of Jazer weeps
over them. Their branches once spread as far as the Dead Sea. They reached as
far as the town of Jazer. The destroyer will ravage her fig, date, and grape
crops.
33 Joy and gladness will disappear from the fruitful land of Moab. I will stop
the flow of wine from the winepresses. No one will stomp on the grapes there and
shout for joy. The shouts there will be shouts of soldiers, not the shouts of
those making wine.
34 Cries of anguish raised from Heshbon and Elealeh will be sounded as far as
Jahaz. They will be sounded from Zoar as far as Horonaim and Eglath Shelishiyah.
For even the waters of Nimrim will be dried up.
35 I will put an end in Moab to those who make offerings at her places of
worship. I will put an end to those who sacrifice to other gods. I, the LORD,
affirm it!
36 So my heart moans for Moab like a flute playing a funeral song. Yes, like a
flute playing a funeral song, my heart moans for the people of Kir Heres. For
the wealth they have gained will perish.
37 For all of them will shave their heads in mourning. They will all cut off
their beards to show their sorrow. They will all make gashes in their hands.
They will all put on sackcloth.
38 On all the housetops in Moab and in all its public squares there will be
nothing but mourning. For I will break Moab like an unwanted jar. I, the LORD,
affirm it!
39 Oh, how shattered Moab will be! Oh, how her people will wail! Oh, how she
will turn away in shame! Moab will become an object of ridicule, a terrifying
sight to all the nations that surround her.”
40 For the LORD says,“Look! Like an eagle with outspread wings a nation will
swoop down on Moab.
41 Her towns will be captured. Her fortresses will be taken. At that time the
soldiers of Moab will be frightened like a woman in labor.
42 Moab will be destroyed and no longer be a nation, because she has vaunted
herself against the LORD.
43 Terror, pits, and traps are in store for the people who live in Moab. I, the
LORD, affirm it!
44 Anyone who flees at the sound of terror will fall into a pit. Anyone who
climbs out of the pit will be caught in a trap. For the time is coming when I
will punish the people of Moab. I, the LORD, affirm it!
45 In the shadows of the walls of Heshbon those trying to escape will stand
helpless. For a fire will burst forth from Heshbon. Flames will shoot out from
the former territory of Sihon. They will burn the foreheads of the people of
Moab, the skulls of those war-loving people.
46 Moab, you are doomed! You people who worship Chemosh will be destroyed. Your
sons will be taken away captive. Your daughters will be carried away into exile.
47 Yet in days to come I will reverse Moab’s ill fortune,” says the LORD.
The judgment against Moab ends here.

Chapter 49

1 Judgment Against Ammon The LORD spoke about the Ammonites.“Do you think
there are not any people of the nation of Israel remaining? Do you think there
are not any of them remaining to reinherit their land? Is that why you people
who worship the god Milcom have taken possession of the territory of Gad and
live in his cities?
2 Because you did that, I, the LORD, affirm that a time is coming when I will
make Rabbah, the capital city of Ammon, hear the sound of the battle cry. It
will become a mound covered with ruins. Its villages will be burned to the
ground. Then Israel will take back its land from those who took their land from
them. I, the Lord, affirm it!
3 Wail, you people in Heshbon, because Ai in Ammon is destroyed. Cry out in
anguish, you people in the villages surrounding Rabbah. Put on sackcloth and cry
out in mourning. Run about covered with gashes. For your god Milcom will go into
exile along with his priests and officials.
4 Why do you brag about your great power? Your power is ebbing away, you
rebellious people of Ammon, who trust in your riches and say,‘Who would dare
to attack us?’
5 I will bring terror on you from every side,” says the Sovereign LORD of
Heaven’s Armies.“You will be scattered in every direction. No one will
gather the fugitives back together.
6 Yet in days to come I will reverse Ammon’s ill fortune.” says the LORD.
7 Judgment Against Edom The LORD of Heaven’s Armies spoke about Edom.“Is
wisdom no longer to be found in Teman? Can Edom’s counselors not give her any
good advice? Has all of their wisdom turned bad?
8 Turn and flee! Take up refuge in remote places, you people who live in Dedan.
For I will bring disaster on the descendants of Esau. I have decided it is time
for me to punish them.
9 If grape pickers came to pick your grapes, would they not leave a few grapes
behind? If robbers came at night, would they not pillage only what they needed?
10 But I will strip everything away from Esau’s descendants. I will uncover
their hiding places so they cannot hide. Their children, relatives, and
neighbors will all be destroyed. Not one of them will be left!
11 Leave your orphans behind and I will keep them alive. Your widows too can
depend on me.”
12 For the LORD says,“If even those who did not deserve to drink from the cup
of my wrath must drink from it, do you think you will go unpunished? You will
not go unpunished, but must certainly drink from the cup of my wrath.
13 For I solemnly swear,” says the LORD,“that Bozrah will become a pile of
ruins. It will become an object of horror and ridicule, an example to be used in
curses. All the towns around it will lie in ruins forever.”
14 I said,“I have heard a message from the LORD. A messenger has been sent
among the nations to say,‘Gather your armies and march out against her!
Prepare to do battle with her!’”
15 The LORD says to Edom,“I will certainly make you small among nations. I
will make you despised by all humankind.
16 The terror you inspire in others and the arrogance of your heart have
deceived you. You may make your home in the clefts of the rocks; you may occupy
the highest places in the hills. But even if you made your home where the eagles
nest, I would bring you down from there,” says the LORD.
17 “Edom will become an object of horror. All who pass by it will be filled
with horror; they will hiss out their scorn because of all the disasters that
have happened to it.
18 Edom will be destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah and the towns that were around
them. No one will live there. No human being will settle in it,” says the
LORD.
19 “A lion coming up from the thick undergrowth along the Jordan scatters the
sheep in the pastureland around it. So too I will chase the Edomites off their
land. Then I will appoint over it whomever I choose. For there is no one like
me, and there is no one who can call me to account. There is no ruler who can
stand up against me.
20 So listen to what I, the LORD, have planned against Edom, what I intend to do
to the people who live in Teman. Their little ones will be dragged off. I will
completely destroy their land because of what they have done.
21 The people of the earth will quake when they hear of their downfall. Their
cries of anguish will be heard all the way to the Gulf of Aqaba.
22 Look! Like an eagle with outspread wings, a nation will soar up and swoop
down on Bozrah. At that time the soldiers of Edom will be as fearful as a woman
in labor.”
23 Judgment Against Damascus The LORD spoke about Damascus.“The people of
Hamath and Arpad will be dismayed because they have heard bad news. Their
courage will melt away because of worry. Their hearts will not be able to rest.
24 The people of Damascus will lose heart and turn to flee. Panic will grip
them. Pain and anguish will seize them like a woman in labor.
25 How deserted will that once-famous city be, that city that was once filled
with joy!
26 For her young men will fall in her city squares. All her soldiers will be
destroyed at that time,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
27 “I will set fire to the walls of Damascus; it will burn up the palaces of
Ben Hadad.”
28 Judgment Against Kedar and Hazor The LORD spoke about Kedar and the kingdoms
of Hazor that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquered.“Army of Babylon, go
and attack Kedar. Lay waste those who live in the eastern desert.
29 Their tents and their flocks will be taken away. Their tent curtains,
equipment, and camels will be carried off. People will shout to them,‘Terror
is all around you!’”
30 The LORD says,“Flee quickly, you who live in Hazor. Take up refuge in
remote places. For King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has laid out plans to attack
you. He has formed his strategy on how to defeat you.”
31 The LORD says,“Army of Babylon, go and attack a nation that lives in peace
and security. They have no gates or walls to protect them. They live all alone.
32 Their camels will be taken as plunder. Their vast herds will be taken as
spoil. I will scatter to the four winds those desert peoples who cut their hair
short at the temples. I will bring disaster against them from every
direction,” says the LORD.
33 “Hazor will become a permanent wasteland, a place where only jackals live.
No one will live there. No human being will settle in it.”
34 Judgment Against Elam This was the LORD’s message to the prophet Jeremiah
about Elam, which came early in the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah.
35 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies said,“I will kill all the archers of Elam,
who are the chief source of her military might.
36 I will cause enemies to blow through Elam from every direction like the winds
blowing in from the four quarters of heaven. I will scatter the people of Elam
to the four winds. There will not be any nation where the refugees of Elam will
not go.
37 I will make the people of Elam terrified of their enemies, who are seeking to
kill them. I will vent my fierce anger and bring disaster upon them,” says the
LORD.“I will send armies chasing after them until I have completely destroyed
them.
38 I will establish my sovereignty over Elam. I will destroy their king and
their leaders,” says the LORD.
39 “Yet in days to come I will reverse Elam’s ill fortune,” says the LORD.

Chapter 50

1 Judgment Against Babylon The LORD spoke concerning Babylon and the land of
Babylonia through the prophet Jeremiah.
2 “Announce the news among the nations! Proclaim it! Signal for people to pay
attention! Declare the news! Do not hide it! Say:‘Babylon will be captured.
Bel will be put to shame. Marduk will be dismayed. Babylon’s idols will be put
to shame. Her disgusting images will be dismayed.
3 For a nation from the north will attack Babylon. It will lay her land waste.
People and animals will flee out of it. No one will inhabit it.’
4 “When that time comes,” says the LORD,“the people of Israel and Judah
will return to the land together. They will come back with tears of repentance
as they seek the LORD their God.
5 They will ask the way to Zion; they will turn their faces toward it. They will
come and bind themselves to the LORD in a lasting covenant that will never be
forgotten.
6 “My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have allowed them to go
astray. They have wandered around in the mountains. They have roamed from one
mountain and hill to another. They have forgotten their resting place.
7 All who encountered them devoured them. Their enemies who did this said,‘We
are not liable for punishment! For those people have sinned against the LORD,
their true pasture. They have sinned against the LORD in whom their ancestors
trusted.’
8 “People of Judah, get out of Babylon quickly! Leave the land of Babylonia!
Be the first to depart! Be like the male goats that lead the herd.
9 For I will rouse into action and bring against Babylon a host of mighty
nations from the land of the north. They will set up their battle lines against
her. They will come from the north and capture her. Their arrows will be like a
skilled soldier who does not return from the battle empty-handed.
10 Babylonia will be plundered. Those who plunder it will take all they want,”
says the LORD.
11 “People of Babylonia, you plundered my people. That made you happy and
glad. You frolic about like calves in a pasture. Your joyous sounds are like the
neighs of a stallion.
12 But Babylonia will be put to great shame. The land where you were born will
be disgraced. Indeed, Babylonia will become the least important of all nations.
It will become a dry and barren desert.
13 After I vent my wrath on it Babylon will be uninhabited. It will be totally
desolate. All who pass by will be filled with horror and will hiss out their
scorn because of all the disasters that have happened to it.
14 “Take up your battle positions all around Babylon, all you soldiers who are
armed with bows. Shoot all your arrows at her! Do not hold any back! For she has
sinned against the LORD.
15 Shout the battle cry from all around the city. She will throw up her hands in
surrender. Her towers will fall. Her walls will be torn down. Because I, the
LORD, am wreaking revenge, take out your vengeance on her! Do to her as she has
done!
16 Kill all the farmers who sow the seed in the land of Babylon. Kill all those
who wield the sickle at harvest time. Let all the foreigners return to their own
people. Let them hurry back to their own lands to escape destruction by that
enemy army.
17 “The people of Israel are like scattered sheep which lions have chased
away. First the king of Assyria devoured them. Now last of all King
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has gnawed their bones.
18 So I, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, say:‘I will punish
the king of Babylon and his land just as I punished the king of Assyria.
19 But I will restore the flock of Israel to their own pasture. They will graze
on Mount Carmel and the land of Bashan. They will eat until they are full on the
hills of Ephraim and the land of Gilead.
20 When that time comes, no guilt will be found in Israel. No sin will be found
in Judah. For I will forgive those of them I have allowed to survive. I, the
LORD, affirm it!’”
21 The LORD says,“Attack the land of Merathaim and the people who live in
Pekod! Pursue, kill, and completely destroy them! Do just as I have commanded
you!
22 The noise of battle can be heard in the land of Babylonia. There is the sound
of great destruction.
23 Babylon hammered the whole world to pieces. But see how that‘hammer’ has
been broken and shattered! See what an object of horror Babylon has become among
the nations!
24 I set a trap for you, Babylon; you were caught before you knew it. You fought
against me. So you were found and captured.
25 I have opened up the place where my weapons are stored. I have brought out
the weapons for carrying out my wrath. For I, the Sovereign LORD of Heaven’s
Armies, have work to carry out in the land of Babylonia.
26 Come from far away and attack Babylonia! Open up the places where she stores
her grain! Pile her up in ruins! Destroy her completely! Do not leave anyone
alive!
27 Kill all her soldiers! Let them be slaughtered! They are doomed, for their
day of reckoning has come, the time for them to be punished.”
28 Listen! Fugitives and refugees are coming from the land of Babylon. They are
coming to Zion to declare there how the LORD our God is getting revenge, getting
revenge for what they have done to his temple.
29 “Call for archers to come against Babylon! Summon against her all who draw
the bow! Set up camp all around the city! Do not allow anyone to escape! Pay her
back for what she has done. Do to her what she has done to others. For she has
proudly defied me, the Holy One of Israel.
30 So her young men will fall in her city squares. All her soldiers will be
destroyed at that time,” says the LORD.
31 “Listen! I am opposed to you, you proud city,” says the Sovereign LORD of
Heaven’s Armies.“Indeed, your day of reckoning has come, the time when I
will punish you.
32 You will stumble and fall, you proud city; no one will help you get up. I
will set fire to your towns; it will burn up everything that surrounds you.”
33 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies says,“The people of Israel are oppressed. So
too are the people of Judah. All those who took them captive are holding them
prisoners. They refuse to set them free.
34 But the one who will rescue them is strong. His name is the LORD of
Heaven’s Armies. He will strongly champion their cause. As a result he will
bring peace and rest to the earth, but trouble and turmoil to the people who
inhabit Babylonia.
35 “Destructive forces will come against the Babylonians,” says the
LORD.“They will come against the people who inhabit Babylonia, against her
leaders and her men of wisdom.
36 Destructive forces will come against her false prophets; they will be shown
to be fools! Destructive forces will come against her soldiers; they will be
filled with terror!
37 Destructive forces will come against her horses and her chariots. Destructive
forces will come against all the foreign troops within her; they will be as
frightened as women! Destructive forces will come against her treasures; they
will be taken away as plunder!
38 A drought will come upon her land; her rivers and canals will be dried up.
All of this will happen because her land is filled with idols. Her people act
like madmen because of those idols they fear.
39 Therefore desert creatures and jackals will live there. Ostriches will dwell
in it too. But no people will ever live there again. No one will dwell there for
all time to come.
40 I will destroy Babylonia just like I did Sodom and Gomorrah and the
neighboring towns. No one will live there. No human being will settle in it,”
says the LORD.
41 “Look! An army is about to come from the north. A mighty nation and many
kings are stirring into action in faraway parts of the earth.
42 Its soldiers are armed with bows and spears. They are cruel and show no
mercy. They sound like the roaring sea as they ride forth on their horses. Lined
up in formation like men going into battle, they are coming against you, fair
Babylon!
43 The king of Babylon will become paralyzed with fear when he hears news of
their coming. Anguish will grip him, agony like that of a woman giving birth to
a baby.
44 “A lion coming up from the thick undergrowth along the Jordan scatters the
sheep in the pastureland around it. So too I will chase the Babylonians off of
their land. Then I will appoint over it whomever I choose. For there is no one
like me. There is no one who can call me to account. There is no ruler that can
stand up against me.
45 So listen to what I, the LORD, have planned against Babylon, what I intend to
do to the people who inhabit the land of Babylonia. Their little ones will be
dragged off. I will completely destroy their land because of what they have
done.
46 The people of the earth will quake when they hear Babylon has been captured.
Her cries of anguish will be heard by the other nations.”

Chapter 51

1 The LORD says,“I will cause a destructive wind to blow against Babylon and
the people who inhabit Babylonia.
2 I will send people to winnow Babylonia like a wind blowing away chaff. They
will winnow her and strip her land bare. This will happen when they come against
her from every direction, when it is time to destroy her.
3 Do not give her archers time to string their bows or to put on their coats of
armor. Do not spare any of her young men. Completely destroy her whole army.
4 Let them fall slain in the land of Babylonia, mortally wounded in the streets
of her cities.
5 “For Israel and Judah will not be forsaken by their God, the LORD of
Heaven’s Armies. For the land of Babylonia is full of guilt against the Holy
One of Israel.
6 Get out of Babylonia quickly, you foreign people. Flee to save your lives. Do
not let yourselves be killed because of her sins. For it is time for the LORD to
wreak his revenge. He will pay Babylonia back for what she has done.
7 Babylonia had been a gold cup in the LORD’s hand. She had made the whole
world drunk. The nations had drunk from the wine of her wrath. So they have all
gone mad.
8 But suddenly Babylonia will fall and be destroyed. Cry out in mourning over
it! Get medicine for her wounds! Perhaps she can be healed!
9 Foreigners living there will say,‘We tried to heal her, but she could not be
healed. Let’s leave Babylonia and each go back to his own country. For
judgment on her will be vast in its proportions. It will be like it is piled up
to heaven, stacked up into the clouds.’
10 The exiles from Judah will say,‘The LORD has brought about a great
deliverance for us! Come on, let’s go and proclaim in Zion what the LORD our
God has done!’
11 “Sharpen your arrows! Fill your quivers! The LORD will arouse a spirit of
hostility in the kings of Media. For he intends to destroy Babylonia. For that
is how the LORD will get his revenge– how he will get his revenge for the
Babylonians’ destruction of his temple.
12 Give the signal to attack Babylon’s wall! Bring more guards! Post them all
around the city! Put men in ambush! For the LORD will do what he has planned. He
will do what he said he would do to the people of Babylon.
13 “You who live along the rivers of Babylon, the time of your end has come.
You who are rich in plundered treasure, it is time for your lives to be cut off.
14 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies has solemnly sworn,‘I will fill your land
with enemy soldiers. They will swarm over it like locusts. They will raise up
shouts of victory over it.’
15 He is the one who by his power made the earth. He is the one who by his
wisdom fixed the world in place, by his understanding he spread out the heavens.
16 When his voice thunders, the waters in the heavens roar. He makes the clouds
rise from the far-off horizons. He makes the lightning flash out in the midst of
the rain. He unleashes the wind from the places where he stores it.
17 All idolaters will prove to be stupid and ignorant. Every goldsmith will be
disgraced by the idol he made. For the image he forges is merely a sham. There
is no breath in any of those idols.
18 They are worthless, objects to be ridiculed. When the time comes to punish
them, they will be destroyed.
19 The LORD, who is the portion of the descendants of Jacob, is not like them.
For he is the one who created everything, including the people of Israel whom he
claims as his own. His name is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
20 “Babylon, you are my war club, my weapon for battle. I used you to smash
nations. I used you to destroy kingdoms.
21 I used you to smash horses and their riders. I used you to smash chariots and
their drivers.
22 I used you to smash men and women. I used you to smash old men and young men.
I used you to smash young men and young women.
23 I used you to smash shepherds and their flocks. I used you to smash farmers
and their teams of oxen. I used you to smash governors and leaders.”
24 “But I will repay Babylon and all who live in Babylonia for all the wicked
things they did in Zion right before the eyes of you Judeans,” says the LORD.
25 The LORD says,“Beware! I am opposed to you, Babylon! You are like a
destructive mountain that destroys all the earth. I will unleash my power
against you; I will roll you off the cliffs and make you like a burned-out
mountain.
26 No one will use any of your stones as a cornerstone. No one will use any of
them in the foundation of his house. For you will lie desolate forever,” says
the LORD.
27 “Raise up battle flags throughout the lands. Sound the trumpets calling the
nations to do battle. Prepare the nations to do battle against Babylonia. Call
for these kingdoms to attack her: Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz. Appoint a
commander to lead the attack. Send horses against her like a swarm of locusts.
28 Prepare the nations to do battle against her. Prepare the kings of the Medes.
Prepare their governors and all their leaders. Prepare all the countries they
rule to do battle against her.
29 The earth will tremble and writhe in agony. For the LORD will carry out his
plan. He plans to make the land of Babylonia a wasteland where no one lives.
30 The soldiers of Babylonia will stop fighting. They will remain in their
fortified cities. They will lose their strength to do battle. They will be as
frightened as women. The houses in her cities will be set on fire. The gates of
her cities will be broken down.
31 One runner after another will come to the king of Babylon. One messenger
after another will come bringing news. They will bring news to the king of
Babylon that his whole city has been captured.
32 They will report that the fords have been captured, the reed marshes have
been burned, the soldiers are terrified.
33 For the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel says,‘Fair Babylon
will be like a threshing floor which has been trampled flat for harvest. The
time for her to be cut down and harvested will come very soon.’
34 “King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon devoured me and drove my people out. Like a
monster from the deep he swallowed me. He filled his belly with my riches. He
made me an empty dish. He completely cleaned me out.”
35 The person who lives in Zion says,“May Babylon pay for the violence done to
me and to my relatives.” Jerusalem says,“May those living in Babylonia pay
for the bloodshed of my people.”
36 Therefore the LORD says,“I will stand up for your cause. I will pay the
Babylonians back for what they have done to you. I will dry up their sea. I will
make their springs run dry.
37 Babylon will become a heap of ruins. Jackals will make their home there. It
will become an object of horror and of hissing scorn, a place where no one
lives.
38 The Babylonians are all like lions roaring for prey. They are like lion cubs
growling for something to eat.
39 When their appetites are all stirred up, I will set out a banquet for them. I
will make them drunk so that they will pass out, they will fall asleep forever,
they will never wake up,” says the LORD.
40 “I will lead them off to be slaughtered like lambs, rams, and male
goats.”
41 “See how Babylon has been captured! See how the pride of the whole earth
has been taken! See what an object of horror Babylon has become among the
nations!
42 The sea has swept over Babylon. She has been covered by a multitude of its
waves.
43 The towns of Babylonia have become heaps of ruins. She has become a dry and
barren desert. No one lives in those towns any more. No one even passes through
them.
44 I will punish the god Bel in Babylon. I will make him spit out what he has
swallowed. The nations will not come streaming to him any longer. Indeed, the
walls of Babylon will fall.”
45 “Get out of Babylon, my people! Flee to save your lives from the fierce
anger of the LORD!
46 Do not lose your courage or become afraid because of the reports that are
heard in the land. For a report will come in one year. Another report will
follow it in the next. There will be violence in the land with ruler fighting
against ruler.”
47 “So the time will certainly come when I will punish the idols of Babylon.
Her whole land will be put to shame. All her mortally wounded will collapse in
her midst.
48 Then heaven and earth and all that is in them will sing for joy over Babylon.
For destroyers from the north will attack it,” says the LORD.
49 “Babylon must fall because of the Israelites she has killed, just as the
earth’s mortally wounded fell because of Babylon.
50 You who have escaped the sword, go, do not delay. Remember the LORD in a
faraway land. Think about Jerusalem.
51 ‘We are ashamed because we have been insulted. Our faces show our disgrace.
For foreigners have invaded the holy rooms in the LORD’s temple.’
52 Yes, but the time will certainly come,” says the LORD,“when I will punish
her idols. Throughout her land the mortally wounded will groan.
53 Even if Babylon climbs high into the sky and fortifies her elevated
stronghold, I will send destroyers against her,” says the LORD.
54 Cries of anguish will come from Babylon, the sound of great destruction from
the land of the Babylonians.
55 For the LORD is ready to destroy Babylon, and put an end to her loud noise.
Their waves will roar like turbulent waters. They will make a deafening noise.
56 For a destroyer is attacking Babylon. Her warriors will be captured; their
bows will be broken. For the LORD is a God who punishes; he pays back in full.
57 “I will make her officials and wise men drunk, along with her governors,
leaders, and warriors. They will fall asleep forever and never wake up,” says
the King whose name is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
58 This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says,“Babylon’s thick wall
will be completely demolished. Her high gates will be set on fire. The peoples
strive for what does not satisfy. The nations grow weary trying to get what will
be destroyed.”
59 This is the order Jeremiah the prophet gave to Seraiah son of Neriah, son of
Mahseiah, when he went to King Zedekiah of Judah in Babylon during the fourth
year of his reign.(Seraiah was a quartermaster.)
60 Jeremiah recorded on one scroll all the judgments that would come upon
Babylon– all these prophecies written about Babylon.
61 Then Jeremiah said to Seraiah,“When you arrive in Babylon, make sure you
read aloud all these prophecies.
62 Then say,‘O LORD, you have announced that you will destroy this place so
that no people or animals live in it any longer. Certainly it will lie desolate
forever!’
63 When you finish reading this scroll aloud, tie a stone to it and throw it
into the middle of the Euphrates River.
64 Then say,‘In the same way Babylon will sink and never rise again because of
the disaster I am ready to bring upon her; they will grow faint.’”The
prophecies of Jeremiah end here.

Chapter 52

1 The Fall of Jerusalem Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king,
and he ruled in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal
daughter of Jeremiah, from Libnah.
2 He did what displeased the LORD just as Jehoiakim had done.
3 What follows is a record of what happened to Jerusalem and Judah because of
the LORD’s anger when he drove them out of his sight. Zedekiah rebelled
against the king of Babylon.
4 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came against Jerusalem with his whole army and
set up camp outside it. They built siege ramps all around it. He arrived on the
tenth day of the tenth month in the ninth year that Zedekiah ruled over Judah.
5 The city remained under siege until Zedekiah’s eleventh year.
6 By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine in the city was so severe the
residents had no food.
7 They broke through the city walls, and all the soldiers tried to escape. They
left the city during the night. They went through the gate between the two walls
that is near the king’s garden.(The Babylonians had the city surrounded.) Then
they headed for the rift valley.
8 But the Babylonian army chased after the king. They caught up with Zedekiah in
the rift valley plains of Jericho, and his entire army deserted him.
9 They captured him and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the
territory of Hamath and he passed sentence on him there.
10 The king of Babylon had Zedekiah’s sons put to death while Zedekiah was
forced to watch. He also had all the nobles of Judah put to death there at
Riblah.
11 He had Zedekiah’s eyes put out and had him bound in chains. Then the king
of Babylon had him led off to Babylon and he was imprisoned there until the day
he died.
12 On the tenth day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of King
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard who
served the king of Babylon, arrived in Jerusalem.
13 He burned down the LORD’s temple, the royal palace, and all the houses in
Jerusalem, including every large house.
14 The whole Babylonian army that came with the captain of the royal guard tore
down the walls that surrounded Jerusalem.
15 Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, took into exile some of the
poor, the rest of the people who remained in the city, those who had deserted to
the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen.
16 But he left behind some of the poor and gave them fields and vineyards.
17 The Babylonians broke the two bronze pillars in the temple of the LORD, as
well as the movable stands and the large bronze basin called“The Sea.” They
took all the bronze to Babylon.
18 They also took the pots, shovels, trimming shears, basins, pans, and all the
bronze utensils used by the priests.
19 The captain of the royal guard took the gold and silver bowls, censers,
basins, pots, lampstands, pans, and vessels.
20 The bronze of the items that King Solomon made for the LORD’s
temple(including the two pillars, the large bronze basin called“The Sea,”
the twelve bronze bulls under“The Sea,” and the movable stands) was too
heavy to be weighed.
21 Each of the pillars was about 27 feet high, about 18 feet in circumference,
three inches thick, and hollow.
22 The bronze top of one pillar was about seven and one-half feet high and had
bronze latticework and pomegranate-shaped ornaments all around it. The second
pillar with its pomegranate-shaped ornaments was like it.
23 There were ninety-six pomegranate-shaped ornaments on the sides; in all there
were one hundred pomegranate-shaped ornaments over the latticework that went
around it.
24 The captain of the royal guard took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the
priest who was second in rank, and the three doorkeepers.
25 From the city he took an official who was in charge of the soldiers, seven of
the king’s advisers who were discovered in the city, an official army
secretary who drafted citizens for military service, and sixty citizens who were
discovered in the middle of the city.
26 Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, took them and brought them to
the king of Babylon at Riblah.
27 The king of Babylon ordered them to be executed at Riblah in the territory of
Hamath.So Judah was taken into exile away from its land.
28 Here is the official record of the number of people Nebuchadnezzar carried
into exile: In the seventh year, 3,023 Jews;
29 in Nebuchadnezzar’s eighteenth year, 832 people from Jerusalem;
30 in Nebuchadnezzar’s twenty-third year, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the
royal guard, carried into exile 745 Judeans. In all 4,600 people went into
exile.
31 Jehoiachin in Exile In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of King
Jehoiachin of Judah, on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month, King
Evil-Merodach of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, pardoned King
Jehoiachin of Judah and released him from prison.
32 He spoke kindly to him and gave him a more prestigious position than the
other kings who were with him in Babylon.
33 Jehoiachin took off his prison clothes and ate daily in the king’s presence
for the rest of his life.
34 He was given daily provisions by the king of Babylon for the rest of his life
until the day he died.


Lamentations

Chapter 1

1 ¶ The Prophet Speaks:א(Alef) Alas! The city once full of people now sits all
alone! The prominent lady among the nations has become a widow! The princess who
once ruled the provinces has become a forced laborer!
2 ב(Bet) She weeps bitterly at night; tears stream down her cheeks. She has no
one to comfort her among all her lovers. All her friends have betrayed her; they
have become her enemies.
3 ג(Gimel) Judah has departed into exile under affliction and harsh oppression.
She lives among the nations; she has found no resting place. All who pursued her
overtook her in narrow straits.
4 ד(Dalet) The roads to Zion mourn because no one travels to the festivals. All
her city gates are deserted; her priests groan. Her virgins grieve; she is in
bitter anguish!
5 ה(He) Her foes subjugated her; her enemies are at ease. For the LORD
afflicted her because of her many acts of rebellion. Her children went away
captive before the enemy.
6 ו(Vav) All of Daughter Zion’s splendor has departed. Her leaders became
like deer; they found no pasture, so they were too exhausted to escape from the
hunter.
7 ז(Zayin) Jerusalem remembers, when she became a poor homeless person, all her
treasures that she owned in days of old. When her people fell into an enemy’s
grip, none of her allies came to her rescue. Her enemies gloated over her; they
sneered at her downfall.
8 ח(Khet) Jerusalem committed terrible sin; therefore she became an object of
scorn. All who admired her have despised her because they have seen her
nakedness. She groans aloud and turns away in shame.
9 ט(Tet) Her menstrual flow has soiled her clothing; she did not consider the
consequences of her sin. Her demise was astonishing, and there was no one to
comfort her. She cried,“Look, O LORD, on my affliction because my enemy
boasts!”
10 י(Yod) An enemy grabbed all her valuables. Indeed she watched in horror as
Gentiles invaded her holy temple– those whom you had commanded:“They must
not enter your assembly place.”
11 כ(Kaf) All her people groaned as they searched for a morsel of bread. They
exchanged their valuables for just enough food to stay alive. Jerusalem
Speaks:“Look, O LORD! Consider that I have become worthless!”
12 ל(Lamed) Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by on the road? Look and
see! Is there any pain like mine? The Lord has afflicted me, he has inflicted it
on me when he burned with anger.
13 מ(Mem) He sent down fire into my bones, and it overcame them. He spread out
a trapper’s net for my feet; he made me turn back. He has made me desolate; I
am faint all day long.
14 נ(Nun) My sins are bound around my neck like a yoke; they are fastened
together by his hand. He has placed his yoke on my neck; he has sapped my
strength. The Lord has handed me over to those whom I cannot resist.
15 ס(Samek) He rounded up all my mighty ones; The Lord did this in my midst. He
summoned an assembly against me to shatter my young men. The Lord has stomped
like grapes the virgin daughter, Judah.
16 ע(Ayin) I weep because of these things; my eyes flow with tears. For there
is no one in sight who can comfort me or encourage me. My children are desolated
because an enemy has prevailed.
17 פ(Pe)The Prophet Speaks: Zion spread out her hands, but there is no one to
comfort her. The LORD has issued a decree against Jacob; his neighbors have
become his enemies. Jerusalem has become like filthy garbage in their midst.
18 צ(Tsade)Jerusalem Speaks: The LORD is right to judge me! Yes, I rebelled
against his commands. Please listen, all you nations, and look at my suffering!
My young women and men have gone into exile.
19 ק(Qof) I called for my lovers, but they had deceived me. My priests and my
elders perished in the city. Truly they had searched for food to keep themselves
alive.
20 ר(Resh) Look, O LORD! I am distressed; my stomach is in knots! My heart is
pounding inside me. Yes, I was terribly rebellious! Out in the street the sword
bereaves a mother of her children; Inside the house death is present.
21 ש(Sin/Shin) They have heard that I groan, yet there is no one to comfort me.
All my enemies have heard of my trouble; they are glad that you have brought it
about. Bring about the day of judgment that you promised so that they may end up
like me!
22 ת(Tav) Let all their wickedness come before you; afflict them just as you
have afflicted me because of all my acts of rebellion. For my groans are many,
and my heart is sick with sorrow.

Chapter 2

1 א(Alef)The Prophet Speaks: Alas! The Lord has covered Daughter Zion with his
anger. He has thrown down the splendor of Israel from heaven to earth; he did
not protect his temple when he displayed his anger.
2 ב(Bet) The Lord destroyed mercilessly all the homes of Jacob’s descendants.
In his anger he tore down the fortified cities of Daughter Judah. He knocked to
the ground and humiliated the kingdom and its rulers.
3 ג(Gimel) In fierce anger he destroyed the whole army of Israel. He withdrew
his right hand as the enemy attacked. He was like a raging fire in the land of
Jacob; it consumed everything around it.
4 ד(Dalet) He prepared his bow like an enemy; his right hand was ready to
shoot. Like a foe he killed everyone, even our strong young men; he has poured
out his anger like fire on the tent of Daughter Zion.
5 ה(He) The Lord, like an enemy, destroyed Israel. He destroyed all her
palaces; he ruined her fortified cities. He made everyone in Daughter Judah
mourn and lament.
6 ו(Vav) He destroyed his temple as if it were a vineyard; he destroyed his
appointed meeting place. The LORD has made those in Zion forget both the
festivals and the Sabbaths. In his fierce anger he has spurned both king and
priest.
7 ז(Zayin) The Lord rejected his altar and abhorred his temple. He handed over
to the enemy her palace walls; the enemy shouted in the LORD’s temple as if it
were a feast day.
8 ח(Khet) The LORD was determined to tear down Daughter Zion’s wall. He
prepared to knock it down; he did not withdraw his hand from destroying. He made
the ramparts and fortified walls lament; together they mourned their ruin.
9 ט(Tet) Her city gates have fallen to the ground; he smashed to bits the bars
that lock her gates. Her king and princes were taken into exile; there is no
more guidance available. As for her prophets, they no longer receive a vision
from the LORD.
10 י(Yod) The elders of Daughter Zion sit on the ground in silence. They have
thrown dirt on their heads; They have dressed in sackcloth. Jerusalem’s young
women stare down at the ground.
11 כ(Kaf) My eyes are worn out from weeping; my stomach is in knots. My heart
is poured out on the ground due to the destruction of my helpless people;
children and infants faint in the town squares.
12 ל(Lamed) Children say to their mothers,“Where are food and drink?” They
faint like a wounded warrior in the city squares. They die slowly in their
mothers’ arms.
13 מ(Mem) With what can I equate you? To what can I compare you, O Daughter
Jerusalem? To what can I liken you so that I might comfort you, O Virgin
Daughter Zion? Your wound is as deep as the sea. Who can heal you?
14 נ(Nun) Your prophets saw visions for you that were worthless whitewash. They
failed to expose your sin so as to restore your fortunes. They saw oracles for
you that were worthless lies.
15 ס(Samek) All who passed by on the road clapped their hands to mock you. They
sneered and shook their heads at Daughter Jerusalem.“Ha! Is this the city they
called‘The perfection of beauty, the source of joy of the whole earth!’?”
16 פ(Pe) All your enemies gloated over you. They sneered and gnashed their
teeth; they said,“We have destroyed her! Ha! We have waited a long time for
this day. We have lived to see it!”
17 ע(Ayin) The LORD has done what he planned; he has fulfilled his promise that
he threatened long ago: He has overthrown you without mercy and has enabled the
enemy to gloat over you; he has exalted your adversaries’ power.
18 צ(Tsade) Cry out from your heart to the Lord, O wall of Daughter Zion! Make
your tears flow like a river all day and all night long! Do not rest; do not let
your tears stop!
19 ק(Qof) Get up! Cry out in the night when the night watches start! Pour out
your heart like water before the face of the Lord! Lift up your hands to him for
your children’s lives; they are fainting from hunger at every street corner.
20 ר(Resh)Jerusalem Speaks: Look, O LORD! Consider! Whom have you ever
afflicted like this? Should women eat their offspring, their healthy infants?
Should priest and prophet be killed in the Lord’s sanctuary?
21 ש(Sin/Shin) The young boys and old men lie dead on the ground in the
streets. My young women and my young men have fallen by the sword. You killed
them when you were angry; you slaughtered them without mercy.
22 ת(Tav) As if it were a feast day, you call enemies to terrify me on every
side. On the day of the LORD’s anger no one escaped or survived. My enemy has
finished off those healthy infants whom I bore and raised.

Chapter 3

1 א(Alef) The Prophet Speaks: I am the man who has experienced affliction from
the rod of his wrath.
2 He drove me into captivity and made me walk in darkness and not light.
3 He repeatedly attacks me, he turns his hand against me all day long.
4 ב(Bet) He has made my mortal skin waste away; he has broken my bones.
5 He has besieged and surrounded me with bitter hardship.
6 He has made me reside in deepest darkness like those who died long ago.
7 ג(Gimel) He has walled me in so that I cannot get out; he has weighted me
down with heavy prison chains.
8 Also, when I cry out desperately for help, he has shut out my prayer.
9 He has blocked every road I take with a wall of hewn stones; he has made every
path impassable.
10 ד(Dalet) To me he is like a bear lying in ambush, like a hidden lion
stalking its prey.
11 He has obstructed my paths and torn me to pieces; he has made me desolate.
12 He drew his bow and made me the target for his arrow.
13 ה(He) He shot his arrows into my heart.
14 I have become the laughingstock of all people, their mocking song all day
long.
15 He has given me my fill of bitter herbs and made me drunk with bitterness.
16 ו(Vav) He ground my teeth in gravel; he trampled me in the dust.
17 I am deprived of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is.
18 So I said,“My endurance has expired; I have lost all hope of deliverance
from the LORD.”
19 ז(Zayin) Remember my impoverished and homeless condition, which is a bitter
poison.
20 I continually think about this, and I am depressed.
21 But this I call to mind; therefore I have hope:
22 ח(Khet) The LORD’s loyal kindness never ceases; his compassions never end.
23 They are fresh every morning; your faithfulness is abundant!
24 “My portion is the LORD,” I have said to myself, so I will put my hope in
him.
25 ט(Tet) The LORD is good to those who trust in him, to the one who seeks him.
26 It is good to wait patiently for deliverance from the LORD.
27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young.
28 י(Yod) Let a person sit alone in silence, when the LORD is disciplining him.
29 Let him bury his face in the dust; perhaps there is hope.
30 Let him offer his cheek to the one who hits him; let him have his fill of
insults.
31 כ(Kaf) For the Lord will not reject us forever.
32 Though he causes us grief, he then has compassion on us according to the
abundance of his loyal kindness.
33 For he is not predisposed to afflict or to grieve people.
34 ל(Lamed) To crush underfoot all the earth’s prisoners,
35 to deprive a person of his rights in the presence of the Most High,
36 to defraud a person in a lawsuit– the Lord does not approve of such things!
37 מ(Mem) Whose command was ever fulfilled unless the Lord decreed it?
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that everything comes– both
calamity and blessing?
39 Why should any living person complain when punished for his sins?
40 נ(Nun) Let us carefully examine our ways, and let us return to the LORD.
41 Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in heaven:
42 “We have blatantly rebelled; you have not forgiven.”
43 ס(Samek) You shrouded yourself with anger and then pursued us; you killed
without mercy.
44 You shrouded yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can get through.
45 You make us like filthy scum in the estimation of the nations.
46 פ(Pe) All our enemies have gloated over us;
47 Panic and pitfall have come upon us, devastation and destruction.
48 Streams of tears flow from my eyes because my people are destroyed.
49 ע(Ayin) Tears flow from my eyes and will not stop; there will be no break
50 until the LORD looks down from heaven and sees what has happened.
51 What my eyes see grieves me– all the suffering of the daughters in my city.
52 צ(Tsade) For no good reason my enemies hunted me down like a bird.
53 They shut me up in a pit and threw stones at me.
54 The waters closed over my head; I thought I was about to die.
55 ק(Qof) I have called on your name, O LORD, from the deepest pit.
56 You heard my plea:“Do not close your ears to my cry for relief!”
57 You came near on the day I called to you; you said,“Do not fear!”
58 ר(Resh) O Lord, you championed my cause, you redeemed my life.
59 You have seen the wrong done to me, O LORD; pronounce judgment on my behalf!
60 You have seen all their vengeance, all their plots against me.
61 ש(Sin/Shin) You have heard their taunts, O LORD, all their plots against me.
62 My assailants revile and conspire against me all day long.
63 Watch them from morning to evening; I am the object of their mocking songs.
64 ת(Tav) Pay them back what they deserve, O LORD, according to what they have
done.
65 Give them a distraught heart; may your curse be on them!
66 Pursue them in anger and eradicate them from under the LORD’s heaven.

Chapter 4

1 א(Alef)The Prophet Speaks: Alas! Gold has lost its luster; pure gold loses
value. Jewels are scattered on every street corner.
2 ב(Bet) The precious sons of Zion were worth their weight in gold– Alas!–
but now they are treated like broken clay pots, made by a potter.
3 ג(Gimel) Even the jackals nurse their young at their breast, but my people
are cruel, like ostriches in the wilderness.
4 ד(Dalet) The infant’s tongue sticks to the roof of its mouth due to thirst;
little children beg for bread, but no one gives them even a morsel.
5 ה(He) Those who once feasted on delicacies are now starving to death in the
streets. Those who grew up wearing expensive clothes are now dying amid garbage.
6 ו(Vav) The punishment of my people exceeded that of Sodom, which was
overthrown in a moment with no one to help her.
7 ז(Zayin) Her consecrated ones were brighter than snow, whiter than milk;
their bodies more ruddy than corals, their hair like lapis lazuli.
8 ח(Khet) Now their appearance is darker than soot; they are not recognized in
the streets. Their skin has shriveled on their bones; it is dried up, like tree
bark.
9 ט(Tet) Those who died by the sword are better off than those who die of
hunger, those who waste away, struck down from lack of food.
10 י(Yod) The hands of tenderhearted women cooked their own children, who
became their food, when my people were destroyed.
11 כ(Kaf) The LORD fully vented his wrath; he poured out his fierce anger. He
started a fire in Zion; it consumed her foundations.
12 ל(Lamed) Neither the kings of the earth nor the people of the lands ever
thought that enemy or foe would enter the gates of Jerusalem.
13 מ(Mem) But it happened due to the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of
her priests, who poured out in her midst the blood of the righteous.
14 נ(Nun) They wander blindly through the streets, defiled by the blood they
shed, while no one dares to touch their garments.
15 ס(Samek) People cry to them,“Turn away! You are unclean! Turn away! Turn
away! Don’t touch us!” So they have fled and wander about; but the nations
say,“They may not stay here any longer.”
16 פ(Pe) The LORD himself has scattered them; he no longer watches over them.
They did not honor the priests; they did not show favor to the elders.
17 ע(Ayin)The People of Jerusalem Lament: Our eyes continually failed us as we
looked in vain for help. From our watchtowers we watched for a nation that could
not rescue us.
18 צ(Tsade) Our enemies hunted us down at every step so that we could not walk
about in our streets. Our end drew near, our days were numbered, for our end had
come!
19 ק(Qof) Those who pursued us were swifter than eagles in the sky. They chased
us over the mountains; they ambushed us in the wilderness.
20 ר(Resh) Our very life breath– the LORD’s anointed king– was caught in
their traps, of whom we thought,“Under his protection we will survive among
the nations.”
21 ש(Sin/Shin)The Prophet Speaks: Rejoice and be glad for now, O people of
Edom, who reside in the land of Uz. But the cup of judgment will pass to you
also; you will get drunk and take off your clothes.
22 ת(Tav) O people of Zion, your punishment will come to an end; he will not
prolong your exile. But, O people of Edom, he will punish your sin and reveal
your offenses!

Chapter 5

1 The People of Jerusalem Pray: O LORD, reflect on what has happened to us;
consider and look at our disgrace.
2 Our inheritance is turned over to strangers; foreigners now occupy our homes.
3 We have become fatherless orphans; our mothers have become widows.
4 We must pay money for our own water; we must buy our own wood at a steep
price.
5 We are pursued– they are breathing down our necks; we are weary and have no
rest.
6 We have submitted to Egypt and Assyria in order to buy food to eat.
7 Our forefathers sinned and are dead, but we suffer their punishment.
8 Slaves rule over us; there is no one to rescue us from their power.
9 At the risk of our lives we get our food because robbers lurk in the
wilderness.
10 Our skin is hot as an oven due to a fever from hunger.
11 They raped women in Zion, virgins in the towns of Judah.
12 Princes were hung by their hands; elders were mistreated.
13 The young men perform menial labor; boys stagger from their labor.
14 The elders are gone from the city gate; the young men have stopped playing
their music.
15 Our hearts no longer have any joy; our dancing is turned to mourning.
16 The crown has fallen from our head; woe to us, for we have sinned!
17 Because of this, our hearts are sick; because of these things, we can hardly
see through our tears.
18 For wild animals are prowling over Mount Zion, which lies desolate.
19 But you, O LORD, reign forever; your throne endures from generation to
generation.
20 Why do you keep on forgetting us? Why do you forsake us so long?
21 Bring us back to yourself, O LORD, so that we may return to you; renew our
life as in days before,
22 unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure.


Ezekiel

Chapter 1

1 ¶ A Vision of God’s Glory In the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the
fourth month, while I was among the exiles at the Kebar River, the heavens
opened and I saw a divine vision.
2 (On the fifth day of the month– it was the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s
exile–
3 the LORD’s message came to the priest Ezekiel the son of Buzi, at the Kebar
River in the land of the Babylonians. The hand of the LORD came on him there).
4 As I watched, I noticed a windstorm coming from the north– an enormous
cloud, with lightning flashing, such that bright light rimmed it and came from
it like glowing amber from the middle of a fire.
5 In the fire were what looked like four living beings. In their appearance they
had human form,
6 but each had four faces and four wings.
7 Their legs were straight, but the soles of their feet were like calves’
feet. They gleamed like polished bronze.
8 They had human hands under their wings on their four sides. As for the faces
and wings of the four of them,
9 their wings touched each other; they did not turn as they moved, but went
straight ahead.
10 Their faces had this appearance: Each of the four had the face of a man, with
the face of a lion on the right, the face of an ox on the left and also the face
of an eagle.
11 Their wings were spread out above them; each had two wings touching the wings
of one of the other beings on either side and two wings covering their bodies.
12 Each moved straight ahead– wherever the spirit would go, they would go,
without turning as they went.
13 In the middle of the living beings was something like burning coals of fire
or like torches. It moved back and forth among the living beings. It was bright,
and lightning was flashing out of the fire.
14 The living beings moved backward and forward as quickly as flashes of
lightning.
15 Then I looked, and I saw one wheel on the ground beside each of the four
beings.
16 The appearance of the wheels and their construction was like gleaming jasper,
and all four wheels looked alike. Their structure was like a wheel within a
wheel.
17 When they moved they would go in any of the four directions they faced
without turning as they moved.
18 Their rims were high and awesome, and the rims of all four wheels were full
of eyes all around.
19 When the living beings moved, the wheels beside them moved; when the living
beings rose up from the ground, the wheels rose up too.
20 Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, and the wheels would rise up
beside them because the spirit of the living being was in the wheel.
21 When the living beings moved, the wheels moved, and when they stopped moving,
the wheels stopped. When they rose up from the ground, the wheels rose up from
the ground; the wheels rose up beside them because the spirit of the living
being was in the wheel.
22 Over the heads of the living beings was something like a platform, glittering
awesomely like ice, stretched out over their heads.
23 Under the platform their wings were stretched out, each toward the other.
Each of the beings also had two wings covering its body.
24 When they moved, I heard the sound of their wings– it was like the sound of
rushing waters, or the voice of the Sovereign One, or the tumult of an army.
When they stood still, they lowered their wings.
25 Then there was a voice from above the platform over their heads when they
stood still.
26 Above the platform over their heads was something like a sapphire shaped like
a throne. High above on the throne was a form that appeared to be a man.
27 I saw an amber glow like a fire enclosed all around from his waist up. From
his waist down I saw something that looked like fire. There was a brilliant
light around it,
28 like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds after the rain. This was the
appearance of the surrounding brilliant light; it looked like the glory of the
LORD. When I saw it, I threw myself face down, and I heard a voice speaking.

Chapter 2

1 Ezekiel’s Commission He said to me,“Son of man, stand on your feet and I
will speak with you.”
2 As he spoke to me, a wind came into me and stood me on my feet, and I heard
the one speaking to me.
3 He said to me,“Son of man, I am sending you to the house of Israel, to
rebellious nations who have rebelled against me; both they and their fathers
have revolted against me to this very day.
4 The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and hard-hearted, and you
must say to them,‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says.’
5 And as for them, whether they listen or not– for they are a rebellious
house– they will know that a prophet has been among them.
6 But you, son of man, do not fear them, and do not fear their words– even
though briers and thorns surround you and you live among scorpions– do not
fear their words and do not be terrified of the looks they give you, for they
are a rebellious house!
7 You must speak my words to them whether they listen or not, for they are
rebellious.
8 As for you, son of man, listen to what I am saying to you: Do not rebel like
that rebellious house! Open your mouth and eat what I am giving you.”
9 Then I looked and realized a hand was stretched out to me, and in it was a
written scroll.
10 He unrolled it before me, and it had writing on the front and back; written
on it were laments, mourning, and woe.

Chapter 3

1 He said to me,“Son of man, eat what you see in front of you– eat this
scroll– and then go and speak to the house of Israel.”
2 So I opened my mouth and he fed me the scroll.
3 He said to me,“Son of man, feed your stomach and fill your belly with this
scroll I am giving to you.” So I ate it, and it was sweet like honey in my
mouth.
4 He said to me,“Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak my words to
them.
5 For you are not being sent to a people of unintelligible speech and difficult
language, but to the house of Israel–
6 not to many peoples of unintelligible speech and difficult language, whose
words you cannot understand– surely if I had sent you to them, they would
listen to you!
7 But the house of Israel is unwilling to listen to you, because they are not
willing to listen to me, for the whole house of Israel is hard-headed and
hard-hearted.
8 “I have made your face adamant to match their faces, and your forehead hard
to match their foreheads.
9 I have made your forehead harder than flint– like diamond! Do not fear them
or be terrified of the looks they give you, for they are a rebellious house.”
10 And he said to me,“Son of man, take all my words that I speak to you to
heart and listen carefully.
11 Go to the exiles, to your fellow countrymen, and speak to them– say to
them,‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says,’ whether they pay attention or
not.”
12 Ezekiel Before the Exiles Then a wind lifted me up and I heard a great
rumbling sound behind me as the glory of the LORD rose from its place,
13 and the sound of the living beings’ wings brushing against each other, and
the sound of the wheels alongside them, a great rumbling sound.
14 A wind lifted me up and carried me away. I went bitterly, my spirit full of
fury, and the hand of the LORD rested powerfully on me.
15 I came to the exiles at Tel Abib, who lived by the Kebar River. I sat
dumbfounded among them there, where they were living, for seven days.
16 At the end of seven days the LORD’s message came to me:
17 “Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman for the house of Israel.
Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you must give them a warning from me.
18 When I say to the wicked,“You will certainly die,” and you do not warn
him– you do not speak out to warn the wicked to turn from his wicked lifestyle
so that he may live– that wicked person will die for his iniquity, but I will
hold you accountable for his death.
19 But as for you, if you warn the wicked and he does not turn from his wicked
deed and from his wicked lifestyle, he will die for his iniquity but you will
have saved your own life.
20 “When a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity,
and I set an obstacle before him, he will die. If you have not warned him, he
will die for his sin. The righteous deeds he performed will not be considered,
but I will hold you accountable for his death.
21 However, if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he
will certainly live because he was warned, and you will have saved your own
life.”
22 Isolated and Silenced The hand of the LORD rested on me there, and he said to
me,“Get up, go out to the valley, and I will speak with you there.”
23 So I got up and went out to the valley, and the glory of the LORD was
standing there, just like the glory I had seen by the Kebar River, and I threw
myself face down.
24 Then a wind came into me and stood me on my feet. The LORD spoke to me and
said,“Go shut yourself in your house.
25 As for you, son of man, they will put ropes on you and tie you up with them,
so you cannot go out among them.
26 I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be
silent and unable to reprove them, for they are a rebellious house.
27 But when I speak with you, I will loosen your tongue and you must say to
them,‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says.’ Those who listen will listen,
but the indifferent will refuse, for they are a rebellious house.

Chapter 4

1 Ominous Object Lessons“And you, son of man, take a brick and set it in front
of you. Inscribe a city on it– Jerusalem.
2 Lay siege to it! Build siege works against it. Erect a siege ramp against it!
Post soldiers outside it and station battering rams around it.
3 Then for your part take an iron frying pan and set it up as an iron wall
between you and the city. Set your face toward it. It is to be under siege; you
are to besiege it. This is a sign for the house of Israel.
4 “Also for your part lie on your left side and place the iniquity of the
house of Israel on it. For the number of days you lie on your side you will bear
their iniquity.
5 I have determined that the number of the years of their iniquity are to be the
number of days for you– 390 days. So bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.
6 “When you have completed these days, then lie down a second time, but on
your right side, and bear the iniquity of the house of Judah 40 days– I have
assigned one day for each year.
7 You must turn your face toward the siege of Jerusalem with your arm bared and
prophesy against it.
8 Look here, I will tie you up with ropes, so you cannot turn from one side to
the other until you complete the days of your siege.
9 “As for you, take wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt, put them
in a single container, and make food from them for yourself. For the same number
of days that you lie on your side– 390 days– you will eat it.
10 The food you eat will be eight ounces a day by weight; you must eat it at
fixed times.
11 And you must drink water by measure, a pint and a half; you must drink it at
fixed times.
12 And you must eat the food like you would a barley cake. You must bake it in
front of them over a fire made with dried human excrement.”
13 And the LORD said,“This is how the people of Israel will eat their unclean
food among the nations where I will banish them.”
14 And I said,“Ah, Sovereign LORD, I have never been ceremonially defiled
before. I have never eaten a carcass or an animal torn by wild beasts; from my
youth up, unclean meat has never entered my mouth.”
15 So he said to me,“All right then, I will substitute cow’s manure instead
of human excrement. You will cook your food over it.”
16 Then he said to me,“Son of man, I am about to remove the bread supply in
Jerusalem. They will eat their bread ration anxiously, and they will drink their
water ration in terror
17 because they will lack bread and water. Each one will be terrified, and they
will rot for their iniquity.

Chapter 5

1 “As for you, son of man, take a sharp sword and use it as a barber’s
razor. Shave off some of the hair from your head and your beard. Then take
scales and divide up the hair you cut off.
2 Burn a third of it in the fire inside the city when the days of your siege are
completed. Take a third and slash it with a sword all around the city. Scatter a
third to the wind, and I will unleash a sword behind them.
3 But take a few strands of hair from those and tie them in the ends of your
garment.
4 Again, take more of them and throw them into the fire, and burn them up. From
there a fire will spread to all the house of Israel.
5 “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: This is Jerusalem; I placed her in
the center of the nations with countries all around her.
6 Then she defied my regulations and my statutes, becoming more wicked than the
nations and the countries around her. Indeed, they have rejected my regulations,
and they do not follow my statutes.
7 “Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because you are more
arrogant than the nations around you, you have not followed my statutes and have
not carried out my regulations. You have not even carried out the regulations of
the nations around you!
8 “Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I– even I– am against
you, and I will execute judgment among you while the nations watch.
9 I will do to you what I have never done before and will never do again because
of all your abominable practices.
10 Therefore fathers will eat their sons within you, Jerusalem, and sons will
eat their fathers. I will execute judgments on you, and I will scatter any
survivors to the winds.
11 “Therefore, as surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, because you
defiled my sanctuary with all your detestable idols and with all your abominable
practices, I will withdraw; my eye will not pity you, nor will I spare you.
12 A third of your people will die of plague or be overcome by the famine within
you. A third of your people will fall by the sword surrounding you, and a third
I will scatter to the winds. I will unleash a sword behind them.
13 Then my anger will be fully vented; I will exhaust my rage on them, and I
will be appeased. Then they will know that I, the LORD, have spoken in my
jealousy when I have fully vented my rage against them.
14 “I will make you desolate and an object of scorn among the nations around
you, in the sight of everyone who passes by.
15 You will be an object of scorn and taunting, a prime example of destruction
among the nations around you when I execute judgments against you in anger and
raging fury. I, the LORD, have spoken!
16 I will shoot against them deadly, destructive arrows of famine, which I will
shoot to destroy you. I will prolong a famine on you and will remove the bread
supply.
17 I will send famine and wild beasts against you and they will take your
children from you. Plague and bloodshed will overwhelm you, and I will bring a
sword against you. I, the LORD, have spoken!”

Chapter 6

1 Judgment on the Mountains of Israel The LORD’s message came to me:
2 “Son of man, turn toward the mountains of Israel and prophesy against them:
3 Say,‘Mountains of Israel, Hear the word of the Sovereign LORD! This is what
the Sovereign LORD says to the mountains and the hills, to the ravines and the
valleys: I am bringing a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places.
4 Your altars will be ruined and your incense altars will be broken. I will
throw down your slain in front of your idols.
5 I will place the corpses of the people of Israel in front of their idols, and
I will scatter your bones around your altars.
6 In all your dwellings, the cities will be laid waste and the high places
ruined so that your altars will be laid waste and ruined, your idols will be
shattered and demolished, your incense altars will be broken down, and your
works wiped out.
7 The slain will fall among you and then you will know that I am the LORD.
8 “‘But I will spare some of you. Some will escape the sword when you are
scattered in foreign lands.
9 Then your survivors will remember me among the nations where they are exiled.
They will realize how I was crushed by their unfaithful heart which turned from
me and by their eyes which lusted after their idols. They will loathe themselves
because of the evil they have done and because of all their abominable
practices.
10 They will know that I am the LORD; my threats to bring this catastrophe on
them were not empty.’
11 “‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Clap your hands, stamp your feet,
and say,“Ah!” because of all the evil, abominable practices of the house of
Israel, for they will fall by the sword, famine, and pestilence.
12 The one far away will die by pestilence, the one close by will fall by the
sword, and whoever is left and has escaped these will die by famine. I will
fully vent my rage against them.
13 Then you will know that I am the LORD– when their dead lie among their
idols around their altars, on every high hill and all the mountaintops, under
every green tree and every leafy oak, the places where they have offered
fragrant incense to all their idols.
14 I will stretch out my hand against them and make the land a desolate waste
from the wilderness to Riblah, in all the places where they live. Then they will
know that I am the LORD.

Chapter 7

1 The End Arrives The LORD’s message came to me:
2 “You, son of man– this is what the Sovereign LORD says to the land of
Israel: An end! The end is coming on the four corners of the land!
3 The end is now upon you, and I will release my anger against you; I will judge
you according to your behavior, I will hold you accountable for all your
abominable practices.
4 My eye will not pity you; I will not spare you. For I will hold you
responsible for your behavior, and you will suffer the consequences of your
abominable practices. Then you will know that I am the LORD!
5 “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: A disaster– a one-of-a-kind
disaster– is coming!
6 An end comes– the end comes! It has awakened against you! Look, it is
coming!
7 Doom is coming upon you who live in the land! The time is coming, the day is
near. There are sounds of tumult, not shouts of joy, on the mountains.
8 Soon now I will pour out my rage on you; I will fully vent my anger against
you. I will judge you according to your behavior. I will hold you accountable
for all your abominable practices.
9 My eye will not pity you; I will not spare you. For your behavior I will hold
you accountable, and you will suffer the consequences of your abominable
practices. Then you will know that it is I, the LORD, who is striking you.
10 “Look, the day! Look, it is coming! Doom has gone out! The staff has
budded, pride has blossomed!
11 Violence has grown into a staff that supports wickedness. Not one of them
will be left– not from their crowd, not from their wealth, not from their
prominence.
12 The time has come; the day has struck! The customer should not rejoice, nor
the seller mourn; for divine wrath comes against their whole crowd.
13 The customer will no longer pay the seller while both parties are alive, for
the vision against their whole crowd will not be revoked. Each person, for his
iniquity, will fail to preserve his life.
14 “They have blown the trumpet and everyone is ready, but no one goes to
battle, because my anger is against their whole crowd.
15 The sword is outside; pestilence and famine are inside the house. Whoever is
in the open field will die by the sword, and famine and pestilence will consume
everyone in the city.
16 Their survivors will escape to the mountains and become like doves of the
valleys; all of them will moan– each one for his iniquity.
17 All of their hands will hang limp; their knees will be wet with urine.
18 They will wear sackcloth, terror will cover them; shame will be on all their
faces, and all of their heads will be shaved bald.
19 They will discard their silver in the streets, and their gold will be treated
like filth. Their silver and gold will not be able to deliver them on the day of
the LORD’s fury. They will not satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs
because their wealth was the obstacle leading to their iniquity.
20 They rendered the beauty of his ornaments into pride, and with it they made
their abominable images– their detestable idols. Therefore I will render it
filthy to them.
21 I will give it to foreigners as loot, to the world’s wicked ones as
plunder, and they will desecrate it.
22 I will turn my face away from them and they will desecrate my treasured
place. Vandals will enter it and desecrate it.
23 (Make the chain, because the land is full of murder and the city is full of
violence.)
24 I will bring the most wicked of the nations and they will take possession of
their houses. I will put an end to the arrogance of the strong, and their
sanctuaries will be desecrated.
25 Terror is coming! They will seek peace, but find none.
26 Disaster after disaster will come, and one rumor after another. They will
seek a vision from a prophet; priestly instruction will disappear, along with
counsel from the elders.
27 The king will mourn and the prince will be clothed with shuddering; the hands
of the people of the land will tremble. Based on their behavior I will deal with
them, and by their standard of justice I will judge them. Then they will know
that I am the LORD!”

Chapter 8

1 A Desecrated Temple In the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth of the
month, as I was sitting in my house with the elders of Judah sitting in front of
me, the hand of the Sovereign LORD seized me.
2 As I watched, I noticed a form that appeared to be a man. From his waist
downward was something like fire, and from his waist upward something like a
brightness, like an amber glow.
3 He stretched out the form of a hand and grabbed me by a lock of hair on my
head. Then a wind lifted me up between the earth and sky and brought me to
Jerusalem by means of divine visions, to the door of the inner gate which faces
north where the statue which provokes to jealousy was located.
4 Then I perceived that the glory of the God of Israel was there, as in the
vision I had seen earlier in the valley.
5 He said to me,“Son of man, look up toward the north.” So I looked up
toward the north, and I noticed to the north of the altar gate was this statue
of jealousy at the entrance.
6 He said to me,“Son of man, do you see what they are doing– the great
abominations that the people of Israel are practicing here, to drive me far from
my sanctuary? But you will see greater abominations than these!”
7 He brought me to the entrance of the court, and as I watched, I noticed a hole
in the wall.
8 He said to me,“Son of man, dig into the wall.” So I dug into the wall and
discovered a doorway.
9 He said to me,“Go in and see the evil abominations they are practicing
here.”
10 So I went in and looked. I noticed every figure of creeping thing and
beast– detestable images– and every idol of the house of Israel, engraved on
the wall all around.
11 Seventy men from the elders of the house of Israel(with Jaazaniah son of
Shaphan standing among them) were standing in front of them, each with a censer
in his hand, and fragrant vapors from a cloud of incense were swirling upward.
12 He said to me,“Do you see, son of man, what the elders of the house of
Israel are doing in the dark, each in the chamber of his idolatrous images? For
they think,‘The LORD does not see us! The LORD has abandoned the land!’”
13 He said to me,“You will see them practicing even greater abominations!”
14 Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the LORD’s house. I
noticed women sitting there weeping for Tammuz.
15 He said to me,“Do you see this, son of man? You will see even greater
abominations than these!”
16 Then he brought me to the inner court of the LORD’s house. Right there at
the entrance to the LORD’s temple, between the porch and the altar, were about
twenty-five men with their backs to the LORD’s temple, facing east– they
were worshiping the sun toward the east!
17 He said to me,“Do you see, son of man? Is it a trivial thing that the house
of Judah commits these abominations they are practicing here? For they have
filled the land with violence and provoked me to anger still further. Look, they
are putting the branch to their nose!
18 Therefore I will act with fury! My eye will not pity them nor will I spare
them. When they have shouted in my ears, I will not listen to them.”

Chapter 9

1 The Execution of Idolaters Then he shouted in my ears,“Approach, you who are
to visit destruction on the city, each with his destructive weapon in his
hand!”
2 Next, I noticed six men coming from the direction of the upper gate which
faces north, each with his war club in his hand. Among them was a man dressed in
linen with a writing kit at his side. They came and stood beside the bronze
altar.
3 Then the glory of the God of Israel went up from the cherub where it had
rested to the threshold of the temple. He called to the man dressed in linen who
had the writing kit at his side.
4 The LORD said to him,“Go through the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the
foreheads of the people who moan and groan over all the abominations practiced
in it.”
5 While I listened, he said to the others,“Go through the city after him and
strike people down; do not let your eye pity nor spare anyone!
6 Old men, young men, young women, little children, and women– wipe them out!
But do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary!” So they
began with the elders who were at the front of the temple.
7 He said to them,“Defile the temple and fill the courtyards with corpses.
Go!” So they went out and struck people down throughout the city.
8 While they were striking them down, I was left alone, and I threw myself face
down and cried out,“Ah, Sovereign LORD! Will you destroy the entire remnant of
Israel when you pour out your fury on Jerusalem?”
9 He said to me,“The sin of the house of Israel and Judah is extremely great;
the land is full of murder, and the city is full of corruption, for they
say,‘The LORD has abandoned the land, and the LORD does not see!’
10 But as for me, my eye will not pity them nor will I spare them; I hereby
repay them for what they have done.”
11 Next I noticed the man dressed in linen with the writing kit at his side
bringing back word:“I have done just as you commanded me.”

Chapter 10

1 God’s Glory Leaves the Temple As I watched, I saw on the platform above the
top of the cherubim something like a sapphire, resembling the shape of a throne,
appearing above them.
2 The LORD said to the man dressed in linen,“Go between the wheelwork
underneath the cherubim. Fill your hands with burning coals from among the
cherubim and scatter them over the city.” He went as I watched.
3 (The cherubim were standing on the south side of the temple when the man went
in, and a cloud filled the inner court.)
4 Then the glory of the LORD arose from the cherub and moved to the threshold of
the temple. The temple was filled with the cloud while the court was filled with
the brightness of the LORD’s glory.
5 The sound of the wings of the cherubim could be heard from the outer court,
like the sound of the Sovereign God when he speaks.
6 When the LORD commanded the man dressed in linen,“Take fire from within the
wheelwork, from among the cherubim,” the man went in and stood by one of the
wheels.
7 Then one of the cherubim stretched out his hand toward the fire which was
among the cherubim. He took some and put it into the hands of the man dressed in
linen, who took it and left.
8 (The cherubim appeared to have the form of human hands under their wings.)
9 As I watched, I noticed four wheels by the cherubim, one wheel beside each
cherub; the wheels gleamed like jasper.
10 As for their appearance, all four of them looked the same, something like a
wheel within a wheel.
11 When they moved, they would go in any of the four directions they faced
without turning as they moved; in the direction the head would turn they would
follow without turning as they moved,
12 along with their entire bodies, their backs, their hands, and their wings.
The wheels of the four of them were full of eyes all around.
13 As for their wheels, they were called“the wheelwork” as I listened.
14 Each of the cherubim had four faces: The first was the face of a cherub, the
second that of a man, the third that of a lion, and the fourth that of an eagle.
15 The cherubim rose up; these were the living beings I saw at the Kebar River.
16 When the cherubim moved, the wheels moved beside them; when the cherubim
spread their wings to rise from the ground, the wheels did not move from their
side.
17 When the cherubim stood still, the wheels stood still, and when they rose up,
the wheels rose up with them, for the spirit of the living beings was in the
wheels.
18 Then the glory of the LORD moved away from the threshold of the temple and
stopped above the cherubim.
19 The cherubim spread their wings, and they rose up from the earth while I
watched(when they went the wheels went alongside them). They stopped at the
entrance to the east gate of the LORD’s temple as the glory of the God of
Israel hovered above them.
20 These were the living creatures which I saw at the Kebar River underneath the
God of Israel; I knew that they were cherubim.
21 Each had four faces; each had four wings and the form of human hands under
the wings.
22 As for the form of their faces, they were the faces whose appearance I had
seen at the Kebar River. Each one moved straight ahead.

Chapter 11

1 The Fall of Jerusalem A wind lifted me up and brought me to the east gate of
the LORD’s temple that faces the east. There, at the entrance of the gate, I
noticed twenty-five men. Among them I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah
son of Benaiah, officials of the people.
2 The LORD said to me,“Son of man, these are the men who plot evil and give
wicked advice in this city.
3 They say,‘The time is not near to build houses; the city is a cooking pot
and we are the meat in it.’
4 Therefore, prophesy against them! Prophesy, son of man!”
5 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon me and said to me,“Say: This is what
the LORD says:‘This is what you are thinking, O house of Israel; I know what
goes through your minds.
6 You have killed many people in this city; you have filled its streets with
corpses.’
7 Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says:‘The corpses you have dumped
in the midst of the city are the meat, and this city is the cooking pot, but I
will take you out of it.
8 You fear the sword, so the sword I will bring against you,’ declares the
Sovereign LORD.
9 ‘But I will take you out of the city. And I will hand you over to
foreigners. I will execute judgments on you.
10 You will die by the sword; I will judge you at the border of Israel. Then you
will know that I am the LORD.
11 This city will not be a cooking pot for you, and you will not be meat within
it; I will judge you at the border of Israel.
12 Then you will know that I am the LORD, whose statutes you have not followed
and whose regulations you have not carried out. Instead you have behaved
according to the regulations of the nations around you!’”
13 Now, while I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. Then I threw
myself face down and cried out with a loud voice,“Alas, Sovereign LORD! You
are completely wiping out the remnant of Israel!”
14 Then the LORD’s message came to me:
15 “Son of man, your brothers, your relatives, and the whole house of Israel,
all of them are those to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said,‘They
have gone far away from the LORD; to us this land has been given as a
possession.’
16 “Therefore say:‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Although I have
removed them far away among the nations and have dispersed them among the
countries, I have been a little sanctuary for them among the lands where they
have gone.’
17 “Therefore say:‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When I regather you
from the peoples and assemble you from the lands where you have been dispersed,
I will give you back the country of Israel.’
18 “When they return to it, they will remove from it all its detestable things
and all its abominations.
19 I will give them one heart and I will put a new spirit within them; I will
remove the hearts of stone from their bodies and I will give them tender hearts,
20 so that they may follow my statutes and observe my regulations and carry them
out. Then they will be my people, and I will be their God.
21 But those whose hearts are devoted to detestable things and abominations, I
hereby repay them for what they have done, says the Sovereign LORD.”
22 Then the cherubim spread their wings with their wheels alongside them while
the glory of the God of Israel hovered above them.
23 The glory of the LORD rose up from within the city and stopped over the
mountain east of it.
24 Then a wind lifted me up and carried me to the exiles in Babylonia, in the
vision given to me by the Spirit of God. Then the vision I had seen went up from
me.
25 So I told the exiles everything the LORD had shown me.

Chapter 12

1 Previewing the Exile The LORD’s message came to me:
2 “Son of man, you are living in the midst of a rebellious house. They have
eyes to see, but do not see, and ears to hear, but do not hear, because they are
a rebellious house.
3 “Therefore, son of man, pack up your belongings as if for exile. During the
day, while they are watching, pretend to go into exile. Go from where you live
to another place. Perhaps they will understand, although they are a rebellious
house.
4 Bring out your belongings packed for exile during the day while they are
watching. And go out at evening, while they are watching, as if for exile.
5 While they are watching, dig a hole in the wall and carry your belongings out
through it.
6 While they are watching, raise your baggage onto your shoulder and carry it
out in the dark. You must cover your face so that you cannot see the ground
because I have made you an object lesson to the house of Israel.”
7 So I did just as I was commanded. I carried out my belongings packed for exile
during the day, and at evening I dug myself a hole through the wall with my
hands. I went out in the darkness, carrying my baggage on my shoulder while they
watched.
8 The LORD’s message came to me in the morning:
9 “Son of man, has not the house of Israel, that rebellious house, said to
you,‘What are you doing?’
10 Say to them,‘This is what the Sovereign LORD has said: The prince will
raise this burden in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel within it.’
11 Say,‘I am an object lesson for you. Just as I have done, it will be done to
them; they will go into exile and captivity.’
12 “The prince who is among them will raise his belongings onto his shoulder
in darkness, and will go out. He will dig a hole in the wall to leave through.
He will cover his face so that he cannot see the land with his eyes.
13 But I will throw my net over him, and he will be caught in my snare. I will
bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans(but he will not see it), and
there he will die.
14 All his retinue– his attendants and his troops– I will scatter to every
wind; I will unleash a sword behind them.
15 “Then they will know that I am the LORD when I disperse them among the
nations and scatter them among foreign countries.
16 But I will let a small number of them survive the sword, famine, and
pestilence, so that they can confess all their abominable practices to the
nations where they go. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”
17 The LORD’s message came to me:
18 “Son of man, eat your bread with trembling, and drink your water with
anxious shaking.
19 Then say to the people of the land,‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says
about the inhabitants of Jerusalem and of the land of Israel: They will eat
their bread with anxiety and drink their water in fright, for their land will be
stripped bare of all it contains because of the violence of all who live in it.
20 The inhabited towns will be left in ruins and the land will be devastated.
Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”
21 The LORD’s message came to me:
22 “Son of man, what is this proverb you have in the land of Israel,‘The
days pass slowly, and every vision fails’?
23 Therefore tell them,‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I hereby end
this proverb; they will not recite it in Israel any longer.’ But say to
them,‘The days are at hand when every vision will be fulfilled.
24 For there will no longer be any false visions or flattering omens amidst the
house of Israel.
25 For I, the LORD, will speak. Whatever word I speak will be accomplished. It
will not be delayed any longer. Indeed in your days, O rebellious house, I will
speak the word and accomplish it, declares the Sovereign LORD.’”
26 The LORD’s message came to me:
27 “Take note, son of man, the house of Israel is saying,‘The vision that he
sees is for distant days; he is prophesying about the far future.’
28 Therefore say to them,‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: None of my
words will be delayed any longer! The word I speak will come to pass, declares
the Sovereign LORD.’”

Chapter 13

1 False Prophets Denounced Then the LORD’s message came to me:
2 “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now
prophesying. Say to the prophets who prophesy from their imagination:‘Listen
to the LORD’s message!
3 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow
their own spirit but have seen nothing!
4 Your prophets have become like jackals among the ruins, O Israel.
5 You have not gone up in the breaks in the wall, nor repaired a wall for the
house of Israel that it would stand strong in the battle on the day of the LORD.
6 They see delusion and their omens are a lie. They say,“the LORD declares,”
though the LORD has not sent them; yet they expect their word to be confirmed.
7 Have you not seen a false vision and announced a lying omen when you
say,“the LORD declares,” although I myself never spoke?
8 “‘Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because you have spoken
false words and forecast delusion, look, I am against you, declares the
Sovereign LORD.
9 My hand will be against the prophets who see delusion and announce lying
omens. They will not be included in the council of my people, nor be written in
the registry of the house of Israel, nor enter the land of Israel. Then you will
know that I am the Sovereign LORD.
10 “‘This is because they have led my people astray saying,“All is
well,” when things are not well. When anyone builds a wall without mortar,
they coat it with whitewash.
11 Tell the ones who coat it with whitewash that it will fall. When there is a
deluge of rain, hailstones will fall and a violent wind will break out.
12 When the wall has collapsed, people will ask you,“Where is the whitewash
you coated it with?”
13 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: In my rage I will make
a violent wind break out. In my anger there will be a deluge of rain and
hailstones in destructive fury.
14 I will break down the wall you coated with whitewash and knock it to the
ground so that its foundation is exposed. When it falls you will be destroyed
beneath it, and you will know that I am the LORD.
15 I will vent my rage against the wall, and against those who coated it with
whitewash. Then I will say to you,“The wall is no more and those who
whitewashed it are no more–
16 those prophets of Israel who would prophesy about Jerusalem and would see
visions of peace for it, when there was no peace,” declares the Sovereign
LORD.’
17 “As for you, son of man, turn toward the daughters of your people who are
prophesying from their imagination. Prophesy against them
18 and say‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to those who sew bands on
all their wrists and make headbands for heads of every size to entrap people’s
lives! Will you entrap my people’s lives, yet preserve your own lives?
19 You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and scraps of
bread. You have put to death people who should not die and kept alive those who
should not live by your lies to my people, who listen to lies!
20 “‘Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Take note that I am
against your wristbands with which you entrap people’s lives like birds. I
will tear them from your arms and will release the people’s lives, which you
hunt like birds.
21 I will tear off your headbands and rescue my people from your power; they
will no longer be prey in your hands. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
22 This is because you have disheartened the righteous person with lies(although
I have not grieved him), and because you have encouraged the wicked person not
to turn from his evil conduct and preserve his life.
23 Therefore you will no longer see false visions and practice divination. I
will rescue my people from your power, and you will know that I am the
LORD.’”

Chapter 14

1 Well-Deserved Judgment Then some men from Israel’s elders came to me and sat
down in front of me.
2 The LORD’s message came to me:
3 “Son of man, these men have erected their idols in their hearts and placed
the obstacle leading to their iniquity right before their faces. Should I really
allow them to seek me?
4 Therefore speak to them and say to them,‘This is what the Sovereign LORD
says: When anyone from the house of Israel erects his idols in his heart and
sets the obstacle leading to his iniquity before his face, and then consults a
prophet, I the LORD am determined to answer him personally according to the
enormity of his idolatry.
5 I will do this in order to capture the hearts of the house of Israel, who have
alienated themselves from me on account of all their idols.’
6 “Therefore say to the house of Israel,‘This is what the Sovereign LORD
says: Return! Turn from your idols, and turn your faces away from your
abominations.
7 For when anyone from the house of Israel, or the resident foreigner who lives
in Israel, separates himself from me and erects his idols in his heart and sets
the obstacle leading to his iniquity before his face, and then consults a
prophet to seek something from me, I the LORD am determined to answer him
personally.
8 I will set my face against that person and will make him an object lesson and
a byword and will cut him off from among my people. Then you will know that I am
the LORD.
9 “‘As for the prophet, if he is made a fool by being deceived into speaking
a prophetic word– I, the LORD, have made a fool of that prophet, and I will
stretch out my hand against him and destroy him from among my people Israel.
10 They will bear their punishment; the punishment of the one who sought an
oracle will be the same as the punishment of the prophet who gave it
11 so that the house of Israel will no longer go astray from me, nor continue to
defile themselves by all their sins. They will be my people and I will be their
God, declares the Sovereign LORD.’”
12 The LORD’s message came to me:
13 “Son of man, suppose a country sins against me by being unfaithful, and I
stretch out my hand against it, cut off its bread supply, cause famine to come
on it, and kill both people and animals.
14 Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would save
only their own lives by their righteousness, declares the Sovereign LORD.
15 “Suppose I were to send wild animals through the land and kill its
children, leaving it desolate, without travelers due to the wild animals.
16 Even if these three men were in it, as surely as I live, declares the
Sovereign LORD, they could not save their own sons or daughters; they would save
only their own lives, and the land would become desolate.
17 “Or suppose I were to bring a sword against that land and say,‘Let a
sword pass through the land,’ and I were to kill both people and animals.
18 Even if these three men were in it, as surely as I live, declares the
Sovereign LORD, they could not save their own sons or daughters– they would
save only their own lives.
19 “Or suppose I were to send a plague into that land, and pour out my rage on
it with bloodshed, killing both people and animals.
20 Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as surely as I live, declares the
Sovereign LORD, they could not save their own son or daughter; they would save
only their own lives by their righteousness.
21 “For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: How much worse will it be when I
send my four terrible judgments– sword, famine, wild animals, and plague– to
Jerusalem to kill both people and animals!
22 Yet some survivors will be left in it, sons and daughters who will be brought
out. They will come out to you, and when you see their behavior and their deeds,
you will be consoled about the catastrophe I have brought on Jerusalem– for
everything I brought on it.
23 They will console you when you see their behavior and their deeds, because
you will know that it was not without reason that I have done everything which I
have done in it, declares the Sovereign LORD.”

Chapter 15

1 Burning a Useless Vine The LORD’s message came to me:
2 “Son of man, of all the woody branches among the trees of the forest, what
happens to the wood of the vine?
3 Can wood be taken from it to make anything useful? Or can anyone make a peg
from it to hang things on?
4 No! It is thrown in the fire for fuel; when the fire has burned up both ends
of it and it is charred in the middle, will it be useful for anything?
5 Indeed! If it was not made into anything useful when it was whole, how much
less can it be made into anything when the fire has burned it up and it is
charred?
6 “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Like the wood of the vine
is among the trees of the forest which I have provided as fuel for the fire–
so I will provide the residents of Jerusalem as fuel.
7 I will set my face against them– although they have escaped from the fire,
the fire will still consume them! Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I
set my face against them.
8 I will make the land desolate because they have acted unfaithfully, declares
the Sovereign LORD.”

Chapter 16

1 God’s Unfaithful Bride The LORD’s message came to me:
2 “Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her abominable practices
3 and say,‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says to Jerusalem: Your origin and
your birth were in the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite and
your mother a Hittite.
4 As for your birth, on the day you were born your umbilical cord was not cut,
nor were you washed in water; you were certainly not rubbed down with salt, nor
wrapped with blankets.
5 No eye took pity on you to do even one of these things for you to spare you;
you were thrown out into the open field because you were detested on the day you
were born.
6 “‘I passed by you and saw you kicking around helplessly in your blood. I
said to you as you lay there in your blood,“Live!” I said to you as you lay
there in your blood,“Live!”
7 I made you plentiful like sprouts in a field; you grew tall and came of age so
that you could wear jewelry. Your breasts had formed and your hair had grown,
but you were still naked and bare.
8 “‘Then I passed by you and watched you, noticing that you had reached the
age for love. I spread my cloak over you and covered your nakedness. I swore a
solemn oath to you and entered into a marriage covenant with you, declares the
Sovereign LORD, and you became mine.
9 “‘Then I bathed you in water, washed the blood off you, and anointed you
with fragrant oil.
10 I dressed you in embroidered clothing and put fine leather sandals on your
feet. I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk.
11 I adorned you with jewelry. I put bracelets on your hands and a necklace
around your neck.
12 I put a ring in your nose, earrings on your ears, and a beautiful crown on
your head.
13 You were adorned with gold and silver, while your clothing was of fine linen,
silk, and embroidery. You ate the finest flour, honey, and olive oil. You became
extremely beautiful and attained the position of royalty.
14 Your fame spread among the nations because of your beauty; your beauty was
perfect because of the splendor which I bestowed on you, declares the Sovereign
LORD.
15 “‘But you trusted in your beauty and capitalized on your fame by becoming
a prostitute. You offered your sexual favors to every man who passed by so that
your beauty became his.
16 You took some of your clothing and made for yourself decorated high places;
you engaged in prostitution on them. You went to him to become his.
17 You also took your beautiful jewelry, made of my gold and my silver I had
given to you, and made for yourself male images and engaged in prostitution with
them.
18 You took your embroidered clothing and used it to cover them; you offered my
olive oil and my incense to them.
19 As for my food that I gave you– the fine flour, olive oil, and honey I fed
you– you placed it before them as a soothing aroma. That is exactly what
happened, declares the Sovereign LORD.
20 “‘You took your sons and your daughters whom you bore to me and you
sacrificed them as food for the idols to eat. As if your prostitution was not
enough,
21 you slaughtered my children and sacrificed them to the idols.
22 And with all your abominable practices and prostitution you did not remember
the days of your youth when you were naked and bare, kicking around in your
blood.
23 “‘After all of your evil–“Woe! Woe to you!” declares the Sovereign
LORD–
24 you built yourself a chamber and put up a pavilion in every public square.
25 At the head of every street you erected your pavilion and you disgraced your
beauty when you spread your legs to every passerby and multiplied your
promiscuity.
26 You engaged in prostitution with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors,
multiplying your promiscuity and provoking me to anger.
27 So see here, I have stretched out my hand against you and cut off your
rations. I have delivered you into the power of those who hate you, the
daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your obscene conduct.
28 You engaged in prostitution with the Assyrians because your desires were
insatiable; you prostituted yourself with them and yet you were still not
satisfied.
29 Then you multiplied your promiscuity to the land of merchants, Babylonia, but
you were not satisfied there either.
30 “‘How sick is your heart, declares the Sovereign LORD, when you perform
all of these acts, the deeds of a bold prostitute.
31 When you built your chamber at the head of every street and put up your
pavilion in every public square, you were not like a prostitute, because you
scoffed at payment.
32 “‘Adulterous wife, who prefers strangers instead of her own husband!
33 All prostitutes receive payment, but instead you give gifts to every one of
your lovers. You bribe them to come to you from all around for your sexual
favors!
34 You were different from other prostitutes because no one solicited you. When
you gave payment and no payment was given to you, you became the opposite!
35 “‘Therefore O prostitute, Listen to the LORD’s message:
36 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because your lust was poured out and
your nakedness was uncovered in your prostitution with your lovers, and because
of all your detestable idols, and because of the blood of your children you have
given to them,
37 therefore, take note: I am about to gather all your lovers whom you enjoyed,
both all those you loved and all those you hated. I will gather them against you
from all around, and I will expose your nakedness to them, and they will see all
your nakedness.
38 I will punish you as an adulteress and murderer deserves. I will avenge your
bloody deeds with furious rage.
39 I will give you into their hands and they will destroy your chambers and tear
down your pavilions. They will strip you of your clothing and take your
beautiful jewelry and leave you naked and bare.
40 They will summon a mob who will stone you and hack you in pieces with their
swords.
41 They will burn down your houses and execute judgments on you in front of many
women. Thus I will put a stop to your prostitution, and you will no longer give
gifts to your clients.
42 I will exhaust my rage on you, and then my fury will turn from you. I will
calm down and no longer be angry.
43 “‘Because you did not remember the days of your youth and have enraged me
with all these deeds, I hereby repay you for what you have done, declares the
Sovereign LORD. Have you not engaged in prostitution on top of all your other
abominable practices?
44 “‘Observe– everyone who quotes proverbs will quote this proverb about
you:“Like mother, like daughter.”
45 You are the daughter of your mother, who detested her husband and her sons,
and you are the sister of your sisters who detested their husbands and their
sons. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite.
46 Your older sister was Samaria, who lived north of you with her daughters, and
your younger sister, who lived south of you, was Sodom with her daughters.
47 Have you not copied their behavior and practiced their abominable deeds? In a
short time you became even more depraved in all your conduct than they were!
48 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, your sister Sodom and her
daughters never behaved as wickedly as you and your daughters have behaved.
49 “‘See here– this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her
daughters had majesty, abundance of food, and enjoyed carefree ease, but they
did not help the poor and needy.
50 They were haughty and practiced abominable deeds before me. Therefore when I
saw it I removed them.
51 Samaria has not committed half the sins you have; you have done more
abominable deeds than they did. You have made your sisters appear righteous with
all the abominable things you have done.
52 So now, bear your disgrace, because you have given your sisters reason to
justify their behavior. Because the sins you have committed were more abominable
than those of your sisters; they have become more righteous than you. So now, be
ashamed and bear the disgrace of making your sisters appear righteous.
53 “‘I will restore their fortunes, the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters,
and the fortunes of Samaria and her daughters(along with your fortunes among
them),
54 so that you may bear your disgrace and be ashamed of all you have done in
consoling them.
55 As for your sisters, Sodom and her daughters will be restored to their former
status, Samaria and her daughters will be restored to their former status, and
you and your daughters will be restored to your former status.
56 In your days of majesty, was not Sodom your sister a byword in your mouth,
57 before your evil was exposed? Now you have become an object of scorn to the
daughters of Aram and all those around her and to the daughters of the
Philistines– those all around you who despise you.
58 You must bear your punishment for your obscene conduct and your abominable
practices, declares the LORD.
59 “‘For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will deal with you
according to what you have done when you despised your oath by breaking your
covenant.
60 Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth,
and I will establish a lasting covenant with you.
61 Then you will remember your conduct, and be ashamed when you receive your
older and younger sisters. I will give them to you as daughters, but not on
account of my covenant with you.
62 I will establish my covenant with you, and then you will know that I am the
LORD.
63 Then you will remember, be ashamed, and remain silent because of your
disgrace when I make atonement for all you have done, declares the Sovereign
LORD.’”

Chapter 17

1 A Parable of Two Eagles and a Vine The LORD’s message came to me:
2 “Son of man, offer a riddle, and tell a parable to the house of Israel.
3 Say to them:‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says:“‘A great eagle with
broad wings, long feathers, with full plumage which was multi-hued, came to
Lebanon and took the top of the cedar.
4 He plucked off its topmost shoot; he brought it to a land of merchants and
planted it in a city of traders.
5 He took one of the seedlings of the land, placed it in a cultivated plot; a
shoot by abundant water, like a willow he planted it.
6 It sprouted and became a vine, spreading low to the ground; its branches
turning toward him, its roots were under itself. So it became a vine; it
produced shoots and sent out branches.
7 “‘There was another great eagle with broad wings and thick plumage. Now
this vine twisted its roots toward him and sent its branches toward him to be
watered from the soil where it was planted.
8 In a good field, by abundant waters, it was planted to grow branches, bear
fruit, and become a beautiful vine.
9 “‘Say to them: This is what the Sovereign LORD says:“‘Will it prosper?
Will he not rip out its roots and cause its fruit to rot and wither? All its
foliage will wither. No strong arm or large army will be needed to pull it out
by its roots.
10 Consider! It is planted, but will it prosper? Will it not wither completely
when the east wind blows on it? Will it not wither in the soil where it
sprouted?’”
11 Then LORD’s message came to me:
12 “Say to the rebellious house of Israel:‘Don’t you know what these
things mean?’ Say:‘See here, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and took
her king and her officials prisoner and brought them to himself in Babylon.
13 He took one from the royal family, made a treaty with him, and put him under
oath. He then took the leaders of the land
14 so it would be a lowly kingdom which could not rise on its own but must keep
its treaty with him in order to stand.
15 But this one from Israel’s royal family rebelled against the king of
Babylon by sending his emissaries to Egypt to obtain horses and a large army.
Will he prosper? Will the one doing these things escape? Can he break the
covenant and escape?
16 “‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, surely in the city of
the king who crowned him, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke–
in the middle of Babylon he will die!
17 Pharaoh with his great army and mighty horde will not help him in battle,
when siege ramps are erected and siege-walls are built to kill many people.
18 He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Take note– he gave his
promise and did all these things– he will not escape!
19 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: As surely as I live, I
will certainly repay him for despising my oath and breaking my covenant!
20 I will throw my net over him and he will be caught in my snare; I will bring
him to Babylon and judge him there because of the unfaithfulness he committed
against me.
21 All the choice men among his troops will die by the sword and the survivors
will be scattered to every wind. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have
spoken!
22 “‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says:“‘I will take a sprig from the
lofty top of the cedar and plant it. I will pluck from the top one of its tender
twigs; I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain.
23 I will plant it on a high mountain of Israel, and it will raise branches and
produce fruit and become a beautiful cedar. Every bird will live under it; Every
winged creature will live in the shade of its branches.
24 All the trees of the field will know that I am the LORD. I make the high tree
low; I raise up the low tree. I make the green tree wither, and I make the dry
tree sprout. I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will do it!’”

Chapter 18

1 Individual Retribution The LORD’s message came to me:
2 “What do you mean by quoting this proverb concerning the land of
Israel,“‘The fathers eat sour grapes And the children’s teeth become
numb?’
3 “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, you will not quote this
proverb in Israel anymore!
4 Indeed! All lives are mine– the life of the father as well as the life of
the son is mine. The one who sins will die.
5 “Suppose a man is righteous. He practices what is just and right,
6 does not eat pagan sacrifices on the mountains or pray to the idols of the
house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife, does not approach a
woman for marital relations during her period,
7 does not oppress anyone, but gives the debtor back whatever was given in
pledge, does not commit robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and clothes
the naked,
8 does not engage in usury or charge interest, but refrains from wrongdoing,
promotes true justice between men,
9 and follows my statutes and observes my regulations by carrying them out. That
man is righteous; he will certainly live, declares the Sovereign LORD.
10 “Suppose such a man has a violent son who sheds blood and does any of these
things mentioned previously
11 (though the father did not do any of them). He eats pagan sacrifices on the
mountains, defiles his neighbor’s wife,
12 oppresses the poor and the needy, commits robbery, does not give back what
was given in pledge, prays to idols, performs abominable acts,
13 engages in usury and charges interest. Will he live? He will not! Because he
has done all these abominable deeds he will certainly die. He will bear the
responsibility for his own death.
14 “But suppose he in turn has a son who notices all the sins his father
commits, considers them, and does not follow his father’s example.
15 He does not eat pagan sacrifices on the mountains, does not pray to the idols
of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife,
16 does not oppress anyone or keep what has been given in pledge, does not
commit robbery, gives his food to the hungry, and clothes the naked,
17 refrains from wrongdoing, does not engage in usury or charge interest,
carries out my regulations and follows my statutes. He will not die for his
father’s iniquity; he will surely live.
18 As for his father, because he practices extortion, robs his brother, and does
what is not good among his people, he will die for his iniquity.
19 “Yet you say,‘Why should the son not suffer for his father’s
iniquity?’ When the son does what is just and right, and observes all my
statutes and carries them out, he will surely live.
20 The person who sins is the one who will die. A son will not suffer for his
father’s iniquity, and a father will not suffer for his son’s iniquity; the
righteous person will be judged according to his righteousness, and the wicked
person according to his wickedness.
21 “But if the wicked person turns from all the sin he has committed and
observes all my statutes and does what is just and right, he will surely live;
he will not die.
22 None of the sins he has committed will be held against him; because of the
righteousness he has done, he will live.
23 Do I actually delight in the death of the wicked, declares the Sovereign
LORD? Do I not prefer that he turn from his wicked conduct and live?
24 “But if a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and practices
wrongdoing according to all the abominable practices the wicked carry out, will
he live? All his righteous acts will not be remembered; because of the
unfaithful acts he has done and the sin he has committed, he will die.
25 “Yet you say,‘The Lord’s conduct is unjust!’ Hear, O house of Israel:
Is my conduct unjust? Is it not your conduct that is unjust?
26 When a righteous person turns back from his righteousness and practices
wrongdoing, he will die for it; because of the wrongdoing he has done, he will
die.
27 When a wicked person turns from the wickedness he has committed and does what
is just and right, he will preserve his life.
28 Because he considered and turned from all the sins he had done, he will
surely live; he will not die.
29 Yet the house of Israel says,‘The Lord’s conduct is unjust!’ Is my
conduct unjust, O house of Israel? Is it not your conduct that is unjust?
30 “Therefore I will judge each person according to his conduct, O house of
Israel, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and turn from all your wickedness;
then it will not be an obstacle leading to iniquity.
31 Throw away all your sins you have committed and fashion yourselves a new
heart and a new spirit! Why should you die, O house of Israel?
32 For I take no delight in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD.
Repent and live!

Chapter 19

1 Lament for the Princes of Israel“And you, sing a lament for the princes of
Israel,
2 and say:“‘What a lioness was your mother among the lions! She lay among
young lions; she reared her cubs.
3 She reared one of her cubs; he became a young lion. He learned to tear prey;
he devoured people.
4 The nations heard about him; he was trapped in their pit. They brought him
with hooks to the land of Egypt.
5 “‘When she realized that she waited in vain, her hope was lost. She took
another of her cubs and made him a young lion.
6 He walked about among the lions; he became a young lion. He learned to tear
prey; he devoured people.
7 He broke down their strongholds and devastated their cities. The land and
everything in it was frightened at the sound of his roaring.
8 The nations– the surrounding regions– attacked him. They threw their net
over him; he was caught in their pit.
9 They put him in a collar with hooks; they brought him to the king of Babylon;
they brought him to prison so that his voice would not be heard any longer on
the mountains of Israel.
10 “‘Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard, planted by water. It was
fruitful and full of branches because it was well-watered.
11 Its boughs were strong, fit for rulers’ scepters; it reached up into the
clouds. It stood out because of its height and its many branches.
12 But it was plucked up in anger; it was thrown down to the ground. The east
wind dried up its fruit; its strong branches broke off and withered– a fire
consumed them.
13 Now it is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land.
14 A fire has gone out from its branch; it has consumed its shoot and its fruit.
No strong branch was left in it, nor a scepter to rule.’ This is a lament
song, and has become a lament song.”

Chapter 20

1 Israel’s Rebellion In the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth of
the month, some of the elders of Israel came to seek the LORD, and they sat down
in front of me.
2 The LORD’s message came to me:
3 “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and tell them:‘This is what
the Sovereign LORD says: Are you coming to seek me? As surely as I live, I will
not allow you to seek me, declares the Sovereign LORD.’
4 “Are you willing to pronounce judgment on them? Are you willing to pronounce
judgment, son of man? Then confront them with the abominable practices of their
fathers,
5 and say to them:“‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: On the day I chose
Israel I swore to the descendants of the house of Jacob and made myself known to
them in the land of Egypt. I swore to them,“I am the LORD your God.”
6 On that day I swore to bring them out of the land of Egypt to a land which I
had picked out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful
of all lands.
7 I said to them,“Each of you must get rid of the detestable idols you keep
before you, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the LORD
your God.”
8 But they rebelled against me, and refused to listen to me; no one got rid of
their detestable idols, nor did they abandon the idols of Egypt. Then I decided
to pour out my rage on them and fully vent my anger against them in the midst of
the land of Egypt.
9 I acted for the sake of my reputation, so that I would not be profaned before
the nations among whom they lived, before whom I revealed myself by bringing
them out of the land of Egypt.
10 “‘So I brought them out of the land of Egypt and led them to the
wilderness.
11 I gave them my statutes and revealed my regulations to them. The one who
carries them out will live by them!
12 I also gave them my Sabbaths as a reminder of our relationship, so that they
would know that I, the LORD, sanctify them.
13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness; they did not
follow my statutes and they rejected my regulations(the one who obeys them will
live by them), and they utterly desecrated my Sabbaths. So I decided to pour out
my rage on them in the wilderness and destroy them.
14 I acted for the sake of my reputation, so that I would not be profaned before
the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.
15 I also swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them to the
land I had given them– a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful
of all lands.
16 I did this because they rejected my regulations, did not follow my statutes,
and desecrated my Sabbaths; for their hearts followed their idols.
17 Yet I had pity on them and did not destroy them, so I did not make an end of
them in the wilderness.
18 “‘But I said to their children in the wilderness,“Do not follow the
practices of your fathers; do not observe their regulations, nor defile
yourselves with their idols.
19 I am the LORD your God; follow my statutes, observe my regulations, and carry
them out.
20 Treat my Sabbaths as holy and they will be a reminder of our relationship,
and then you will know that I am the LORD your God.”
21 “‘But the children rebelled against me, did not follow my statutes, did
not observe my regulations by carrying them out(the one who obeys them will live
by them), and desecrated my Sabbaths. I decided to pour out my rage on them and
fully vent my anger against them in the wilderness.
22 But I refrained from doing so, and acted instead for the sake of my
reputation, so that I would not be profaned before the nations in whose sight I
had brought them out.
23 I also swore to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the
nations and disperse them throughout the lands.
24 I did this because they did not observe my regulations, they rejected my
statutes, they desecrated my Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on their
fathers’ idols.
25 I also gave them decrees which were not good and regulations by which they
could not live.
26 I declared them to be defiled because of their sacrifices– they caused all
their firstborn to pass through the fire– so that I would devastate them, so
that they will know that I am the LORD.’
27 “Therefore, speak to the house of Israel, son of man, and tell them,‘This
is what the Sovereign LORD says: In this way too your fathers blasphemed me when
they were unfaithful to me.
28 I brought them to the land which I swore to give them, but whenever they saw
any high hill or leafy tree, they offered their sacrifices there and presented
the offerings that provoke me to anger. They offered their soothing aroma there
and poured out their drink offerings.
29 So I said to them, What is this high place you go to?’”(So it is
called“High Place” to this day.)
30 “Therefore say to the house of Israel,‘This is what the Sovereign LORD
says: Will you defile yourselves like your fathers and engage in prostitution
with detestable idols?
31 When you present your sacrifices– when you make your sons pass through the
fire– you defile yourselves with all your idols to this very day. Will I allow
you to seek me, O house of Israel? As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign
LORD, I will not allow you to seek me!
32 “‘What you plan will never happen. You say,“We will be like the
nations, like the clans of the lands, who serve gods of wood and stone.”
33 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, with a powerful hand and an
outstretched arm, and with an outpouring of rage, I will be king over you.
34 I will bring you out from the nations, and will gather you from the lands
where you are scattered, with a powerful hand and an outstretched arm and with
an outpouring of rage!
35 I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations, and there I will enter
into judgment with you face to face.
36 Just as I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the
land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you, declares the Sovereign
LORD.
37 I will make you pass under the shepherd’s staff, and I will bring you into
the bond of the covenant.
38 I will eliminate from among you the rebels and those who revolt against me. I
will bring them out from the land where they have been residing, but they will
not come to the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
39 “‘As for you, O house of Israel, this is what the Sovereign LORD says:
Each of you go and serve your idols, if you will not listen to me. But my holy
name will not be profaned again by your sacrifices and your idols.
40 For there on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, declares the
Sovereign LORD, all the house of Israel will serve me, all of them in the land.
I will accept them there, and there I will seek your contributions and your
choice gifts, with all your holy things.
41 When I bring you out from the nations and gather you from the lands where you
are scattered, I will accept you along with your soothing aroma. I will display
my holiness among you in the sight of the nations.
42 Then you will know that I am the LORD when I bring you to the land of Israel,
to the land I swore to give to your fathers.
43 And there you will remember your conduct and all your deeds by which you
defiled yourselves. You will despise yourselves because of all the evil deeds
you have done.
44 Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I deal with you for the sake of
my reputation and not according to your wicked conduct and corrupt deeds, O
house of Israel, declares the Sovereign LORD.’”
45 Prophecy Against the South(21:1) The LORD’s message came to me:
46 “Son of man, turn toward the south, and speak out against the south.
Prophesy against the open scrub land of the Negev,
47 and say to the scrub land of the Negev,‘Listen to the LORD’s message:
This is what the Sovereign LORD has said: Look here, I am about to start a fire
in you, and it will devour every green tree and every dry tree in you. The
flaming fire will not be extinguished, and the whole surface of the ground from
the Negev to the north will be scorched by it.
48 And everyone will see that I, the LORD, have burned it; it will not be
extinguished.’”
49 Then I said,“O Sovereign LORD! They are saying of me,‘Does he not simply
speak in eloquent figures of speech?’”

Chapter 21

1 The Sword of Judgment(21:6) The LORD’s message came to me:
2 “Son of man, turn toward Jerusalem and speak out against the sanctuaries.
Prophesy against the land of Israel
3 and say to them,‘This is what the LORD says: Look, I am against you. I will
draw my sword from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the
wicked.
4 Because I will cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked, my sword
will go out from its sheath against everyone from the south to the north.
5 Then everyone will know that I am the LORD, who drew my sword from its
sheath– it will not be sheathed again!’
6 “And you, son of man, groan with an aching heart and bitterness; groan
before their eyes.
7 When they ask you,‘Why are you groaning?’ you will reply,‘Because of the
report that has come. Every heart will melt with fear and every hand will be
limp; everyone will faint and every knee will be wet with urine.’ Pay
attention– it is coming and it will happen, declares the Sovereign LORD.”
8 The LORD’s message came to me:
9 “Son of man, prophesy and say:‘This is what the Lord says:“‘A sword, a
sword is sharpened, and also polished.
10 It is sharpened for slaughter, it is polished to flash like
lightning!“‘Should we rejoice in the scepter of my son? No! The sword
despises every tree!
11 “‘He gave it to be polished, to be grasped in the hand– the sword is
sharpened, it is polished– giving it into the hand of the executioner.
12 Cry out and moan, son of man, for it is wielded against my people; against
all the princes of Israel. They are delivered up to the sword, along with my
people. Therefore, strike your thigh.
13 “‘For testing will come, and what will happen when the scepter, which the
sword despises, is no more? declares the Sovereign LORD.’
14 “And you, son of man, prophesy, and clap your hands together. Let the sword
strike twice, even three times! It is a sword for slaughter, a sword for the
great slaughter surrounding them.
15 So hearts melt with fear and many stumble. At all their gates I have
stationed the sword for slaughter. Ah! It is made to flash, it is drawn for
slaughter!
16 Cut sharply on the right! Swing to the left, wherever your edge is appointed
to strike.
17 I too will clap my hands together, I will exhaust my rage; I the LORD have
spoken.”
18 The LORD’s message came to me:
19 “You, son of man, mark out two routes for the king of Babylon’s sword to
take; both of them will originate in a single land. Make a signpost and put it
at the beginning of the road leading to the city.
20 Mark out the routes for the sword to take:“Rabbah of the Ammonites”
and“Judah with Jerusalem in it.”
21 For the king of Babylon stands at the fork in the road at the head of the two
routes. He looks for omens: He shakes arrows, he consults idols, he examines
animal livers.
22 Into his right hand comes the portent for Jerusalem– to set up battering
rams, to give the signal for slaughter, to shout out the battle cry, to set up
battering rams against the gates, to erect a siege ramp, to build a siege wall.
23 But those in Jerusalem will view it as a false omen. They have sworn solemn
oaths, but the king of Babylon will accuse them of violations in order to seize
them.
24 “Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says:‘Because you have brought
up your own guilt by uncovering your transgressions and revealing your sins
through all your actions, for this reason you will be taken by force.
25 “‘As for you, profane and wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come,
the time of final punishment,
26 this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Tear off the turban, take off the
crown! Things must change! Exalt the lowly, bring down the proud!
27 A total ruin I will make it! It will come to an end when the one arrives to
whom I have assigned judgment.’
28 “As for you, son of man, prophesy and say,‘This is what the Sovereign
LORD says concerning the Ammonites and their coming humiliation; say:“‘A
sword, a sword drawn for slaughter, polished to consume, to flash like
lightning–
29 while seeing false visions for you and reading lying omens for you– to
place that sword on the necks of the profane wicked, whose day has come, the
time of final punishment.
30 Return it to its sheath! In the place where you were created, in your native
land, I will judge you.
31 I will pour out my anger on you; the fire of my fury I will blow on you. I
will hand you over to brutal men, who are skilled in destruction.
32 You will become fuel for the fire– your blood will stain the middle of the
land; you will no longer be remembered, for I, the LORD, have spoken.’”

Chapter 22

1 The Sins of Jerusalem The LORD’s message came to me:
2 “As for you, son of man, are you willing to pronounce judgment, are you
willing to pronounce judgment on the bloody city? Then confront her with all her
abominable deeds!
3 Then say,‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O city, who spills blood
within herself(which brings on her doom), and who makes herself idols(which
results in impurity),
4 you are guilty because of the blood you shed and defiled by the idols you
made. You have hastened the day of your doom; the end of your years has come.
Therefore I will make you an object of scorn to the nations, an object to be
mocked by all lands.
5 Those both near and far from you will mock you, you with your bad reputation,
full of turmoil.
6 “‘See how each of the princes of Israel living within you has used his
authority to shed blood.
7 They have treated father and mother with contempt within you; they have
oppressed the resident foreigner among you; they have wronged the orphan and the
widow within you.
8 You have despised my holy things and desecrated my Sabbaths!
9 Slanderous men shed blood within you. Those who live within you eat pagan
sacrifices on the mountains; they commit obscene acts among you.
10 They have sexual relations with their father’s wife within you; they
violate women during their menstrual period within you.
11 One commits an abominable act with his neighbor’s wife; another obscenely
defiles his daughter-in-law; another violates his sister– his father’s
daughter– within you.
12 They take bribes within you to shed blood. You engage in usury and charge
interest; you extort money from your neighbors. You have forgotten me, declares
the Sovereign LORD.
13 “‘See, I strike my hands together at the dishonest profit you have made,
and at the bloodshed they have done among you.
14 Can your heart endure, or can your hands be strong when I deal with you? I,
the LORD, have spoken, and I will do it!
15 I will scatter you among the nations and disperse you among various
countries; I will remove your impurity from you.
16 You will be profaned within yourself in the sight of the nations; then you
will know that I am the LORD.’”
17 The LORD’s message came to me:
18 “Son of man, the house of Israel has become slag to me. All of them are
like bronze, tin, iron, and lead in the furnace; they are the worthless slag of
silver.
19 Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says:‘Because all of you have
become slag, look out!– I am about to gather you in the middle of Jerusalem.
20 As silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin are gathered in a furnace so that the
fire can blow on them to melt them, so I will gather you in my anger and in my
rage. I will deposit you there and melt you.
21 I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of my fury, and you will be
melted in it.
22 As silver is melted in a furnace, so you will be melted in it, and you will
know that I, the LORD, have poured out my anger on you.’”
23 The LORD’s message came to me:
24 “Son of man, say to her:‘You are a land that receives no rain or showers
in the day of my anger.’
25 Her princes within her are like a roaring lion tearing its prey; they have
devoured lives. They take away riches and valuable things; they have made many
women widows within it.
26 Her priests abuse my law and have desecrated my holy things. They do not
distinguish between the holy and the profane, or recognize any distinction
between the unclean and the clean. They ignore my Sabbaths and I am profaned in
their midst.
27 Her officials are like wolves in her midst rending their prey– shedding
blood and destroying lives– so they can get dishonest profit.
28 Her prophets coat their messages with whitewash. They see false visions and
announce lying omens for them, saying,‘This is what the Sovereign LORD
says,’ when the LORD has not spoken.
29 The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They
have wronged the poor and needy; they have oppressed the resident foreigner and
denied them justice.
30 “I looked for a man from among them who would repair the wall and stand in
the gap before me on behalf of the land, so that I would not destroy it, but I
found no one.
31 So I have poured my anger on them, and destroyed them with the fire of my
fury. I hereby repay them for what they have done, declares the Sovereign
LORD.”

Chapter 23

1 Two Sisters The LORD’s message came to me:
2 “Son of man, there were two women who were daughters of the same mother.
3 They engaged in prostitution in Egypt; in their youth they engaged in
prostitution. Their breasts were squeezed there; lovers fondled their virgin
nipples there.
4 Oholah was the name of the older and Oholibah the name of her younger sister.
They became mine, and gave birth to sons and daughters. Oholah is Samaria and
Oholibah is Jerusalem.
5 “Oholah engaged in prostitution while she was mine. She lusted after her
lovers, the Assyrians– warriors
6 clothed in blue, governors and officials, all of them desirable young men,
horsemen riding on horses.
7 She bestowed her sexual favors on them; all of them were the choicest young
men of Assyria. She defiled herself with all whom she desired– with all their
idols.
8 She did not abandon the prostitution she had practiced in Egypt; for in her
youth men went to bed with her, fondled her virgin breasts, and ravished her.
9 Therefore I handed her over to her lovers, the Assyrians for whom she lusted.
10 They exposed her nakedness, seized her sons and daughters, and killed her
with the sword. She became notorious among women, and they executed judgments
against her.
11 “Her sister Oholibah watched this, but she became more corrupt in her lust
than her sister had been, and her acts of prostitution were more numerous than
those of her sister.
12 She lusted after the Assyrians– governors and officials, warriors in full
armor, horsemen riding on horses, all of them desirable young men.
13 I saw that she was defiled; both of them followed the same path.
14 But she increased her prostitution. She saw men carved on the wall, images of
the Chaldeans carved in bright red,
15 wearing belts on their waists and flowing turbans on their heads, all of them
looking like officers, the image of Babylonians whose native land is Chaldea.
16 When she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in
Chaldea.
17 The Babylonians crawled into bed with her. They defiled her with their lust;
after she was defiled by them, she became disgusted with them.
18 When she lustfully exposed her nakedness, I was disgusted with her, just as I
had been disgusted with her sister.
19 Yet she increased her prostitution, remembering the days of her youth when
she engaged in prostitution in the land of Egypt.
20 She lusted after her lovers there, whose genitals were like those of donkeys,
and whose emission was like that of stallions.
21 This is how you assessed the obscene conduct of your youth, when the
Egyptians fondled your nipples and squeezed your young breasts.
22 “Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Look here, I am
about to stir up against you the lovers with whom you were disgusted; I will
bring them against you from every side:
23 the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, Shoa, and Koa, and all the
Assyrians with them, desirable young men, all of them governors and officials,
officers and nobles, all of them riding on horses.
24 They will attack you with weapons, chariots, wagons, and with a huge army;
they will array themselves against you on every side with large shields, small
shields, and helmets. I will assign them the task of judgment; they will punish
you according to their laws.
25 I will direct my jealous anger against you, and they will deal with you in
rage. They will cut off your nose and your ears, and your survivors will die by
the sword. They will seize your sons and daughters, and your survivors will be
consumed by fire.
26 They will strip your clothes off you and take away your beautiful jewelry.
27 So I will put an end to your obscene conduct and your prostitution which you
have practiced in the land of Egypt. You will not seek their help or remember
Egypt anymore.
28 “For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Look here, I am about to deliver
you over to those whom you hate, to those with whom you were disgusted.
29 They will treat you with hatred, take away all you have labored for, and
leave you naked and bare. Your nakedness will be exposed, just as when you
engaged in prostitution and obscene conduct.
30 I will do these things to you because you engaged in prostitution with the
nations, polluting yourself with their idols.
31 You have followed the ways of your sister, so I will place her cup of
judgment in your hand.
32 “This is what the Sovereign LORD says:“You will drink your sister’s
deep and wide cup; you will be scorned and derided, for it holds a great deal.
33 You will be overcome by drunkenness and sorrow. The cup of your sister
Samaria is a cup of horror and desolation.
34 You will drain it dry, gnaw its pieces, and tear out your breasts, for I have
spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD.
35 “Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because you have forgotten
me and completely disregarded me, you must bear now the punishment for your
obscene conduct and prostitution.”
36 The LORD said to me:“Son of man, are you willing to pronounce judgment on
Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominable deeds!
37 For they have committed adultery and blood is on their hands. They have
committed adultery with their idols, and their sons, whom they bore to me, they
have passed through the fire as food to their idols.
38 Moreover, they have done this to me: In the very same day they desecrated my
sanctuary and profaned my Sabbaths.
39 On the same day they slaughtered their sons for their idols, they came to my
sanctuary to desecrate it. This is what they have done in the middle of my
house.
40 “They even sent for men from far away; when the messenger arrived, those
men set out. For them you bathed, painted your eyes, and decorated yourself with
jewelry.
41 You sat on a magnificent couch, with a table arranged in front of it where
you placed my incense and my olive oil.
42 The sound of a carefree crowd accompanied her, including all kinds of men;
even Sabeans were brought from the desert. The sisters put bracelets on their
wrists and beautiful crowns on their heads.
43 Then I said about the one worn out by adultery,‘Now they will commit
immoral acts with her.’
44 They slept with her the way someone sleeps with a prostitute. In this way
they slept with Oholah and Oholibah, promiscuous women.
45 But upright men will punish them appropriately for their adultery and
bloodshed, because they are adulteresses and blood is on their hands.
46 “For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Bring up an army against them
and subject them to terror and plunder.
47 That army will pelt them with stones and slash them with their swords; they
will kill their sons and daughters and burn their houses.
48 I will put an end to the obscene conduct in the land; all the women will
learn a lesson from this and not engage in obscene conduct.
49 They will repay you for your obscene conduct, and you will be punished for
idol worship. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.”

Chapter 24

1 The Boiling Pot The LORD’s message came to me in the ninth year, in the
tenth month, on the tenth day of the month:
2 “Son of man, write down the name of this day, this very day. The king of
Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day.
3 Recite a proverb to this rebellious house and say to them,‘This is what the
Sovereign LORD says:“‘Set on the pot, set it on, pour water in it too;
4 add the pieces of meat to it, every good piece, the thigh and the shoulder;
fill it with choice bones.
5 Take the choice bone of the flock, heap up wood under it; boil rapidly, and
boil its bones in it.
6 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the city of
bloodshed, the pot whose rot is in it, whose rot has not been removed from it!
Empty it piece by piece. No lot has fallen on it.
7 For her blood was in it; she poured it on an exposed rock; she did not pour it
on the ground to cover it up with dust.
8 To arouse anger, to take vengeance, I have placed her blood on an exposed rock
so that it cannot be covered up.
9 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the city of
bloodshed! I will also make the pile high.
10 Pile up the wood, kindle the fire; cook the meat well, mix in the spices, let
the bones be charred.
11 Set the empty pot on the coals, until it becomes hot and its copper glows,
until its uncleanness melts within it and its rot is consumed.
12 It has tried my patience; yet its thick rot is not removed from it. Subject
its rot to the fire!
13 You mix uncleanness with obscene conduct. I tried to cleanse you, but you are
not clean. You will not be cleansed from your uncleanness until I have exhausted
my anger on you.
14 “‘I the LORD have spoken; judgment is coming and I will act! I will not
relent, or show pity, or be sorry! I will judge you according to your conduct
and your deeds, declares the Sovereign LORD.’”
15 Ezekiel’s Wife Dies The LORD’s message came to me:
16 “Son of man, realize that I am about to take the delight of your eyes away
from you with a jolt, but you must not mourn or weep or shed tears.
17 Groan to moan for the dead, but do not perform mourning rites. Bind on your
turban and put your sandals on your feet. Do not cover your lip and do not eat
food brought by others.”
18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and my wife died in the evening. In
the morning I acted just as I was commanded.
19 Then the people said to me,“Will you not tell us what these things you are
doing mean for us?”
20 So I said to them:“The LORD’s message came to me:
21 Say to the house of Israel,‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Realize I
am about to desecrate my sanctuary– the source of your confident pride, the
object in which your eyes delight, and your life’s passion. Your very own sons
and daughters whom you have left behind will die by the sword.
22 Then you will do as I have done: You will not cover your lip or eat food
brought by others.
23 Your turbans will be on your heads and your sandals on your feet; you will
not mourn or weep, but you will rot for your iniquities and groan among
yourselves.
24 Ezekiel will be an object lesson for you; you will do all that he has done.
When it happens, then you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.’
25 “And you, son of man, this is what will happen on the day I take from them
their stronghold– their beautiful source of joy, the object in which their
eyes delight, and the main concern of their lives, as well as their sons and
daughters:
26 On that day a fugitive will come to you to report the news.
27 On that day you will be able to speak again; you will talk with the fugitive
and be silent no longer. You will be an object lesson for them, and they will
know that I am the LORD.”

Chapter 25

1 A Prophecy Against Ammon The LORD’s message came to me:
2 “Son of man, turn toward the Ammonites and prophesy against them.
3 Say to the Ammonites,‘Hear the word of the Sovereign LORD: This is what the
Sovereign LORD says: You said“Aha!” about my sanctuary when it was
desecrated, about the land of Israel when it was made desolate, and about the
house of Judah when they went into exile.
4 So take note, I am about to make you slaves of the tribes of the east. They
will make camps among you and pitch their tents among you. They will eat your
fruit and drink your milk.
5 I will make Rabbah a pasture for camels and Ammon a resting place for sheep.
Then you will know that I am the LORD.
6 For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because you clapped your hands,
stamped your feet, and rejoiced with intense scorn over the land of Israel,
7 take note, I have stretched out my hand against you, and I will hand you over
as plunder to the nations. I will cut you off from the peoples and make you
perish from the lands. I will destroy you; then you will know that I am the
LORD.’”
8 A Prophecy Against Moab“This is what the Sovereign LORD says:‘Moab and
Seir say,“Look, the house of Judah is like all the other nations.”
9 So look, I am about to open up Moab’s flank, eliminating the cities,
including its frontier cities, the beauty of the land– Beth Jeshimoth, Baal
Meon, and Kiriathaim.
10 I will hand it over, along with the Ammonites, to the tribes of the east, so
that the Ammonites will no longer be remembered among the nations.
11 I will execute judgments against Moab. Then they will know that I am the
LORD.’”
12 A Prophecy Against Edom“This is what the Sovereign LORD says:‘Edom has
taken vengeance against the house of Judah; they have made themselves fully
culpable by taking vengeance on them.
13 So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will stretch out my hand against
Edom, and I will kill the people and animals within her, and I will make her
desolate; from Teman to Dedan they will die by the sword.
14 I will exact my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel. They
will carry out in Edom my anger and rage; they will experience my vengeance,
declares the Sovereign LORD.’”
15 A Prophecy Against Philistia“This is what the Sovereign LORD says:‘The
Philistines have exacted merciless revenge, showing intense scorn in their
effort to destroy Judah with unrelenting hostility.
16 So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Take note, I am about to stretch out
my hand against the Philistines. I will kill the Cherethites and destroy those
who remain on the seacoast.
17 I will exact great vengeance upon them with angry rebukes. Then they will
know that I am the LORD, when I exact my vengeance upon them.’”

Chapter 26

1 A Prophecy Against Tyre In the eleventh year, on the first day of the month,
the LORD’s message came to me:
2 “Son of man, because Tyre has said about Jerusalem,‘Aha, the gateway of
the peoples is broken; it has swung open to me. I will become rich, now that she
has been destroyed,’
3 therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Look, I am against you, O
Tyre! I will bring up many nations against you, as the sea brings up its waves.
4 They will destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers. I will scrape
her soil from her and make her a bare rock.
5 She will be a place where fishing nets are spread, surrounded by the sea. For
I have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD. She will become plunder for the
nations,
6 and her daughters who are in the field will be slaughtered by the sword. Then
they will know that I am the LORD.
7 “For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Take note that I am about to
bring King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon, king of kings, against Tyre from the
north, with horses, chariots, and horsemen, an army and hordes of people.
8 He will kill your daughters in the field with the sword. He will build a siege
wall against you, erect a siege ramp against you, and raise a great shield
against you.
9 He will direct the blows of his battering rams against your walls and tear
down your towers with his weapons.
10 He will cover you with the dust kicked up by his many horses. Your walls will
shake from the noise of the horsemen, wheels, and chariots when he enters your
gates like those who invade through a city’s broken walls.
11 With his horses’ hoofs he will trample all your streets. He will kill your
people with the sword, and your strong pillars will tumble down to the ground.
12 They will steal your wealth and loot your merchandise. They will tear down
your walls and destroy your luxurious homes. Your stones, your trees, and your
soil he will throw into the water.
13 I will silence the noise of your songs; the sound of your harps will be heard
no more.
14 I will make you a bare rock; you will be a place where fishing nets are
spread. You will never be built again, for I, the LORD, have spoken, declares
the Sovereign LORD.
15 “This is what the Sovereign LORD says to Tyre: Oh, how the coastlands will
shake at the sound of your fall, when the wounded groan, at the massive
slaughter in your midst!
16 All the princes of the sea will vacate their thrones. They will remove their
robes and strip off their embroidered clothes; they will clothe themselves with
trembling. They will sit on the ground; they will tremble continually and be
shocked at what has happened to you.
17 They will sing this lament over you:“‘How you have perished– you have
vanished from the seas, O renowned city, once mighty in the sea, she and her
inhabitants, who spread their terror!
18 Now the coastlands will tremble on the day of your fall; the coastlands by
the sea will be terrified by your passing.’
19 “For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: When I make you desolate like
the uninhabited cities, when I bring up the deep over you and the surging waters
overwhelm you,
20 then I will bring you down to bygone people, to be with those who descend to
the Pit. I will make you live in the lower parts of the earth, among the
primeval ruins, with those who descend to the Pit, so that you will not be
inhabited or stand in the land of the living.
21 I will bring terrors on you, and you will be no more! Though you are sought
after, you will never be found again, declares the Sovereign LORD.”

Chapter 27

1 A Lament for Tyre The LORD’s message came to me:
2 “You, son of man, sing a lament for Tyre.
3 Say to Tyre, who sits at the entrance of the sea, merchant to the peoples on
many coasts,‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says:“‘O Tyre, you have
said,“I am perfectly beautiful.”
4 Your borders are in the heart of the seas; your builders have perfected your
beauty.
5 They crafted all your planks out of fir trees from Senir; they took a cedar
from Lebanon to make your mast.
6 They made your oars from oaks of Bashan; they made your deck with cypress wood
from the coasts of Cyprus.
7 Fine linen from Egypt, woven with patterns, was used for your sail to serve as
your banner; blue and purple from the coastlands of Elishah was used for your
deck’s awning.
8 The leaders of Sidon and Arvad were your rowers; your skilled men, O Tyre,
were your captains.
9 The elders of Gebal and her skilled men were within you, mending cracks; all
the ships of the sea and their mariners were within you to trade for your
merchandise.
10 Men of Persia, Lud, and Put were in your army, men of war. They hung shield
and helmet on you; they gave you your splendor.
11 The Arvadites joined your army on your walls all around, and the Gammadites
were in your towers. They hung their quivers on your walls all around; they
perfected your beauty.
12 “‘Tarshish was your trade partner because of your abundant wealth; they
exchanged silver, iron, tin, and lead for your products.
13 Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your clients; they exchanged slaves and bronze
items for your merchandise.
14 Beth Togarmah exchanged horses, chargers, and mules for your products.
15 The Dedanites were your clients. Many coastlands were your customers; they
paid you with ivory tusks and ebony.
16 Edom was your trade partner because of the abundance of your goods; they
exchanged turquoise, purple, embroidered work, fine linen, coral, and rubies for
your products.
17 Judah and the land of Israel were your clients; they traded wheat from
Minnith, millet, honey, olive oil, and balm for your merchandise.
18 Damascus was your trade partner because of the abundance of your goods and of
all your wealth: wine from Helbon, white wool from Zahar,
19 and casks of wine from Izal they exchanged for your products. Wrought iron,
cassia, and sweet cane were among your merchandise.
20 Dedan was your client in saddlecloths for riding.
21 Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were your trade partners; for lambs,
rams, and goats they traded with you.
22 The merchants of Sheba and Raamah engaged in trade with you; they traded the
best kinds of spices along with precious stones and gold for your products.
23 Haran, Kanneh, Eden, merchants from Sheba, Asshur, and Kilmad were your
clients.
24 They traded with you choice garments, purple clothes and embroidered work,
and multicolored carpets, bound and reinforced with cords; these were among your
merchandise.
25 The ships of Tarshish were the transports for your merchandise.“‘So you
were filled and weighed down in the heart of the seas.
26 Your rowers have brought you into surging waters. The east wind has wrecked
you in the heart of the seas.
27 Your wealth, products, and merchandise, your sailors and captains, your
ship’s carpenters, your merchants, and all your fighting men within you, along
with all your crew who are in you, will fall into the heart of the seas on the
day of your downfall.
28 At the sound of your captains’ cry the waves will surge;
29 They will descend from their ships– all who handle the oar, the sailors and
all the sea captains– they will stand on the land.
30 They will lament loudly over you and cry bitterly. They will throw dust on
their heads and roll in the ashes;
31 they will tear out their hair because of you and put on sackcloth, and they
will weep bitterly over you with intense mourning.
32 As they wail they will lament over you, chanting:“Who was like Tyre, like a
tower in the midst of the sea?”
33 When your products went out from the seas, you satisfied many peoples; with
the abundance of your wealth and merchandise you enriched the kings of the
earth.
34 Now you are wrecked by the seas, in the depths of the waters; your
merchandise and all your company have sunk along with you.
35 All the inhabitants of the coastlands are shocked at you, and their kings are
horribly afraid– their faces are troubled.
36 The traders among the peoples hiss at you; you have become a horror, and will
be no more.’”

Chapter 28

1 A Prophecy Against the King of Tyre The LORD’s message came to me:
2 “Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre,‘This is what the Sovereign LORD
says:“‘Your heart is proud and you said,“I am a god; I sit in the seat of
gods, in the heart of the seas”– yet you are a man and not a god, though you
think you are godlike.
3 Look, you are wiser than Daniel; no secret is hidden from you.
4 By your wisdom and understanding you have gained wealth for yourself; you have
amassed gold and silver in your treasuries.
5 By your great skill in trade you have increased your wealth, and your heart is
proud because of your wealth.
6 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because you think you
are godlike,
7 I am about to bring foreigners against you, the most terrifying of nations.
They will draw their swords against the grandeur made by your wisdom, and they
will defile your splendor.
8 They will bring you down to the Pit, and you will die violently in the heart
of the seas.
9 Will you still say,“I am a god,” before the one who kills you– though
you are a man and not a god– when you are in the power of those who wound you?
10 You will die the death of the uncircumcised by the hand of foreigners; for I
have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD.’”
11 The LORD’s message came to me:
12 “Son of man, sing a lament for the king of Tyre, and say to him,‘This is
what the Sovereign LORD says:“‘You were the sealer of perfection, full of
wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every precious stone was your covering,
the ruby, topaz, and emerald, the chrysolite, onyx, and jasper, the sapphire,
turquoise, and beryl; your settings and mounts were made of gold. On the day you
were created they were prepared.
14 I placed you there with an anointed guardian cherub; you were on the holy
mountain of God; you walked about amidst fiery stones.
15 You were blameless in your behavior from the day you were created, until sin
was discovered in you.
16 In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned;
so I defiled you and banished you from the mountain of God– the guardian
cherub expelled you from the midst of the stones of fire.
17 Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom on
account of your splendor. I threw you down to the ground; I placed you before
kings, that they might see you.
18 By the multitude of your iniquities, through the sinfulness of your trade,
you desecrated your sanctuaries. So I drew fire out from within you; it consumed
you, and I turned you to ashes on the earth before the eyes of all who saw you.
19 All who know you among the peoples are shocked at you; you have become
terrified and will be no more.’”
20 A Prophecy Against Sidon The LORD’s message came to me:
21 “Son of man, turn toward Sidon and prophesy against it.
22 Say,‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says:“‘Look, I am against you,
Sidon, and I will magnify myself in your midst. Then they will know that I am
the LORD when I execute judgments on her and reveal my sovereign power in her.
23 I will send a plague into the city and bloodshed into its streets; the slain
will fall within it, by the sword that attacks it from every side. Then they
will know that I am the LORD.
24 “‘No longer will Israel suffer from the sharp briers or painful thorns of
all who surround and scorn them. Then they will know that I am the Sovereign
LORD.
25 “‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When I regather the house of
Israel from the peoples where they are dispersed, I will reveal my sovereign
power over them in the sight of the nations, and they will live in their land
that I gave to my servant Jacob.
26 They will live securely in it; they will build houses and plant vineyards.
They will live securely when I execute my judgments on all those who scorn them
and surround them. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God.’”

Chapter 29

1 A Prophecy Against Egypt In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth
day of the month, the LORD’s message came to me:
2 “Son of man, turn toward Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and
against all Egypt.
3 Tell them,‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says:“‘Look, I am against
you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great monster lying in the midst of its
waterways, who has said,“My Nile is my own, I made it for myself.”
4 I will put hooks in your jaws and stick the fish of your waterways to your
scales. I will haul you up from the midst of your waterways, and all the fish of
your waterways will stick to your scales.
5 I will leave you in the wilderness, you and all the fish of your waterways;
you will fall in the open field and will not be gathered up or collected. I have
given you as food to the beasts of the earth and the birds of the skies.
6 Then all those living in Egypt will know that I am the LORD because they were
a reed staff for the house of Israel;
7 when they grasped you with their hand, you broke and tore their shoulders, and
when they leaned on you, you splintered and caused their legs to be unsteady.
8 “‘Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Look, I am about to
bring a sword against you, and I will kill every person and every animal.
9 The land of Egypt will become a desolate ruin. Then they will know that I am
the LORD. Because he said,“The Nile is mine and I made it,”
10 I am against you and your waterways. I will turn the land of Egypt into an
utter desolate ruin from Migdol to Syene, as far as the border with Ethiopia.
11 No human foot will pass through it, and no animal’s foot will pass through
it; it will be uninhabited for forty years.
12 I will turn the land of Egypt into a desolation in the midst of desolate
lands; for forty years her cities will lie desolate in the midst of ruined
cities. I will scatter Egypt among the nations and disperse them among foreign
countries.
13 “‘For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: At the end of forty years I
will gather Egypt from the peoples where they were scattered.
14 I will restore the fortunes of Egypt, and will bring them back to the land of
Pathros, to the land of their origin; there they will be an insignificant
kingdom.
15 It will be the most insignificant of the kingdoms; it will never again exalt
itself over the nations. I will make them so small that they will not rule over
the nations.
16 It will never again be Israel’s source of confidence, but a reminder of how
they sinned by turning to Egypt for help. Then they will know that I am the
Sovereign LORD.’”
17 In the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first day of the
month, the LORD’s message came to me:
18 “Son of man, King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon made his army labor hard
against Tyre. Every head was rubbed bald and every shoulder rubbed bare; yet he
and his army received no wages from Tyre for the work he carried out against it.
19 Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Look, I am about to give the
land of Egypt to King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon. He will carry off her wealth,
capture her loot, and seize her plunder; it will be his army’s wages.
20 I have given him the land of Egypt as his compensation for attacking Tyre,
because they did it for me, declares the Sovereign LORD.
21 On that day I will make Israel powerful, and I will give you the right to be
heard among them. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”

Chapter 30

1 A Lament Over Egypt The LORD’s message came to me:
2 “Son of man, prophesy and say,‘This is what the Sovereign LORD
says:“‘Wail,“Alas, the day is here!”
3 For the day is near, the day of the LORD is near; it will be a day of storm
clouds, it will be a time of judgment for the nations.
4 A sword will come against Egypt and panic will overtake Ethiopia when the
slain fall in Egypt and they carry away her wealth and dismantle her
foundations.
5 Ethiopia, Put, Lud, all the foreigners, Libya, and the people of the covenant
land will die by the sword along with them.
6 “‘This is what the LORD says: Egypt’s supporters will fall; her
confident pride will crumble. From Migdol to Syene they will die by the sword
within her, declares the Sovereign LORD.
7 They will be desolate among desolate lands, and their cities will be among
ruined cities.
8 They will know that I am the LORD when I ignite a fire in Egypt and all her
allies are defeated.
9 On that day messengers will go out from me in ships to frighten overly
confident Ethiopia; panic will overtake them on the day of Egypt’s doom; for
beware– it is coming!
10 “‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will put an end to the hordes
of Egypt, by the hand of King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon.
11 He and his people with him, the most terrifying of the nations, will be
brought there to destroy the land. They will draw their swords against Egypt,
and fill the land with corpses.
12 I will dry up the waterways and hand the land over to evil men. I will make
the land and everything in it desolate by the hand of foreigners. I, the LORD,
have spoken!
13 “‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will destroy the idols, and put
an end to the gods of Memphis. There will no longer be a prince from the land of
Egypt; so I will make the land of Egypt fearful.
14 I will desolate Pathros, I will ignite a fire in Zoan, and I will execute
judgments on Thebes.
15 I will pour out my anger upon Pelusium, the stronghold of Egypt; I will cut
off the hordes of Thebes.
16 I will ignite a fire in Egypt; Syene will writhe in agony, Thebes will be
broken down, and Memphis will face enemies every day.
17 The young men of On and of Pi-beseth will die by the sword; and the cities
will go into captivity.
18 In Tahpanhes the day will be dark when I break the yoke of Egypt there. Her
confident pride will cease within her; a cloud will cover her, and her daughters
will go into captivity.
19 I will execute judgments on Egypt. Then they will know that I am the
LORD.’”
20 In the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh day of the month,
the LORD’s message came to me:
21 “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Look, it has
not been bandaged for healing or set with a dressing so that it might become
strong enough to grasp a sword.
22 Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Look, I am against Pharaoh
king of Egypt, and I will break his arms, the strong arm and the broken one, and
I will make the sword drop from his hand.
23 I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them among
foreign countries.
24 I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and I will place my sword
in his hand, but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan like the
fatally wounded before the king of Babylon.
25 I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh
will fall limp. Then they will know that I am the LORD when I place my sword in
the hand of the king of Babylon and he extends it against the land of Egypt.
26 I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among
foreign countries. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”

Chapter 31

1 A Cedar in Lebanon In the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day
of the month, the LORD’s message came to me:
2 “Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and his hordes:“‘Who are you
like in your greatness?
3 Consider Assyria, a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches, like a forest
giving shade, and extremely tall; its top reached into the clouds.
4 The water made it grow; underground springs made it grow tall. Rivers flowed
all around the place it was planted, while smaller channels watered all the
trees of the field.
5 Therefore it grew taller than all the trees of the field; its boughs grew
large and its branches grew long, because of the plentiful water in its shoots.
6 All the birds of the sky nested in its boughs; under its branches all the
beasts of the field gave birth, in its shade all the great nations lived.
7 It was beautiful in its loftiness, in the length of its branches; for its
roots went down deep to plentiful waters.
8 The cedars in the garden of God could not eclipse it, nor could the fir trees
match its boughs; the plane trees were as nothing compared to its branches; no
tree in the garden of God could rival its beauty.
9 I made it beautiful with its many branches; all the trees of Eden, in the
garden of God, envied it.
10 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because it was tall in
stature, and its top reached into the clouds, and it was proud of its height,
11 I gave it over to the leader of the nations. He has judged it thoroughly, as
its sinfulness deserves. I have thrown it out.
12 Foreigners from the most terrifying nations have cut it down and left it to
lie there on the mountains. In all the valleys its branches have fallen, and its
boughs lie broken in the ravines of the land. All the peoples of the land have
departed from its shade and left it.
13 On its ruins all the birds of the sky will live, and all the wild animals
will walk on its branches.
14 For this reason no watered trees will grow so tall; their tops will not reach
into the clouds, nor will the well-watered ones grow that high. For all of them
have been appointed to die in the lower parts of the earth; they will be among
mere mortals, with those who descend to the Pit.
15 “‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: On the day it went down to Sheol
I caused observers to lament. I covered it with the deep and held back its
rivers; its plentiful water was restrained. I clothed Lebanon in black for it,
and all the trees of the field wilted because of it.
16 I made the nations shake at the sound of its fall, when I threw it down to
Sheol, along with those who descend to the Pit. Then all the trees of Eden, the
choicest and the best of Lebanon, all that were well-watered, were comforted in
the earth below.
17 Those who lived in its shade, its allies among the nations, also went down
with it to Sheol, to those killed by the sword.
18 Which of the trees of Eden was like you in majesty and loftiness? You will be
brought down with the trees of Eden to the lower parts of the earth; you will
lie among the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword! This is what will
happen to Pharaoh and all his hordes, declares the Sovereign LORD.’”

Chapter 32

1 Lamentation over Pharaoh and Egypt In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month,
on the first of the month, the LORD’s message came to me:
2 “Son of man, sing a lament for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say to
him:“‘You were like a lion among the nations, but you are a monster in the
seas; you thrash about in your streams, stir up the water with your feet, and
muddy your streams.
3 “‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says:“‘I will throw my net over you
in the assembly of many peoples; and they will haul you up in my dragnet.
4 I will leave you on the ground, I will fling you on the open field, I will
allow all the birds of the sky to settle on you, and I will permit all the wild
animals to gorge themselves on you.
5 I will put your flesh on the mountains, and fill the valleys with your
maggot-infested carcass.
6 I will drench the land with the flow of your blood up to the mountains, and
the ravines will be full of your blood.
7 When I extinguish you, I will cover the sky; I will darken its stars. I will
cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not shine.
8 I will darken all the lights in the sky over you, and I will darken your land,
declares the Sovereign LORD.
9 I will disturb many peoples, when I bring about your destruction among the
nations, among countries you do not know.
10 I will shock many peoples with you, and their kings will shiver with horror
because of you. When I brandish my sword before them, every moment each one will
tremble for his life, on the day of your fall.
11 “‘For this is what the Sovereign LORD says:“‘The sword of the king of
Babylon will attack you.
12 By the swords of the mighty warriors I will cause your hordes to fall– all
of them are the most terrifying among the nations. They will devastate the pride
of Egypt, and all its hordes will be destroyed.
13 I will destroy all its cattle beside the plentiful waters; and no human foot
will disturb the waters again, nor will the hooves of cattle disturb them.
14 Then I will make their waters calm, and will make their streams flow like
olive oil, declares the Sovereign LORD.
15 When I turn the land of Egypt into desolation and the land is destitute of
everything that fills it, when I strike all those who live in it, then they will
know that I am the LORD.’
16 This is a lament; they will chant it. The daughters of the nations will chant
it. They will chant it over Egypt and over all her hordes, declares the
Sovereign LORD.”
17 In the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, the LORD’s message
came to me:
18 “Son of man, wail over the horde of Egypt. Bring it down; bring her and the
daughters of powerful nations down to the lower parts of the earth, along with
those who descend to the Pit.
19 Say to them,‘Whom do you surpass in beauty? Go down and be laid to rest
with the uncircumcised!’
20 They will fall among those killed by the sword. The sword is drawn; they
carry her and all her hordes away.
21 The bravest of the warriors will speak to him from the midst of Sheol along
with his allies, saying:‘The uncircumcised have come down; they lie still,
killed by the sword.’
22 “Assyria is there with all her assembly around her grave, all of them
struck down by the sword.
23 Their graves are located in the remote slopes of the Pit. Her assembly is
around her grave, all of them struck down by the sword, those who spread terror
in the land of the living.
24 “Elam is there with all her hordes around her grave; all of them struck
down by the sword. They went down uncircumcised to the lower parts of the earth,
those who spread terror in the land of the living. Now they will bear their
shame with those who descend to the Pit.
25 Among the dead they have made a bed for her, along with all her hordes around
her grave. All of them are uncircumcised, killed by the sword, for their terror
had spread in the land of the living. They bear their shame along with those who
descend to the Pit; they are placed among the dead.
26 “Meshech-Tubal is there, along with all her hordes around her grave. All of
them are uncircumcised, killed by the sword, for they spread their terror in the
land of the living.
27 They do not lie with the fallen warriors of ancient times, who went down to
Sheol with their weapons of war, having their swords placed under their heads
and their shields on their bones, when the terror of these warriors was in the
land of the living.
28 “But as for you, in the midst of the uncircumcised you will be broken, and
you will lie with those killed by the sword.
29 “Edom is there with her kings and all her princes. Despite their might they
are laid with those killed by the sword; they lie with the uncircumcised and
those who descend to the Pit.
30 “All the leaders of the north are there, along with all the Sidonians;
despite their might they have gone down in shameful terror with the dead. They
lie uncircumcised with those killed by the sword, and bear their shame with
those who descend to the Pit.
31 “Pharaoh will see them and be consoled over all his hordes who were killed
by the sword, Pharaoh and all his army, declares the Sovereign LORD.
32 Indeed, I terrified him in the land of the living, yet he will lie in the
midst of the uncircumcised with those killed by the sword, Pharaoh and all his
hordes, declares the Sovereign LORD.”

Chapter 33

1 Ezekiel Israel’s Watchman The LORD’s message came to me:
2 “Son of man, speak to your people, and say to them,‘Suppose I bring a
sword against the land, and the people of the land take one man from their
borders and make him their watchman.
3 He sees the sword coming against the land, blows the trumpet, and warns the
people,
4 but there is one who hears the sound of the trumpet yet does not heed the
warning. Then the sword comes and sweeps him away. He will be responsible for
his own death.
5 He heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, so he is
responsible for himself. If he had heeded the warning, he would have saved his
life.
6 But suppose the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet
to warn the people. Then the sword comes and takes one of their lives. He is
swept away for his iniquity, but I will hold the watchman accountable for that
person’s death.’
7 “As for you, son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel.
Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you must warn them on my behalf.
8 When I say to the wicked,‘O wicked man, you must certainly die,’ and you
do not warn the wicked about his behavior, the wicked man will die for his
iniquity, but I will hold you accountable for his death.
9 But if you warn the wicked man to change his behavior, and he refuses to
change, he will die for his iniquity, but you have saved your own life.
10 “And you, son of man, say to the house of Israel,‘This is what you have
said:“Our rebellious acts and our sins have caught up with us, and we are
wasting away because of them. How then can we live?”’
11 Say to them,‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no
pleasure in the death of the wicked, but prefer that the wicked change his
behavior and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil deeds! Why should you
die, O house of Israel?’
12 “And you, son of man, say to your people,‘The righteousness of the
righteous will not deliver him if he rebels. As for the wicked, his wickedness
will not make him stumble if he turns from it. The righteous will not be able to
live by his righteousness if he sins.’
13 Suppose I tell the righteous that he will certainly live, but he becomes
confident in his righteousness and commits iniquity. None of his righteous deeds
will be remembered; because of the iniquity he has committed he will die.
14 Suppose I say to the wicked,‘You must certainly die,’ but he turns from
his sin and does what is just and right.
15 He returns what was taken in pledge, pays back what he has stolen, and
follows the statutes that give life, committing no iniquity. He will certainly
live– he will not die.
16 None of the sins he has committed will be counted against him. He has done
what is just and right; he will certainly live.
17 “Yet your people say,‘The behavior of the Lord is not right,’ when it
is their behavior that is not right.
18 When a righteous man turns from his godliness and commits iniquity, he will
die for it.
19 When the wicked turns from his sin and does what is just and right, he will
live because of it.
20 Yet you say,‘The behavior of the Lord is not right.’ House of Israel, I
will judge each of you according to his behavior.”
21 The Fall of Jerusalem In the twelfth year of our exile, in the tenth month,
on the fifth of the month, a refugee came to me from Jerusalem saying,“The
city has been defeated!”
22 Now the hand of the LORD had been on me the evening before the refugee
reached me, but the LORD opened my mouth by the time the refugee arrived in the
morning; he opened my mouth and I was no longer unable to speak.
23 The LORD’s message came to me:
24 “Son of man, the ones living in these ruins in the land of Israel are
saying,‘Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the land, but we are many;
surely the land has been given to us for a possession.’
25 Therefore say to them,‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: You eat the
meat with the blood still in it, pray to your idols, and shed blood. Do you
really think you will possess the land?
26 You rely on your swords and commit abominable deeds; each of you defiles his
neighbor’s wife. Will you possess the land?’
27 “This is what you must say to them,‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
As surely as I live, those living in the ruins will die by the sword, those in
the open field I will give to the wild beasts for food, and those who are in the
strongholds and caves will die of disease.
28 I will turn the land into a desolate ruin; her confident pride will come to
an end. The mountains of Israel will be so desolate no one will pass through
them.
29 Then they will know that I am the LORD when I turn the land into a desolate
ruin because of all the abominable deeds they have committed.’
30 “But as for you, son of man, your people(who are talking about you by the
walls and at the doors of the houses) say to one another,‘Come hear the word
that comes from the LORD.’
31 They come to you in crowds, and they sit in front of you as my people. They
hear your words, but do not obey them. For they talk lustfully, and their heart
is set on their own advantage.
32 Realize that to them you are like a sensual song, a beautiful voice and
skilled musician. They hear your words, but they do not obey them.
33 When all this comes true– and it certainly will– then they will know that
a prophet was among them.”

Chapter 34

1 A Prophecy Against False Shepherds The LORD’s message came to me:
2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to
them– to the shepherds:‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the
shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not shepherds feed
the flock?
3 You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the choice
animals, but you do not feed the sheep!
4 You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bandaged the injured,
brought back the strays, or sought the lost, but with force and harshness you
have ruled over them.
5 They were scattered because they had no shepherd, and they became food for
every wild beast.
6 My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were
scattered over the entire face of the earth with no one looking or searching for
them.
7 “‘Therefore, you shepherds, listen to the LORD’s message:
8 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, my sheep have become prey
and have become food for all the wild beasts. There was no shepherd, and my
shepherds did not search for my flock, but fed themselves and did not feed my
sheep,
9 Therefore, you shepherds, listen to the LORD’s message:
10 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Look, I am against the shepherds, and I
will demand my sheep from their hand. I will no longer let them be shepherds;
the shepherds will not feed themselves anymore. I will rescue my sheep from
their mouth, so that they will no longer be food for them.
11 “‘For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Look, I myself will search
for my sheep and seek them out.
12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his scattered sheep, so I
will seek out my flock. I will rescue them from all the places where they have
been scattered on a cloudy, dark day.
13 I will bring them out from among the peoples and gather them from foreign
countries; I will bring them to their own land. I will feed them on the
mountains of Israel, by the streams and all the inhabited places of the land.
14 In a good pasture I will feed them; the mountain heights of Israel will be
their pasture. There they will lie down in a lush pasture, and they will feed on
rich grass on the mountains of Israel.
15 I myself will feed my sheep and I myself will make them lie down, declares
the Sovereign LORD.
16 I will seek the lost and bring back the strays; I will bandage the injured
and strengthen the sick, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed
them– with judgment!
17 “‘As for you, my sheep, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Look, I am
about to judge between one sheep and another, between rams and goats.
18 Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must trample
the rest of your pastures with your feet? When you drink clean water, must you
muddy the rest of the water by trampling it with your feet?
19 As for my sheep, they must eat what you trampled with your feet, and drink
what you have muddied with your feet!
20 “‘Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says to them: Look, I myself
will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.
21 Because you push with your side and your shoulder, and thrust your horns at
all the weak sheep until you scatter them abroad,
22 I will save my sheep; they will no longer be prey. I will judge between one
sheep and another.
23 I will set one shepherd over them, and he will feed them– namely, my
servant David. He will feed them and will be their shepherd.
24 I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among
them; I, the LORD, have spoken!
25 “‘I will make a covenant of peace with them and will rid the land of wild
beasts, so that they can live securely in the wilderness and even sleep in the
woods.
26 I will turn them and the regions around my hill into a blessing. I will make
showers come down in their season; they will be showers that bring blessing.
27 The trees of the field will yield their fruit and the earth will yield its
crops. They will live securely on their land; they will know that I am the LORD,
when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hand of those who
enslaved them.
28 They will no longer be prey for the nations and the wild beasts will not
devour them. They will live securely and no one will make them afraid.
29 I will prepare for them a healthy planting. They will no longer be victims of
famine in the land and will no longer bear the insults of the nations.
30 Then they will know that I, the LORD their God, am with them, and that they
are my people, the house of Israel, declares the Sovereign LORD.
31 And you, my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are my people, and I am your God,
declares the Sovereign LORD.’”

Chapter 35

1 Prophecy Against Mount Seir The LORD’s message came to me:
2 “Son of man, turn toward Mount Seir, and prophesy against it.
3 Say to it,‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says:“‘Look, I am against
you, Mount Seir; I will stretch out my hand against you and turn you into a
desolate ruin.
4 I will lay waste your cities; and you will become desolate. Then you will know
that I am the LORD!
5 “‘You have shown unrelenting hostility and poured the people of Israel
onto the blades of a sword at the time of their calamity, at the time of their
final punishment.
6 Therefore, as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I will subject
you to bloodshed, and bloodshed will pursue you. Since you did not hate
bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you.
7 I will turn Mount Seir into a desolate ruin; I will cut off from it the one
who passes through or returns.
8 I will fill its mountains with its dead; on your hills and in your valleys and
in all your ravines, those killed by the sword will fall.
9 I will turn you into a perpetual desolation, and your cities will not be
inhabited. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
10 “‘You said,“These two nations, these two lands will be mine, and we
will possess them,”– although the LORD was there–
11 therefore, as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I will deal with
you according to your anger, and according to your envy, by which you acted
spitefully against them. I will reveal myself to them when I judge you.
12 Then you will know that I, the LORD, have heard all the insults you spoke
against the mountains of Israel, saying,“They are desolate, they have been
given to us for food.”
13 You exalted yourselves against me with your speech and hurled many insults
against me– I have heard them all!
14 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: While the whole earth rejoices, I will
turn you into a desolation.
15 As you rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel because it was
desolate, so will I deal with you– you will be desolate, Mount Seir, and all
of Edom– all of it! Then they will know that I am the LORD.’”

Chapter 36

1 Blessings on the Mountains of Israel“As for you, son of man, prophesy to the
mountains of Israel, and say:‘O mountains of Israel, listen to the LORD’s
message!
2 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: The enemy has spoken against you,
saying“Aha!” and,“The ancient heights have become our property!”’
3 So prophesy and say:‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Surely because
they have made you desolate and crushed you from all directions, so that you
have become the property of the rest of the nations, and have become the subject
of gossip and slander among the people,
4 therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Sovereign LORD: This is
what the Sovereign LORD says to the mountains and hills, the ravines and
valleys, and to the desolate ruins and the abandoned cities that have become
prey and an object of derision to the rest of the nations round about–
5 therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Surely I have spoken in the
fire of my zeal against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom, who with
great joy and utter contempt have made my land their property and prey, because
of its pasture.’
6 “Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains
and hills, the ravines and valleys,‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
Look, I have spoken in my zeal and in my anger, because you have endured the
insults of the nations.
7 So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I vow that the nations around you
will endure insults as well.
8 “‘But you, mountains of Israel, will grow your branches, and bear your
fruit for my people Israel; for they will arrive soon.
9 For indeed, I am on your side; I will turn to you, and you will be plowed and
planted.
10 I will multiply your people– the whole house of Israel, all of it. The
cities will be populated and the ruins rebuilt.
11 I will increase the number of people and animals on you; they will increase
and be fruitful. I will cause you to be inhabited as in ancient times, and will
do more good for you than at the beginning of your history. Then you will know
that I am the LORD.
12 I will lead people, my people Israel, across you; they will possess you and
you will become their inheritance. No longer will you bereave them of their
children.
13 “‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because they are saying to
you,“You are a devourer of men, and bereave your nation of children,”
14 therefore you will no longer devour people and no longer bereave your nation
of children, declares the Sovereign LORD.
15 I will no longer subject you to the nations’ insults; no longer will you
bear the shame of the peoples, and no longer will you bereave your nation,
declares the Sovereign LORD.’”
16 The LORD’s message came to me:
17 “Son of man, when the house of Israel was living on their own land, they
defiled it by their behavior and their deeds. In my sight their behavior was
like the uncleanness of a woman having her monthly period.
18 So I poured my anger on them because of the blood they shed on the land and
because of the idols with which they defiled it.
19 I scattered them among the nations; they were dispersed throughout foreign
countries. In accordance with their behavior and their deeds I judged them.
20 But when they arrived in the nations where they went, they profaned my holy
name. It was said of them,‘These are the people of the LORD, yet they have
departed from his land.’
21 I was concerned for my holy reputation which the house of Israel profaned
among the nations where they went.
22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel,‘This is what the Sovereign LORD
says: It is not for your sake that I am about to act, O house of Israel, but for
the sake of my holy reputation which you profaned among the nations where you
went.
23 I will magnify my great name that has been profaned among the nations, that
you have profaned among them. The nations will know that I am the LORD, declares
the Sovereign LORD, when I magnify myself among you in their sight.
24 “‘I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries;
then I will bring you to your land.
25 I will sprinkle you with pure water and you will be clean from all your
impurities. I will purify you from all your idols.
26 I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. I will
remove the heart of stone from your body and give you a heart of flesh.
27 I will put my Spirit within you; I will take the initiative and you will obey
my statutes and carefully observe my regulations.
28 Then you will live in the land I gave to your fathers; you will be my people,
and I will be your God.
29 I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and
multiply it; I will not bring a famine on you.
30 I will multiply the fruit of the trees and the produce of the fields, so that
you will never again suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations.
31 Then you will remember your evil behavior and your deeds which were not good;
you will loathe yourselves on account of your sins and your abominable deeds.
32 Understand that it is not for your sake I am about to act, declares the
Sovereign LORD. Be ashamed and embarrassed by your behavior, O house of Israel.
33 “‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: In the day I cleanse you from all
your sins, I will populate the cities and the ruins will be rebuilt.
34 The desolate land will be plowed, instead of being desolate in the sight of
everyone who passes by.
35 They will say,“This desolate land has become like the garden of Eden; the
ruined, desolate, and destroyed cities are now fortified and inhabited.”
36 Then the nations which remain around you will know that I, the LORD, have
rebuilt the ruins and replanted what was desolate. I, the LORD, have spoken–
and I will do it!’
37 “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will allow the house of Israel to
ask me to do this for them: I will multiply their people like sheep.
38 Like the sheep for offerings, like the sheep of Jerusalem during her
appointed feasts, so will the ruined cities be filled with flocks of people.
Then they will know that I am the LORD.”

Chapter 37

1 The Valley of Dry Bones The hand of the LORD was on me, and he brought me out
by the Spirit of the LORD and placed me in the midst of the valley, and it was
full of bones.
2 He made me walk all around among them. I realized there were a great many
bones in the valley and they were very dry.
3 He said to me,“Son of man, can these bones live?” I said to
him,“Sovereign LORD, you know.”
4 Then he said to me,“Prophesy over these bones, and tell them:‘Dry bones,
listen to the LORD’s message.
5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: Look, I am about to
infuse breath into you and you will live.
6 I will put tendons on you and muscles over you and will cover you with skin; I
will put breath in you and you will live. Then you will know that I am the
LORD.’”
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. There was a sound when I prophesied– I
heard a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to bone.
8 As I watched, I saw tendons on them, then muscles appeared, and skin covered
over them from above, but there was no breath in them.
9 He said to me,“Prophesy to the breath,– prophesy, son of man– and say to
the breath:‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O
breath, and breathe on these corpses so that they may live.’”
10 So I prophesied as I was commanded, and the breath came into them; they lived
and stood on their feet, an extremely great army.
11 Then he said to me,“Son of man, these bones are all the house of Israel.
Look, they are saying,‘Our bones are dry, our hope has perished; we are cut
off.’
12 Therefore prophesy, and tell them,‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
Look, I am about to open your graves and will raise you from your graves, my
people. I will bring you to the land of Israel.
13 Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and raise you
from your graves, my people.
14 I will place my breath in you and you will live; I will give you rest in your
own land. Then you will know that I am the LORD– I have spoken and I will act,
declares the LORD.’”
15 The LORD’s message came to me:
16 “As for you, son of man, take one branch, and write on it,‘For Judah, and
for the Israelites associated with him.’ Then take another branch and write on
it,‘For Joseph, the branch of Ephraim and all the house of Israel associated
with him.’
17 Join them as one stick; they will be as one in your hand.
18 When your people say to you,‘Will you not tell us what these things
mean?’
19 tell them,‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Look, I am about to take
the branch of Joseph which is in the hand of Ephraim and the tribes of Israel
associated with him, and I will place them on the stick of Judah, and make them
into one stick– they will be one in my hand.’
20 The sticks you write on will be in your hand in front of them.
21 Then tell them,‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Look, I am about to
take the Israelites from among the nations where they have gone. I will gather
them from round about and bring them to their land.
22 I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one
king will rule over them all. They will never again be two nations and never
again be divided into two kingdoms.
23 They will not defile themselves with their idols, their detestable things,
and all their rebellious deeds. I will save them from all their unfaithfulness
by which they sinned. I will purify them; they will become my people and I will
become their God.
24 “‘My servant David will be king over them; there will be one shepherd for
all of them. They will follow my regulations and carefully observe my statutes.
25 They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, in which your fathers
lived; they will live in it– they and their children and their grandchildren
forever. David my servant will be prince over them forever.
26 I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be a perpetual covenant
with them. I will establish them, increase their numbers, and place my sanctuary
among them forever.
27 My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my
people.
28 Then, when my sanctuary is among them forever, the nations will know that I,
the LORD, sanctify Israel.’”

Chapter 38

1 A Prophecy Against Gog The LORD’s message came to me:
2 “Son of man, turn toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of
Meshech and Tubal. Prophesy against him
3 and say:‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Look, I am against you, Gog,
chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.
4 I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and bring you out with all
your army, horses and horsemen, all of them fully armed, a great company with
shields of different types, all of them armed with swords.
5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Put are with them, all of them with shields and helmets.
6 They are joined by Gomer with all its troops, and by Beth Togarmah from the
remote parts of the north with all its troops– many peoples are with you.
7 “‘Be ready and stay ready, you and all your companies assembled around
you, and be a guard for them.
8 After many days you will be summoned; in the latter years you will come to a
land restored from the ravages of war, from many peoples gathered on the
mountains of Israel that had long been in ruins. Its people were brought out
from the peoples, and all of them will be living securely.
9 You will advance; you will come like a storm. You will be like a cloud
covering the earth, you, all your troops, and the many other peoples with you.
10 “‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: On that day thoughts will come
into your mind, and you will devise an evil plan.
11 You will say,“I will invade a land of unwalled towns; I will advance
against those living quietly in security– all of them living without walls and
barred gates–
12 to loot and plunder, to attack the inhabited ruins and the people gathered
from the nations, who are acquiring cattle and goods, who live at the center of
the earth.”
13 Sheba and Dedan and the traders of Tarshish with all its young warriors will
say to you,“Have you come to loot? Have you assembled your armies to plunder,
to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to haul away a
great amount of spoils?”’
14 “Therefore, prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog:‘This is what the
Sovereign LORD says: On that day when my people Israel are living securely, you
will take notice
15 and come from your place, from the remote parts of the north, you and many
peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a vast army.
16 You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud covering the earth. In
the latter days I will bring you against my land so that the nations may
acknowledge me, when before their eyes I magnify myself through you, O Gog.
17 “‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Are you the one of whom I spoke
in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in those
days that I would bring you against them?
18 On that day, when Gog invades the land of Israel, declares the Sovereign
LORD, my rage will mount up in my anger.
19 In my zeal, in the fire of my fury, I declare that on that day there will be
a great earthquake in the land of Israel.
20 The fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the wild beasts, all the things
that creep on the ground, and all people who live on the face of the earth will
shake at my presence. The mountains will topple, the cliffs will fall, and every
wall will fall to the ground.
21 I will call for a sword to attack Gog on all my mountains, declares the
Sovereign LORD; every man’s sword will be against his brother.
22 I will judge him with plague and bloodshed. I will rain down on him, his
troops and the many peoples who are with him a torrential downpour, hailstones,
fire, and brimstone.
23 I will exalt and magnify myself; I will reveal myself before many nations.
Then they will know that I am the LORD.’

Chapter 39

1 “As for you, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say:‘This is what the
Sovereign LORD says: Look, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and
Tubal!
2 I will turn you around and drag you along; I will lead you up from the
remotest parts of the north and bring you against the mountains of Israel.
3 I will knock your bow out of your left hand and make your arrows fall from
your right hand.
4 You will fall dead on the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the
people who are with you. I give you as food to every kind of bird and every wild
beast.
5 You will fall dead in the open field; for I have spoken, declares the
Sovereign LORD.
6 I will send fire on Magog and those who live securely in the coastlands; then
they will know that I am the LORD.
7 “‘I will make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; I will
not let my holy name be profaned anymore. Then the nations will know that I am
the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.
8 Realize that it is coming and it will be done, declares the Sovereign LORD. It
is the day I have spoken about.
9 “‘Then those who live in the cities of Israel will go out and use the
weapons for kindling– the shields, bows and arrows, war clubs and spears–
they will burn them for seven years.
10 They will not need to take wood from the field or cut down trees from the
forests, because they will make fires with the weapons. They will take the loot
from those who looted them and seize the plunder of those who plundered them,
declares the Sovereign LORD.
11 “‘On that day I will assign Gog a grave in Israel. It will be the valley
of those who travel east of the sea; it will block the way of the travelers.
There they will bury Gog and all his horde; they will call it the valley of
Hamon-Gog.
12 For seven months Israel will bury them, in order to cleanse the land.
13 All the people of the land will bury them, and it will be a memorial for them
on the day I magnify myself, declares the Sovereign LORD.
14 They will designate men to scout continually through the land, burying those
who remain on the surface of the ground, in order to cleanse it. They will
search for seven full months.
15 When the scouts survey the land and see a human bone, they will place a sign
by it, until those assigned to burial duty have buried it in the valley of
Hamon-Gog.
16 (A city by the name of Hamonah will also be there.) They will cleanse the
land.’
17 “As for you, son of man, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Tell every
kind of bird and every wild beast:‘Assemble and come! Gather from all around
to my slaughter which I am going to make for you, a great slaughter on the
mountains of Israel! You will eat flesh and drink blood.
18 You will eat the flesh of warriors and drink the blood of the princes of the
earth– the rams, lambs, goats, and bulls, all of them fattened animals of
Bashan.
19 You will eat fat until you are full, and drink blood until you are drunk, at
my slaughter which I have made for you.
20 You will fill up at my table with horses and charioteers, with warriors and
all the soldiers,’ declares the Sovereign LORD.
21 “I will display my majesty among the nations. All the nations will witness
the judgment I have executed, and the power I have exhibited among them.
22 Then the house of Israel will know that I am the LORD their God, from that
day forward.
23 The nations will know that the house of Israel went into exile due to their
iniquity, for they were unfaithful to me. So I hid my face from them and handed
them over to their enemies; all of them died by the sword.
24 According to their uncleanness and rebellion I have dealt with them, and I
hid my face from them.
25 “Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Now I will restore the
fortunes of Jacob, and I will have mercy on the entire house of Israel. I will
be zealous for my holy name.
26 They will bear their shame for all their unfaithful acts against me, when
they live securely on their land with no one to make them afraid.
27 When I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them from the
countries of their enemies, I will magnify myself among them in the sight of
many nations.
28 Then they will know that I am the LORD their God, because I sent them into
exile among the nations, and then gathered them into their own land. I will not
leave any of them in exile any longer.
29 I will no longer hide my face from them, when I pour out my Spirit on the
house of Israel, declares the Sovereign LORD.”

Chapter 40

1 Vision of the New Temple In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the
beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year
after the city was struck down, on this very day, the hand of the LORD was on
me, and he brought me there.
2 By means of divine visions he brought me to the land of Israel and placed me
on a very high mountain, and on it was a structure like a city, to the south.
3 When he brought me there, I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze, with a
linen cord and a measuring stick in his hand. He was standing in the gateway.
4 The man said to me,“Son of man, watch closely, listen carefully, and pay
attention to everything I show you, for you have been brought here so that I can
show it to you. Tell the house of Israel everything you see.”
5 I saw a wall all around the outside of the temple. In the man’s hand was a
measuring stick 10½ feet long. He measured the thickness of the wall as 10½
feet, and its height as 10½ feet.
6 Then he went to the gate facing east. He climbed its steps and measured the
threshold of the gate as 10½ feet deep.
7 The alcoves were 10½ feet long and 10½ feet wide; between the alcoves were
8¾ feet. The threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate facing inward was
10½ feet.
8 Then he measured the porch of the gate facing inward as 10½ feet.
9 He measured the porch of the gate as 14 feet, and its jambs as 3½ feet; the
porch of the gate faced inward.
10 There were three alcoves on each side of the east gate; the three had the
same measurement, and the jambs on either side had the same measurement.
11 He measured the width of the entrance of the gateway as 17½ feet, and the
length of the gateway as 22¾ feet.
12 There was a barrier in front of the alcoves, 1¾ feet on either side; the
alcoves were 10½ feet on either side.
13 He measured the gateway from the roof of one alcove to the roof of the other,
a width of 43¾ feet from one entrance to the opposite one.
14 He measured the porch at 105 feet high; the gateway went all around to the
jamb of the courtyard.
15 From the front of the entrance gate to the porch of the inner gate was 87½
feet.
16 There were closed windows toward the alcoves and toward their jambs within
the gate all around, and likewise for the porches. There were windows all around
the inside, and on each jamb were decorative palm trees.
17 Then he brought me to the outer court. I saw chambers there, and a pavement
made for the court all around; thirty chambers faced the pavement.
18 The pavement was beside the gates, corresponding to the length of the gates;
this was the lower pavement.
19 Then he measured the width from before the lower gate to the front of the
exterior of the inner court as 175 feet on the east and on the north.
20 He measured the length and width of the gate of the outer court which faces
north.
21 Its alcoves, three on each side, and its jambs and porches had the same
measurement as the first gate; 87½ feet long and 43¾ feet wide.
22 Its windows, its porches, and its decorative palm trees had the same
measurement as the gate which faced east. Seven steps led up to it, and its
porch was in front of them.
23 Opposite the gate on the north and the east was a gate of the inner court; he
measured the distance from gate to gate at 175 feet.
24 Then he led me toward the south. I saw a gate on the south. He measured its
jambs and its porches; they had the same dimensions as the others.
25 There were windows all around it and its porches, like the windows of the
others; 87½ feet long and 43¾ feet wide.
26 There were seven steps going up to it; its porches were in front of them. It
had decorative palm trees on its jambs, one on either side.
27 The inner court had a gate toward the south; he measured it from gate to gate
toward the south as 175 feet.
28 Then he brought me to the inner court by the south gate. He measured the
south gate; it had the same dimensions as the others.
29 Its alcoves, its jambs, and its porches had the same dimensions as the
others, and there were windows all around it and its porches; its length was
87½ feet and its width 43¾ feet.
30 There were porches all around, 43¾ feet long and 8¾ feet wide.
31 Its porches faced the outer court, and decorative palm trees were on its
jambs, and its stairway had eight steps.
32 Then he brought me to the inner court on the east side. He measured the gate;
it had the same dimensions as the others.
33 Its alcoves, its jambs, and its porches had the same dimensions as the
others, and there were windows all around it and its porches; its length was
87½ feet and its width 43¾ feet.
34 Its porches faced the outer court, it had decorative palm trees on its jambs,
and its stairway had eight steps.
35 Then he brought me to the north gate, and he measured it; it had the same
dimensions as the others–
36 its alcoves, its jambs, and its porches. It had windows all around it; its
length was 87½ feet and its width 43¾ feet.
37 Its jambs faced the outer court, and it had decorative palm trees on its
jambs, on either side, and its stairway had eight steps.
38 There was a chamber with its door by the porch of the gate; there they washed
the burnt offering.
39 In the porch of the gate were two tables on either side on which to slaughter
the burnt offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering.
40 On the outside of the porch as one goes up at the entrance of the north gate
were two tables, and on the other side of the porch of the gate were two tables.
41 Four tables were on each side of the gate, eight tables on which the
sacrifices were to be slaughtered.
42 The four tables for the burnt offering were of carved stone, 32 inches long,
32 inches wide, and 21 inches high. They would put the instruments which they
used to slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice on them.
43 There were hooks three inches long, fastened in the house all around, and on
the tables was the flesh of the offering.
44 On the outside of the inner gate were chambers for the singers of the inner
court, one at the side of the north gate facing south, and the other at the side
of the south gate facing north.
45 He said to me,“This chamber which faces south is for the priests who keep
charge of the temple,
46 and the chamber which faces north is for the priests who keep charge of the
altar. These are the descendants of Zadok, from the descendants of Levi, who may
approach the LORD to minister to him.”
47 He measured the court as a square 175 feet long and 175 feet wide; the altar
was in front of the temple.
48 Then he brought me to the porch of the temple and measured the jambs of the
porch as 8¾ feet on either side, and the width of the gate was 24½ feet and
the sides were 5¼ feet on each side.
49 The length of the porch was 35 feet and the width 19¼ feet; steps led up to
it, and there were pillars beside the jambs on either side.

Chapter 41

1 The Inner Temple Then he brought me to the outer sanctuary, and measured the
jambs; the jambs were 10½ feet wide on each side.
2 The width of the entrance was 17½ feet, and the sides of the entrance were
8¾ feet on each side. He measured the length of the outer sanctuary as 70 feet,
and its width as 35 feet.
3 Then he went into the inner sanctuary and measured the jambs of the entrance
as 3½ feet, the entrance as 10½ feet, and the width of the entrance as 12¼
feet.
4 Then he measured its length as 35 feet, and its width as 35 feet, before the
outer sanctuary. He said to me,“This is the most holy place.”
5 Then he measured the wall of the temple as 10½ feet, and the width of the
side chambers as 7 feet, all around the temple.
6 The side chambers were in three stories, one above the other, thirty in each
story. There were offsets in the wall all around to serve as supports for the
side chambers, so that the supports were not in the wall of the temple.
7 The side chambers surrounding the temple were wider at each successive story;
for the structure surrounding the temple went up story by story all around the
temple. For this reason the width of the temple increased as it went up, and one
went up from the lowest story to the highest by the way of the middle story.
8 I saw that the temple had a raised platform all around; the foundations of the
side chambers were a full measuring stick of 10½ feet high.
9 The width of the outer wall of the side chambers was 8¾ feet, and the open
area between the side chambers of the temple
10 and the chambers of the court was 35 feet in width all around the temple on
every side.
11 There were entrances from the side chambers toward the open area, one
entrance toward the north, and another entrance toward the south; the width of
the open area was 8¾ feet all around.
12 The building that was facing the temple courtyard at the west side was 122½
feet wide; the wall of the building was 8¾ feet thick all around, and its
length 157½ feet.
13 Then he measured the temple as 175 feet long, the courtyard of the temple and
the building and its walls as 175 feet long,
14 and also the width of the front of the temple and the courtyard on the east
as 175 feet.
15 Then he measured the length of the building facing the courtyard at the rear
of the temple, with its galleries on either side as 175 feet. The interior of
the outer sanctuary and the porch of the court,
16 as well as the thresholds, narrow windows and galleries all around on three
sides facing the threshold were paneled with wood all around, from the ground up
to the windows(now the windows were covered),
17 to the space above the entrance, to the inner room, and on the outside, and
on all the walls in the inner room and outside, by measurement.
18 It was made with cherubim and decorative palm trees, with a palm tree between
each cherub. Each cherub had two faces:
19 a human face toward the palm tree on one side and a lion’s face toward the
palm tree on the other side. They were carved on the whole temple all around;
20 from the ground to the area above the entrance, cherubim and decorative palm
trees were carved on the wall of the outer sanctuary.
21 The doorposts of the outer sanctuary were square. In front of the sanctuary
one doorpost looked just like the other.
22 The altar was of wood, 5¼ feet high, with its length 3½ feet; its corners,
its length, and its walls were of wood. He said to me,“This is the table that
is before the LORD.”
23 The outer sanctuary and the inner sanctuary each had a double door.
24 Each of the doors had two leaves, two swinging leaves; two leaves for one
door and two leaves for the other.
25 On the doors of the outer sanctuary were carved cherubim and palm trees, like
those carved on the walls, and there was a canopy of wood on the front of the
outside porch.
26 There were narrow windows and decorative palm trees on either side of the
side walls of the porch; this is what the side chambers of the temple and the
canopies were like.

Chapter 42

1 Chambers for the Temple Then he led me out to the outer court, toward the
north, and brought me to the chamber which was opposite the courtyard and
opposite the building on the north.
2 Its length was 175 feet on the north side, and its width 87½ feet.
3 Opposite the 35 feet that belonged to the inner court, and opposite the
pavement which belonged to the outer court, gallery faced gallery in the three
stories.
4 In front of the chambers was a walkway on the inner side, 17½ feet wide at a
distance of 1¾ feet, and their entrances were on the north.
5 Now the upper chambers were narrower, because the galleries took more space
from them than from the lower and middle chambers of the building.
6 For they were in three stories and had no pillars like the pillars of the
courts; therefore the upper chambers were set back from the ground more than the
lower and middle ones.
7 As for the outer wall by the side of the chambers, toward the outer court
facing the chambers, it was 87½ feet long.
8 For the chambers on the outer court were 87½ feet long, while those facing
the temple were 175 feet long.
9 Below these chambers was a passage on the east side as one enters from the
outer court.
10 At the beginning of the wall of the court toward the south, facing the
courtyard and the building, were chambers
11 with a passage in front of them. They looked like the chambers on the north.
Of the same length and width, and all their exits according to their
arrangements and entrances
12 were the chambers which were toward the south. There was an opening at the
head of the passage, the passage in front of the corresponding wall toward the
east when one enters.
13 Then he said to me,“The north chambers and the south chambers which face
the courtyard are holy chambers where the priests who approach the LORD will eat
the most holy offerings. There they will place the most holy offerings– the
grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering, because the place is
holy.
14 When the priests enter, then they will not go out from the sanctuary to the
outer court without taking off their garments in which they minister, for these
are holy; they will put on other garments, then they will go near the places
where the people are.”
15 Now when he had finished measuring the interior of the temple, he led me out
by the gate which faces east and measured all around.
16 He measured the east side with the measuring stick as 875 feet by the
measuring stick.
17 He measured the north side as 875 feet by the measuring stick.
18 He measured the south side as 875 feet by the measuring stick.
19 He turned to the west side and measured 875 feet by the measuring stick.
20 He measured it on all four sides. It had a wall around it, 875 feet long and
875 feet wide, to separate the holy and common places.

Chapter 43

1 The Glory Returns to the Temple Then he brought me to the gate that faced
toward the east.
2 I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east; the sound was like
that of rushing water; and the earth radiated his glory.
3 It was like the vision I saw when he came to destroy the city, and the vision
I saw by the Kebar River. I threw myself face down.
4 The glory of the LORD came into the temple by way of the gate that faces east.
5 Then a wind lifted me up and brought me to the inner court; I watched the
glory of the LORD filling the temple.
6 I heard someone speaking to me from the temple, while the man was standing
beside me.
7 He said to me:“Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place for
the soles of my feet, where I will live among the people of Israel forever. The
house of Israel will no longer profane my holy name, neither they nor their
kings, by their spiritual prostitution or by the pillars of their kings set up
when they die.
8 When they placed their threshold by my threshold and their doorpost by my
doorpost, with only the wall between me and them, they profaned my holy name by
the abominable deeds they committed. So I consumed them in my anger.
9 Now they must put away their spiritual prostitution and the pillars of their
kings far from me, and then I will live among them forever.
10 “As for you, son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel, so
that they will be ashamed of their sins and measure the pattern.
11 When they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the
design of the temple, its pattern, its exits and entrances, and its whole
design– all its statutes, its entire design, and all its laws; write it all
down in their sight, so that they may observe its entire design and all its
statutes and do them.
12 “This is the law of the temple: The entire area on top of the mountain all
around will be most holy. Indeed, this is the law of the temple.
13 The Altar“And these are the measurements of the altar: Its base is 1¾ feet
high, and 1¾ feet wide, and its border nine inches on its edge. This is to be
the height of the altar.
14 From the base of the ground to the lower ledge is 3½ feet, and the width 1¾
feet; and from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge, 7 feet, and the width 1¾
feet;
15 and the altar hearth, 7 feet, and from the altar hearth four horns projecting
upward.
16 Now the altar hearth is a perfect square, 21 feet long and 21 feet wide.
17 The ledge is 24½ feet long and 24½ feet wide on four sides; the border
around it is 10½ inches, and its surrounding base 1¾ feet. Its steps face
east.”
18 Then he said to me:“Son of man, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: These
are the statutes of the altar: On the day it is built to offer up burnt
offerings on it and to sprinkle blood on it,
19 you will give a young bull for a sin offering to the Levitical priests who
are descended from Zadok, who approach me to minister to me, declares the
Sovereign LORD.
20 You will take some of its blood, and place it on the four horns of the altar,
on the four corners of the ledge, and on the border all around; you will purify
it and make atonement for it.
21 You will also take the bull for the sin offering, and it will be burned in
the appointed place in the temple, outside the sanctuary.
22 “On the second day, you will offer a male goat without blemish for a sin
offering. They will purify the altar just as they purified it with the bull.
23 When you have finished purifying it, you will offer an unblemished young bull
and an unblemished ram from the flock.
24 You will present them before the LORD, and the priests will scatter salt on
them and offer them up as a burnt offering to the LORD.
25 “For seven days you will provide every day a goat for a sin offering; a
young bull and a ram from the flock, both without blemish, will be provided.
26 For seven days they will make atonement for the altar and cleanse it, so they
will consecrate it.
27 When the prescribed period is over, on the eighth day and thereafter the
priests will offer up on the altar your burnt offerings and your peace
offerings; I will accept you, declares the Sovereign LORD.”

Chapter 44

1 The Closed Gate Then he brought me back by way of the outer gate of the
sanctuary which faces east, but it was shut.
2 The LORD said to me:“This gate will be shut; it will not be opened, and no
one will enter by it. For the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered by it;
therefore it will remain shut.
3 Only the prince may sit in it to eat a sacrificial meal before the LORD; he
will enter by way of the porch of the gate and will go out by the same way.”
4 Then he brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the temple. As I
watched, I noticed the glory of the LORD filling the LORD’s temple, and I
threw myself face down.
5 The LORD said to me:“Son of man, pay attention, watch closely and listen
carefully to everything I tell you concerning all the statutes of the LORD’s
house and all its laws. Pay attention to the entrances to the temple with all
the exits of the sanctuary.
6 Say to the rebellious, to the house of Israel,‘This is what the Sovereign
LORD says: Enough of all your abominable practices, O house of Israel!
7 When you bring foreigners, those uncircumcised in heart and in flesh, into my
sanctuary, you desecrate it– even my house– when you offer my food, the fat
and the blood. You have broken my covenant by all your abominable practices.
8 You have not kept charge of my holy things, but you have assigned foreigners
to keep charge of my sanctuary for you.
9 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: No foreigner, who is uncircumcised in
heart and flesh among all the foreigners who are among the people of Israel,
will enter into my sanctuary.
10 “‘But the Levites who went far from me, straying off from me after their
idols when Israel went astray, will be responsible for their sin.
11 Yet they will be ministers in my sanctuary, having oversight at the gates of
the temple, and serving the temple. They will slaughter the burnt offerings and
the sacrifices for the people, and they will stand before them to minister to
them.
12 Because they used to minister to them before their idols, and became a sinful
obstacle to the house of Israel, consequently I have made a vow concerning them,
declares the Sovereign LORD, that they will be responsible for their sin.
13 They will not come near me to serve me as priest, nor will they come near any
of my holy things, the things which are most sacred. They will bear the shame of
the abominable deeds they have committed.
14 Yet I will appoint them to keep charge of the temple, all of its service and
all that will be done in it.
15 The Levitical Priests“‘But the Levitical priests, the descendants of
Zadok who kept the charge of my sanctuary when the people of Israel went astray
from me, will approach me to minister to me; they will stand before me to offer
me the fat and the blood, declares the Sovereign LORD.
16 They will enter my sanctuary, and approach my table to minister to me; they
will keep my charge.
17 “‘When they enter the gates of the inner court, they must wear linen
garments; they must not have any wool on them when they minister in the inner
gates of the court and in the temple.
18 Linen turbans will be on their heads and linen undergarments will be around
their waists; they must not bind themselves with anything that causes sweat.
19 When they go out to the outer court to the people, they must remove the
garments they were ministering in, and place them in the holy chambers; they
must put on other garments so that they will not transmit holiness to the people
with their garments.
20 “‘They must not shave their heads nor let their hair grow long; they must
only trim their heads.
21 No priest may drink wine when he enters the inner court.
22 They must not marry a widow or a divorcee, but they may marry a virgin from
the house of Israel or a widow who is a priest’s widow.
23 Moreover, they will teach my people the difference between the holy and the
common, and show them how to distinguish between the ceremonially unclean and
the clean.
24 “‘In a controversy they will act as judges; they will judge according to
my ordinances. They will keep my laws and my statutes regarding all my appointed
festivals and will observe my Sabbaths.
25 “‘They must not come near a dead person or they will be defiled; however,
for father, mother, son, daughter, brother or unmarried sister, they may defile
themselves.
26 After a priest has become ceremonially clean, they must count off a period of
seven days for him.
27 On the day he enters the sanctuary, into the inner court to serve in the
sanctuary, he must offer his sin offering, declares the Sovereign LORD.
28 “‘This will be their inheritance: I am their inheritance, and you must
give them no property in Israel; I am their property.
29 They may eat the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering,
and every devoted thing in Israel will be theirs.
30 The first of all the first fruits and all contributions of any kind will be
for the priests; you will also give to the priest the first portion of your
dough, so that a blessing may rest on your house.
31 The priests will not eat any bird or animal that has died a natural death or
was torn to pieces by a wild animal.

Chapter 45

1 The Lord’s Portion of the Land“‘When you allot the land as an
inheritance, you will offer an allotment to the LORD, a holy portion from the
land; the length will be eight and a quarter miles and the width three and
one-third miles. This entire area will be holy.
2 Of this area a square 875 feet by 875 feet will be designated for the
sanctuary, with 87½ feet set aside for its open space round about.
3 From this measured area you will measure a length of eight and a quarter miles
and a width of three and one-third miles; in it will be the sanctuary, the most
holy place.
4 It will be a holy portion of the land; it will be for the priests, the
ministers of the sanctuary who approach the LORD to minister to him. It will be
a place for their houses and a holy place for the sanctuary.
5 An area eight and a quarter miles in length and three and one-third miles in
width will be for the Levites, who minister at the temple, as the place for the
cities in which they will live.
6 “‘Alongside the portion set apart as the holy allotment, you will allot
for the city an area one and two-thirds miles wide and eight and a quarter miles
long; it will be for the whole house of Israel.
7 “‘For the prince there will be land on both sides of the holy allotment
and the allotted city, alongside the holy allotment and the allotted city, on
the west side and on the east side; it will be comparable in length to one of
the portions, from the west border to the east border
8 of the land. This will be his property in Israel. My princes will no longer
oppress my people, but the land will be allotted to the house of Israel
according to their tribes.
9 “‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Enough, you princes of Israel! Put
away violence and destruction, and do what is just and right. Put an end to your
evictions of my people, declares the Sovereign LORD.
10 You must use just balances, a just dry measure(an ephah), and a just liquid
measure(a bath).
11 The dry and liquid measures will be the same, the bath will contain a tenth
of a homer, and the ephah a tenth of a homer; the homer will be the standard
measure.
12 The shekel will be twenty gerahs. Sixty shekels will be a mina for you.
13 “‘This is the offering you must offer: a sixth of an ephah from a homer
of wheat; a sixth of an ephah from a homer of barley,
14 and as the prescribed portion of olive oil, one tenth of a bath from each
cor(which is ten baths or a homer, for ten baths make a homer);
15 and one sheep from each flock of two hundred, from the watered places of
Israel, for a grain offering, burnt offering, and peace offering, to make
atonement for them, declares the Sovereign LORD.
16 All the people of the land will contribute to this offering for the prince of
Israel.
17 It will be the duty of the prince to provide the burnt offerings, the grain
offering, and the drink offering at festivals, on the new moons and Sabbaths, at
all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel; he will provide the sin
offering, the grain offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offerings to
make atonement for the house of Israel.
18 “‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: In the first month, on the first
day of the month, you must take an unblemished young bull and purify the
sanctuary.
19 The priest will take some of the blood of the sin offering and place it on
the doorpost of the temple, on the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and
on the doorpost of the gate of the inner court.
20 This is what you must do on the seventh day of the month for anyone who sins
inadvertently or through ignorance; so you will make atonement for the temple.
21 “‘In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you will
celebrate the Passover, and for the seven days of the festival bread made
without yeast will be eaten.
22 On that day the prince will provide for himself and for all the people of the
land a bull for a sin offering.
23 And during the seven days of the feast he will provide as a burnt offering to
the LORD seven bulls and seven rams, all without blemish, on each of the seven
days, and a male goat daily for a sin offering.
24 He will provide as a grain offering an ephah for each bull, an ephah for each
ram, and a gallon of olive oil for each ephah of grain.
25 In the seventh month, on the fifteenth day of the month, at the feast, he
will make the same provisions for the sin offering, burnt offering, and grain
offering, and for the olive oil, for the seven days.

Chapter 46

1 The Prince’s Offerings“‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: The gate
of the inner court that faces east will be closed six working days, but on the
Sabbath day it will be opened and on the day of the new moon it will be opened.
2 The prince will enter by way of the porch of the gate from the outside, and
will stand by the doorpost of the gate. The priests will provide his burnt
offering and his peace offerings, and he will bow down at the threshold of the
gate and then go out. But the gate will not be closed until evening.
3 The people of the land will bow down at the entrance of that gate before the
LORD on the Sabbaths and on the new moons.
4 The burnt offering which the prince will offer to the LORD on the Sabbath day
will be six unblemished lambs and one unblemished ram.
5 The grain offering will be an ephah with the ram, and the grain offering with
the lambs will be as much as he is able to give, and a gallon of olive oil with
an ephah.
6 On the day of the new moon he will offer an unblemished young bull, and six
lambs and a ram, all without blemish.
7 He will provide a grain offering: an ephah with the bull and an ephah with the
ram, and with the lambs as much as he wishes, and a gallon of olive oil with
each ephah of grain.
8 When the prince enters, he will come by way of the porch of the gate and will
go out the same way.
9 “‘When the people of the land come before the LORD at the appointed
feasts, whoever enters by way of the north gate to worship will go out by way of
the south gate; whoever enters by way of the south gate will go out by way of
the north gate. No one will return by way of the gate they entered but will go
out straight ahead.
10 When they come in, the prince will come in with them, and when they go out,
he will go out.
11 “‘At the festivals and at the appointed feasts the grain offering will be
an ephah with the bull and an ephah with the ram, and with the lambs as much as
one is able, and a gallon of olive oil with each ephah of grain.
12 When the prince provides a freewill offering, a burnt offering, or peace
offerings as a voluntary offering to the LORD, the gate facing east will be
opened for him, and he will provide his burnt offering and his peace offerings
just as he did on the Sabbath. Then he will go out, and the gate will be closed
after he goes out.
13 “‘You will provide a lamb a year old without blemish for a burnt offering
daily to the LORD; morning by morning he will provide it.
14 And you will provide a grain offering with it morning by morning, a sixth of
an ephah, and a third of a gallon of olive oil to moisten the choice flour, as a
grain offering to the LORD; this is a perpetual statute.
15 Thus they will provide the lamb, the grain offering, and the olive oil
morning by morning, as a perpetual burnt offering.
16 “‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: If the prince should give a gift
to one of his sons as his inheritance, it will belong to his sons, it is their
property by inheritance.
17 But if he gives a gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, it will
be his until the year of liberty; then it will revert to the prince. His
inheritance will only remain with his sons.
18 The prince will not take away any of the people’s inheritance by
oppressively removing them from their property. He will give his sons an
inheritance from his own possessions so that my people will not be scattered,
each from his own property.’”
19 Then he brought me through the entrance, which was at the side of the gate,
into the holy chambers for the priests which faced north. There I saw a place at
the extreme western end.
20 He said to me,“This is the place where the priests will boil the guilt
offering and the sin offering, and where they will bake the grain offering, so
that they do not bring them out to the outer court to transmit holiness to the
people.”
21 Then he brought me out to the outer court and led me past the four corners of
the court, and I noticed that in every corner of the court there was a court.
22 In the four corners of the court were small courts, 70 feet in length and
52½ feet in width; the four were all the same size.
23 There was a row of masonry around each of the four courts, and places for
boiling offerings were made under the rows all around.
24 Then he said to me,“These are the houses for boiling, where the ministers
of the temple boil the sacrifices of the people.”

Chapter 47

1 Water from the Temple Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple. I
noticed that water was flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the
east(for the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from under the right
side of the temple, from south of the altar.
2 He led me out by way of the north gate and brought me around the outside of
the outer gate that faces toward the east; I noticed that the water was
trickling out from the south side.
3 When the man went out toward the east with a measuring line in his hand, he
measured 1,750 feet, and then he led me through water, which was ankle deep.
4 Again he measured 1,750 feet and led me through the water, which was now knee
deep. Once more he measured 1,750 feet and led me through the water, which was
waist deep.
5 Again he measured 1,750 feet and it was a river I could not cross, for the
water had risen; it was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be
crossed.
6 He said to me,“Son of man, have you seen this?” Then he led me back to the
bank of the river.
7 When I had returned, I noticed a vast number of trees on the banks of the
river, on both sides.
8 He said to me,“These waters go out toward the eastern region and flow down
into the rift valley; when they enter the Dead Sea, where the sea is stagnant,
the waters become fresh.
9 Every living creature which swarms where the river flows will live; there will
be many fish, for these waters flow there. It will become fresh and everything
will live where the river flows.
10 Fishermen will stand beside it; from En Gedi to En Eglaim they will spread
nets. They will catch many kinds of fish, like the fish of the Great Sea.
11 But its swamps and its marshes will not become fresh; they will remain salty.
12 On both sides of the river’s banks, every kind of tree will grow for food.
Their leaves will not wither nor will their fruit fail, but they will bear fruit
every month, because their water source flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit
will be for food and their leaves for healing.”
13 Boundaries for the Land This is what the Sovereign LORD says:“Here are the
borders you will observe as you allot the land to the twelve tribes of
Israel.(Joseph will have two portions.)
14 You must divide it equally just as I vowed to give it to your forefathers;
this land will be assigned as your inheritance.
15 “This will be the border of the land: On the north side, from the Great Sea
by way of Hethlon to the entrance of Zedad;
16 Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim, which is between the border of Damascus and the
border of Hamath, as far as Hazer-hattikon, which is on the border of Hauran.
17 The border will run from the sea to Hazar-enan, at the border of Damascus,
and on the north is the border of Hamath. This is the north side.
18 On the east side, between Hauran and Damascus, and between Gilead and the
land of Israel, will be the Jordan. You will measure from the border to the
eastern sea. This is the east side.
19 On the south side it will run from Tamar to the waters of Meribath Kadesh,
the river, to the Great Sea. This is the south side.
20 On the west side the Great Sea will be the boundary to a point opposite Lebo
Hamath. This is the west side.
21 “This is how you will divide this land for yourselves among the tribes of
Israel.
22 You must allot it as an inheritance among yourselves and for the resident
foreigners who live among you, who have fathered sons among you. You must treat
them as native-born among the people of Israel; they will be allotted an
inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel.
23 In whatever tribe the resident foreigner lives, there you will give him his
inheritance,” declares the Sovereign LORD.

Chapter 48

1 The Tribal Portions“These are the names of the tribes: From the northern end
beside the road of Hethlon to Lebo Hamath, as far as Hazar-enan(which is on the
border of Damascus, toward the north beside Hamath), extending from the east
side to the west, Dan will have one portion.
2 Next to the border of Dan, from the east side to the west side, Asher will
have one portion.
3 Next to the border of Asher from the east side to the west side, Naphtali will
have one portion.
4 Next to the border of Naphtali from the east side to the west side, Manasseh
will have one portion.
5 Next to the border of Manasseh from the east side to the west side, Ephraim
will have one portion.
6 Next to the border of Ephraim from the east side to the west side, Reuben will
have one portion.
7 Next to the border of Reuben from the east side to the west side, Judah will
have one portion.
8 “Next to the border of Judah from the east side to the west side will be the
allotment you must set apart. It is to be eight and a quarter miles wide, and
the same length as one of the tribal portions, from the east side to the west
side; the sanctuary will be in the middle of it.
9 The allotment you set apart to the LORD will be eight and a quarter miles in
length and three and one-third miles in width.
10 These will be the allotments for the holy portion: for the priests, toward
the north eight and a quarter miles in length, toward the west three and
one-third miles in width, toward the east three and one-third miles in width,
and toward the south eight and a quarter miles in length; the sanctuary of the
LORD will be in the middle.
11 This will be for the priests who are set apart from the descendants of Zadok
who kept my charge and did not go astray when the people of Israel strayed off,
like the Levites did.
12 It will be their portion from the allotment of the land, a most holy place,
next to the border of the Levites.
13 “Alongside the border of the priests, the Levites will have an allotment
eight and a quarter miles in length and three and one-third miles in width. The
whole length will be eight and a quarter miles and the width three and one-third
miles.
14 They must not sell or exchange any of it; they must not transfer this choice
portion of land, for it is set apart to the LORD.
15 “The remainder, one and two-thirds miles in width and eight and a quarter
miles in length, will be for common use by the city, for houses and for open
space. The city will be in the middle of it;
16 these will be its measurements: The north side will be one and one-half
miles, the south side one and one-half miles, the east side one and one-half
miles, and the west side one and one-half miles.
17 The city will have open spaces: On the north there will be 437½ feet, on the
south 437½ feet, on the east 437½ feet, and on the west 437½ feet.
18 The remainder of the length alongside the holy allotment will be three and
one-third miles to the east and three and one-third miles toward the west, and
it will be beside the holy allotment. Its produce will be for food for the
workers of the city.
19 The workers of the city from all the tribes of Israel will cultivate it.
20 The whole allotment will be eight and a quarter miles square, you must set
apart the holy allotment with the possession of the city.
21 “The rest, on both sides of the holy allotment and the property of the
city, will belong to the prince. Extending from the eight and a quarter miles of
the holy allotment to the east border, and westward from the eight and a quarter
miles to the west border, alongside the portions, it will belong to the prince.
The holy allotment and the sanctuary of the temple will be in the middle of it.
22 The property of the Levites and of the city will be in the middle of that
which belongs to the prince. The portion between the border of Judah and the
border of Benjamin will be for the prince.
23 “As for the rest of the tribes: From the east side to the west side,
Benjamin will have one portion.
24 Next to the border of Benjamin, from the east side to the west side, Simeon
will have one portion.
25 Next to the border of Simeon, from the east side to the west side, Issachar
will have one portion.
26 Next to the border of Issachar, from the east side to the west side, Zebulun
will have one portion.
27 Next to the border of Zebulun, from the east side to the west side, Gad will
have one portion.
28 Next to the border of Gad, at the south side, the border will run from Tamar
to the waters of Meribath Kadesh, to the Stream of Egypt and on to the Great
Sea.
29 This is the land which you will allot to the tribes of Israel, and these are
their portions, declares the Sovereign LORD.
30 “These are the exits of the city: On the north side, one and one-half miles
by measure,
31 the gates of the city will be named for the tribes of Israel; there will be
three gates to the north: one gate for Reuben, one gate for Judah, and one gate
for Levi.
32 On the east side, one and one-half miles in length, there will be three
gates: one gate for Joseph, one gate for Benjamin, and one gate for Dan.
33 On the south side, one and one-half miles by measure, there will be three
gates: one gate for Simeon, one gate for Issachar, and one gate for Zebulun.
34 On the west side, one and one-half miles in length, there will be three
gates: one gate for Gad, one gate for Asher, and one gate for Naphtali.
35 The circumference of the city will be six miles. The name of the city from
that day forward will be:‘The LORD Is There.’”


Daniel

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Daniel Finds Favor in Babylon In the third year of the reign of King
Jehoiakim of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon advanced against Jerusalem
and laid it under siege.
2 Now the Lord delivered King Jehoiakim of Judah into his power, along with some
of the vessels of the temple of God. He brought them to the land of Babylonia to
the temple of his god and put the vessels in the treasury of his god.
3 The king commanded Ashpenaz, who was in charge of his court officials, to
choose some of the Israelites who were of royal and noble descent–
4 young men in whom there was no physical defect and who were handsome, well
versed in all kinds of wisdom, well educated and having keen insight, and who
were capable of entering the king’s royal service– and to teach them the
literature and language of the Babylonians.
5 So the king assigned them a daily ration from his royal delicacies and from
the wine he himself drank. They were to be trained for the next three years. At
the end of that time they were to enter the king’s service.
6 As it turned out, among these young men were some from Judah: Daniel,
Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
7 But the overseer of the court officials renamed them. He gave Daniel the name
Belteshazzar, Hananiah he named Shadrach, Mishael he named Meshach, and Azariah
he named Abednego.
8 But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the royal
delicacies or the royal wine. He therefore asked the overseer of the court
officials for permission not to defile himself.
9 Then God made the overseer of the court officials sympathetic to Daniel.
10 But he responded to Daniel,“I fear my master the king. He is the one who
has decided your food and drink. What would happen if he saw that you looked
malnourished in comparison to the other young men your age? If that happened,
you would endanger my life with the king!”
11 Daniel then spoke to the warden whom the overseer of the court officials had
appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:
12 “Please test your servants for ten days by providing us with some
vegetables to eat and water to drink.
13 Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who are eating the
royal delicacies; deal with us in light of what you see.”
14 So the warden agreed to their proposal and tested them for ten days.
15 At the end of the ten days their appearance was better and their bodies were
healthier than all the young men who had been eating the royal delicacies.
16 So the warden removed the delicacies and the wine from their diet and gave
them a diet of vegetables instead.
17 Now as for these four young men, God endowed them with knowledge and skill in
all sorts of literature and wisdom– and Daniel had insight into all kinds of
visions and dreams.
18 When the time appointed by the king arrived, the overseer of the court
officials brought them into Nebuchadnezzar’s presence.
19 When the king spoke with them, he did not find among the entire group anyone
like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, or Azariah. So they entered the king’s
service.
20 In every matter of wisdom and insight the king asked them about, he found
them to be ten times better than any of the magicians and astrologers that were
in his entire empire.
21 Now Daniel lived on until the first year of Cyrus the king.

Chapter 2

1 Nebuchadnezzar Has a Disturbing Dream In the second year of his reign
Nebuchadnezzar had many dreams. His mind was disturbed and he suffered from
insomnia.
2 The king issued an order to summon the magicians, astrologers, sorcerers, and
wise men in order to explain his dreams to him. So they came and awaited the
king’s instructions.
3 The king told them,“I have had a dream, and I am anxious to understand the
dream.”
4 The wise men replied to the king:[What follows is in Aramaic]“O king, live
forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will disclose its
interpretation.”
5 The king replied to the wise men,“My decision is firm. If you do not inform
me of both the dream and its interpretation, you will be dismembered and your
homes reduced to rubble!
6 But if you can disclose the dream and its interpretation, you will receive
from me gifts, a reward, and considerable honor. So disclose to me the dream and
its interpretation!”
7 They again replied,“Let the king inform us of the dream; then we will
disclose its interpretation.”
8 The king replied,“I know for sure that you are attempting to gain time,
because you see that my decision is firm.
9 If you don’t inform me of the dream, there is only one thing that is going
to happen to you. For you have agreed among yourselves to report to me something
false and deceitful until such time as things might change. So tell me the
dream, and I will have confidence that you can disclose its interpretation.”
10 The wise men replied to the king,“There is no man on earth who is able to
disclose the king’s secret, for no king, regardless of his position and power,
has ever requested such a thing from any magician, astrologer, or wise man.
11 What the king is asking is too difficult, and no one exists who can disclose
it to the king, except for the gods– but they don’t live among mortals!”
12 Because of this the king got furiously angry and gave orders to destroy all
the wise men of Babylon.
13 So a decree went out, and the wise men were about to be executed. They also
sought Daniel and his friends so that they could be executed.
14 Then Daniel spoke with prudent counsel to Arioch, who was in charge of the
king’s executioners and who had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon.
15 He inquired of Arioch the king’s deputy,“Why is the decree from the king
so urgent?” Then Arioch informed Daniel about the matter.
16 So Daniel went in and requested the king to grant him time, that he might
disclose the interpretation to the king.
17 Then Daniel went to his home and informed his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and
Azariah of the matter.
18 He asked them to pray for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this
mystery so that he and his friends would not be destroyed along with the rest of
the wise men of Babylon.
19 Then in a night vision the mystery was revealed to Daniel. So Daniel praised
the God of heaven,
20 saying,“Let the name of God be praised forever and ever, for wisdom and
power belong to him.
21 He changes times and seasons, deposing some kings and establishing others. He
gives wisdom to the wise; he imparts knowledge to those with understanding;
22 he reveals deep and hidden things. He knows what is in the darkness, and
light resides with him.
23 O God of my fathers, I acknowledge and glorify you, for you have bestowed
wisdom and power on me. Now you have enabled me to understand what I requested
from you. For you have enabled me to understand the king’s dilemma.”
24 Then Daniel went in to see Arioch(whom the king had appointed to destroy the
wise men of Babylon). He came and said to him,“Don’t destroy the wise men of
Babylon! Escort me to the king, and I will disclose the interpretation to
him!”
25 So Arioch quickly ushered Daniel into the king’s presence, saying to
him,“I have found a man from the captives of Judah who can make known the
interpretation to the king.”
26 The king then asked Daniel(whose name was also Belteshazzar),“Are you able
to make known to me the dream that I saw, as well as its interpretation?”
27 Daniel replied to the king,“The mystery that the king is asking about is
such that no wise men, astrologers, magicians, or diviners can possibly disclose
it to the king.
28 However, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made
known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the times to come. The dream
and the visions you had while lying on your bed are as follows.
29 “As for you, O king, while you were in your bed your thoughts turned to
future things. The revealer of mysteries has made known to you what will take
place.
30 As for me, this mystery was revealed to me not because I possess more wisdom
than any other living person, but so that the king may understand the
interpretation and comprehend the thoughts of your mind.
31 “You, O king, were watching as a great statue– one of impressive size and
extraordinary brightness– was standing before you. Its appearance caused
alarm.
32 As for that statue, its head was of fine gold, its chest and arms were of
silver, its belly and thighs were of bronze.
33 Its legs were of iron; its feet were partly of iron and partly of clay.
34 You were watching as a stone was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck
the statue on its iron and clay feet, breaking them in pieces.
35 Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were broken in pieces without
distinction and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors that the wind
carries away. Not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the
statue became a large mountain that filled the entire earth.
36 This was the dream. Now we will set forth before the king its interpretation.
37 Daniel Interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream“You, O king, are the king of
kings. The God of heaven has granted you sovereignty, power, strength, and
honor.
38 Wherever human beings, wild animals, and birds of the sky live– he has
given them into your power. He has given you authority over them all. You are
the head of gold.
39 Now after you another kingdom will arise, one inferior to yours. Then a third
kingdom, one of bronze, will rule in all the earth.
40 Then there will be a fourth kingdom, one strong like iron. Just like iron
breaks in pieces and shatters everything, and as iron breaks in pieces all of
these metals, so it will break in pieces and crush the others.
41 In that you were seeing feet and toes partly of wet clay and partly of iron,
so this will be a divided kingdom. Some of the strength of iron will be in it,
for you saw iron mixed with wet clay.
42 In that the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, the
latter stages of this kingdom will be partly strong and partly fragile.
43 And in that you saw iron mixed with wet clay, so people will be mixed with
one another without adhering to one another, just as iron does not mix with
clay.
44 In the days of those kings the God of heaven will raise up an everlasting
kingdom that will not be destroyed and a kingdom that will not be left to
another people. It will break in pieces and bring about the demise of all these
kingdoms. But it will stand forever.
45 You saw that a stone was cut from a mountain, but not by human hands; it
smashed the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold into pieces. The great God has
made known to the king what will occur in the future. The dream is certain, and
its interpretation is reliable.”
46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar bowed down with his face to the ground and paid
homage to Daniel. He gave orders to offer sacrifice and incense to him.
47 The king replied to Daniel,“Certainly your God is a God of gods and Lord of
kings and revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery!”
48 Then the king elevated Daniel to high position and bestowed on him many
marvelous gifts. He granted him authority over the entire province of Babylon
and made him the main prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.
49 And at Daniel’s request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
over the administration of the province of Babylon. Daniel himself served in the
king’s court.

Chapter 3

1 Daniel’s Friends Are Tested King Nebuchadnezzar had a golden statue made. It
was 90 feet tall and nine feet wide. He erected it on the plain of Dura in the
province of Babylon.
2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent out a summons to assemble the satraps, prefects,
governors, counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the other
authorities of the province to attend the dedication of the statue that he had
erected.
3 So the satraps, prefects, governors, counselors, treasurers, judges,
magistrates, and all the other provincial authorities assembled for the
dedication of the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had erected. They were
standing in front of the statue that Nebuchadnezzar had erected.
4 Then the herald made a loud proclamation:“To you, O peoples, nations, and
language groups, the following command is given:
5 When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, trigon, harp, pipes, and
all kinds of music, you must bow down and pay homage to the golden statue that
King Nebuchadnezzar has erected.
6 Whoever does not bow down and pay homage will immediately be thrown into the
midst of a furnace of blazing fire!”
7 Therefore when they all heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, trigon,
harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations, and language
groups began bowing down and paying homage to the golden statue that King
Nebuchadnezzar had erected.
8 Now at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and brought malicious
accusations against the Jews.
9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar,“O king, live forever!
10 You have issued an edict, O king, that everyone must bow down and pay homage
to the golden statue when they hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither,
trigon, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music.
11 And whoever does not bow down and pay homage must be thrown into the midst of
a furnace of blazing fire.
12 But there are Jewish men whom you appointed over the administration of the
province of Babylon– Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego– and these men have not
shown proper respect to you, O king. They don’t serve your gods and they
don’t pay homage to the golden statue that you have erected.”
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in a fit of rage demanded that they bring Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego before him. So they brought them before the king.
14 Nebuchadnezzar said to them,“Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
that you don’t serve my gods and that you don’t pay homage to the golden
statue that I erected?
15 Now if you are ready, when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither,
trigon, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, you must bow down and pay homage to
the statue that I had made. If you don’t pay homage to it, you will
immediately be thrown into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire. Now, who is
that god who can rescue you from my power?”
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to King Nebuchadnezzar,“We do not
need to give you a reply concerning this.
17 If our God whom we are serving exists, he is able to rescue us from the
furnace of blazing fire, and he will rescue us, O king, from your power as well.
18 But if he does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we don’t serve
your gods, and we will not pay homage to the golden statue that you have
erected.”
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage, and his disposition changed toward
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He gave orders to heat the furnace seven times
hotter than it was normally heated.
20 He ordered strong soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego and to throw them into the furnace of blazing fire.
21 So those men were tied up while still wearing their cloaks, trousers,
turbans, and other clothes, and were thrown into the furnace of blazing fire.
22 But since the king’s command was so urgent, and the furnace was so
excessively hot, the men who escorted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were
killed by the leaping flames.
23 But those three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell into the furnace
of blazing fire while still securely bound.
24 God Delivers His Servants Then King Nebuchadnezzar was startled and quickly
got up. He said to his ministers,“Wasn’t it three men that we tied up and
threw into the fire?” They replied to the king,“For sure, O king.”
25 He answered,“But I see four men, untied and walking around in the midst of
the fire! No harm has come to them! And the appearance of the fourth is like
that of a god!”
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire. He
called out,“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the most high God,
come out! Come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego emerged from the
fire.
27 Once the satraps, prefects, governors, and ministers of the king had gathered
around, they saw that those men were physically unharmed by the fire. The hair
of their heads was not singed, nor were their trousers damaged. Not even the
smell of fire was to be found on them!
28 Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed,“Praised be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego, who has sent forth his angel and has rescued his servants who trusted
in him, ignoring the edict of the king and giving up their bodies rather than
serve or pay homage to any god other than their God!
29 I hereby decree that any people, nation, or language group that blasphemes
the god of Shadrach, Meshach, or Abednego will be dismembered and his home
reduced to rubble! For there exists no other god who can deliver in this way.”
30 Then Nebuchadnezzar promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province
of Babylon.

Chapter 4

1 (3:31)“King Nebuchadnezzar, to all peoples, nations, and language groups
that live in all the land: Peace and prosperity!
2 I am delighted to tell you about the signs and wonders that the most high God
has done for me.
3 “How great are his signs! How mighty are his wonders! His kingdom will last
forever, and his authority continues from one generation to the next.”
4 Nebuchadnezzar Dreams of a Tree Chopped Down(4:1) I, Nebuchadnezzar, was
relaxing in my home, living luxuriously in my palace.
5 I saw a dream that frightened me badly. The things I imagined while lying on
my bed– these visions of my mind– were terrifying me.
6 So I issued an order for all the wise men of Babylon to be brought before me
so that they could make known to me the interpretation of the dream.
7 When the magicians, astrologers, wise men, and diviners entered, I recounted
the dream for them. But they were unable to make known its interpretation to me.
8 Later Daniel entered(whose name is Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and
in whom there is a spirit of the holy gods). I recounted the dream for him as
well,
9 saying,“Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, in whom I know there to be a
spirit of the holy gods and whom no mystery baffles, consider my dream that I
saw and set forth its interpretation!
10 Here are the visions of my mind while I was on my bed. While I was watching,
there was a tree in the middle of the land. It was enormously tall.
11 The tree grew large and strong. Its top reached far into the sky; it could be
seen from the borders of all the land.
12 Its foliage was attractive and its fruit plentiful; on it there was food
enough for all. Under it the wild animals used to seek shade, and in its
branches the birds of the sky used to nest. All creatures used to feed
themselves from it.
13 While I was watching in my mind’s visions on my bed, a holy sentinel came
down from heaven.
14 He called out loudly as follows:‘Chop down the tree and lop off its
branches! Strip off its foliage and scatter its fruit! Let the animals flee from
under it and the birds from its branches!
15 But leave its taproot in the ground, with a band of iron and bronze around it
surrounded by the grass of the field. Let it become damp with the dew of the
sky, and let it live with the animals in the grass of the land.
16 Let his mind be altered from that of a human being, and let an animal’s
mind be given to him, and let seven periods of time go by for him.
17 This announcement is by the decree of the sentinels; this decision is by the
pronouncement of the holy ones, so that those who are alive may understand that
the Most High has authority over human kingdoms, and he bestows them on whomever
he wishes. He establishes over them even the lowliest of human beings.’
18 “This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. Now you, Belteshazzar,
declare its interpretation, for none of the wise men in my kingdom are able to
make known to me the interpretation. But you can do so, for a spirit of the holy
gods is in you.”
19 Daniel Interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream Then Daniel(whose name is also
Belteshazzar) was upset for a brief time; his thoughts were alarming him. The
king said,“Belteshazzar, don’t let the dream and its interpretation alarm
you.” But Belteshazzar replied,“Sir, if only the dream were for your enemies
and its interpretation applied to your adversaries!
20 The tree that you saw that grew large and strong, whose top reached to the
sky, and which could be seen in all the land,
21 whose foliage was attractive and its fruit plentiful, and from which there
was food available for all, under whose branches wild animals used to live, and
in whose branches birds of the sky used to nest–
22 it is you, O king! For you have become great and strong. Your greatness is
such that it reaches to heaven, and your authority to the ends of the earth.
23 As for the king seeing a holy sentinel coming down from heaven and
saying,‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave its taproot in the
ground, with a band of iron and bronze around it, surrounded by the grass of the
field. Let it become damp with the dew of the sky, and let it live with the wild
animals, until seven periods of time go by for him’–
24 this is the interpretation, O king! It is the decision of the Most High that
this has happened to my lord the king.
25 You will be driven from human society, and you will live with the wild
animals. You will be fed grass like oxen, and you will become damp with the dew
of the sky. Seven periods of time will pass by for you, before you understand
that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms and gives them to whomever he
wishes.
26 They said to leave the taproot of the tree, for your kingdom will be restored
to you when you come to understand that heaven rules.
27 Therefore, O king, may my advice be pleasing to you. Break away from your
sins by doing what is right, and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the
poor. Perhaps your prosperity will be prolonged.”
28 Now all of this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar.
29 After twelve months, he happened to be walking around on the battlements of
the royal palace of Babylon.
30 The king uttered these words:“Is this not the great Babylon that I have
built for a royal residence by my own mighty strength and for my majestic
honor?”
31 While these words were still on the king’s lips, a voice came down from
heaven:“It is hereby announced to you, King Nebuchadnezzar, that your kingdom
has been removed from you!
32 You will be driven from human society, and you will live with the wild
animals. You will be fed grass like oxen, and seven periods of time will pass by
for you before you understand that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms
and gives them to whomever he wishes.”
33 Now in that very moment this pronouncement about Nebuchadnezzar came true. He
was driven from human society, he ate grass like oxen, and his body became damp
with the dew of the sky, until his hair became long like an eagle’s feathers,
and his nails like a bird’s claws.
34 But at the end of the appointed time I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up toward
heaven, and my sanity returned to me. I extolled the Most High, and I praised
and glorified the one who lives forever. For his authority is an everlasting
authority, and his kingdom extends from one generation to the next.
35 All the inhabitants of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he
wishes with the army of heaven and with those who inhabit the earth. No one
slaps his hand and says to him,‘What have you done?’
36 At that time my sanity returned to me. I was restored to the honor of my
kingdom, and my splendor returned to me. My ministers and my nobles were seeking
me out, and I was reinstated over my kingdom. I became even greater than before.
37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, for
all his deeds are right and his ways are just. He is able to bring down those
who live in pride.

Chapter 5

1 Belshazzar Sees Mysterious Handwriting on a Wall King Belshazzar prepared a
great banquet for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in front of
them all.
2 While under the influence of the wine, Belshazzar issued an order to bring in
the gold and silver vessels– the ones that Nebuchadnezzar his father had
confiscated from the temple in Jerusalem– so that the king and his nobles,
together with his wives and his concubines, could drink from them.
3 So they brought the gold and silver vessels that had been confiscated from the
temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, together
with his wives and concubines, drank from them.
4 As they drank wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron,
wood, and stone.
5 At that very moment the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the
plaster of the royal palace wall, opposite the lampstand. The king was watching
the back of the hand that was writing.
6 Then all the color drained from the king’s face and he became alarmed. The
joints of his hips gave way, and his knees began knocking together.
7 The king called out loudly to summon the astrologers, wise men, and diviners.
The king proclaimed to the wise men of Babylon that anyone who could read this
inscription and disclose its interpretation would be clothed in purple and have
a golden collar placed on his neck and be third ruler in the kingdom.
8 So all the king’s wise men came in, but they were unable to read the writing
or to make known its interpretation to the king.
9 Then King Belshazzar was very terrified, and he was visibly shaken. His nobles
were completely dumbfounded.
10 Due to the noise caused by the king and his nobles, the queen mother then
entered the banquet room. She said,“O king, live forever! Don’t be alarmed!
Don’t be shaken!
11 There is a man in your kingdom who has within him a spirit of the holy gods.
In the days of your father, he proved to have insight, discernment, and wisdom
like that of the gods. King Nebuchadnezzar your father appointed him chief of
the magicians, astrologers, wise men, and diviners.
12 Thus there was found in this man Daniel, whom the king renamed Belteshazzar,
an extraordinary spirit, knowledge, and skill to interpret dreams, explain
riddles, and solve difficult problems. Now summon Daniel, and he will disclose
the interpretation.”
13 So Daniel was brought in before the king. The king said to Daniel,“Are you
that Daniel who is one of the captives of Judah, whom my father the king brought
from Judah?
14 I have heard about you, how there is a spirit of the gods in you, and how you
have insight, discernment, and extraordinary wisdom.
15 Now the wise men and astrologers were brought before me to read this writing
and make known to me its interpretation. But they were unable to disclose the
interpretation of the message.
16 However, I have heard that you are able to provide interpretations and to
solve difficult problems. Now if you are able to read this writing and make
known to me its interpretation, you will wear purple and have a golden collar
around your neck and be third ruler in the kingdom.”
17 Daniel Interprets the Handwriting on the Wall But Daniel replied to the
king,“Keep your gifts, and give your rewards to someone else! However, I will
read the writing for the king and make known its interpretation.
18 As for you, O king, the most high God bestowed on your father Nebuchadnezzar
a kingdom, greatness, honor, and majesty.
19 Due to the greatness that he bestowed on him, all peoples, nations, and
language groups were trembling with fear before him. He killed whom he wished,
he spared whom he wished, he exalted whom he wished, and he brought low whom he
wished.
20 And when his mind became arrogant and his spirit filled with pride, he was
deposed from his royal throne and his honor was removed from him.
21 He was driven from human society, his mind was changed to that of an animal,
he lived with the wild donkeys, he was fed grass like oxen, and his body became
damp with the dew of the sky, until he came to understand that the most high God
rules over human kingdoms, and he appoints over them whomever he wishes.
22 “But you, his son Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself, although you knew
all this.
23 Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven. You brought
before you the vessels from his temple, and you and your nobles, together with
your wives and concubines, drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver,
gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone– gods that cannot see or hear or
comprehend! But you have not glorified the God who has in his control your very
breath and all your ways!
24 Therefore the palm of a hand was sent from him, and this writing was
inscribed.
25 “This is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEQEL, and PHARSIN.
26 This is the interpretation of the words: As for mene– God has numbered your
kingdom’s days and brought it to an end.
27 As for teqel– you are weighed on the balances and found to be lacking.
28 As for peres– your kingdom is divided and given over to the Medes and
Persians.”
29 Then, on Belshazzar’s orders, Daniel was clothed in purple, a golden collar
was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed third ruler in the kingdom.
30 And in that very night Belshazzar, the Babylonian king, was killed.
31 (6:1) So Darius the Mede took control of the kingdom when he was about
sixty-two years old.

Chapter 6

1 Daniel is Thrown into a Lions’ Den It seemed like a good idea to Darius to
appoint over the kingdom 120 satraps who would be in charge of the entire
kingdom.
2 Over them would be three supervisors, one of whom was Daniel. These satraps
were accountable to them, so that the king’s interests might not incur damage.
3 Now this Daniel was distinguishing himself above the other supervisors and the
satraps, for he had an extraordinary spirit. In fact, the king intended to
appoint him over the entire kingdom.
4 Consequently the supervisors and satraps were trying to find some pretext
against Daniel in connection with administrative matters. But they were unable
to find any such damaging evidence, because he was trustworthy and guilty of no
negligence or corruption.
5 So these men concluded,“We won’t find any pretext against this man Daniel
unless it is in connection with the law of his God.”
6 So these supervisors and satraps came by collusion to the king and said to
him,“O King Darius, live forever!
7 To all the supervisors of the kingdom, the prefects, satraps, counselors, and
governors it seemed like a good idea for a royal edict to be issued and an
interdict to be enforced. For the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god
or human other than you, O king, should be thrown into a den of lions.
8 Now let the king issue a written interdict so that it cannot be altered,
according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be changed.”
9 So King Darius issued the written interdict.
10 When Daniel realized that a written decree had been issued, he entered his
home, where the windows in his upper room opened toward Jerusalem. Three times
daily he was kneeling and offering prayers and thanks to his God just as he had
been accustomed to do previously.
11 Then those officials who had gone to the king came by collusion and found
Daniel praying and asking for help before his God.
12 So they approached the king and said to him,“Did you not issue an edict to
the effect that for the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human
other than to you, O king, would be thrown into a den of lions?” The king
replied,“That is correct, according to the law of the Medes and Persians,
which cannot be changed.”
13 Then they said to the king,“Daniel, who is one of the captives from Judah,
pays no attention to you, O king, or to the edict that you issued. Three times
daily he offers his prayer.”
14 When the king heard this, he was very upset and began thinking about how he
might rescue Daniel. Until late afternoon he was struggling to find a way to
rescue him.
15 Then those men came by collusion to the king and said to him,“Recall, O
king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no edict or decree that
the king issues can be changed.”
16 So the king gave the order, and Daniel was brought and thrown into a den of
lions. The king consoled Daniel by saying,“Your God whom you continually serve
will rescue you!”
17 Then a stone was brought and placed over the opening to the den. The king
sealed it with his signet ring and with those of his nobles so that nothing
could be changed with regard to Daniel.
18 Then the king departed to his palace. But he spent the night without eating,
and no diversions were brought to him. He was unable to sleep.
19 God Rescues Daniel from the Lions In the morning, at the earliest sign of
daylight, the king got up and rushed to the lions’ den.
20 As he approached the den, he called out to Daniel in a worried
voice,“Daniel, servant of the living God, was your God whom you continually
serve able to rescue you from the lions?”
21 Then Daniel spoke to the king,“O king, live forever!
22 My God sent his angel and closed the lions’ mouths so that they have not
harmed me, because I was found to be innocent before him. Nor have I done any
harm to you, O king.”
23 Then the king was delighted and gave an order to haul Daniel up from the den.
So Daniel was hauled up out of the den. He had no injury of any kind, because he
had trusted in his God.
24 The king gave another order, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel
were brought and thrown into the lions’ den– they, their children, and their
wives. They did not even reach the bottom of the den before the lions
overpowered them and crushed all their bones.
25 Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and language groups who
were living in all the land:“Peace and prosperity!
26 I have issued an edict that throughout all the dominion of my kingdom people
are to revere and fear the God of Daniel.“For he is the living God; he endures
forever. His kingdom will not be destroyed; his authority is forever.
27 He rescues and delivers and performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on
the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions!”
28 So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus
the Persian.

Chapter 7

1 Daniel has a Vision of Four Animals Coming up from the Sea In the first year
of King Belshazzar of Babylon, Daniel had a dream filled with visions while he
was lying on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream in summary fashion.
2 Daniel explained:“I was watching in my vision during the night as the four
winds of the sky were stirring up the great sea.
3 Then four large beasts came up from the sea; they were different from one
another.
4 “The first one was like a lion with eagles’ wings. As I watched, its wings
were pulled off and it was lifted up from the ground. It was made to stand on
two feet like a human being, and a human mind was given to it.
5 “Then a second beast appeared, like a bear. It was raised up on one side,
and there were three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told,‘Get up
and devour much flesh!’
6 “After these things, as I was watching, another beast like a leopard
appeared, with four bird-like wings on its back. This beast had four heads, and
ruling authority was given to it.
7 “After these things, as I was watching in the night visions a fourth beast
appeared– one dreadful, terrible, and very strong. It had two large rows of
iron teeth. It devoured and crushed, and anything that was left it trampled with
its feet. It was different from all the beasts that came before it, and it had
ten horns.
8 “As I was contemplating the horns, another horn– a small one– came up
between them, and three of the former horns were torn out by the roots to make
room for it. This horn had eyes resembling human eyes and a mouth speaking
arrogant things.
9 “While I was watching, thrones were set up, and the Ancient of Days took his
seat. His attire was white like snow; the hair of his head was like lamb’s
wool. His throne was ablaze with fire and its wheels were all aflame.
10 A river of fire was streaming forth and proceeding from his presence. Many
thousands were ministering to him; many tens of thousands stood ready to serve
him. The court convened and the books were opened.
11 “Then I kept on watching because of the arrogant words of the horn that was
speaking. I was watching until the beast was killed and its body destroyed and
thrown into the flaming fire.
12 As for the rest of the beasts, their ruling authority had already been
removed, though they were permitted to go on living for a time and a season.
13 I was watching in the night visions,“And with the clouds of the sky one
like a son of man was approaching. He went up to the Ancient of Days and was
escorted before him.
14 To him was given ruling authority, honor, and sovereignty. All peoples,
nations, and language groups were serving him. His authority is eternal and will
not pass away. His kingdom will not be destroyed.
15 An Angel Interprets Daniel’s Vision“As for me, Daniel, my spirit was
distressed, and the visions of my mind were alarming me.
16 I approached one of those standing nearby and asked him about the meaning of
all this. So he spoke with me and revealed to me the interpretation of the
vision:
17 ‘These large beasts, which are four in number, represent four kings who
will arise from the earth.
18 The holy ones of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will take
possession of the kingdom forever and ever.’
19 “Then I wanted to know the meaning of the fourth beast, which was different
from all the others. It was very dreadful, with two rows of iron teeth and
bronze claws, and it devoured, crushed, and trampled anything that was left with
its feet.
20 I also wanted to know the meaning of the ten horns on its head, and of that
other horn which came up and before which three others fell. This was the horn
that had eyes and a mouth speaking arrogant things, whose appearance was more
formidable than the others.
21 While I was watching, that horn began to wage war against the holy ones and
was defeating them,
22 until the Ancient of Days arrived and judgment was rendered in favor of the
holy ones of the Most High. Then the time came for the holy ones to take
possession of the kingdom.
23 “This is what he told me:‘The fourth beast means that there will be a
fourth kingdom on earth that will differ from all the other kingdoms. It will
devour all the earth and will trample and crush it.
24 The ten horns mean that ten kings will arise from that kingdom. Another king
will arise after them, but he will be different from the earlier ones. He will
humiliate three kings.
25 He will speak words against the Most High. He will harass the holy ones of
the Most High continually. His intention will be to change times established by
law. They will be delivered into his hand For a time, times, and half a time.
26 But the court will convene, and his ruling authority will be removed–
destroyed and abolished forever!
27 Then the kingdom, authority, and greatness of the kingdoms under all of
heaven will be delivered to the people of the holy ones of the Most High. His
kingdom is an eternal kingdom; all authorities will serve him and obey him.’
28 “This is the conclusion of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts
troubled me greatly, and the color drained from my face. But I kept the matter
to myself.”

Chapter 8

1 Daniel Has a Vision of a Goat and a Ram In the third year of King
Belshazzar’s reign, a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after the one that had
appeared to me previously.
2 In this vision I saw myself in Susa the citadel, which is located in the
province of Elam. In the vision I saw myself at the Ulai Canal.
3 I looked up and saw a ram with two horns standing at the canal. Its two horns
were both long, but one was longer than the other. The longer one was coming up
after the shorter one.
4 I saw that the ram was butting westward, northward, and southward. No animal
was able to stand before it, and there was none who could deliver from its
power. It did as it pleased and acted arrogantly.
5 While I was contemplating all this, a male goat was coming from the west over
the surface of all the land without touching the ground. This goat had a
conspicuous horn between its eyes.
6 It came to the two-horned ram that I had seen standing beside the canal and
rushed against it with raging strength.
7 I saw it approaching the ram. It went into a fit of rage against the ram and
struck it and broke off its two horns. The ram had no ability to resist it. The
goat hurled the ram to the ground and trampled it. No one could deliver the ram
from its power.
8 The male goat acted even more arrogantly. But no sooner had the large horn
become strong than it was broken, and there arose four conspicuous horns in its
place, extending toward the four winds of the sky.
9 From one of them came a small horn. But it grew to be very big, toward the
south and the east and toward the beautiful land.
10 It grew so big it reached the army of heaven, and it brought about the fall
of some of the army and some of the stars to the ground, where it trampled them.
11 It also acted arrogantly against the Prince of the army, from whom the daily
sacrifice was removed and whose sanctuary was thrown down.
12 The army was given over, along with the daily sacrifice, in the course of his
sinful rebellion. It hurled truth to the ground and enjoyed success.
13 Then I heard a holy one speaking. Another holy one said to the one who was
speaking,“To what period of time does the vision pertain– this vision
concerning the daily sacrifice and the destructive act of rebellion and the
giving over of both the sanctuary and army to be trampled?”
14 He said to me,“To 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be
put right again.”
15 An Angel Interprets Daniel’s Vision While I, Daniel, was watching the
vision, I sought to understand it. Now one who appeared to be a man was standing
before me.
16 Then I heard a human voice coming from between the banks of the Ulai. It
called out,“Gabriel, enable this person to understand the vision.”
17 So he approached the place where I was standing. As he came, I felt terrified
and fell flat on the ground. Then he said to me,“Understand, son of man, that
the vision pertains to the time of the end.”
18 As he spoke with me, I fell into a trance with my face to the ground. But he
touched me and stood me upright.
19 Then he said,“I am going to inform you about what will happen in the latter
time of wrath, for the vision pertains to the appointed time of the end.
20 The ram that you saw with the two horns stands for the kings of Media and
Persia.
21 The male goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn between its eyes is
the first king.
22 The horn that was broken and in whose place there arose four others stands
for four kingdoms that will arise from his nation, though they will not have his
strength.
23 Toward the end of their rule, when rebellious acts are complete, a rash and
deceitful king will arise.
24 His power will be great, but it will not be by his strength alone. He will
cause terrible destruction. He will be successful in what he undertakes. He will
destroy powerful people and the people of the holy ones.
25 By his treachery he will succeed through deceit. He will have an arrogant
attitude, and he will destroy many who are unaware of his schemes. He will rise
up against the Prince of princes, yet he will be broken apart– but not by
human agency.
26 The vision of the evenings and mornings that was told to you is correct. But
you should seal up the vision, for it refers to a time many days from now.”
27 I, Daniel, was exhausted and sick for days. Then I got up and again carried
out the king’s business. But I was astonished at the vision, and there was no
one to explain it.

Chapter 9

1 Daniel Prays for His People In the first year of Darius son of Ahasuerus, who
was of Median descent and who had been appointed king over the Babylonian
empire–
2 in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, came to understand from the sacred
books that the number of years for the fulfilling of the desolation of
Jerusalem, which had come as the LORD’s message to the prophet Jeremiah, would
be 70 years.
3 So I turned my attention to the Lord God to implore him by prayer and
requests, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.
4 I prayed to the LORD my God, confessing in this way:“O Lord, great and
awesome God who is faithful to his covenant with those who love him and keep his
commandments,
5 we have sinned! We have done what is wrong and wicked; we have rebelled by
turning away from your commandments and standards.
6 We have not paid attention to your servants the prophets, who spoke by your
authority to our kings, our leaders, and our ancestors, and to all the
inhabitants of the land as well.
7 “You are righteous, O Lord, but we are humiliated this day– the people of
Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far away in
all the countries in which you have scattered them, because they have behaved
unfaithfully toward you.
8 O LORD, we have been humiliated– our kings, our leaders, and our
ancestors– because we have sinned against you.
9 Yet the Lord our God is compassionate and forgiving, even though we have
rebelled against him.
10 We have not obeyed the LORD our God by living according to his laws that he
set before us through his servants the prophets.
11 “All Israel has broken your law and turned away by not obeying you.
Therefore you have poured out on us the judgment solemnly threatened in the law
of Moses the servant of God, for we have sinned against you.
12 He has carried out his threats against us and our rulers who were over us by
bringing great calamity on us– what has happened to Jerusalem has never been
equaled under all heaven!
13 Just as it is written in the law of Moses, so all this calamity has come on
us. Still we have not tried to pacify the LORD our God by turning back from our
sin and by seeking wisdom from your reliable moral standards.
14 The LORD was mindful of the calamity, and he brought it on us. For the LORD
our God is just in all he has done, and we have not obeyed him.
15 “Now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with
great power and made a name for yourself that is remembered to this day– we
have sinned and behaved wickedly.
16 O Lord, according to all your justice, please turn your raging anger away
from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain. For due to our sins and the
iniquities of our ancestors, Jerusalem and your people are mocked by all our
neighbors.
17 “So now, our God, accept the prayer and requests of your servant, and show
favor to your devastated sanctuary for your own sake.
18 Listen attentively, my God, and hear! Open your eyes and look on our
desolated ruins and the city called by your name. For it is not because of our
own righteous deeds that we are praying to you, but because your compassion is
abundant.
19 O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, pay attention, and act! Don’t delay,
for your own sake, O my God! For your city and your people are called by your
name.”
20 Gabriel Gives to Daniel a Prophecy of Seventy Weeks While I was still
speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and
presenting my request before the LORD my God concerning his holy mountain–
21 yes, while I was still praying, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen previously
in a vision, was approaching me in my state of extreme weariness, around the
time of the evening offering.
22 He spoke with me, instructing me as follows:“Daniel, I have now come to
impart understanding to you.
23 At the beginning of your requests a message went out, and I have come to
convey it to you, for you are of great value in God’s sight. Therefore
consider the message and understand the vision:
24 “Seventy weeks have been determined concerning your people and your holy
city to put an end to rebellion, to bring sin to completion, to atone for
iniquity, to bring in perpetual righteousness, to seal up the prophetic vision,
and to anoint a most holy place.
25 So know and understand: From the issuing of the command to restore and
rebuild Jerusalem until an anointed one, a prince arrives, there will be a
period of seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It will again be built, with plaza
and moat, but in distressful times.
26 Now after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one will be cut off and have
nothing. As for the city and the sanctuary, the people of the coming prince will
destroy them. But his end will come speedily like a flood. Until the end of the
war that has been decreed there will be destruction.
27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one week. But in the middle of that
week he will bring sacrifices and offerings to a halt. On the wing of
abominations will come one who destroys, until the decreed end is poured out on
the one who destroys.”

Chapter 10

1 An Angel Appears to Daniel In the third year of King Cyrus of Persia a message
was revealed to Daniel(who was also called Belteshazzar). This message was true
and concerned a great war. He understood the message and gained insight by the
vision.
2 In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three whole weeks.
3 I ate no choice food; no meat or wine came to my lips, nor did I anoint myself
with oil until the end of those three weeks.
4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month I was beside the great river, the
Tigris.
5 I looked up and saw a man clothed in linen; around his waist was a belt made
of gold from Ufaz.
6 His body resembled yellow jasper, and his face had an appearance like
lightning. His eyes were like blazing torches; his arms and feet had the gleam
of polished bronze. His voice thundered forth like the sound of a large crowd.
7 Only I, Daniel, saw the vision; the men who were with me did not see it. On
the contrary, they were overcome with fright and ran away to hide.
8 I alone was left to see this great vision. My strength drained from me, and my
vigor disappeared; I was without energy.
9 I listened to his voice, and as I did so I fell into a trance-like sleep with
my face to the ground.
10 Then a hand touched me and set me on my hands and knees.
11 He said to me,“Daniel, you are of great value. Understand the words that I
am about to speak to you. So stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” When
he said this to me, I stood up shaking.
12 Then he said to me,“Don’t be afraid, Daniel, for from the very first day
you applied your mind to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your
words were heard. I have come in response to your words.
13 However, the prince of the kingdom of Persia was opposing me for twenty-one
days. But Michael, one of the leading princes, came to help me, because I was
left there with the kings of Persia.
14 Now I have come to help you understand what will happen to your people in the
latter days, for the vision pertains to future days.”
15 While he was saying this to me, I was flat on the ground and unable to speak.
16 Then one who appeared to be a human being was touching my lips. I opened my
mouth and started to speak, saying to the one who was standing before me,“Sir,
due to the vision, anxiety has gripped me and I have no strength.
17 How, sir, am I able to speak with you? My strength is gone, and I am
breathless.”
18 Then the one who appeared to be a human being touched me again and
strengthened me.
19 He said to me,“Don’t be afraid, you who are valued. Peace be to you! Be
strong! Be really strong!” When he spoke to me, I was strengthened. I
said,“Sir, you may speak now, for you have given me strength.”
20 He said,“Do you know why I have come to you? Now I am about to return to
engage in battle with the prince of Persia. When I go, the prince of Greece is
coming.
21 However, I will first tell you what is written in a dependable book.(There is
no one who strengthens me against these princes, except Michael your prince.

Chapter 11

1 And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood to strengthen him and to
provide protection for him.)
2 Now I will tell you the truth.The Angel Gives a Message to Daniel“Three more
kings will arise for Persia. Then a fourth king will be unusually rich, more so
than all who preceded him. When he has amassed power through his riches, he will
stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece.
3 Then a powerful king will arise, exercising great authority and doing as he
pleases.
4 Shortly after his rise to power, his kingdom will be broken up and distributed
toward the four winds of the sky– but not to his posterity or with the
authority he exercised, for his kingdom will be uprooted and distributed to
others besides these.
5 “Then the king of the south and one of his subordinates will grow strong.
His subordinate will resist him and will rule a kingdom greater than his.
6 After some years have passed, they will form an alliance. Then the daughter of
the king of the south will come to the king of the north to make an agreement,
but she will not retain her power, nor will he continue in his strength. She,
together with the one who brought her, her child, and her benefactor will all be
delivered over at that time.
7 “There will arise in his place one from her family line who will come
against their army and will enter the stronghold of the king of the north and
will move against them successfully.
8 He will also take their gods into captivity to Egypt, along with their cast
images and prized utensils of silver and gold. Then he will withdraw for some
years from the king of the north.
9 Then the king of the north will advance against the empire of the king of the
south, but will withdraw to his own land.
10 His sons will wage war, mustering a large army which will advance like an
overflowing river and carrying the battle all the way to the enemy’s fortress.
11 “Then the king of the south will be enraged and will march out to fight
against the king of the north, who will also muster a large army, but that army
will be delivered into his hand.
12 When the army is taken away, the king of the south will become arrogant. He
will be responsible for the death of thousands and thousands of people, but he
will not continue to prevail.
13 For the king of the north will again muster an army, one larger than before.
At the end of some years he will advance with a huge army and enormous supplies.
14 “In those times many will oppose the king of the south. Those who are
violent among your own people will rise up in confirmation of the vision, but
they will falter.
15 Then the king of the north will advance and will build siege mounds and
capture a well-fortified city. The forces of the south will not prevail, not
even his finest contingents. They will have no strength to prevail.
16 The one advancing against him will do as he pleases, and no one will be able
to stand before him. He will prevail in the beautiful land, and its annihilation
will be within his power.
17 His intention will be to come with the strength of his entire kingdom, and he
will form alliances. He will give the king of the south a daughter in marriage
in order to destroy the kingdom, but it will not turn out to his advantage.
18 Then he will turn his attention to the coastal regions and will capture many
of them. But a commander will bring his shameful conduct to a halt; in addition,
he will make him pay for his shameful conduct.
19 He will then turn his attention to the fortresses of his own land, but he
will stumble and fall, not to be found again.
20 There will arise after him one who will send out an exactor of tribute to
enhance the splendor of the kingdom, but after a few days he will be destroyed,
though not in anger or battle.
21 “Then there will arise in his place a despicable person to whom the royal
honor has not been rightfully conferred. He will come on the scene in a time of
prosperity and will seize the kingdom through deceit.
22 Armies will be suddenly swept away in defeat before him; both they and a
covenant leader will be destroyed.
23 After entering into an alliance with him, he will behave treacherously; he
will ascend to power with only a small force.
24 In a time of prosperity for the most productive areas of the province he will
come and accomplish what neither his fathers nor their fathers accomplished. He
will distribute loot, spoils, and property to his followers, and he will devise
plans against fortified cities, but not for long.
25 He will rouse his strength and enthusiasm against the king of the south with
a large army. The king of the south will wage war with a large and very powerful
army, but he will not be able to prevail because of the plans devised against
him.
26 Those who share the king’s fine food will attempt to destroy him, and his
army will be swept away; many will be killed in battle.
27 These two kings, their minds filled with evil intentions, will trade lies
with one another at the same table. But it will not succeed, for there is still
an end at the appointed time.
28 Then the king of the north will return to his own land with much property.
His mind will be set against the holy covenant. He will take action, and then
return to his own land.
29 At an appointed time he will again invade the south, but this latter visit
will not turn out the way the former one did.
30 The ships of Kittim will come against him, leaving him disheartened. He will
turn back and direct his indignation against the holy covenant. He will return
and honor those who forsake the holy covenant.
31 His forces will rise up and profane the fortified sanctuary, stopping the
daily sacrifice. In its place they will set up the abomination that causes
desolation.
32 Then with smooth words he will defile those who have rejected the covenant.
But the people who are loyal to their God will act valiantly.
33 These who are wise among the people will teach the masses. However, they will
fall by the sword and by the flame, and they will be imprisoned and plundered
for some time.
34 When they stumble, they will be granted some help. But many will unite with
them deceitfully.
35 Even some of the wise will stumble, resulting in their refinement,
purification, and cleansing until the time of the end, for it is still for the
appointed time.
36 “Then the king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself
above every deity and he will utter presumptuous things against the God of gods.
He will succeed until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been decreed
must occur.
37 He will not respect the gods of his fathers– not even the god loved by
women. He will not respect any god; he will elevate himself above them all.
38 What he will honor is a god of fortresses– a god his fathers did not
acknowledge he will honor with gold, silver, valuable stones, and treasured
commodities.
39 He will attack mighty fortresses, aided by a foreign deity. To those who
recognize him he will grant considerable honor. He will place them in authority
over many people, and he will parcel out land for a price.
40 “At the time of the end the king of the south will attack him. Then the
king of the north will storm against him with chariots, horsemen, and a large
armada of ships. He will invade lands, passing through them like an overflowing
river.
41 Then he will enter the beautiful land. Many will fall, but these will escape:
Edom, Moab, and the Ammonite leadership.
42 He will extend his power against other lands; the land of Egypt will not
escape.
43 He will have control over the hidden stores of gold and silver, as well as
all the treasures of Egypt. Libyans and Ethiopians will submit to him.
44 But reports will trouble him from the east and north, and he will set out in
a tremendous rage to destroy and wipe out many.
45 He will pitch his royal tents between the seas toward the beautiful holy
mountain. But he will come to his end, with no one to help him.

Chapter 12

1 “At that time Michael, the great prince who watches over your people, will
arise. There will be a time of distress unlike any other from the nation’s
beginning up to that time. But at that time your own people, all those whose
names are found written in the book, will escape.
2 Many of those who sleep in the dusty ground will awake– some to everlasting
life, and others to shame and everlasting abhorrence.
3 But the wise will shine like the brightness of the heavenly expanse. And those
bringing many to righteousness will be like the stars forever and ever.
4 “But you, Daniel, close up these words and seal the book until the time of
the end. Many will dash about, and knowledge will increase.”
5 I, Daniel, watched as two others stood there, one on each side of the river.
6 One said to the man clothed in linen who was above the waters of the
river,“When will the end of these wondrous events occur?”
7 Then I heard the man clothed in linen who was over the waters of the river as
he raised both his right and left hands to the sky and made an oath by the one
who lives forever:“It is for a time, times, and half a time. Then, when the
power of the one who shatters the holy people has been exhausted, all these
things will be finished.”
8 I heard, but I did not understand. So I said,“Sir, what will happen after
these things?”
9 He said,“Go, Daniel. For these matters are closed and sealed until the time
of the end.
10 Many will be purified, made clean, and refined, but the wicked will go on
being wicked. None of the wicked will understand, though the wise will
understand.
11 From the time that the daily sacrifice is removed and the abomination that
causes desolation is set in place, there are 1,290 days.
12 Blessed is the one who waits and attains to the 1,335 days.
13 But you should go your way until the end. You will rest and then at the end
of the days you will arise to receive what you have been allotted.”


Hosea

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Superscription This is the LORD’s message that came to Hosea son of Beeri
during the time of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and
during the time of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel.
2 Symbols of Sin and Judgment: The Prostitute and Her Children When the LORD
first spoke through Hosea, he said to him,“Go marry a prostitute who will bear
illegitimate children conceived through prostitution, because the nation
continually commits spiritual prostitution by turning away from the LORD.”
3 So Hosea married Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim. Then she conceived and gave
birth to a son for him.
4 Then the LORD said to Hosea,“Name him‘Jezreel,’ because in a little
while I will punish the dynasty of Jehu on account of the bloodshed in the
valley of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel.
5 At that time, I will destroy the military power of Israel in the valley of
Jezreel.”
6 She conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. Then the LORD said to
him,“Name her‘No Pity’(Lo-Ruhamah) because I will no longer have pity on
the nation of Israel. For I will certainly not forgive their guilt.
7 But I will have pity on the nation of Judah. I will deliver them by the LORD
their God; I will not deliver them by the warrior’s bow, by sword, by military
victory, by chariot horses, or by chariots.”
8 When she had weaned‘No Pity’(Lo-Ruhamah) she conceived again and gave
birth to another son.
9 Then the LORD said:“Name him‘Not My People’(Lo-Ammi), because you are
not my people and I am not your God.”
10 The Restoration of Israel(2:1) However, in the future the number of the
people of Israel will be like the sand of the sea which can be neither measured
nor numbered. Although it was said to them,“You are not my people,” it will
be said to them,“You are children of the living God!”
11 Then the people of Judah and the people of Israel will be gathered together.
They will appoint for themselves one leader, and will flourish in the land.
Certainly, the day of Jezreel will be great!

Chapter 2

1 Then you will call your brother,“My People”(Ammi)! You will call your
sister,“Pity”(Ruhamah)!
2 Idolatrous Israel Will Be Punished Like a Prostitute Plead earnestly with your
mother(for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband), so that she might put
an end to her adulterous lifestyle, and turn away from her sexually immoral
behavior.
3 Otherwise, I will strip her naked, and expose her like she was when she was
born. I will turn her land into a wilderness and make her country a parched
land, so that I might kill her with thirst.
4 I will have no pity on her children, because they are children conceived in
adultery.
5 For their mother has committed adultery; she who conceived them has acted
shamefully. For she said,“I will seek out my lovers; they are the ones who
give me my bread and my water, my wool, my flax, my olive oil, and my wine.
6 The Lord’s Discipline Will Bring Israel Back Therefore, I will soon fence
her in with thorns; I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way.
7 Then she will pursue her lovers, but she will not catch them; she will seek
them, but she will not find them. Then she will say,“I will go back to my
husband, because I was better off then than I am now.”
8 Agricultural Fertility Withdrawn from Israel Yet until now she has refused to
acknowledge that I was the one who gave her the grain, the new wine, and the
olive oil; and that it was I who lavished on her the silver and gold– which
they used in worshiping Baal!
9 Therefore, I will take back my grain during the harvest time and my new wine
when it ripens; I will take away my wool and my flax which I had provided in
order to clothe her.
10 Soon I will expose her lewd nakedness in front of her lovers, and no one will
be able to rescue her from me!
11 I will put an end to all her celebration: her annual religious festivals,
monthly new moon celebrations, and weekly Sabbath festivities– all her
appointed festivals.
12 I will destroy her vines and fig trees, about which she said,“These are my
wages for prostitution that my lovers gave to me!” I will turn her cultivated
vines and fig trees into an uncultivated thicket, so that wild animals will
devour them.
13 “I will punish her for the festival days when she burned incense to the
Baal idols; she adorned herself with earrings and jewelry, and went after her
lovers, but she forgot me!” says the LORD.
14 Future Repentance and Restoration of Israel However, in the future I will
allure her; I will lead her back into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her.
15 From there I will give back her vineyards to her, and turn the“Valley of
Trouble” into an“Opportunity for Hope.” There she will sing as she did
when she was young, when she came up from the land of Egypt.
16 “At that time,” declares the LORD,“you will call,‘My husband’; you
will never again call me,‘My master.’
17 For I will remove the names of the Baal idols from your lips, so that you
will never again utter their names!”
18 New Covenant Relationship with Repentant Israel“At that time I will make a
covenant for them with the wild animals, the birds of the air, and the creatures
that crawl on the ground. I will abolish the warrior’s bow and sword– that
is, every weapon of warfare– from the land, and I will allow them to live
securely.”
19 I will commit myself to you forever; I will commit myself to you in
righteousness and justice, in steadfast love and tender compassion.
20 I will commit myself to you in faithfulness; then you will acknowledge the
LORD.”
21 Agricultural Fertility Restored to the Repentant Nation“At that time, I
will willingly respond,” declares the LORD.“I will respond to the sky, and
the sky will respond to the ground;
22 then the ground will respond to the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil;
and they will respond to‘God Plants’(Jezreel)!
23 Then I will plant her as my own in the land. I will have pity on‘No
Pity’(Lo-Ruhamah). I will say to‘Not My People’(Lo-Ammi),‘You are my
people!’ And he will say,‘You are my God!’”

Chapter 3

1 An Illustration of God’s Love for Idolatrous Israel The LORD said to
me,“Go, show love to your wife again, even though she loves another man and
continually commits adultery. Likewise, the LORD loves the Israelites although
they turn to other gods and love to offer raisin cakes to idols.”
2 So I paid fifteen shekels of silver and about seven bushels of barley to
purchase her.
3 Then I told her,“You must live with me many days; you must not commit
adultery or become joined to another man, and I also will wait for you.”
4 For the Israelites must live many days without a king or prince, without
sacrifice or sacred fertility pillar, without ephod or idols.
5 Afterward, the Israelites will turn and seek the LORD their God and their
Davidic king. Then they will submit to the LORD in fear and receive his
blessings in the future.

Chapter 4

1 The Lord’s Covenant Lawsuit against the Nation Israel Listen to the LORD’s
message, you Israelites! For the LORD has a covenant lawsuit against the people
of Israel. For there is neither faithfulness nor loyalty in the land, nor do
they acknowledge God.
2 There is only cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and adultery. They resort to
violence and bloodshed.
3 Therefore the land will mourn, and all its inhabitants will perish. The wild
animals, the birds of the sky, and even the fish in the sea will perish.
4 The Lord’s Dispute against the Sinful Priesthood Do not let anyone accuse or
contend against anyone else: for my case is against you priests!
5 You stumble day and night, and the false prophets stumble with you; You have
destroyed your own people!
6 You have destroyed my people by failing to acknowledge me! Because you refuse
to acknowledge me, I will reject you as my priests. Because you reject the law
of your God, I will reject your descendants.
7 The more the priests increased in numbers, the more they rebelled against me.
They have turned their glorious calling into a shameful disgrace!
8 They feed on the sin offerings of my people; their appetites long for their
iniquity!
9 I will deal with the people and priests together: I will punish them both for
their ways, and I will repay them for their deeds.
10 They will eat, but not be satisfied; they will engage in prostitution, but
not increase in numbers; because they have abandoned the LORD by pursuing other
gods.
11 Judgment of Pagan Idolatry and Cultic Prostitution Old and new wine take away
the understanding of my people.
12 They consult their wooden idols, and their diviner’s staff answers with an
oracle. The wind of prostitution blows them astray; they commit spiritual
adultery against their God.
13 They sacrifice on the mountaintops, and burn offerings on the hills; they
sacrifice under oak, poplar, and terebinth, because their shade is so pleasant.
As a result, your daughters have become cult prostitutes, and your
daughters-in-law commit adultery!
14 I will not punish your daughters when they commit prostitution, nor your
daughters-in-law when they commit adultery. For the men consort with harlots,
they sacrifice with temple prostitutes. It is true:“A people that lacks
understanding will come to ruin!”
15 Warning to Judah: Do Not Join in Israel’s Apostasy! Although you, O Israel,
commit adultery, do not let Judah become guilty! Do not journey to Gilgal! Do
not go up to Beth Aven! Do not swear,“As surely as the LORD lives!”
16 Israel has rebelled like a stubborn heifer! Soon the LORD will put them out
to pasture like a lamb in a broad field!
17 Ephraim has attached himself to idols; Do not go near him!
18 The Shameful Sinners Will Be Brought to Shame They consume their alcohol,
then engage in cult prostitution; they dearly love their shameful behavior.
19 A whirlwind has wrapped them in its wings; they will be brought to shame
because of their idolatrous worship.

Chapter 5

1 Announcement of Sin and Judgment Hear this, you priests! Pay attention, you
Israelites! Listen closely, O king! For judgment is about to overtake you! For
you were like a trap to Mizpah, like a net spread out to catch Tabor.
2 Those who revolt are knee-deep in slaughter, but I will discipline them all.
3 I know Ephraim all too well; the evil of Israel is not hidden from me. For you
have engaged in prostitution, O Ephraim; Israel has defiled itself.
4 Their wicked deeds do not allow them to return to their God; for a spirit of
idolatry is in them, and they do not acknowledge the LORD.
5 The arrogance of Israel testifies against it; Israel and Ephraim will be
overthrown because of their iniquity. Even Judah will be brought down with them.
6 The Futility of Sacrificial Ritual without Moral Obedience Although they bring
their flocks and herds to seek the favor of the LORD, They will not find him–
he has withdrawn himself from them!
7 They have committed treason against the LORD, because they bore illegitimate
children. Soon the new moon festival will devour them and their fields.
8 The Prophet’s Declaration of Judgment Blow the ram’s horn in Gibeah! Sound
the trumpet in Ramah! Sound the alarm in Beth Aven! Tremble in fear, O Benjamin!
9 Ephraim will be ruined in the day of judgment! What I am declaring to the
tribes of Israel will certainly take place!
10 The Oppressors of the Helpless Will Be Oppressed The princes of Judah are
like those who move boundary markers. I will pour out my rage on them like a
torrential flood!
11 Ephraim will be oppressed, crushed under judgment, because he was determined
to pursue worthless idols.
12 The Curse of the Incurable Wound I will be like a moth to Ephraim, like wood
rot to the house of Judah.
13 When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah saw his wound, then Ephraim turned to
Assyria, and begged its great king for help. But he will not be able to heal
you! He cannot cure your wound!
14 The Lion Will Carry Israel Off Into Exile I will be like a lion to Ephraim,
like a young lion to the house of Judah. I myself will tear them to pieces, then
I will carry them off, and no one will be able to rescue them!
15 Then I will return again to my lair until they have suffered their
punishment. Then they will seek me; in their distress they will earnestly seek
me.

Chapter 6

1 Superficial Repentance Breeds False Assurance of God’s Forgiveness“Come
on! Let’s return to the LORD! He himself has torn us to pieces, but he will
heal us! He has injured us, but he will bandage our wounds!
2 He will restore us in a very short time; he will heal us in a little while, so
that we may live in his presence.
3 So let us search for him! Let us seek to know the LORD! He will come to our
rescue as certainly as the appearance of the dawn, as certainly as the winter
rain comes, as certainly as the spring rain that waters the land.”
4 Transitory Faithfulness and Imminent Judgment What am I going to do with you,
O Ephraim? What am I going to do with you, O Judah? For your faithfulness is as
fleeting as the morning mist; it disappears as quickly as dawn’s dew!
5 Therefore, I will certainly cut you into pieces at the hands of the prophets;
I will certainly kill you in fulfillment of my oracles of judgment; for my
judgment will come forth like the light of the dawn.
6 For I delight in faithfulness, not simply in sacrifice; I delight in
acknowledging God, not simply in whole burnt offerings.
7 Indictments Against the Cities of Israel and Judah At Adam they broke the
covenant; Oh how they were unfaithful to me!
8 Gilead is a city full of evildoers; its streets are stained with bloody
footprints!
9 The company of priests is like a gang of robbers, lying in ambush to pounce on
a victim. They commit murder on the road to Shechem; they have done heinous
crimes!
10 I have seen a disgusting thing in the house of Israel: there Ephraim commits
prostitution with other gods, and Israel defiles itself.
11 I have appointed a time to reap judgment for you also, O Judah!If Israel
Would Repent of Sin, God Would Relent of Judgment Whenever I want to restore the
fortunes of my people,

Chapter 7

1 whenever I want to heal Israel, the sin of Ephraim is revealed, and the evil
deeds of Samaria are exposed. For they do what is wrong; thieves break into
houses, and gangs rob people out in the streets.
2 They do not realize that I remember all of their wicked deeds. Their evil
deeds have now surrounded them; their sinful deeds are always before me.
3 Political Intrigue and Conspiracy in the Palace The royal advisers delight the
king with their evil schemes, the princes make him glad with their lies.
4 They are all like bakers, they are like a smoldering oven; they are like a
baker who does not stoke the fire until the kneaded dough is ready for baking.
5 At the celebration of their king, his princes become inflamed with wine; they
conspire with evildoers.
6 They approach him, all the while plotting against him. Their hearts are like
an oven; their anger smolders all night long, but in the morning it bursts into
a flaming fire.
7 All of them are blazing like an oven; they devour their rulers. All of their
kings fall– and none of them call on me!
8 Israel Lacks Discernment and Refuses to Repent Ephraim has mixed itself like
flour among the nations; Ephraim is like a ruined cake of bread that is scorched
on one side.
9 Foreigners are consuming what his strenuous labor produced, but he does not
recognize it! His head is filled with gray hair, but he does not realize it!
10 The arrogance of Israel testifies against him, yet they refuse to return to
the LORD their God! In spite of all this they refuse to seek him!
11 Israel Turns to Assyria and Egypt for Help Ephraim has been like a dove,
easily deceived and lacking discernment. They called to Egypt for help; they
turned to Assyria for protection.
12 I will throw my bird net over them while they are flying, I will bring them
down like birds in the sky; I will discipline them when I hear them flocking
together.
13 Israel Has Turned Away from the Lord Woe to them! For they have fled from me!
Destruction to them! For they have rebelled against me! I want to deliver them,
but they have lied to me.
14 They do not pray to me, but howl in distress on their beds; They slash
themselves for grain and new wine, but turn away from me.
15 Although I trained and strengthened them, they plot evil against me!
16 They turn to Baal; they are like an unreliable bow. Their leaders will fall
by the sword because their prayers to Baal have made me angry. So people will
disdain them in the land of Egypt.

Chapter 8

1 God Will Raise Up the Assyrians to Attack Israel Sound the alarm! An eagle
looms over the temple of the LORD! For they have broken their covenant with me,
and have rebelled against my law.
2 Israel cries out to me,“My God, we acknowledge you!”
3 But Israel has rejected what is morally good; so an enemy will pursue him.
4 The Political and Cultic Sin of Israel They enthroned kings without my
consent! They appointed princes without my approval! They made idols out of
their silver and gold, but they will be destroyed!
5 O Samaria, he has rejected your calf idol! My anger burns against them! They
will not survive much longer without being punished, even though they are
Israelites!
6 That idol was made by a workman– it is not God! The calf idol of Samaria
will be broken to bits.
7 The Fertility Cultists Will Become Infertile They sow the wind, and so they
will reap the whirlwind! The stalk does not have any standing grain; it will not
produce any flour. Even if it were to yield grain, foreigners would swallow it
all up.
8 Israel will be swallowed up among the nations; they will be like a worthless
piece of pottery.
9 Israel’s Hired Lovers They have gone up to Assyria, like a wild donkey that
wanders off. Ephraim has hired prostitutes as lovers.
10 Even though they have hired lovers among the nations, I will soon gather them
together for judgment. Then they will begin to waste away under the oppression
of a mighty king.
11 Sacrifices Ineffective without Moral Obedience Although Ephraim has built
many altars for sin offerings, these have become altars for sinning!
12 I spelled out my law for him in great detail, but they regard it as something
totally unknown to them!
13 They offer up sacrificial gifts to me, and eat the meat, but the LORD does
not accept their sacrifices. Soon he will remember their wrongdoing, he will
punish their sins, and they will return to Egypt.
14 Israel has forgotten his Maker and built royal palaces, and Judah has built
many fortified cities. But I will send fire on their cities; it will consume
their royal citadels.

Chapter 9

1 Fertility Cult Festivals Have Intoxicated Israel O Israel, do not rejoice
jubilantly like the nations, for you are unfaithful to your God. You love to
receive a prostitute’s wages on all the floors where you thresh your grain.
2 Threshing floors and wine vats will not feed the people, and new wine only
deceives them.
3 Assyrian Exile Will Reverse the Egyptian Exodus They will not remain in the
LORD’s land. Ephraim will return to Egypt; they will eat ritually unclean food
in Assyria.
4 They will not pour out drink offerings of wine to the LORD; they will not
please him with their sacrifices. Their sacrifices will be like bread eaten
while in mourning; all those who eat them will make themselves ritually unclean.
For their bread will be only to satisfy their appetite; it will not come into
the temple of the LORD.
5 So what will you do on the festival day, on the festival days of the LORD?
6 No Escape for the Israelites This Time! Look! Even if they flee from the
destruction, Egypt will take hold of them, and Memphis will bury them. The weeds
will inherit the silver they treasure– thorn bushes will occupy their homes.
7 The time of judgment is about to arrive! The time of retribution is imminent!
Israel will be humbled! Israel Rejects Hosea’s Prophetic Exhortations The
prophet is considered a fool– the inspired man is viewed as a madman–
because of the multitude of your sins and your intense animosity.
8 The prophet is a watchman over Ephraim on behalf of God, yet traps are laid
for him along all of his paths; animosity rages against him in the land of his
God.
9 The Best of Times, the Worst of Times They have sunk deep into corruption as
in the days of Gibeah. He will remember their wrongdoing. He will repay them for
their sins.
10 When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the wilderness. I viewed
your ancestors like an early fig on a fig tree in its first season. Then they
came to Baal-Peor and they dedicated themselves to shame– they became as
detestable as what they loved.
11 The Fertility Worshipers Will Become Infertile Ephraim will be like a bird;
what they value will fly away. They will not bear children– they will not
enjoy pregnancy– they will not even conceive!
12 Even if they raise their children, I will take away every last one of them.
Woe to them! For I will turn away from them.
13 Ephraim, as I have seen, has given their children for prey; Ephraim will bear
his sons for slaughter.
14 Give them, O LORD– what will you give them? Give them wombs that miscarry,
and breasts that cannot nurse!
15 Because of all their evil in Gilgal, I hate them there. On account of their
evil deeds, I will drive them out of my land. I will no longer love them; all
their rulers are rebels.
16 Ephraim will be struck down– their root will be dried up; they will not
yield any fruit. Even if they do bear children, I will kill their precious
offspring.
17 My God will reject them, for they have not obeyed him; so they will be
fugitives among the nations.

Chapter 10

1 Israel is Guilty of Fertility Cult Worship Israel was a fertile vine that
yielded fruit. As his fruit multiplied, he multiplied altars to Baal. As his
land prospered, they adorned the fertility pillars.
2 Their hearts are slipping; soon they will be punished for their guilt. The
LORD will break their altars; he will completely destroy their fertility
pillars.
3 The Lord Will Punish Israel by Removing Its Kings Very soon they will
say,“We have no king since we did not fear the LORD. But what can a king do
for us anyway?”
4 They utter empty words, taking false oaths and making empty agreements.
Therefore legal disputes sprout up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a
plowed field.
5 The Calf Idol and Idolaters of Samaria Will Be Exiled The inhabitants of
Samaria will lament over the calf idol of Beth Aven. Its people will mourn over
it; its idolatrous priests will wail over it, because its splendor will be taken
from them into exile.
6 Even the calf idol will be carried to Assyria, as tribute for the great king.
Ephraim will be disgraced; Israel will be put to shame because of its wooden
idol.
7 Samaria and its king will be carried off like a twig on the surface of the
waters.
8 The high places of the“House of Wickedness” will be destroyed; it is the
place where Israel sins. Thorns and thistles will grow up over its altars. Then
they will say to the mountains,“Cover us!” and to the hills,“Fall on
us!”
9 Failure to Learn from the Sin and Judgment of Gibeah O Israel, you have sinned
since the time of Gibeah, and there you have remained. Did not war overtake the
evildoers in Gibeah?
10 When I please, I will discipline them; I will gather nations together to
attack them, to bind them in chains for their two sins.
11 Fertility Imagery: Plowing, Sowing, and Reaping Ephraim was a well-trained
heifer who loved to thresh grain; I myself put a fine yoke on her neck. I will
harness Ephraim. Let Judah plow! Let Jacob break up the unplowed ground for
himself!
12 Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap unfailing love. Break up the unplowed
ground for yourselves, for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and
showers deliverance on you.
13 But you have plowed wickedness; you have reaped injustice; you have eaten the
fruit of deception. Because you have depended on your chariots; you have relied
on your many warriors.
14 Bethel Will Be Destroyed Like Beth Arbel The roar of battle will rise against
your people; all your fortresses will be devastated, just as Shalman devastated
Beth Arbel on the day of battle, when mothers were dashed to the ground with
their children.
15 So will it happen to you, O Bethel, because of your great wickedness! When
that day dawns, the king of Israel will be destroyed.

Chapter 11

1 Reversal of the Exodus: Return to Egypt and Exile in Assyria When Israel was a
young man, I loved him like a son, and I summoned my son out of Egypt.
2 But the more I summoned them, the farther they departed from me. They
sacrificed to the Baal idols and burned incense to images.
3 Yet it was I who led Ephraim, I took them by the arm; but they did not
acknowledge that I had healed them.
4 I led them with leather cords, with leather ropes; I lifted the yoke from
their neck, and gently fed them.
5 They will return to Egypt! Assyria will rule over them because they refuse to
repent!
6 A sword will flash in their cities, it will destroy the bars of their city
gates, and will devour them in their fortresses.
7 My people are obsessed with turning away from me; they call to Baal, but he
will never exalt them!
8 The Divine Dilemma: Judgment or Mercy? How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How
can I surrender you, O Israel? How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make
you like Zeboiim? I have had a change of heart! All my tender compassions are
aroused!
9 I cannot carry out my fierce anger! I cannot totally destroy Ephraim! Because
I am God, and not man– the Holy One among you– I will not come in wrath!
10 God Will Restore the Exiles to Israel He will roar like a lion, and they will
follow the LORD; when he roars, his children will come trembling from the west.
11 They will return in fear and trembling like birds from Egypt, like doves from
Assyria, and I will settle them in their homes,” declares the LORD.
12 God’s Lawsuit against Israel: Breach of Covenant(12:1) Ephraim has
surrounded me with lies; the house of Israel has surrounded me with deceit. But
Judah still roams about with God; he remains faithful to the Holy One.

Chapter 12

1 Ephraim continually feeds on the wind; he chases the east wind all day; he
multiplies lies and violence. They make treaties with Assyria, and send olive
oil as tribute to Egypt.
2 The LORD also has a covenant lawsuit against Judah; he will punish Jacob
according to his ways and repay him according to his deeds.
3 Israel Must Return to the God of Jacob In the womb he attacked his brother; in
his manly vigor he struggled with God.
4 He struggled with an angel and prevailed; he wept and begged for his favor. He
found God at Bethel, and there he spoke with him!
5 As for the LORD God Almighty, the LORD is the name by which he is remembered!
6 But you must return to your God, by maintaining love and justice, and by
waiting for your God to return to you.
7 The Lord Refutes Israel’s False Claim of Innocence The businessmen love to
cheat; they use dishonest scales.
8 Ephraim boasts,“I am very rich! I have become wealthy! In all that I have
done to gain my wealth, no one can accuse me of any offense that is actually
sinful.”
9 “I am the LORD your God who brought you out of Egypt; I will make you live
in tents again as in the days of old.
10 I spoke to the prophets; I myself revealed many visions; I spoke in parables
through the prophets.”
11 Is there idolatry in Gilead? Certainly its inhabitants will come to nothing!
Do they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal? Surely their altars will be like stones
heaped up on a plowed field!
12 Jacob in Aram, Israel in Egypt, and Ephraim in Trouble Jacob fled to the
country of Aram, then Israel worked to acquire a wife; he tended sheep to pay
for her.
13 The LORD brought Israel out of Egypt by a prophet, and due to a prophet
Israel was preserved alive.
14 But Ephraim bitterly provoked him to anger; so he will hold him accountable
for the blood he has shed, his Lord will repay him for the contempt he has
shown.

Chapter 13

1 Baal Worshipers and Calf Worshipers to be Destroyed When Ephraim spoke, there
was terror; he was exalted in Israel, but he became guilty by worshiping Baal
and died.
2 Even now they persist in sin! They make metal images for themselves, idols
that they skillfully fashion from their own silver; all of them are nothing but
the work of craftsmen! There is a saying about them:“Those who sacrifice to
the calf idol are calf kissers!”
3 Therefore they will disappear like the morning mist, like early morning dew
that evaporates, like chaff that is blown away from a threshing floor, like
smoke that disappears through an open window.
4 Well-Fed Israel Will Be Fed to Wild Animals But I am the LORD your God, who
brought you out of Egypt. Therefore, you must not acknowledge any God but me;
except me there is no Savior.
5 I cared for you in the wilderness, in the dry desert where no water was.
6 When they were fed, they became satisfied; when they were satisfied, they
became proud; as a result, they forgot me!
7 So I will pounce on them like a lion; like a leopard I will lurk by the path.
8 I will attack them like a bear robbed of her cubs– I will rip open their
chests. I will devour them there like a lion– like a wild animal would tear
them apart.
9 Israel’s King Unable to Deliver the Nation I will destroy you, O Israel! Who
is there to help you?
10 Where then is your king, that he may save you in all your cities? Where are
your rulers for whom you asked, saying,“Give me a king and princes”?
11 I granted you a king in my anger, and I will take him away in my wrath!
12 Israel’s Punishment Will Not Be Withheld Much Longer The punishment of
Ephraim has been decreed; his punishment is being stored up for the future.
13 The labor pains of a woman will overtake him, but the baby will lack wisdom;
when the time arrives, he will not come out of the womb!
14 The Lord Will Not Relent from the Threatened Judgment Will I deliver them
from the power of Sheol? No, I will not! Will I redeem them from death? No, I
will not! O Death, bring on your plagues! O Sheol, bring on your destruction! My
eyes will not show any compassion!
15 The Capital of the Northern Empire Will Be Destroyed Even though he
flourishes like a reed plant, a scorching east wind will come, a wind from the
LORD rising up from the desert. As a result, his spring will dry up; his well
will become dry. That wind will spoil all his delightful foods in the containers
in his storehouse.
16 (14:1) Samaria will be held guilty, because she rebelled against her God.
They will fall by the sword, their infants will be dashed to the ground– their
pregnant women will be ripped open.

Chapter 14

1 Prophetic Call to Genuine Repentance Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God,
for your sin has been your downfall!
2 Return to the LORD and repent! Say to him:“Completely forgive our iniquity;
accept our penitential prayer, that we may offer the praise of our lips as
sacrificial bulls.
3 Assyria cannot save us; we will not ride warhorses. We will never again
say,‘Our gods’ to what our own hands have made. For only you will show
compassion to Orphan Israel!”
4 Divine Promise to Relent from Judgment and to Restore Blessings“I will heal
their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger will turn away from them.
5 I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily, he will send
down his roots like a cedar of Lebanon.
6 His young shoots will grow; his splendor will be like an olive tree, his
fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.
7 People will reside again in his shade; they will plant and harvest grain in
abundance. They will blossom like a vine, and his fame will be like the wine
from Lebanon.
8 O Ephraim, I do not want to have anything to do with idols anymore! I will
answer him and care for him. I am like a luxuriant cypress tree; your
fruitfulness comes from me!
9 Concluding Exhortation Who is wise? Let him discern these things! Who is
discerning? Let him understand them! For the ways of the LORD are right; the
godly walk in them,but in them the rebellious stumble.


Joel

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Introduction This is the LORD’s message that came to Joel the son of
Pethuel:
2 A Locust Plague Foreshadows the Day of the Lord Listen to this, you elders;
pay attention, all inhabitants of the land. Has anything like this ever happened
in your whole life or in the lifetime of your ancestors?
3 Tell your children about it, have your children tell their children, and their
children the following generation.
4 What the gazam-locust left the‘arbeh-locust consumed, what
the‘arbeh-locust left the yeleq-locust consumed, and what the yeleq-locust
left the hasil-locust consumed!
5 Wake up, you drunkards, and weep! Wail, all you wine drinkers, because the
sweet wine has been taken away from you.
6 For a nation has invaded my land, mighty and without number. Their teeth are
lion’s teeth; they have the fangs of a lioness.
7 They have destroyed my vines; they have turned my fig trees into mere
splinters. They have completely stripped off the bark and thrown it aside; the
twigs are stripped bare.
8 A Call to Lament Wail like a young virgin clothed in sackcloth, lamenting the
death of her husband-to-be.
9 No one brings grain offerings or drink offerings to the temple of the LORD
anymore. So the priests, those who serve the LORD, are in mourning.
10 The crops of the fields have been destroyed. The ground is in mourning
because the grain has perished. The fresh wine has dried up; the olive oil
languishes.
11 Be distressed, farmers; wail, vinedressers, over the wheat and the barley.
For the harvest of the field has perished.
12 The vine has dried up; the fig tree languishes– the pomegranate, date, and
apple as well. In fact, all the trees of the field have dried up. Indeed, the
joy of the people has dried up!
13 Get dressed and lament, you priests! Wail, you who minister at the altar!
Come, spend the night in sackcloth, you servants of my God, because no one
brings grain offerings or drink offerings to the temple of your God anymore.
14 Announce a holy fast; proclaim a sacred assembly. Gather the elders and all
the inhabitants of the land to the temple of the LORD your God, and cry out to
the LORD.
15 How awful that day will be! For the day of the LORD is near; it will come as
destruction from the Divine Destroyer.
16 Our food has been cut off right before our eyes! There is no longer any joy
or gladness in the temple of our God!
17 The grains of seed have shriveled beneath their shovels. Storehouses have
been decimated and granaries have been torn down, for the grain has dried up.
18 Listen to the cattle groan! The herds of livestock wander around in confusion
because they have no pasture. Even the flocks of sheep are suffering.
19 To you, O LORD, I call out for help, for fire has burned up the pastures of
the wilderness, flames have razed all the trees in the fields.
20 Even the wild animals cry out to you; for the river beds have dried up; fire
has destroyed the pastures of the wilderness.

Chapter 2

1 The Locusts’ Devastation Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm signal on
my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land shake with fear, for the
day of the LORD is about to come. Indeed, it is near!
2 It will be a day of dreadful darkness, a day of foreboding storm clouds, like
blackness spread over the mountains. It is a huge and powerful army– there has
never been anything like it ever before, and there will not be anything like it
for many generations to come!
3 Like fire they devour everything in their path; a flame blazes behind them.
The land looks like the Garden of Eden before them, but behind them there is
only a desolate wilderness– for nothing escapes them!
4 They look like horses; they charge ahead like war horses.
5 They sound like chariots rumbling over mountain tops, like the crackling of
blazing fire consuming stubble, like the noise of a mighty army being drawn up
for battle.
6 People writhe in fear when they see them. All of their faces turn pale with
fright.
7 They charge like warriors; they scale walls like soldiers. Each one proceeds
on his course; they do not alter their path.
8 They do not jostle one another; each of them marches straight ahead. They
burst through the city defenses and do not break ranks.
9 They rush into the city; they scale its walls. They climb up into the houses;
they go in through the windows like a thief.
10 The earth quakes before them; the sky reverberates. The sun and the moon grow
dark; the stars refuse to shine.
11 The voice of the LORD thunders as he leads his army. Indeed, his warriors are
innumerable; Surely his command is carried out! Yes, the day of the LORD is
awesome and very terrifying– who can survive it?
12 An Appeal for Repentance“Yet even now,” the LORD says,“return to me
with all your heart– with fasting, weeping, and mourning.
13 Tear your hearts, not just your garments!” Return to the LORD your God, for
he is merciful and compassionate, slow to anger and boundless in loyal love–
often relenting from calamitous punishment.
14 Who knows? Perhaps he will be compassionate and grant a reprieve, and leave
blessing in his wake– a meal offering and a drink offering for you to offer to
the LORD your God!
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion. Announce a holy fast; proclaim a sacred assembly!
16 Gather the people; sanctify an assembly! Gather the elders; gather the
children and the nursing infants. Let the bridegroom come out from his bedroom
and the bride from her private quarters.
17 Let the priests, those who serve the LORD, weep from the vestibule all the
way back to the altar. Let them say,“Have pity, O LORD, on your people; please
do not turn over your inheritance to be mocked, to become a proverb among the
nations. Why should it be said among the peoples,“Where is their God?”
18 The LORD’s Response Then the LORD became zealous for his land; he had
compassion on his people.
19 The LORD responded to his people,“Look! I am about to restore your grain as
well as fresh wine and olive oil. You will be fully satisfied. I will never
again make you an object of mockery among the nations.
20 I will remove the one from the north far from you. I will drive him out to a
dry and desolate place. Those in front will be driven eastward into the Dead
Sea, and those in back westward into the Mediterranean Sea. His stench will rise
up as a foul smell.” Indeed, the LORD has accomplished great things.
21 Do not fear, my land! Rejoice and be glad, because the LORD has accomplished
great things!
22 Do not fear, wild animals! For the pastures of the wilderness are again green
with grass. Indeed, the trees bear their fruit; the fig tree and the vine yield
to their fullest.
23 Citizens of Zion, rejoice! Be glad because of what the LORD your God has
done! For he has given to you the early rains as vindication. He has sent to you
the rains– both the early and the late rains as formerly.
24 The threshing floors are full of grain; the vats overflow with fresh wine and
olive oil.
25 I will make up for the years that the‘arbeh-locust consumed your crops–
the yeleq-locust, the hasil-locust, and the gazam-locust– my great army that I
sent against you.
26 You will have plenty to eat, and your hunger will be fully satisfied; you
will praise the name of the LORD your God, who has acted wondrously in your
behalf. My people will never again be put to shame.
27 You will be convinced that I am in the midst of Israel. I am the LORD your
God; there is no other. My people will never again be put to shame.
28 An Outpouring of the Spirit(3:1) After all of this I will pour out my Spirit
on all kinds of people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your elderly will
have prophetic dreams; your young men will see visions.
29 Even on male and female servants I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
30 I will produce portents both in the sky and on the earth– blood, fire, and
columns of smoke.
31 The sunlight will be turned to darkness and the moon to the color of blood,
before the day of the LORD comes– that great and terrible day!
32 It will so happen that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be
delivered. For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who survive,
just as the LORD has promised; the remnant will be those whom the LORD will
call.

Chapter 3

1 The LORD Plans to Judge the Nations(4:1) For look! In those days and at that
time I will return the exiles to Judah and Jerusalem.
2 Then I will gather all the nations, and bring them down to the valley of
Jehoshaphat. I will enter into judgment against them there concerning my people
Israel who are my inheritance, whom they scattered among the nations. They
partitioned my land,
3 and they cast lots for my people. They traded a boy for a prostitute; they
sold a little girl for wine so they could drink.
4 Why are you doing these things to me, Tyre and Sidon? Are you trying to get
even with me, land of Philistia? If you are, I will very quickly repay you for
what you have done!
5 For you took my silver and my gold and brought my precious valuables to your
own palaces.
6 You sold Judeans and Jerusalemites to the Greeks, removing them far from their
own country.
7 Look! I am rousing them from that place to which you sold them. I will repay
you for what you have done!
8 I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah. They will sell
them to the Sabeans, a nation far away. Indeed, the LORD has spoken!
9 Judgment in the Valley of Jehoshaphat Proclaim this among the
nations:“Prepare for a holy war! Call out the warriors! Let all these fighting
men approach and attack!
10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears! Let the
weak say,‘I too am a warrior!’
11 Lend your aid and come, all you surrounding nations, and gather yourselves to
that place.” Bring down, O LORD, your warriors!
12 Let the nations be roused and let them go up to the valley of Jehoshaphat,
for there I will sit in judgment on all the surrounding nations.
13 Rush forth with the sickle, for the harvest is ripe! Come, stomp the grapes,
for the winepress is full! The vats overflow. Indeed, their evil is great!
14 Crowds, great crowds are in the valley of decision, for the day of the LORD
is near in the valley of decision!
15 The sun and moon are darkened; the stars withhold their brightness.
16 The LORD roars from Zion; from Jerusalem his voice bellows out. The heavens
and the earth shake. But the LORD is a refuge for his people; he is a stronghold
for the citizens of Israel.
17 The LORD’s Presence in Zion You will be convinced that I the LORD am your
God, dwelling on Zion, my holy mountain. Jerusalem will be holy– conquering
armies will no longer pass through it.
18 On that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine, and the hills will flow
with milk. All the dry stream beds of Judah will flow with water. A spring will
flow out from the temple of the LORD, watering the Valley of Acacia Trees.
19 Egypt will be desolate and Edom will be a desolate wilderness, because of the
violence they did to the people of Judah, in whose land they shed innocent
blood.
20 But Judah will reside securely forever, and Jerusalem will be secure from one
generation to the next.
21 I will avenge their blood which I had not previously acquitted.It is the LORD
who dwells in Zion!


Amos

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Introduction The following is a record of what Amos prophesied. He was one
of the herdsmen from Tekoa. These prophecies about Israel were revealed to him
during the time of King Uzziah of Judah and King Jeroboam son of Joash of
Israel, two years before the earthquake.
2 God Will Judge the Surrounding Nations Amos said:“The LORD comes roaring out
of Zion; from Jerusalem he comes bellowing! The shepherds’ pastures wilt; the
summit of Carmel withers.”
3 This is what the LORD says:“Because Damascus has committed three crimes–
make that four!– I will not revoke my decree of judgment. They ripped through
Gilead like threshing sledges with iron teeth.
4 So I will set Hazael’s house on fire; fire will consume Ben Hadad’s
fortresses.
5 I will break the bar on the gate of Damascus. I will remove the ruler from
Wicked Valley, the one who holds the royal scepter from Beth Eden. The people of
Aram will be deported to Kir.” The LORD has spoken!
6 This is what the LORD says:“Because Gaza has committed three crimes– make
that four!– I will not revoke my decree of judgment. They deported a whole
community and sold them to Edom.
7 So I will set Gaza’s city wall on fire; fire will consume her fortresses.
8 I will remove the ruler from Ashdod, the one who holds the royal scepter from
Ashkelon. I will strike Ekron with my hand; the rest of the Philistines will
also die.” The Sovereign LORD has spoken!
9 This is what the LORD says:“Because Tyre has committed three crimes– make
that four!– I will not revoke my decree of judgment. They sold a whole
community to Edom; they failed to observe a treaty of brotherhood.
10 So I will set fire to Tyre’s city wall; fire will consume her
fortresses.”
11 This is what the LORD says:“Because Edom has committed three crimes– make
that four!– I will not revoke my decree of judgment. He chased his brother
with a sword; he wiped out his allies. In his anger he tore them apart without
stopping to rest; in his fury he relentlessly attacked them.
12 So I will set Teman on fire; fire will consume Bozrah’s fortresses.”
13 This is what the LORD says:“Because the Ammonites have committed three
crimes– make that four!– I will not revoke my decree of judgment. They
ripped open Gilead’s pregnant women so they could expand their territory.
14 So I will set fire to Rabbah’s city wall; fire will consume her fortresses.
War cries will be heard on the day of battle; a strong gale will blow on the day
of the windstorm.
15 Ammon’s king will be deported; he and his officials will be carried off
together.” The LORD has spoken!

Chapter 2

1 This is what the LORD says:“Because Moab has committed three crimes– make
that four!– I will not revoke my decree of judgment. They burned the bones of
Edom’s king into lime.
2 So I will set Moab on fire, and it will consume Kerioth’s fortresses. Moab
will perish in the heat of battle amid war cries and the blaring of the ram’s
horn.
3 I will remove Moab’s leader; I will kill all Moab’s officials with him.”
The LORD has spoken!
4 This is what the LORD says:“Because Judah has committed three covenant
transgressions– make that four!– I will not revoke my decree of judgment.
They rejected the LORD’s law; they did not obey his commands. Their false
gods, to which their fathers were loyal, led them astray.
5 So I will set Judah on fire, and it will consume Jerusalem’s fortresses.”
6 God Will Judge Israel This is what the LORD says:“Because Israel has
committed three covenant transgressions– make that four!– I will not revoke
my decree of judgment. They sold the innocent for silver, the needy for a pair
of sandals.
7 They trample on the dirt-covered heads of the poor; they push the destitute
away. A man and his father go to the same girl; in this way they show disrespect
for my moral purity.
8 They stretch out on clothing seized as collateral; they do so right beside
every altar! They drink wine bought with the fines they have levied; they do so
right in the temple of their God!
9 For Israel’s sake I destroyed the Amorites. They were as tall as cedars and
as strong as oaks, but I destroyed the fruit on their branches and their roots
in the ground.
10 I brought you up from the land of Egypt; I led you through the wilderness for
forty years so you could take the Amorites’ land as your own.
11 I made some of your sons prophets and some of your young men Nazirites. Is
this not true, you Israelites?” The LORD is speaking!
12 “But you made the Nazirites drink wine; you commanded the prophets,‘Do
not prophesy!’
13 Look! I will press you down, like a cart loaded down with grain presses down.
14 Fast runners will find no place to hide; strong men will have no strength
left; warriors will not be able to save their lives.
15 Archers will not hold their ground; fast runners will not save their lives,
nor will those who ride horses.
16 Bravehearted warriors will run away naked in that day.” The LORD is
speaking!

Chapter 3

1 Every Effect has its Cause Listen, you Israelites, to this message which the
LORD is proclaiming against you! This message is for the entire clan I brought
up from the land of Egypt:
2 “I have chosen you alone from all the clans of the earth. Therefore I will
punish you for all your sins.”
3 Do two walk together without having met?
4 Does a lion roar in the woods if he has not cornered his prey? Does a young
lion bellow from his den if he has not caught something?
5 Does a bird swoop down into a trap on the ground if there is no bait? Does a
trap spring up from the ground unless it has surely caught something?
6 If an alarm sounds in a city, do people not fear? If disaster overtakes a
city, is the LORD not responsible?
7 Certainly the Sovereign LORD does nothing without first revealing his plan to
his servants the prophets.
8 A lion has roared! Who is not afraid? The Sovereign LORD has spoken! Who can
refuse to prophesy?
9 Samaria Will Fall Make this announcement in the fortresses of Ashdod and in
the fortresses in the land of Egypt. Say this:“Gather on the hills around
Samaria! Observe the many acts of violence taking place within the city, the
oppressive deeds occurring in it.”
10 “They do not know how to do what is right.”(The LORD is speaking.)“They
store up the spoils of destructive violence in their fortresses.
11 Therefore,” says the Sovereign LORD,“an enemy will encircle the land. He
will take away your power; your fortresses will be looted.”
12 This is what the LORD says:“Just as a shepherd salvages from the lion’s
mouth a couple of leg bones or a piece of an ear, so the Israelites who live in
Samaria will be salvaged. They will be left with just a corner of a bed, and a
part of a couch.”
13 Listen and warn the family of Jacob! The Sovereign LORD, the God who commands
armies, is speaking!
14 “Certainly when I punish Israel for their covenant transgressions, I will
destroy Bethel’s altars. The horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to
the ground.
15 I will destroy both the winter and summer houses. The houses filled with
ivory will be ruined, the great houses will be swept away.” The LORD is
speaking!

Chapter 4

1 Listen to this message, you cows of Bashan who live on Mount Samaria! You
oppress the poor; you crush the needy. You say to your husbands,“Bring us more
to drink!”
2 The Sovereign LORD confirms this oath by his own holy character:“Certainly
the time is approaching when you will be carried away in baskets, every last one
of you in fishermen’s pots.
3 Each of you will go straight through the gaps in the walls; you will be thrown
out toward Harmon.” The LORD is speaking!
4 Israel has an Appointment with God“Go to Bethel and rebel! At Gilgal rebel
some more! Bring your sacrifices in the morning, your tithes on the third day!
5 Burn a thank offering of bread made with yeast! Make a public display of your
voluntary offerings! For you love to do this, you Israelites.” The Sovereign
LORD is speaking!
6 “But surely I gave you no food to eat in all your cities; you lacked food
everywhere you live. Still you did not come back to me.” The LORD is speaking!
7 “I withheld rain from you three months before the harvest. I gave rain to
one city, but not to another. One field would get rain, but the field that
received no rain dried up.
8 People from two or three cities staggered into one city to get water, but
remained thirsty. Still you did not come back to me.” The LORD is speaking!
9 “I destroyed your crops with blight and disease. Locusts kept devouring your
orchards, vineyards, fig trees, and olive trees. Still you did not come back to
me.” The LORD is speaking!
10 “I sent against you a plague like one of the Egyptian plagues. I killed
your young men with the sword, along with the horses you had captured. I made
the stench from the corpses rise up into your nostrils. Still you did not come
back to me.” The LORD is speaking!
11 “I overthrew some of you the way God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. You were
like a burning stick snatched from the flames. Still you did not come back to
me.” The LORD is speaking!
12 “Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel. Because I will do this to
you, prepare to meet your God, Israel!
13 For here he is! He formed the mountains and created the wind. He reveals his
plans to men. He turns the dawn into darkness and marches on the heights of the
earth. The LORD God of Heaven’s Armies, is his name!”

Chapter 5

1 Death is Imminent Listen to this funeral song I am ready to sing about you,
family of Israel:
2 “The virgin Israel has fallen down and will not get up again. She is
abandoned on her own land with no one to help her get up.”
3 The Sovereign LORD says this:“The city that marches out with a thousand
soldiers will have only a hundred left; the town that marches out with a hundred
soldiers will have only ten left for the family of Israel.”
4 The LORD says this to the family of Israel:“Seek me so you can live!
5 Do not seek Bethel! Do not visit Gilgal! Do not journey down to Beer Sheba!
For the people of Gilgal will certainly be carried into exile; and Bethel will
become a place where disaster abounds.”
6 Seek the LORD so you can live! Otherwise he will break out like fire against
Joseph’s family; the fire will consume and no one will be able to quench it
and save Bethel.
7 The Israelites turn justice into bitterness; they throw what is fair and right
to the ground.
8 (But there is one who made the constellations Pleiades and Orion; he can turn
the darkness into morning and daylight into night. He summons the water of the
seas and pours it out on the earth’s surface. The LORD is his name!
9 He flashes destruction down upon the strong so that destruction overwhelms the
fortified places.)
10 The Israelites hate anyone who arbitrates at the city gate; they despise
anyone who speaks honestly.
11 Therefore, because you make the poor pay taxes on their crops and exact a
grain tax from them, you will not live in the houses you built with chiseled
stone, nor will you drink the wine from the fine vineyards you planted.
12 Certainly I am aware of your many rebellious acts and your numerous sins. You
torment the innocent, you take bribes, and you deny justice to the needy at the
city gate.
13 For this reason whoever is smart keeps quiet in such a time, for it is an
evil time.
14 Seek good and not evil so you can live! Then the LORD God of Heaven’s
Armies, just might be with you, as you claim he is.
15 Hate what is wrong, love what is right! Promote justice at the city gate!
Maybe the LORD God of Heaven’s Armies, will have mercy on those who are left
from Joseph.
16 Because of Israel’s sins this is what the Lord, the LORD God of Heaven’s
Armies, says:“In all the squares there will be wailing, in all the streets
they will mourn the dead. They will tell the field workers to lament and the
professional mourners to wail.
17 In all the vineyards there will be wailing, for I will pass through your
midst,” says the LORD.
18 The Lord Demands Justice Woe to those who wish for the day of the LORD! Why
do you want the LORD’s day of judgment to come? It will bring darkness, not
light.
19 Disaster will be inescapable, as if a man ran from a lion only to meet a
bear, then escaped into a house, leaned his hand against the wall, and was
bitten by a poisonous snake.
20 Don’t you realize the LORD’s day of judgment will bring darkness, not
light– gloomy blackness, not bright light?
21 “I absolutely despise your festivals! I get no pleasure from your religious
assemblies!
22 Even if you offer me burnt and grain offerings, I will not be satisfied; I
will not look with favor on your peace offerings of fattened calves.
23 Take away from me your noisy songs; I don’t want to hear the music of your
stringed instruments.
24 Justice must flow like torrents of water, righteous actions like a stream
that never dries up.
25 You did not bring me sacrifices and grain offerings during the forty years
you spent in the wilderness, family of Israel.
26 You will pick up your images of Sikkuth, your king, and Kiyyun, your star
god, which you made for yourselves,
27 and I will drive you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the LORD. He is
called the God of Heaven’s Armies!

Chapter 6

1 The Party is over for the Rich Woe to those who live in ease in Zion, to those
who feel secure on Mount Samaria. They think of themselves as the elite class of
the best nation. The family of Israel looks to them for leadership.
2 They say to the people:“Journey over to Calneh and look at it! Then go from
there to Hamath-Rabbah! Then go down to Gath of the Philistines! Are they
superior to our two kingdoms? Is their territory larger than yours?”
3 You refuse to believe a day of disaster will come, but you establish a reign
of violence.
4 They lie around on beds decorated with ivory, and sprawl out on their couches.
They eat lambs from the flock, and calves from the middle of the pen.
5 They sing to the tune of stringed instruments; like David they invent musical
instruments.
6 They drink wine from sacrificial bowls, and pour the very best oils on
themselves. Yet they are not concerned over the ruin of Joseph.
7 Therefore they will now be the first to go into exile, and the religious
banquets where they sprawl on couches will end.
8 The Sovereign LORD confirms this oath by his very own life. The LORD God of
Heaven’s Armies, is speaking:“I despise Jacob’s arrogance; I hate their
fortresses. I will hand over to their enemies the city of Samaria and everything
in it.”
9 If ten men are left in one house, they too will die.
10 When their close relatives, the ones who will burn the corpses, pick up their
bodies to remove the bones from the house, they will say to anyone who is in the
inner rooms of the house,“Is anyone else with you?” He will respond,“No
one.” Then he will say,“Hush! Don’t invoke the LORD’s name!”
11 Indeed, look! The LORD is giving the command. He will smash the large house
to bits, and the small house into little pieces.
12 Can horses run on rocky cliffs? Can one plow the sea with oxen? Yet you have
turned justice into a poisonous plant, and the fruit of righteous actions into a
bitter plant.
13 You are happy because you conquered Lo-Debar. You say,“Did we not conquer
Karnaim by our own power?”
14 “Look! I am about to bring a nation against you, family of Israel.” The
LORD, the God who commands armies, is speaking.“They will oppress you all the
way from Lebo Hamath to the stream of the rift valley.”

Chapter 7

1 Symbolic Visions of Judgment The Sovereign LORD showed me this: I saw him
making locusts just as the crops planted late were beginning to sprout.(The
crops planted late sprout after the royal harvest.)
2 When they had completely consumed the earth’s vegetation, I
said,“Sovereign LORD, forgive Israel! How can Jacob survive? He is too
weak!”
3 The LORD decided not to do this.“It will not happen,” the LORD said.
4 The Sovereign LORD showed me this: I saw the Sovereign LORD summoning a shower
of fire. It consumed the great deep and devoured the fields.
5 I said,“Sovereign LORD, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is too weak!”
6 The LORD decided not to do this. The Sovereign LORD said,“This will not
happen either.”
7 He showed me this: I saw the Lord standing by a tin wall holding tin in his
hand.
8 The LORD said to me,“What do you see, Amos?” I said,“Tin.” The Lord
then said,“Look, I am about to place tin among my people Israel. I will no
longer overlook their sin.
9 Isaac’s centers of worship will become desolate; Israel’s holy places will
be in ruins. I will attack Jeroboam’s dynasty with the sword.”
10 Amos Confronts a Priest Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent this message to
King Jeroboam of Israel:“Amos is conspiring against you in the very heart of
the kingdom of Israel! The land cannot endure all his prophecies.
11 As a matter of fact, Amos is saying this:‘Jeroboam will die by the sword
and Israel will certainly be carried into exile away from its land.’”
12 Amaziah then said to Amos,“Leave, you visionary! Run away to the land of
Judah! Earn your living and prophesy there!
13 Don’t prophesy at Bethel any longer, for a royal temple and palace are
here!”
14 Amos replied to Amaziah,“I was not a prophet by profession. No, I was a
herdsman who also took care of sycamore fig trees.
15 Then the LORD took me from tending flocks and gave me this commission,‘Go!
Prophesy to my people Israel!’
16 So now listen to the LORD’s message! You say,‘Don’t prophesy against
Israel! Don’t preach against the family of Isaac!’
17 “Therefore this is what the LORD says:‘Your wife will become a prostitute
in the streets and your sons and daughters will die violently. Your land will be
given to others and you will die in a foreign land. Israel will certainly be
carried into exile away from its land.’”

Chapter 8

1 More Visions and Messages of Judgment The Sovereign LORD showed me this: I saw
a basket of summer fruit.
2 He said,“What do you see, Amos?” I replied,“A basket of summer fruit.”
Then the LORD said to me,“The end has come for my people Israel! I will no
longer overlook their sins.
3 The women singing in the temple will wail in that day.” The Sovereign LORD
is speaking.“There will be many corpses littered everywhere! Be quiet!”
4 Listen to this, you who trample the needy, and do away with the destitute in
the land.
5 You say,“When will the new moon festival be over, so we can sell grain? When
will the Sabbath end, so we can open up the grain bins? We’re eager to sell
less for a higher price, and to cheat the buyer with rigged scales!
6 We’re eager to trade silver for the poor, a pair of sandals for the needy!
We want to mix in some chaff with the grain!”
7 The LORD confirms this oath by the arrogance of Jacob:“I swear I will never
forget all you have done!
8 Because of this the earth will quake, and all who live in it will mourn. The
whole earth will rise like the River Nile, it will surge upward and then grow
calm, like the Nile in Egypt.
9 In that day,” says the Sovereign LORD,“I will make the sun set at noon,
and make the earth dark in the middle of the day.
10 I will turn your festivals into funerals, and all your songs into funeral
dirges. I will make everyone wear funeral clothes and cause every head to be
shaved bald. I will make you mourn as if you had lost your only son; when it
ends it will indeed have been a bitter day.
11 Be certain of this, the time is coming,” says the Sovereign LORD,“when I
will send a famine through the land– not a shortage of food or water but an
end to divine revelation!
12 People will stagger from sea to sea, and from the north around to the east.
They will wander about looking for a message from the LORD, but they will not
find any.
13 In that day your beautiful young women and your young men will faint from
thirst.
14 These are the ones who now take oaths in the name of the sinful idol goddess
of Samaria. They vow,‘As surely as your god lives, O Dan,’ or‘As surely as
your beloved one lives, O Beer Sheba!’ But they will fall down and not get up
again.”

Chapter 9

1 I saw the Lord standing by the altar and he said,“Strike the tops of the
support pillars, so the thresholds shake! Knock them down on the heads of all
the people, and I will kill the survivors with the sword. No one will be able to
run away; no one will be able to escape.
2 Even if they could dig down into the netherworld, my hand would pull them up
from there. Even if they could climb up to heaven, I would drag them down from
there.
3 Even if they were to hide on the top of Mount Carmel, I would hunt them down
and take them from there. Even if they tried to hide from me at the bottom of
the sea, from there I would command the Sea Serpent to bite them.
4 Even when their enemies drive them into captivity, from there I will command
the sword to kill them. I will not let them out of my sight; they will
experience disaster, not prosperity.”
5 The Sovereign LORD of Heaven’s Armies will do this. He touches the earth and
it dissolves; all who live on it mourn. The whole earth rises like the River
Nile, and then grows calm like the Nile in Egypt.
6 He builds the upper rooms of his palace in heaven and sets its foundation
supports on the earth. He summons the water of the sea and pours it out on the
earth’s surface. The LORD is his name.
7 “You Israelites are just like the Ethiopians in my sight,” says the
LORD.“Certainly I brought Israel up from the land of Egypt, but I also brought
the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans from Kir.
8 Look, the Sovereign LORD is watching the sinful nation, and I will destroy it
from the face of the earth. But I will not completely destroy the family of
Jacob,” says the LORD.
9 “For look, I am giving a command and I will shake the family of Israel
together with all the nations. It will resemble a sieve being shaken, when not
even a pebble falls to the ground.
10 All the sinners among my people will die by the sword– the ones who
say,‘Disaster will not come near, it will not confront us.’
11 The Restoration of the Davidic Dynasty“In that day I will rebuild the
collapsing hut of David. I will seal its gaps, repair its ruins, and restore it
to what it was like in days gone by.
12 As a result they will conquer those left in Edom and all the nations subject
to my rule.” The LORD, who is about to do this, is speaking!
13 “Be sure of this, the time is coming,” says the LORD,“when the plowman
will catch up to the reaper and the one who stomps the grapes will overtake the
planter. Juice will run down the slopes, it will flow down all the hillsides.
14 I will bring back my people, Israel; they will rebuild the cities lying in
rubble and settle down. They will plant vineyards and drink the wine they
produce; they will grow orchards and eat the fruit they produce.
15 I will plant them on their land and they will never again be uprooted from
the land I have given them,”says the LORD your God.


Obadiah

Chapter 1

1 ¶ God’s Judgment on Edom The vision that Obadiah saw. The Sovereign LORD
says this concerning Edom: Edom’s Approaching Destruction We have heard a
report from the LORD. An envoy was sent among the nations, saying,“Arise! Let
us make war against Edom!”
2 The LORD says,“Look! I will make you a weak nation; you will be greatly
despised!
3 Your presumptuous heart has deceived you– you who reside in the safety of
the rocky cliffs, whose home is high in the mountains. You think to
yourself,‘No one can bring me down to the ground!’
4 Even if you were to soar high like an eagle, even if you were to make your
nest among the stars, I can bring you down even from there!” says the LORD.
5 “If thieves came to rob you during the night, they would steal only as much
as they wanted! If grape pickers came to harvest your vineyards, they would
leave some behind for the poor! But you will be totally destroyed!
6 How the people of Esau will be thoroughly plundered! Their hidden valuables
will be ransacked!
7 All your allies will force you from your homeland! Your treaty partners will
deceive you and overpower you. Your trusted friends will set an ambush for you
that will take you by surprise!
8 At that time,” the LORD says,“I will destroy the wise sages of Edom, the
advisers from Esau’s mountain!
9 Your warriors will be shattered, O Teman, so that everyone will be destroyed
from Esau’s mountain!
10 Edom’s Treachery Against Judah“Because you violently slaughtered your
relatives, the people of Jacob, shame will cover you, and you will be destroyed
forever.
11 You stood aloof while strangers took his army captive, and foreigners
advanced to his gates. When they cast lots over Jerusalem, you behaved as though
you were in league with them.
12 You should not have gloated when your relatives suffered calamity. You should
not have rejoiced over the people of Judah when they were destroyed. You should
not have boasted when they suffered adversity.
13 You should not have entered the city of my people when they experienced
distress. You should not have joined in gloating over their misfortune when they
suffered distress. You should not have looted their wealth when they endured
distress.
14 You should not have stood at the fork in the road to slaughter those trying
to escape. You should not have captured their refugees when they suffered
adversity.
15 The Coming Day of the Lord“For the day of the LORD is approaching for all
the nations! Just as you have done, so it will be done to you. You will get
exactly what your deeds deserve.
16 For just as you have drunk on my holy mountain, so all the nations will drink
continually. They will drink, and they will gulp down; they will be as though
they had never been.
17 But on Mount Zion there will be a remnant of those who escape, and it will be
a holy place once again. The descendants of Jacob will conquer those who had
conquered them.
18 The descendants of Jacob will be a fire, and the descendants of Joseph a
flame. The descendants of Esau will be like stubble. They will burn them up and
devour them. There will not be a single survivor of the descendants of Esau!”
Indeed, the LORD has spoken it.
19 The people of the Negev will take possession of Esau’s mountain, and the
people of the foothills will take possession of the land of the Philistines.
They will also take possession of the territory of Ephraim and the territory of
Samaria, and the people of Benjamin will take possession of Gilead.
20 The exiles of this fortress of the people of Israel will take possession of
what belongs to the people of Canaan, as far as Zarephath, and the exiles of
Jerusalem who are in Sepharad will take possession of the towns of the Negev.
21 Those who have been delivered will go up on Mount Zion in order to rule over
Esau’s mountain.Then the LORD will reign as King!


Jonah

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Jonah Tries to Run from the Lord The LORD’s message came to Jonah son of
Amittai,
2 “Go immediately to Nineveh, that large capital city, and announce judgment
against its people because their wickedness has come to my attention.”
3 Instead, Jonah immediately headed off to Tarshish to escape from the
commission of the LORD. He traveled to Joppa and found a merchant ship heading
to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went aboard it to go with them to Tarshish
far away from the LORD.
4 But the LORD hurled a powerful wind on the sea. Such a violent tempest arose
on the sea that the ship threatened to break up!
5 The sailors were so afraid that each cried out to his own god and they flung
the ship’s cargo overboard to make the ship lighter. Jonah, meanwhile, had
gone down into the hold below deck, had lain down, and was sound asleep.
6 The ship’s captain approached him and said,“What are you doing asleep? Get
up! Cry out to your god! Perhaps your god might take notice of us so that we
might not die!”
7 The sailors said to one another,“Come on, let’s cast lots to find out
whose fault it is that this disaster has overtaken us.” So they cast lots, and
Jonah was singled out.
8 They said to him,“Tell us, whose fault is it that this disaster has
overtaken us? What’s your occupation? Where do you come from? What’s your
country? And who are your people?”
9 He said to them,“I am a Hebrew! And I worship the LORD, the God of heaven,
who made the sea and the dry land.”
10 Hearing this, the men became even more afraid and said to him,“What have
you done?”(The men said this because they knew that he was trying to escape
from the LORD, because he had previously told them.)
11 Because the storm was growing worse and worse, they said to him,“What
should we do to you so that the sea will calm down for us?”
12 He said to them,“Pick me up and throw me into the sea so that the sea will
calm down for you, because I know it’s my fault you are in this severe
storm.”
13 Instead, they tried to row back to land, but they were not able to do so
because the storm kept growing worse and worse.
14 So they cried out to the LORD,“Oh, please, LORD, don’t let us die on
account of this man! Don’t hold us guilty of shedding innocent blood. After
all, you, LORD, have done just as you pleased.”
15 So they picked Jonah up and threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped
raging.
16 The men feared the LORD greatly, and earnestly vowed to offer lavish
sacrifices to the LORD.
17 Jonah Prays(2:1) The LORD sent a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in
the stomach of the fish three days and three nights.

Chapter 2

1 Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the stomach of the fish
2 and said,“I called out to the LORD from my distress, and he answered me;
from the belly of Sheol I cried out for help, and you heard my prayer.
3 You threw me into the deep waters, into the middle of the sea; the ocean
current engulfed me; all the mighty waves you sent swept over me.
4 I thought I had been banished from your sight, that I would never again see
your holy temple!
5 Water engulfed me up to my neck; the deep ocean surrounded me; seaweed was
wrapped around my head.
6 I went down to the very bottoms of the mountains; the gates of the netherworld
barred me in forever; but you brought me up from the Pit, O LORD, my God.
7 When my life was ebbing away, I called out to the LORD. And my prayer came to
you, to your holy temple.
8 Those who worship worthless idols forfeit the mercy that could be theirs.
9 But as for me, I promise to offer a sacrifice to you with a public declaration
of praise; I will surely do what I have promised. Salvation belongs to the
LORD!”
10 Then the LORD commanded the fish and it disgorged Jonah on dry land.

Chapter 3

1 The People of Nineveh Respond to Jonah’s Warning The LORD’s message came
to Jonah a second time,
2 “Go immediately to Nineveh, that large city, and proclaim to it the message
that I tell you.”
3 So Jonah went immediately to Nineveh, in keeping with the LORD’s
message.(Now Nineveh was an enormous city– it required three days to walk
through it!)
4 When Jonah began to enter the city one day’s walk, he announced,“At the
end of forty days, Nineveh will be overthrown!”
5 The people of Nineveh believed in God, and they declared a fast and put on
sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them.
6 When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off
his royal robe, put on sackcloth, and sat on ashes.
7 He issued a proclamation and said,“In Nineveh, by the decree of the king and
his nobles: No human or animal, cattle or sheep, is to taste anything; they must
not eat and they must not drink water.
8 Every person and animal must put on sackcloth and must cry earnestly to God,
and everyone must turn from their evil way of living and from the violence that
they do.
9 Who knows? Perhaps God might be willing to change his mind and relent and turn
from his fierce anger so that we might not die.”
10 When God saw their actions– that they turned from their evil way of
living!– God relented concerning the judgment he had threatened them with and
he did not destroy them.

Chapter 4

1 Jonah Responds to God’s Kindness This displeased Jonah terribly and he
became very angry.
2 He prayed to the LORD and said,“Oh, LORD, this is just what I thought would
happen when I was in my own country. This is what I tried to prevent by
attempting to escape to Tarshish!– because I knew that you are a gracious and
compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in mercy, and one who relents
concerning threatened judgment.
3 So now, LORD, kill me instead, because I would rather die than live!”
4 The LORD said,“Are you really so very angry?”
5 Jonah left the city and sat down east of it. He made a shelter for himself
there and sat down under it in the shade to see what would happen to the city.
6 The LORD God appointed a little plant and caused it to grow up over Jonah to
be a shade over his head to rescue him from his misery. Now Jonah was very
delighted about the little plant.
7 So God sent a worm at dawn the next day, and it attacked the little plant so
that it dried up.
8 When the sun began to shine, God sent a hot east wind. So the sun beat down on
Jonah’s head, and he grew faint. So he despaired of life, and said,“I would
rather die than live!”
9 God said to Jonah,“Are you really so very angry about the little plant?”
And he said,“I am as angry as I could possibly be!”
10 The LORD said,“You were upset about this little plant, something for which
you have not worked nor did you do anything to make it grow. It grew up
overnight and died the next day.
11 Should I not be even more concerned about Nineveh, this enormous city? There
are more than one hundred twenty thousand people in it who do not know right
from wrong, as well as many animals!”


Micah

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Introduction This is the LORD’s message that came to Micah of Moresheth
during the time of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw
concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
2 The Judge is Coming Listen, all you nations! Pay attention, all inhabitants of
earth! The Sovereign LORD will act as a witness against you; the Lord will
accuse you from his majestic palace.
3 Look, the LORD is coming out of his dwelling place! He will descend and march
on the earth’s mountaintops!
4 The mountains will crumble beneath him; and the valleys will split apart, like
wax before a fire, like water dumped down a steep slope.
5 All this is because of Jacob’s rebellion and the sins of the nation of
Israel. And just what is Jacob’s rebellion? Isn’t it Samaria’s doings? And
what is Judah’s sin? Isn’t it Jerusalem’s doings?
6 “I will turn Samaria into a heap of ruins in an open field, into a place for
planting vineyards! I will dump the rubble of her walls down into the valley,
and lay bare her foundations.
7 All her carved idols will be smashed to pieces; all her metal cult statues
will be destroyed by fire. I will make a waste heap of all her images. Since she
gathered the metal as a prostitute collects her wages, the idols will become a
prostitute’s wages again.”
8 For this reason I will mourn and wail; I will walk around barefoot and without
my outer garments. I will howl like a wild dog, and screech like an owl.
9 For Samaria’s disease is incurable. It has infected Judah; it has spread to
the leadership of my people and even to Jerusalem!
10 Don’t spread the news in Gath! Don’t shed even a single tear! In Beth
Leaphrah roll about in mourning in the dust!
11 Residents of Shaphir, pass by in nakedness and humiliation! The residents of
Zaanan have not escaped. Beth Ezel mourns,“He takes from you what he
desires.”
12 Indeed, the residents of Maroth hope for something good to happen, though the
LORD has sent disaster against the city of Jerusalem.
13 Residents of Lachish, hitch the horses to the chariots! You influenced
Daughter Zion to sin, for Israel’s rebellious deeds can be traced back to you!
14 Therefore you will have to say farewell to Moresheth Gath. The residents of
Achzib will be as disappointing as a dried up well to the kings of Israel.
15 Residents of Mareshah, a conqueror will attack you, the leaders of Israel
shall flee to Adullam.
16 Shave your heads bald as you mourn for the children you love; shave your
foreheads as bald as an eagle, for they are taken from you into exile.

Chapter 2

1 Land Robbers Will Lose Their Land Beware wicked schemers, those who devise
calamity as they lie in bed. As soon as morning dawns they carry out their
plans, because they have the power to do so.
2 They confiscate the fields they desire, and seize the houses they want. They
defraud people of their homes, and deprive people of the land they have
inherited.
3 Therefore the LORD says this:“Look, I am devising disaster for this nation!
It will be like a yoke from which you cannot free your neck. You will no longer
walk proudly, for it will be a time of catastrophe.
4 In that day people will sing this taunt song to you– they will mock you with
this lament:‘We are completely destroyed; they sell off the property of my
people. How they remove it from me! They assign our fields to the conqueror.’
5 Therefore no one will assign you land in the LORD’s community.
6 ‘Don’t preach with such impassioned rhetoric,’ they say
excitedly.‘These prophets should not preach of such things; we will not be
overtaken by humiliation.’
7 Does the family of Jacob say,‘The LORD’s patience can’t be exhausted–
he would never do such things’? To be sure, my commands bring a reward for
those who obey them,
8 but you rise up as an enemy against my people. You steal a robe from a friend,
from those who pass by peacefully as if returning from a war.
9 You wrongly evict widows among my people from their cherished homes. You
defraud their children of their prized inheritance.
10 But you are the ones who will be forced to leave! For this land is not
secure! Sin will thoroughly destroy it!
11 If a lying windbag should come and say,‘I’ll promise you blessings of
wine and beer,’ he would be just the right preacher for these people!
12 The Lord Will Restore His People I will certainly gather all of you, O Jacob,
I will certainly assemble those Israelites who remain. I will bring them
together like sheep in a fold, like a flock in the middle of a pasture; they
will be so numerous that they will make a lot of noise.
13 The one who can break through barriers will lead them out they will break
out, pass through the gate, and leave. Their king will advance before them, The
LORD himself will lead them.

Chapter 3

1 God Will Judge Judah’s Sinful Leaders I said,“Listen, you leaders of
Jacob, you rulers of the nation of Israel! You ought to know what is just,
2 yet you hate what is good, and love what is evil. You flay my people’s skin
and rip the flesh from their bones.
3 You devour my people’s flesh, strip off their skin, and crush their bones.
You chop them up like flesh in a pot– like meat in a kettle.
4 Someday these sinful leaders will cry to the LORD for help, but he will not
answer them. He will hide his face from them at that time, because they have
done such wicked deeds.”
5 This is what the LORD has said about the prophets who mislead my people,“If
someone gives them enough to eat, they offer an oracle of peace. But if someone
does not give them food, they are ready to declare war on him.
6 Therefore night will fall, and you will receive no visions; it will grow dark,
and you will no longer be able to read the omens. The sun will set on these
prophets, and the daylight will turn to darkness over their heads.
7 The prophets will be ashamed; the omen readers will be humiliated. All of them
will cover their mouths, for they will receive no divine oracles.”
8 But I am full of the courage that the LORD’s Spirit gives, and have a strong
commitment to justice. This enables me to confront Jacob with its rebellion, and
Israel with its sin.
9 Listen to this, you leaders of the family of Jacob, you rulers of the nation
of Israel! You hate justice and pervert all that is right.
10 You build Zion through bloody crimes, Jerusalem through unjust violence.
11 Her leaders take bribes when they decide legal cases, her priests proclaim
rulings for profit, and her prophets read omens for pay. Yet they claim to trust
the LORD and say,“The LORD is among us. Disaster will not overtake us!”
12 Therefore, because of you, Zion will be plowed up like a field, Jerusalem
will become a heap of ruins, and the Temple Mount will become a hill overgrown
with brush!

Chapter 4

1 Better Days Ahead for Jerusalem In the future the LORD’s Temple Mount will
be the most important mountain of all; it will be more prominent than other
hills. People will stream to it.
2 Many nations will come, saying,“Come on! Let’s go up to the LORD’s
mountain, to the temple of Jacob’s God, so he can teach us his ways and we can
live by his laws.” For instruction will proceed from Zion, the LORD’s
message from Jerusalem.
3 He will arbitrate between many peoples and settle disputes between many
distant nations. They will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears
into pruning hooks. Nations will not use weapons against other nations, and they
will no longer train for war.
4 Each will sit under his own grapevine or under his own fig tree without any
fear. The LORD of Heaven’s Armies has decreed it.
5 Though all the nations follow their respective gods, we will follow the LORD
our God forever.
6 Restoration Will Follow Crisis“In that day,” says the LORD,“I will
gather the lame, and assemble the outcasts whom I injured.
7 I will transform the lame into the nucleus of a new nation, and those far off
into a mighty nation. The LORD will reign over them on Mount Zion, from that day
forward and forevermore.”
8 As for you, watchtower for the flock, fortress of Daughter Zion– your former
dominion will be restored, the sovereignty that belongs to Daughter Jerusalem.
9 Jerusalem, why are you now shouting so loudly? Has your king disappeared? Has
your wise leader been destroyed? Is this why pain grips you as if you were a
woman in labor?
10 Twist and strain, Daughter Zion, as if you were in labor! For you will leave
the city and live in the open field. You will go to Babylon, but there you will
be rescued. There the LORD will deliver you from the power of your enemies.
11 Many nations have now assembled against you. They say,“Jerusalem must be
desecrated, so we can gloat over Zion!”
12 But they do not know what the LORD is planning; they do not understand his
strategy. He has gathered them like stalks of grain to be threshed at the
threshing floor.
13 “Get up and thresh, Daughter Zion! For I will give you iron horns; I will
give you bronze hooves, and you will crush many nations.” You will devote to
the LORD the spoils you take from them, and dedicate their wealth to the
sovereign Ruler of the whole earth.

Chapter 5

1 (4:14) But now slash yourself, daughter surrounded by soldiers! We are
besieged! With a scepter they strike Israel’s ruler on the side of his face.
2 A King Will Come and a Remnant Will Prosper(5:1) As for you, Bethlehem
Ephrathah, seemingly insignificant among the clans of Judah– from you a king
will emerge who will rule over Israel on my behalf, one whose origins are in the
distant past.
3 So the LORD will hand the people of Israel over to their enemies until the
time when the woman in labor gives birth. Then the rest of the king’s
countrymen will return to be reunited with the people of Israel.
4 He will assume his post and shepherd the people by the LORD’s strength, by
the sovereign authority of the LORD his God. They will live securely, for at
that time he will be honored even in the distant regions of the earth.
5 He will give us peace. Should the Assyrians try to invade our land and attempt
to set foot in our fortresses, we will send against them seven shepherd-rulers,
make that eight commanders.
6 They will rule the land of Assyria with the sword, the land of Nimrod with a
drawn sword. Our king will rescue us from the Assyrians should they attempt to
invade our land and try to set foot in our territory.
7 Those survivors from Jacob will live in the midst of many nations. They will
be like the dew the LORD sends, like the rain on the grass, that does not hope
for men to come or wait around for humans to arrive.
8 Those survivors from Jacob will live among the nations, in the midst of many
peoples. They will be like a lion among the animals of the forest, like a young
lion among the flocks of sheep, which attacks when it passes through; it rips
its prey and there is no one to stop it.
9 Lift your hand triumphantly against your adversaries; may all your enemies be
destroyed!
10 The Lord Will Purify His People“In that day,” says the LORD,“I will
destroy your horses from your midst, and smash your chariots.
11 I will destroy the cities of your land, and tear down all your fortresses.
12 I will remove the sorcery that you practice, and you will no longer have omen
readers living among you.
13 I will remove your idols and sacred pillars from your midst; you will no
longer worship what your own hands made.
14 I will uproot your images of Asherah from your midst, and destroy your idols.
15 With furious anger I will carry out vengeance on the nations that do not obey
me.”

Chapter 6

1 The Lord Demands Justice, not Ritual Listen to what the LORD says:“Get up!
Defend yourself before the mountains! Present your case before the hills!”
2 Hear the LORD’s accusation, you mountains, you enduring foundations of the
earth! For the LORD has a case against his people; he has a dispute with Israel!
3 “My people, how have I wronged you? How have I wearied you? Answer me!
4 In fact, I brought you up from the land of Egypt, I delivered you from that
place of slavery. I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to lead you.
5 My people, recall how King Balak of Moab planned to harm you, how Balaam son
of Beor responded to him. Recall how you journeyed from Shittim to Gilgal, so
you might acknowledge that the LORD has treated you fairly.”
6 With what should I enter the LORD’s presence? With what should I bow before
the sovereign God? Should I enter his presence with burnt offerings, with
year-old calves?
7 Will the LORD accept a thousand rams, or ten thousand streams of olive oil?
Should I give him my firstborn child as payment for my rebellion, my
offspring– my own flesh and blood– for my sin?
8 He has told you, O man, what is good, and what the LORD really wants from you:
He wants you to carry out justice, to love faithfulness, and to live obediently
before your God.
9 Listen! The LORD is calling to the city! It is wise to respect your authority,
O LORD! Listen, O nation, and those assembled in the city!
10 “I will not overlook, O sinful house, the dishonest gain you have hoarded
away, or the smaller-than-standard measure I hate so much.
11 I do not condone the use of rigged scales, or a bag of deceptive weights.
12 The city’s wealthy people readily resort to violence; her inhabitants tell
lies, their tongues speak deceptive words.
13 I will strike you brutally and destroy you because of your sin.
14 You will eat, but not be satisfied. Even if you have the strength to overtake
some prey, you will not be able to carry it away; if you do happen to carry away
something, I will deliver it over to the sword.
15 You will plant crops, but will not harvest them; you will squeeze oil from
the olives, but you will have no oil to rub on your bodies; you will squeeze
juice from the grapes, but you will have no wine to drink.
16 You follow Omri’s edicts, and all the practices of Ahab’s dynasty; you
follow their policies. Therefore I will make you an appalling sight, the
city’s inhabitants will be taunted derisively, and nations will mock all of
you.”

Chapter 7

1 Micah Laments Judah’s Sin Woe is me! For I am like those gathering fruit,
and those harvesting grapes, when there is no grape cluster to eat, and no fresh
figs that my stomach craves.
2 Faithful men have disappeared from the land; there are no godly men left. They
all wait in ambush to shed blood; they hunt their own brother with a net.
3 They are experts at doing evil; government officials and judges take bribes,
prominent men announce what they wish and then they plan it out.
4 The best of them is like a thorn; their godly are like a thorn bush. Woe to
your watchmen; your appointed punishment is on the way. The time of their
confusion is now.
5 Do not rely on a friend; do not trust a companion! Even with the one who lies
in your arms, do not share secrets!
6 For a son thinks his father is a fool, a daughter challenges her mother, and a
daughter-in-law her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are his own family.
7 But I will keep watching for the LORD; I will wait for the God who delivers
me. My God will listen to me.
8 Jerusalem Will Be Vindicated My enemies, do not gloat over me! Though I have
fallen, I will get up. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.
9 I must endure the LORD’s fury, for I have sinned against him. But then he
will defend my cause, and accomplish justice on my behalf. He will lead me out
into the light; I will witness his deliverance.
10 When my enemies see this, they will be covered with shame. They say to
me,“Where is the LORD your God?” I will gloat over them. Then they will be
trampled down like mud in the streets.
11 It will be a day for rebuilding your walls; in that day your boundary will be
extended.
12 A Closing Prayer In that day people will come to you from Assyria as far as
Egypt, from Egypt as far as the Euphrates River, from the seacoasts and the
mountains.
13 The earth will become desolate because of what its inhabitants have done.
14 Shepherd your people with your rod, the flock that belongs to you, the one
that lives alone in a thicket, in the midst of a pastureland. Allow them to
graze in Bashan and Gilead, as they did in the old days.
15 “As in the days when you departed from the land of Egypt, I will show you
miraculous deeds.”
16 Nations will see this and be disappointed by all their strength, they will
put their hands over their mouths, and act as if they were deaf.
17 They will lick the dust like a snake, like serpents crawling on the ground.
They will come trembling from their strongholds to the LORD our God; they will
be terrified of you.
18 Who is a God like you? Who forgives sin and pardons the rebellion of those
who remain among his people? Who does not stay angry forever, but delights in
showing loyal love?
19 Who will once again have mercy on us? Who will conquer our evil deeds? Who
will hurl all our sins into the depths of the sea?
20 You will be loyal to Jacob and extend your loyal love to Abraham, which you
promised on oath to our ancestors in ancient times.


Nahum

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Introduction This is an oracle about Nineveh; the book of the vision of
Nahum the Elkoshite:
2 God Takes Vengeance against His Enemies The LORD is a zealous and avenging
God; the LORD is avenging and very angry. The LORD takes vengeance against his
foes; he sustains his rage against his enemies.
3 The LORD is slow to anger but great in power; the LORD will certainly not
allow the wicked to go unpunished.The Divine Warrior Destroys His Enemies but
Protects His People He marches out in the whirlwind and the raging storm; dark
storm clouds billow like dust under his feet.
4 He shouts a battle cry against the sea and makes it dry up; he makes all the
rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither; the blossom of Lebanon withers.
5 The mountains tremble before him, the hills convulse; the earth is laid waste
before him, the world and all its inhabitants are laid waste.
6 No one can withstand his indignation! No one can resist his fierce anger! His
wrath is poured out like volcanic fire, boulders are broken up as he approaches.
7 The LORD is good– indeed, he is a fortress in time of distress, and he
protects those who seek refuge in him.
8 But with an overwhelming flood he will make a complete end of Nineveh; he will
drive his enemies into darkness.
9 Denunciation and Destruction of Nineveh Whatever you plot against the LORD, he
will completely destroy! Distress will not arise a second time.
10 Surely they will be totally consumed like entangled thorn bushes, like the
drink of drunkards, like very dry stubble.
11 From you, O Nineveh, one has marched forth who plots evil against the LORD, a
wicked military strategist.
12 Oracle of Deliverance to Judah This is what the LORD says:“Even though they
are powerful– and what is more, even though their army is numerous–
nevertheless, they will be destroyed and trickle away! Although I afflicted you,
I will afflict you no more.
13 And now, I will break Assyria’s yoke bar from your neck; I will tear apart
the shackles that are on you.”
14 Oracle of Judgment against the King of Nineveh The LORD has issued a decree
against you:“Your dynasty will come to an end. I will destroy the idols and
images in the temples of your gods. I will desecrate your grave– because you
are accursed!”
15 Proclamation of the Deliverance of Judah(2:1) Look! A herald is running on
the mountains! A messenger is proclaiming deliverance:“Celebrate your sacred
festivals, O Judah! Fulfill your sacred vows to praise God! For never again will
the wicked Assyrians invade you, they have been completely destroyed.”

Chapter 2

1 Proclamation of the Destruction of Nineveh(2:2)“An enemy who will scatter
you, Nineveh, has advanced against you!”“Guard the rampart! Watch the road!
Prepare yourselves for battle! Muster your mighty strength!”
2 For the LORD is about to restore the majesty of Jacob, as well as the majesty
of Israel, though their enemies have plundered them and have destroyed their
fields.
3 Prophetic Vision of the Fall of Nineveh The shields of his warriors are dyed
red; the mighty soldiers are dressed in scarlet garments. The chariots are in
flashing metal fittings on the day of battle; the soldiers brandish their
spears.
4 The chariots race madly through the streets, they rush back and forth in the
broad plazas; they look like lightning bolts, they dash here and there like
flashes of lightning.
5 The commander orders his officers; they stumble as they advance; they rush to
the city wall and they set up the covered siege tower.
6 The sluice gates are opened; the royal palace is deluged and dissolves.
7 Nineveh is taken into exile and is led away; her slave girls moan like doves
while they beat their breasts.
8 Nineveh was like a pool of water throughout her days, but now her people are
running away; she cries out:“Stop! Stop!”– but no one turns back.
9 Her conquerors cry out:“Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold!” There is no
end to the treasure; riches of every kind of precious thing.
10 Destruction, devastation, and desolation! Hearts faint; knees tremble; every
stomach churns, all their faces have turned pale!
11 Taunt against the Once-Mighty Lion Where now is the den of the lions, and the
feeding place of the young lions, where the lion, lioness, and lion cub once
prowled and no one disturbed them?
12 The lion tore apart as much prey as his cubs needed and strangled prey for
his lionesses; he filled his lairs with prey and his dens with torn flesh.
13 Battle Cry of the Divine Warrior“I am against you!” declares the LORD of
Heaven’s Armies:“I will burn your chariots with fire; the sword will devour
your young lions; you will no longer prey upon the land; the voices of your
messengers will no longer be heard.”

Chapter 3

1 Reason for Judgment: Sins of Nineveh Woe to the city guilty of bloodshed! She
is full of lies; she is filled with plunder; she has hoarded her spoil!
2 Portrayal of the Destruction of Nineveh The chariot drivers will crack their
whips; the chariot wheels will shake the ground; the chariot horses will gallop;
the war chariots will bolt forward!
3 The charioteers will charge ahead; their swords will flash and their spears
will glimmer! There will be many people slain; there will be piles of the dead,
and countless casualties– so many that people will stumble over the corpses.
4 Taunt against the Harlot City“Because you have acted like a wanton
prostitute– a seductive mistress who practices sorcery, who enslaves nations
by her harlotry, and entices peoples by her sorcery–
5 I am against you,” declares the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.“I will strip
off your clothes! I will show your nakedness to the nations and your shame to
the kingdoms;
6 I will pelt you with filth; I will treat you with contempt; I will make you a
public spectacle.
7 Everyone who sees you will turn away from you in disgust; they will
say,‘Nineveh has been devastated! Who will lament for her?’ There will be no
one to comfort you!”
8 Nineveh Will Suffer the Same Fate as Thebes You are no more secure than
Thebes– she was located on the banks of the Nile; the waters surrounded her,
her rampart was the sea, the water was her wall.
9 Cush and Egypt had limitless strength; Put and the Libyans were among her
allies.
10 Yet she went into captivity as an exile; even her infants were smashed to
pieces at the head of every street. They cast lots for her nobility; all her
dignitaries were bound with chains.
11 You too will act like drunkards; you will go into hiding; you too will seek
refuge from the enemy.
12 The Assyrian Defenses Will Fail All your fortifications will be like fig
trees with first-ripe fruit: If they are shaken, their figs will fall into the
mouth of the eater!
13 Your warriors will be like women in your midst; the gates of your land will
be wide open to your enemies; fire will consume the bars of your gates.
14 Draw yourselves water for a siege! Strengthen your fortifications! Trample
the mud and tread the clay! Make mud bricks to strengthen your walls!
15 There the fire will consume you; the sword will cut you down; it will devour
you like the young locust would.The Assyrian Defenders Will Flee Multiply
yourself like the young locust; multiply yourself like the flying locust!
16 Increase your merchants more than the stars of heaven! They are like the
young locust which sheds its skin and flies away.
17 Your courtiers are like locusts, your officials are like a swarm of locusts!
They encamp in the walls on a cold day, yet when the sun rises, they fly away;
and no one knows where they are.
18 Concluding Dirge Your shepherds are sleeping, O king of Assyria! Your
officers are slumbering! Your people are scattered like sheep on the mountains
and there is no one to regather them!
19 Your destruction is like an incurable wound; your demise is like a fatal
injury! All who hear what has happened to you will clap their hands for joy, for
no one ever escaped your endless cruelty!


Habakkuk

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Habakkuk Complains to the Lord This is the oracle that the prophet Habakkuk
saw:
2 How long, LORD, must I cry for help? But you do not listen! I call out to
you,“Violence!” But you do not deliver!
3 Why do you force me to witness injustice? Why do you put up with wrongdoing?
Destruction and violence confront me; conflict is present and one must endure
strife.
4 For this reason the law lacks power, and justice is never carried out. Indeed,
the wicked intimidate the innocent. For this reason justice is perverted.
5 The Lord Reveals Some Startling News“Look at the nations and pay attention!
You will be shocked and amazed! For I will do something in your lifetime that
you will not believe even though you are forewarned.
6 Look, I am about to empower the Babylonians, that ruthless and greedy nation.
They sweep across the surface of the earth, seizing dwelling places that do not
belong to them.
7 They are frightening and terrifying; they decide for themselves what is right.
8 Their horses are faster than leopards and more alert than wolves in the
desert. Their horses gallop, their horses come a great distance; like vultures
they swoop down quickly to devour their prey.
9 All of them intend to do violence; every face is determined. They take
prisoners as easily as one scoops up sand.
10 They mock kings and laugh at rulers. They laugh at every fortified city; they
build siege ramps and capture them.
11 They sweep by like the wind and pass on. But the one who considers himself a
god will be held guilty.”
12 Habakkuk Voices Some Concerns LORD, you have been active from ancient times;
my sovereign God, you are immortal. LORD, you have made them your instrument of
judgment. Protector, you have appointed them as your instrument of punishment.
13 You are too just to tolerate evil; you are unable to condone wrongdoing. So
why do you put up with such treacherous people? Why do you say nothing when the
wicked devour those more righteous than they are?
14 You made people like fish in the sea, like animals in the sea that have no
ruler.
15 The Babylonian tyrant pulls them all up with a fishhook; he hauls them in
with his throw net. When he catches them in his dragnet, he is very happy.
16 Because of his success he offers sacrifices to his throw net and burns
incense to his dragnet; for because of them he has plenty of food, and more than
enough to eat.
17 Will he then continue to fill and empty his throw net? Will he always destroy
nations and spare none?

Chapter 2

1 I will stand at my watch post; I will remain stationed on the city wall. I
will keep watching, so I can see what he says to me and can know how I should
answer when he counters my argument.
2 The Lord Assures Habakkuk The LORD responded:“Write down this message!
Record it legibly on tablets, so the one who announces it may read it easily.
3 For the message is a witness to what is decreed; it gives reliable testimony
about how matters will turn out. Even if the message is not fulfilled right
away, wait patiently; for it will certainly come to pass– it will not arrive
late.
4 Look, the one whose desires are not upright will faint from exhaustion, but
the person of integrity will live because of his faithfulness.
5 Indeed, wine will betray the proud, restless man! His appetite is as big as
Sheol’s; like death, he is never satisfied. He gathers all the nations; he
seizes all peoples.
6 The Proud Babylonians Are as Good as Dead“But all these nations will someday
taunt him and ridicule him with proverbial sayings:‘Woe to the one who
accumulates what does not belong to him(How long will this go on?)– he who
gets rich by extortion!’
7 Your creditors will suddenly attack; those who terrify you will spring into
action, and they will rob you.
8 Because you robbed many countries, all who are left among the nations will rob
you. You have shed human blood and committed violent acts against lands, cities,
and those who live in them.
9 The one who builds his house by unjust gain is as good as dead. He does this
so he can build his nest way up high and escape the clutches of disaster.
10 Your schemes will bring shame to your house. Because you destroyed many
nations, you will self-destruct.
11 For the stones in the walls will cry out, and the wooden rafters will answer
back.
12 Woe to the one who builds a city by bloodshed– he who starts a town by
unjust deeds.
13 Be sure of this! The LORD of Heaven’s Armies has decreed: The nations’
efforts will go up in smoke; their exhausting work will be for nothing.
14 For recognition of the LORD’s sovereign majesty will fill the earth just as
the waters fill up the sea.
15 “Woe to you who force your neighbor to drink wine– you who make others
intoxicated by forcing them to drink from the bowl of your furious anger, so you
can look at their naked bodies.
16 But you will become drunk with shame, not majesty. Now it is your turn to
drink and expose your uncircumcised foreskin! The cup of wine in the LORD’s
right hand is coming to you, and disgrace will replace your majestic glory!
17 For you will pay in full for your violent acts against Lebanon; terrifying
judgment will come upon you because of the way you destroyed the wild animals
living there. You have shed human blood and committed violent acts against
lands, cities, and those who live in them.
18 What good is an idol? Why would a craftsman make it? What good is a metal
image that gives misleading oracles? Why would its creator place his trust in it
and make such mute, worthless things?
19 Woe to the one who says to wood,‘Wake up!’– he who says to speechless
stone,‘Awake!’ Can it give reliable guidance? It is overlaid with gold and
silver; it has no life’s breath inside it.
20 But the LORD is in his majestic palace. The whole earth is speechless in his
presence!”

Chapter 3

1 Habakkuk’s Vision of the Divine Warrior This is a prayer of Habakkuk the
prophet:
2 LORD, I have heard the report of what you did; I am awed, LORD, by what you
accomplished. In our time repeat those deeds; in our time reveal them again. But
when you cause turmoil, remember to show us mercy!
3 God comes from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah. His splendor has
covered the skies, the earth is full of his glory.
4 His brightness will be as lightning; a two-pronged lightning bolt flashing
from his hand. This is the outward display of his power.
5 Plague will go before him; pestilence will march right behind him.
6 He took his battle position and shook the earth; with a mere look he
frightened the nations. The ancient mountains disintegrated; the primeval hills
were flattened. His are ancient roads.
7 I saw the tents of Cushan overwhelmed by trouble; the tent curtains of the
land of Midian were shaking.
8 Was the LORD mad at the rivers? Were you angry with the rivers? Were you
enraged at the sea? Such that you would climb into your horse-drawn chariots,
your victorious chariots?
9 Your bow is ready for action; you commission your arrows. Selah. You cause
flash floods on the earth’s surface.
10 When the mountains see you, they shake. The torrential downpour sweeps
through. The great deep shouts out; it lifts its hands high.
11 The sun and moon stand still in their courses; the flash of your arrows
drives them away, the bright light of your lightning-quick spear.
12 You furiously stomp on the earth, you angrily trample down the nations.
13 You march out to deliver your people, to deliver your special servant. You
strike the leader of the wicked nation, laying him open from the lower body to
the neck. Selah.
14 You pierce the heads of his warriors with a spear. They storm forward to
scatter us; they shout with joy as if they were plundering the poor with no
opposition.
15 But you trample on the sea with your horses, on the surging, raging waters.
16 Habakkuk Declares His Confidence I listened and my stomach churned; the sound
made my lips quiver. My frame went limp, as if my bones were decaying, and I
shook as I tried to walk. I long for the day of distress to come upon the people
who attack us.
17 When the fig tree does not bud, and there are no grapes on the vines; when
the olive trees do not produce, and the fields yield no crops; when the sheep
disappear from the pen, and there are no cattle in the stalls,
18 I will rejoice because of the LORD; I will be happy because of the God who
delivers me!
19 The sovereign LORD is my source of strength. He gives me the agility of a
deer; he enables me to negotiate the rugged terrain.(This prayer is for the song
leader. It is to be accompanied by stringed instruments.)


Zephaniah

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Introduction This is the LORD’s message that came to Zephaniah son of
Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah during the time of
Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah:
2 The Lord’s Day of Judgment is Approaching“I will destroy everything from
the face of the earth,” says the LORD.
3 “I will destroy people and animals; I will destroy the birds in the sky and
the fish in the sea.(The idolatrous images of these creatures will be destroyed
along with evil people.) I will remove humanity from the face of the earth,”
says the LORD.
4 “I will attack Judah and all who live in Jerusalem. I will remove from this
place every trace of Baal worship, as well as the very memory of the pagan
priests.
5 I will remove those who worship the stars in the sky from their rooftops,
those who swear allegiance to the LORD while taking oaths in the name of
their‘king,’
6 and those who turn their backs on the LORD and do not want the LORD’s help
or guidance.”
7 Be silent before the Sovereign LORD, for the LORD’s day of judgment is
almost here. The LORD has prepared a sacrificial meal; he has ritually purified
his guests.
8 “On the day of the LORD’s sacrificial meal, I will punish the princes and
the king’s sons, and all who wear foreign styles of clothing.
9 On that day I will punish all who leap over the threshold, who fill the house
of their master with wealth taken by violence and deceit.
10 On that day,” says the LORD,“a loud cry will go up from the Fish Gate,
wailing from the city’s newer district, and a loud crash from the hills.
11 Wail, you who live in the market district, for all the merchants will
disappear and those who count money will be removed.
12 At that time I will search through Jerusalem with lamps. I will punish the
people who are entrenched in their sin, those who think to themselves,‘The
LORD neither rewards nor punishes.’
13 Their wealth will be stolen and their houses ruined! They will not live in
the houses they have built, nor will they drink the wine from the vineyards they
have planted.
14 The LORD’s great day of judgment is almost here; it is approaching very
rapidly! There will be a bitter sound on the LORD’s day of judgment; at that
time warriors will cry out in battle.
15 That day will be a day of God’s anger, a day of distress and hardship, a
day of devastation and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and
dark skies,
16 a day of trumpet blasts and battle cries. Judgment will fall on the fortified
cities and the high corner towers.
17 I will bring distress on the people and they will stumble like blind men, for
they have sinned against the LORD. Their blood will be poured out like dirt;
their flesh will be scattered like manure.
18 Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them in the day
of the LORD’s angry judgment. The whole earth will be consumed by his fiery
wrath. Indeed, he will bring terrifying destruction on all who live on the
earth.”

Chapter 2

1 The Prophet Warns the People Bunch yourselves together like straw, you
undesirable nation,
2 before God’s decree becomes reality and the day of opportunity disappears
like windblown chaff, before the LORD’s raging anger overtakes you– before
the day of the LORD’s angry judgment overtakes you!
3 Seek the LORD’s favor, all you humble people of the land who have obeyed his
commands! Strive to do what is right! Strive to be humble! Maybe you will be
protected on the day of the LORD’s angry judgment.
4 Judgment on Surrounding Nations Indeed, Gaza will be deserted and Ashkelon
will become a heap of ruins. Invaders will drive away the people of Ashdod by
noon, and Ekron will be overthrown.
5 Beware, you who live by the sea, the people who came from Crete. The LORD’s
message is against you, Canaan, land of the Philistines:“I will destroy
everyone who lives there!”
6 The seacoast will be used as pasture lands by the shepherds and as pens for
their flocks.
7 Those who are left from the kingdom of Judah will take possession of it. By
the sea they will graze, in the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down in the
evening, for the LORD their God will intervene for them and restore their
prosperity.
8 “I have heard Moab’s taunts and the Ammonites’ insults. They taunted my
people and verbally harassed those living in Judah.
9 Therefore, as surely as I live,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God
of Israel,“be certain that Moab will become like Sodom and the Ammonites like
Gomorrah. They will be overrun by weeds, filled with salt pits, and permanently
desolate. Those of my people who are left will plunder their belongings; those
who are left in Judah will take possession of their land.”
10 This is how they will be repaid for their arrogance, for they taunted and
verbally harassed the people of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
11 The LORD will terrify them, for he will weaken all the gods of the earth. All
the distant nations will worship the LORD in their own lands.
12 “You Ethiopians will also die by my sword!”
13 The LORD will attack the north and destroy Assyria. He will make Nineveh a
heap of ruins; it will be as barren as the desert.
14 Flocks and herds will lie down in the middle of it, as well as every kind of
wild animal. Owls will sleep in the tops of its support pillars; they will hoot
through the windows. Rubble will cover the thresholds; even the cedar work will
be exposed to the elements.
15 This is how the once-proud city will end up– the city that was so secure.
She thought to herself,“I am unique! No one can compare to me!” What a heap
of ruins she has become, a place where wild animals live! Everyone who passes by
her taunts her and shakes his fist.

Chapter 3

1 Jerusalem is Corrupt Beware to the filthy, stained city; the city filled with
oppressors!
2 She is disobedient; she has refused correction. She does not trust the LORD;
she has not sought the advice of her God.
3 Her princes are as fierce as roaring lions; her rulers are as hungry as wolves
in the desert, who completely devour their prey by morning.
4 Her prophets are proud; they are deceitful men. Her priests have defiled what
is holy; they have broken God’s laws.
5 The just LORD resides within her; he commits no unjust acts. Every morning he
reveals his justice. At dawn he appears without fail. Yet the unjust know no
shame.
6 The Lord’s Judgment will Purify“I destroyed nations; their walled cities
are in ruins. I turned their streets into ruins; no one passes through them.
Their cities are desolate; no one lives there.
7 I thought,‘Certainly you will respect me! Now you will accept correction!’
If she had done so, her home would not be destroyed by all the punishments I
have threatened. But they eagerly sinned in everything they did.
8 Therefore you must wait patiently for me,” says the LORD,“for the day when
I attack and take plunder. I have decided to gather nations together and
assemble kingdoms, so I can pour out my fury on them– all my raging anger. For
the whole earth will be consumed by my fiery anger.
9 Know for sure that I will then enable the nations to give me acceptable
praise. All of them will invoke the LORD’s name when they pray, and will
worship him in unison.
10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, those who pray to me, my dispersed
people, will bring me tribute.
11 In that day you will not be ashamed of all your rebelliousness against me,
for then I will remove from your midst those who proudly boast, and you will
never again be arrogant on my holy hill.
12 I will leave in your midst a humble and meek group of people, and they will
find safety in the LORD’s presence.
13 The Israelites who remain will not act deceitfully. They will not lie, and a
deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouths. Indeed, they will graze
peacefully like sheep and lie down; no one will terrify them.”
14 Shout for joy, Daughter Zion! Shout out, Israel! Be happy and boast with all
your heart, Daughter Jerusalem!
15 The LORD has removed the judgment against you; he has turned back your enemy.
Israel’s king, the LORD, is in your midst! You no longer need to fear
disaster.
16 On that day they will say to Jerusalem,“Don’t be afraid, Zion! Your hands
must not be paralyzed from panic!
17 The LORD your God is in your midst; he is a warrior who can deliver. He takes
great delight in you; he renews you by his love; he shouts for joy over you.”
18 “As for those who grieve because they cannot attend the festivals– I took
them away from you; they became tribute and were a source of shame to you.
19 Look, at that time I will deal with those who mistreated you. I will rescue
the lame sheep and gather together the scattered sheep. I will take away their
humiliation and make the whole earth admire and respect them.
20 At that time I will lead you– at the time I gather you together. Be sure of
this! I will make all the nations of the earth respect and admire you when you
see me restore you,” says the LORD.


Haggai

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Introduction On the first day of the sixth month of King Darius’ second
year, the LORD’s message came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of
Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak:
2 The Indifference of the People This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has
said:“These people have said,‘The time for rebuilding the LORD’s temple
has not yet come.’”
3 The LORD’s message came through the prophet Haggai as follows:
4 “Is it right for you to live in richly paneled houses while my temple is in
ruins?
5 Here then, this is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has said:‘Think
carefully about what you are doing.
6 You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but are never
filled. You drink, but are still thirsty. You put on clothes, but are not warm.
Those who earn wages end up with holes in their money bags.’”
7 The Instruction of the People“Moreover, this is what the LORD of Heaven’s
Armies has said:‘Pay close attention to these things also.
8 Go up to the hill country and bring back timber to build the temple. Then I
will be pleased and honored,’ says the LORD.
9 ‘You expected a large harvest, but instead there was little. And when you
would bring it home, I would blow it right away. Why?’ asks the LORD of
Heaven’s Armies.‘Because my temple remains in ruins, thanks to each of you
favoring his own house!
10 This is why the sky has held back its dew and the earth its produce.
11 Moreover, I have called for a drought that will affect the fields, the hill
country, the grain, new wine, fresh olive oil, and everything that grows from
the ground; it also will harm people, animals, and everything they
produce.’”
12 The Response of the People Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and the high
priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, along with the whole remnant of the people,
obeyed the LORD their God. They responded favorably to the message of the
prophet Haggai, who spoke just as the LORD their God had instructed him, and the
people began to respect the LORD.
13 Then Haggai, the LORD’s messenger, spoke the LORD’s announcement to the
people:“I am with you!” decrees the LORD.
14 So the LORD energized and encouraged Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of
Judah, the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and the whole remnant of the
people. They came and worked on the temple of their God, the LORD of Heaven’s
Armies.
15 This took place on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month of King Darius’
second year.

Chapter 2

1 The Glory to Come On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the LORD’s
message came through the prophet Haggai again:
2 “Ask the following questions to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of
Judah, the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and the remnant of the people:
3 ‘Who among you survivors saw the former splendor of this temple? How does it
look to you now? Isn’t it nothing by comparison?’”
4 “Even so, take heart, Zerubbabel,” decrees the LORD.“Take heart, Joshua
son of Jehozadak, the high priest. And take heart all you citizens of the
land,” decrees the LORD,“and begin to work. For I am with you,” decrees
the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
5 “Do not fear, because I made a promise to your ancestors when they left
Egypt, and my Spirit even now testifies to you.”
6 Moreover, this is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has said:“In just a
little while I will once again shake the sky and the earth, the sea and the dry
ground.
7 I will also shake up all the nations, and they will offer their treasures;
then I will fill this temple with glory.” So the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has
said.
8 “The silver and gold will be mine,” decrees the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
9 “The future splendor of this temple will be greater than that of former
times,” the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has declared.“And in this place I will
give peace,” decrees the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.”
10 The Promised Blessing On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month of
Darius’ second year, the LORD’s message came to the prophet Haggai:
11 “This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has said,‘Ask the priests
about the law.
12 If someone carries holy meat in a fold of his garment and that fold touches
bread, a boiled dish, wine, olive oil, or any other food, will that item become
holy?’” The priests answered,“It will not.”
13 Then Haggai asked,“If a person who is ritually unclean because of touching
a dead body comes in contact with one of these items, will it become unclean?”
The priests answered,“It will be unclean.”
14 Then Haggai responded,“‘The people of this nation are unclean in my
sight,’ decrees the LORD.‘And so is all their effort; everything they offer
is also unclean.
15 Now therefore reflect carefully on the recent past, before one stone was laid
on another in the LORD’s temple.
16 From that time when one came expecting a heap of twenty measures, there were
only ten; when one came to the wine vat to draw out fifty measures from it,
there were only twenty.
17 I struck all the products of your labor with blight, disease, and hail, and
yet you brought nothing to me,’ says the LORD.
18 ‘Think carefully about the past: from today, the twenty-fourth day of the
ninth month, to the day work on the temple of the LORD was resumed, think about
it.
19 The seed is still in the storehouse, isn’t it? And the vine, fig tree,
pomegranate, and olive tree have not produced. Nevertheless, from today on I
will bless you.’”
20 Zerubbabel the Chosen One Then the LORD spoke to Haggai a second time on the
twenty-fourth day of the month:
21 Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah:‘I am ready to shake the sky and the
earth.
22 I will overthrow royal thrones and shatter the might of earthly kingdoms. I
will overthrow chariots and those who ride them, and horses and their riders
will fall as people kill one another.
23 On that day,’ says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies,‘I will take you,
Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant,’ says the LORD,‘and I will make you
like a signet ring, for I have chosen you,’ says the LORD of Heaven’s
Armies.”


Zechariah

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Introduction In the eighth month of Darius’ second year, the LORD’s
message came to the prophet Zechariah, son of Berechiah son of Iddo:
2 The LORD was very angry with your ancestors.
3 Therefore say to the people: The LORD of Heaven’s Armies says,“Turn to
me,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies,“and I will turn to you,” says the
LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
4 “Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the former prophets called out,
saying,‘This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has said,“Turn now from
your evil wickedness,”’ but they would by no means obey me,” says the
LORD.
5 “As for your ancestors, where are they? And did the prophets live forever?
6 But have my words and statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets,
not outlived your fathers? Then they paid attention and confessed,‘The LORD of
Heaven’s Armies has indeed done what he said he would do to us, because of our
sinful ways.’”
7 The Introduction to the Visions On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh
month, the month Shebat, in Darius’ second year, the LORD’s message came to
the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah son of Iddo:
8 The Content of the First Vision I was attentive that night and saw a man
seated on a red horse that stood among some myrtle trees in the ravine. Behind
him were red, sorrel, and white horses.
9 The Interpretation of the First Vision Then I asked one nearby,“What are
these, sir?” The angelic messenger who replied to me said,“I will show you
what these are.”
10 Then the man standing among the myrtle trees spoke up and said,“These are
the ones whom the LORD has sent to walk about on the earth.”
11 The riders then agreed with the angel of the LORD, who was standing among the
myrtle trees,“We have been walking about on the earth, and now everything is
at rest and quiet.”
12 The angel of the LORD then asked,“O LORD of Heaven’s Armies, how long
before you have compassion on Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah which you
have been so angry with for these seventy years?”
13 The LORD then addressed good, comforting words to the angelic messenger who
was speaking to me.
14 Turning to me, the messenger then said,“Cry out that the LORD of Heaven’s
Armies says,‘I am very much moved for Jerusalem and for Zion.
15 But I am greatly displeased with the nations that take my grace for granted.
I was a little displeased with them, but they have only made things worse for
themselves.
16 The Oracle of Response“‘Therefore,’ this is what the LORD has said,‘I
have become compassionate toward Jerusalem and will rebuild my temple in it,’
says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.‘Once more a surveyor’s measuring line
will be stretched out over Jerusalem.’
17 Speak up again with the message of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies:‘My cities
will once more overflow with prosperity, and once more the LORD will comfort
Zion and validate his choice of Jerusalem.’”
18 Vision Two: The Four Horns(2:1) Once again I looked and this time I saw four
horns.
19 So I asked the angelic messenger who spoke with me,“What are these?” He
replied,“These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and
Jerusalem.”
20 Next the LORD showed me four blacksmiths.
21 I asked,“What are these going to do?” He answered,“These horns are the
ones that have scattered Judah so that there is no one to be seen. But the
blacksmiths have come to terrify Judah’s enemies and cut off the horns of the
nations that have thrust themselves against the land of Judah in order to
scatter its people.”

Chapter 2

1 Vision Three: The Surveyor(2:5) I looked again, and there was a man with a
measuring line in his hand.
2 I asked,“Where are you going?” He replied,“To measure Jerusalem in order
to determine its width and its length.”
3 At this point the angelic messenger who spoke to me went out, and another
messenger came to meet him
4 and said to him,“Hurry, speak to this young man as follows:‘Jerusalem will
no longer be enclosed by walls because of the multitude of people and animals
there.
5 But I(the LORD says) will be a wall of fire surrounding Jerusalem and the
source of glory in her midst.’”
6 “You there! Flee from the northland!” says the LORD,“for like the four
winds of heaven I have scattered you,” says the LORD.
7 “Escape, Zion, you who live among the Babylonians!”
8 For the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says to me that for his own glory he has
sent me to the nations that plundered you– for anyone who touches you touches
the pupil of his eye.
9 “Yes, look here, I am about to punish them so that they will be looted by
their own slaves.” Then you will know that the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has
sent me.
10 “Sing out and be happy, Zion my daughter! For look, I have come; I will
settle in your midst,” says the LORD.
11 “Many nations will join themselves to the LORD on the day of salvation, and
they will also be my people. Indeed, I will settle in the midst of you all.”
Then you will know that the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has sent me to you.
12 The LORD will take possession of Judah as his portion in the holy land and he
will choose Jerusalem once again.
13 Be silent in the LORD’s presence, all people everywhere, for he is being
moved to action in his holy dwelling place.

Chapter 3

1 Vision Four: The Priest Next I saw Joshua the high priest standing before the
angel of the LORD, with Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.
2 The LORD said to Satan,“May the LORD rebuke you, Satan! May the LORD, who
has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Isn’t this man like a burning stick snatched
from the fire?”
3 Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood there before the angel.
4 The angel spoke up to those standing all around,“Remove his filthy
clothes.” Then he said to Joshua,“I have freely forgiven your iniquity and
will dress you in fine clothing.”
5 Then I spoke up,“Let a clean turban be put on his head.” So they put a
clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the LORD stood
nearby.
6 Then the angel of the LORD exhorted Joshua solemnly:
7 “The LORD of Heaven’s Armies says,‘If you follow my ways and keep my
requirements, you will be able to preside over my temple and attend to my
courtyards, and I will allow you to come and go among these others who are
standing by you.
8 Listen now, Joshua the high priest, both you and your colleagues who are
sitting before you, all of you are a symbol that I am about to introduce my
servant, the Branch.
9 As for the stone I have set before Joshua– on the one stone there are seven
eyes. I am about to engrave an inscription on it,’ says the LORD of Heaven’s
Armies,‘to the effect that I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single
day.
10 In that day,’ says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies,‘everyone will invite
his friend to fellowship under his vine and under his fig tree.’”

Chapter 4

1 Vision Five: The Menorah The angelic messenger who had been speaking with me
then returned and woke me, as a person is wakened from sleep.
2 He asked me,“What do you see?” I replied,“I see a menorah of pure gold
with a receptacle at the top. There are seven lamps at the top, with seven pipes
going to the lamps.
3 There are also two olive trees beside it, one on the right of the receptacle
and the other on the left.”
4 Then I asked the messenger who spoke with me,“What are these, sir?”
5 He replied,“Don’t you know what these are?” So I responded,“No,
sir.”
6 Therefore he told me,“This is the LORD’s message to Zerubbabel:‘Not by
strength and not by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD of Heaven’s
Armies.”
7 Oracle of Response“What are you, you great mountain? Because of Zerubbabel
you will become a level plain! And he will bring forth the temple capstone with
shoutings of‘Grace! Grace!’ because of this.”
8 Moreover, the LORD’s message came to me as follows:
9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundations of this temple, and his
hands will complete it.” Then you will know that the LORD of Heaven’s Armies
has sent me to you.
10 For who dares make light of small beginnings? These seven eyes will joyfully
look on the tin tablet in Zerubbabel’s hand.(These are the eyes of the LORD,
which constantly range across the whole earth.)
11 Next I asked the messenger,“What are these two olive trees on the right and
the left of the menorah?”
12 Before he could reply I asked again,“What are these two extensions of the
olive trees, which are emptying out the golden oil through the two golden
pipes?”
13 He replied,“Don’t you know what these are?” And I said,“No, sir.”
14 So he said,“These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the
whole earth.”

Chapter 5

1 Vision Six: The Flying Scroll Then I turned to look, and there was a flying
scroll!
2 Someone asked me,“What do you see?” I replied,“I see a flying scroll
thirty feet long and fifteen feet wide.”
3 The speaker went on to say,“This is a curse traveling across the whole
earth. For example, according to the curse whoever steals will be removed from
the community; or on the other hand(according to the curse) whoever swears
falsely will suffer the same fate.”
4 “I will send it out,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies,“and it will
enter the house of the thief and of the person who swears falsely in my name. It
will land in the middle of his house and destroy both timber and stones.”
5 Vision Seven: The Ephah After this the angelic messenger who had been speaking
to me went out and said,“Look, see what is leaving.”
6 I asked,“What is it?” And he replied,“It is a basket for measuring grain
that is moving away from here.” Moreover, he said,“This is their‘eye’
throughout all the earth.”
7 Then a round lead cover was raised up, revealing a woman sitting inside the
basket.
8 He then said,“This woman represents wickedness,” and he pushed her down
into the basket and placed the lead cover on top.
9 Then I looked again and saw two women going forth with the wind in their
wings(they had wings like those of a stork) and they lifted up the basket
between the earth and the sky.
10 I asked the messenger who was speaking to me,“Where are they taking the
basket?”
11 He replied,“To build a temple for her in the land of Babylonia. When it is
finished, she will be placed there in her own residence.”

Chapter 6

1 Vision Eight: The Chariots Once more I looked, and this time I saw four
chariots emerging from between two mountains of bronze.
2 Harnessed to the first chariot were red horses, to the second black horses,
3 to the third white horses, and to the fourth spotted horses, all of them
strong.
4 Then I asked the angelic messenger who was speaking with me,“What are these,
sir?”
5 The messenger replied,“These are the four spirits of heaven going out after
presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth.
6 The chariot with the black horses is going to the north country, and the white
ones are going after them, but the spotted ones are going to the south country.
7 All these strong ones are scattering; they have sought permission to go and
walk about over the earth.” The Lord had said,“Go! Walk about over the
earth!” So they are doing so.
8 Then he cried out to me,“Look! The ones going to the northland have brought
me peace about the northland.”
9 A Concluding Oracle The LORD’s message came to me as follows:
10 “Choose some people from among the exiles, namely, Heldai, Tobijah, and
Jedaiah, all of whom have come from Babylon, and when you have done so go to the
house of Josiah son of Zephaniah.
11 Then take some silver and gold to make a crown and set it on the head of
Joshua the high priest, the son of Jehozadak.
12 Then say to him,‘The LORD of Heaven’s Armies says,“Look– here is the
man whose name is Branch, who will sprout up from his place and build the temple
of the LORD.
13 Indeed, he will build the temple of the LORD, and he will be clothed in
splendor, sitting as king on his throne. Moreover, there will be a priest with
him on his throne and they will see eye to eye on everything.
14 The crown will then be turned over to Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen son of
Zephaniah as a memorial in the temple of the LORD.
15 Then those who are far away will come and build the temple of the LORD so
that you may know that the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has sent me to you. This
will all come to pass if you completely obey the voice of the LORD your
God.”’”

Chapter 7

1 The Hypocrisy of False Fasting In King Darius’ fourth year, on the fourth
day of Kislev, the ninth month, the LORD’s message came to Zechariah.
2 Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melech and their
companions to seek the LORD’s favor
3 by asking both the priests of the temple of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies and
the prophets,“Should we weep in the fifth month, fasting as we have done over
the years?”
4 The message of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies then came to me,
5 “Speak to all the people and priests of the land as follows:‘When you
fasted and lamented in the fifth and seventh months through all these seventy
years, did you truly fast for me– for me, indeed?
6 And now when you eat and drink, are you not doing so for yourselves?’”
7 Should you not have obeyed the words that the LORD cried out through the
former prophets when Jerusalem was peacefully inhabited and her surrounding
cities, the Negev, and the foothills were also populated?
8 Again the LORD’s message came to Zechariah:
9 “The LORD of Heaven’s Armies said,‘Exercise true judgment and show
brotherhood and compassion to each other.
10 You must not oppress the widow, the orphan, the resident foreigner, or the
poor, nor should anyone secretly plot evil against his fellow citizen.’
11 “But they refused to pay attention, turning away stubbornly and stopping
their ears so they could not hear.
12 Indeed, they made their hearts as hard as diamond, so that they could not
obey the Torah and the other words the LORD of Heaven’s Armies had sent by his
Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies had
poured out great wrath.
13 “‘It then came about that just as I cried out, but they would not obey,
so they will cry out, but I will not listen,’ the LORD of Heaven’s Armies
had said.
14 ‘Rather, I will sweep them away in a storm into all the nations they are
not familiar with.’ Thus the land had become desolate because of them, with no
one crossing through or returning, for they had made the fruitful land a
waste.”

Chapter 8

1 The Blessing of True Fasting Then the message of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies
came to me as follows:
2 “The LORD of Heaven’s Armies says,‘I am very much concerned for Zion;
indeed, I am so concerned for her that my rage will fall on those who hurt
her.’
3 The LORD says,‘I have returned to Zion and will live within Jerusalem. Now
Jerusalem will be called“truthful city,”“mountain of the LORD of
Heaven’s Armies,”“holy mountain.”’
4 Moreover, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says,‘Old men and women will once
more live in the plazas of Jerusalem, each one leaning on a cane because of
advanced age.
5 And the streets of the city will be full of boys and girls playing.
6 And,’ says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies,‘though such a thing may seem to
be difficult in the opinion of the small community of those days, will it also
appear difficult to me?’ asks the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
7 “The LORD of Heaven’s Armies asserts,‘I am about to save my people from
the lands of the east and the west.
8 And I will bring them to settle within Jerusalem. They will be my people, and
I will be their God, in truth and righteousness.’
9 “The LORD of Heaven’s Armies also says,‘Gather strength, you who are
listening to these words today from the mouths of the prophets who were there at
the founding of the house of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, so that the temple
might be built.
10 Before that time there was no compensation for man or animal, nor was there
any relief from adversity for those who came and went, because I had pitted
everybody– each one– against everyone else.
11 But I will be different now to this remnant of my people from the way I was
in those days,’ says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies,
12 ‘for there will be a peaceful time of sowing, the vine will produce its
fruit, and the ground its yield, and the skies will rain down dew. Then I will
allow the remnant of my people to possess all these things.
13 And it will come about that just as you(both Judah and Israel) were a curse
to the nations, so I will save you and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid!
Instead, be strong!’
14 “For the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says,‘As I had planned to hurt you
when your fathers made me angry,’ says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies,‘and I
was not sorry,
15 so, to the contrary, I have planned in these days to do good to Jerusalem and
Judah– do not fear!
16 These are the things you must do: Speak the truth, each of you, to one
another. Practice true and righteous judgment in your courts.
17 Do not plan evil in your hearts against one another. Do not favor a false
oath– these are all things that I hate,’ says the LORD.
18 The message of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies came to me as follows:
19 “The LORD of Heaven’s Armies says,‘The fast of the fourth, fifth,
seventh, and tenth months will become joyful and happy, pleasant feasts for the
house of Judah, so love truth and peace.’
20 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies says,‘It will someday come to pass that
people– residents of many cities– will come.
21 The inhabitants of one will go to another and say,“Let’s go up at once to
ask the favor of the LORD, to seek the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. Indeed, I’ll
go with you.”’
22 Many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the LORD of
Heaven’s Armies and to ask his favor.
23 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies says,‘In those days ten people from all
languages and nations will grasp hold of– indeed, grab– the robe of one Jew
and say,“Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”’”

Chapter 9

1 The Coming of the True King This is an oracle, the LORD’s message concerning
the land of Hadrach, with its focus on Damascus: The eyes of all humanity,
especially of the tribes of Israel, are toward the LORD,
2 as are those of Hamath also, which adjoins Damascus, and Tyre and Sidon,
though they consider themselves to be very wise.
3 Tyre built herself a fortification and piled up silver like dust and gold like
the mud of the streets!
4 Nevertheless the Lord will evict her and shove her fortifications into the
sea– she will be consumed by fire.
5 Ashkelon will see and be afraid; Gaza will be in great anguish, as will Ekron,
for her hope will have been dried up. Gaza will lose her king, and Ashkelon will
no longer be inhabited.
6 A mongrel people will live in Ashdod, for I will greatly humiliate the
Philistines.
7 I will take away their abominable religious practices; then those who survive
will become a community of believers in our God, like a clan in Judah, and Ekron
will be like the Jebusites.
8 Then I will surround my temple to protect it like a guard from anyone crossing
back and forth; so no one will cross over against them anymore as an oppressor,
for now I myself have seen it.
9 Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! Look! Your
king is coming to you: he is legitimate and victorious, humble and riding on a
donkey– on a young donkey, the foal of a female donkey.
10 I will remove the chariot from Ephraim and the warhorse from Jerusalem, and
the battle bow will be removed. Then he will announce peace to the nations. His
dominion will be from sea to sea and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the
earth.
11 Moreover, as for you, because of our covenant relationship secured with
blood, I will release your prisoners from the waterless pit.
12 Return to the stronghold, you prisoners, with hope; today I declare that I
will return double what was taken from you.
13 I will bend Judah as my bow; I will load the bow with Ephraim, my arrow! I
will stir up your sons, Zion, against your sons, Greece, and I will make you,
Zion, like a warrior’s sword.
14 Then the LORD will appear above them, and his arrow will shoot forth like
lightning; the Sovereign LORD will blow the trumpet and will proceed in the
southern storm winds.
15 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies will guard them, and they will prevail and
overcome with sling stones. Then they will drink, and will become noisy like
drunkards, full like the sacrificial basin or like the corners of the altar.
16 On that day the LORD their God will deliver them as the flock of his people,
for they are the precious stones of a crown sparkling over his land.
17 How precious and fair! Grain will make the young men flourish and new wine
the young women.

Chapter 10

1 The Restoration of the True People Ask the LORD for rain in the season of the
late spring rains– the LORD who causes thunderstorms– and he will give
everyone showers of rain and green growth in the field.
2 For the household gods have spoken wickedness, the soothsayers have seen a
lie, and as for the dreamers, they have disclosed emptiness and give comfort in
vain. Therefore the people set out like sheep and become scattered because they
have no shepherd.
3 I am enraged at the shepherds and will punish the lead-goats.For the LORD of
Heaven’s Armies has brought blessing to his flock, the house of Judah, and
will transform them into his majestic warhorse.
4 From him will come the cornerstone, the wall peg, the battle bow, and every
ruler.
5 And they will be like warriors trampling the mud of the streets in battle.
They will fight, for the LORD will be with them, and will defeat the enemy
cavalry.
6 “I(says the LORD) will strengthen the kingdom of Judah and deliver the
people of Joseph and will bring them back because of my compassion for them.
They will be as though I had never rejected them, for I am the LORD their God
and therefore I will hear them.
7 The Ephraimites will be like warriors and will rejoice as if they had drunk
wine. Their children will see it and rejoice; they will celebrate in the things
of the LORD.
8 I will signal for them and gather them, for I have already redeemed them; then
they will become as numerous as they were before.
9 Though I scatter them among the nations, they will remember in far-off
places– they and their children will survive and return.
10 I will bring them back from Egypt and gather them from Assyria. I will bring
them to the lands of Gilead and Lebanon, and there will not be enough room for
them.
11 The LORD will cross the sea of storms and will calm its turbulence. The
depths of the Nile will dry up, the pride of Assyria will be humbled, and the
domination of Egypt will be no more.
12 Thus I will strengthen them by my power, and they will walk about in my
name,” says the LORD.

Chapter 11

1 The History and Future of Judah’s Wicked Kings Open your gates, Lebanon, so
that the fire may consume your cedars.
2 Howl, fir tree, because the cedar has fallen; the majestic trees have been
destroyed. Howl, oaks of Bashan, because the impenetrable forest has fallen.
3 Listen to the howling of shepherds, because their magnificence has been
destroyed. Listen to the roaring of young lions, because the thickets of the
Jordan have been devastated.
4 The LORD my God says this:“Shepherd the flock set aside for slaughter.
5 Those who buy them slaughter them and are not held guilty; those who sell them
say,‘Blessed be the LORD, for I am rich.’ Their own shepherds have no
compassion for them.
6 Indeed, I will no longer have compassion on the people of the land,” says
the LORD,“but instead I will turn every last person over to his neighbor and
his king. They will devastate the land, and I will not deliver it from them.”
7 So I began to shepherd the flock destined for slaughter, the most afflicted of
all the flock. Then I took two staffs, calling one“Pleasantness” and the
other“Union,” and I tended the flock.
8 Next I eradicated the three shepherds in one month, for I ran out of patience
with them and, indeed, they detested me as well.
9 I then said,“I will not shepherd you. What is to die, let it die, and what
is to be eradicated, let it be eradicated. As for those who survive, let them
eat each other’s flesh!”
10 Then I took my staff“Pleasantness” and cut it in two to annul my covenant
that I had made with all the people.
11 So it was annulled that very day, and then the most afflicted of the flock
who kept faith with me knew that it was the LORD’s message.
12 Then I said to them,“If it seems good to you, pay me my wages, but if not,
forget it.” So they weighed out my payment– thirty pieces of silver.
13 The LORD then said to me,“Throw to the potter that exorbitant sum at which
they valued me!” So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the
potter at the temple of the LORD.
14 Then I cut the second staff“Union” in two in order to annul the covenant
of brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
15 Again the LORD said to me,“Take up once more the equipment of a foolish
shepherd.
16 Indeed, I am about to raise up a shepherd in the land who will not take heed
to the sheep headed to slaughter, will not seek the scattered, and will not heal
the injured. Moreover, he will not nourish the one that is healthy but instead
will eat the meat of the fat sheep and tear off their hooves.
17 Woe to the worthless shepherd who abandons the flock! May a sword fall on his
arm and his right eye! May his arm wither completely away, and his right eye
become completely blind!”

Chapter 12

1 The Repentance of Judah This is an oracle, the LORD’s message concerning
Israel: The LORD– he who stretches out the heavens and lays the foundations of
the earth, who forms the human spirit within a person– says,
2 “I am about to make Jerusalem a cup that brings dizziness to all the
surrounding nations; indeed, Judah will also be included when Jerusalem is
besieged.
3 Moreover, on that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy burden for all the
nations, and all who try to carry it will be seriously injured; yet all the
peoples of the earth will be assembled against it.
4 On that day,” says the LORD,“I will strike every horse with confusion and
its rider with madness. I will pay close attention to the house of Judah, but
will strike all the horses of the nations with blindness.
5 Then the leaders of Judah will say to themselves,‘The inhabitants of
Jerusalem are a means of strength to us through their God, the LORD of
Heaven’s Armies.’
6 On that day I will make the leaders of Judah like an igniter among sticks and
a burning torch among sheaves, and they will burn up all the surrounding nations
right and left. Then the people of Jerusalem will settle once more in their
place, the city of Jerusalem.
7 The LORD also will deliver the homes of Judah first, so that the splendor of
the kingship of David and of the people of Jerusalem may not exceed that of
Judah.
8 On that day the LORD himself will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that
the weakest among them will be like mighty David, and the dynasty of David will
be like God, like the angel of the LORD before them.
9 So on that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that come against
Jerusalem.”
10 “I will pour out on the kingship of David and the population of Jerusalem a
spirit of grace and supplication so that they will look to me, the one they have
pierced. They will lament for him as one laments for an only son, and there will
be a bitter cry for him like the bitter cry for a firstborn.
11 On that day the lamentation in Jerusalem will be as great as the lamentation
at Hadad-Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.
12 The land will mourn, each clan by itself– the clan of the royal household
of David by itself and their wives by themselves; the clan of the family of
Nathan by itself and their wives by themselves;
13 the clan of the descendants of Levi by itself and their wives by themselves;
and the clan of the Shimeites by itself and their wives by themselves–
14 all the clans that remain, each separately with their wives.”

Chapter 13

1 The Refinement of Judah“In that day there will be a fountain opened up for
the dynasty of David and the people of Jerusalem to cleanse them from sin and
impurity.
2 And also on that day,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies,“I will remove
the names of the idols from the land and they will never again be remembered.
Moreover, I will remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land.
3 Then, if anyone prophesies in spite of this, his father and mother to whom he
was born will say to him,‘You cannot live, for you lie in the name of the
LORD.’Then his father and mother to whom he was born will run him through with
a sword when he prophesies.
4 “Therefore, on that day each prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he
prophesies and will no longer wear the hairy garment of a prophet to deceive the
people.
5 Instead he will say,‘I am no prophet– indeed, I am a farmer, for a man has
made me his indentured servant since my youth.’
6 Then someone will ask him,‘What are these wounds on your chest?’ and he
will answer,‘Some that I received in the house of my friends.’
7 “Awake, sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is my associate,”
says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. Strike the shepherd that the flock may be
scattered; I will turn my hand against the insignificant ones.
8 It will happen in all the land, says the LORD, that two-thirds of the people
in it will be cut off and die, but one-third will be left in it.
9 Then I will bring the remaining third into the fire; I will refine them like
silver is refined and will test them like gold is tested. They will call on my
name and I will answer; I will say,‘These are my people,’ and they will
say,‘The LORD is my God.’”

Chapter 14

1 The Sovereignty of the Lord A day of the LORD is about to come when your
possessions will be divided as plunder in your midst.
2 For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to wage war; the city will
be taken, its houses plundered, and the women raped. Then half of the city will
go into exile, but the remainder of the people will not be taken away.
3 Then the LORD will go to battle and fight against those nations, just as he
fought battles in ancient days.
4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives which lies to the east
of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in half from east to west,
leaving a great valley. Half the mountain will move northward and the other half
southward.
5 Then you will escape through my mountain valley, for the valley of the
mountains will extend to Azal. Indeed, you will flee as you fled from the
earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come
with all his holy ones with him.
6 On that day there will be no light– the sources of light in the heavens will
congeal.
7 It will happen in one day(a day known to the LORD); not in the day or the
night, but in the evening there will be light.
8 Moreover, on that day living waters will flow out from Jerusalem, half of them
to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea; it will happen both in
summer and in winter.
9 The LORD will then be king over all the earth. In that day the LORD will be
seen as one with a single name.
10 All the land will change and become like the rift valley from Geba to Rimmon,
south of Jerusalem; and Jerusalem will be raised up and will stay in its own
place from the Benjamin Gate to the site of the First Gate and on to the Corner
Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses.
11 And people will settle there, and there will no longer be the threat of
divine extermination– Jerusalem will dwell in security.
12 But this will be the nature of the plague with which the LORD will strike all
the nations that have fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will decay while
they stand on their feet, their eyes will rot away in their sockets, and their
tongues will dissolve in their mouths.
13 On that day there will be great confusion from the LORD among them; they will
seize each other and attack one another violently.
14 Moreover, Judah will fight at Jerusalem, and the wealth of all the
surrounding nations will be gathered up– gold, silver, and clothing in great
abundance.
15 This is the kind of plague that will devastate horses, mules, camels,
donkeys, and all the other animals in those camps.
16 Then all who survive from all the nations that came to attack Jerusalem will
go up annually to worship the King, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, and to
observe the Feast of Shelters.
17 But if any of the nations anywhere on earth refuse to go up to Jerusalem to
worship the King, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, they will get no rain.
18 If the Egyptians will not do so, they will get no rain– instead there will
be the kind of plague which the LORD inflicts on any nations that do not go up
to celebrate the Feast of Shelters.
19 This will be the punishment of Egypt and of all nations that do not go up to
celebrate the Feast of Shelters.
20 On that day the bells of the horses will bear the inscription“HOLY TO THE
LORD.” The cooking pots in the LORD’s temple will be as holy as the bowls in
front of the altar.
21 Every cooking pot in Jerusalem and Judah will become holy in the sight of the
LORD of Heaven’s Armies, so that all who offer sacrifices may come and use
some of them to boil their sacrifices in them. On that day there will no longer
be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.


Malachi

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Introduction and God’s Election of Israel This is an oracle, the LORD’s
message to Israel through Malachi:
2 “I have shown love to you,” says the LORD, but you say,“How have you
shown love to us?”“Esau was Jacob’s brother,” the LORD explains,“yet I
chose Jacob
3 and rejected Esau. I turned Esau’s mountains into a deserted wasteland and
gave his territory to the wild jackals.”
4 Edom says,“Though we are devastated, we will once again build the ruined
places.” So the LORD of Heaven’s Armies responds,“They indeed may build,
but I will overthrow. They will be known as the land of evil, the people with
whom the LORD is permanently displeased.
5 Your eyes will see it, and then you will say,‘May the LORD be magnified even
beyond the border of Israel!’”
6 The Sacrilege of Priestly Service“A son naturally honors his father and a
slave respects his master. If I am your father, where is my honor? If I am your
master, where is my respect? The LORD of Heaven’s Armies asks you this, you
priests who make light of my name! But you reply,‘How have we made light of
your name?’
7 You are offering improper sacrifices on my altar, yet you ask,‘How have we
offended you?’ By treating the table of the LORD as if it is of no importance!
8 For when you offer blind animals as a sacrifice, is that not wrong? And when
you offer the lame and sick, is that not wrong as well? Indeed, try offering
them to your governor! Will he be pleased with you or show you favor?” asks
the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
9 But now plead for God’s favor that he might be gracious to us.“With this
kind of offering in your hands, how can he be pleased with you?” asks the LORD
of Heaven’s Armies.
10 “I wish that one of you would close the temple doors, so that you no longer
would light useless fires on my altar. I am not pleased with you,” says the
LORD of Heaven’s Armies,“and I will no longer accept an offering from you.
11 For from the east to the west my name will be great among the nations.
Incense and pure offerings will be offered in my name everywhere, for my name
will be great among the nations,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
12 “But you are profaning it by saying that the table of the Lord is common
and its offerings despicable.
13 You also say,‘How tiresome it is.’ You turn up your nose at it,” says
the LORD of Heaven’s Armies,“and instead bring what is stolen, lame, or
sick. You bring these things for an offering! Should I accept this from you?”
asks the LORD.
14 “There will be harsh condemnation for the hypocrite who has a valuable male
animal in his flock but vows and sacrifices something inferior to the Lord. For
I am a great king,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies,“and my name is
awesome among the nations.”

Chapter 2

1 The Sacrilege of the Priestly Message“Now, you priests, this commandment is
for you.
2 If you do not listen and take seriously the need to honor my name,” says the
LORD of Heaven’s Armies,“I will send judgment on you and turn your blessings
into curses– indeed, I have already done so because you are not taking it to
heart.
3 I am about to discipline your children and will spread offal on your faces,
the very offal produced at your festivals, and you will be carried away along
with it.
4 Then you will know that I sent this commandment to you so that my covenant may
continue to be with Levi,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
5 “My covenant with him was designed to bring life and peace. I gave its
statutes to him to fill him with awe, and he indeed revered me and stood in awe
before me.
6 He taught what was true; sinful words were not found on his lips. He walked
with me in peace and integrity, and he turned many people away from sin.
7 For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge of sacred things, and
people should seek instruction from him because he is the messenger of the LORD
of Heaven’s Armies.
8 You, however, have turned from the way. You have caused many to violate the
law; you have corrupted the covenant with Levi,” says the LORD of Heaven’s
Armies.
9 “Therefore, I have caused you to be ignored and belittled before all people
to the extent to which you are not following after me and are showing partiality
in your instruction.”
10 The Rebellion of the People Do we not all have one father? Did not one God
create us? Why do we betray one another, in this way making light of the
covenant of our ancestors?
11 Judah has become disloyal, and unspeakable sins have been committed in Israel
and Jerusalem. For Judah has profaned the holy things that the LORD loves and
has turned to a foreign god!
12 May the LORD cut off from the community of Jacob every last person who does
this, as well as the person who presents improper offerings to the LORD of
Heaven’s Armies!
13 You also do this: You cover the altar of the LORD with tears as you weep and
groan, because he no longer pays any attention to the offering nor accepts it
favorably from you.
14 Yet you ask,“Why?” The LORD is testifying against you on behalf of the
wife you married when you were young, to whom you have become unfaithful even
though she is your companion and wife by law.
15 No one who has even a small portion of the Spirit in him does this. What did
our ancestor do when seeking a child from God? Be attentive, then, to your own
spirit, for one should not be disloyal to the wife he took in his youth.
16 “I hate divorce,” says the LORD God of Israel,“and the one who is
guilty of violence,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.“Pay attention to
your conscience, and do not be unfaithful.”
17 Resistance to the Lord through Self-deceit You have wearied the LORD with
your words. But you say,“How have we wearied him?” Because you
say,“Everyone who does evil is good in the LORD’s opinion, and he delights
in them,” or“Where is the God of justice?”

Chapter 3

1 “I am about to send my messenger, who will clear the way before me. Indeed,
the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his temple, and the messenger of
the covenant, whom you long for, is certainly coming,” says the LORD of
Heaven’s Armies.
2 Who can endure the day of his coming? Who can keep standing when he appears?
For he will be like a refiner’s fire, like a launderer’s soap.
3 He will act like a refiner and purifier of silver and will cleanse the Levites
and refine them like gold and silver. Then they will offer the LORD a proper
offering.
4 The offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in former
times and years past.
5 “I will come to you in judgment. I will be quick to testify against those
who practice divination, those who commit adultery, those who break promises,
and those who exploit workers, widows, and orphans, who refuse to help the
resident foreigner and in this way show they do not fear me,” says the LORD of
Heaven’s Armies.
6 Resistance to the Lord through Selfishness“Since, I, the LORD, do not go
back on my promises, you, sons of Jacob, have not perished.
7 From the days of your ancestors you have ignored my commandments and have not
kept them! Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD of
Heaven’s Armies.“But you say,‘How should we return?’
8 Can a person rob God? You indeed are robbing me, but you say,‘How are we
robbing you?’ In tithes and contributions!
9 You are bound for judgment because you are robbing me– this whole nation is
guilty.
10 “Bring the entire tithe into the storehouse so that there may be food in my
temple. Test me in this matter,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies,“to see
if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out blessing for you
until there is no room for it all.
11 Then I will stop the plague from ruining your crops, and the vine will not
lose its fruit before harvest,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
12 “All nations will call you happy, for you indeed will live in a delightful
land,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
13 Resistance to the Lord through Self-sufficiency“You have criticized me
sharply,” says the LORD,“but you ask,‘How have we criticized you?’
14 You have said,‘It is useless to serve God. How have we been helped by
keeping his requirements and going about like mourners before the LORD of
Heaven’s Armies?
15 So now we consider the arrogant to be happy; indeed, those who practice evil
are successful. In fact, those who challenge God escape!’”
16 Then those who respected the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD took
notice. A scroll was prepared before him in which were recorded the names of
those who respected the LORD and honored his name.
17 “They will belong to me,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies,“in the
day when I prepare my own special property. I will spare them as a man spares
his son who serves him.
18 Then once more you will see that I make a distinction between the righteous
and the wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not.

Chapter 4

1 (3:19)“For indeed the day is coming, burning like a furnace, and all the
arrogant evildoers will be chaff. The coming day will burn them up,” says the
LORD of Heaven’s Armies.“It will not leave them even a root or branch.
2 But for you who respect my name, the sun of vindication will rise with healing
wings, and you will skip about like calves released from the stall.
3 You will trample on the wicked, for they will be like ashes under the soles of
your feet on the day which I am preparing,” says the LORD of Heaven’s
Armies.
4 Restoration through the Lord“Remember the law of my servant Moses, to whom
at Horeb I gave rules and regulations for all Israel to obey.
5 Look, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of
the LORD arrives.
6 He will encourage fathers and their children to return to me, so that I will
not come and strike the earth with judgment.”


Matthew

Chapter 1

1 ¶ The Genealogy of Jesus Christ This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus
Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father
of Judah and his brothers,
3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah(by Tamar), Perez the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
4 Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the
father of Salmon,
5 Salmon the father of Boaz(by Rahab), Boaz the father of Obed(by Ruth), Obed
the father of Jesse,
6 and Jesse the father of David the king.David was the father of Solomon(by the
wife of Uriah),
7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the
father of Asa,
8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the
father of Uzziah,
9 Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of
Hezekiah,
10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father
of Josiah,
11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers, at the time of the
deportation to Babylon.
12 After the deportation to Babylon, Jeconiah became the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
13 Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the
father of Azor,
14 Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, Achim the father of
Eliud,
15 Eliud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the
father of Jacob,
16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born,
who is called Christ.
17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, and
from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations, and from the
deportation to Babylon to Christ, fourteen generations.
18 The Birth of Jesus Christ Now the birth of Jesus Christ happened this way.
While his mother Mary was engaged to Joseph, but before they came together, she
was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.
19 Because Joseph, her husband to be, was a righteous man, and because he did
not want to disgrace her, he intended to divorce her privately.
20 When he had contemplated this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a
dream and said,“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your
wife, because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
21 She will give birth to a son and you will name him Jesus, because he will
save his people from their sins.”
22 This all happened so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet
would be fulfilled:
23 “Look! The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will name
him Emmanuel,” which means“God with us.”
24 When Joseph awoke from sleep he did what the angel of the Lord told him. He
took his wife,
25 but did not have marital relations with her until she gave birth to a son,
whom he named Jesus.

Chapter 2

1 The Visit of the Wise Men After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, in the
time of King Herod, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem
2 saying,“Where is the one who is born king of the Jews? For we saw his star
when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard this he was alarmed, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 After assembling all the chief priests and experts in the law, he asked them
where the Christ was to be born.
5 “In Bethlehem of Judea,” they said,“for it is written this way by the
prophet:
6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are in no way least among the
rulers of Judah, for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people
Israel.’”
7 Then Herod privately summoned the wise men and determined from them when the
star had appeared.
8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said,“Go and look carefully for the child.
When you find him, inform me so that I can go and worship him as well.”
9 After listening to the king they left, and once again the star they saw when
it rose led them until it stopped above the place where the child was.
10 When they saw the star they shouted joyfully.
11 As they came into the house and saw the child with Mary his mother, they
bowed down and worshiped him. They opened their treasure boxes and gave him
gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 After being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back by
another route to their own country.
13 The Escape to Egypt After they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to
Joseph in a dream and said,“Get up, take the child and his mother and flee to
Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to look for the child
to kill him.”
14 Then he got up, took the child and his mother during the night, and went to
Egypt.
15 He stayed there until Herod died. In this way what was spoken by the Lord
through the prophet was fulfilled:“I called my Son out of Egypt.”
16 When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he became enraged.
He sent men to kill all the children in Bethlehem and throughout the surrounding
region from the age of two and under, according to the time he had learned from
the wise men.
17 Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:
18 “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud wailing, Rachel weeping for
her children, and she did not want to be comforted, because they were gone.”
19 The Return to Nazareth After Herod had died, an angel of the Lord appeared in
a dream to Joseph in Egypt
20 saying,“Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of
Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.”
21 So he got up and took the child and his mother and returned to the land of
Israel.
22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his
father Herod, he was afraid to go there. After being warned in a dream, he went
to the regions of Galilee.
23 He came to a town called Nazareth and lived there. Then what had been spoken
by the prophets was fulfilled, that Jesus would be called a Nazarene.

Chapter 3

1 The Ministry of John the Baptist In those days John the Baptist came into the
wilderness of Judea proclaiming,
2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
3 For he is the one about whom the prophet Isaiah had spoken:“The voice of one
shouting in the wilderness,‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make his paths
straight.’”
4 Now John wore clothing made from camel’s hair with a leather belt around his
waist, and his diet consisted of locusts and wild honey.
5 Then people from Jerusalem, as well as all Judea and all the region around the
Jordan, were going out to him,
6 and he was baptizing them in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins.
7 But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to
them,“You offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
8 Therefore produce fruit that proves your repentance,
9 and don’t think you can say to yourselves,‘We have Abraham as our
father.’ For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these
stones!
10 Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees, and every tree that does
not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
11 “I baptize you with water, for repentance, but the one coming after me is
more powerful than I am– I am not worthy to carry his sandals! He will baptize
you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clean out his threshing floor
and will gather his wheat into the storehouse, but the chaff he will burn up
with inextinguishable fire!”
13 The Baptism of Jesus Then Jesus came from Galilee to John to be baptized by
him in the Jordan River.
14 But John tried to prevent him, saying,“I need to be baptized by you, and
yet you come to me?”
15 So Jesus replied to him,“Let it happen now, for it is right for us to
fulfill all righteousness.” Then John yielded to him.
16 After Jesus was baptized, just as he was coming up out of the water, the
heavens opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to
rest on him.
17 And a voice from heaven said,“This is my one dear Son; in him I take great
delight.”

Chapter 4

1 The Temptation of Jesus Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness
to be tempted by the devil.
2 After he fasted forty days and forty nights he was famished.
3 The tempter came and said to him,“If you are the Son of God, command these
stones to become bread.”
4 But he answered,“It is written,‘Man does not live by bread alone, but by
every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, had him stand on the highest point
of the temple,
6 and said to him,“If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is
written,‘He will command his angels concerning you’ and‘with their hands
they will lift you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a
stone.’”
7 Jesus said to him,“Once again it is written:‘You are not to put the Lord
your God to the test.’”
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the
kingdoms of the world and their grandeur.
9 And he said to him,“I will give you all these things if you throw yourself
to the ground and worship me.”
10 Then Jesus said to him,“Go away, Satan! For it is written:‘You are to
worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’”
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and began ministering to his needs.
12 Preaching in Galilee Now when Jesus heard that John had been imprisoned, he
went into Galilee.
13 While in Galilee, he moved from Nazareth to make his home in Capernaum by the
sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
14 so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah would be fulfilled:
15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way by the sea, beyond the
Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles–
16 the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, and on those who sit
in the region and shadow of death a light has dawned.”
17 From that time Jesus began to preach this message:“Repent, for the kingdom
of heaven is near!”
18 The Call of the Disciples As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee he saw two
brothers, Simon(called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the
sea(for they were fishermen).
19 He said to them,“Follow me, and I will turn you into fishers of people!”
20 They left their nets immediately and followed him.
21 Going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and
his brother John, in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Then
he called them.
22 They immediately left the boat and their father and followed him.
23 Jesus’ Healing Ministry Jesus went throughout all of Galilee, teaching in
their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of
disease and sickness among the people.
24 So a report about him spread throughout Syria. People brought to him all who
suffered with various illnesses and afflictions, those who had seizures,
paralytics, and those possessed by demons, and he healed them.
25 And large crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea,
and beyond the Jordan River.

Chapter 5

1 The Beatitudes When he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain. After he sat
down his disciples came to him.
2 Then he began to teach them by saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be
satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for the kingdom of
heaven belongs to them.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and say all kinds
of evil things about you falsely on account of me.
12 Rejoice and be glad, because your reward is great in heaven, for they
persecuted the prophets before you in the same way.
13 Salt and Light“You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its flavor,
how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be
thrown out and trampled on by people!
14 You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 People do not light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a lampstand, and
it gives light to all in the house.
16 In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they can see
your good deeds and give honor to your Father in heaven.
17 Fulfillment of the Law and Prophets“Do not think that I have come to
abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish these things but to
fulfill them.
18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth pass away not the smallest
letter or stroke of a letter will pass from the law until everything takes
place.
19 So anyone who breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others to
do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever obeys them and
teaches others to do so will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness goes beyond that of the experts in
the law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven!
21 Anger and Murder“You have heard that it was said to an older
generation,‘Do not murder,’ and‘whoever murders will be subjected to
judgment.’
22 But I say to you that anyone who is angry with a brother will be subjected to
judgment. And whoever insults a brother will be brought before the council, and
whoever says‘Fool’ will be sent to fiery hell.
23 So then, if you bring your gift to the altar and there you remember that your
brother has something against you,
24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to
your brother and then come and present your gift.
25 Reach agreement quickly with your accuser while on the way to court, or he
may hand you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the warden, and
you will be thrown into prison.
26 I tell you the truth, you will never get out of there until you have paid the
last penny!
27 Adultery“You have heard that it was said,‘Do not commit adultery.’
28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to desire her has already
committed adultery with her in his heart.
29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away! It is
better to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into
hell.
30 If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away! It is
better to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into hell.
31 Divorce“It was said,‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a legal
document.’
32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for immorality,
makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits
adultery.
33 Oaths“Again, you have heard that it was said to an older generation,‘Do
not break an oath, but fulfill your vows to the Lord.’
34 But I say to you, do not take oaths at all– not by heaven, because it is
the throne of God,
35 not by earth, because it is his footstool, and not by Jerusalem, because it
is the city of the great King.
36 Do not take an oath by your head, because you are not able to make one hair
white or black.
37 Let your word be‘Yes, yes’ or‘No, no.’ More than this is from the
evil one.
38 Retaliation“You have heard that it was said,‘An eye for an eye and a
tooth for a tooth.’
39 But I say to you, do not resist the evildoer. But whoever strikes you on the
right cheek, turn the other to him as well.
40 And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your coat
also.
41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two.
42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not reject the one who wants to borrow
from you.
43 Love for Enemies“You have heard that it was said,‘Love your neighbor’
and‘hate your enemy.’
44 But I say to you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you,
45 so that you may be like your Father in heaven, since he causes the sun to
rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the
unrighteous.
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax
collectors do the same, don’t they?
47 And if you only greet your brothers, what more do you do? Even the Gentiles
do the same, don’t they?
48 So then, be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Chapter 6

1 Pure-hearted Giving“Be careful not to display your righteousness merely to
be seen by people. Otherwise you have no reward with your Father in heaven.
2 Thus whenever you do charitable giving, do not blow a trumpet before you, as
the hypocrites do in synagogues and on streets so that people will praise them.
I tell you the truth, they have their reward!
3 But when you do your giving, do not let your left hand know what your right
hand is doing,
4 so that your gift may be in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will
reward you.
5 Private Prayer“Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, because
they love to pray while standing in synagogues and on street corners so that
people can see them. Truly I say to you, they have their reward!
6 But whenever you pray, go into your inner room, close the door, and pray to
your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.
7 When you pray, do not babble repetitiously like the Gentiles, because they
think that by their many words they will be heard.
8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 So pray this way: Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored,
10 may your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts, as we ourselves have forgiven our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
14 “For if you forgive others their sins, your heavenly Father will also
forgive you.
15 But if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive you your sins.
16 Proper Fasting“When you fast, do not look sullen like the hypocrites, for
they make their faces unattractive so that people will see them fasting. I tell
you the truth, they have their reward!
17 When you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
18 so that it will not be obvious to others when you are fasting, but only to
your Father who is in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward
you.
19 Lasting Treasure“Do not accumulate for yourselves treasures on earth, where
moth and devouring insect destroy and where thieves break in and steal.
20 But accumulate for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and devouring
insect do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If then your eye is healthy, your whole
body will be full of light.
23 But if your eye is diseased, your whole body will be full of darkness. If
then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the
other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve
God and money.
25 Do Not Worry“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you
will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t there more to
life than food and more to the body than clothing?
26 Look at the birds in the sky: They do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns,
yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you more valuable than they are?
27 And which of you by worrying can add even one hour to his life?
28 Why do you worry about clothing? Think about how the flowers of the field
grow; they do not work or spin.
29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of
these!
30 And if this is how God clothes the wild grass, which is here today and
tomorrow is tossed into the fire to heat the oven, won’t he clothe you even
more, you people of little faith?
31 So then, don’t worry saying,‘What will we eat?’ or‘What will we
drink?’ or‘What will we wear?’
32 For the unconverted pursue these things, and your heavenly Father knows that
you need them.
33 But above all pursue his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will
be given to you as well.
34 So then, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.
Today has enough trouble of its own.

Chapter 7

1 Do Not Judge“Do not judge so that you will not be judged.
2 For by the standard you judge you will be judged, and the measure you use will
be the measure you receive.
3 Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to see the beam of
wood in your own?
4 Or how can you say to your brother,‘Let me remove the speck from your
eye,’ while there is a beam in your own?
5 You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see
clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
6 Do not give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls before pigs; otherwise
they will trample them under their feet and turn around and tear you to pieces.
7 Ask, Seek, Knock“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened for you.
8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one
who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 Is there anyone among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a
stone?
10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?
11 If you then, although you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your
children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who
ask him!
12 In everything, treat others as you would want them to treat you, for this
fulfills the law and the prophets.
13 The Narrow Gate“Enter through the narrow gate, because the gate is wide and
the way is spacious that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter
through it.
14 How narrow is the gate and difficult the way that leads to life, and there
are few who find it!
15 A Tree and Its Fruit“Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in
sheep’s clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves.
16 You will recognize them by their fruit. Grapes are not gathered from thorns
or figs from thistles, are they?
17 In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad
fruit.
18 A good tree is not able to bear bad fruit, nor a bad tree to bear good fruit.
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the
fire.
20 So then, you will recognize them by their fruit.
21 Judgment of Pretenders“Not everyone who says to me,‘Lord, Lord,’ will
enter into the kingdom of heaven– only the one who does the will of my Father
in heaven.
22 On that day, many will say to me,‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your
name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many powerful deeds in your
name?’
23 Then I will declare to them,‘I never knew you. Go away from me, you
lawbreakers!’
24 Hearing and Doing“Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them is
like a wise man who built his house on rock.
25 The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, but it
did not collapse because its foundation had been laid on rock.
26 Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish
man who built his house on sand.
27 The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, and it
collapsed– it was utterly destroyed!”
28 When Jesus finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed by his
teaching,
29 because he taught them like one who had authority, not like their experts in
the law.

Chapter 8

1 Cleansing a Leper After he came down from the mountain, large crowds followed
him.
2 And a leper approached and bowed low before him, saying,“Lord, if you are
willing, you can make me clean.”
3 He stretched out his hand and touched him saying,“I am willing. Be clean!”
Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
4 Then Jesus said to him,“See that you do not speak to anyone, but go, show
yourself to the priest, and bring the offering that Moses commanded, as a
testimony to them.”
5 Healing the Centurion’s Servant When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came
to him asking for help:
6 “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible anguish.”
7 Jesus said to him,“I will come and heal him.”
8 But the centurion replied,“Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my
roof! Instead, just say the word and my servant will be healed.
9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I say to this
one,‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my
slave‘Do this!’ and he does it.”
10 When Jesus heard this he was amazed and said to those who followed him,“I
tell you the truth, I have not found such faith in anyone in Israel!
11 I tell you, many will come from the east and west to share the banquet with
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,
12 but the sons of the kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness, where
there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
13 Then Jesus said to the centurion,“Go; just as you believed, it will be done
for you.” And the servant was healed at that hour.
14 Healings at Peter’s House Now when Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw
his mother-in-law lying down, sick with a fever.
15 He touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she got up and began to
serve them.
16 When it was evening, many demon-possessed people were brought to him. He
drove out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick.
17 In this way what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah was fulfilled:“He took
our weaknesses and carried our diseases.”
18 Challenging Professed Followers Now when Jesus saw a large crowd around him,
he gave orders to go to the other side of the lake.
19 Then an expert in the law came to him and said,“Teacher, I will follow you
wherever you go.”
20 Jesus said to him,“Foxes have dens, and the birds in the sky have nests,
but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
21 Another of the disciples said to him,“Lord, let me first go and bury my
father.”
22 But Jesus said to him,“Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
23 Stilling of a Storm As he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.
24 And a great storm developed on the sea so that the waves began to swamp the
boat. But he was asleep.
25 So they came and woke him up saying,“Lord, save us! We are about to die!”
26 But he said to them,“Why are you cowardly, you people of little faith?”
Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it was dead calm.
27 And the men were amazed and said,“What sort of person is this? Even the
winds and the sea obey him!”
28 Healing the Gadarene Demoniacs When he came to the other side, to the region
of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They
were extremely violent, so that no one was able to pass by that way.
29 They cried out,“Son of God, leave us alone! Have you come here to torment
us before the time?”
30 A large herd of pigs was feeding some distance from them.
31 Then the demons begged him,“If you drive us out, send us into the herd of
pigs.”
32 And he said,“Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the herd
rushed down the steep slope into the lake and drowned in the water.
33 The herdsmen ran off, went into the town, and told everything that had
happened to the demon-possessed men.
34 Then the entire town came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they
begged him to leave their region.

Chapter 9

1 Healing and Forgiving a Paralytic After getting into a boat he crossed to the
other side and came to his own town.
2 Just then some people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. When
Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic,“Have courage, son! Your sins
are forgiven.”
3 Then some of the experts in the law said to themselves,“This man is
blaspheming!”
4 When Jesus perceived their thoughts he said,“Why do you respond with evil in
your hearts?
5 Which is easier, to say,‘Your sins are forgiven’ or to say,‘Stand up and
walk’?
6 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive
sins”– then he said to the paralytic–“Stand up, take your stretcher, and
go home.”
7 So he stood up and went home.
8 When the crowd saw this, they were afraid and honored God who had given such
authority to men.
9 The Call of Matthew; Eating with Sinners As Jesus went on from there, he saw a
man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth.“Follow me,” he said to him. So
he got up and followed him.
10 As Jesus was having a meal in Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and
sinners came and ate with Jesus and his disciples.
11 When the Pharisees saw this they said to his disciples,“Why does your
teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
12 When Jesus heard this he said,“Those who are healthy don’t need a
physician, but those who are sick do.
13 Go and learn what this saying means:‘I want mercy and not sacrifice.’ For
I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
14 The Superiority of the New Then John’s disciples came to Jesus and
asked,“Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples don’t
fast?”
15 Jesus said to them,“The wedding guests cannot mourn while the bridegroom is
with them, can they? But the days are coming when the bridegroom will be taken
from them, and then they will fast.
16 No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, because the patch
will pull away from the garment and the tear will be worse.
17 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the skins burst and
the wine is spilled out and the skins are destroyed. Instead they put new wine
into new wineskins and both are preserved.”
18 Restoration and Healing As he was saying these things, a leader came, bowed
low before him, and said,“My daughter has just died, but come and lay your
hand on her and she will live.”
19 Jesus and his disciples got up and followed him.
20 But a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years came up
behind him and touched the edge of his cloak.
21 For she kept saying to herself,“If only I touch his cloak, I will be
healed.”
22 But when Jesus turned and saw her he said,“Have courage, daughter! Your
faith has made you well.” And the woman was healed from that hour.
23 When Jesus entered the leader’s house and saw the flute players and the
disorderly crowd,
24 he said,“Go away, for the girl is not dead but asleep!” And they began
making fun of him.
25 But when the crowd had been forced outside, he went in and gently took her by
the hand, and the girl got up.
26 And the news of this spread throughout that region.
27 Healing the Blind and Mute As Jesus went on from there, two blind men began
to follow him, shouting,“Have mercy on us, Son of David!”
28 When he went into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus said to
them,“Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him,“Yes,
Lord.”
29 Then he touched their eyes saying,“Let it be done for you according to your
faith.”
30 And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly warned them,“See that no one
knows about this!”
31 But they went out and spread the news about him throughout that entire
region.
32 As they were going away, a man who was demon-possessed and unable to speak
was brought to him.
33 After the demon was cast out, the man who had been mute began to speak. The
crowds were amazed and said,“Never has anything like this been seen in
Israel!”
34 But the Pharisees said,“By the ruler of demons he casts out demons!”
35 Workers for the Harvest Then Jesus went throughout all the towns and
villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom,
and healing every kind of disease and sickness.
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were
bewildered and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
37 Then he said to his disciples,“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers
are few.
38 Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his
harvest-ready fields.”

Chapter 10

1 Sending Out the Twelve Apostles Jesus called his twelve disciples and gave
them authority over unclean spirits so they could cast them out and heal every
kind of disease and sickness.
2 Now these are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon(called Peter),
and Andrew his brother; James son of Zebedee and John his brother;
3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of
Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;
4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
5 Jesus sent out these twelve, instructing them as follows:“Do not go on a
road that leads to Gentile regions and do not enter any Samaritan town.
6 Go instead to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7 As you go, preach this message:‘The kingdom of heaven is near!’
8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. Freely you
received, freely give.
9 Do not take gold, silver, or copper in your belts,
10 no bag for the journey, or an extra tunic, or sandals or staff, for the
worker deserves his provisions.
11 Whenever you enter a town or village, find out who is worthy there and stay
with them until you leave.
12 As you enter the house, greet those within it.
13 And if the house is worthy, let your peace come on it, but if it is not
worthy, let your peace return to you.
14 And if anyone will not welcome you or listen to your message, shake the dust
off your feet as you leave that house or that town.
15 I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for the region of Sodom and
Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town!
16 Persecution of Disciples“I am sending you out like sheep surrounded by
wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
17 Beware of people, because they will hand you over to councils and flog you in
their synagogues.
18 And you will be brought before governors and kings because of me, as a
witness to them and to the Gentiles.
19 Whenever they hand you over for trial, do not worry about how to speak or
what to say, for what you should say will be given to you at that time.
20 For it is not you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through
you.
21 “Brother will hand over brother to death, and a father his child. Children
will rise against parents and have them put to death.
22 And you will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who endures
to the end will be saved!
23 Whenever they persecute you in one town, flee to another! I tell you the
truth, you will not finish going through all the towns of Israel before the Son
of Man comes.
24 “A disciple is not greater than his teacher, nor a slave greater than his
master.
25 It is enough for the disciple to become like his teacher, and the slave like
his master. If they have called the head of the house‘Beelzebul,’ how much
worse will they call the members of his household!
26 Fear God, Not Man“Do not be afraid of them, for nothing is hidden that will
not be revealed, and nothing is secret that will not be made known.
27 What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light, and what is whispered in
your ear, proclaim from the housetops.
28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.
Instead, fear the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
29 Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the
ground apart from your Father’s will.
30 Even all the hairs on your head are numbered.
31 So do not be afraid; you are more valuable than many sparrows.
32 “Whoever, then, acknowledges me before people, I will acknowledge before my
Father in heaven.
33 But whoever denies me before people, I will deny him also before my Father in
heaven.
34 Not Peace, but a Sword“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the
earth. I have not come to bring peace but a sword!
35 For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her
mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law,
36 and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.
37 “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and
whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
38 And whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life because of me
will find it.
40 Rewards“Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives
the one who sent me.
41 Whoever receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a
prophet’s reward. Whoever receives a righteous person in the name of a
righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward.
42 And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the
name of a disciple, I tell you the truth, he will never lose his reward.”

Chapter 11

1 When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from
there to teach and preach in their towns.
2 Jesus and John the Baptist Now when John heard in prison about the deeds
Christ had done, he sent his disciples to ask a question:
3 “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?”
4 Jesus answered them,“Go tell John what you hear and see:
5 The blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are
raised, and the poor have good news proclaimed to them
6 – and blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me!”
7 While they were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about
John:“What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the
wind?
8 What did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Look, those who
wear soft clothing are in the palaces of kings!
9 What did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a
prophet!
10 This is the one about whom it is written:‘Look, I am sending my messenger
ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’
11 “I tell you the truth, among those born of women, no one has arisen greater
than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is
greater than he is!
12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has
suffered violence, and forceful people lay hold of it.
13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John appeared.
14 And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, who is to come.
15 The one who has ears had better listen!
16 “To what should I compare this generation? They are like children sitting
in the marketplaces who call out to one another,
17 ‘We played the flute for you, yet you did not dance; we wailed in mourning,
yet you did not weep.’
18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say,‘He has a demon!’
19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say,‘Look at him, a
glutton and a drunk, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is
vindicated by her deeds.”
20 Woes on Unrepentant Cities Then Jesus began to criticize openly the cities in
which he had done many of his miracles, because they did not repent.
21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles done in you
had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth
and ashes.
22 But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of
judgment than for you!
23 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be thrown
down to Hades! For if the miracles done among you had been done in Sodom, it
would have continued to this day.
24 But I tell you, it will be more bearable for the region of Sodom on the day
of judgment than for you!”
25 Jesus’ Invitation At that time Jesus said,“I praise you, Father, Lord of
heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and
intelligent, and have revealed them to little children.
26 Yes, Father, for this was your gracious will.
27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son
except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom
the Son decides to reveal him.
28 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in
heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and my load is not hard to carry.”

Chapter 12

1 Lord of the Sabbath At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on a
Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pick heads of wheat and
eat them.
2 But when the Pharisees saw this they said to him,“Look, your disciples are
doing what is against the law to do on the Sabbath.”
3 He said to them,“Haven’t you read what David did when he and his
companions were hungry–
4 how he entered the house of God and they ate the sacred bread, which was
against the law for him or his companions to eat, but only for the priests?
5 Or have you not read in the law that the priests in the temple desecrate the
Sabbath and yet are not guilty?
6 I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.
7 If you had known what this means:‘I want mercy and not sacrifice,’ you
would not have condemned the innocent.
8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”
9 Then Jesus left that place and entered their synagogue.
10 A man was there who had a withered hand. And they asked Jesus,“Is it lawful
to heal on the Sabbath?” so that they could accuse him.
11 He said to them,“Would not any one of you, if he had one sheep that fell
into a pit on the Sabbath, take hold of it and lift it out?
12 How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good
on the Sabbath.”
13 Then he said to the man,“Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out and
it was restored, as healthy as the other.
14 But the Pharisees went out and plotted against him, as to how they could
assassinate him.
15 God’s Special Servant Now when Jesus learned of this, he went away from
there. Great crowds followed him, and he healed them all.
16 But he sternly warned them not to make him known.
17 This fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:
18 “Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I take
great delight. I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the
nations.
19 He will not quarrel or cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the
streets.
20 He will not break a bruised reed or extinguish a smoldering wick, until he
brings justice to victory.
21 And in his name the Gentiles will hope.”
22 Jesus and Beelzebul Then they brought to him a demon-possessed man who was
blind and mute. Jesus healed him so that he could speak and see.
23 All the crowds were amazed and said,“Could this one be the Son of David?”
24 But when the Pharisees heard this they said,“He does not cast out demons
except by the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of demons!”
25 Now when Jesus realized what they were thinking, he said to them,“Every
kingdom divided against itself is destroyed, and no town or house divided
against itself will stand.
26 So if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his
kingdom stand?
27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out?
For this reason they will be your judges.
28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has
already overtaken you.
29 How else can someone enter a strong man’s house and steal his property,
unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can thoroughly plunder the
house.
30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me
scatters.
31 For this reason I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and
blasphemy, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.
32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven. But whoever
speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in
the age to come.
33 Trees and Their Fruit“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make
a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is known by its fruit.
34 Offspring of vipers! How are you able to say anything good, since you are
evil? For the mouth speaks from what fills the heart.
35 The good person brings good things out of his good treasury, and the evil
person brings evil things out of his evil treasury.
36 I tell you that on the day of judgment, people will give an account for every
worthless word they speak.
37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be
condemned.”
38 The Sign of Jonah Then some of the experts in the law along with some
Pharisees answered him,“Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”
39 But he answered them,“An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign,
but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
40 For just as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish for three days and three
nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and
three nights.
41 The people of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and
condemn it, because they repented when Jonah preached to them– and now,
something greater than Jonah is here!
42 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and
condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of
Solomon– and now, something greater than Solomon is here!
43 The Return of the Unclean Spirit“When an unclean spirit goes out of a
person, it passes through waterless places looking for rest but does not find
it.
44 Then it says,‘I will return to the home I left.’ When it returns, it
finds the house empty, swept clean, and put in order.
45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself,
and they go in and live there, so the last state of that person is worse than
the first. It will be that way for this evil generation as well!”
46 Jesus’ True Family While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds, his mother
and brothers came and stood outside, asking to speak to him.
47 Someone told him,“Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside
wanting to speak to you.”
48 To the one who had said this, Jesus replied,“Who is my mother and who are
my brothers?”
49 And pointing toward his disciples he said,“Here are my mother and my
brothers!
50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and
mother.”

Chapter 13

1 The Parable of the Sower On that day after Jesus went out of the house, he sat
by the lake.
2 And such a large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat to sit
while the whole crowd stood on the shore.
3 He told them many things in parables, saying:“Listen! A sower went out to
sow.
4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and
devoured them.
5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground where they did not have much soil. They
sprang up quickly because the soil was not deep.
6 But when the sun came up, they were scorched, and because they did not have
sufficient root, they withered.
7 Other seeds fell among the thorns, and they grew up and choked them.
8 But other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundred times as
much, some sixty, and some thirty.
9 The one who has ears had better listen!”
10 Then the disciples came to him and said,“Why do you speak to them in
parables?”
11 He replied,“You have been given the opportunity to know the secrets of the
kingdom of heaven, but they have not.
12 For whoever has will be given more, and will have an abundance. But whoever
does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.
13 For this reason I speak to them in parables: Although they see they do not
see, and although they hear they do not hear nor do they understand.
14 And concerning them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:‘You will
listen carefully yet will never understand, you will look closely yet will never
comprehend.
15 For the heart of this people has become dull; they are hard of hearing, and
they have shut their eyes, so that they would not see with their eyes and hear
with their ears and understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal
them.’
16 “But your eyes are blessed because they see, and your ears because they
hear.
17 For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see
what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
18 “So listen to the parable of the sower:
19 When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and does not understand it, the
evil one comes and snatches what was sown in his heart; this is the seed sown
along the path.
20 The seed sown on rocky ground is the person who hears the word and
immediately receives it with joy.
21 But he has no root in himself and does not endure; when trouble or
persecution comes because of the word, immediately he falls away.
22 The seed sown among thorns is the person who hears the word, but worldly
cares and the seductiveness of wealth choke the word, so it produces nothing.
23 But as for the seed sown on good soil, this is the person who hears the word
and understands. He bears fruit, yielding a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what
was sown.”
24 The Parable of the Weeds He presented them with another parable:“The
kingdom of heaven is like a person who sowed good seed in his field.
25 But while everyone was sleeping, an enemy came and sowed darnel among the
wheat and went away.
26 When the plants sprouted and produced grain, then the darnel also appeared.
27 So the slaves of the landowner came and said to him,‘Sir, didn’t you sow
good seed in your field? Then where did the darnel come from?’
28 He said,‘An enemy has done this!’ So the slaves replied,‘Do you want us
to go and gather it?’
29 But he said,‘No, since in gathering the darnel you may uproot the wheat
along with it.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time I will tell the
reapers,“First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burned, but then
gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
31 The Parable of the Mustard Seed He gave them another parable:“The kingdom
of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.
32 It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest
garden plant and becomes a tree, so that the wild birds come and nest in its
branches.”
33 The Parable of the Yeast He told them another parable:“The kingdom of
heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour
until all the dough had risen.”
34 The Purpose of Parables Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the
crowds; he did not speak to them without a parable.
35 This fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet:“I will open my mouth in
parables, I will announce what has been hidden from the foundation of the
world.”
36 Explanation for the Disciples Then he left the crowds and went into the
house. And his disciples came to him saying,“Explain to us the parable of the
darnel in the field.”
37 He answered,“The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man.
38 The field is the world and the good seed are the people of the kingdom. The
poisonous weeds are the people of the evil one,
39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age,
and the reapers are angels.
40 As the poisonous weeds are collected and burned with fire, so it will be at
the end of the age.
41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom
everything that causes sin as well as all lawbreakers.
42 They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.
43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.
The one who has ears had better listen!
44 Parables on the Kingdom of Heaven“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure,
hidden in a field, that a person found and hid. Then because of joy he went and
sold all that he had and bought that field.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls.
46 When he found a pearl of great value, he went out and sold everything he had
and bought it.
47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea that
caught all kinds of fish.
48 When it was full, they pulled it ashore, sat down, and put the good fish into
containers and threw the bad away.
49 It will be this way at the end of the age. Angels will come and separate the
evil from the righteous
50 and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.
51 “Have you understood all these things?” They replied,“Yes.”
52 Then he said to them,“Therefore every expert in the law who has been
trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of
his treasure what is new and old.”
53 Rejection at Nazareth Now when Jesus finished these parables, he moved on
from there.
54 Then he came to his hometown and began to teach the people in their
synagogue. They were astonished and said,“Where did this man get such wisdom
and miraculous powers?
55 Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother named Mary? And
aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?
56 And aren’t all his sisters here with us? So where did he get all this?”
57 And so they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them,“A prophet is not
without honor except in his hometown and in his own house.”
58 And he did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.

Chapter 14

1 The Death of John the Baptist At that time Herod the tetrarch heard reports
about Jesus,
2 and he said to his servants,“This is John the Baptist. He has been raised
from the dead! And because of this, miraculous powers are at work in him.”
3 For Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of
Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife,
4 because John had repeatedly told him,“It is not lawful for you to have
her.”
5 Although Herod wanted to kill John, he feared the crowd because they accepted
John as a prophet.
6 But on Herod’s birthday, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and
pleased Herod,
7 so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked.
8 Instructed by her mother, she said,“Give me the head of John the Baptist
here on a platter.”
9 Although it grieved the king, because of his oath and the dinner guests he
commanded it to be given.
10 So he sent and had John beheaded in the prison.
11 His head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it
to her mother.
12 Then John’s disciples came and took the body and buried it and went and
told Jesus.
13 The Feeding of the Five Thousand Now when Jesus heard this he went away from
there privately in a boat to an isolated place. But when the crowd heard about
it, they followed him on foot from the towns.
14 As he got out he saw the large crowd, and he had compassion on them and
healed their sick.
15 When evening arrived, his disciples came to him saying,“This is an isolated
place and the hour is already late. Send the crowds away so that they can go
into the villages and buy food for themselves.”
16 But he replied,“They don’t need to go. You give them something to eat.”
17 They said to him,“We have here only five loaves and two fish.”
18 “Bring them here to me,” he replied.
19 Then he instructed the crowds to sit down on the grass. He took the five
loaves and two fish, and looking up to heaven he gave thanks and broke the
loaves. He gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds.
20 They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the broken pieces left
over, twelve baskets full.
21 Not counting women and children, there were about five thousand men who ate.
22 Walking on Water Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and
go ahead of him to the other side, while he dispersed the crowds.
23 And after he sent the crowds away, he went up the mountain by himself to
pray. When evening came, he was there alone.
24 Meanwhile the boat, already far from land, was taking a beating from the
waves because the wind was against it.
25 As the night was ending, Jesus came to them walking on the sea.
26 When the disciples saw him walking on the water they were terrified and
said,“It’s a ghost!” and cried out with fear.
27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them:“Have courage! It is I. Do not be
afraid.”
28 Peter said to him,“Lord, if it is you, order me to come to you on the
water.”
29 So he said,“Come.” Peter got out of the boat, walked on the water, and
came toward Jesus.
30 But when he saw the strong wind he became afraid. And starting to sink, he
cried out,“Lord, save me!”
31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him,“You
of little faith, why did you doubt?”
32 When they went up into the boat, the wind ceased.
33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying,“Truly you are the
Son of God.”
34 After they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret.
35 When the people there recognized him, they sent word into all the surrounding
area, and they brought all their sick to him.
36 They begged him if they could only touch the edge of his cloak, and all who
touched it were healed.

Chapter 15

1 Breaking Human Traditions Then Pharisees and experts in the law came from
Jerusalem to Jesus and said,
2 “Why do your disciples disobey the tradition of the elders? For they don’t
wash their hands when they eat.”
3 He answered them,“And why do you disobey the commandment of God because of
your tradition?
4 For God said,‘Honor your father and mother’ and‘Whoever insults his
father or mother must be put to death.’
5 But you say,‘If someone tells his father or mother,“Whatever help you
would have received from me is given to God,”
6 he does not need to honor his father.’ You have nullified the word of God on
account of your tradition.
7 Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you when he said,
8 ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me,
9 and they worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commandments of
men.’”
10 True Defilement Then he called the crowd to him and said,“Listen and
understand.
11 What defiles a person is not what goes into the mouth; it is what comes out
of the mouth that defiles a person.”
12 Then the disciples came to him and said,“Do you know that when the
Pharisees heard this saying they were offended?”
13 And he replied,“Every plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be
uprooted.
14 Leave them! They are blind guides. If someone who is blind leads another who
is blind, both will fall into a pit.”
15 But Peter said to him,“Explain this parable to us.”
16 Jesus said,“Even after all this, are you still so foolish?
17 Don’t you understand that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach
and then passes out into the sewer?
18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these
things defile a person.
19 For out of the heart come evil ideas, murder, adultery, sexual immorality,
theft, false testimony, slander.
20 These are the things that defile a person; it is not eating with unwashed
hands that defiles a person.”
21 A Canaanite Woman’s Faith After going out from there, Jesus went to the
region of Tyre and Sidon.
22 A Canaanite woman from that area came and cried out,“Have mercy on me,
Lord, Son of David! My daughter is horribly demon-possessed!”
23 But he did not answer her a word. Then his disciples came and begged
him,“Send her away, because she keeps on crying out after us.”
24 So he answered,“I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of
Israel.”
25 But she came and bowed down before him and said,“Lord, help me!”
26 “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the
dogs,” he said.
27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied,“but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall
from their masters’ table.”
28 Then Jesus answered her,“Woman, your faith is great! Let what you want be
done for you.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.
29 Healing Many Others When he left there, Jesus went along the Sea of Galilee.
Then he went up a mountain, where he sat down.
30 Then large crowds came to him bringing with them the lame, blind, crippled,
mute, and many others. They laid them at his feet, and he healed them.
31 As a result, the crowd was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the
crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing, and they praised the
God of Israel.
32 The Feeding of the Four Thousand Then Jesus called the disciples and
said,“I have compassion on the crowd, because they have already been here with
me three days and they have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away
hungry since they may faint on the way.”
33 The disciples said to him,“Where can we get enough bread in this desolate
place to satisfy so great a crowd?”
34 Jesus said to them,“How many loaves do you have?” They
replied,“Seven– and a few small fish.”
35 After instructing the crowd to sit down on the ground,
36 he took the seven loaves and the fish, and after giving thanks, he broke them
and began giving them to the disciples, who then gave them to the crowds.
37 They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the broken pieces left
over, seven baskets full.
38 Not counting children and women, there were four thousand men who ate.
39 After sending away the crowd, he got into the boat and went to the region of
Magadan.

Chapter 16

1 The Demand for a Sign Now when the Pharisees and Sadducees came to test Jesus,
they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.
2 He said,“When evening comes you say,‘It will be fair weather, because the
sky is red,’
3 and in the morning,‘It will be stormy today, because the sky is red and
darkening.’ You know how to judge correctly the appearance of the sky, but you
cannot evaluate the signs of the times.
4 A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given
to it except the sign of Jonah.” Then he left them and went away.
5 The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees When the disciples went to the other
side, they forgot to take bread.
6 “Watch out,” Jesus said to them,“beware of the yeast of the Pharisees
and Sadducees.”
7 So they began to discuss this among themselves, saying,“It is because we
brought no bread.”
8 When Jesus learned of this, he said,“You who have such little faith! Why are
you arguing among yourselves about having no bread?
9 Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five
thousand, and how many baskets you took up?
10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand and how many baskets you took up?
11 How could you not understand that I was not speaking to you about bread? But
beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!”
12 Then they understood that he had not told them to be on guard against the
yeast in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
13 Peter’s Confession When Jesus came to the area of Caesarea Philippi, he
asked his disciples,“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
14 They answered,“Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and others
Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 He said to them,“But who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered,“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 And Jesus answered him,“You are blessed, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh
and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven!
18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church,
and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth
will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will have been
released in heaven.”
20 Then he instructed his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.
21 First Prediction of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection From that time on Jesus
began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things
at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and experts in the law, and be
killed, and on the third day be raised.
22 So Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him:“God forbid, Lord! This
must not happen to you!”
23 But he turned and said to Peter,“Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling
block to me, because you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but on
man’s.”
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples,“If anyone wants to become my follower, he
must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.
25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life
because of me will find it.
26 For what does it benefit a person if he gains the whole world but forfeits
his life? Or what can a person give in exchange for his life?
27 For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and
then he will reward each person according to what he has done.
28 I tell you the truth, there are some standing here who will not experience
death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Chapter 17

1 The Transfiguration Six days later Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John
the brother of James, and led them privately up a high mountain.
2 And he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his
clothes became white as light.
3 Then Moses and Elijah also appeared before them, talking with him.
4 So Peter said to Jesus,“Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you want, I
will make three shelters– one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice
from the cloud said,“This is my one dear Son, in whom I take great delight.
Listen to him!”
6 When the disciples heard this, they were overwhelmed with fear and threw
themselves down with their faces to the ground.
7 But Jesus came and touched them.“Get up,” he said.“Do not be afraid.”
8 When they looked up, all they saw was Jesus alone.
9 As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them,“Do not
tell anyone about the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”
10 The disciples asked him,“Why then do the experts in the law say that Elijah
must come first?”
11 He answered,“Elijah does indeed come first and will restore all things.
12 And I tell you that Elijah has already come. Yet they did not recognize him,
but did to him whatever they wanted. In the same way, the Son of Man will suffer
at their hands.”
13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the
Baptist.
14 The Disciples’ Failure to Heal When they came to the crowd, a man came to
him, knelt before him,
15 and said,“Lord, have mercy on my son, because he has seizures and suffers
terribly, for he often falls into the fire and into the water.
16 I brought him to your disciples, but they were not able to heal him.”
17 Jesus answered,“You unbelieving and perverse generation! How much longer
must I be with you? How much longer must I endure you? Bring him here to me.”
18 Then Jesus rebuked the demon and it came out of him, and the boy was healed
from that moment.
19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said,“Why couldn’t we cast
it out?”
20 He told them,“It was because of your little faith. I tell you the truth, if
you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain,‘Move
from here to there,’ and it will move; nothing will be impossible for you.”
22 Second Prediction of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection When they gathered
together in Galilee, Jesus told them,“The Son of Man is going to be betrayed
into the hands of men.
23 They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised.” And they
became greatly distressed.
24 The Temple Tax After they arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the temple
tax came to Peter and said,“Your teacher pays the double drachma tax,
doesn’t he?”
25 He said,“Yes.” When Peter came into the house, Jesus spoke to him
first,“What do you think, Simon? From whom do earthly kings collect tolls or
taxes– from their sons or from foreigners?”
26 After he said,“From foreigners,” Jesus said to him,“Then the sons are
free.
27 But so that we don’t offend them, go to the lake and throw out a hook. Take
the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth, you will find a four
drachma coin. Take that and give it to them for me and you.”

Chapter 18

1 Questions About the Greatest At that time the disciples came to Jesus
saying,“Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
2 He called a child, had him stand among them,
3 and said,“I tell you the truth, unless you turn around and become like
little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven!
4 Whoever then humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the
kingdom of heaven.
5 And whoever welcomes a child like this in my name welcomes me.
6 “But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it
would be better for him to have a huge millstone hung around his neck and to be
drowned in the open sea.
7 Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! It is necessary that stumbling
blocks come, but woe to the person through whom they come.
8 If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It
is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than to have two hands or two
feet and be thrown into eternal fire.
9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better
for you to enter into life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into
fiery hell.
10 The Parable of the Lost Sheep“See that you do not disdain one of these
little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of
my Father in heaven.
12 What do you think? If someone owns a hundred sheep and one of them goes
astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go look for the
one that went astray?
13 And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice more over it than
over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.
14 In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that one of these
little ones be lost.
15 Restoring Christian Relationships“If your brother sins, go and show him his
fault when the two of you are alone. If he listens to you, you have regained
your brother.
16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others with you, so that at the
testimony of two or three witnesses every matter may be established.
17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. If he refuses to
listen to the church, treat him like a Gentile or a tax collector.
18 “I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in
heaven, and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven.
19 Again, I tell you the truth, if two of you on earth agree about whatever you
ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you.
20 For where two or three are assembled in my name, I am there among them.”
21 Then Peter came to him and said,“Lord, how many times must I forgive my
brother who sins against me? As many as seven times?”
22 Jesus said to him,“Not seven times, I tell you, but seventy-seven times!
23 The Parable of the Unforgiving Slave“For this reason, the kingdom of heaven
is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves.
24 As he began settling his accounts, a man who owed ten thousand talents was
brought to him.
25 Because he was not able to repay it, the lord ordered him to be sold, along
with his wife, children, and whatever he possessed, and repayment to be made.
26 Then the slave threw himself to the ground before him, saying,‘Be patient
with me, and I will repay you everything.’
27 The lord had compassion on that slave and released him, and forgave him the
debt.
28 After he went out, that same slave found one of his fellow slaves who owed
him one hundred silver coins. So he grabbed him by the throat and started to
choke him, saying,‘Pay back what you owe me!’
29 Then his fellow slave threw himself down and begged him,‘Be patient with
me, and I will repay you.’
30 But he refused. Instead, he went out and threw him in prison until he repaid
the debt.
31 When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were very upset and went
and told their lord everything that had taken place.
32 Then his lord called the first slave and said to him,‘Evil slave! I forgave
you all that debt because you begged me!
33 Should you not have shown mercy to your fellow slave, just as I showed it to
you?’
34 And in anger his lord turned him over to the prison guards to torture him
until he repaid all he owed.
35 So also my heavenly Father will do to you, if each of you does not forgive
your brother from your heart.”

Chapter 19

1 Questions About Divorce Now when Jesus finished these sayings, he left Galilee
and went to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan River.
2 Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
3 Then some Pharisees came to him in order to test him. They asked,“Is it
lawful to divorce a wife for any cause?”
4 He answered,“Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them
male and female,
5 and said,‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be
united with his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?
6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined
together, let no one separate.”
7 They said to him,“Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of
dismissal and to divorce her?”
8 Jesus said to them,“Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of
your hard hearts, but from the beginning it was not this way.
9 Now I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and
marries another commits adultery.”
10 The disciples said to him,“If this is the case of a husband with a wife, it
is better not to marry!”
11 He said to them,“Not everyone can accept this statement, except those to
whom it has been given.
12 For there are some eunuchs who were that way from birth, and some who were
made eunuchs by others, and some who became eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom
of heaven. The one who is able to accept this should accept it.”
13 Jesus and Little Children Then little children were brought to him for him to
lay his hands on them and pray. But the disciples scolded those who brought
them.
14 But Jesus said,“Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop
them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
15 And he placed his hands on them and went on his way.
16 The Rich Young Man Now someone came up to him and said,“Teacher, what good
thing must I do to gain eternal life?”
17 He said to him,“Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who
is good. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
18 “Which ones?” he asked. Jesus replied,“Do not murder, do not commit
adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony,
19 honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.”
20 The young man said to him,“I have wholeheartedly obeyed all these laws.
What do I still lack?”
21 Jesus said to him,“If you wish to be perfect, go sell your possessions and
give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come,
follow me.”
22 But when the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he was very
rich.
23 Then Jesus said to his disciples,“I tell you the truth, it will be hard for
a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven!
24 Again I say, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than
for a rich person to enter into the kingdom of God.”
25 The disciples were greatly astonished when they heard this and said,“Then
who can be saved?”
26 Jesus looked at them and replied,“This is impossible for mere humans, but
for God all things are possible.”
27 Then Peter said to him,“Look, we have left everything to follow you! What
then will there be for us?”
28 Jesus said to them,“I tell you the truth: In the age when all things are
renewed, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed
me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
29 And whoever has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or
children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will
inherit eternal life.
30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

Chapter 20

1 Workers in the Vineyard“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who
went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.
2 And after agreeing with the workers for the standard wage, he sent them into
his vineyard.
3 When it was about nine o’clock in the morning, he went out again and saw
others standing around in the marketplace without work.
4 He said to them,‘You go into the vineyard too, and I will give you whatever
is right.’
5 So they went. When he went out again about noon and three o’clock that
afternoon, he did the same thing.
6 And about five o’clock that afternoon he went out and found others standing
around, and said to them,‘Why are you standing here all day without work?’
7 They said to him,‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them,‘You go and
work in the vineyard too.’
8 When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his manager,‘Call the
workers and give the pay starting with the last hired until the first.’
9 When those hired about five o’clock came, each received a full day’s pay.
10 And when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more. But
each one also received the standard wage.
11 When they received it, they began to complain against the landowner,
12 saying,‘These last fellows worked one hour, and you have made them equal to
us who bore the hardship and burning heat of the day.’
13 And the landowner replied to one of them,‘Friend, I am not treating you
unfairly. Didn’t you agree with me to work for the standard wage?
14 Take what is yours and go. I want to give to this last man the same as I gave
to you.
15 Am I not permitted to do what I want with what belongs to me? Or are you
envious because I am generous?’
16 So the last will be first, and the first last.”
17 Third Prediction of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection As Jesus was going up to
Jerusalem, he took the twelve aside privately and said to them on the way,
18 “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over
to the chief priests and the experts in the law. They will condemn him to death,
19 and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged severely and
crucified. Yet on the third day, he will be raised.”
20 A Request for James and John Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to
him with her sons, and kneeling down she asked him for a favor.
21 He said to her,“What do you want?” She replied,“Permit these two sons
of mine to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.”
22 Jesus answered,“You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink
the cup I am about to drink?” They said to him,“We are able.”
23 He told them,“You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right and at my left
is not mine to give. Rather, it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my
Father.”
24 Now when the other ten heard this, they were angry with the two brothers.
25 But Jesus called them and said,“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles
lord it over them, and those in high positions use their authority over them.
26 It must not be this way among you! Instead whoever wants to be great among
you must be your servant,
27 and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave–
28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give
his life as a ransom for many.”
29 Two Blind Men Healed As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed
them.
30 Two blind men were sitting by the road. When they heard that Jesus was
passing by, they shouted,“Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!”
31 The crowd scolded them to get them to be quiet. But they shouted even more
loudly,“Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”
32 Jesus stopped, called them, and said,“What do you want me to do for you?”
33 They said to him,“Lord, let our eyes be opened.”
34 Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they received
their sight and followed him.

Chapter 21

1 The Triumphal Entry Now when they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage,
at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples,
2 telling them,“Go to the village ahead of you. Right away you will find a
donkey tied there, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me.
3 If anyone says anything to you, you are to say,‘The Lord needs them,’ and
he will send them at once.”
4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:
5 “Tell the people of Zion,‘Look, your king is coming to you, unassuming and
seated on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”
6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them.
7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them, and he
sat on them.
8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road. Others cut branches from
the trees and spread them on the road.
9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those following kept shouting,“Hosanna
to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest!”
10 As he entered Jerusalem the whole city was thrown into an uproar,
saying,“Who is this?”
11 And the crowds were saying,“This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in
Galilee.”
12 Cleansing the Temple Then Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all
those who were selling and buying in the temple courts, and turned over the
tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves.
13 And he said to them,“It is written,‘My house will be called a house of
prayer,’ but you are turning it into a den of robbers!”
14 The blind and lame came to him in the temple courts, and he healed them.
15 But when the chief priests and the experts in the law saw the wonderful
things he did and heard the children crying out in the temple courts,“Hosanna
to the Son of David,” they became indignant
16 and said to him,“Do you hear what they are saying?” Jesus said to
them,“Yes. Have you never read,‘Out of the mouths of children and nursing
infants you have prepared praise for yourself’?”
17 And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and spent the night
there.
18 The Withered Fig Tree Now early in the morning, as he returned to the city,
he was hungry.
19 After noticing a fig tree by the road he went to it, but found nothing on it
except leaves. He said to it,“Never again will there be fruit from you!” And
the fig tree withered at once.
20 When the disciples saw it they were amazed, saying,“How did the fig tree
wither so quickly?”
21 Jesus answered them,“I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not
doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say
to this mountain,‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.
22 And whatever you ask in prayer, if you believe, you will receive.”
23 The Authority of Jesus Now after Jesus entered the temple courts, the chief
priests and elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching and
said,“By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this
authority?”
24 Jesus answered them,“I will also ask you one question. If you answer me
then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things.
25 Where did John’s baptism come from? From heaven or from people?” They
discussed this among themselves, saying,“If we say,‘From heaven,’ he will
say,‘Then why did you not believe him?’
26 But if we say,‘From people,’ we fear the crowd, for they all consider
John to be a prophet.”
27 So they answered Jesus,“We don’t know.” Then he said to them,“Neither
will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
28 The Parable of the Two Sons“What do you think? A man had two sons. He went
to the first and said,‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’
29 The boy answered,‘I will not.’ But later he had a change of heart and
went.
30 The father went to the other son and said the same thing. This boy
answered,‘I will, sir,’ but did not go.
31 Which of the two did his father’s will?” They said,“The first.” Jesus
said to them,“I tell you the truth, tax collectors and prostitutes will go
ahead of you into the kingdom of God!
32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe
him. But the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe. Although you saw this,
you did not later change your minds and believe him.
33 The Parable of the Tenants“Listen to another parable: There was a landowner
who planted a vineyard. He put a fence around it, dug a pit for its winepress,
and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went on a
journey.
34 When the harvest time was near, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect
his portion of the crop.
35 But the tenants seized his slaves, beat one, killed another, and stoned
another.
36 Again he sent other slaves, more than the first, and they treated them the
same way.
37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying,‘They will respect my son.’
38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves,‘This is the
heir. Come, let’s kill him and get his inheritance!’
39 So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
40 Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those
tenants?”
41 They said to him,“He will utterly destroy those evil men! Then he will
lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him his portion at the
harvest.”
42 Jesus said to them,“Have you never read in the scriptures:‘The stone the
builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is from the Lord, and it is
marvelous in our eyes’?
43 For this reason I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and
given to a people who will produce its fruit.
44 The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, and the one on whom
it falls will be crushed.”
45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized
that he was speaking about them.
46 They wanted to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowds, because the
crowds regarded him as a prophet.

Chapter 22

1 The Parable of the Wedding Banquet Jesus spoke to them again in parables,
saying:
2 “The kingdom of heaven can be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet
for his son.
3 He sent his slaves to summon those who had been invited to the banquet, but
they would not come.
4 Again he sent other slaves, saying,‘Tell those who have been
invited,“Look! The feast I have prepared for you is ready. My oxen and
fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the
wedding banquet.”’
5 But they were indifferent and went away, one to his farm, another to his
business.
6 The rest seized his slaves, insolently mistreated them, and killed them.
7 The king was furious! He sent his soldiers, and they put those murderers to
death and set their city on fire.
8 Then he said to his slaves,‘The wedding is ready, but the ones who had been
invited were not worthy.
9 So go into the main streets and invite everyone you find to the wedding
banquet.’
10 And those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all they found, both
bad and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
11 But when the king came in to see the wedding guests, he saw a man there who
was not wearing wedding clothes.
12 And he said to him,‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding
clothes?’ But he had nothing to say.
13 Then the king said to his attendants,‘Tie him up hand and foot and throw
him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of
teeth!’
14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”
15 Paying Taxes to Caesar Then the Pharisees went out and planned together to
entrap him with his own words.
16 They sent to him their disciples along with the Herodians, saying,“Teacher,
we know that you are truthful, and teach the way of God in accordance with the
truth. You do not court anyone’s favor because you show no partiality.
17 Tell us then, what do you think? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or
not?”
18 But Jesus realized their evil intentions and said,“Hypocrites! Why are you
testing me?
19 Show me the coin used for the tax.” So they brought him a denarius.
20 Jesus said to them,“Whose image is this, and whose inscription?”
21 They replied,“Caesar’s.” He said to them,“Then give to Caesar the
things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
22 Now when they heard this they were stunned, and they left him and went away.
23 Marriage and the Resurrection The same day Sadducees(who say there is no
resurrection) came to him and asked him,
24 “Teacher, Moses said,‘If a man dies without having children, his brother
must marry the widow and father children for his brother.’
25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and
since he had no children he left his wife to his brother.
26 The second did the same, and the third, down to the seventh.
27 Last of all, the woman died.
28 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they
all had married her.”
29 Jesus answered them,“You are deceived, because you don’t know the
scriptures or the power of God.
30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are
like angels in heaven.
31 Now as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to
you by God,
32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is
not the God of the dead but of the living!”
33 When the crowds heard this, they were amazed at his teaching.
34 The Greatest Commandment Now when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced
the Sadducees, they assembled together.
35 And one of them, an expert in religious law, asked him a question to test
him:
36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”
37 Jesus said to him,“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all
your soul, and with all your mind.’
38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
39 The second is like it:‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
40 All the law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”
41 The Messiah: David’s Son and Lord While the Pharisees were assembled, Jesus
asked them a question:
42 “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said,“The
son of David.”
43 He said to them,“How then does David by the Spirit call him‘Lord,’
saying,
44 ‘The Lord said to my lord,“Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies
under your feet”’?
45 If David then calls him‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?”
46 No one was able to answer him a word, and from that day on no one dared to
question him any longer.

Chapter 23

1 Seven Woes Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,
2 “The experts in the law and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat.
3 Therefore pay attention to what they tell you and do it. But do not do what
they do, for they do not practice what they teach.
4 They tie up heavy loads, hard to carry, and put them on men’s shoulders, but
they themselves are not willing even to lift a finger to move them.
5 They do all their deeds to be seen by people, for they make their phylacteries
wide and their tassels long.
6 They love the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues
7 and elaborate greetings in the marketplaces, and to have people call
them‘Rabbi.’
8 But you are not to be called‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher and you are
all brothers.
9 And call no one your‘father’ on earth, for you have one Father, who is in
heaven.
10 Nor are you to be called‘teacher,’ for you have one teacher, the Christ.
11 The greatest among you will be your servant.
12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will
be exalted.
13 “But woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You keep
locking people out of the kingdom of heaven! For you neither enter nor permit
those trying to enter to go in.
15 “Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You cross
land and sea to make one convert, and when you get one, you make him twice as
much a child of hell as yourselves!
16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say,‘Whoever swears by the temple is bound
by nothing. But whoever swears by the gold of the temple is bound by the
oath.’
17 Blind fools! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold
sacred?
18 And,‘Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing. But if anyone swears
by the gift on it he is bound by the oath.’
19 You are blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the
gift sacred?
20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.
21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and the one who dwells in it.
22 And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and the one who sits
on it.
23 “Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a
tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you neglect what is more important in the
law– justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You should have done these things
without neglecting the others.
24 Blind guides! You strain out a gnat yet swallow a camel!
25 “Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean
the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full of greed and
self-indulgence.
26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside may
become clean too!
27 “Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like
whitewashed tombs that look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of the
bones of the dead and of everything unclean.
28 In the same way, on the outside you look righteous to people, but inside you
are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
29 “Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You build
tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous.
30 And you say,‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not
have participated with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’
31 By saying this you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of
those who murdered the prophets.
32 Fill up then the measure of your ancestors!
33 You snakes, you offspring of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to
hell?
34 “For this reason I am sending you prophets and wise men and experts in the
law, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your
synagogues and pursue from town to town,
35 so that on you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the
blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you
murdered between the temple and the altar.
36 I tell you the truth, this generation will be held responsible for all these
things!
37 Judgment on Israel“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and
stone those who are sent to you! How often I have longed to gather your children
together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would have none of
it!
38 Look, your house is left to you desolate!
39 For I tell you, you will not see me from now until you say,‘Blessed is the
one who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

Chapter 24

1 The Destruction of the Temple Now as Jesus was going out of the temple courts
and walking away, his disciples came to show him the temple buildings.
2 And he said to them,“Do you see all these things? I tell you the truth, not
one stone will be left on another. All will be torn down!”
3 Signs of the End of the Age As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his
disciples came to him privately and said,“Tell us, when will these things
happen? And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
4 Jesus answered them,“Watch out that no one misleads you.
5 For many will come in my name, saying,‘I am the Christ,’ and they will
mislead many.
6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. Make sure that you are not alarmed,
for this must happen, but the end is still to come.
7 For nation will rise up in arms against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
And there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
8 All these things are the beginning of birth pains.
9 Persecution of Disciples“Then they will hand you over to be persecuted and
will kill you. You will be hated by all the nations because of my name.
10 Then many will be led into sin, and they will betray one another and hate one
another.
11 And many false prophets will appear and deceive many,
12 and because lawlessness will increase so much, the love of many will grow
cold.
13 But the person who endures to the end will be saved.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole
inhabited earth as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
15 The Abomination of Desolation“So when you see the abomination of
desolation– spoken about by Daniel the prophet– standing in the holy
place”(let the reader understand),
16 “then those in Judea must flee to the mountains.
17 The one on the roof must not come down to take anything out of his house,
18 and the one in the field must not turn back to get his cloak.
19 Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing their babies in
those days!
20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath.
21 For then there will be great suffering unlike anything that has happened from
the beginning of the world until now, or ever will happen.
22 And if those days had not been cut short, no one would be saved. But for the
sake of the elect those days will be cut short.
23 Then if anyone says to you,‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or‘There he
is!’ do not believe him.
24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and
wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
25 Remember, I have told you ahead of time.
26 So then, if someone says to you,‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not
go out, or‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe him.
27 For just like the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so
the coming of the Son of Man will be.
28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.
29 The Arrival of the Son of Man“Immediately after the suffering of those
days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars
will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken.
30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of
the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man arriving on the clouds of
heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet blast, and they will gather
his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
32 The Parable of the Fig Tree“Learn this parable from the fig tree: Whenever
its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near.
33 So also you, when you see all these things, know that he is near, right at
the door.
34 I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass away until all these
things take place.
35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
36 Be Ready!“But as for that day and hour no one knows it– not even the
angels in heaven– except the Father alone.
37 For just like the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be.
38 For in those days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying
and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark.
39 And they knew nothing until the flood came and took them all away. It will be
the same at the coming of the Son of Man.
40 Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one left.
41 There will be two women grinding grain with a mill; one will be taken and one
left.
42 “Therefore stay alert, because you do not know on what day your Lord will
come.
43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of
night the thief was coming, he would have been alert and would not have let his
house be broken into.
44 Therefore you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour
when you do not expect him.
45 The Faithful and Wise Slave“Who then is the faithful and wise slave, whom
the master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves their
food at the proper time?
46 Blessed is that slave whom the master finds at work when he comes.
47 I tell you the truth, the master will put him in charge of all his
possessions.
48 But if that evil slave should say to himself,‘My master is staying away a
long time,’
49 and he begins to beat his fellow slaves and to eat and drink with drunkards,
50 then the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him
and at an hour he does not foresee,
51 and will cut him in two, and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where
there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Chapter 25

1 The Parable of the Ten Virgins“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be
like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
2 Five of the virgins were foolish, and five were wise.
3 When the foolish ones took their lamps, they did not take extra olive oil with
them.
4 But the wise ones took flasks of olive oil with their lamps.
5 When the bridegroom was delayed a long time, they all became drowsy and fell
asleep.
6 But at midnight there was a shout,‘Look, the bridegroom is here! Come out to
meet him.’
7 Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.
8 The foolish ones said to the wise,‘Give us some of your oil, because our
lamps are going out.’
9 ‘No,’ they replied.‘There won’t be enough for you and for us. Go
instead to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
10 But while they had gone to buy it, the bridegroom arrived, and those who were
ready went inside with him to the wedding banquet. Then the door was shut.
11 Later, the other virgins came too, saying,‘Lord, lord! Let us in!’
12 But he replied,‘I tell you the truth, I do not know you!’
13 Therefore stay alert, because you do not know the day or the hour.
14 The Parable of the Talents“For it is like a man going on a journey, who
summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them.
15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, each
according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.
16 The one who had received five talents went off right away and put his money
to work and gained five more.
17 In the same way, the one who had two gained two more.
18 But the one who had received one talent went out and dug a hole in the ground
and hid his master’s money in it.
19 After a long time, the master of those slaves came and settled his accounts
with them.
20 The one who had received the five talents came and brought five more,
saying,‘Sir, you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five
more.’
21 His master answered,‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been
faithful in a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into
the joy of your master.’
22 The one with the two talents also came and said,‘Sir, you entrusted two
talents to me. See, I have gained two more.’
23 His master answered,‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been
faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into
the joy of your master.’
24 Then the one who had received the one talent came and said,‘Sir, I knew
that you were a hard man, harvesting where you did not sow, and gathering where
you did not scatter seed,
25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have
what is yours.’
26 But his master answered,‘Evil and lazy slave! So you knew that I harvest
where I didn’t sow and gather where I didn’t scatter?
27 Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I
would have received my money back with interest!
28 Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten.
29 For the one who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough.
But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.
30 And throw that worthless slave into the outer darkness, where there will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
31 The Judgment“When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with
him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.
32 All the nations will be assembled before him, and he will separate people one
from another like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 Then the king will say to those on his right,‘Come, you who are blessed by
my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the
world.
35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me
something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,
36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I
was in prison and you visited me.’
37 Then the righteous will answer him,‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and
feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?
38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or naked and clothe you?
39 When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
40 And the king will answer them,‘I tell you the truth, just as you did it for
one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left,‘Depart from me, you accursed,
into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels!
42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave
me nothing to drink.
43 I was a stranger and you did not receive me as a guest, naked and you did not
clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’
44 Then they too will answer,‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a
stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not give you whatever you
needed?’
45 Then he will answer them,‘I tell you the truth, just as you did not do it
for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me.’
46 And these will depart into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal
life.”

Chapter 26

1 The Plot Against Jesus When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he
told his disciples,
2 “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man
will be handed over to be crucified.”
3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people met together in the palace
of the high priest, who was named Caiaphas.
4 They planned to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him.
5 But they said,“Not during the feast, so that there won’t be a riot among
the people.”
6 Jesus’ Anointing Now while Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the
leper,
7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of expensive perfumed oil, and she
poured it on his head as he was at the table.
8 When the disciples saw this, they became indignant and said,“Why this waste?
9 It could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor!”
10 When Jesus learned of this, he said to them,“Why are you bothering this
woman? She has done a good service for me.
11 For you will always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me!
12 When she poured this oil on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.
13 I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world,
what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”
14 The Plan to Betray Jesus Then one of the twelve, the one named Judas
Iscariot, went to the chief priests
15 and said,“What will you give me to betray him into your hands?” So they
set out thirty silver coins for him.
16 From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray him.
17 The Passover Now on the first day of the feast of Unleavened Bread the
disciples came to Jesus and said,“Where do you want us to prepare for you to
eat the Passover?”
18 He said,“Go into the city to a certain man and tell him,‘The Teacher
says,“My time is near. I will observe the Passover with my disciples at your
house.”’”
19 So the disciples did as Jesus had instructed them, and they prepared the
Passover.
20 When it was evening, he took his place at the table with the twelve.
21 And while they were eating he said,“I tell you the truth, one of you will
betray me.”
22 They became greatly distressed and each one began to say to him,“Surely not
I, Lord?”
23 He answered,“The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will
betray me.
24 The Son of Man will go as it is written about him, but woe to that man by
whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for him if he had never been
born.”
25 Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said,“Surely not I, Rabbi?”
Jesus replied,“You have said it yourself.”
26 The Lord’s Supper While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after
giving thanks he broke it, gave it to his disciples, and said,“Take, eat, this
is my body.”
27 And after taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them,
saying,“Drink from it, all of you,
28 for this is my blood, the blood of the covenant, that is poured out for many
for the forgiveness of sins.
29 I tell you, from now on I will not drink of this fruit of the vine until that
day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
30 After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
31 The Prediction of Peter’s Denial Then Jesus said to them,“This night you
will all fall away because of me, for it is written:‘I will strike the
shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’
32 But after I am raised, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”
33 Peter said to him,“If they all fall away because of you, I will never fall
away!”
34 Jesus said to him,“I tell you the truth, on this night, before the rooster
crows, you will deny me three times.”
35 Peter said to him,“Even if I must die with you, I will never deny you.”
And all the disciples said the same thing.
36 Gethsemane Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he
said to the disciples,“Sit here while I go over there and pray.”
37 He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and became anguished and
distressed.
38 Then he said to them,“My soul is deeply grieved, even to the point of
death. Remain here and stay awake with me.”
39 Going a little farther, he threw himself down with his face to the ground and
prayed,“My Father, if possible, let this cup pass from me! Yet not what I
will, but what you will.”
40 Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. He said to
Peter,“So, couldn’t you stay awake with me for one hour?
41 Stay awake and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is
willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42 He went away a second time and prayed,“My Father, if this cup cannot be
taken away unless I drink it, your will must be done.”
43 He came again and found them sleeping; they could not keep their eyes open.
44 So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the
same thing once more.
45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them,“Are you still sleeping and
resting? Look, the hour is approaching, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the
hands of sinners.
46 Get up, let us go. Look! My betrayer is approaching!”
47 Betrayal and Arrest While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve,
arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent by the
chief priests and elders of the people.
48 (Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying,“The one I kiss is the man.
Arrest him!”)
49 Immediately he went up to Jesus and said,“Greetings, Rabbi,” and kissed
him.
50 Jesus said to him,“Friend, do what you are here to do.” Then they came
and took hold of Jesus and arrested him.
51 But one of those with Jesus grabbed his sword, drew it out, and struck the
high priest’s slave, cutting off his ear.
52 Then Jesus said to him,“Put your sword back in its place! For all who take
hold of the sword will die by the sword.
53 Or do you think that I cannot call on my Father, and that he would send me
more than twelve legions of angels right now?
54 How then would the scriptures that say it must happen this way be
fulfilled?”
55 At that moment Jesus said to the crowd,“Have you come out with swords and
clubs to arrest me like you would an outlaw? Day after day I sat teaching in the
temple courts, yet you did not arrest me.
56 But this has happened so that the scriptures of the prophets would be
fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled.
57 Condemned by the Sanhedrin Now the ones who had arrested Jesus led him to
Caiaphas, the high priest, in whose house the experts in the law and the elders
had gathered.
58 But Peter was following him from a distance, all the way to the high
priest’s courtyard. After going in, he sat with the guards to see the outcome.
59 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were trying to find false testimony
against Jesus so that they could put him to death.
60 But they did not find anything, though many false witnesses came forward.
Finally two came forward
61 and declared,“This man said,‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and
rebuild it in three days.’”
62 So the high priest stood up and said to him,“Have you no answer? What is
this that they are testifying against you?”
63 But Jesus was silent. The high priest said to him,“I charge you under oath
by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.”
64 Jesus said to him,“You have said it yourself. But I tell you, from now on
you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming on
the clouds of heaven.”
65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and declared,“He has blasphemed! Why
do we still need witnesses? Now you have heard the blasphemy!
66 What is your verdict?” They answered,“He is guilty and deserves death.”
67 Then they spat in his face and struck him with their fists. And some slapped
him,
68 saying,“Prophesy for us, you Christ! Who hit you?”
69 Peter’s Denials Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A slave
girl came to him and said,“You also were with Jesus the Galilean.”
70 But he denied it in front of them all:“I don’t know what you’re talking
about!”
71 When he went out to the gateway, another slave girl saw him and said to the
people there,“This man was with Jesus the Nazarene.”
72 He denied it again with an oath,“I do not know the man!”
73 After a little while, those standing there came up to Peter and said,“You
really are one of them too– even your accent gives you away!”
74 At that he began to curse, and he swore with an oath,“I do not know the
man!” At that moment a rooster crowed.
75 Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said:“Before the rooster crows, you
will deny me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Chapter 27

1 Jesus Brought Before Pilate When it was early in the morning, all the chief
priests and the elders of the people plotted against Jesus to execute him.
2 They tied him up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate the governor.
3 Judas’ Suicide Now when Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus had been
condemned, he regretted what he had done and returned the thirty silver coins to
the chief priests and the elders,
4 saying,“I have sinned by betraying innocent blood!” But they said,“What
is that to us? You take care of it yourself!”
5 So Judas threw the silver coins into the temple and left. Then he went out and
hanged himself.
6 The chief priests took the silver and said,“It is not lawful to put this
into the temple treasury, since it is blood money.”
7 After consulting together they bought the Potter’s Field with it, as a
burial place for foreigners.
8 For this reason that field has been called the“Field of Blood” to this
day.
9 Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:“They took the
thirty silver coins, the price of the one whose price had been set by the people
of Israel,
10 and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”
11 Jesus and Pilate Then Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked
him,“Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus said,“You say so.”
12 But when he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he did not
respond.
13 Then Pilate said to him,“Don’t you hear how many charges they are
bringing against you?”
14 But he did not answer even one accusation, so that the governor was quite
amazed.
15 During the feast the governor was accustomed to release one prisoner to the
crowd, whomever they wanted.
16 At that time they had in custody a notorious prisoner named Jesus Barabbas.
17 So after they had assembled, Pilate said to them,“Whom do you want me to
release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Christ?”
18 (For he knew that they had handed him over because of envy.)
19 As he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent a message to
him:“Have nothing to do with that innocent man; I have suffered greatly as a
result of a dream about him today.”
20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas
and to have Jesus killed.
21 The governor asked them,“Which of the two do you want me to release for
you?” And they said,“Barabbas!”
22 Pilate said to them,“Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the
Christ?” They all said,“Crucify him!”
23 He asked,“Why? What wrong has he done?” But they shouted more
insistently,“Crucify him!”
24 Jesus is Condemned and Mocked When Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but
that instead a riot was starting, he took some water, washed his hands before
the crowd and said,“I am innocent of this man’s blood. You take care of it
yourselves!”
25 In reply all the people said,“Let his blood be on us and on our
children!”
26 Then he released Barabbas for them. But after he had Jesus flogged, he handed
him over to be crucified.
27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the governor’s residence and
gathered the whole cohort around him.
28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe around him,
29 and after braiding a crown of thorns, they put it on his head. They put a
staff in his right hand, and kneeling down before him, they mocked him:“Hail,
king of the Jews!”
30 They spat on him and took the staff and struck him repeatedly on the head.
31 When they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own
clothes back on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.
32 The Crucifixion As they were going out, they found a man from Cyrene named
Simon, whom they forced to carry his cross.
33 They came to a place called Golgotha(which means“Place of the Skull”)
34 and offered Jesus wine mixed with gall to drink. But after tasting it, he
would not drink it.
35 When they had crucified him, they divided his clothes by throwing dice.
36 Then they sat down and kept guard over him there.
37 Above his head they put the charge against him, which read:“This is Jesus,
the king of the Jews.”
38 Then two outlaws were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his
left.
39 Those who passed by defamed him, shaking their heads
40 and saying,“You who can destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,
save yourself! If you are God’s Son, come down from the cross!”
41 In the same way even the chief priests– together with the experts in the
law and elders– were mocking him:
42 “He saved others, but he cannot save himself! He is the king of Israel! If
he comes down now from the cross, we will believe in him!
43 He trusts in God– let God, if he wants to, deliver him now because he
said,‘I am God’s Son’!”
44 The robbers who were crucified with him also spoke abusively to him.
45 Jesus’ Death Now from noon until three, darkness came over all the land.
46 At about three o’clock Jesus shouted with a loud voice,“Eli, Eli, lema
sabachthani?” that is,“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
47 When some of the bystanders heard it, they said,“This man is calling for
Elijah.”
48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put
it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink.
49 But the rest said,“Leave him alone! Let’s see if Elijah will come to save
him.”
50 Then Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and gave up his spirit.
51 Just then the temple curtain was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth
shook and the rocks were split apart.
52 And tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had died were
raised.
53 (They came out of the tombs after his resurrection and went into the holy
city and appeared to many people.)
54 Now when the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the
earthquake and what took place, they were extremely terrified and said,“Truly
this one was God’s Son!”
55 Many women who had followed Jesus from Galilee and given him support were
also there, watching from a distance.
56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the
mother of the sons of Zebedee.
57 Jesus’ Burial Now when it was evening, there came a rich man from
Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus.
58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered that
it be given to him.
59 Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
60 and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut in the rock. Then he rolled
a great stone across the entrance of the tomb and went away.
61 (Now Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there, opposite the
tomb.)
62 The Guard at the Tomb The next day(which is after the day of preparation) the
chief priests and the Pharisees assembled before Pilate
63 and said,“Sir, we remember that while that deceiver was still alive he
said,‘After three days I will rise again.’
64 So give orders to secure the tomb until the third day. Otherwise his
disciples may come and steal his body and say to the people,‘He has been
raised from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.”
65 Pilate said to them,“Take a guard of soldiers. Go and make it as secure as
you can.”
66 So they went with the soldiers of the guard and made the tomb secure by
sealing the stone.

Chapter 28

1 The Resurrection Now after the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
2 Suddenly there was a severe earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descending
from heaven came and rolled away the stone and sat on it.
3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.
4 The guards were shaken and became like dead men because they were so afraid of
him.
5 But the angel said to the women,“Do not be afraid; I know that you are
looking for Jesus, who was crucified.
6 He is not here, for he has been raised, just as he said. Come and see the
place where he was lying.
7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples,‘He has been raised from the dead. He
is going ahead of you into Galilee. You will see him there.’ Listen, I have
told you!”
8 So they left the tomb quickly, with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his
disciples.
9 But Jesus met them, saying,“Greetings!” They came to him, held on to his
feet and worshiped him.
10 Then Jesus said to them,“Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to
Galilee. They will see me there.”
11 The Guards’ Report While they were going, some of the guard went into the
city and told the chief priests everything that had happened.
12 After they had assembled with the elders and formed a plan, they gave a large
sum of money to the soldiers,
13 telling them,“You are to say,‘His disciples came at night and stole his
body while we were asleep.’
14 If this matter is heard before the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you
out of trouble.”
15 So they took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story is
told among the Jews to this day.
16 The Great Commission So the eleven disciples went to Galilee to the mountain
Jesus had designated.
17 When they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted.
18 Then Jesus came up and said to them,“All authority in heaven and on earth
has been given to me.
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am
with you always, to the end of the age.”


Mark

Chapter 1

1 ¶ The Ministry of John the Baptist The beginning of the gospel of Jesus
Christ, the Son of God.
2 As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,“Look, I am sending my messenger
ahead of you, who will prepare your way,
3 the voice of one shouting in the wilderness,‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make his paths straight.’”
4 In the wilderness John the baptizer began preaching a baptism of repentance
for the forgiveness of sins.
5 People from the whole Judean countryside and all of Jerusalem were going out
to him, and he was baptizing them in the Jordan River as they confessed their
sins.
6 John wore a garment made of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his
waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.
7 He proclaimed,“One more powerful than I am is coming after me; I am not
worthy to bend down and untie the strap of his sandals.
8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
9 The Baptism and Temptation of Jesus Now in those days Jesus came from Nazareth
in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan River.
10 And just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens
splitting apart and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.
11 And a voice came from heaven:“You are my one dear Son; in you I take great
delight.”
12 The Spirit immediately drove him into the wilderness.
13 He was in the wilderness forty days, enduring temptations from Satan. He was
with wild animals, and angels were ministering to his needs.
14 Preaching in Galilee and the Call of the Disciples Now after John was
imprisoned, Jesus went into Galilee and proclaimed the gospel of God.
15 He said,“The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and
believe the gospel!”
16 As he went along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew, Simon’s
brother, casting a net into the sea(for they were fishermen).
17 Jesus said to them,“Follow me, and I will turn you into fishers of
people!”
18 They left their nets immediately and followed him.
19 Going on a little farther, he saw James, the son of Zebedee, and John his
brother in their boat mending nets.
20 Immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat
with the hired men and followed him.
21 Jesus’ Authority Then they went to Capernaum. When the Sabbath came, Jesus
went into the synagogue and began to teach.
22 The people there were amazed by his teaching, because he taught them like one
who had authority, not like the experts in the law.
23 Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit, and he
cried out,
24 “Leave us alone, Jesus the Nazarene! Have you come to destroy us? I know
who you are– the Holy One of God!”
25 But Jesus rebuked him:“Silence! Come out of him!”
26 After throwing him into convulsions, the unclean spirit cried out with a loud
voice and came out of him.
27 They were all amazed so that they asked each other,“What is this? A new
teaching with authority! He even commands the unclean spirits and they obey
him.”
28 So the news about him spread quickly throughout all the region around
Galilee.
29 Healings at Simon’s House Now as soon as they left the synagogue, they
entered Simon and Andrew’s house, with James and John.
30 Simon’s mother-in-law was lying down, sick with a fever, so they spoke to
Jesus at once about her.
31 He came and raised her up by gently taking her hand. Then the fever left her
and she began to serve them.
32 When it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were sick and
demon-possessed.
33 The whole town gathered by the door.
34 So he healed many who were sick with various diseases and drove out many
demons. But he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.
35 Praying and Preaching Then Jesus got up early in the morning when it was
still very dark, departed, and went out to a deserted place, and there he spent
time in prayer.
36 Simon and his companions searched for him.
37 When they found him, they said,“Everyone is looking for you.”
38 He replied,“Let us go elsewhere, into the surrounding villages, so that I
can preach there too. For that is what I came out here to do.”
39 So he went into all of Galilee preaching in their synagogues and casting out
demons.
40 Cleansing a Leper Now a leper came to him and fell to his knees, asking for
help.“If you are willing, you can make me clean,” he said.
41 Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him,
saying,“I am willing. Be clean!”
42 The leprosy left him at once, and he was clean.
43 Immediately Jesus sent the man away with a very strong warning.
44 He told him,“See that you do not say anything to anyone, but go, show
yourself to a priest, and bring the offering that Moses commanded for your
cleansing, as a testimony to them.”
45 But as the man went out he began to announce it publicly and spread the story
widely, so that Jesus was no longer able to enter any town openly but stayed
outside in remote places. Still they kept coming to him from everywhere.

Chapter 2

1 Healing and Forgiving a Paralytic Now after some days, when he returned to
Capernaum, the news spread that he was at home.
2 So many gathered that there was no longer any room, not even by the door, and
he preached the word to them.
3 Some people came bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them.
4 When they were not able to bring him in because of the crowd, they removed the
roof above Jesus. Then, after tearing it out, they lowered the stretcher the
paralytic was lying on.
5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic,“Son, your sins are
forgiven.”
6 Now some of the experts in the law were sitting there, turning these things
over in their minds:
7 “Why does this man speak this way? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins
but God alone?”
8 Now immediately, when Jesus realized in his spirit that they were
contemplating such thoughts, he said to them,“Why are you thinking such things
in your hearts?
9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic,‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to
say,‘Stand up, take your stretcher, and walk’?
10 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to
forgive sins,”– he said to the paralytic–
11 “I tell you, stand up, take your stretcher, and go home.”
12 And immediately the man stood up, took his stretcher, and went out in front
of them all. They were all amazed and glorified God, saying,“We have never
seen anything like this!”
13 The Call of Levi; Eating with Sinners Jesus went out again by the sea. The
whole crowd came to him, and he taught them.
14 As he went along, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax
booth.“Follow me,” he said to him. And he got up and followed him.
15 As Jesus was having a meal in Levi’s home, many tax collectors and sinners
were eating with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.
16 When the experts in the law and the Pharisees saw that he was eating with
sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples,“Why does he eat with
tax collectors and sinners?”
17 When Jesus heard this he said to them,“Those who are healthy don’t need a
physician, but those who are sick do. I have not come to call the righteous, but
sinners.”
18 The Superiority of the New Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were
fasting. So they came to Jesus and said,“Why do the disciples of John and the
disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples don’t fast?”
19 Jesus said to them,“The wedding guests cannot fast while the bridegroom is
with them, can they? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they do not
fast.
20 But the days are coming when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and at
that time they will fast.
21 No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; otherwise, the patch
pulls away from it, the new from the old, and the tear becomes worse.
22 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst
the skins, and both the wine and the skins will be destroyed. Instead new wine
is poured into new wineskins.”
23 Lord of the Sabbath Jesus was going through the grain fields on a Sabbath,
and his disciples began to pick some heads of wheat as they made their way.
24 So the Pharisees said to him,“Look, why are they doing what is against the
law on the Sabbath?”
25 He said to them,“Have you never read what David did when he was in need and
he and his companions were hungry–
26 how he entered the house of God when Abiathar was high priest and ate the
sacred bread, which is against the law for any but the priests to eat, and also
gave it to his companions?”
27 Then he said to them,“The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the
Sabbath.
28 For this reason the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”

Chapter 3

1 Healing a Withered Hand Then Jesus entered the synagogue again, and a man was
there who had a withered hand.
2 They watched Jesus closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that
they could accuse him.
3 So he said to the man who had the withered hand,“Stand up among all these
people.”
4 Then he said to them,“Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath, or evil, to
save a life or destroy it?” But they were silent.
5 After looking around at them in anger, grieved by the hardness of their
hearts, he said to the man,“Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and
his hand was restored.
6 So the Pharisees went out immediately and began plotting with the Herodians,
as to how they could assassinate him.
7 Crowds by the Sea Then Jesus went away with his disciples to the sea, and a
great multitude from Galilee followed him. And from Judea,
8 Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan River, and around Tyre and Sidon a great
multitude came to him when they heard about the things he had done.
9 Because of the crowd, he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him
so the crowd would not press toward him.
10 For he had healed many, so that all who were afflicted with diseases pressed
toward him in order to touch him.
11 And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried
out,“You are the Son of God.”
12 But he sternly ordered them not to make him known.
13 Appointing the Twelve Apostles Now Jesus went up the mountain and called for
those he wanted, and they came to him.
14 He appointed twelve(whom he named apostles), so that they would be with him
and he could send them to preach
15 and to have authority to cast out demons.
16 He appointed twelve: To Simon he gave the name Peter;
17 to James and his brother John, the sons of Zebedee, he gave the name
Boanerges(that is,“sons of thunder”);
18 and Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus,
Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot,
19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
20 Jesus and Beelzebul Now Jesus went home, and a crowd gathered so that they
were not able to eat.
21 When his family heard this they went out to restrain him, for they said,“He
is out of his mind.”
22 The experts in the law who came down from Jerusalem said,“He is possessed
by Beelzebul,” and,“By the ruler of demons he casts out demons!”
23 So he called them and spoke to them in parables:“How can Satan cast out
Satan?
24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom will not be able to
stand.
25 If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.
26 And if Satan rises against himself and is divided, he is not able to stand
and his end has come.
27 But no one is able to enter a strong man’s house and steal his property
unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can thoroughly plunder his
house.
28 I tell you the truth, people will be forgiven for all sins, even all the
blasphemies they utter.
29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, but is
guilty of an eternal sin”
30 (because they said,“He has an unclean spirit”).
31 Jesus’ True Family Then Jesus’ mother and his brothers came. Standing
outside, they sent word to him, to summon him.
32 A crowd was sitting around him and they said to him,“Look, your mother and
your brothers are outside looking for you.”
33 He answered them and said,“Who are my mother and my brothers?”
34 And looking at those who were sitting around him in a circle, he said,“Here
are my mother and my brothers!
35 For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

Chapter 4

1 The Parable of the Sower Again he began to teach by the lake. Such a large
crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the lake and sat there
while the whole crowd was on the shore by the lake.
2 He taught them many things in parables, and in his teaching said to them:
3 “Listen! A sower went out to sow.
4 And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and
devoured it.
5 Other seed fell on rocky ground where it did not have much soil. It sprang up
at once because the soil was not deep.
6 When the sun came up it was scorched, and because it did not have sufficient
root, it withered.
7 Other seed fell among the thorns, and they grew up and choked it, and it did
not produce grain.
8 But other seed fell on good soil and produced grain, sprouting and growing;
some yielded thirty times as much, some sixty, and some a hundred times.”
9 And he said,“Whoever has ears to hear had better listen!”
10 The Purpose of Parables When he was alone, those around him with the twelve
asked him about the parables.
11 He said to them,“The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you.
But to those outside, everything is in parables,
12 so that although they look they may look but not see, and although they hear
they may hear but not understand, so they may not repent and be forgiven.”
13 He said to them,“Don’t you understand this parable? Then how will you
understand any parable?
14 The sower sows the word.
15 These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: Whenever they hear,
immediately Satan comes and snatches the word that was sown in them.
16 These are the ones sown on rocky ground: As soon as they hear the word, they
receive it with joy.
17 But they have no root in themselves and do not endure. Then, when trouble or
persecution comes because of the word, immediately they fall away.
18 Others are the ones sown among thorns: They are those who hear the word,
19 but worldly cares, the seductiveness of wealth, and the desire for other
things come in and choke the word, and it produces nothing.
20 But these are the ones sown on good soil: They hear the word and receive it
and bear fruit, one thirty times as much, one sixty, and one a hundred.”
21 The Parable of the Lamp He also said to them,“A lamp isn’t brought to be
put under a basket or under a bed, is it? Isn’t it to be placed on a
lampstand?
22 For nothing is hidden except to be revealed, and nothing concealed except to
be brought to light.
23 If anyone has ears to hear, he had better listen!”
24 And he said to them,“Take care about what you hear. The measure you use
will be the measure you receive, and more will be added to you.
25 For whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he
has will be taken from him.”
26 The Parable of the Growing Seed He also said,“The kingdom of God is like
someone who spreads seed on the ground.
27 He goes to sleep and gets up, night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows,
though he does not know how.
28 By itself the soil produces a crop, first the stalk, then the head, then the
full grain in the head.
29 And when the grain is ripe, he sends in the sickle because the harvest has
come.”
30 The Parable of the Mustard Seed He also asked,“To what can we compare the
kingdom of God, or what parable can we use to present it?
31 It is like a mustard seed that when sown in the ground, even though it is the
smallest of all the seeds in the ground–
32 when it is sown, it grows up, becomes the greatest of all garden plants, and
grows large branches so that the wild birds can nest in its shade.”
33 The Use of Parables So with many parables like these, he spoke the word to
them, as they were able to hear.
34 He did not speak to them without a parable. But privately he explained
everything to his own disciples.
35 Stilling of a Storm On that day, when evening came, Jesus said to his
disciples,“Let’s go across to the other side of the lake.”
36 So after leaving the crowd, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat,
and other boats were with him.
37 Now a great windstorm developed and the waves were breaking into the boat, so
that the boat was nearly swamped.
38 But he was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. They woke him up and said to
him,“Teacher, don’t you care that we are about to die?”
39 So he got up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea,“Be quiet! Calm
down!” Then the wind stopped, and it was dead calm.
40 And he said to them,“Why are you cowardly? Do you still not have faith?”
41 They were overwhelmed by fear and said to one another,“Who then is this?
Even the wind and sea obey him!”

Chapter 5

1 Healing of a Demoniac So they came to the other side of the lake, to the
region of the Gerasenes.
2 Just as Jesus was getting out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came
from the tombs and met him.
3 He lived among the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a
chain.
4 For his hands and feet had often been bound with chains and shackles, but he
had torn the chains apart and broken the shackles in pieces. No one was strong
enough to subdue him.
5 Each night and every day among the tombs and in the mountains, he would cry
out and cut himself with stones.
6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and bowed down before him.
7 Then he cried out with a loud voice,“Leave me alone, Jesus, Son of the Most
High God! I implore you by God– do not torment me!”
8 (For Jesus had said to him,“Come out of that man, you unclean spirit!”)
9 Jesus asked him,“What is your name?” And he said,“My name is Legion, for
we are many.”
10 He begged Jesus repeatedly not to send them out of the region.
11 There on the hillside, a great herd of pigs was feeding.
12 And the demonic spirits begged him,“Send us into the pigs. Let us enter
them.”
13 Jesus gave them permission. So the unclean spirits came out and went into the
pigs. Then the herd rushed down the steep slope into the lake, and about two
thousand were drowned in the lake.
14 Now the herdsmen ran off and spread the news in the town and countryside, and
the people went out to see what had happened.
15 They came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man sitting there, clothed and
in his right mind– the one who had the“Legion”– and they were afraid.
16 Those who had seen what had happened to the demon-possessed man reported it,
and they also told about the pigs.
17 Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their region.
18 As he was getting into the boat the man who had been demon-possessed asked if
he could go with him.
19 But Jesus did not permit him to do so. Instead, he said to him,“Go to your
home and to your people and tell them what the Lord has done for you, that he
had mercy on you.”
20 So he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done
for him, and all were amazed.
21 Restoration and Healing When Jesus had crossed again in a boat to the other
side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he was by the sea.
22 Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came up, and when he saw
Jesus, he fell at his feet.
23 He asked him urgently,“My little daughter is near death. Come and lay your
hands on her so that she may be healed and live.”
24 Jesus went with him, and a large crowd followed and pressed around him.
25 Now a woman was there who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve
years.
26 She had endured a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all
that she had. Yet instead of getting better, she grew worse.
27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched
his cloak,
28 for she kept saying,“If only I touch his clothes, I will be healed.”
29 At once the bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she was healed of
her disease.
30 Jesus knew at once that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the
crowd and said,“Who touched my clothes?”
31 His disciples said to him,“You see the crowd pressing against you and you
say,‘Who touched me?’”
32 But he looked around to see who had done it.
33 Then the woman, with fear and trembling, knowing what had happened to her,
came and fell down before him and told him the whole truth.
34 He said to her,“Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be
healed of your disease.”
35 While he was still speaking, people came from the synagogue leader’s house
saying,“Your daughter has died. Why trouble the teacher any longer?”
36 But Jesus, paying no attention to what was said, told the synagogue
leader,“Do not be afraid; just believe.”
37 He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother
of James.
38 They came to the house of the synagogue leader where he saw noisy confusion
and people weeping and wailing loudly.
39 When he entered he said to them,“Why are you distressed and weeping? The
child is not dead but asleep!”
40 And they began making fun of him. But he forced them all outside, and he took
the child’s father and mother and his own companions and went into the room
where the child was.
41 Then, gently taking the child by the hand, he said to her,“Talitha koum,”
which means,“Little girl, I say to you, get up.”
42 The girl got up at once and began to walk around(she was twelve years old).
They were completely astonished at this.
43 He strictly ordered that no one should know about this, and told them to give
her something to eat.

Chapter 6

1 Rejection at Nazareth Now Jesus left that place and came to his hometown, and
his disciples followed him.
2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue. Many who heard him
were astonished, saying,“Where did he get these ideas? And what is this wisdom
that has been given to him? What are these miracles that are done through his
hands?
3 Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James, Joses,
Judas, and Simon? And aren’t his sisters here with us?” And so they took
offense at him.
4 Then Jesus said to them,“A prophet is not without honor except in his
hometown, and among his relatives, and in his own house.”
5 He was not able to do a miracle there, except to lay his hands on a few sick
people and heal them.
6 And he was amazed because of their unbelief. Then he went around among the
villages and taught.
7 Sending Out the Twelve Apostles Jesus called the twelve and began to send them
out two by two. He gave them authority over the unclean spirits.
8 He instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a staff– no bread,
no bag, no money in their belts–
9 and to put on sandals but not to wear two tunics.
10 He said to them,“Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the
area.
11 If a place will not welcome you or listen to you, as you go out from there,
shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”
12 So they went out and preached that all should repent.
13 They cast out many demons and anointed many sick people with olive oil and
healed them.
14 The Death of John the Baptist Now King Herod heard this, for Jesus’ name
had become known. Some were saying,“John the baptizer has been raised from the
dead, and because of this, miraculous powers are at work in him.”
15 Others said,“He is Elijah.” Others said,“He is a prophet, like one of
the prophets from the past.”
16 But when Herod heard this, he said,“John, whom I beheaded, has been
raised!”
17 For Herod himself had sent men, arrested John, and bound him in prison on
account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod had married her.
18 For John had repeatedly told Herod,“It is not lawful for you to have your
brother’s wife.”
19 So Herodias nursed a grudge against him and wanted to kill him. But she could
not
20 because Herod stood in awe of John and protected him, since he knew that John
was a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard him, he was thoroughly baffled,
and yet he liked to listen to John.
21 But a suitable day came, when Herod gave a banquet on his birthday for his
court officials, military commanders, and leaders of Galilee.
22 When his daughter Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his
dinner guests. The king said to the girl,“Ask me for whatever you want and I
will give it to you.”
23 He swore to her,“Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my
kingdom.”
24 So she went out and said to her mother,“What should I ask for?” Her
mother said,“The head of John the baptizer.”
25 Immediately she hurried back to the king and made her request:“I want the
head of John the Baptist on a platter immediately.”
26 Although it grieved the king deeply, he did not want to reject her request
because of his oath and his guests.
27 So the king sent an executioner at once to bring John’s head, and he went
and beheaded John in prison.
28 He brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave
it to her mother.
29 When John’s disciples heard this, they came and took his body and placed it
in a tomb.
30 The Feeding of the Five Thousand Then the apostles gathered around Jesus and
told him everything they had done and taught.
31 He said to them,“Come with me privately to an isolated place and rest a
while”(for many were coming and going, and there was no time to eat).
32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to some remote place.
33 But many saw them leaving and recognized them, and they hurried on foot from
all the towns and arrived there ahead of them.
34 As Jesus came ashore he saw the large crowd and he had compassion on them,
because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he taught them many things.
35 When it was already late, his disciples came to him and said,“This is an
isolated place and it is already very late.
36 Send them away so that they can go into the surrounding countryside and
villages and buy something for themselves to eat.”
37 But he answered them,“You give them something to eat.” And they
said,“Should we go and buy bread for two hundred silver coins and give it to
them to eat?”
38 He said to them,“How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” When they
found out, they said,“Five– and two fish.”
39 Then he directed them all to sit down in groups on the green grass.
40 So they reclined in groups of hundreds and fifties.
41 He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he gave
thanks and broke the loaves. He gave them to his disciples to serve the people,
and he divided the two fish among them all.
42 They all ate and were satisfied,
43 and they picked up the broken pieces and fish that were left over, twelve
baskets full.
44 Now there were five thousand men who ate the bread.
45 Walking on Water Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and
go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dispersed the crowd.
46 After saying goodbye to them, he went to the mountain to pray.
47 When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea and he was alone on
the land.
48 He saw them straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. As the
night was ending, he came to them walking on the sea, for he wanted to pass by
them.
49 When they saw him walking on the water they thought he was a ghost. They
cried out,
50 for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to
them:“Have courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.”
51 Then he went up with them into the boat, and the wind ceased. They were
completely astonished,
52 because they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were
hardened.
53 Healing the Sick After they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret
and anchored there.
54 As they got out of the boat, people immediately recognized Jesus.
55 They ran through that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to
wherever he was rumored to be.
56 And wherever he would go– into villages, towns, or countryside– they
would place the sick in the marketplaces, and would ask him if they could just
touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.

Chapter 7

1 Breaking Human Traditions Now the Pharisees and some of the experts in the law
who came from Jerusalem gathered around him.
2 And they saw that some of Jesus’ disciples ate their bread with unclean
hands, that is, unwashed.
3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they perform a ritual
washing, holding fast to the tradition of the elders.
4 And when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.
They hold fast to many other traditions: the washing of cups, pots, kettles, and
dining couches.)
5 The Pharisees and the experts in the law asked him,“Why do your disciples
not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with unwashed
hands?”
6 He said to them,“Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is
written:‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from
me.
7 They worship me in vain, teaching as doctrine the commandments of men.’
8 Having no regard for the command of God, you hold fast to human tradition.”
9 He also said to them,“You neatly reject the commandment of God in order to
set up your tradition.
10 For Moses said,‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and,‘Whoever
insults his father or mother must be put to death.’
11 But you say that if anyone tells his father or mother,‘Whatever help you
would have received from me is corban’(that is, a gift for God),
12 then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother.
13 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down.
And you do many things like this.”
14 Then he called the crowd again and said to them,“Listen to me, everyone,
and understand.
15 There is nothing outside of a person that can defile him by going into him.
Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles him.”
17 Now when Jesus had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked
him about the parable.
18 He said to them,“Are you so foolish? Don’t you understand that whatever
goes into a person from outside cannot defile him?
19 For it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and then goes out into the
sewer.”(This means all foods are clean.)
20 He said,“What comes out of a person defiles him.
21 For from within, out of the human heart, come evil ideas, sexual immorality,
theft, murder,
22 adultery, greed, evil, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, pride, and folly.
23 All these evils come from within and defile a person.”
24 A Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith After Jesus left there, he went to the
region of Tyre. When he went into a house, he did not want anyone to know, but
he was not able to escape notice.
25 Instead, a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard
about him and came and fell at his feet.
26 The woman was a Greek, of Syrophoenician origin. She asked him to cast the
demon out of her daughter.
27 He said to her,“Let the children be satisfied first, for it is not right to
take the children’s bread and to throw it to the dogs.”
28 She answered,“Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table eat the
children’s crumbs.”
29 Then he said to her,“Because you said this, you may go. The demon has left
your daughter.”
30 She went home and found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.
31 Healing a Deaf Mute Then Jesus went out again from the region of Tyre and
came through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee in the region of the Decapolis.
32 They brought to him a deaf man who had difficulty speaking, and they asked
him to place his hands on him.
33 After Jesus took him aside privately, away from the crowd, he put his fingers
in the man’s ears, and after spitting, he touched his tongue.
34 Then he looked up to heaven and said with a sigh,“Ephphatha”(that
is,“Be opened”).
35 And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his tongue loosened, and he
spoke plainly.
36 Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone. But as much as he ordered them not to
do this, they proclaimed it all the more.
37 People were completely astounded and said,“He has done everything well. He
even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

Chapter 8

1 The Feeding of the Four Thousand In those days there was another large crowd
with nothing to eat. So Jesus called his disciples and said to them,
2 “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have already been here with me
three days, and they have nothing to eat.
3 If I send them home hungry, they will faint on the way, and some of them have
come from a great distance.”
4 His disciples answered him,“Where can someone get enough bread in this
desolate place to satisfy these people?”
5 He asked them,“How many loaves do you have?” They replied,“Seven.”
6 Then he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. After he took the seven
loaves and gave thanks, he broke them and began giving them to the disciples to
serve. So they served the crowd.
7 They also had a few small fish. After giving thanks for these, he told them to
serve these as well.
8 Everyone ate and was satisfied, and they picked up the broken pieces left
over, seven baskets full.
9 There were about four thousand who ate. Then he dismissed them.
10 Immediately he got into a boat with his disciples and went to the district of
Dalmanutha.
11 The Demand for a Sign Then the Pharisees came and began to argue with Jesus,
asking for a sign from heaven to test him.
12 Sighing deeply in his spirit he said,“Why does this generation look for a
sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to this generation.”
13 Then he left them, got back into the boat, and went to the other side.
14 The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod Now they had forgotten to take bread,
except for one loaf they had with them in the boat.
15 And Jesus ordered them,“Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and
the yeast of Herod!”
16 So they began to discuss with one another about having no bread.
17 When he learned of this, Jesus said to them,“Why are you arguing about
having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Have your hearts been
hardened?
18 Though you have eyes, don’t you see? And though you have ears, can’t you
hear? Don’t you remember?
19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of
pieces did you pick up?” They replied,“Twelve.”
20 “When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many baskets full
of pieces did you pick up?” They replied,“Seven.”
21 Then he said to them,“Do you still not understand?”
22 A Two-stage Healing Then they came to Bethsaida. They brought a blind man to
Jesus and asked him to touch him.
23 He took the blind man by the hand and brought him outside of the village.
Then he spit on his eyes, placed his hands on his eyes and asked,“Do you see
anything?”
24 Regaining his sight he said,“I see people, but they look like trees
walking.”
25 Then Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes again. And he opened his
eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.
26 Jesus sent him home, saying,“Do not even go into the village.”
27 Peter’s Confession Then Jesus and his disciples went to the villages of
Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked his disciples,“Who do people say that I
am?”
28 They said,“John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and still others, one of
the prophets.”
29 He asked them,“But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him,“You
are the Christ.”
30 Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.
31 First Prediction of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection Then Jesus began to teach
them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders,
chief priests, and experts in the law, and be killed, and after three days rise
again.
32 He spoke openly about this. So Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
33 But after turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and
said,“Get behind me, Satan. You are not setting your mind on God’s
interests, but on man’s.”
34 Following Jesus Then Jesus called the crowd, along with his disciples, and
said to them,“If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life
because of me and because of the gospel will save it.
36 For what benefit is it for a person to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his
life?
37 What can a person give in exchange for his life?
38 For if anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful
generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the
glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Chapter 9

1 And he said to them,“I tell you the truth, there are some standing here who
will not experience death before they see the kingdom of God come with power.”
2 The Transfiguration Six days later Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John
and led them alone up a high mountain privately. And he was transfigured before
them,
3 and his clothes became radiantly white, more so than any launderer in the
world could bleach them.
4 Then Elijah appeared before them along with Moses, and they were talking with
Jesus.
5 So Peter said to Jesus,“Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us make
three shelters– one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
6 (For they were afraid, and he did not know what to say.)
7 Then a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came from the cloud,“This is my
one dear Son. Listen to him!”
8 Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more except
Jesus.
9 As they were coming down from the mountain, he gave them orders not to tell
anyone what they had seen until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
10 They kept this statement to themselves, discussing what this rising from the
dead meant.
11 Then they asked him,“Why do the experts in the law say that Elijah must
come first?”
12 He said to them,“Elijah does indeed come first, and restores all things.
And why is it written that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be
despised?
13 But I tell you that Elijah has certainly come, and they did to him whatever
they wanted, just as it is written about him.”
14 The Disciples’ Failure to Heal When they came to the disciples, they saw a
large crowd around them and experts in the law arguing with them.
15 When the whole crowd saw him, they were amazed and ran at once and greeted
him.
16 He asked them,“What are you arguing about with them?”
17 A member of the crowd said to him,“Teacher, I brought you my son, who is
possessed by a spirit that makes him mute.
18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds
his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they
were not able to do so.”
19 He answered them,“You unbelieving generation! How much longer must I be
with you? How much longer must I endure you? Bring him to me.”
20 So they brought the boy to him. When the spirit saw him, it immediately threw
the boy into a convulsion. He fell on the ground and rolled around, foaming at
the mouth.
21 Jesus asked his father,“How long has this been happening to him?” And he
said,“From childhood.
22 It has often thrown him into fire or water to destroy him. But if you are
able to do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
23 Then Jesus said to him,“‘If you are able?’ All things are possible for
the one who believes.”
24 Immediately the father of the boy cried out and said,“I believe; help my
unbelief!”
25 Now when Jesus saw that a crowd was quickly gathering, he rebuked the unclean
spirit, saying to it,“Mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and
never enter him again.”
26 It shrieked, threw him into terrible convulsions, and came out. The boy
looked so much like a corpse that many said,“He is dead!”
27 But Jesus gently took his hand and raised him to his feet, and he stood up.
28 Then, after he went into the house, his disciples asked him privately,“Why
couldn’t we cast it out?”
29 He told them,“This kind can come out only by prayer.”
30 Second Prediction of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection They went out from there
and passed through Galilee. But Jesus did not want anyone to know,
31 for he was teaching his disciples and telling them,“The Son of Man will be
betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will
rise.”
32 But they did not understand this statement and were afraid to ask him.
33 Questions About the Greatest Then they came to Capernaum. After Jesus was
inside the house he asked them,“What were you discussing on the way?”
34 But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about
who was the greatest.
35 After he sat down, he called the twelve and said to them,“If anyone wants
to be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”
36 He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms,
he said to them,
37 “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me, and
whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”
38 On Jesus’ Side John said to him,“Teacher, we saw someone casting out
demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he was not following
us.”
39 But Jesus said,“Do not stop him, because no one who does a miracle in my
name will be able soon afterward to say anything bad about me.
40 For whoever is not against us is for us.
41 For I tell you the truth, whoever gives you a cup of water because you bear
Christ’s name will never lose his reward.
42 “If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it
would be better for him to have a huge millstone tied around his neck and to be
thrown into the sea.
43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off! It is better for you to enter
into life crippled than to have two hands and go into hell, to the unquenchable
fire.
45 If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off! It is better to enter life lame
than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.
47 If your eye causes you to sin, tear it out! It is better to enter into the
kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,
48 where their worm never dies and the fire is never quenched.
49 Everyone will be salted with fire.
50 Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again?
Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”

Chapter 10

1 Divorce Then Jesus left that place and went to the region of Judea and beyond
the Jordan River. Again crowds gathered to him, and again, as was his custom, he
taught them.
2 Then some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked,“Is it lawful for a man
to divorce his wife?”
3 He answered them,“What did Moses command you?”
4 They said,“Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to
divorce her.”
5 But Jesus said to them,“He wrote this commandment for you because of your
hard hearts.
6 But from the beginning of creation he made them male and female.
7 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother,
8 and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh.
9 Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
10 In the house once again, the disciples asked him about this.
11 So he told them,“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits
adultery against her.
12 And if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”
13 Jesus and Little Children Now people were bringing little children to him for
him to touch, but the disciples scolded those who brought them.
14 But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them,“Let the little
children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs
to such as these.
15 I tell you the truth, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a
child will never enter it.”
16 After he took the children in his arms, he placed his hands on them and
blessed them.
17 The Rich Man Now as Jesus was starting out on his way, someone ran up to him,
fell on his knees, and said,“Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal
life?”
18 Jesus said to him,“Why do you call me good? No one is good except God
alone.
19 You know the commandments:‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not
steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and
mother.’”
20 The man said to him,“Teacher, I have wholeheartedly obeyed all these laws
since my youth.”
21 As Jesus looked at him, he felt love for him and said,“You lack one thing.
Go, sell whatever you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have
treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22 But at this statement, the man looked sad and went away sorrowful, for he was
very rich.
23 Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples,“How hard it is for the
rich to enter the kingdom of God!”
24 The disciples were astonished at these words. But again Jesus said to
them,“Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!
25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich
person to enter the kingdom of God.”
26 They were even more astonished and said to one another,“Then who can be
saved?”
27 Jesus looked at them and replied,“This is impossible for mere humans, but
not for God; all things are possible for God.”
28 Peter began to speak to him,“Look, we have left everything to follow
you!”
29 Jesus said,“I tell you the truth, there is no one who has left home or
brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake and
for the sake of the gospel
30 who will not receive in this age a hundred times as much– homes, brothers,
sisters, mothers, children, fields, all with persecutions– and in the age to
come, eternal life.
31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
32 Third Prediction of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection They were on the way,
going up to Jerusalem. Jesus was going ahead of them, and they were amazed, but
those who followed were afraid. He took the twelve aside again and began to tell
them what was going to happen to him.
33 “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over
to the chief priests and experts in the law. They will condemn him to death and
will turn him over to the Gentiles.
34 They will mock him, spit on him, flog him severely, and kill him. Yet after
three days, he will rise again.”
35 The Request of James and John Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came
to him and said,“Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”
36 He said to them,“What do you want me to do for you?”
37 They said to him,“Permit one of us to sit at your right hand and the other
at your left in your glory.”
38 But Jesus said to them,“You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able
to drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I experience?”
39 They said to him,“We are able.” Then Jesus said to them,“You will drink
the cup I drink, and you will be baptized with the baptism I experience,
40 but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give. It is for those for
whom it has been prepared.”
41 Now when the other ten heard this, they became angry with James and John.
42 Jesus called them and said to them,“You know that those who are recognized
as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions use
their authority over them.
43 But it is not this way among you. Instead whoever wants to be great among you
must be your servant,
44 and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of all.
45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give
his life as a ransom for many.”
46 Healing Blind Bartimaeus They came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples and
a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus the son of Timaeus, a blind
beggar, was sitting by the road.
47 When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to shout,“Jesus, Son
of David, have mercy on me!”
48 Many scolded him to get him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more,“Son
of David, have mercy on me!”
49 Jesus stopped and said,“Call him.” So they called the blind man and said
to him,“Have courage! Get up! He is calling you.”
50 He threw off his cloak, jumped up, and came to Jesus.
51 Then Jesus said to him,“What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man
replied,“Rabbi, let me see again.”
52 Jesus said to him,“Go, your faith has healed you.” Immediately he
regained his sight and followed him on the road.

Chapter 11

1 The Triumphal Entry Now as they approached Jerusalem, near Bethphage and
Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples
2 and said to them,“Go to the village ahead of you. As soon as you enter it,
you will find a colt tied there that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring
it here.
3 If anyone says to you,‘Why are you doing this?’ say,‘The Lord needs it
and will send it back here soon.’”
4 So they went and found a colt tied at a door, outside in the street, and
untied it.
5 Some people standing there said to them,“What are you doing, untying that
colt?”
6 They replied as Jesus had told them, and the bystanders let them go.
7 Then they brought the colt to Jesus, threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on
it.
8 Many spread their cloaks on the road and others spread branches they had cut
in the fields.
9 Both those who went ahead and those who followed kept shouting,“Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”
11 Then Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple. And after looking around
at everything, he went out to Bethany with the twelve since it was already late.
12 Cursing of the Fig Tree Now the next day, as they went out from Bethany, he
was hungry.
13 After noticing in the distance a fig tree with leaves, he went to see if he
could find any fruit on it. When he came to it he found nothing but leaves, for
it was not the season for figs.
14 He said to it,“May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his
disciples heard it.
15 Cleansing the Temple Then they came to Jerusalem. Jesus entered the temple
area and began to drive out those who were selling and buying in the temple
courts. He turned over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those
selling doves,
16 and he would not permit anyone to carry merchandise through the temple
courts.
17 Then he began to teach them and said,“Is it not written:‘My house will be
called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have turned it into a den
of robbers!”
18 The chief priests and the experts in the law heard it and they considered how
they could assassinate him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was
amazed by his teaching.
19 When evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city.
20 The Withered Fig Tree In the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig tree
withered from the roots.
21 Peter remembered and said to him,“Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has
withered.”
22 Jesus said to them,“Have faith in God.
23 I tell you the truth, if someone says to this mountain,‘Be lifted up and
thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what
he says will happen, it will be done for him.
24 For this reason I tell you, whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you
have received it, and it will be yours.
25 Whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him,
so that your Father in heaven will also forgive you your sins.”
27 The Authority of Jesus They came again to Jerusalem. While Jesus was walking
in the temple courts, the chief priests, the experts in the law, and the elders
came up to him
28 and said,“By what authority are you doing these things? Or who gave you
this authority to do these things?”
29 Jesus said to them,“I will ask you one question. Answer me and I will tell
you by what authority I do these things:
30 John’s baptism– was it from heaven or from people? Answer me.”
31 They discussed with one another, saying,“If we say,‘From heaven,’ he
will say,‘Then why did you not believe him?’
32 But if we say,‘From people–’”(they feared the crowd, for they all
considered John to be truly a prophet).
33 So they answered Jesus,“We don’t know.” Then Jesus said to
them,“Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

Chapter 12

1 The Parable of the Tenants Then he began to speak to them in parables:“A man
planted a vineyard. He put a fence around it, dug a pit for its winepress, and
built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went on a journey.
2 At harvest time he sent a slave to the tenants to collect from them his
portion of the crop.
3 But those tenants seized his slave, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.
4 So he sent another slave to them again. This one they struck on the head and
treated outrageously.
5 He sent another, and that one they killed. This happened to many others, some
of whom were beaten, others killed.
6 He had one left, his one dear son. Finally he sent him to them, saying,‘They
will respect my son.’
7 But those tenants said to one another,‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill
him and the inheritance will be ours!’
8 So they seized him, killed him, and threw his body out of the vineyard.
9 What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy those
tenants and give the vineyard to others.
10 Have you not read this scripture:‘The stone the builders rejected has
become the cornerstone.
11 This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”
12 Now they wanted to arrest him(but they feared the crowd), because they
realized that he told this parable against them. So they left him and went away.
13 Paying Taxes to Caesar Then they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to
trap him with his own words.
14 When they came they said to him,“Teacher, we know that you are truthful and
do not court anyone’s favor, because you show no partiality but teach the way
of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?
Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”
15 But he saw through their hypocrisy and said to them,“Why are you testing
me? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.”
16 So they brought one, and he said to them,“Whose image is this, and whose
inscription?” They replied,“Caesar’s.”
17 Then Jesus said to them,“Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and
to God the things that are God’s.” And they were utterly amazed at him.
18 Marriage and the Resurrection Sadducees(who say there is no resurrection)
also came to him and asked him,
19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us:‘If a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife
but no children, that man must marry the widow and father children for his
brother.’
20 There were seven brothers. The first one married, and when he died he had no
children.
21 The second married her and died without any children, and likewise the third.
22 None of the seven had children. Finally, the woman died too.
23 In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For all
seven had married her.”
24 Jesus said to them,“Aren’t you deceived for this reason, because you
don’t know the scriptures or the power of God?
25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in
marriage, but are like angels in heaven.
26 Now as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in
the passage about the bush, how God said to him,‘I am the God of Abraham, the
God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?
27 He is not the God of the dead but of the living. You are badly mistaken!”
28 The Greatest Commandment Now one of the experts in the law came and heard
them debating. When he saw that Jesus answered them well, he asked him,“Which
commandment is the most important of all?”
29 Jesus answered,“The most important is:‘Listen, Israel, the Lord our God,
the Lord is one.
30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your
mind, and with all your strength.’
31 The second is:‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other
commandment greater than these.”
32 The expert in the law said to him,“That is true, Teacher; you are right to
say that he is one, and there is no one else besides him.
33 And to love him with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your
strength and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt
offerings and sacrifices.”
34 When Jesus saw that he had answered thoughtfully, he said to him,“You are
not far from the kingdom of God.” Then no one dared any longer to question
him.
35 The Messiah: David’s Son and Lord While Jesus was teaching in the temple
courts, he said,“How is it that the experts in the law say that the Christ is
David’s son?
36 David himself, by the Holy Spirit, said,‘The Lord said to my lord,“Sit at
my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet.”’
37 If David himself calls him‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” And the large
crowd was listening to him with delight.
38 Warnings About Experts in the Law In his teaching Jesus also said,“Watch
out for the experts in the law. They like walking around in long robes and
elaborate greetings in the marketplaces,
39 and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.
40 They devour widows’ property, and as a show make long prayers. These men
will receive a more severe punishment.”
41 The Widow’s Offering Then he sat down opposite the offering box, and
watched the crowd putting coins into it. Many rich people were throwing in large
amounts.
42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, worth less than a
penny.
43 He called his disciples and said to them,“I tell you the truth, this poor
widow has put more into the offering box than all the others.
44 For they all gave out of their wealth. But she, out of her poverty, put in
what she had to live on, everything she had.”

Chapter 13

1 The Destruction of the Temple Now as Jesus was going out of the temple courts,
one of his disciples said to him,“Teacher, look at these tremendous stones and
buildings!”
2 Jesus said to him,“Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be
left on another. All will be torn down!”
3 Signs of the End of the Age So while he was sitting on the Mount of Olives
opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately,
4 “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that all
these things are about to take place?”
5 Jesus began to say to them,“Watch out that no one misleads you.
6 Many will come in my name, saying,‘I am he,’ and they will mislead many.
7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. These things must
happen, but the end is still to come.
8 For nation will rise up in arms against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines. These
are but the beginning of birth pains.
9 Persecution of Disciples“You must watch out for yourselves. You will be
handed over to councils and beaten in the synagogues. You will stand before
governors and kings because of me, as a witness to them.
10 First the gospel must be preached to all nations.
11 When they arrest you and hand you over for trial, do not worry about what to
speak. But say whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you speaking,
but the Holy Spirit.
12 Brother will hand over brother to death, and a father his child. Children
will rise against parents and have them put to death.
13 You will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who endures to
the end will be saved.
14 The Abomination of Desolation“But when you see the abomination of
desolation standing where it should not be”(let the reader understand),“then
those in Judea must flee to the mountains.
15 The one on the roof must not come down or go inside to take anything out of
his house.
16 The one in the field must not turn back to get his cloak.
17 Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing their babies in
those days!
18 Pray that it may not be in winter.
19 For in those days there will be suffering unlike anything that has happened
from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, or ever will
happen.
20 And if the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would be saved. But
because of the elect, whom he chose, he has cut them short.
21 Then if anyone says to you,‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or‘Look, there
he is!’ do not believe him.
22 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and
wonders to deceive, if possible, the elect.
23 Be careful! I have told you everything ahead of time.
24 The Arrival of the Son of Man“But in those days, after that suffering, the
sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light;
25 the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be
shaken.
26 Then everyone will see the Son of Man arriving in the clouds with great power
and glory.
27 Then he will send angels and they will gather his elect from the four winds,
from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
28 The Parable of the Fig Tree“Learn this parable from the fig tree: Whenever
its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near.
29 So also you, when you see these things happening, know that he is near, right
at the door.
30 I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass away until all these
things take place.
31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
32 Be Ready!“But as for that day or hour no one knows it– neither the angels
in heaven, nor the Son– except the Father.
33 Watch out! Stay alert! For you do not know when the time will come.
34 It is like a man going on a journey. He left his house and put his slaves in
charge, assigning to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to stay alert.
35 Stay alert, then, because you do not know when the owner of the house will
return– whether during evening, at midnight, when the rooster crows, or at
dawn–
36 or else he might find you asleep when he returns suddenly.
37 What I say to you I say to everyone: Stay alert!”

Chapter 14

1 The Plot Against Jesus Two days before the Passover and the Feast of
Unleavened Bread, the chief priests and the experts in the law were trying to
find a way to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him.
2 For they said,“Not during the feast, so there won’t be a riot among the
people.”
3 Jesus’ Anointing Now while Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the
leper, reclining at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of costly
aromatic oil from pure nard. After breaking open the jar, she poured it on his
head.
4 But some who were present indignantly said to one another,“Why this waste of
expensive ointment?
5 It could have been sold for more than three hundred silver coins and the money
given to the poor!” So they spoke angrily to her.
6 But Jesus said,“Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a
good service for me.
7 For you will always have the poor with you, and you can do good for them
whenever you want. But you will not always have me!
8 She did what she could. She anointed my body beforehand for burial.
9 I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world,
what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”
10 The Plan to Betray Jesus Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the
chief priests to betray Jesus into their hands.
11 When they heard this, they were delighted and promised to give him money. So
Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray him.
12 The Passover Now on the first day of the feast of Unleavened Bread, when the
Passover lamb is sacrificed, Jesus’ disciples said to him,“Where do you want
us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?”
13 He sent two of his disciples and told them,“Go into the city, and a man
carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him.
14 Wherever he enters, tell the owner of the house,‘The Teacher says,“Where
is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”’
15 He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make
preparations for us there.”
16 So the disciples left, went into the city, and found things just as he had
told them, and they prepared the Passover.
17 Then, when it was evening, he came to the house with the twelve.
18 While they were at the table eating, Jesus said,“I tell you the truth, one
of you eating with me will betray me.”
19 They were distressed, and one by one said to him,“Surely not I?”
20 He said to them,“It is one of the twelve, one who dips his hand with me
into the bowl.
21 For the Son of Man will go as it is written about him, but woe to that man by
whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for him if he had never been
born.”
22 The Lord’s Supper While they were eating, he took bread, and after giving
thanks he broke it, gave it to them, and said,“Take it. This is my body.”
23 And after taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them, and they all
drank from it.
24 He said to them,“This is my blood, the blood of the covenant, that is
poured out for many.
25 I tell you the truth, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until
that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
26 After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
27 The Prediction of Peter’s Denial Then Jesus said to them,“You will all
fall away, for it is written,‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will
be scattered.’
28 But after I am raised, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”
29 Peter said to him,“Even if they all fall away, I will not!”
30 Jesus said to him,“I tell you the truth, today– this very night– before
a rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.”
31 But Peter insisted emphatically,“Even if I must die with you, I will never
deny you.” And all of them said the same thing.
32 Gethsemane Then they went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his
disciples,“Sit here while I pray.”
33 He took Peter, James, and John with him, and became very troubled and
distressed.
34 He said to them,“My soul is deeply grieved, even to the point of death.
Remain here and stay alert.”
35 Going a little farther, he threw himself to the ground and prayed that if it
were possible the hour would pass from him.
36 He said,“Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Take this cup away
from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
37 Then he came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter,“Simon, are you
sleeping? Couldn’t you stay awake for one hour?
38 Stay awake and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is
willing, but the flesh is weak.”
39 He went away again and prayed the same thing.
40 When he came again he found them sleeping; they could not keep their eyes
open. And they did not know what to tell him.
41 He came a third time and said to them,“Are you still sleeping and resting?
Enough of that! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the
hands of sinners.
42 Get up, let us go. Look! My betrayer is approaching!”
43 Betrayal and Arrest Right away, while Jesus was still speaking, Judas, one of
the twelve, arrived. With him came a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent by
the chief priests and experts in the law and elders.
44 (Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying,“The one I kiss is the man.
Arrest him and lead him away under guard.”)
45 When Judas arrived, he went up to Jesus immediately and said,“Rabbi!” and
kissed him.
46 Then they took hold of him and arrested him.
47 One of the bystanders drew his sword and struck the high priest’s slave,
cutting off his ear.
48 Jesus said to them,“Have you come with swords and clubs to arrest me like
you would an outlaw?
49 Day after day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, yet you did not
arrest me. But this has happened so that the scriptures would be fulfilled.”
50 Then all the disciples left him and fled.
51 A young man was following him, wearing only a linen cloth. They tried to
arrest him,
52 but he ran off naked, leaving his linen cloth behind.
53 Condemned by the Sanhedrin Then they led Jesus to the high priest, and all
the chief priests and elders and experts in the law came together.
54 And Peter had followed him from a distance, up to the high priest’s
courtyard. He was sitting with the guards and warming himself by the fire.
55 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against
Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find anything.
56 Many gave false testimony against him, but their testimony did not agree.
57 Some stood up and gave this false testimony against him:
58 “We heard him say,‘I will destroy this temple made with hands and in
three days build another not made with hands.’”
59 Yet even on this point their testimony did not agree.
60 Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus,“Have you no
answer? What is this that they are testifying against you?”
61 But he was silent and did not answer. Again the high priest questioned
him,“Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?”
62 “I am,” said Jesus,“and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the
right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
63 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said,“Why do we still need
witnesses?
64 You have heard the blasphemy! What is your verdict?” They all condemned him
as deserving death.
65 Then some began to spit on him, and to blindfold him, and to strike him with
their fists, saying,“Prophesy!” The guards also took him and beat him.
66 Peter’s Denials Now while Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the high
priest’s slave girls came by.
67 When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked directly at him and
said,“You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus.”
68 But he denied it:“I don’t even understand what you’re talking about!”
Then he went out to the gateway, and a rooster crowed.
69 When the slave girl saw him, she began again to say to the bystanders,“This
man is one of them.”
70 But he denied it again. A short time later the bystanders again said to
Peter,“You must be one of them, because you are also a Galilean.”
71 Then he began to curse, and he swore with an oath,“I do not know this man
you are talking about!”
72 Immediately a rooster crowed a second time. Then Peter remembered what Jesus
had said to him:“Before a rooster crows twice, you will deny me three
times.” And he broke down and wept.

Chapter 15

1 Jesus Brought Before Pilate Early in the morning, after forming a plan, the
chief priests with the elders and the experts in the law and the whole Sanhedrin
tied Jesus up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.
2 So Pilate asked him,“Are you the king of the Jews?” He replied,“You say
so.”
3 Then the chief priests began to accuse him repeatedly.
4 So Pilate asked him again,“Have you nothing to say? See how many charges
they are bringing against you!”
5 But Jesus made no further reply, so that Pilate was amazed.
6 Jesus and Barabbas During the feast it was customary to release one prisoner
to the people, whomever they requested.
7 A man named Barabbas was imprisoned with rebels who had committed murder
during an insurrection.
8 Then the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to release a prisoner for them,
as was his custom.
9 So Pilate asked them,“Do you want me to release the king of the Jews for
you?”
10 (For he knew that the chief priests had handed him over because of envy.)
11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas
instead.
12 So Pilate spoke to them again,“Then what do you want me to do with the one
you call king of the Jews?”
13 They shouted back,“Crucify him!”
14 Pilate asked them,“Why? What has he done wrong?” But they shouted more
insistently,“Crucify him!”
15 Because he wanted to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them.
Then, after he had Jesus flogged, he handed him over to be crucified.
16 Jesus is Mocked So the soldiers led him into the palace(that is, the
governor’s residence) and called together the whole cohort.
17 They put a purple cloak on him and after braiding a crown of thorns, they put
it on him.
18 They began to salute him:“Hail, king of the Jews!”
19 Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him.
Then they knelt down and paid homage to him.
20 When they had finished mocking him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and
put his own clothes back on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.
21 The Crucifixion The soldiers forced a passerby to carry his cross, Simon of
Cyrene, who was coming in from the country(he was the father of Alexander and
Rufus).
22 They brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha(which is translated,“Place of
the Skull”).
23 They offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.
24 Then they crucified him and divided his clothes, throwing dice for them, to
decide what each would take.
25 It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him.
26 The inscription of the charge against him read,“The king of the Jews.”
27 And they crucified two outlaws with him, one on his right and one on his
left.
29 Those who passed by defamed him, shaking their heads and saying,“Aha! You
who can destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,
30 save yourself and come down from the cross!”
31 In the same way even the chief priests– together with the experts in the
law– were mocking him among themselves:“He saved others, but he cannot save
himself!
32 Let the Christ, the king of Israel, come down from the cross now, that we may
see and believe!” Those who were crucified with him also spoke abusively to
him.
33 Jesus’ Death Now when it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until
three in the afternoon.
34 Around three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice,“Eloi, Eloi, lema
sabachthani?” which means,“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
35 When some of the bystanders heard it they said,“Listen, he is calling for
Elijah!”
36 Then someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave
it to him to drink, saying,“Leave him alone! Let’s see if Elijah will come
to take him down!”
37 But Jesus cried out with a loud voice and breathed his last.
38 And the temple curtain was torn in two, from top to bottom.
39 Now when the centurion, who stood in front of him, saw how he died, he
said,“Truly this man was God’s Son!”
40 There were also women, watching from a distance. Among them were Mary
Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome.
41 When he was in Galilee, they had followed him and given him support. Many
other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were there too.
42 Jesus’ Burial Now when evening had already come, since it was the day of
preparation(that is, the day before the Sabbath),
43 Joseph of Arimathea, a highly regarded member of the council, who was himself
looking forward to the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for the
body of Jesus.
44 Pilate was surprised that he was already dead. He called the centurion and
asked him if he had been dead for some time.
45 When Pilate was informed by the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.
46 After Joseph bought a linen cloth and took down the body, he wrapped it in
the linen and placed it in a tomb cut out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone
across the entrance of the tomb.
47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where the body was placed.

Chapter 16

1 The Resurrection When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of
James, and Salome bought aromatic spices so that they might go and anoint him.
2 And very early on the first day of the week, at sunrise, they went to the
tomb.
3 They had been asking each other,“Who will roll away the stone for us from
the entrance to the tomb?”
4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had
been rolled back.
5 Then as they went into the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe
sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.
6 But he said to them,“Do not be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the
Nazarene, who was crucified. He has been raised! He is not here. Look, there is
the place where they laid him.
7 But go, tell his disciples, even Peter, that he is going ahead of you into
Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you.”
8 Then they went out and ran from the tomb, for terror and bewilderment had
seized them. And they said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.
9 The Longer Ending of Mark[[Early on the first day of the week, after he arose,
he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had driven out seven demons.
10 She went out and told those who were with him, while they were mourning and
weeping.
11 And when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they did not
believe.
12 After this he appeared in a different form to two of them while they were on
their way to the country.
13 They went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.
14 Then he appeared to the eleven themselves, while they were eating, and he
rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not
believe those who had seen him resurrected.
15 He said to them,“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every
creature.
16 The one who believes and is baptized will be saved, but the one who does not
believe will be condemned.
17 These signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out
demons; they will speak in new languages;
18 they will pick up snakes with their hands, and whatever poison they drink
will not harm them; they will place their hands on the sick and they will be
well.”
19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and sat
down at the right hand of God.
20 They went out and proclaimed everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and
confirmed the word through the accompanying signs.]]


Luke

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Explanatory Preface Now many have undertaken to compile an account of the
things that have been fulfilled among us,
2 like the accounts passed on to us by those who were eyewitnesses and servants
of the word from the beginning.
3 So it seemed good to me as well, because I have followed all things carefully
from the beginning, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent
Theophilus,
4 so that you may know for certain the things you were taught.
5 Birth Announcement of John the Baptist During the reign of Herod king of
Judea, there lived a priest named Zechariah who belonged to the priestly
division of Abijah, and he had a wife named Elizabeth, who was a descendant of
Aaron.
6 They were both righteous in the sight of God, following all the commandments
and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly.
7 But they did not have a child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were
both very old.
8 Now while Zechariah was serving as priest before God when his division was on
duty,
9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the
holy place of the Lord and burn incense.
10 Now the whole crowd of people were praying outside at the hour of the incense
offering.
11 An angel of the Lord, standing on the right side of the altar of incense,
appeared to him.
12 And Zechariah, visibly shaken when he saw the angel, was seized with fear.
13 But the angel said to him,“Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has
been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son; you will name him John.
14 Joy and gladness will come to you, and many will rejoice at his birth,
15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or
strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.
16 He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.
17 And he will go as forerunner before the Lord in the spirit and power of
Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the
disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people
prepared for him.”
18 Zechariah said to the angel,“How can I be sure of this? For I am an old
man, and my wife is old as well.”
19 The angel answered him,“I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God,
and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.
20 And now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in
their time, you will be silent, unable to speak, until the day these things take
place.”
21 Now the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they began to wonder why he
was delayed in the holy place.
22 When he came out, he was not able to speak to them. They realized that he had
seen a vision in the holy place, because he was making signs to them and
remained unable to speak.
23 When his time of service was over, he went to his home.
24 After some time his wife Elizabeth became pregnant, and for five months she
kept herself in seclusion. She said,
25 “This is what the Lord has done for me at the time when he has been
gracious to me, to take away my disgrace among people.”
26 Birth Announcement of Jesus the Messiah In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s
pregnancy, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town of Galilee called
Nazareth,
27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
28 The angel came to her and said,“Greetings, favored one, the Lord is with
you!”
29 But she was greatly troubled by his words and began to wonder about the
meaning of this greeting.
30 So the angel said to her,“Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor
with God!
31 Listen: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name
him Jesus.
32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord
God will give him the throne of his father David.
33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never
end.”
34 Mary said to the angel,“How will this be, since I have not been intimate
with a man?”
35 The angel replied,“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the
Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be holy; he
will be called the Son of God.
36 “And look, your relative Elizabeth has also become pregnant with a son in
her old age– although she was called barren, she is now in her sixth month!
37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”
38 So Mary said,“Yes, I am a servant of the Lord; let this happen to me
according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
39 Mary and Elizabeth In those days Mary got up and went hurriedly into the hill
country, to a town of Judah,
40 and entered Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth.
41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and
Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42 She exclaimed with a loud voice,“Blessed are you among women, and blessed
is the child in your womb!
43 And who am I that the mother of my Lord should come and visit me?
44 For the instant the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my
womb leaped for joy.
45 And blessed is she who believed that what was spoken to her by the Lord would
be fulfilled.”
46 Mary’s Hymn of Praise And Mary said,“My soul exalts the Lord,
47 and my spirit has begun to rejoice in God my Savior,
48 because he has looked upon the humble state of his servant. For from now on
all generations will call me blessed,
49 because he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name;
50 from generation to generation he is merciful to those who fear him.
51 He has demonstrated power with his arm; he has scattered those whose pride
wells up from the sheer arrogance of their hearts.
52 He has brought down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up those of
lowly position;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering his mercy,
55 as he promised to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants
forever.”
56 So Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then returned to her
home.
57 The Birth of John Now the time came for Elizabeth to have her baby, and she
gave birth to a son.
58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her,
and they rejoiced with her.
59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they wanted to name
him Zechariah after his father.
60 But his mother replied,“No! He must be named John.”
61 They said to her,“But none of your relatives bears this name.”
62 So they made signs to the baby’s father, inquiring what he wanted to name
his son.
63 He asked for a writing tablet and wrote,“His name is John.” And they were
all amazed.
64 Immediately Zechariah’s mouth was opened and his tongue released, and he
spoke, blessing God.
65 All their neighbors were filled with fear, and throughout the entire hill
country of Judea all these things were talked about.
66 All who heard these things kept them in their hearts, saying,“What then
will this child be?” For the Lord’s hand was indeed with him.
67 Zechariah’s Praise and Prediction Then his father Zechariah was filled with
the Holy Spirit and prophesied,
68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, because he has come to help and has
redeemed his people.
69 For he has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant
David,
70 as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from long ago,
71 that we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate
us.
72 He has done this to show mercy to our ancestors, and to remember his holy
covenant–
73 the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham. This oath grants
74 that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, may serve him without
fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness before him for as long as we live.
76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High. For you will go
before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77 to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their
sins.
78 Because of our God’s tender mercy the dawn will break upon us from on high
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to
guide our feet into the way of peace.”
80 And the child kept growing and becoming strong in spirit, and he was in the
wilderness until the day he was revealed to Israel.

Chapter 2

1 The Census and the Birth of Jesus Now in those days a decree went out from
Caesar Augustus to register all the empire for taxes.
2 This was the first registration, taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
3 Everyone went to his own town to be registered.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the
city of David called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family line of
David.
5 He went to be registered with Mary, who was promised in marriage to him, and
who was expecting a child.
6 While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child.
7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in strips of cloth and
laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
8 The Shepherds’ Visit Now there were shepherds nearby living out in the
field, keeping guard over their flock at night.
9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around
them, and they were absolutely terrified.
10 But the angel said to them,“Do not be afraid! Listen carefully, for I
proclaim to you good news that brings great joy to all the people:
11 Today your Savior is born in the city of David. He is Christ the Lord.
12 This will be a sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth
and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a vast, heavenly army appeared with the angel, praising God and
saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among people with whom he
is pleased!”
15 When the angels left them and went back to heaven, the shepherds said to one
another,“Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place,
that the Lord has made known to us.”
16 So they hurried off and located Mary and Joseph, and found the baby lying in
a manger.
17 When they saw him, they related what they had been told about this child,
18 and all who heard it were astonished at what the shepherds said.
19 But Mary treasured up all these words, pondering in her heart what they might
mean.
20 So the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard
and seen; everything was just as they had been told.
21 At the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the
name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
22 Jesus’ Presentation at the Temple Now when the time came for their
purification according to the law of Moses, Joseph and Mary brought Jesus up to
Jerusalem to present him to the Lord
23 (just as it is written in the law of the Lord,“Every firstborn male will be
set apart to the Lord”),
24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is specified in the law of the
Lord, a pair of doves or two young pigeons.
25 The Prophecy of Simeon Now there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon who was
righteous and devout, looking for the restoration of Israel, and the Holy Spirit
was upon him.
26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before
he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
27 So Simeon, directed by the Spirit, came into the temple courts, and when the
parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what was customary according to
the law,
28 Simeon took him in his arms and blessed God, saying,
29 “Now, according to your word, Sovereign Lord, permit your servant to depart
in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation
31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples:
32 a light, for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people
Israel.”
33 So the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him.
34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary,“Listen carefully:
This child is destined to be the cause of the falling and rising of many in
Israel and to be a sign that will be rejected.
35 Indeed, as a result of him the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed–
and a sword will pierce your own soul as well!”
36 The Testimony of Anna There was also a prophetess, Anna the daughter of
Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old, having been married to her
husband for seven years until his death.
37 She had lived as a widow since then for eighty-four years. She never left the
temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.
38 At that moment, she came up to them and began to give thanks to God and to
speak about the child to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
39 So when Joseph and Mary had performed everything according to the law of the
Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom, and the favor of
God was upon him.
41 Jesus in the Temple Now Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem every year for the
Feast of the Passover.
42 When he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom.
43 But when the feast was over, as they were returning home, the boy Jesus
stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it,
44 but(because they assumed that he was in their group of travelers) they went a
day’s journey. Then they began to look for him among their relatives and
acquaintances.
45 When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the
teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.
47 And all who heard Jesus were astonished at his understanding and his answers.
48 When his parents saw him, they were overwhelmed. His mother said to
him,“Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have
been looking for you anxiously.”
49 But he replied,“Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you know that I must
be in my Father’s house?”
50 Yet his parents did not understand the remark he made to them.
51 Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them.
But his mother kept all these things in her heart.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and with
people.

Chapter 3

1 The Ministry of John the Baptist In the fifteenth year of the reign of
Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was
tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Iturea
and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene,
2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John
the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.
3 He went into all the region around the Jordan River, preaching a baptism of
repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
4 As it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,“The voice
of one shouting in the wilderness:‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make his
paths straight.
5 Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be brought low,
and the crooked will be made straight, and the rough ways will be made smooth,
6 and all humanity will see the salvation of God.’”
7 So John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him,“You
offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
8 Therefore produce fruit that proves your repentance, and don’t begin to say
to yourselves,‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God can
raise up children for Abraham from these stones!
9 Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not
produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
10 So the crowds were asking him,“What then should we do?”
11 John answered them,“The person who has two tunics must share with the
person who has none, and the person who has food must do likewise.”
12 Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him,“Teacher,
what should we do?”
13 He told them,“Collect no more than you are required to.”
14 Then some soldiers also asked him,“And as for us– what should we do?”
He told them,“Take money from no one by violence or by false accusation, and
be content with your pay.”
15 While the people were filled with anticipation and they all wondered whether
perhaps John could be the Christ,
16 John answered them all,“I baptize you with water, but one more powerful
than I am is coming– I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He
will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clean out his threshing floor and to
gather the wheat into his storehouse, but the chaff he will burn up with
inextinguishable fire.”
18 And in this way, with many other exhortations, John proclaimed good news to
the people.
19 But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of Herodias, his brother’s
wife, and because of all the evil deeds that he had done,
20 Herod added this to them all: He locked up John in prison.
21 The Baptism of Jesus Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus also was
baptized. And while he was praying, the heavens opened,
22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice
came from heaven,“You are my one dear Son; in you I take great delight.”
23 The Genealogy of Jesus So Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty
years old. He was the son(as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli,
24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai,
the son of Joseph,
25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli,
the son of Naggai,
26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of
Josech, the son of Joda,
27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of
Shealtiel, the son of Neri,
28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the
son of Er,
29 the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat,
the son of Levi,
30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the
son of Eliakim,
31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan,
the son of David,
32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala, the son
of Nahshon,
33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron,
the son of Perez, the son of Judah,
34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the
son of Nahor,
35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son
of Shelah,
36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the
son of Lamech,
37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of
Mahalalel, the son of Kenan,
38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

Chapter 4

1 The Temptation of Jesus Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the
Jordan River and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness,
2 where for forty days he endured temptations from the devil. He ate nothing
during those days, and when they were completed, he was famished.
3 The devil said to him,“If you are the Son of God, command this stone to
become bread.”
4 Jesus answered him,“It is written,‘Man does not live by bread alone.’”
5 Then the devil led him up to a high place and showed him in a flash all the
kingdoms of the world.
6 And he said to him,“To you I will grant this whole realm– and the glory
that goes along with it, for it has been relinquished to me, and I can give it
to anyone I wish.
7 So then, if you will worship me, all this will be yours.”
8 Jesus answered him,“It is written,‘You are to worship the Lord your God
and serve only him.’”
9 Then the devil brought him to Jerusalem, had him stand on the highest point of
the temple, and said to him,“If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down
from here,
10 for it is written,‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect
you,’
11 and‘with their hands they will lift you up, so that you will not strike
your foot against a stone.’”
12 Jesus answered him,“It is said,‘You are not to put the Lord your God to
the test.’”
13 So when the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from him until
a more opportune time.
14 The Beginning of Jesus’ Ministry in Galilee Then Jesus, in the power of the
Spirit, returned to Galilee, and news about him spread throughout the
surrounding countryside.
15 He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by all.
16 Rejection at Nazareth Now Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought
up, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood
up to read,
17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll
and found the place where it was written,
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim
good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and
the regaining of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down.
The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on him.
21 Then he began to tell them,“Today this scripture has been fulfilled even as
you heard it being read.”
22 All were speaking well of him, and were amazed at the gracious words coming
out of his mouth. They said,“Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”
23 Jesus said to them,“No doubt you will quote to me the proverb,‘Physician,
heal yourself!’ and say,‘What we have heard that you did in Capernaum, do
here in your hometown too.’”
24 And he added,“I tell you the truth, no prophet is acceptable in his
hometown.
25 But in truth I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s days,
when the sky was shut up three and a half years, and there was a great famine
over all the land.
26 Yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to a woman who was a widow at
Zarephath in Sidon.
27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, yet
none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”
28 When they heard this, all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage.
29 They got up, forced him out of the town, and brought him to the brow of the
hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff.
30 But he passed through the crowd and went on his way.
31 Ministry in Capernaum So he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on
the Sabbath he began to teach the people.
32 They were amazed at his teaching, because he spoke with authority.
33 Now in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon,
and he cried out with a loud voice,
34 “Ha! Leave us alone, Jesus the Nazarene! Have you come to destroy us? I
know who you are– the Holy One of God.”
35 But Jesus rebuked him:“Silence! Come out of him!” Then, after the demon
threw the man down in their midst, he came out of him without hurting him.
36 They were all amazed and began to say to one another,“What’s happening
here? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they
come out!”
37 So the news about him spread into all areas of the region.
38 After Jesus left the synagogue, he entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s
mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her.
39 So he stood over her, commanded the fever, and it left her. Immediately she
got up and began to serve them.
40 As the sun was setting, all those who had any relatives sick with various
diseases brought them to Jesus. He placed his hands on every one of them and
healed them.
41 Demons also came out of many, crying out,“You are the Son of God!” But he
rebuked them, and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was
the Christ.
42 The next morning Jesus departed and went to a deserted place. Yet the crowds
were seeking him, and they came to him and tried to keep him from leaving them.
43 But Jesus said to them,“I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God
to the other towns too, for that is what I was sent to do.”
44 So he continued to preach in the synagogues of Judea.

Chapter 5

1 The Call of the Disciples Now Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret,
and the crowd was pressing around him to hear the word of God.
2 He saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gotten out of them and
were washing their nets.
3 He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a
little way from the shore. Then Jesus sat down and taught the crowds from the
boat.
4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon,“Put out into the deep water
and lower your nets for a catch.”
5 Simon answered,“Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing! But at
your word I will lower the nets.”
6 When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets started to
tear.
7 So they motioned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them.
And they came and filled both boats, so that they were about to sink.
8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying,“Go away
from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!”
9 For Peter and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that
they had taken,
10 and so were James and John, Zebedee’s sons, who were Simon’s business
partners. Then Jesus said to Simon,“Do not be afraid; from now on you will be
catching people!”
11 So when they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and
followed him.
12 Healing a Leper While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came to him who
was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he bowed down with his face to the
ground and begged him,“Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
13 So he stretched out his hand and touched him, saying,“I am willing. Be
clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him.
14 Then he ordered the man to tell no one, but commanded him,“Go and show
yourself to a priest, and bring the offering for your cleansing, as Moses
commanded, as a testimony to them.”
15 But the news about him spread even more, and large crowds were gathering
together to hear him and to be healed of their illnesses.
16 Yet Jesus himself frequently withdrew to the wilderness and prayed.
17 Healing and Forgiving a Paralytic Now on one of those days, while he was
teaching, there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting nearby(who had
come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem), and the power
of the Lord was with him to heal.
18 Just then some men showed up, carrying a paralyzed man on a stretcher. They
were trying to bring him in and place him before Jesus.
19 But since they found no way to carry him in because of the crowd, they went
up on the roof and let him down on the stretcher through the roof tiles right in
front of Jesus.
20 When Jesus saw their faith he said,“Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
21 Then the experts in the law and the Pharisees began to think to
themselves,“Who is this man who is uttering blasphemies? Who can forgive sins
but God alone?”
22 When Jesus perceived their hostile thoughts, he said to them,“Why are you
raising objections within yourselves?
23 Which is easier, to say,‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say,‘Stand up
and walk’?
24 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to
forgive sins”– he said to the paralyzed man–“I tell you, stand up, take
your stretcher and go home.”
25 Immediately he stood up before them, picked up the stretcher he had been
lying on, and went home, glorifying God.
26 Then astonishment seized them all, and they glorified God. They were filled
with awe, saying,“We have seen incredible things today.”
27 The Call of Levi; Eating with Sinners After this, Jesus went out and saw a
tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax booth.“Follow me,” he said to
him.
28 And he got up and followed him, leaving everything behind.
29 Then Levi gave a great banquet in his house for Jesus, and there was a large
crowd of tax collectors and others sitting at the table with them.
30 But the Pharisees and their experts in the law complained to his disciples,
saying,“Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
31 Jesus answered them,“Those who are well don’t need a physician, but those
who are sick do.
32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
33 The Superiority of the New Then they said to him,“John’s disciples
frequently fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours
continue to eat and drink.”
34 So Jesus said to them,“You cannot make the wedding guests fast while the
bridegroom is with them, can you?
35 But those days are coming, and when the bridegroom is taken from them, at
that time they will fast.”
36 He also told them a parable:“No one tears a patch from a new garment and
sews it on an old garment. If he does, he will have torn the new, and the piece
from the new will not match the old.
37 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will
burst the skins and will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed.
38 Instead new wine must be poured into new wineskins.
39 No one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says,‘The old is good
enough.’”

Chapter 6

1 Lord of the Sabbath Jesus was going through the grain fields on a Sabbath, and
his disciples picked some heads of wheat, rubbed them in their hands, and ate
them.
2 But some of the Pharisees said,“Why are you doing what is against the law on
the Sabbath?”
3 Jesus answered them,“Haven’t you read what David did when he and his
companions were hungry–
4 how he entered the house of God, took and ate the sacred bread, which is not
lawful for any to eat but the priests alone, and gave it to his companions?”
5 Then he said to them,“The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”
6 Healing a Withered Hand On another Sabbath, Jesus entered the synagogue and
was teaching. Now a man was there whose right hand was withered.
7 The experts in the law and the Pharisees watched Jesus closely to see if he
would heal on the Sabbath, so that they could find a reason to accuse him.
8 But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered
hand,“Get up and stand here.” So he rose and stood there.
9 Then Jesus said to them,“I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath
or to do evil, to save a life or to destroy it?”
10 After looking around at them all, he said to the man,“Stretch out your
hand.” The man did so, and his hand was restored.
11 But they were filled with mindless rage and began debating with one another
what they would do to Jesus.
12 Choosing the Twelve Apostles Now it was during this time that Jesus went out
to the mountain to pray, and he spent all night in prayer to God.
13 When morning came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he
also named apostles:
14 Simon(whom he named Peter), and his brother Andrew; and James, John, Philip,
Bartholomew,
15 Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot,
16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
17 The Sermon on the Plain Then he came down with them and stood on a level
place. And a large number of his disciples had gathered along with a vast
multitude from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and
Sidon. They came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases,
18 and those who suffered from unclean spirits were cured.
19 The whole crowd was trying to touch him, because power was coming out from
him and healing them all.
20 Then he looked up at his disciples and said:“Blessed are you who are poor,
for the kingdom of God belongs to you.
21 “Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.“Blessed are
you who weep now, for you will laugh.
22 “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you and insult
you and reject you as evil on account of the Son of Man!
23 Rejoice in that day, and jump for joy, because your reward is great in
heaven. For their ancestors did the same things to the prophets.
24 “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your comfort already.
25 “Woe to you who are well satisfied with food now, for you will be
hungry.“Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.
26 “Woe to you when all people speak well of you, for their ancestors did the
same things to the false prophets.
27 “But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies, do good to those
who hate you,
28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
29 To the person who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other as well, and from
the person who takes away your coat, do not withhold your tunic either.
30 Give to everyone who asks you, and do not ask for your possessions back from
the person who takes them away.
31 Treat others in the same way that you would want them to treat you.
32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even
sinners love those who love them.
33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?
Even sinners do the same.
34 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to be repaid, what credit is that
to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, so that they may be repaid in full.
35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing back. Then
your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is
kind to ungrateful and evil people.
36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
37 Do Not Judge Others“Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not
condemn, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven.
38 Give, and it will be given to you: A good measure, pressed down, shaken
together, running over, will be poured into your lap. For the measure you use
will be the measure you receive.”
39 He also told them a parable:“Someone who is blind cannot lead another who
is blind, can he? Won’t they both fall into a pit?
40 A disciple is not greater than his teacher, but everyone when fully trained
will be like his teacher.
41 Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to see the beam of
wood in your own?
42 How can you say to your brother,‘Brother, let me remove the speck from your
eye,’ while you yourself don’t see the beam in your own? You hypocrite!
First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove
the speck from your brother’s eye.
43 “For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good
fruit,
44 for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from
thorns, nor are grapes picked from brambles.
45 The good person out of the good treasury of his heart produces good, and the
evil person out of his evil treasury produces evil, for his mouth speaks from
what fills his heart.
46 “Why do you call me‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do what I tell you?
47 “Everyone who comes to me and listens to my words and puts them into
practice– I will show you what he is like:
48 He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep, and laid the foundation
on bedrock. When a flood came, the river burst against that house but could not
shake it, because it had been well built.
49 But the person who hears and does not put my words into practice is like a
man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst
against that house, it collapsed immediately, and was utterly destroyed!”

Chapter 7

1 Healing the Centurion’s Slave After Jesus had finished teaching all this to
the people, he entered Capernaum.
2 A centurion there had a slave who was highly regarded, but who was sick and at
the point of death.
3 When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him,
asking him to come and heal his slave.
4 When they came to Jesus, they urged him earnestly,“He is worthy to have you
do this for him,
5 because he loves our nation, and even built our synagogue.”
6 So Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion
sent friends to say to him,“Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy
to have you come under my roof!
7 That is why I did not presume to come to you. Instead, say the word, and my
servant must be healed.
8 For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me. I say to this
one,‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another,‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my
slave,‘Do this!’ and he does it.”
9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him. He turned and said to the crowd
that followed him,“I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith!”
10 So when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave
well.
11 Raising a Widow’s Son Soon afterward Jesus went to a town called Nain, and
his disciples and a large crowd went with him.
12 As he approached the town gate, a man who had died was being carried out, the
only son of his mother(who was a widow), and a large crowd from the town was
with her.
13 When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her,“Do not
weep.”
14 Then he came up and touched the bier, and those who carried it stood still.
He said,“Young man, I say to you, get up!”
15 So the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him back to his
mother.
16 Fear seized them all, and they began to glorify God, saying,“A great
prophet has appeared among us!” and“God has come to help his people!”
17 This report about Jesus circulated throughout Judea and all the surrounding
country.
18 Jesus and John the Baptist John’s disciples informed him about all these
things. So John called two of his disciples
19 and sent them to Jesus to ask,“Are you the one who is to come, or should we
look for another?”
20 When the men came to Jesus, they said,“John the Baptist has sent us to you
to ask,‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?’”
21 At that very time Jesus cured many people of diseases, sicknesses, and evil
spirits, and granted sight to many who were blind.
22 So he answered them,“Go tell John what you have seen and heard: The blind
see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the
poor have good news proclaimed to them.
23 Blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”
24 When John’s messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about
John:“What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the
wind?
25 What did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Look, those who
wear soft clothing and live in luxury are in the royal palaces!
26 What did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a
prophet.
27 This is the one about whom it is written,‘Look, I am sending my messenger
ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’
28 I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater than John. Yet the
one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he is.”
29 (Now all the people who heard this, even the tax collectors, acknowledged
God’s justice, because they had been baptized with John’s baptism.
30 However, the Pharisees and the experts in religious law rejected God’s
purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.)
31 “To what then should I compare the people of this generation, and what are
they like?
32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to one
another,‘We played the flute for you, yet you did not dance; we wailed in
mourning, yet you did not weep.’
33 For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you
say,‘He has a demon!’
34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say,‘Look at him, a
glutton and a drunk, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’
35 But wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”
36 Jesus’ Anointing Now one of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with
him, so he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table.
37 Then when a woman of that town, who was a sinner, learned that Jesus was
dining at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfumed oil.
38 As she stood behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with
her tears. She wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with the
perfumed oil.
39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself,“If
this man were a prophet, he would know who and what kind of woman this is who is
touching him, that she is a sinner.”
40 So Jesus answered him,“Simon, I have something to say to you.” He
replied,“Say it, Teacher.”
41 “A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed him five hundred silver
coins, and the other fifty.
42 When they could not pay, he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them
will love him more?”
43 Simon answered,“I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.”
Jesus said to him,“You have judged rightly.”
44 Then, turning toward the woman, he said to Simon,“Do you see this woman? I
entered your house. You gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet
with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
45 You gave me no kiss of greeting, but from the time I entered she has not
stopped kissing my feet.
46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with
perfumed oil.
47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which were many, are forgiven, thus she loved
much; but the one who is forgiven little loves little.”
48 Then Jesus said to her,“Your sins are forgiven.”
49 But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves,“Who
is this, who even forgives sins?”
50 He said to the woman,“Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Chapter 8

1 Jesus’ Ministry and the Help of Women Some time afterward he went on through
towns and villages, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of
God. The twelve were with him,
2 and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and disabilities:
Mary(called Magdalene), from whom seven demons had gone out,
3 and Joanna the wife of Cuza(Herod’s household manager), Susanna, and many
others who provided for them out of their own resources.
4 The Parable of the Sower While a large crowd was gathering and people were
coming to Jesus from one town after another, he spoke to them in a parable:
5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path
and was trampled on, and the wild birds devoured it.
6 Other seed fell on rock, and when it came up, it withered because it had no
moisture.
7 Other seed fell among the thorns, and they grew up with it and choked it.
8 But other seed fell on good soil and grew, and it produced a hundred times as
much grain.” As he said this, he called out,“The one who has ears to hear
had better listen!”
9 Then his disciples asked him what this parable meant.
10 He said,“You have been given the opportunity to know the secrets of the
kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that although they see
they may not see, and although they hear they may not understand.
11 “Now the parable means this: The seed is the word of God.
12 Those along the path are the ones who have heard; then the devil comes and
takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be
saved.
13 Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear
it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in a time of testing
fall away.
14 As for the seed that fell among thorns, these are the ones who hear, but as
they go on their way they are choked by the worries and riches and pleasures of
life, and their fruit does not mature.
15 But as for the seed that landed on good soil, these are the ones who, after
hearing the word, cling to it with an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with
steadfast endurance.
16 Showing the Light“No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a jar or
puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lampstand so that those who come in can
see the light.
17 For nothing is hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing concealed that
will not be made known and brought to light.
18 So listen carefully, for whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not
have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him.”
19 Jesus’ True Family Now Jesus’ mother and his brothers came to him, but
they could not get near him because of the crowd.
20 So he was told,“Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting
to see you.”
21 But he replied to them,“My mother and my brothers are those who hear the
word of God and do it.”
22 Stilling of a Storm One day Jesus got into a boat with his disciples and said
to them,“Let’s go across to the other side of the lake.” So they set out,
23 and as they sailed he fell asleep. Now a violent windstorm came down on the
lake, and the boat started filling up with water, and they were in danger.
24 They came and woke him, saying,“Master, Master, we are about to die!” So
he got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; they died down, and it was
calm.
25 Then he said to them,“Where is your faith?” But they were afraid and
amazed, saying to one another,“Who then is this? He commands even the winds
and the water, and they obey him!”
26 Healing of a Demoniac So they sailed over to the region of the Gerasenes,
which is opposite Galilee.
27 As Jesus stepped ashore, a certain man from the town met him who was
possessed by demons. For a long time this man had worn no clothes and had not
lived in a house, but among the tombs.
28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before him, and shouted with a
loud voice,“Leave me alone, Jesus, Son of the Most High God! I beg you, do not
torment me!”
29 For Jesus had started commanding the evil spirit to come out of the man.(For
it had seized him many times, so he would be bound with chains and shackles and
kept under guard. But he would break the restraints and be driven by the demon
into deserted places.)
30 Jesus then asked him,“What is your name?” He said,“Legion,” because
many demons had entered him.
31 And they began to beg him not to order them to depart into the abyss.
32 Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and the demonic
spirits begged Jesus to let them go into them. He gave them permission.
33 So the demons came out of the man and went into the pigs, and the herd of
pigs rushed down the steep slope into the lake and drowned.
34 When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran off and spread the news in
the town and countryside.
35 So the people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus. They
found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet,
clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.
36 Those who had seen it told them how the man who had been demon-possessed had
been healed.
37 Then all the people of the Gerasenes and the surrounding region asked Jesus
to leave them alone, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the
boat and left.
38 The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus
sent him away, saying,
39 “Return to your home, and declare what God has done for you.” So he went
away, proclaiming throughout the whole town what Jesus had done for him.
40 Restoration and Healing Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him,
because they were all waiting for him.
41 Then a man named Jairus, who was a leader of the synagogue, came up. Falling
at Jesus’ feet, he pleaded with him to come to his house,
42 because he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying.
As Jesus was on his way, the crowds pressed around him.
43 Now a woman was there who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve
years but could not be healed by anyone.
44 She came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of his cloak, and at once the
bleeding stopped.
45 Then Jesus asked,“Who was it who touched me?” When they all denied it,
Peter said,“Master, the crowds are surrounding you and pressing against
you!”
46 But Jesus said,“Someone touched me, for I know that power has gone out from
me.”
47 When the woman saw that she could not escape notice, she came trembling and
fell down before him. In the presence of all the people, she explained why she
had touched him and how she had been immediately healed.
48 Then he said to her,“Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in
peace.”
49 While he was still speaking, someone from the synagogue leader’s house came
and said,“Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the teacher any longer.”
50 But when Jesus heard this, he told him,“Do not be afraid; just believe, and
she will be healed.”
51 Now when he came to the house, Jesus did not let anyone go in with him except
Peter, John, and James, and the child’s father and mother.
52 Now they were all wailing and mourning for her, but he said,“Stop your
weeping; she is not dead but asleep!”
53 And they began making fun of him, because they knew that she was dead.
54 But Jesus gently took her by the hand and said,“Child, get up.”
55 Her spirit returned, and she got up immediately. Then he told them to give
her something to eat.
56 Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them to tell no one what had
happened.

Chapter 9

1 The Sending of the Twelve Apostles After Jesus called the twelve together, he
gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases,
2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
3 He said to them,“Take nothing for your journey– no staff, no bag, no
bread, no money, and do not take an extra tunic.
4 Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave the area.
5 Wherever they do not receive you, as you leave that town, shake the dust off
your feet as a testimony against them.”
6 Then they departed and went throughout the villages, proclaiming the good news
and healing people everywhere.
7 Herod’s Confusion about Jesus Now Herod the tetrarch heard about everything
that was happening, and he was thoroughly perplexed, because some people were
saying that John had been raised from the dead,
8 while others were saying that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one
of the prophets of long ago had risen.
9 Herod said,“I had John beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such
things?” So Herod wanted to learn about Jesus.
10 The Feeding of the Five Thousand When the apostles returned, they told Jesus
everything they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew privately
to a town called Bethsaida.
11 But when the crowds found out, they followed him. He welcomed them, spoke to
them about the kingdom of God, and cured those who needed healing.
12 Now the day began to draw to a close, so the twelve came and said to
Jesus,“Send the crowd away, so they can go into the surrounding villages and
countryside and find lodging and food, because we are in an isolated place.”
13 But he said to them,“You give them something to eat.” They replied,“We
have no more than five loaves and two fish– unless we go and buy food for all
these people.”
14 (Now about five thousand men were there.) Then he said to his
disciples,“Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.”
15 So they did as Jesus directed, and the people all sat down.
16 Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven he
gave thanks and broke them. He gave them to the disciples to set before the
crowd.
17 They all ate and were satisfied, and what was left over was picked up–
twelve baskets of broken pieces.
18 Peter’s Confession Once when Jesus was praying by himself, and his
disciples were nearby, he asked them,“Who do the crowds say that I am?”
19 They answered,“John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others that
one of the prophets of long ago has risen.”
20 Then he said to them,“But who do you say that I am?” Peter
answered,“The Christ of God.”
21 But he forcefully commanded them not to tell this to anyone,
22 saying,“The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the
elders, chief priests, and experts in the law, and be killed, and on the third
day be raised.”
23 A Call to Discipleship Then he said to them all,“If anyone wants to become
my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.
24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life
because of me will save it.
25 For what does it benefit a person if he gains the whole world but loses or
forfeits himself?
26 For whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of
that person when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the
holy angels.
27 But I tell you most certainly, there are some standing here who will not
experience death before they see the kingdom of God.”
28 The Transfiguration Now about eight days after these sayings, Jesus took with
him Peter, John, and James, and went up the mountain to pray.
29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face was transformed, and his
clothes became very bright, a brilliant white.
30 Then two men, Moses and Elijah, began talking with him.
31 They appeared in glorious splendor and spoke about his departure that he was
about to carry out at Jerusalem.
32 Now Peter and those with him were quite sleepy, but as they became fully
awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.
33 Then as the men were starting to leave, Peter said to Jesus,“Master, it is
good for us to be here. Let us make three shelters, one for you and one for
Moses and one for Elijah”– not knowing what he was saying.
34 As he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were
afraid as they entered the cloud.
35 Then a voice came from the cloud, saying,“This is my Son, my Chosen One.
Listen to him!”
36 After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. So they kept silent and
told no one at that time anything of what they had seen.
37 Healing a Boy with an Unclean Spirit Now on the next day, when they had come
down from the mountain, a large crowd met him.
38 Then a man from the crowd cried out,“Teacher, I beg you to look at my
son– he is my only child!
39 A spirit seizes him, and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions
and causes him to foam at the mouth. It hardly ever leaves him alone, torturing
him severely.
40 I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not do so.”
41 Jesus answered,“You unbelieving and perverse generation! How much longer
must I be with you and endure you? Bring your son here.”
42 As the boy was approaching, the demon threw him to the ground and shook him
with convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave
him back to his father.
43 Then they were all astonished at the mighty power of God.Another Prediction
of Jesus’ Suffering But while the entire crowd was amazed at everything Jesus
was doing, he said to his disciples,
44 “Take these words to heart, for the Son of Man is going to be betrayed into
the hands of men.”
45 But they did not understand this statement; its meaning had been concealed
from them, so that they could not grasp it. Yet they were afraid to ask him
about this statement.
46 Concerning the Greatest Now an argument started among the disciples as to
which of them might be the greatest.
47 But when Jesus discerned their innermost thoughts, he took a child, had him
stand by his side,
48 and said to them,“Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me, and
whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me, for the one who is least among
you all is the one who is great.”
49 On the Right Side John answered,“Master, we saw someone casting out demons
in your name, and we tried to stop him because he is not a disciple along with
us.”
50 But Jesus said to him,“Do not stop him, for whoever is not against you is
for you.”
51 Rejection in Samaria Now when the days drew near for him to be taken up,
Jesus set out resolutely to go to Jerusalem.
52 He sent messengers on ahead of him. As they went along, they entered a
Samaritan village to make things ready in advance for him,
53 but the villagers refused to welcome him, because he was determined to go to
Jerusalem.
54 Now when his disciples James and John saw this, they said,“Lord, do you
want us to call fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”
55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them,
56 and they went on to another village.
57 Challenging Professed Followers As they were walking along the road, someone
said to him,“I will follow you wherever you go.”
58 Jesus said to him,“Foxes have dens and the birds in the sky have nests, but
the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
59 Jesus said to another,“Follow me.” But he replied,“Lord, first let me
go and bury my father.”
60 But Jesus said to him,“Let the dead bury their own dead, but as for you, go
and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
61 Yet another said,“I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say goodbye to
my family.”
62 Jesus said to him,“No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is
fit for the kingdom of God.”

Chapter 10

1 The Mission of the Seventy-Two After this the Lord appointed seventy-two
others and sent them on ahead of him two by two into every town and place where
he himself was about to go.
2 He said to them,“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.
Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.
3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs surrounded by wolves.
4 Do not carry a money bag, a traveler’s bag, or sandals, and greet no one on
the road.
5 Whenever you enter a house, first say,‘May peace be on this house!’
6 And if a peace-loving person is there, your peace will remain on him, but if
not, it will return to you.
7 Stay in that same house, eating and drinking what they give you, for the
worker deserves his pay. Do not move around from house to house.
8 Whenever you enter a town and the people welcome you, eat what is set before
you.
9 Heal the sick in that town and say to them,‘The kingdom of God has come upon
you!’
10 But whenever you enter a town and the people do not welcome you, go into its
streets and say,
11 ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against
you. Nevertheless know this: The kingdom of God has come.’
12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that
town!
13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles done in
you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting
in sackcloth and ashes.
14 But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment than for you!
15 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be thrown
down to Hades!
16 “The one who listens to you listens to me, and the one who rejects you
rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”
17 Then the seventy-two returned with joy, saying,“Lord, even the demons
submit to us in your name!”
18 So he said to them,“I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
19 Look, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions and on the
full force of the enemy, and nothing will hurt you.
20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that
your names stand written in heaven.”
21 On that same occasion Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said,“I praise
you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from
the wise and intelligent, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for
this was your gracious will.
22 All things have been given to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is
except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the
Son decides to reveal him.”
23 Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said privately,“Blessed are the eyes
that see what you see!
24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings longed to see what you see but
did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”
25 The Parable of the Good Samaritan Now an expert in religious law stood up to
test Jesus, saying,“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 He said to him,“What is written in the law? How do you understand it?”
27 The expert answered,“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all
your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your
neighbor as yourself.”
28 Jesus said to him,“You have answered correctly; do this, and you will
live.”
29 But the expert, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus,“And who is my
neighbor?”
30 Jesus replied,“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell
into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him up, and went off, leaving
him half dead.
31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, but when he saw the injured
man he passed by on the other side.
32 So too a Levite, when he came up to the place and saw him, passed by on the
other side.
33 But a Samaritan who was traveling came to where the injured man was, and when
he saw him, he felt compassion for him.
34 He went up to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring olive oil and wine on
them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of
him.
35 The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper,
saying,‘Take care of him, and whatever else you spend, I will repay you when I
come back this way.’
36 Which of these three do you think became a neighbor to the man who fell into
the hands of the robbers?”
37 The expert in religious law said,“The one who showed mercy to him.” So
Jesus said to him,“Go and do the same.”
38 Jesus and Martha Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a certain
village where a woman named Martha welcomed him as a guest.
39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to
what he said.
40 But Martha was distracted with all the preparations she had to make, so she
came up to him and said,“Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to
do all the work alone? Tell her to help me.”
41 But the Lord answered her,“Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled
about many things,
42 but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the best part; it will not be taken
away from her.”

Chapter 11

1 Instructions on Prayer Now Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he
stopped, one of his disciples said to him,“Lord, teach us to pray, just as
John taught his disciples.”
2 So he said to them,“When you pray, say: Father, may your name be honored;
may your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread,
4 and forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And
do not lead us into temptation.”
5 Then he said to them,“Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at
midnight and say to him,‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
6 because a friend of mine has stopped here while on a journey, and I have
nothing to set before him.’
7 Then he will reply from inside,‘Do not bother me. The door is already shut,
and my children and I are in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything.’
8 I tell you, even though the man inside will not get up and give him anything
because he is his friend, yet because of the first man’s sheer persistence he
will get up and give him whatever he needs.
9 “So I tell you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find;
knock, and the door will be opened for you.
10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one
who knocks, the door will be opened.
11 What father among you, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake
instead of a fish?
12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?
13 If you then, although you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your
children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those
who ask him!”
14 Jesus and Beelzebul Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the
demon had gone out, the man who had been mute began to speak, and the crowds
were amazed.
15 But some of them said,“By the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of demons, he
casts out demons!”
16 Others, to test him, began asking for a sign from heaven.
17 But Jesus, realizing their thoughts, said to them,“Every kingdom divided
against itself is destroyed, and a divided household falls.
18 So if Satan too is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? I ask
you this because you claim that I cast out demons by Beelzebul.
19 Now if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out?
Therefore they will be your judges.
20 But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has
already overtaken you.
21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his possessions are
safe.
22 But when a stronger man attacks and conquers him, he takes away the first
man’s armor on which the man relied and divides up his plunder.
23 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me
scatters.
24 Response to Jesus’ Work“When an unclean spirit goes out of a person, it
passes through waterless places looking for rest but not finding any. Then it
says,‘I will return to the home I left.’
25 When it returns, it finds the house swept clean and put in order.
26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they
go in and live there, so the last state of that person is worse than the
first.”
27 As he said these things, a woman in the crowd spoke out to him,“Blessed is
the womb that bore you and the breasts at which you nursed!”
28 But he replied,“Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey
it!”
29 The Sign of Jonah As the crowds were increasing, Jesus began to say,“This
generation is a wicked generation; it looks for a sign, but no sign will be
given to it except the sign of Jonah.
30 For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man
will be a sign to this generation.
31 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the people of this
generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear
the wisdom of Solomon– and now, something greater than Solomon is here!
32 The people of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and
condemn it, because they repented when Jonah preached to them– and now,
something greater than Jonah is here!
33 Internal Light“No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a hidden place or
under a basket, but on a lampstand, so that those who come in can see the light.
34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body
is full of light, but when it is diseased, your body is full of darkness.
35 Therefore see to it that the light in you is not darkness.
36 If then your whole body is full of light, with no part in the dark, it will
be as full of light as when the light of a lamp shines on you.”
37 Rebuking the Pharisees and Experts in the Law As he spoke, a Pharisee invited
Jesus to have a meal with him, so he went in and took his place at the table.
38 The Pharisee was astonished when he saw that Jesus did not first wash his
hands before the meal.
39 But the Lord said to him,“Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup
and the plate, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.
40 You fools! Didn’t the one who made the outside make the inside as well?
41 But give from your heart to those in need, and then everything will be clean
for you.
42 “But woe to you Pharisees! You give a tenth of your mint, rue, and every
herb, yet you neglect justice and love for God! But you should have done these
things without neglecting the others.
43 Woe to you Pharisees! You love the best seats in the synagogues and elaborate
greetings in the marketplaces!
44 Woe to you! You are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without
realizing it!”
45 One of the experts in religious law answered him,“Teacher, when you say
these things you insult us too.”
46 But Jesus replied,“Woe to you experts in religious law as well! You load
people down with burdens difficult to bear, yet you yourselves refuse to touch
the burdens with even one of your fingers!
47 Woe to you! You build the tombs of the prophets whom your ancestors killed.
48 So you testify that you approve of the deeds of your ancestors, because they
killed the prophets and you build their tombs!
49 For this reason also the wisdom of God said,‘I will send them prophets and
apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’
50 so that this generation may be held accountable for the blood of all the
prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world,
51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the
altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be charged against this
generation.
52 Woe to you experts in religious law! You have taken away the key to
knowledge! You did not go in yourselves, and you hindered those who were going
in.”
53 When he went out from there, the experts in the law and the Pharisees began
to oppose him bitterly, and to ask him hostile questions about many things,
54 plotting against him, to catch him in something he might say.

Chapter 12

1 Fear God, Not People Meanwhile, when many thousands of the crowd had gathered
so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his
disciples,“Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is
hypocrisy.
2 Nothing is hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing is secret that will
not be made known.
3 So then whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and
what you have whispered in private rooms will be proclaimed from the housetops.
4 “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and
after that have nothing more they can do.
5 But I will warn you whom you should fear: Fear the one who, after the killing,
has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!
6 Aren’t five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten
before God.
7 In fact, even the hairs on your head are all numbered. Do not be afraid; you
are more valuable than many sparrows.
8 “I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also
acknowledge before God’s angels.
9 But the one who denies me before men will be denied before God’s angels.
10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but
the person who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
11 But when they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the
authorities, do not worry about how you should make your defense or what you
should say,
12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you must say.”
13 The Parable of the Rich Landowner Then someone from the crowd said to
him,“Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
14 But Jesus said to him,“Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator between you
two?”
15 Then he said to them,“Watch out and guard yourself from all types of greed,
because one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
16 He then told them a parable:“The land of a certain rich man produced an
abundant crop,
17 so he thought to himself,‘What should I do, for I have nowhere to store my
crops?’
18 Then he said,‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build bigger
ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
19 And I will say to myself,“You have plenty of goods stored up for many
years; relax, eat, drink, celebrate!”’
20 But God said to him,‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded
back from you, but who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
21 So it is with the one who stores up riches for himself, but is not rich
toward God.”
22 Exhortation Not to Worry Then Jesus said to his disciples,“Therefore I tell
you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what
you will wear.
23 For there is more to life than food, and more to the body than clothing.
24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn,
yet God feeds them. How much more valuable are you than the birds!
25 And which of you by worrying can add an hour to his life?
26 So if you cannot do such a very little thing as this, why do you worry about
the rest?
27 Consider how the flowers grow; they do not work or spin. Yet I tell you, not
even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these!
28 And if this is how God clothes the wild grass, which is here today and
tomorrow is tossed into the fire to heat the oven, how much more will he clothe
you, you people of little faith!
29 So do not be overly concerned about what you will eat and what you will
drink, and do not worry about such things.
30 For all the nations of the world pursue these things, and your Father knows
that you need them.
31 Instead, pursue his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is well pleased to give
you the kingdom.
33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourselves purses that do
not wear out– a treasure in heaven that never decreases, where no thief
approaches and no moth destroys.
34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
35 Call to Faithful Stewardship“Get dressed for service and keep your lamps
burning;
36 be like people waiting for their master to come back from the wedding
celebration, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door
for him.
37 Blessed are those slaves whom their master finds alert when he returns! I
tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, have them take their place
at the table, and will come and wait on them!
38 Even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night and finds them
alert, blessed are those slaves!
39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the
thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.
40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you
do not expect him.”
41 Then Peter said,“Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for
everyone?”
42 The Lord replied,“Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the
master puts in charge of his household servants, to give them their allowance of
food at the proper time?
43 Blessed is that slave whom his master finds at work when he returns.
44 I tell you the truth, the master will put him in charge of all his
possessions.
45 But if that slave should say to himself,‘My master is delayed in
returning,’ and he begins to beat the other slaves, both men and women, and to
eat, drink, and get drunk,
46 then the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him
and at an hour he does not foresee, and will cut him in two, and assign him a
place with the unfaithful.
47 That servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or do what
his master asked will receive a severe beating.
48 But the one who did not know his master’s will and did things worthy of
punishment will receive a light beating. From everyone who has been given much,
much will be required, and from the one who has been entrusted with much, even
more will be asked.
49 Not Peace, but Division“I have come to bring fire on the earth– and how I
wish it were already kindled!
50 I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is finished!
51 Do you think I have come to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather
division!
52 For from now on there will be five in one household divided, three against
two and two against three.
53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother
against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her
daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
54 Reading the Signs Jesus also said to the crowds,“When you see a cloud
rising in the west, you say at once,‘A rainstorm is coming,’ and it does.
55 And when you see the south wind blowing, you say,‘There will be scorching
heat,’ and there is.
56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the
sky, but how can you not know how to interpret the present time?
57 Clear the Debts“And why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right?
58 As you are going with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to
settle with him on the way, so that he will not drag you before the judge, and
the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.
59 I tell you, you will never get out of there until you have paid the very last
cent!”

Chapter 13

1 A Call to Repent Now there were some present on that occasion who told him
about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.
2 He answered them,“Do you think these Galileans were worse sinners than all
the other Galileans, because they suffered these things?
3 No, I tell you! But unless you repent, you will all perish as well!
4 Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower in Siloam fell on them, do
you think they were worse offenders than all the others who live in Jerusalem?
5 No, I tell you! But unless you repent you will all perish as well!”
6 Warning to Israel to Bear Fruit Then Jesus told this parable:“A man had a
fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it and found
none.
7 So he said to the worker who tended the vineyard,‘For three years now, I
have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and each time I inspect it I find
none. Cut it down! Why should it continue to deplete the soil?’
8 But the worker answered him,‘Sir, leave it alone this year too, until I dig
around it and put fertilizer on it.
9 Then if it bears fruit next year, very well, but if not, you can cut it
down.’”
10 Healing on the Sabbath Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the
Sabbath,
11 and a woman was there who had been disabled by a spirit for eighteen years.
She was bent over and could not straighten herself up completely.
12 When Jesus saw her, he called her to him and said,“Woman, you are freed
from your infirmity.”
13 Then he placed his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and
praised God.
14 But the president of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the
Sabbath, said to the crowd,“There are six days on which work should be done!
So come and be healed on those days, and not on the Sabbath day.”
15 Then the Lord answered him,“You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the
Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from its stall, and lead it to water?
16 Then shouldn’t this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for
eighteen long years, be released from this imprisonment on the Sabbath day?”
17 When he said this all his adversaries were humiliated, but the entire crowd
was rejoicing at all the wonderful things he was doing.
18 On the Kingdom of God Thus Jesus asked,“What is the kingdom of God like? To
what should I compare it?
19 It is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden. It grew
and became a tree, and the wild birds nested in its branches.”
20 Again he said,“To what should I compare the kingdom of God?
21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour
until all the dough had risen.”
22 The Narrow Door Then Jesus traveled throughout towns and villages, teaching
and making his way toward Jerusalem.
23 Someone asked him,“Lord, will only a few be saved?” So he said to them,
24 “Exert every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell
you, will try to enter and will not be able to.
25 Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, then you will stand
outside and start to knock on the door and beg him,‘Lord, let us in!’ But he
will answer you,‘I don’t know where you come from.’
26 Then you will begin to say,‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you
taught in our streets.’
27 But he will reply,‘I don’t know where you come from! Go away from me, all
you evildoers!’
28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac,
Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves thrown out.
29 Then people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and take
their places at the banquet table in the kingdom of God.
30 But indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be
last.”
31 Going to Jerusalem At that time, some Pharisees came up and said to
Jesus,“Get away from here, because Herod wants to kill you.”
32 But he said to them,“Go and tell that fox,‘Look, I am casting out demons
and performing healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will complete
my work.
33 Nevertheless I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the next day, because
it is impossible that a prophet should be killed outside Jerusalem.’
34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are
sent to you! How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen
gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would have none of it!
35 Look, your house is forsaken! And I tell you, you will not see me until you
say,‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

Chapter 14

1 Healing Again on the Sabbath Now one Sabbath when Jesus went to dine at the
house of a leader of the Pharisees, they were watching him closely.
2 There right in front of him was a man whose body was swollen with fluid.
3 So Jesus asked the experts in religious law and the Pharisees,“Is it lawful
to heal on the Sabbath or not?”
4 But they remained silent. So Jesus took hold of the man, healed him, and sent
him away.
5 Then he said to them,“Which of you, if you have a son or an ox that has
fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?”
6 But they could not reply to this.
7 On Seeking Seats of Honor Then when Jesus noticed how the guests chose the
places of honor, he told them a parable. He said to them,
8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place
of honor, because a person more distinguished than you may have been invited by
your host.
9 So the host who invited both of you will come and say to you,‘Give this man
your place.’ Then, ashamed, you will begin to move to the least important
place.
10 But when you are invited, go and take the least important place, so that when
your host approaches he will say to you,‘Friend, move up here to a better
place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who share the meal
with you.
11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles
himself will be exalted.”
12 He said also to the man who had invited him,“When you host a dinner or a
banquet, don’t invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich
neighbors so you can be invited by them in return and get repaid.
13 But when you host an elaborate meal, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame,
and the blind.
14 Then you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be
repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
15 The Parable of the Great Banquet When one of those at the meal with Jesus
heard this, he said to him,“Blessed is everyone who will feast in the kingdom
of God!”
16 But Jesus said to him,“A man once gave a great banquet and invited many
guests.
17 At the time for the banquet he sent his slave to tell those who had been
invited,‘Come, because everything is now ready.’
18 But one after another they all began to make excuses. The first said to
him,‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please excuse me.’
19 Another said,‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going out to
examine them. Please excuse me.’
20 Another said,‘I just got married, and I cannot come.’
21 So the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the master of
the household was furious and said to his slave,‘Go out quickly to the streets
and alleys of the city, and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the
lame.’
22 Then the slave said,‘Sir, what you instructed has been done, and there is
still room.’
23 So the master said to his slave,‘Go out to the highways and country roads
and urge people to come in, so that my house will be filled.
24 For I tell you, not one of those individuals who were invited will taste my
banquet!’”
25 Counting the Cost Now large crowds were accompanying Jesus, and turning to
them he said,
26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, and
wife and children, and brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be
my disciple.
27 Whoever does not carry his own cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
28 For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t sit down first and
compute the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?
29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish the tower,
all who see it will begin to make fun of him.
30 They will say,‘This man began to build and was not able to finish!’
31 Or what king, going out to confront another king in battle, will not sit down
first and determine whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one
coming against him with twenty thousand?
32 If he cannot succeed, he will send a representative while the other is still
a long way off and ask for terms of peace.
33 In the same way therefore not one of you can be my disciple if he does not
renounce all his own possessions.
34 “Salt is good, but if salt loses its flavor, how can its flavor be
restored?
35 It is of no value for the soil or for the manure pile; it is to be thrown
out. The one who has ears to hear had better listen!”

Chapter 15

1 The Parable of the Lost Sheep and Coin Now all the tax collectors and sinners
were coming to hear him.
2 But the Pharisees and the experts in the law were complaining,“This man
welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
3 So Jesus told them this parable:
4 “Which one of you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, would
not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go look for the one that is
lost until he finds it?
5 Then when he has found it, he places it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6 Returning home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, telling
them,‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep that was lost.’
7 I tell you, in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner
who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need to repent.
8 “Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one of them, does not
light a lamp, sweep the house, and search thoroughly until she finds it?
9 Then when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors,
saying,‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’
10 In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels
over one sinner who repents.”
11 The Parable of the Compassionate Father Then Jesus said,“A man had two
sons.
12 The younger of them said to his father,‘Father, give me the share of the
estate that will belong to me.’ So he divided his assets between them.
13 After a few days, the younger son gathered together all he had and left on a
journey to a distant country, and there he squandered his wealth with a wild
lifestyle.
14 Then after he had spent everything, a severe famine took place in that
country, and he began to be in need.
15 So he went and worked for one of the citizens of that country, who sent him
to his fields to feed pigs.
16 He was longing to eat the carob pods the pigs were eating, but no one gave
him anything.
17 But when he came to his senses he said,‘How many of my father’s hired
workers have food enough to spare, but here I am dying from hunger!
18 I will get up and go to my father and say to him,“Father, I have sinned
against heaven and against you.
19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired
workers.”’
20 So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way from
home his father saw him, and his heart went out to him; he ran and hugged his
son and kissed him.
21 Then his son said to him,‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against
you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 But the father said to his slaves,‘Hurry! Bring the best robe, and put it
on him! Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet!
23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it! Let us eat and celebrate,
24 because this son of mine was dead, and is alive again– he was lost and is
found!’ So they began to celebrate.
25 “Now his older son was in the field. As he came and approached the house,
he heard music and dancing.
26 So he called one of the slaves and asked what was happening.
27 The slave replied,‘Your brother has returned, and your father has killed
the fattened calf because he got his son back safe and sound.’
28 But the older son became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and
appealed to him,
29 but he answered his father,‘Look! These many years I have worked like a
slave for you, and I never disobeyed your commands. Yet you never gave me even a
goat so that I could celebrate with my friends!
30 But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your assets with
prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’
31 Then the father said to him,‘Son, you are always with me, and everything
that belongs to me is yours.
32 It was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for your brother was dead, and
is alive; he was lost and is found.’”

Chapter 16

1 The Parable of the Clever Steward Jesus also said to the disciples,“There
was a rich man who was informed of accusations that his manager was wasting his
assets.
2 So he called the manager in and said to him,‘What is this I hear about you?
Turn in the account of your administration, because you can no longer be my
manager.’
3 Then the manager said to himself,‘What should I do, since my master is
taking my position away from me? I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m too
ashamed to beg.
4 I know what to do so that when I am put out of management, people will welcome
me into their homes.’
5 So he contacted his master’s debtors one by one. He asked the first,‘How
much do you owe my master?’
6 The man replied,‘A hundred measures of olive oil.’ The manager said to
him,‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write fifty.’
7 Then he said to another,‘And how much do you owe?’ The second man
replied,‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ The manager said to him,‘Take your
bill, and write eighty.’
8 The master commended the dishonest manager because he acted shrewdly. For the
people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their contemporaries than
the people of light.
9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by how you use worldly wealth, so
that when it runs out you will be welcomed into the eternal homes.
10 “The one who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and the
one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.
11 If then you haven’t been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will
entrust you with the true riches?
12 And if you haven’t been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who
will give you your own?
13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love
the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot
serve God and money.”
14 More Warnings about the Pharisees The Pharisees(who loved money) heard all
this and ridiculed him.
15 But Jesus said to them,“You are the ones who justify yourselves in men’s
eyes, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly prized among men is utterly
detestable in God’s sight.
16 “The law and the prophets were in force until John; since then, the good
news of the kingdom of God has been proclaimed, and everyone is urged to enter
it.
17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tiny stroke
of a letter in the law to become void.
18 “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery,
and the one who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.
19 The Rich Man and Lazarus“There was a rich man who dressed in purple and
fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.
20 But at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus whose body was covered with
sores,
21 who longed to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. In addition, the
dogs came and licked his sores.
22 “Now the poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side.
The rich man also died and was buried.
23 And in Hades, as he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far off with
Lazarus at his side.
24 So he called out,‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip
the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in anguish in
this fire.’
25 But Abraham said,‘Child, remember that in your lifetime you received your
good things and Lazarus likewise bad things, but now he is comforted here and
you are in anguish.
26 Besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us, so that those who
want to cross over from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from
there to us.’
27 So the rich man said,‘Then I beg you, father– send Lazarus to my
father’s house
28 (for I have five brothers) to warn them so that they don’t come into this
place of torment.’
29 But Abraham said,‘They have Moses and the prophets; they must respond to
them.’
30 Then the rich man said,‘No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead
goes to them, they will repent.’
31 He replied to him,‘If they do not respond to Moses and the prophets, they
will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

Chapter 17

1 Sin, Forgiveness, Faith, and Service Jesus said to his disciples,“Stumbling
blocks are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come!
2 It would be better for him to have a millstone tied around his neck and be
thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.
3 Watch yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive
him.
4 Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to
you saying,‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
5 The apostles said to the Lord,“Increase our faith!”
6 So the Lord replied,“If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could
say to this black mulberry tree,‘Be pulled out by the roots and planted in the
sea,’ and it would obey you.
7 “Would any one of you say to your slave who comes in from the field after
plowing or shepherding sheep,‘Come at once and sit down for a meal’?
8 Won’t the master instead say to him,‘Get my dinner ready, and make
yourself ready to serve me while I eat and drink. Then you may eat and drink’?
9 He won’t thank the slave because he did what he was told, will he?
10 So you too, when you have done everything you were commanded to do, should
say,‘We are slaves undeserving of special praise; we have only done what was
our duty.’”
11 The Grateful Leper Now on the way to Jerusalem, Jesus was passing along
between Samaria and Galilee.
12 As he was entering a village, ten men with leprosy met him. They stood at a
distance,
13 raised their voices and said,“Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”
14 When he saw them he said,“Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as
they went along, they were cleansed.
15 Then one of them, when he saw he was healed, turned back, praising God with a
loud voice.
16 He fell with his face to the ground at Jesus’ feet and thanked him.(Now he
was a Samaritan.)
17 Then Jesus said,“Were not ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?
18 Was no one found to turn back and give praise to God except this
foreigner?”
19 Then he said to the man,“Get up and go your way. Your faith has made you
well.”
20 The Coming of the Kingdom Now at one point the Pharisees asked Jesus when the
kingdom of God was coming, so he answered,“The kingdom of God is not coming
with signs to be observed,
21 nor will they say,‘Look, here it is!’ or‘There!’ For indeed, the
kingdom of God is in your midst.”
22 The Coming of the Son of Man Then he said to the disciples,“The days are
coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you
will not see it.
23 Then people will say to you,‘Look, there he is!’ or‘Look, here he
is!’ Do not go out or chase after them.
24 For just like the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to
the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.
25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
26 Just as it was in the days of Noah, so too it will be in the days of the Son
of Man.
27 People were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being
given in marriage– right up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood
came and destroyed them all.
28 Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot, people were eating, drinking,
buying, selling, planting, building;
29 but on the day Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from
heaven and destroyed them all.
30 It will be the same on the day the Son of Man is revealed.
31 On that day, anyone who is on the roof, with his goods in the house, must not
come down to take them away, and likewise the person in the field must not turn
back.
32 Remember Lot’s wife!
33 Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will
preserve it.
34 I tell you, in that night there will be two people in one bed; one will be
taken and the other left.
35 There will be two women grinding grain together; one will be taken and the
other left.”
37 Then the disciples said to him,“Where, Lord?” He replied to them,“Where
the dead body is, there the vultures will gather.”

Chapter 18

1 Prayer and the Parable of the Persistent Widow Then Jesus told them a parable
to show them they should always pray and not lose heart.
2 He said,“In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor
respected people.
3 There was also a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying,‘Give
me justice against my adversary.’
4 For a while he refused, but later on he said to himself,‘Though I neither
fear God nor have regard for people,
5 yet because this widow keeps on bothering me, I will give her justice, or in
the end she will wear me out by her unending pleas.’”
6 And the Lord said,“Listen to what the unrighteous judge says!
7 Won’t God give justice to his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night?
Will he delay long to help them?
8 I tell you, he will give them justice speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of
Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
9 The Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector Jesus also told this parable to
some who were confident that they were righteous and looked down on everyone
else.
10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax
collector.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed about himself like this:‘God, I thank you
that I am not like other people: extortionists, unrighteous people,
adulterers– or even like this tax collector.
12 I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of everything I get.’
13 The tax collector, however, stood far off and would not even look up to
heaven, but beat his breast and said,‘God, be merciful to me, sinner that I
am!’
14 I tell you that this man went down to his home justified rather than the
Pharisee. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles
himself will be exalted.”
15 Jesus and Little Children Now people were even bringing their babies to him
for him to touch. But when the disciples saw it, they began to scold those who
brought them.
16 But Jesus called for the children, saying,“Let the little children come to
me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
17 I tell you the truth, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a
child will never enter it.”
18 The Wealthy Ruler Now a certain leader asked him,“Good teacher, what must I
do to inherit eternal life?”
19 Jesus said to him,“Why do you call me good? No one is good except God
alone.
20 You know the commandments:‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not
steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’”
21 The man replied,“I have wholeheartedly obeyed all these laws since my
youth.”
22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him,“One thing you still lack. Sell all
that you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in
heaven. Then come, follow me.”
23 But when the man heard this he became very sad, for he was extremely wealthy.
24 When Jesus noticed this, he said,“How hard it is for the rich to enter the
kingdom of God!
25 In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for
a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
26 Those who heard this said,“Then who can be saved?”
27 He replied,“What is impossible for mere humans is possible for God.”
28 And Peter said,“Look, we have left everything we own to follow you!
29 Then Jesus said to them,“I tell you the truth, there is no one who has left
home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of God’s kingdom
30 who will not receive many times more in this age– and in the age to come,
eternal life.”
31 Another Prediction of Jesus’ Passion Then Jesus took the twelve aside and
said to them,“Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is
written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished.
32 For he will be handed over to the Gentiles; he will be mocked, mistreated,
and spat on.
33 They will flog him severely and kill him. Yet on the third day he will rise
again.”
34 But the twelve understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from
them, and they did not grasp what Jesus meant.
35 Healing a Blind Man As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by
the road begging.
36 When he heard a crowd going by, he asked what was going on.
37 They told him,“Jesus the Nazarene is passing by.”
38 So he called out,“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
39 And those who were in front scolded him to get him to be quiet, but he
shouted even more,“Son of David, have mercy on me!”
40 So Jesus stopped and ordered the beggar to be brought to him. When the man
came near, Jesus asked him,
41 “What do you want me to do for you?” He replied,“Lord, let me see
again.”
42 Jesus said to him,“Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.”
43 And immediately he regained his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When
all the people saw it, they too gave praise to God.

Chapter 19

1 Jesus and Zacchaeus Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through it.
2 Now a man named Zacchaeus was there; he was a chief tax collector and was
rich.
3 He was trying to get a look at Jesus, but being a short man he could not see
over the crowd.
4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, because
Jesus was going to pass that way.
5 And when Jesus came to that place, he looked up and said to him,“Zacchaeus,
come down quickly, because I must stay at your house today.”
6 So he came down quickly and welcomed Jesus joyfully.
7 And when the people saw it, they all complained,“He has gone in to be the
guest of a man who is a sinner.”
8 But Zacchaeus stopped and said to the Lord,“Look, Lord, half of my
possessions I now give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone of anything, I
am paying back four times as much!”
9 Then Jesus said to him,“Today salvation has come to this household, because
he too is a son of Abraham!
10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
11 The Parable of the Ten Minas While the people were listening to these things,
Jesus proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because
they thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately.
12 Therefore he said,“A nobleman went to a distant country to receive for
himself a kingdom and then return.
13 And he summoned ten of his slaves, gave them ten minas, and said to
them,‘Do business with these until I come back.’
14 But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying,‘We do
not want this man to be king over us!’
15 When he returned after receiving the kingdom, he summoned these slaves to
whom he had given the money. He wanted to know how much they had earned by
trading.
16 So the first one came before him and said,‘Sir, your mina has made ten
minas more.’
17 And the king said to him,‘Well done, good slave! Because you have been
faithful in a very small matter, you will have authority over ten cities.’
18 Then the second one came and said,‘Sir, your mina has made five minas.’
19 So the king said to him,‘And you are to be over five cities.’
20 Then another slave came and said,‘Sir, here is your mina that I put away
for safekeeping in a piece of cloth.
21 For I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You withdraw what you
did not deposit and reap what you did not sow.’
22 The king said to him,‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked slave!
So you knew, did you, that I was a severe man, withdrawing what I didn’t
deposit and reaping what I didn’t sow?
23 Why then didn’t you put my money in the bank, so that when I returned I
could have collected it with interest?’
24 And he said to his attendants,‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the
one who has ten.’
25 But they said to him,‘Sir, he has ten minas already!’
26 ‘I tell you that everyone who has will be given more, but from the one who
does not have, even what he has will be taken away.
27 But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to be their king, bring
them here and slaughter them in front of me!’”
28 The Triumphal Entry After Jesus had said this, he continued on ahead, going
up to Jerusalem.
29 Now when he approached Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount
of Olives, he sent two of the disciples,
30 telling them,“Go to the village ahead of you. When you enter it, you will
find a colt tied there that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here.
31 If anyone asks you,‘Why are you untying it?’ just say,‘The Lord needs
it.’”
32 So those who were sent ahead found it exactly as he had told them.
33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them,“Why are you untying
that colt?”
34 They replied,“The Lord needs it.”
35 Then they brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt, and had Jesus
get on it.
36 As he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road.
37 As he approached the road leading down from the Mount of Olives, the whole
crowd of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all
the mighty works they had seen:
38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and
glory in the highest!”
39 But some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him,“Teacher, rebuke your
disciples.”
40 He answered,“I tell you, if they keep silent, the very stones will cry
out!”
41 Jesus Weeps for Jerusalem under Judgment Now when Jesus approached and saw
the city, he wept over it,
42 saying,“If you had only known on this day, even you, the things that make
for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.
43 For the days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment
against you and surround you and close in on you from every side.
44 They will demolish you– you and your children within your walls– and they
will not leave within you one stone on top of another, because you did not
recognize the time of your visitation from God.”
45 Cleansing the Temple Then Jesus entered the temple courts and began to drive
out those who were selling things there,
46 saying to them,“It is written,‘My house will be a house of prayer,’ but
you have turned it into a den of robbers!”
47 Jesus was teaching daily in the temple courts. The chief priests and the
experts in the law and the prominent leaders among the people were seeking to
assassinate him,
48 but they could not find a way to do it, for all the people hung on his words.

Chapter 20

1 The Authority of Jesus Now one day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the
temple courts and proclaiming the gospel, the chief priests and the experts in
the law with the elders came up
2 and said to him,“Tell us: By what authority are you doing these things? Or
who is it who gave you this authority?”
3 He answered them,“I will also ask you a question, and you tell me:
4 John’s baptism– was it from heaven or from people?”
5 So they discussed it with one another, saying,“If we say,‘From heaven,’
he will say,‘Why did you not believe him?’
6 But if we say,‘From people,’ all the people will stone us, because they
are convinced that John was a prophet.”
7 So they replied that they did not know where it came from.
8 Then Jesus said to them,“Neither will I tell you by whose authority I do
these things.”
9 The Parable of the Tenants Then he began to tell the people this parable:“A
man planted a vineyard, leased it to tenant farmers, and went on a journey for a
long time.
10 When harvest time came, he sent a slave to the tenants so that they would
give him his portion of the crop. However, the tenants beat his slave and sent
him away empty-handed.
11 So he sent another slave. They beat this one too, treated him outrageously,
and sent him away empty-handed.
12 So he sent still a third. They even wounded this one, and threw him out.
13 Then the owner of the vineyard said,‘What should I do? I will send my one
dear son; perhaps they will respect him.’
14 But when the tenants saw him, they said to one another,‘This is the heir;
let’s kill him so the inheritance will be ours!’
15 So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the
owner of the vineyard do to them?
16 He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.”
When the people heard this, they said,“May this never happen!”
17 But Jesus looked straight at them and said,“Then what is the meaning of
that which is written:‘The stone the builders rejected has become the
cornerstone’?
18 Everyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, and the one on
whom it falls will be crushed.”
19 Then the experts in the law and the chief priests wanted to arrest him that
very hour, because they realized he had told this parable against them. But they
were afraid of the people.
20 Paying Taxes to Caesar Then they watched him carefully and sent spies who
pretended to be sincere. They wanted to take advantage of what he might say so
that they could deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the
governor.
21 Thus they asked him,“Teacher, we know that you speak and teach correctly,
and show no partiality, but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.
22 Is it right for us to pay the tribute tax to Caesar or not?”
23 But Jesus perceived their deceit and said to them,
24 “Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?” They
said,“Caesar’s.”
25 So he said to them,“Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and
to God the things that are God’s.”
26 Thus they were unable in the presence of the people to trap him with his own
words. And stunned by his answer, they fell silent.
27 Marriage and the Resurrection Now some Sadducees(who contend that there is no
resurrection) came to him.
28 They asked him,“Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies
leaving a wife but no children, that man must marry the widow and father
children for his brother.
29 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died without
children.
30 The second
31 and then the third married her, and in this same way all seven died, leaving
no children.
32 Finally the woman died too.
33 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For all seven
had married her.”
34 So Jesus said to them,“The people of this age marry and are given in
marriage.
35 But those who are regarded as worthy to share in that age and in the
resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage.
36 In fact, they can no longer die, because they are equal to angels and are
sons of God, since they are sons of the resurrection.
37 But even Moses revealed that the dead are raised in the passage about the
bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the
God of Jacob.
38 Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live before him.”
39 Then some of the experts in the law answered,“Teacher, you have spoken
well!”
40 For they did not dare any longer to ask him anything.
41 The Messiah: David’s Son and Lord But he said to them,“How is it that
they say that the Christ is David’s son?
42 For David himself says in the book of Psalms,‘The Lord said to my
lord,“Sit at my right hand,
43 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’
44 If David then calls him‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?”
45 Jesus Warns the Disciples against Pride As all the people were listening,
Jesus said to his disciples,
46 “Beware of the experts in the law. They like walking around in long robes,
and they love elaborate greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the
synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.
47 They devour widows’ property, and as a show make long prayers. They will
receive a more severe punishment.”

Chapter 21

1 The Widow’s Offering Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts
into the offering box.
2 He also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins.
3 He said,“I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put in more than all of
them.
4 For they all offered their gifts out of their wealth. But she, out of her
poverty, put in everything she had to live on.”
5 The Signs of the End of the Age Now while some were speaking about the temple,
how it was adorned with beautiful stones and offerings, Jesus said,
6 “As for these things that you are gazing at, the days will come when not one
stone will be left on another. All will be torn down!”
7 So they asked him,“Teacher, when will these things happen? And what will be
the sign that these things are about to take place?”
8 He said,“Watch out that you are not misled. For many will come in my name,
saying,‘I am he,’ and,‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them!
9 And when you hear of wars and rebellions, do not be afraid. For these things
must happen first, but the end will not come at once.”
10 Persecution of Disciples Then he said to them,“Nation will rise up in arms
against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
11 There will be great earthquakes, and famines and plagues in various places,
and there will be terrifying sights and great signs from heaven.
12 But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you, handing you over
to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and governors
because of my name.
13 This will be a time for you to serve as witnesses.
14 Therefore be resolved not to rehearse ahead of time how to make your defense.
15 For I will give you the words along with the wisdom that none of your
adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.
16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and
they will have some of you put to death.
17 You will be hated by everyone because of my name.
18 Yet not a hair of your head will perish.
19 By your endurance you will gain your lives.
20 The Desolation of Jerusalem“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by
armies, then know that its desolation has come near.
21 Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. Those who are inside
the city must depart. Those who are out in the country must not enter it,
22 because these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written.
23 Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing their babies in
those days! For there will be great distress on the earth and wrath against this
people.
24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led away as captives among all
nations. Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles until the times of the
Gentiles are fulfilled.
25 The Arrival of the Son of Man“And there will be signs in the sun and moon
and stars, and on the earth nations will be in distress, anxious over the
roaring of the sea and the surging waves.
26 People will be fainting from fear and from the expectation of what is coming
on the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
27 Then they will see the Son of Man arriving in a cloud with power and great
glory.
28 But when these things begin to happen, stand up and raise your heads, because
your redemption is drawing near.”
29 The Parable of the Fig Tree Then he told them a parable:“Look at the fig
tree and all the other trees.
30 When they sprout leaves, you see for yourselves and know that summer is now
near.
31 So also you, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of
God is near.
32 I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass away until all these
things take place.
33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
34 Be Ready!“But be on your guard so that your hearts are not weighed down
with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day
close down upon you suddenly like a trap.
35 For it will overtake all who live on the face of the whole earth.
36 But stay alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all
these things that must happen, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
37 So every day Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, but at night he went
and stayed on the Mount of Olives.
38 And all the people came to him early in the morning to listen to him in the
temple courts.

Chapter 22

1 Judas’ Decision to Betray Jesus Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is
called the Passover, was approaching.
2 The chief priests and the experts in the law were trying to find some way to
execute Jesus, for they were afraid of the people.
3 Then Satan entered Judas, the one called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve.
4 He went away and discussed with the chief priests and officers of the temple
guard how he might betray Jesus, handing him over to them.
5 They were delighted and arranged to give him money.
6 So Judas agreed and began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus when no
crowd was present.
7 The Passover Then the day for the feast of Unleavened Bread came, on which the
Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.
8 Jesus sent Peter and John, saying,“Go and prepare the Passover for us to
eat.”
9 They said to him,“Where do you want us to prepare it?”
10 He said to them,“Listen, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a
jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters,
11 and tell the owner of the house,‘The Teacher says to you,“Where is the
guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”’
12 Then he will show you a large furnished room upstairs. Make preparations
there.”
13 So they went and found things just as he had told them, and they prepared the
Passover.
14 The Lord’s Supper Now when the hour came, Jesus took his place at the table
and the apostles joined him.
15 And he said to them,“I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you
before I suffer.
16 For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom
of God.”
17 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said,“Take this and divide
it among yourselves.
18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine
until the kingdom of God comes.”
19 Then he took bread, and after giving thanks he broke it and gave it to them,
saying,“This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of
me.”
20 And in the same way he took the cup after they had eaten, saying,“This cup
that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.
21 A Final Discourse“But look, the hand of the one who betrays me is with me
on the table.
22 For the Son of Man is to go just as it has been determined, but woe to that
man by whom he is betrayed!”
23 So they began to question one another as to which of them it could possibly
be who would do this.
24 A dispute also started among them over which of them was to be regarded as
the greatest.
25 So Jesus said to them,“The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and
those in authority over them are called‘benefactors.’
26 Not so with you; instead the one who is greatest among you must become like
the youngest, and the leader like the one who serves.
27 For who is greater, the one who is seated at the table, or the one who
serves? Is it not the one who is seated at the table? But I am among you as one
who serves.
28 “You are the ones who have remained with me in my trials.
29 Thus I grant to you a kingdom, just as my Father granted to me,
30 that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on
thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
31 “Simon, Simon, pay attention! Satan has demanded to have you all, to sift
you like wheat,
32 but I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. When you have
turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
33 But Peter said to him,“Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and
to death!”
34 Jesus replied,“I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you
have denied three times that you know me.”
35 Then Jesus said to them,“When I sent you out with no money bag, or
traveler’s bag, or sandals, you didn’t lack anything, did you?” They
replied,“Nothing.”
36 He said to them,“But now, the one who has a money bag must take it, and
likewise a traveler’s bag too. And the one who has no sword must sell his
cloak and buy one.
37 For I tell you that this scripture must be fulfilled in me,‘And he was
counted with the transgressors.’ For what is written about me is being
fulfilled.”
38 So they said,“Look, Lord, here are two swords.” Then he told them,“It
is enough.”
39 On the Mount of Olives Then Jesus went out and made his way, as he
customarily did, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him.
40 When he came to the place, he said to them,“Pray that you will not fall
into temptation.”
41 He went away from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed,
42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me. Yet not my will
but yours be done.”[
43 Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.
44 And in his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of
blood falling to the ground.]
45 When he got up from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping,
exhausted from grief.
46 So he said to them,“Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you will not
fall into temptation!”
47 Betrayal and Arrest While he was still speaking, suddenly a crowd appeared,
and the man named Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He walked up to
Jesus to kiss him.
48 But Jesus said to him,“Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a
kiss?”
49 When those who were around him saw what was about to happen, they
said,“Lord, should we use our swords?”
50 Then one of them struck the high priest’s slave, cutting off his right ear.
51 But Jesus said,“Enough of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and
healed him.
52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and
the elders who had come out to get him,“Have you come out with swords and
clubs like you would against an outlaw?
53 Day after day when I was with you in the temple courts, you did not arrest
me. But this is your hour, and that of the power of darkness!”
54 Jesus’ Condemnation and Peter’s Denials Then they arrested Jesus, led him
away, and brought him into the high priest’s house. But Peter was following at
a distance.
55 When they had made a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down
together, Peter sat down among them.
56 Then a slave girl, seeing him as he sat in the firelight, stared at him and
said,“This man was with him too!”
57 But Peter denied it:“Woman, I don’t know him!”
58 Then a little later someone else saw him and said,“You are one of them
too.” But Peter said,“Man, I am not!”
59 And after about an hour still another insisted,“Certainly this man was with
him, because he too is a Galilean.”
60 But Peter said,“Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” At that
moment, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed.
61 Then the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter, and Peter remembered the
word of the Lord, how he had said to him,“Before a rooster crows today, you
will deny me three times.”
62 And he went outside and wept bitterly.
63 Now the men who were holding Jesus under guard began to mock him and beat
him.
64 They blindfolded him and asked him repeatedly,“Prophesy! Who hit you?”
65 They also said many other things against him, reviling him.
66 When day came, the council of the elders of the people gathered together,
both the chief priests and the experts in the law. Then they led Jesus away to
their council
67 and said,“If you are the Christ, tell us.” But he said to them,“If I
tell you, you will not believe,
68 and if I ask you, you will not answer.
69 But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power
of God.”
70 So they all said,“Are you the Son of God, then?” He answered them,“You
say that I am.”
71 Then they said,“Why do we need further testimony? We have heard it
ourselves from his own lips!”

Chapter 23

1 Jesus Brought Before Pilate Then the whole group of them rose up and brought
Jesus before Pilate.
2 They began to accuse him, saying,“We found this man subverting our nation,
forbidding us to pay the tribute tax to Caesar and claiming that he himself is
Christ, a king.”
3 So Pilate asked Jesus,“Are you the king of the Jews?” He replied,“You
say so.”
4 Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds,“I find no basis for an
accusation against this man.”
5 But they persisted in saying,“He incites the people by teaching throughout
all Judea. It started in Galilee and ended up here!”
6 Jesus Brought Before Herod Now when Pilate heard this, he asked whether the
man was a Galilean.
7 When he learned that he was from Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him over to
Herod, who also happened to be in Jerusalem at that time.
8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him,
because he had heard about him and was hoping to see him perform some miraculous
sign.
9 So Herod questioned him at considerable length; Jesus gave him no answer.
10 The chief priests and the experts in the law were there, vehemently accusing
him.
11 Even Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then,
dressing him in elegant clothes, Herod sent him back to Pilate.
12 That very day Herod and Pilate became friends with each other, for prior to
this they had been enemies.
13 Jesus Brought Before the Crowd Then Pilate called together the chief priests,
the leaders, and the people,
14 and said to them,“You brought me this man as one who was misleading the
people. When I examined him before you, I did not find this man guilty of
anything you accused him of doing.
15 Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. Look, he has done nothing
deserving death.
16 I will therefore have him flogged and release him.”
18 But they all shouted out together,“Take this man away! Release Barabbas for
us!”
19 (This was a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started
in the city, and for murder.)
20 Pilate addressed them once again because he wanted to release Jesus.
21 But they kept on shouting,“Crucify, crucify him!”
22 A third time he said to them,“Why? What wrong has he done? I have found him
guilty of no crime deserving death. I will therefore flog him and release
him.”
23 But they were insistent, demanding with loud shouts that he be crucified. And
their shouts prevailed.
24 So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted.
25 He released the man they asked for, who had been thrown in prison for
insurrection and murder. But he handed Jesus over to their will.
26 The Crucifixion As they led him away, they seized Simon of Cyrene, who was
coming in from the country. They placed the cross on his back and made him carry
it behind Jesus.
27 A great number of the people followed him, among them women who were mourning
and wailing for him.
28 But Jesus turned to them and said,“Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for
me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.
29 For this is certain: The days are coming when they will say,‘Blessed are
the barren, the wombs that never bore children, and the breasts that never
nursed!’
30 Then they will begin to say to the mountains,‘Fall on us!’ and to the
hills,‘Cover us!’
31 For if such things are done when the wood is green, what will happen when it
is dry?”
32 Two other criminals were also led away to be executed with him.
33 So when they came to the place that is called“The Skull,” they crucified
him there, along with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left.
34 [But Jesus said,“Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are
doing.”] Then they threw dice to divide his clothes.
35 The people also stood there watching, but the leaders ridiculed him,
saying,“He saved others. Let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, his
chosen one!”
36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine,
37 and saying,“If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself!”
38 There was also an inscription over him,“This is the king of the Jews.”
39 One of the criminals who was hanging there railed at him, saying,“Aren’t
you the Christ? Save yourself and us!”
40 But the other rebuked him, saying,“Don’t you fear God, since you are
under the same sentence of condemnation?
41 And we rightly so, for we are getting what we deserve for what we did, but
this man has done nothing wrong.”
42 Then he said,“Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom.”
43 And Jesus said to him,“I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in
paradise.”
44 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in
the afternoon,
45 because the sun’s light failed. The temple curtain was torn in two.
46 Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said,“Father, into your hands I
commit my spirit!” And after he said this he breathed his last.
47 Now when the centurion saw what had happened, he praised God and
said,“Certainly this man was innocent!”
48 And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what
had taken place, returned home beating their breasts.
49 And all those who knew Jesus stood at a distance, and the women who had
followed him from Galilee saw these things.
50 Jesus’ Burial Now there was a man named Joseph who was a member of the
council, a good and righteous man.
51 (He had not consented to their plan and action.) He was from the Judean town
of Arimathea, and was looking forward to the kingdom of God.
52 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.
53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and placed it in a tomb
cut out of the rock, where no one had yet been buried.
54 It was the day of preparation and the Sabbath was beginning.
55 The women who had accompanied Jesus from Galilee followed, and they saw the
tomb and how his body was laid in it.
56 Then they returned and prepared aromatic spices and perfumes. On the Sabbath
they rested according to the commandment.

Chapter 24

1 The Resurrection Now on the first day of the week, at early dawn, the women
went to the tomb, taking the aromatic spices they had prepared.
2 They found that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb,
3 but when they went in, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
4 While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men stood beside them in
dazzling attire.
5 The women were terribly frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, but
the men said to them,“Why do you look for the living among the dead?
6 He is not here, but has been raised! Remember how he told you, while he was
still in Galilee,
7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be
crucified, and on the third day rise again.”
8 Then the women remembered his words,
9 and when they returned from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven
and to all the rest.
10 Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other
women with them who told these things to the apostles.
11 But these words seemed like pure nonsense to them, and they did not believe
them.
12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb. He bent down and saw only the strips of
linen cloth; then he went home, wondering what had happened.
13 Jesus Walks the Road to Emmaus Now that very day two of them were on their
way to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem.
14 They were talking to each other about all the things that had happened.
15 While they were talking and debating these things, Jesus himself approached
and began to accompany them
16 (but their eyes were kept from recognizing him).
17 Then he said to them,“What are these matters you are discussing so intently
as you walk along?” And they stood still, looking sad.
18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him,“Are you the only visitor to
Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that have happened there in these
days?”
19 He said to them,“What things?”“The things concerning Jesus the
Nazarene,” they replied,“a man who, with his powerful deeds and words,
proved to be a prophet before God and all the people;
20 and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to
death, and crucified him.
21 But we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. Not only
this, but it is now the third day since these things happened.
22 Furthermore, some women of our group amazed us. They were at the tomb early
this morning,
23 and when they did not find his body, they came back and said they had seen a
vision of angels, who said he was alive.
24 Then some of those who were with us went to the tomb, and found it just as
the women had said, but they did not see him.”
25 So he said to them,“You foolish people– how slow of heart to believe all
that the prophets have spoken!
26 Wasn’t it necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and enter into
his glory?”
27 Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the
things written about himself in all the scriptures.
28 So they approached the village where they were going. He acted as though he
wanted to go farther,
29 but they urged him,“Stay with us, because it is getting toward evening and
the day is almost done.” So he went in to stay with them.
30 When he had taken his place at the table with them, he took the bread,
blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.
31 At this point their eyes were opened and they recognized him. Then he
vanished out of their sight.
32 They said to each other,“Didn’t our hearts burn within us while he was
speaking with us on the road, while he was explaining the scriptures to us?”
33 So they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem. They found the
eleven and those with them gathered together
34 and saying,“The Lord has really risen, and has appeared to Simon!”
35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how they recognized him
when he broke the bread.
36 Jesus Makes a Final Appearance While they were saying these things, Jesus
himself stood among them and said to them,“Peace be with you.”
37 But they were startled and terrified, thinking they saw a ghost.
38 Then he said to them,“Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in
your hearts?
39 Look at my hands and my feet; it’s me! Touch me and see; a ghost does not
have flesh and bones like you see I have.”
40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.
41 And while they still could not believe it(because of their joy) and were
amazed, he said to them,“Do you have anything here to eat?”
42 So they gave him a piece of broiled fish,
43 and he took it and ate it in front of them.
44 Jesus’ Final Commission Then he said to them,“These are my words that I
spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the
law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled.”
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the scriptures,
46 and said to them,“Thus it stands written that the Christ would suffer and
would rise from the dead on the third day,
47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in his name to
all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
48 You are witnesses of these things.
49 And look, I am sending you what my Father promised. But stay in the city
until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
50 Jesus’ Departure Then Jesus led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up
his hands, he blessed them.
51 Now during the blessing he departed and was taken up into heaven.
52 So they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
53 and were continually in the temple courts blessing God.


John

Chapter 1

1 ¶ The Prologue to the Gospel In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was fully God.
2 The Word was with God in the beginning.
3 All things were created by him, and apart from him not one thing was created
that has been created.
4 In him was life, and the life was the light of mankind.
5 And the light shines on in the darkness, but the darkness has not mastered it.
6 A man came, sent from God, whose name was John.
7 He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that everyone might
believe through him.
8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify about the light.
9 The true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was created by him, but the world did not
recognize him.
11 He came to what was his own, but his own people did not receive him.
12 But to all who have received him– those who believe in his name– he has
given the right to become God’s children
13 – children not born by human parents or by human desire or a husband’s
decision, but by God.
14 Now the Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We saw his glory–
the glory of the one and only, full of grace and truth, who came from the
Father.
15 John testified about him and shouted out,“This one was the one about whom I
said,‘He who comes after me is greater than I am, because he existed before
me.’”
16 For we have all received from his fullness one gracious gift after another.
17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came about through
Jesus Christ.
18 No one has ever seen God. The only one, himself God, who is in closest
fellowship with the Father, has made God known.
19 The Testimony of John the Baptist Now this was John’s testimony when the
Jewish leaders sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him,“Who are
you?”
20 He confessed– he did not deny but confessed–“I am not the Christ!”
21 So they asked him,“Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said,“I am
not!”“Are you the Prophet?” He answered,“No!”
22 Then they said to him,“Who are you? Tell us so that we can give an answer
to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23 John said,“I am the voice of one shouting in the wilderness,‘Make
straight the way for the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.)
25 So they asked John,“Why then are you baptizing if you are not the Christ,
nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
26 John answered them,“I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do
not recognize,
27 who is coming after me. I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandal!”
28 These things happened in Bethany across the Jordan River where John was
baptizing.
29 On the next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said,“Look, the Lamb
of God who takes away the sin of the world!
30 This is the one about whom I said,‘After me comes a man who is greater than
I am, because he existed before me.’
31 I did not recognize him, but I came baptizing with water so that he could be
revealed to Israel.”
32 Then John testified,“I saw the Spirit descending like a dove from heaven,
and it remained on him.
33 And I did not recognize him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water
said to me,‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining–
this is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’
34 I have both seen and testified that this man is the Chosen One of God.”
35 Again the next day John was standing there with two of his disciples.
36 Gazing at Jesus as he walked by, he said,“Look, the Lamb of God!”
37 When John’s two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.
38 Jesus turned around and saw them following and said to them,“What do you
want?” So they said to him,“Rabbi”(which is translated Teacher),“where
are you staying?”
39 Jesus answered,“Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was
staying, and they stayed with him that day. Now it was about four o’clock in
the afternoon.
40 Andrew’s Declaration Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two
disciples who heard what John said and followed Jesus.
41 He first found his own brother Simon and told him,“We have found the
Messiah!”(which is translated Christ).
42 Andrew brought Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said,“You are Simon,
the son of John. You will be called Cephas”(which is translated Peter).
43 The Calling of More Disciples On the next day Jesus wanted to set out for
Galilee. He found Philip and said to him,“Follow me.”
44 (Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the town of Andrew and Peter.)
45 Philip found Nathanael and told him,“We have found the one Moses wrote
about in the law, and the prophets also wrote about– Jesus of Nazareth, the
son of Joseph.”
46 Nathanael replied,“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip
replied,“Come and see.”
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and exclaimed,“Look, a true Israelite
in whom there is no deceit!”
48 Nathanael asked him,“How do you know me?” Jesus replied,“Before Philip
called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
49 Nathanael answered him,“Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of
Israel!”
50 Jesus said to him,“Because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree, do
you believe? You will see greater things than these.”
51 He continued,“I tell all of you the solemn truth– you will see heaven
opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Chapter 2

1 Turning Water into Wine Now on the third day there was a wedding at Cana in
Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there,
2 and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding.
3 When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to him,“They have no wine
left.”
4 Jesus replied,“Woman, why are you saying this to me? My time has not yet
come.”
5 His mother told the servants,“Whatever he tells you, do it.”
6 Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washing, each
holding twenty or thirty gallons.
7 Jesus told the servants,“Fill the water jars with water.” So they filled
them up to the very top.
8 Then he told them,“Now draw some out and take it to the head steward,” and
they did.
9 When the head steward tasted the water that had been turned to wine, not
knowing where it came from(though the servants who had drawn the water knew), he
called the bridegroom
10 and said to him,“Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the cheaper
wine when the guests are drunk. You have kept the good wine until now!”
11 Jesus did this as the first of his miraculous signs, in Cana of Galilee. In
this way he revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.
12 Cleansing the Temple After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and
brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there a few days.
13 Now the Jewish feast of Passover was near, so Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
14 He found in the temple courts those who were selling oxen and sheep and
doves, and the money changers sitting at tables.
15 So he made a whip of cords and drove them all out of the temple courts, with
the sheep and the oxen. He scattered the coins of the money changers and
overturned their tables.
16 To those who sold the doves he said,“Take these things away from here! Do
not make my Father’s house a marketplace!”
17 His disciples remembered that it was written,“Zeal for your house will
devour me.”
18 So then the Jewish leaders responded,“What sign can you show us, since you
are doing these things?”
19 Jesus replied,“Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up
again.”
20 Then the Jewish leaders said to him,“This temple has been under
construction for forty-six years, and are you going to raise it up in three
days?”
21 But Jesus was speaking about the temple of his body.
22 So after he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had
said this, and they believed the scripture and the saying that Jesus had spoken.
23 Jesus at the Passover Feast Now while Jesus was in Jerusalem at the Feast of
the Passover, many people believed in his name because they saw the miraculous
signs he was doing.
24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people.
25 He did not need anyone to testify about man, for he knew what was in man.

Chapter 3

1 Conversation with Nicodemus Now a certain man, a Pharisee named Nicodemus, who
was a member of the Jewish ruling council,
2 came to Jesus at night and said to him,“Rabbi, we know that you are a
teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs
that you do unless God is with him.”
3 Jesus replied,“I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born from
above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4 Nicodemus said to him,“How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter
his mother’s womb and be born a second time, can he?”
5 Jesus answered,“I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born of
water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Do not be amazed that I said to you,‘You must all be born from above.’
8 The wind blows wherever it will, and you hear the sound it makes, but do not
know where it comes from and where it is going. So it is with everyone who is
born of the Spirit.”
9 Nicodemus replied,“How can these things be?”
10 Jesus answered,“Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you don’t
understand these things?
11 I tell you the solemn truth, we speak about what we know and testify about
what we have seen, but you people do not accept our testimony.
12 If I have told you people about earthly things and you don’t believe, how
will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?
13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven–
the Son of Man.
14 Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man
be lifted up,
15 so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
16 For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so
that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that
the world should be saved through him.
18 The one who believes in him is not condemned. The one who does not believe
has been condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the one
and only Son of God.
19 Now this is the basis for judging: that the light has come into the world and
people loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For everyone who does evil deeds hates the light and does not come to the
light, so that their deeds will not be exposed.
21 But the one who practices the truth comes to the light, so that it may be
plainly evident that his deeds have been done in God.
22 Further Testimony About Jesus by John the Baptist After this, Jesus and his
disciples came into Judean territory, and there he spent time with them and was
baptizing.
23 John was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful
there, and people were coming to him and being baptized.
24 (For John had not yet been thrown into prison.)
25 Now a dispute came about between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew
concerning ceremonial washing.
26 So they came to John and said to him,“Rabbi, the one who was with you on
the other side of the Jordan River, about whom you testified– see, he is
baptizing, and everyone is flocking to him!”
27 John replied,“No one can receive anything unless it has been given to him
from heaven.
28 You yourselves can testify that I said,‘I am not the Christ,’ but
rather,‘I have been sent before him.’
29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom,
who stands by and listens for him, rejoices greatly when he hears the
bridegroom’s voice. This then is my joy, and it is complete.
30 He must become more important while I become less important.”
31 The one who comes from above is superior to all. The one who is from the
earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes
from heaven is superior to all.
32 He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his
testimony.
33 The one who has accepted his testimony has confirmed clearly that God is
truthful.
34 For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he does not give
the Spirit sparingly.
35 The Father loves the Son and has placed all things under his authority.
36 The one who believes in the Son has eternal life. The one who rejects the Son
will not see life, but God’s wrath remains on him.

Chapter 4

1 Departure From Judea Now when Jesus knew that the Pharisees had heard that he
was winning and baptizing more disciples than John
2 (although Jesus himself was not baptizing, but his disciples were),
3 he left Judea and set out once more for Galilee.
4 Conversation With a Samaritan Woman But he had to pass through Samaria.
5 Now he came to a Samaritan town called Sychar, near the plot of land that
Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
6 Jacob’s well was there, so Jesus, since he was tired from the journey, sat
right down beside the well. It was about noon.
7 A Samaritan woman came to draw water. Jesus said to her,“Give me some water
to drink.”
8 (For his disciples had gone off into the town to buy supplies.)
9 So the Samaritan woman said to him,“How can you– a Jew– ask me, a
Samaritan woman, for water to drink?”(For Jews use nothing in common with
Samaritans.)
10 Jesus answered her,“If you had known the gift of God and who it is who said
to you,‘Give me some water to drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would
have given you living water.”
11 “Sir,” the woman said to him,“you have no bucket and the well is deep;
where then do you get this living water?
12 Surely you’re not greater than our ancestor Jacob, are you? For he gave us
this well and drank from it himself, along with his sons and his livestock.”
13 Jesus replied,“Everyone who drinks some of this water will be thirsty
again.
14 But whoever drinks some of the water that I will give him will never be
thirsty again, but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain
of water springing up to eternal life.”
15 The woman said to him,“Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be
thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”
16 He said to her,“Go call your husband and come back here.”
17 The woman replied,“I have no husband.” Jesus said to her,“Right you are
when you said,‘I have no husband,’
18 for you have had five husbands, and the man you are living with now is not
your husband. This you said truthfully!”
19 The woman said to him,“Sir, I see that you are a prophet.
20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you people say that the place
where people must worship is in Jerusalem.”
21 Jesus said to her,“Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will
worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
22 You people worship what you do not know. We worship what we know, because
salvation is from the Jews.
23 But a time is coming– and now is here– when the true worshipers will
worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such people to be
his worshipers.
24 God is spirit, and the people who worship him must worship in spirit and
truth.”
25 The woman said to him,“I know that Messiah is coming”(the one called
Christ);“whenever he comes, he will tell us everything.”
26 Jesus said to her,“I, the one speaking to you, am he.”
27 The Disciples Return Now at that very moment his disciples came back. They
were shocked because he was speaking with a woman. However, no one said,“What
do you want?” or“Why are you speaking with her?”
28 Then the woman left her water jar, went off into the town and said to the
people,
29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Surely he can’t be
the Messiah, can he?”
30 So they left the town and began coming to him.
31 Workers for the Harvest Meanwhile the disciples were urging him,“Rabbi, eat
something.”
32 But he said to them,“I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”
33 So the disciples began to say to one another,“No one brought him anything
to eat, did they?”
34 Jesus said to them,“My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to
complete his work.
35 Don’t you say,‘There are four more months and then comes the harvest?’
I tell you, look up and see that the fields are already white for harvest!
36 The one who reaps receives pay and gathers fruit for eternal life, so that
the one who sows and the one who reaps can rejoice together.
37 For in this instance the saying is true,‘One sows and another reaps.’
38 I sent you to reap what you did not work for; others have labored and you
have entered into their labor.”
39 The Samaritans Respond Now many Samaritans from that town believed in him
because of the report of the woman who testified,“He told me everything I ever
did.”
40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they began asking him to stay with them.
He stayed there two days,
41 and because of his word many more believed.
42 They said to the woman,“No longer do we believe because of your words, for
we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this one really is the Savior of
the world.”
43 Onward to Galilee After the two days he departed from there to Galilee.
44 (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own
country.)
45 So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him because they had seen
all the things he had done in Jerusalem at the feast(for they themselves had
gone to the feast).
46 Healing the Royal Official’s Son Now he came again to Cana in Galilee where
he had made the water wine. In Capernaum there was a certain royal official
whose son was sick.
47 When he heard that Jesus had come back from Judea to Galilee, he went to him
and begged him to come down and heal his son, who was about to die.
48 So Jesus said to him,“Unless you people see signs and wonders you will
never believe!”
49 “Sir,” the official said to him,“come down before my child dies.”
50 Jesus told him,“Go home; your son will live.” The man believed the word
that Jesus spoke to him, and set off for home.
51 While he was on his way down, his slaves met him and told him that his son
was going to live.
52 So he asked them the time when his condition began to improve, and they told
him,“Yesterday at one o’clock in the afternoon the fever left him.”
53 Then the father realized that it was the very time Jesus had said to
him,“Your son will live,” and he himself believed along with his entire
household.
54 Jesus did this as his second miraculous sign when he returned from Judea to
Galilee.

Chapter 5

1 Healing a Paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda After this there was a Jewish
feast, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool called Bethzatha in
Aramaic, which has five covered walkways.
3 A great number of sick, blind, lame, and paralyzed people were lying in these
walkways.
5 Now a man was there who had been disabled for thirty-eight years.
6 When Jesus saw him lying there and when he realized that the man had been
disabled a long time already, he said to him,“Do you want to become well?”
7 The sick man answered him,“Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when
the water is stirred up. While I am trying to get into the water, someone else
goes down there before me.”
8 Jesus said to him,“Stand up! Pick up your mat and walk.”
9 Immediately the man was healed, and he picked up his mat and started
walking.(Now that day was a Sabbath.)
10 So the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed,“It is the
Sabbath, and you are not permitted to carry your mat.”
11 But he answered them,“The man who made me well said to me,‘Pick up your
mat and walk.’”
12 They asked him,“Who is the man who said to you,‘Pick up your mat and
walk’?”
13 But the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had
slipped out, since there was a crowd in that place.
14 After this Jesus found him at the temple and said to him,“Look, you have
become well. Don’t sin any more, lest anything worse happen to you.”
15 The man went away and informed the Jewish leaders that Jesus was the one who
had made him well.
16 Responding to Jewish Leaders Now because Jesus was doing these things on the
Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began persecuting him.
17 So he told them,“My Father is working until now, and I too am working.”
18 For this reason the Jewish leaders were trying even harder to kill him,
because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was also calling God his
own Father, thus making himself equal with God.
19 So Jesus answered them,“I tell you the solemn truth, the Son can do nothing
on his own initiative, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the
Father does, the Son does likewise.
20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he does, and will show
him greater deeds than these, so that you will be amazed.
21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son
gives life to whomever he wishes.
22 Furthermore, the Father does not judge anyone, but has assigned all judgment
to the Son,
23 so that all people will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. The one
who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.
24 “I tell you the solemn truth, the one who hears my message and believes the
one who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned, but has crossed over
from death to life.
25 I tell you the solemn truth, a time is coming– and is now here– when the
dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.
26 For just as the Father has life in himself, thus he has granted the Son to
have life in himself,
27 and he has granted the Son authority to execute judgment, because he is the
Son of Man.
28 “Do not be amazed at this, because a time is coming when all who are in the
tombs will hear his voice
29 and will come out– the ones who have done what is good to the resurrection
resulting in life, and the ones who have done what is evil to the resurrection
resulting in condemnation.
30 I can do nothing on my own initiative. Just as I hear, I judge, and my
judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will, but the will of the one who
sent me.
31 More Testimony About Jesus“If I testify about myself, my testimony is not
true.
32 There is another who testifies about me, and I know the testimony he
testifies about me is true.
33 You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth.
34 (I do not accept human testimony, but I say this so that you may be saved.)
35 He was a lamp that was burning and shining, and you wanted to rejoice greatly
for a short time in his light.
36 “But I have a testimony greater than that from John. For the deeds that the
Father has assigned me to complete– the deeds I am now doing– testify about
me that the Father has sent me.
37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified about me. You people have
never heard his voice nor seen his form at any time,
38 nor do you have his word residing in you, because you do not believe the one
whom he sent.
39 You study the scriptures thoroughly because you think in them you possess
eternal life, and it is these same scriptures that testify about me,
40 but you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life.
41 “I do not accept praise from people,
42 but I know you, that you do not have the love of God within you.
43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me. If someone else
comes in his own name, you will accept him.
44 How can you believe, if you accept praise from one another and don’t seek
the praise that comes from the only God?
45 “Do not suppose that I will accuse you before the Father. The one who
accuses you is Moses, in whom you have placed your hope.
46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, because he wrote about me.
47 But if you do not believe what Moses wrote, how will you believe my words?”

Chapter 6

1 The Feeding of the Five Thousand After this Jesus went away to the other side
of the Sea of Galilee(also called the Sea of Tiberias).
2 A large crowd was following him because they were observing the miraculous
signs he was performing on the sick.
3 So Jesus went on up the mountainside and sat down there with his disciples.
4 (Now the Jewish Feast of the Passover was near.)
5 Then Jesus, when he looked up and saw that a large crowd was coming to him,
said to Philip,“Where can we buy bread so that these people may eat?”
6 (Now Jesus said this to test him, for he knew what he was going to do.)
7 Philip replied,“Two hundred silver coins worth of bread would not be enough
for them, for each one to get a little.”
8 One of Jesus’ disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him,
9 “Here is a boy who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what good are
these for so many people?”
10 Jesus said,“Have the people sit down.”(Now there was a lot of grass in
that place.) So the men sat down, about five thousand in number.
11 Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed the
bread to those who were seated. He then did the same with the fish, as much as
they wanted.
12 When they were all satisfied, Jesus said to his disciples,“Gather up the
broken pieces that are left over, so that nothing is wasted.”
13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces from
the five barley loaves left over by the people who had eaten.
14 Now when the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus performed, they began
to say to one another,“This is certainly the Prophet who is to come into the
world.”
15 Then Jesus, because he knew they were going to come and seize him by force to
make him king, withdrew again up the mountainside alone.
16 Walking on Water Now when evening came, his disciples went down to the lake,
17 got into a boat, and started to cross the lake to Capernaum.(It had already
become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.)
18 By now a strong wind was blowing and the sea was getting rough.
19 Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles, they caught sight of
Jesus walking on the lake, approaching the boat, and they were frightened.
20 But he said to them,“It is I. Do not be afraid.”
21 Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat came to
the land where they had been heading.
22 The next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the lake realized
that only one small boat had been there, and that Jesus had not boarded it with
his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone.
23 Other boats from Tiberias came to shore near the place where they had eaten
the bread after the Lord had given thanks.
24 So when the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there,
they got into the boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
25 Jesus’ Discourse About the Bread of Life When they found him on the other
side of the lake, they said to him,“Rabbi, when did you get here?”
26 Jesus replied,“I tell you the solemn truth, you are looking for me not
because you saw miraculous signs, but because you ate all the loaves of bread
you wanted.
27 Do not work for the food that disappears, but for the food that remains to
eternal life– the food which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the
Father has put his seal of approval on him.”
28 So then they said to him,“What must we do to accomplish the deeds God
requires?”
29 Jesus replied,“This is the deed God requires– to believe in the one whom
he sent.”
30 So they said to him,“Then what miraculous sign will you perform, so that we
may see it and believe you? What will you do?
31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written,‘He
gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
32 Then Jesus told them,“I tell you the solemn truth, it is not Moses who has
given you the bread from heaven, but my Father is giving you the true bread from
heaven.
33 For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to
the world.”
34 So they said to him,“Sir, give us this bread all the time!”
35 Jesus said to them,“I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will
never go hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty.
36 But I told you that you have seen me and still do not believe.
37 Everyone whom the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to
me I will never send away.
38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the
one who sent me.
39 Now this is the will of the one who sent me– that I should not lose one
person of every one he has given me, but raise them all up at the last day.
40 For this is the will of my Father– for everyone who looks on the Son and
believes in him to have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last
day.”
41 Then the Jews who were hostile to Jesus began complaining about him because
he said,“I am the bread that came down from heaven,”
42 and they said,“Isn’t this Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and
mother we know? How can he now say,‘I have come down from heaven’?”
43 Jesus replied,“Do not complain about me to one another.
44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will
raise him up at the last day.
45 It is written in the prophets,‘And they will all be taught by God.’
Everyone who hears and learns from the Father comes to me.
46 (Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God– he has
seen the Father.)
47 I tell you the solemn truth, the one who believes has eternal life.
48 I am the bread of life.
49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.
50 This is the bread that has come down from heaven, so that a person may eat
from it and not die.
51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats from this
bread he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world
is my flesh.”
52 Then the Jews who were hostile to Jesus began to argue with one
another,“How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
53 Jesus said to them,“I tell you the solemn truth, unless you eat the flesh
of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves.
54 The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will
raise him up on the last day.
55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.
56 The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood resides in me, and I in him.
57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so the
one who consumes me will live because of me.
58 This is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the bread your
ancestors ate, but then later died. The one who eats this bread will live
forever.”
59 Many Followers Depart Jesus said these things while he was teaching in the
synagogue in Capernaum.
60 Then many of his disciples, when they heard these things, said,“This is a
difficult saying! Who can understand it?”
61 When Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining about this, he said
to them,“Does this cause you to be offended?
62 Then what if you see the Son of Man ascending where he was before?
63 The Spirit is the one who gives life; human nature is of no help! The words
that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.
64 But there are some of you who do not believe.”(For Jesus had already known
from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would
betray him.)
65 So Jesus added,“Because of this I told you that no one can come to me
unless the Father has allowed him to come.”
66 Peter’s Confession After this many of his disciples quit following him and
did not accompany him any longer.
67 So Jesus said to the twelve,“You don’t want to go away too, do you?”
68 Simon Peter answered him,“Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of
eternal life.
69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God!”
70 Jesus replied,“Didn’t I choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is the
devil?”
71 (Now he said this about Judas son of Simon Iscariot, for Judas, one of the
twelve, was going to betray him.)

Chapter 7

1 The Feast of Shelters After this Jesus traveled throughout Galilee. He stayed
out of Judea because the Jewish leaders wanted to kill him.
2 Now the Jewish Feast of Shelters was near.
3 So Jesus’ brothers advised him,“Leave here and go to Judea so your
disciples may see your miracles that you are performing.
4 For no one who seeks to make a reputation for himself does anything in secret.
If you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.”
5 (For not even his own brothers believed in him.)
6 So Jesus replied,“My time has not yet arrived, but you are ready at any
opportunity!
7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me, because I am testifying about it
that its deeds are evil.
8 You go up to the feast yourselves. I am not going up to this feast because my
time has not yet fully arrived.”
9 When he had said this, he remained in Galilee.
10 But when his brothers had gone up to the feast, then Jesus himself also went
up, not openly but in secret.
11 So the Jewish leaders were looking for him at the feast, asking,“Where is
he?”
12 There was a lot of grumbling about him among the crowds. Some were
saying,“He is a good man,” but others,“He deceives the common people.”
13 However, no one spoke openly about him for fear of the Jewish leaders.
14 Teaching in the Temple When the feast was half over, Jesus went up to the
temple courts and began to teach.
15 Then the Jewish leaders were astonished and said,“How does this man know so
much when he has never had formal instruction?”
16 So Jesus replied,“My teaching is not from me, but from the one who sent me.
17 If anyone wants to do God’s will, he will know about my teaching, whether
it is from God or whether I speak from my own authority.
18 The person who speaks on his own authority desires to receive honor for
himself; the one who desires the honor of the one who sent him is a man of
integrity, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
19 Hasn’t Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law! Why do
you want to kill me?”
20 The crowd answered,“You’re possessed by a demon! Who is trying to kill
you?”
21 Jesus replied,“I performed one miracle and you are all amazed.
22 However, because Moses gave you the practice of circumcision(not that it came
from Moses, but from the forefathers), you circumcise a male child on the
Sabbath.
23 But if a male child is circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses is
not broken, why are you angry with me because I made a man completely well on
the Sabbath?
24 Do not judge according to external appearance, but judge with proper
judgment.”
25 Questions About Jesus’ Identity Then some of the residents of Jerusalem
began to say,“Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill?
26 Yet here he is, speaking publicly, and they are saying nothing to him. Do the
ruling authorities really know that this man is the Christ?
27 But we know where this man comes from. Whenever the Christ comes, no one will
know where he comes from.”
28 Then Jesus, while teaching in the temple courts, cried out,“You both know
me and know where I come from! And I have not come on my own initiative, but the
one who sent me is true. You do not know him,
29 but I know him, because I have come from him and he sent me.”
30 So then they tried to seize Jesus, but no one laid a hand on him, because his
time had not yet come.
31 Yet many of the crowd believed in him and said,“Whenever the Christ comes,
he won’t perform more miraculous signs than this man did, will he?”
32 The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things about Jesus, so the
chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to arrest him.
33 Then Jesus said,“I will be with you for only a little while longer, and
then I am going to the one who sent me.
34 You will look for me but will not find me, and where I am you cannot come.”
35 Then the Jewish leaders said to one another,“Where is he going to go that
we cannot find him? He is not going to go to the Jewish people dispersed among
the Greeks and teach the Greeks, is he?
36 What did he mean by saying,‘You will look for me but will not find me, and
where I am you cannot come’?”
37 Teaching About the Spirit On the last day of the feast, the greatest day,
Jesus stood up and shouted out,“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me, and
38 let the one who believes in me drink. Just as the scripture says,‘From
within him will flow rivers of living water.’”
39 (Now he said this about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were going
to receive, for the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet
glorified.)
40 Differing Opinions About Jesus When they heard these words, some of the crowd
began to say,“This really is the Prophet!”
41 Others said,“This is the Christ!” But still others said,“No, for the
Christ doesn’t come from Galilee, does he?
42 Don’t the scriptures say that the Christ is a descendant of David and comes
from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?”
43 So there was a division in the crowd because of Jesus.
44 Some of them were wanting to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.
45 Lack of Belief Then the officers returned to the chief priests and Pharisees,
who said to them,“Why didn’t you bring him back with you?”
46 The officers replied,“No one ever spoke like this man!”
47 Then the Pharisees answered,“You haven’t been deceived too, have you?
48 None of the members of the ruling council or the Pharisees have believed in
him, have they?
49 But this rabble who do not know the law are accursed!”
50 Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus before and who was one of the rulers, said,
51 “Our law doesn’t condemn a man unless it first hears from him and learns
what he is doing, does it?”
52 They replied,“You aren’t from Galilee too, are you? Investigate carefully
and you will see that no prophet comes from Galilee!”
53 A Woman Caught in Adultery[[And each one departed to his own house.

Chapter 8

1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
2 Early in the morning he came to the temple courts again. All the people came
to him, and he sat down and began to teach them.
3 The experts in the law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught
committing adultery. They made her stand in front of them
4 and said to Jesus,“Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of
adultery.
5 In the law Moses commanded us to stone to death such women. What then do you
say?”
6 (Now they were asking this in an attempt to trap him, so that they could bring
charges against him.) Jesus bent down and wrote on the ground with his finger.
7 When they persisted in asking him, he stood up straight and replied,“Whoever
among you is guiltless may be the first to throw a stone at her.”
8 Then he bent over again and wrote on the ground.
9 Now when they heard this, they began to drift away one at a time, starting
with the older ones, until Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before
him.
10 Jesus stood up straight and said to her,“Woman, where are they? Did no one
condemn you?”
11 She replied,“No one, Lord.” And Jesus said,“I do not condemn you
either. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”]]
12 Jesus as the Light of the World Then Jesus spoke out again,“I am the light
of the world! The one who follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have
the light of life.”
13 So the Pharisees objected,“You testify about yourself; your testimony is
not true!”
14 Jesus answered,“Even if I testify about myself, my testimony is true,
because I know where I came from and where I am going. But you people do not
know where I came from or where I am going.
15 You people judge by outward appearances; I do not judge anyone.
16 But if I judge, my evaluation is accurate, because I am not alone when I
judge, but I and the Father who sent me do so together.
17 It is written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.
18 I testify about myself and the Father who sent me testifies about me.”
19 Then they began asking him,“Who is your father?” Jesus answered,“You do
not know either me or my Father. If you knew me you would know my Father too.”
20 (Jesus spoke these words near the offering box while he was teaching in the
temple courts. No one seized him because his time had not yet come.)
21 Where Jesus Came From and Where He is Going Then Jesus said to them
again,“I am going away, and you will look for me but will die in your sin.
Where I am going you cannot come.”
22 So the Jewish leaders began to say,“Perhaps he is going to kill himself,
because he says,‘Where I am going you cannot come.’”
23 Jesus replied,“You people are from below; I am from above. You people are
from this world; I am not from this world.
24 Thus I told you that you will die in your sins. For unless you believe that I
am he, you will die in your sins.”
25 So they said to him,“Who are you?” Jesus replied,“What I have told you
from the beginning.
26 I have many things to say and to judge about you, but the Father who sent me
is truthful, and the things I have heard from him I speak to the world.”
27 (They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father.)
28 Then Jesus said,“When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I
am he, and I do nothing on my own initiative, but I speak just what the Father
taught me.
29 And the one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I
always do those things that please him.”
30 While he was saying these things, many people believed in him.
31 Abraham’s Children and the Devil’s Children Then Jesus said to those
Judeans who had believed him,“If you continue to follow my teaching, you are
really my disciples
32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
33 “We are descendants of Abraham,” they replied,“and have never been
anyone’s slaves! How can you say,‘You will become free’?”
34 Jesus answered them,“I tell you the solemn truth, everyone who practices
sin is a slave of sin.
35 The slave does not remain in the family forever, but the son remains forever.
36 So if the son sets you free, you will be really free.
37 I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. But you want to kill me, because
my teaching makes no progress among you.
38 I am telling you the things I have seen while with the Father; as for you,
practice the things you have heard from the Father!”
39 They answered him,“Abraham is our father!” Jesus replied,“If you are
Abraham’s children, you would be doing the deeds of Abraham.
40 But now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth I heard
from God. Abraham did not do this!
41 You people are doing the deeds of your father.”Then they said to
Jesus,“We were not born as a result of immorality! We have only one Father,
God himself.”
42 Jesus replied,“If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come
from God and am now here. I have not come on my own initiative, but he sent me.
43 Why don’t you understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot accept
my teaching.
44 You people are from your father the devil, and you want to do what your
father desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not uphold the
truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, he speaks according
to his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies.
45 But because I am telling you the truth, you do not believe me.
46 Who among you can prove me guilty of any sin? If I am telling you the truth,
why don’t you believe me?
47 The one who belongs to God listens and responds to God’s words. You don’t
listen and respond, because you don’t belong to God.”
48 The Judeans replied,“Aren’t we correct in saying that you are a Samaritan
and are possessed by a demon?”
49 Jesus answered,“I am not possessed by a demon, but I honor my Father– and
yet you dishonor me.
50 I am not trying to get praise for myself. There is one who demands it, and he
also judges.
51 I tell you the solemn truth, if anyone obeys my teaching, he will never see
death.”
52 Then the Judeans responded,“Now we know you’re possessed by a demon! Both
Abraham and the prophets died, and yet you say,‘If anyone obeys my teaching,
he will never experience death.’
53 You aren’t greater than our father Abraham who died, are you? And the
prophets died too! Who do you claim to be?”
54 Jesus replied,“If I glorify myself, my glory is worthless. The one who
glorifies me is my Father, about whom you people say,‘He is our God.’
55 Yet you do not know him, but I know him. If I were to say that I do not know
him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him, and I obey his teaching.
56 Your father Abraham was overjoyed to see my day, and he saw it and was
glad.”
57 Then the Judeans replied,“You are not yet fifty years old! Have you seen
Abraham?”
58 Jesus said to them,“I tell you the solemn truth, before Abraham came into
existence, I am!”
59 Then they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus was hidden from them
and went out from the temple area.

Chapter 9

1 Healing a Man Born Blind Now as Jesus was passing by, he saw a man who had
been blind from birth.
2 His disciples asked him,“Rabbi, who committed the sin that caused him to be
born blind, this man or his parents?”
3 Jesus answered,“Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but he was born
blind so that the acts of God may be revealed through what happens to him.
4 We must perform the deeds of the one who sent me as long as it is daytime.
Night is coming when no one can work.
5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6 Having said this, he spat on the ground and made some mud with the saliva. He
smeared the mud on the blind man’s eyes
7 and said to him,“Go wash in the pool of Siloam”(which is
translated“sent”). So the blind man went away and washed, and came back
seeing.
8 Then the neighbors and the people who had seen him previously as a beggar
began saying,“Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?”
9 Some people said,“This is the man!” while others said,“No, but he looks
like him.” The man himself kept insisting,“I am the one!”
10 So they asked him,“How then were you made to see?”
11 He replied,“The man called Jesus made mud, smeared it on my eyes and told
me,‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and was able to see.”
12 They said to him,“Where is that man?” He replied,“I don’t know.”
13 The Pharisees’ Reaction to the Healing They brought the man who used to be
blind to the Pharisees.
14 (Now the day on which Jesus made the mud and caused him to see was a
Sabbath.)
15 So the Pharisees asked him again how he had gained his sight. He
replied,“He put mud on my eyes and I washed, and now I am able to see.”
16 Then some of the Pharisees began to say,“This man is not from God, because
he does not observe the Sabbath.” But others said,“How can a man who is a
sinner perform such miraculous signs?” Thus there was a division among them.
17 So again they asked the man who used to be blind,“What do you say about
him, since he caused you to see?”“He is a prophet,” the man replied.
18 Now the Jewish religious leaders refused to believe that he had really been
blind and had gained his sight until at last they summoned the parents of the
man who had become able to see.
19 They asked the parents,“Is this your son, whom you say was born blind? Then
how does he now see?”
20 So his parents replied,“We know that this is our son and that he was born
blind.
21 But we do not know how he is now able to see, nor do we know who caused him
to see. Ask him, he is a mature adult. He will speak for himself.”
22 (His parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jewish
religious leaders. For the Jewish leaders had already agreed that anyone who
confessed Jesus to be the Christ would be put out of the synagogue.
23 For this reason his parents said,“He is a mature adult, ask him.”)
24 Then they summoned the man who used to be blind a second time and said to
him,“Promise before God to tell the truth. We know that this man is a
sinner.”
25 He replied,“I do not know whether he is a sinner. I do know one thing–
that although I was blind, now I can see.”
26 Then they said to him,“What did he do to you? How did he cause you to
see?”
27 He answered,“I told you already and you didn’t listen. Why do you want to
hear it again? You people don’t want to become his disciples too, do you?”
28 They heaped insults on him, saying,“You are his disciple! We are disciples
of Moses!
29 We know that God has spoken to Moses! We do not know where this man comes
from!”
30 The man replied,“This is a remarkable thing, that you don’t know where he
comes from, and yet he caused me to see!
31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but if anyone is devout and
does his will, God listens to him.
32 Never before has anyone heard of someone causing a man born blind to see.
33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
34 They replied,“You were born completely in sinfulness, and yet you presume
to teach us?” So they threw him out.
35 The Man’s Response to Jesus Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, so he
found the man and said to him,“Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
36 The man replied,“And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?”
37 Jesus told him,“You have seen him; he is the one speaking with you.”[
38 He said,“Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
39 Jesus said,]“For judgment I have come into this world, so that those who do
not see may gain their sight, and the ones who see may become blind.”
40 Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and asked him,“We are
not blind too, are we?”
41 Jesus replied,“If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin, but now
because you claim that you can see, your guilt remains.

Chapter 10

1 Jesus as the Good Shepherd“I tell you the solemn truth, the one who does not
enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a
robber.
2 The one who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3 The doorkeeper opens the door for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls
his own sheep by name and leads them out.
4 When he has brought all his own sheep out, he goes ahead of them, and the
sheep follow him because they recognize his voice.
5 They will never follow a stranger, but will run away from him, because they do
not recognize the stranger’s voice.”
6 Jesus told them this parable, but they did not understand what he was saying
to them.
7 So Jesus said again,“I tell you the solemn truth, I am the door for the
sheep.
8 All who came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen
to them.
9 I am the door. If anyone enters through me, he will be saved, and will come in
and go out, and find pasture.
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come so that they
may have life, and may have it abundantly.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the
sheep.
12 The hired hand, who is not a shepherd and does not own sheep, sees the wolf
coming and abandons the sheep and runs away. So the wolf attacks the sheep and
scatters them.
13 Because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep, he runs
away.
14 “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me–
15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father– and I lay down my life
for the sheep.
16 I have other sheep that do not come from this sheepfold. I must bring them
too, and they will listen to my voice, so that there will be one flock and one
shepherd.
17 This is why the Father loves me– because I lay down my life, so that I may
take it back again.
18 No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down of my own free will. I have
the authority to lay it down, and I have the authority to take it back again.
This commandment I received from my Father.”
19 Another sharp division took place among the Jewish people because of these
words.
20 Many of them were saying,“He is possessed by a demon and has lost his mind!
Why do you listen to him?”
21 Others said,“These are not the words of someone possessed by a demon. A
demon cannot cause the blind to see, can it?”
22 Jesus at the Feast of Dedication Then came the feast of the Dedication in
Jerusalem.
23 It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple area in Solomon’s
Portico.
24 The Jewish leaders surrounded him and asked,“How long will you keep us in
suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
25 Jesus replied,“I told you and you do not believe. The deeds I do in my
Father’s name testify about me.
26 But you refuse to believe because you are not my sheep.
27 My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; no one will snatch them
from my hand.
29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can
snatch them from my Father’s hand.
30 The Father and I are one.”
31 The Jewish leaders picked up rocks again to stone him to death.
32 Jesus said to them,“I have shown you many good deeds from the Father. For
which one of them are you going to stone me?”
33 The Jewish leaders replied,“We are not going to stone you for a good deed
but for blasphemy, because you, a man, are claiming to be God.”
34 Jesus answered,“Is it not written in your law,‘I said, you are gods’?
35 If those people to whom the word of God came were called‘gods’(and the
scripture cannot be broken),
36 do you say about the one whom the Father set apart and sent into the
world,‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said,‘I am the Son of God’?
37 If I do not perform the deeds of my Father, do not believe me.
38 But if I do them, even if you do not believe me, believe the deeds, so that
you may come to know and understand that I am in the Father and the Father is in
me.”
39 Then they attempted again to seize him, but he escaped their clutches.
40 Jesus went back across the Jordan River again to the place where John had
been baptizing at an earlier time, and he stayed there.
41 Many came to him and began to say,“John performed no miraculous sign, but
everything John said about this man was true!”
42 And many believed in Jesus there.

Chapter 11

1 The Death of Lazarus Now a certain man named Lazarus was sick. He was from
Bethany, the village where Mary and her sister Martha lived.
2 (Now it was Mary who anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and wiped his feet
dry with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)
3 So the sisters sent a message to Jesus,“Lord, look, the one you love is
sick.”
4 When Jesus heard this, he said,“This sickness will not lead to death, but to
God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
5 (Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.)
6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he remained in the place where he was
for two more days.
7 Then after this, he said to his disciples,“Let us go to Judea again.”
8 The disciples replied,“Rabbi, the Jewish leaders were just now trying to
stone you to death! Are you going there again?”
9 Jesus replied,“Are there not twelve hours in a day? If anyone walks around
in the daytime, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.
10 But if anyone walks around at night, he stumbles, because the light is not in
him.”
11 After he said this, he added,“Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep. But I
am going there to awaken him.”
12 Then the disciples replied,“Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will
recover.”
13 (Now Jesus had been talking about his death, but they thought he had been
talking about real sleep.)
14 Then Jesus told them plainly,“Lazarus has died,
15 and I am glad for your sake that I was not there, so that you may believe.
But let us go to him.”
16 So Thomas(called Didymus) said to his fellow disciples,“Let us go too, so
that we may die with him.”
17 Speaking with Martha and Mary When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had
been in the tomb four days already.
18 (Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem,
19 so many of the Jewish people of the region had come to Martha and Mary to
console them over the loss of their brother.)
20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but
Mary was sitting in the house.
21 Martha said to Jesus,“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have
died.
22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will grant you.”
23 Jesus replied,“Your brother will come back to life again.”
24 Martha said,“I know that he will come back to life again in the
resurrection at the last day.”
25 Jesus said to her,“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes
in me will live even if he dies,
26 and the one who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe
this?”
27 She replied,“Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God
who comes into the world.”
28 And when she had said this, Martha went and called her sister Mary, saying
privately,“The Teacher is here and is asking for you.”
29 So when Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him.
30 (Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still in the place where
Martha had come out to meet him.)
31 Then the people who were with Mary in the house consoling her saw her get up
quickly and go out. They followed her, because they thought she was going to the
tomb to weep there.
32 Now when Mary came to the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his
feet and said to him,“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have
died.”
33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the people who had come with her weeping, he
was intensely moved in spirit and greatly distressed.
34 He asked,“Where have you laid him?” They replied,“Lord, come and
see.”
35 Jesus wept.
36 Thus the people who had come to mourn said,“Look how much he loved him!”
37 But some of them said,“This is the man who caused the blind man to see!
Couldn’t he have done something to keep Lazarus from dying?”
38 Lazarus Raised from the Dead Jesus, intensely moved again, came to the
tomb.(Now it was a cave, and a stone was placed across it.)
39 Jesus said,“Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased,
replied,“Lord, by this time the body will have a bad smell, because he has
been buried four days.”
40 Jesus responded,“Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you would see the
glory of God?”
41 So they took away the stone. Jesus looked upward and said,“Father, I thank
you that you have listened to me.
42 I knew that you always listen to me, but I said this for the sake of the
crowd standing around here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
43 When he had said this, he shouted in a loud voice,“Lazarus, come out!”
44 The one who had died came out, his feet and hands tied up with strips of
cloth, and a cloth wrapped around his face. Jesus said to them,“Unwrap him and
let him go.”
45 The Response of the Jewish Leaders Then many of the people, who had come with
Mary and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in him.
46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and reported to them what Jesus had
done.
47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees called the council together and
said,“What are we doing? For this man is performing many miraculous signs.
48 If we allow him to go on in this way, everyone will believe in him, and the
Romans will come and take away our sanctuary and our nation.”
49 Then one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said,“You know
nothing at all!
50 You do not realize that it is more to your advantage to have one man die for
the people than for the whole nation to perish.”
51 (Now he did not say this on his own, but because he was high priest that
year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the Jewish nation,
52 and not for the Jewish nation only, but to gather together into one the
children of God who are scattered.)
53 So from that day they planned together to kill him.
54 Thus Jesus no longer went around publicly among the Judeans, but went away
from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and
stayed there with his disciples.
55 Now the Jewish Feast of Passover was near, and many people went up to
Jerusalem from the rural areas before the Passover to cleanse themselves
ritually.
56 Thus they were looking for Jesus, and saying to one another as they stood in
the temple courts,“What do you think? That he won’t come to the feast?”
57 (Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who
knew where Jesus was should report it, so that they could arrest him.)

Chapter 12

1 Jesus’ Anointing Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany,
where Lazarus lived, whom he had raised from the dead.
2 So they prepared a dinner for Jesus there. Martha was serving, and Lazarus was
among those present at the table with him.
3 Then Mary took three quarters of a pound of expensive aromatic oil from pure
nard and anointed the feet of Jesus. She then wiped his feet dry with her
hair.(Now the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfumed oil.)
4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples(the one who was going to betray him)
said,
5 “Why wasn’t this oil sold for three hundred silver coins and the money
given to the poor?”
6 (Now Judas said this not because he was concerned about the poor, but because
he was a thief. As keeper of the money box, he used to steal what was put into
it.)
7 So Jesus said,“Leave her alone. She has kept it for the day of my burial.
8 For you will always have the poor with you, but you will not always have
me!”
9 Now a large crowd of Judeans learned that Jesus was there, and so they came
not only because of him but also to see Lazarus whom he had raised from the
dead.
10 So the chief priests planned to kill Lazarus too,
11 for on account of him many of the Jewish people from Jerusalem were going
away and believing in Jesus.
12 The Triumphal Entry The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast
heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.
13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him. They began to
shout,“Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed
is the king of Israel!”
14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,
15 “Do not be afraid, people of Zion; look, your king is coming, seated on a
donkey’s colt!”
16 (His disciples did not understand these things when they first happened, but
when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written
about him and that these things had happened to him.)
17 So the crowd who had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and
raised him from the dead were continuing to testify about it.
18 Because they had heard that Jesus had performed this miraculous sign, the
crowd went out to meet him.
19 Thus the Pharisees said to one another,“You see that you can do nothing.
Look, the world has run off after him!”
20 Seekers Now some Greeks were among those who had gone up to worship at the
feast.
21 So these approached Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and
requested,“Sir, we would like to see Jesus.”
22 Philip went and told Andrew, and they both went and told Jesus.
23 Jesus replied,“The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
24 I tell you the solemn truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls into the ground
and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it produces much grain.
25 The one who loves his life destroys it, and the one who hates his life in
this world guards it for eternal life.
26 If anyone wants to serve me, he must follow me, and where I am, my servant
will be too. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
27 “Now my soul is greatly distressed. And what should I say?‘Father,
deliver me from this hour’? No, but for this very reason I have come to this
hour.
28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven,“I have
glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”
29 The crowd that stood there and heard the voice said that it had thundered.
Others said that an angel had spoken to him.
30 Jesus said,“This voice has not come for my benefit but for yours.
31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven
out.
32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”
33 (Now he said this to indicate clearly what kind of death he was going to
die.)
34 Then the crowd responded,“We have heard from the law that the Christ will
remain forever. How can you say,‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is
this Son of Man?”
35 Jesus replied,“The light is with you for a little while longer. Walk while
you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. The one who walks
in the darkness does not know where he is going.
36 While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become sons
of light.” When Jesus had said these things, he went away and hid himself from
them.
37 The Outcome of Jesus’ Public Ministry Foretold Although Jesus had performed
so many miraculous signs before them, they still refused to believe in him,
38 so that the word of the prophet Isaiah would be fulfilled. He said,“Lord,
who has believed our message, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been
revealed?”
39 For this reason they could not believe, because again Isaiah said,
40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, so that they would not
see with their eyes and understand with their heart, and turn to me, and I would
heal them.”
41 Isaiah said these things because he saw Christ’s glory, and spoke about
him.
42 Nevertheless, even among the rulers many believed in him, but because of the
Pharisees they would not confess Jesus to be the Christ, so that they would not
be put out of the synagogue.
43 For they loved praise from men more than praise from God.
44 Jesus’ Final Public Words But Jesus shouted out,“The one who believes in
me does not believe in me, but in the one who sent me,
45 and the one who sees me sees the one who sent me.
46 I have come as a light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me
should not remain in darkness.
47 If anyone hears my words and does not obey them, I do not judge him. For I
have not come to judge the world, but to save the world.
48 The one who rejects me and does not accept my words has a judge; the word I
have spoken will judge him at the last day.
49 For I have not spoken from my own authority, but the Father himself who sent
me has commanded me what I should say and what I should speak.
50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. Thus the things I say, I say
just as the Father has told me.”

Chapter 13

1 Washing the Disciples’ Feet Just before the Passover Feast, Jesus knew that
his time had come to depart from this world to the Father. Having loved his own
who were in the world, he now loved them to the very end.
2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already put into the heart
of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, that he should betray Jesus.
3 Because Jesus knew that the Father had handed all things over to him, and that
he had come from God and was going back to God,
4 he got up from the meal, removed his outer clothes, took a towel and tied it
around himself.
5 He poured water into the washbasin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and
to dry them with the towel he had wrapped around himself.
6 Then he came to Simon Peter. Peter said to him,“Lord, are you going to wash
my feet?”
7 Jesus replied,“You do not understand what I am doing now, but you will
understand after these things.”
8 Peter said to him,“You will never wash my feet!” Jesus replied,“If I do
not wash you, you have no share with me.”
9 Simon Peter said to him,“Lord, wash not only my feet, but also my hands and
my head!”
10 Jesus replied,“The one who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is
completely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not every one of you.”
11 (For Jesus knew the one who was going to betray him. For this reason he
said,“Not every one of you is clean.”)
12 So when Jesus had washed their feet and put his outer clothing back on, he
took his place at the table again and said to them,“Do you understand what I
have done for you?
13 You call me‘Teacher’ and‘Lord,’ and do so correctly, for that is what
I am.
14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you too ought to
wash one another’s feet.
15 For I have given you an example– you should do just as I have done for you.
16 I tell you the solemn truth, the slave is not greater than his master, nor is
the one who is sent as a messenger greater than the one who sent him.
17 If you understand these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
18 The Announcement of Jesus’ Betrayal“What I am saying does not refer to
all of you. I know the ones I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the
scripture,‘The one who eats my bread has turned against me.’
19 I am telling you this now, before it happens, so that when it happens you may
believe that I am he.
20 I tell you the solemn truth, whoever accepts the one I send accepts me, and
whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”
21 When he had said these things, Jesus was greatly distressed in spirit, and
testified,“I tell you the solemn truth, one of you will betray me.”
22 The disciples began to look at one another, worried and perplexed to know
which of them he was talking about.
23 One of his disciples, the one Jesus loved, was at the table to the right of
Jesus in a place of honor.
24 So Simon Peter gestured to this disciple to ask Jesus who it was he was
referring to.
25 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved leaned back against Jesus’ chest and
asked him,“Lord, who is it?”
26 Jesus replied,“It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread after
I have dipped it in the dish.” Then he dipped the piece of bread in the dish
and gave it to Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son.
27 And after Judas took the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said
to him,“What you are about to do, do quickly.”
28 (Now none of those present at the table understood why Jesus said this to
Judas.
29 Some thought that, because Judas had the money box, Jesus was telling him to
buy whatever they needed for the feast, or to give something to the poor.)
30 Judas took the piece of bread and went out immediately.(Now it was night.)
31 The Prediction of Peter’s Denial When Judas had gone out, Jesus said,“Now
the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in him.
32 If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and he will
glorify him right away.
33 Children, I am still with you for a little while. You will look for me, and
just as I said to the Jewish religious leaders,‘Where I am going you cannot
come,’ now I tell you the same.
34 “I give you a new commandment– to love one another. Just as I have loved
you, you also are to love one another.
35 Everyone will know by this that you are my disciples– if you have love for
one another.”
36 Simon Peter said to him,“Lord, where are you going?” Jesus
replied,“Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, but you will follow
later.”
37 Peter said to him,“Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my
life for you!”
38 Jesus answered,“Will you lay down your life for me? I tell you the solemn
truth, the rooster will not crow until you have denied me three times!

Chapter 14

1 Jesus’ Parting Words to His Disciples“Do not let your hearts be
distressed. You believe in God; believe also in me.
2 There are many dwelling places in my Father’s house. Otherwise, I would have
told you, because I am going away to make ready a place for you.
3 And if I go and make ready a place for you, I will come again and take you to
be with me, so that where I am you may be too.
4 And you know the way where I am going.”
5 Thomas said,“Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the
way?”
6 Jesus replied,“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to
the Father except through me.
7 If you have known me, you will know my Father too. And from now on you do know
him and have seen him.”
8 Philip said,“Lord, show us the Father, and we will be content.”
9 Jesus replied,“Have I been with you for so long, and you have not known me,
Philip? The person who has seen me has seen the Father! How can you say,‘Show
us the Father’?
10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me? The
words that I say to you, I do not speak on my own initiative, but the Father
residing in me performs his miraculous deeds.
11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me, but if you do
not believe me, believe because of the miraculous deeds themselves.
12 I tell you the solemn truth, the person who believes in me will perform the
miraculous deeds that I am doing, and will perform greater deeds than these,
because I am going to the Father.
13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be
glorified in the Son.
14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
15 Teaching on the Holy Spirit“If you love me, you will obey my commandments.
16 Then I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with
you forever–
17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it does not see
him or know him. But you know him, because he resides with you and will be in
you.
18 “I will not abandon you as orphans, I will come to you.
19 In a little while the world will not see me any longer, but you will see me;
because I live, you will live too.
20 You will know at that time that I am in my Father and you are in me and I am
in you.
21 The person who has my commandments and obeys them is the one who loves me.
The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will
reveal myself to him.”
22 “Lord,” Judas(not Judas Iscariot) said,“what has happened that you are
going to reveal yourself to us and not to the world?”
23 Jesus replied,“If anyone loves me, he will obey my word, and my Father will
love him, and we will come to him and take up residence with him.
24 The person who does not love me does not obey my words. And the word you hear
is not mine, but the Father’s who sent me.
25 “I have spoken these things while staying with you.
26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will
teach you everything, and will cause you to remember everything I said to you.
27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; I do not give it to you as
the world does. Do not let your hearts be distressed or lacking in courage.
28 You heard me say to you,‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If
you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, because the
Father is greater than I am.
29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it happens you may
believe.
30 I will not speak with you much longer, for the ruler of this world is coming.
He has no power over me,
31 but I am doing just what the Father commanded me, so that the world may know
that I love the Father. Get up, let us go from here.

Chapter 15

1 The Vine and the Branches“I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener.
2 He takes away every branch that does not bear fruit in me. He prunes every
branch that bears fruit so that it will bear more fruit.
3 You are clean already because of the word that I have spoken to you.
4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit
by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain
in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me– and I in
him– bears much fruit, because apart from me you can accomplish nothing.
6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown out like a branch, and dries up;
and such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, and are burned up.
7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want, and it
will be done for you.
8 My Father is honored by this, that you bear much fruit and show that you are
my disciples.
9 “Just as the Father has loved me, I have also loved you; remain in my love.
10 If you obey my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have
obeyed my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.
11 I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you, and your joy may
be complete.
12 My commandment is this– to love one another just as I have loved you.
13 No one has greater love than this– that one lays down his life for his
friends.
14 You are my friends if you do what I command you.
15 I no longer call you slaves, because the slave does not understand what his
master is doing. But I have called you friends, because I have revealed to you
everything I heard from my Father.
16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear
fruit, fruit that remains, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he
will give you.
17 This I command you– to love one another.
18 The World’s Hatred“If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me
first.
19 If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. However,
because you do not belong to the world, but I chose you out of the world, for
this reason the world hates you.
20 Remember what I told you,‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If
they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they obeyed my word, they
will obey yours too.
21 But they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they
do not know the one who sent me.
22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. But
they no longer have any excuse for their sin.
23 The one who hates me hates my Father too.
24 If I had not performed among them the miraculous deeds that no one else did,
they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen the deeds and have hated
both me and my Father.
25 Now this happened to fulfill the word that is written in their law,‘They
hated me without reason.’
26 When the Advocate comes, whom I will send you from the Father– the Spirit
of truth who goes out from the Father– he will testify about me,
27 and you also will testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.

Chapter 16

1 “I have told you all these things so that you will not fall away.
2 They will put you out of the synagogue, yet a time is coming when the one who
kills you will think he is offering service to God.
3 They will do these things because they have not known the Father or me.
4 But I have told you these things so that when their time comes, you will
remember that I told you about them.“I did not tell you these things from the
beginning because I was with you.
5 But now I am going to the one who sent me, and not one of you is asking
me,‘Where are you going?’
6 Instead your hearts are filled with sadness because I have said these things
to you.
7 But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I am going away. For if
I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you, but if I go, I will send
him to you.
8 And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong concerning sin and
righteousness and judgment–
9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me;
10 concerning righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see
me no longer;
11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.
12 “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.
For he will not speak on his own authority, but will speak whatever he hears,
and will tell you what is to come.
14 He will glorify me, because he will receive from me what is mine and will
tell it to you.
15 Everything that the Father has is mine; that is why I said the Spirit will
receive from me what is mine and will tell it to you.
16 In a little while you will see me no longer; again after a little while, you
will see me.”
17 Then some of his disciples said to one another,“What is the meaning of what
he is saying,‘In a little while you will not see me; again after a little
while, you will see me,’ and,‘because I am going to the Father’?”
18 So they kept on repeating,“What is the meaning of what he says,‘In a
little while’? We do not understand what he is talking about.”
19 Jesus could see that they wanted to ask him about these things, so he said to
them,“Are you asking each other about this– that I said,‘In a little while
you will not see me; again after a little while, you will see me’?
20 I tell you the solemn truth, you will weep and wail, but the world will
rejoice; you will be sad, but your sadness will turn into joy.
21 When a woman gives birth, she has distress because her time has come, but
when her child is born, she no longer remembers the suffering because of her joy
that a human being has been born into the world.
22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will
rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.
23 At that time you will ask me nothing. I tell you the solemn truth, whatever
you ask the Father in my name he will give you.
24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will
receive it, so that your joy may be complete.
25 “I have told you these things in obscure figures of speech; a time is
coming when I will no longer speak to you in obscure figures, but will tell you
plainly about the Father.
26 At that time you will ask in my name, and I do not say that I will ask the
Father on your behalf.
27 For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed
that I came from God.
28 I came from the Father and entered into the world, but in turn, I am leaving
the world and going back to the Father.”
29 His disciples said,“Look, now you are speaking plainly and not in obscure
figures of speech!
30 Now we know that you know everything and do not need anyone to ask you
anything. Because of this we believe that you have come from God.”
31 Jesus replied,“Do you now believe?
32 Look, a time is coming– and has come– when you will be scattered, each
one to his own home, and I will be left alone. Yet I am not alone, because my
Father is with me.
33 I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In the world
you have trouble and suffering, but take courage– I have conquered the
world.”

Chapter 17

1 Jesus Prays for the Father to Glorify Him When Jesus had finished saying these
things, he looked upward to heaven and said,“Father, the time has come.
Glorify your Son, so that your Son may glorify you–
2 just as you have given him authority over all humanity, so that he may give
eternal life to everyone you have given him.
3 Now this is eternal life– that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus
Christ, whom you sent.
4 I glorified you on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.
5 And now, Father, glorify me at your side with the glory I had with you before
the world was created.
6 Jesus Prays for the Disciples“I have revealed your name to the men you gave
me out of the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they
have obeyed your word.
7 Now they understand that everything you have given me comes from you,
8 because I have given them the words you have given me. They accepted them and
really understand that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.
9 I am praying on behalf of them. I am not praying on behalf of the world, but
on behalf of those you have given me, because they belong to you.
10 Everything I have belongs to you, and everything you have belongs to me, and
I have been glorified by them.
11 I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to
you. Holy Father, keep them safe in your name that you have given me, so that
they may be one just as we are one.
12 When I was with them I kept them safe and watched over them in your name that
you have given me. Not one of them was lost except the one destined for
destruction, so that the scripture could be fulfilled.
13 But now I am coming to you, and I am saying these things in the world, so
they may experience my joy completed in themselves.
14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them, because they do
not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.
15 I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but that you keep them
safe from the evil one.
16 They do not belong to the world just as I do not belong to the world.
17 Set them apart in the truth; your word is truth.
18 Just as you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world.
19 And I set myself apart on their behalf, so that they too may be truly set
apart.
20 Jesus Prays for Believers Everywhere“I am not praying only on their behalf,
but also on behalf of those who believe in me through their testimony,
21 that they will all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. I
pray that they will be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me.
22 The glory you gave to me I have given to them, that they may be one just as
we are one–
23 I in them and you in me– that they may be completely one, so that the world
will know that you sent me, and you have loved them just as you have loved me.
24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that
they can see my glory that you gave me because you loved me before the creation
of the world.
25 Righteous Father, even if the world does not know you, I know you, and these
men know that you sent me.
26 I made known your name to them, and I will continue to make it known, so that
the love you have loved me with may be in them, and I may be in them.”

Chapter 18

1 Betrayal and Arrest When he had said these things, Jesus went out with his
disciples across the Kidron Valley. There was an orchard there, and he and his
disciples went into it.
2 (Now Judas, the one who betrayed him, knew the place too, because Jesus had
met there many times with his disciples.)
3 So Judas obtained a squad of soldiers and some officers of the chief priests
and Pharisees. They came to the orchard with lanterns and torches and weapons.
4 Then Jesus, because he knew everything that was going to happen to him, came
and asked them,“Who are you looking for?”
5 They replied,“Jesus the Nazarene.” He told them,“I am he.”(Now Judas,
the one who betrayed him, was standing there with them.)
6 So when Jesus said to them,“I am he,” they retreated and fell to the
ground.
7 Then Jesus asked them again,“Who are you looking for?” And they
said,“Jesus the Nazarene.”
8 Jesus replied,“I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, let these
men go.”
9 He said this to fulfill the word he had spoken,“I have not lost a single one
of those whom you gave me.”
10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, pulled it out and struck the high
priest’s slave, cutting off his right ear.(Now the slave’s name was
Malchus.)
11 But Jesus said to Peter,“Put your sword back into its sheath! Am I not to
drink the cup that the Father has given me?”
12 Jesus Before Annas Then the squad of soldiers with their commanding officer
and the officers of the Jewish leaders arrested Jesus and tied him up.
13 They brought him first to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas,
who was high priest that year.
14 (Now it was Caiaphas who had advised the Jewish leaders that it was to their
advantage that one man die for the people.)
15 Peter’s First Denial Simon Peter and another disciple followed them as they
brought Jesus to Annas.(Now the other disciple was acquainted with the high
priest, and he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard.)
16 But Peter was left standing outside by the door. So the other disciple who
was acquainted with the high priest came out and spoke to the slave girl who
watched the door, and brought Peter inside.
17 The girl who was the doorkeeper said to Peter,“You’re not one of this
man’s disciples too, are you?” He replied,“I am not.”
18 (Now the slaves and the guards were standing around a charcoal fire they had
made, warming themselves because it was cold. Peter also was standing with them,
warming himself.)
19 Jesus Questioned by Annas While this was happening, the high priest
questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching.
20 Jesus replied,“I have spoken publicly to the world. I always taught in the
synagogues and in the temple courts, where all the Jewish people assemble
together. I have said nothing in secret.
21 Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said. They know what I said.”
22 When Jesus had said this, one of the high priest’s officers who stood
nearby struck him on the face and said,“Is that the way you answer the high
priest?”
23 Jesus replied,“If I have said something wrong, confirm what is wrong. But
if I spoke correctly, why strike me?”
24 Then Annas sent him, still tied up, to Caiaphas the high priest.
25 Peter’s Second and Third Denials Meanwhile Simon Peter was standing in the
courtyard warming himself. They said to him,“You aren’t one of his disciples
too, are you?” Peter denied it:“I am not!”
26 One of the high priest’s slaves, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had
cut off, said,“Did I not see you in the orchard with him?”
27 Then Peter denied it again, and immediately a rooster crowed.
28 Jesus Brought Before Pilate Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to the
Roman governor’s residence.(Now it was very early morning.) They did not go
into the governor’s residence so they would not be ceremonially defiled, but
could eat the Passover meal.
29 So Pilate came outside to them and said,“What accusation do you bring
against this man?”
30 They replied,“If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him
over to you.”
31 Pilate told them,“Take him yourselves and pass judgment on him according to
your own law!” The Jewish leaders replied,“We cannot legally put anyone to
death.”
32 (This happened to fulfill the word Jesus had spoken when he indicated what
kind of death he was going to die.)
33 Pilate Questions Jesus So Pilate went back into the governor’s residence,
summoned Jesus, and asked him,“Are you the king of the Jews?”
34 Jesus replied,“Are you saying this on your own initiative, or have others
told you about me?”
35 Pilate answered,“I am not a Jew, am I? Your own people and your chief
priests handed you over to me. What have you done?”
36 Jesus replied,“My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from
this world, my servants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to
the Jewish authorities. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.”
37 Then Pilate said,“So you are a king!” Jesus replied,“You say that I am
a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world–
to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my
voice.”
38 Pilate asked,“What is truth?” When he had said this he went back outside
to the Jewish leaders and announced,“I find no basis for an accusation against
him.
39 But it is your custom that I release one prisoner for you at the Passover. So
do you want me to release for you the king of the Jews?”
40 Then they shouted back,“Not this man, but Barabbas!”(Now Barabbas was a
revolutionary.)

Chapter 19

1 Pilate Tries to Release Jesus Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged
severely.
2 The soldiers braided a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they
clothed him in a purple robe.
3 They came up to him again and again and said,“Hail, king of the Jews!” And
they struck him repeatedly in the face.
4 Again Pilate went out and said to the Jewish leaders,“Look, I am bringing
him out to you, so that you may know that I find no reason for an accusation
against him.”
5 So Jesus came outside, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate
said to them,“Look, here is the man!”
6 When the chief priests and their officers saw him, they shouted out,“Crucify
him! Crucify him!” Pilate said,“You take him and crucify him! Certainly I
find no reason for an accusation against him!”
7 The Jewish leaders replied,“We have a law, and according to our law he ought
to die, because he claimed to be the Son of God!”
8 When Pilate heard what they said, he was more afraid than ever,
9 and he went back into the governor’s residence and said to Jesus,“Where do
you come from?” But Jesus gave him no answer.
10 So Pilate said,“Do you refuse to speak to me? Don’t you know I have the
authority to release you, and to crucify you?”
11 Jesus replied,“You would have no authority over me at all, unless it was
given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty
of greater sin.”
12 From this point on, Pilate tried to release him. But the Jewish leaders
shouted out,“If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar! Everyone
who claims to be a king opposes Caesar!”
13 When Pilate heard these words he brought Jesus outside and sat down on the
judgment seat in the place called“The Stone Pavement”(Gabbatha in Aramaic).
14 (Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover, about noon.) Pilate said
to the Jewish leaders,“Look, here is your king!”
15 Then they shouted out,“Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate
asked,“Shall I crucify your king?” The high priests replied,“We have no
king except Caesar!”
16 Then Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.The CrucifixionSo they
took Jesus,
17 and carrying his own cross he went out to the place called“The Place of the
Skull”(called in Aramaic Golgotha).
18 There they crucified him along with two others, one on each side, with Jesus
in the middle.
19 Pilate also had a notice written and fastened to the cross, which
read:“Jesus the Nazarene, the king of the Jews.”
20 Thus many of the Jewish residents of Jerusalem read this notice, because the
place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the notice was written in
Aramaic, Latin, and Greek.
21 Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate,“Do not write,‘The king
of the Jews,’ but rather,‘This man said, I am king of the Jews.’”
22 Pilate answered,“What I have written, I have written.”
23 Now when the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and made four
shares, one for each soldier, and the tunic remained.(Now the tunic was
seamless, woven from top to bottom as a single piece.)
24 So the soldiers said to one another,“Let’s not tear it, but throw dice to
see who will get it.” This took place to fulfill the scripture that
says,“They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they threw
dice.” So the soldiers did these things.
25 Now standing beside Jesus’ cross were his mother, his mother’s sister,
Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
26 So when Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing there,
he said to his mother,“Woman, look, here is your son!”
27 He then said to his disciple,“Look, here is your mother!” From that very
time the disciple took her into his own home.
28 Jesus’ Death After this Jesus, realizing that by this time everything was
completed, said(in order to fulfill the scripture),“I am thirsty!”
29 A jar full of sour wine was there, so they put a sponge soaked in sour wine
on a branch of hyssop and lifted it to his mouth.
30 When he had received the sour wine, Jesus said,“It is completed!” Then he
bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
31 Then, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies should not
stay on the crosses on the Sabbath(for that Sabbath was an especially important
one), the Jewish leaders asked Pilate to have the victims’ legs broken and the
bodies taken down.
32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men who had been crucified
with Jesus, first the one and then the other.
33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not
break his legs.
34 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and blood and water
flowed out immediately.
35 And the person who saw it has testified(and his testimony is true, and he
knows that he is telling the truth), so that you also may believe.
36 For these things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled,“Not a
bone of his will be broken.”
37 And again another scripture says,“They will look on the one whom they have
pierced.”
38 Jesus’ Burial After this, Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus(but
secretly, because he feared the Jewish leaders), asked Pilate if he could remove
the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission, so he went and took the body
away.
39 Nicodemus, the man who had previously come to Jesus at night, accompanied
Joseph, carrying a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about seventy-five
pounds.
40 Then they took Jesus’ body and wrapped it, with the aromatic spices, in
strips of linen cloth according to Jewish burial customs.
41 Now at the place where Jesus was crucified there was a garden, and in the
garden was a new tomb where no one had yet been buried.
42 And so, because it was the Jewish day of preparation and the tomb was nearby,
they placed Jesus’ body there.

Chapter 20

1 The Resurrection Now very early on the first day of the week, while it was
still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been
moved away from the entrance.
2 So she went running to Simon Peter and the other disciple whom Jesus loved and
told them,“They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where
they have put him!”
3 Then Peter and the other disciple set out to go to the tomb.
4 The two were running together, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and reached the tomb first.
5 He bent down and saw the strips of linen cloth lying there, but he did not go
in.
6 Then Simon Peter, who had been following him, arrived and went right into the
tomb. He saw the strips of linen cloth lying there,
7 and the face cloth, which had been around Jesus’ head, not lying with the
strips of linen cloth but rolled up in a place by itself.
8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, came in, and he saw
and believed.
9 (For they did not yet understand the scripture that Jesus must rise from the
dead.)
10 Jesus’ Appearance to Mary Magdalene So the disciples went back to their
homes.
11 But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she bent down and
looked into the tomb.
12 And she saw two angels in white sitting where Jesus’ body had been lying,
one at the head and one at the feet.
13 They said to her,“Woman, why are you weeping?” Mary replied,“They have
taken my Lord away, and I do not know where they have put him!”
14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but
she did not know that it was Jesus.
15 Jesus said to her,“Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?”
Because she thought he was the gardener, she said to him,“Sir, if you have
carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will take him.”
16 Jesus said to her,“Mary.” She turned and said to him in
Aramaic,“Rabboni”(which means Teacher).
17 Jesus replied,“Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father.
Go to my brothers and tell them,‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father,
to my God and your God.’”
18 Mary Magdalene came and informed the disciples,“I have seen the Lord!”
And she told them what Jesus had said to her.
19 Jesus’ Appearance to the Disciples On the evening of that day, the first
day of the week, the disciples had gathered together and locked the doors of the
place because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Jesus came and stood among
them and said to them,“Peace be with you.”
20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the
disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
21 So Jesus said to them again,“Peace be with you. Just as the Father has sent
me, I also send you.”
22 And after he said this, he breathed on them and said,“Receive the Holy
Spirit.
23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; if you retain anyone’s
sins, they are retained.”
24 The Response of Thomas Now Thomas(called Didymus), one of the twelve, was not
with them when Jesus came.
25 The other disciples told him,“We have seen the Lord!” But he
replied,“Unless I see the wounds from the nails in his hands, and put my
finger into the wounds from the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will
never believe it!”
26 Eight days later the disciples were again together in the house, and Thomas
was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them
and said,“Peace be with you!”
27 Then he said to Thomas,“Put your finger here, and examine my hands. Extend
your hand and put it into my side. Do not continue in your unbelief, but
believe.”
28 Thomas replied to him,“My Lord and my God!”
29 Jesus said to him,“Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are
the people who have not seen and yet have believed.”
30 Now Jesus performed many other miraculous signs in the presence of the
disciples, which are not recorded in this book.
31 But these are recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the
Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Chapter 21

1 Jesus’ Appearance to the Disciples in Galilee After this Jesus revealed
himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias. Now this is how he did
so.
2 Simon Peter, Thomas(called Didymus), Nathanael(who was from Cana in Galilee),
the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples of his were together.
3 Simon Peter told them,“I am going fishing.”“We will go with you,” they
replied. They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught
nothing.
4 When it was already very early morning, Jesus stood on the beach, but the
disciples did not know that it was Jesus.
5 So Jesus said to them,“Children, you don’t have any fish, do you?” They
replied,“No.”
6 He told them,“Throw your net on the right side of the boat, and you will
find some.” So they threw the net, and were not able to pull it in because of
the large number of fish.
7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter,“It is the Lord!” So
Simon Peter, when he heard that it was the Lord, tucked in his outer garment(for
he had nothing on underneath it), and plunged into the sea.
8 Meanwhile the other disciples came with the boat, dragging the net full of
fish, for they were not far from land, only about a hundred yards.
9 When they got out on the beach, they saw a charcoal fire ready with a fish
placed on it, and bread.
10 Jesus said,“Bring some of the fish you have just now caught.”
11 So Simon Peter went aboard and pulled the net to shore. It was full of large
fish, one hundred fifty-three, but although there were so many, the net was not
torn.
12 “Come, have breakfast,” Jesus said. But none of the disciples dared to
ask him,“Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord.
13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the
fish.
14 This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was
raised from the dead.
15 Peter’s Restoration Then when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to
Simon Peter,“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these do?” He
replied,“Yes, Lord, you know I love you.” Jesus told him,“Feed my
lambs.”
16 Jesus said a second time,“Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He
replied,“Yes, Lord, you know I love you.” Jesus told him,“Shepherd my
sheep.”
17 Jesus said a third time,“Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was
distressed that Jesus asked him a third time,“Do you love me?” and
said,“Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.” Jesus
replied,“Feed my sheep.
18 I tell you the solemn truth, when you were young, you tied your clothes
around you and went wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch
out your hands, and others will tie you up and bring you where you do not want
to go.”
19 (Now Jesus said this to indicate clearly by what kind of death Peter was
going to glorify God.) After he said this, Jesus told Peter,“Follow me.”
20 Peter and the Disciple Jesus Loved Peter turned around and saw the disciple
whom Jesus loved following them.(This was the disciple who had leaned back
against Jesus’ chest at the meal and asked,“Lord, who is the one who is
going to betray you?”)
21 So when Peter saw him, he asked Jesus,“Lord, what about him?”
22 Jesus replied,“If I want him to live until I come back, what concern is
that of yours? You follow me!”
23 So the saying circulated among the brothers and sisters that this disciple
was not going to die. But Jesus did not say to him that he was not going to die,
but rather,“If I want him to live until I come back, what concern is that of
yours?”
24 A Final Note This is the disciple who testifies about these things and has
written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.
25 There are many other things that Jesus did. If every one of them were written
down, I suppose the whole world would not have room for the books that would be
written.


Acts

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Jesus Ascends to Heaven I wrote the former account, Theophilus, about all
that Jesus began to do and teach
2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after he had given orders by the Holy
Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.
3 To the same apostles also, after his suffering, he presented himself alive
with many convincing proofs. He was seen by them over a forty-day period and
spoke about matters concerning the kingdom of God.
4 While he was with them, he declared,“Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait there
for what my Father promised, which you heard about from me.
5 For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit
not many days from now.”
6 So when they had gathered together, they began to ask him,“Lord, is this the
time when you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He told them,“You are not permitted to know the times or periods that the
Father has set by his own authority.
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you
will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the
farthest parts of the earth.”
9 After he had said this, while they were watching, he was lifted up and a cloud
hid him from their sight.
10 As they were still staring into the sky while he was going, suddenly two men
in white clothing stood near them
11 and said,“Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking up into the sky?
This same Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come back in the
same way you saw him go into heaven.”
12 A Replacement for Judas is Chosen Then they returned to Jerusalem from the
mountain called the Mount of Olives(which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s
journey away).
13 When they had entered Jerusalem, they went to the upstairs room where they
were staying. Peter and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas,
Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas
son of James were there.
14 All these continued together in prayer with one mind, together with the
women, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers(a gathering of about one
hundred and twenty people) and said,
16 “Brothers, the scripture had to be fulfilled that the Holy Spirit foretold
through David concerning Judas– who became the guide for those who arrested
Jesus–
17 for he was counted as one of us and received a share in this ministry.”
18 (Now this man Judas acquired a field with the reward of his unjust deed, and
falling headfirst he burst open in the middle and all his intestines gushed out.
19 This became known to all who lived in Jerusalem, so that in their own
language they called that field Hakeldama, that is,“Field of Blood.”)
20 “For it is written in the book of Psalms,‘Let his house become deserted,
and let there be no one to live in it,’ and‘Let another take his position of
responsibility.’
21 Thus one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time the Lord
Jesus associated with us,
22 beginning from his baptism by John until the day he was taken up from us–
one of these must become a witness of his resurrection together with us.”
23 So they proposed two candidates: Joseph called Barsabbas(also called Justus)
and Matthias.
24 Then they prayed,“Lord, you know the hearts of all. Show us which one of
these two you have chosen
25 to assume the task of this service and apostleship from which Judas turned
aside to go to his own place.”
26 Then they cast lots for them, and the one chosen was Matthias; so he was
counted with the eleven apostles.

Chapter 2

1 The Holy Spirit and the Day of Pentecost Now when the day of Pentecost had
come, they were all together in one place.
2 Suddenly a sound like a violent wind blowing came from heaven and filled the
entire house where they were sitting.
3 And tongues spreading out like a fire appeared to them and came to rest on
each one of them.
4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other
languages as the Spirit enabled them.
5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven residing in
Jerusalem.
6 When this sound occurred, a crowd gathered and was in confusion, because each
one heard them speaking in his own language.
7 Completely baffled, they said,“Aren’t all these who are speaking
Galileans?
8 And how is it that each one of us hears them in our own native language?
9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and
Cappadocia, Pontus and the province of Asia,
10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene, and visitors
from Rome,
11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs– we hear them speaking in our
own languages about the great deeds God has done!”
12 All were astounded and greatly confused, saying to one another,“What does
this mean?”
13 But others jeered at the speakers, saying,“They are drunk on new wine!”
14 Peter’s Address on the Day of Pentecost But Peter stood up with the eleven,
raised his voice, and addressed them:“You men of Judea and all you who live in
Jerusalem, know this and listen carefully to what I say.
15 In spite of what you think, these men are not drunk, for it is only nine
o’clock in the morning.
16 But this is what was spoken about through the prophet Joel:
17 ‘And in the last days it will be,’ God says,‘that I will pour out my
Spirit on all people, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, and your
young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those
days, and they will prophesy.
19 And I will perform wonders in the sky above and miraculous signs on the earth
below, blood and fire and clouds of smoke.
20 The sun will be changed to darkness and the moon to blood before the great
and glorious day of the Lord comes.
21 And then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man clearly
attested to you by God with powerful deeds, wonders, and miraculous signs that
God performed among you through him, just as you yourselves know–
23 this man, who was handed over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of
God, you executed by nailing him to a cross at the hands of Gentiles.
24 But God raised him up, having released him from the pains of death, because
it was not possible for him to be held in its power.
25 For David says about him,‘I saw the Lord always in front of me, for he is
at my right hand so that I will not be shaken.
26 Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced; my body also will live in
hope,
27 because you will not leave my soul in Hades, nor permit your Holy One to
experience decay.
28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of joy
with your presence.’
29 “Brothers, I can speak confidently to you about our forefather David, that
he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.
30 So then, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an
oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne,
31 David by foreseeing this spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he
was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did his body experience decay.
32 This Jesus God raised up, and we are all witnesses of it.
33 So then, exalted to the right hand of God, and having received the promise of
the Holy Spirit from the Father, he has poured out what you both see and hear.
34 For David did not ascend into heaven, but he himself says,‘The Lord said to
my lord,“Sit at my right hand
35 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’
36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know beyond a doubt that God has made
this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.”
37 The Response to Peter’s Address Now when they heard this, they were acutely
distressed and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles,“What should we do,
brothers?”
38 Peter said to them,“Repent, and each one of you be baptized in the name of
Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of
the Holy Spirit.
39 For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far away,
as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.”
40 With many other words he testified and exhorted them saying,“Save
yourselves from this perverse generation!”
41 So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three
thousand people were added.
42 The Fellowship of the Early Believers They were devoting themselves to the
apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
43 Reverential awe came over everyone, and many wonders and miraculous signs
came about by the apostles.
44 All who believed were together and held everything in common,
45 and they began selling their property and possessions and distributing the
proceeds to everyone, as anyone had need.
46 Every day they continued to gather together by common consent in the temple
courts, breaking bread from house to house, sharing their food with glad and
humble hearts,
47 praising God and having the good will of all the people. And the Lord was
adding to their number every day those who were being saved.

Chapter 3

1 Peter and John Heal a Lame Man at the Temple Now Peter and John were going up
to the temple at the time for prayer, at three o’clock in the afternoon.
2 And a man lame from birth was being carried up, who was placed at the temple
gate called“the Beautiful Gate” every day so he could beg for money from
those going into the temple courts.
3 When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple courts, he asked them
for money.
4 Peter looked directly at him(as did John) and said,“Look at us!”
5 So the lame man paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from
them.
6 But Peter said,“I have no silver or gold, but what I do have I give you. In
the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, stand up and walk!”
7 Then Peter took hold of him by the right hand and raised him up, and at once
the man’s feet and ankles were made strong.
8 He jumped up, stood and began walking around, and he entered the temple courts
with them, walking and leaping and praising God.
9 All the people saw him walking and praising God,
10 and they recognized him as the man who used to sit and ask for donations at
the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with astonishment and
amazement at what had happened to him.
11 Peter Addresses the Crowd While the man was hanging on to Peter and John, all
the people, completely astounded, ran together to them in the covered walkway
called Solomon’s Portico.
12 When Peter saw this, he declared to the people,“Men of Israel, why are you
amazed at this? Why do you stare at us as if we had made this man walk by our
own power or piety?
13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our forefathers, has
glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence
of Pilate after he had decided to release him.
14 But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a man who was a
murderer be released to you.
15 You killed the Originator of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this
fact we are witnesses!
16 And on the basis of faith in Jesus’ name, his very name has made this
man– whom you see and know– strong. The faith that is through Jesus has
given him this complete health in the presence of you all.
17 And now, brothers, I know you acted in ignorance, as your rulers did too.
18 But the things God foretold long ago through all the prophets– that his
Christ would suffer– he has fulfilled in this way.
19 Therefore repent and turn back so that your sins may be wiped out,
20 so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and so
that he may send the Messiah appointed for you– that is, Jesus.
21 This one heaven must receive until the time all things are restored, which
God declared from times long ago through his holy prophets.
22 Moses said,‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from
among your brothers. You must obey him in everything he tells you.
23 Every person who does not obey that prophet will be destroyed and thus
removed from the people.’
24 And all the prophets, from Samuel and those who followed him, have spoken
about and announced these days.
25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your
ancestors, saying to Abraham,‘And in your descendants all the nations of the
earth will be blessed.’
26 God raised up his servant and sent him first to you, to bless you by turning
each one of you from your iniquities.”

Chapter 4

1 The Arrest and Trial of Peter and John While Peter and John were speaking to
the people, the priests and the commander of the temple guard and the Sadducees
came up to them,
2 angry because they were teaching the people and announcing in Jesus the
resurrection of the dead.
3 So they seized them and put them in jail until the next day(for it was already
evening).
4 But many of those who had listened to the message believed, and the number of
the men came to about five thousand.
5 On the next day, their rulers, elders, and experts in the law came together in
Jerusalem.
6 Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and others who
were members of the high priest’s family.
7 After making Peter and John stand in their midst, they began to inquire,“By
what power or by what name did you do this?”
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, replied,“Rulers of the people and
elders,
9 if we are being examined today for a good deed done to a sick man– by what
means this man was healed–
10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the
name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene whom you crucified, whom God raised from the
dead, this man stands before you healthy.
11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, that has
become the cornerstone.
12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under
heaven given among people by which we must be saved.”
13 When they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and discovered that they were
uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized these men had been
with Jesus.
14 And because they saw the man who had been healed standing with them, they had
nothing to say against this.
15 But when they had ordered them to go outside the council, they began to
confer with one another,
16 saying,“What should we do with these men? For it is plain to all who live
in Jerusalem that a notable miraculous sign has come about through them, and we
cannot deny it.
17 But to keep this matter from spreading any further among the people, let us
warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.”
18 And they called them in and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the
name of Jesus.
19 But Peter and John replied,“Whether it is right before God to obey you
rather than God, you decide,
20 for it is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and
heard.”
21 After threatening them further, they released them, for they could not find
how to punish them on account of the people, because they were all praising God
for what had happened.
22 For the man, on whom this miraculous sign of healing had been performed, was
over forty years old.
23 The Followers of Jesus Pray for Boldness When they were released, Peter and
John went to their fellow believers and reported everything the high priests and
the elders had said to them.
24 When they heard this, they raised their voices to God with one mind and
said,“Master of all, you who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and
everything that is in them,
25 who said by the Holy Spirit through your servant David our forefather,‘Why
do the nations rage, and the peoples plot foolish things?
26 The kings of the earth stood together, and the rulers assembled together,
against the Lord and against his Christ.’
27 “For indeed both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people
of Israel, assembled together in this city against your holy servant Jesus, whom
you anointed,
28 to do as much as your power and your plan had decided beforehand would
happen.
29 And now, Lord, pay attention to their threats, and grant to your servants to
speak your message with great courage,
30 while you extend your hand to heal, and to bring about miraculous signs and
wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
31 When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was
shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the
word of God courageously.
32 Conditions Among the Early Believers The group of those who believed were of
one heart and mind, and no one said that any of his possessions was his own, but
everything was held in common.
33 With great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of
the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on them all.
34 For there was no one needy among them, because those who were owners of land
or houses were selling them and bringing the proceeds from the sales
35 and placing them at the apostles’ feet. The proceeds were distributed to
each, as anyone had need.
36 So Joseph, a Levite who was a native of Cyprus, called by the apostles
Barnabas(which is translated“son of encouragement”),
37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and placed it at the
apostles’ feet.

Chapter 5

1 The Judgment on Ananias and Sapphira Now a man named Ananias, together with
Sapphira his wife, sold a piece of property.
2 He kept back for himself part of the proceeds with his wife’s knowledge; he
brought only part of it and placed it at the apostles’ feet.
3 But Peter said,“Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy
Spirit and keep back for yourself part of the proceeds from the sale of the
land?
4 Before it was sold, did it not belong to you? And when it was sold, was the
money not at your disposal? How have you thought up this deed in your heart? You
have not lied to people but to God!”
5 When Ananias heard these words he collapsed and died, and great fear gripped
all who heard about it.
6 So the young men came, wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him.
7 After an interval of about three hours, his wife came in, but she did not know
what had happened.
8 Peter said to her,“Tell me, were the two of you paid this amount for the
land?” Sapphira said,“Yes, that much.”
9 Peter then told her,“Why have you agreed together to test the Spirit of the
Lord? Look! The feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and
they will carry you out!”
10 At once she collapsed at his feet and died. So when the young men came in,
they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
11 Great fear gripped the whole church and all who heard about these things.
12 The Apostles Perform Miraculous Signs and Wonders Now many miraculous signs
and wonders came about among the people through the hands of the apostles. By
common consent they were all meeting together in Solomon’s Portico.
13 None of the rest dared to join them, but the people held them in high honor.
14 More and more believers in the Lord were added to their number, crowds of
both men and women.
15 Thus they even carried the sick out into the streets, and put them on cots
and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow would fall on some
of them.
16 A crowd of people from the towns around Jerusalem also came together,
bringing the sick and those troubled by unclean spirits. They were all being
healed.
17 Further Trouble for the Apostles Now the high priest rose up, and all those
with him(that is, the religious party of the Sadducees), and they were filled
with jealousy.
18 They laid hands on the apostles and put them in a public jail.
19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison, led
them out, and said,
20 “Go and stand in the temple courts and proclaim to the people all the words
of this life.”
21 When they heard this, they entered the temple courts at daybreak and began
teaching. Now when the high priest and those who were with him arrived, they
summoned the Sanhedrin– that is, the whole high council of the Israelites–
and sent to the jail to have the apostles brought before them.
22 But the officers who came for them did not find them in the prison, so they
returned and reported,
23 “We found the jail locked securely and the guards standing at the doors,
but when we opened them, we found no one inside.”
24 Now when the commander of the temple guard and the chief priests heard this
report, they were greatly puzzled concerning it, wondering what this could be.
25 But someone came and reported to them,“Look! The men you put in prison are
standing in the temple courts and teaching the people!”
26 Then the commander of the temple guard went with the officers and brought the
apostles without the use of force(for they were afraid of being stoned by the
people).
27 When they had brought them, they stood them before the council, and the high
priest questioned them,
28 saying,“We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name. Look, you have
filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood
on us!”
29 But Peter and the apostles replied,“We must obey God rather than people.
30 The God of our forefathers raised up Jesus, whom you seized and killed by
hanging him on a tree.
31 God exalted him to his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to
Israel and forgiveness of sins.
32 And we are witnesses of these events, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has
given to those who obey him.”
33 Now when they heard this, they became furious and wanted to execute them.
34 But a Pharisee whose name was Gamaliel, a teacher of the law who was
respected by all the people, stood up in the council and ordered the men to be
put outside for a short time.
35 Then he said to the council,“Men of Israel, pay close attention to what you
are about to do to these men.
36 For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and about four
hundred men joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed
and nothing came of it.
37 After him Judas the Galilean arose in the days of the census, and incited
people to follow him in revolt. He too was killed, and all who followed him were
scattered.
38 So in this case I say to you, stay away from these men and leave them alone,
because if this plan or this undertaking originates with people, it will come to
nothing,
39 but if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them, or you may even be
found fighting against God.” He convinced them,
40 and they summoned the apostles and had them beaten. Then they ordered them
not to speak in the name of Jesus and released them.
41 So they left the council rejoicing because they had been considered worthy to
suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.
42 And every day both in the temple courts and from house to house, they did not
stop teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus was the Christ.

Chapter 6

1 The Appointment of the First Seven Deacons Now in those days, when the
disciples were growing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the
Greek-speaking Jews against the native Hebraic Jews, because their widows were
being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.
2 So the twelve called the whole group of the disciples together and said,“It
is not right for us to neglect the word of God to wait on tables.
3 But carefully select from among you, brothers, seven men who are
well-attested, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of
this necessary task.
4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
5 The proposal pleased the entire group, so they chose Stephen, a man full of
faith and of the Holy Spirit, with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas,
and Nicolas, a Gentile convert to Judaism from Antioch.
6 They stood these men before the apostles, who prayed and placed their hands on
them.
7 The word of God continued to spread, the number of disciples in Jerusalem
increased greatly, and a large group of priests became obedient to the faith.
8 Stephen is Arrested Now Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great
wonders and miraculous signs among the people.
9 But some men from the Synagogue of the Freedmen(as it was called), both
Cyrenians and Alexandrians, as well as some from Cilicia and the province of
Asia, stood up and argued with Stephen.
10 Yet they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit with which he
spoke.
11 Then they secretly instigated some men to say,“We have heard this man
speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God.”
12 They incited the people, the elders, and the experts in the law; then they
approached Stephen, seized him, and brought him before the council.
13 They brought forward false witnesses who said,“This man does not stop
saying things against this holy place and the law.
14 For we have heard him saying that Jesus the Nazarene will destroy this place
and change the customs that Moses handed down to us.”
15 All who were sitting in the council looked intently at Stephen and saw his
face was like the face of an angel.

Chapter 7

1 Stephen’s Defense Before the Council Then the high priest said,“Are these
things true?”
2 So he replied,“Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory appeared
to our forefather Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in
Haran,
3 and said to him,‘Go out from your country and from your relatives, and come
to the land I will show you.’
4 Then he went out from the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After
his father died, God made him move to this country where you now live.
5 He did not give any of it to him for an inheritance, not even a foot of
ground, yet God promised to give it to him as his possession, and to his
descendants after him, even though Abraham as yet had no child.
6 But God spoke as follows:‘Your descendants will be foreigners in a foreign
country, whose citizens will enslave them and mistreat them for four hundred
years.
7 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves,’ said God,‘and after
these things they will come out of there and worship me in this place.’
8 Then God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision, and so he became the
father of Isaac and circumcised him when he was eight days old, and Isaac became
the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.
9 The patriarchs, because they were jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt. But
God was with him,
10 and rescued him from all his troubles, and granted him favor and wisdom in
the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and over
all his household.
11 Then a famine occurred throughout Egypt and Canaan, causing great suffering,
and our ancestors could not find food.
12 So when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors
there the first time.
13 On their second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers again, and
Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh.
14 So Joseph sent a message and invited his father Jacob and all his relatives
to come, seventy-five people in all.
15 So Jacob went down to Egypt and died there, along with our ancestors,
16 and their bones were later moved to Shechem and placed in the tomb that
Abraham had bought for a certain sum of money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
17 “But as the time drew near for God to fulfill the promise he had declared
to Abraham, the people increased greatly in number in Egypt,
18 until another king who did not know about Joseph ruled over Egypt.
19 This was the one who exploited our people and was cruel to our ancestors,
forcing them to abandon their infants so they would die.
20 At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful to God. For three months he
was brought up in his father’s house,
21 and when he had been abandoned, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and brought
him up as her own son.
22 So Moses was trained in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in
his words and deeds.
23 But when he was about forty years old, it entered his mind to visit his
fellow countrymen the Israelites.
24 When he saw one of them being hurt unfairly, Moses came to his defense and
avenged the person who was mistreated by striking down the Egyptian.
25 He thought his own people would understand that God was delivering them
through him, but they did not understand.
26 The next day Moses saw two men fighting, and tried to make peace between
them, saying,‘Men, you are brothers; why are you hurting one another?’
27 But the man who was unfairly hurting his neighbor pushed Moses aside,
saying,‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us?
28 You don’t want to kill me the way you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do
you?’
29 When the man said this, Moses fled and became a foreigner in the land of
Midian, where he became the father of two sons.
30 “After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the desert of
Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush.
31 When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and when he approached to
investigate, there came the voice of the Lord,
32 ‘I am the God of your forefathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’
Moses began to tremble and did not dare to look more closely.
33 But the Lord said to him,‘Take the sandals off your feet, for the place
where you are standing is holy ground.
34 I have certainly seen the suffering of my people who are in Egypt and have
heard their groaning, and I have come down to rescue them. Now come, I will send
you to Egypt.’
35 This same Moses they had rejected, saying,‘Who made you a ruler and
judge?’ God sent as both ruler and deliverer through the hand of the angel who
appeared to him in the bush.
36 This man led them out, performing wonders and miraculous signs in the land of
Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for forty years.
37 This is the Moses who said to the Israelites,‘God will raise up for you a
prophet like me from among your brothers.’
38 This is the man who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel
who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors, and he received living
oracles to give to you.
39 Our ancestors were unwilling to obey him, but pushed him aside and turned
back to Egypt in their hearts,
40 saying to Aaron,‘Make us gods who will go in front of us, for this Moses,
who led us out of the land of Egypt– we do not know what has happened to
him!’
41 At that time they made an idol in the form of a calf, brought a sacrifice to
the idol, and began rejoicing in the works of their hands.
42 But God turned away from them and gave them over to worship the host of
heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets:‘It was not to me that
you offered slain animals and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness, was it,
house of Israel?
43 But you took along the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of the god Rephan,
the images you made to worship, but I will deport you beyond Babylon.’
44 Our ancestors had the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as God
who spoke to Moses ordered him to make it according to the design he had seen.
45 Our ancestors received possession of it and brought it in with Joshua when
they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our ancestors, until the
time of David.
46 He found favor with God and asked that he could find a dwelling place for the
house of Jacob.
47 But Solomon built a house for him.
48 Yet the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands, as the prophet
says,
49 ‘Heaven is my throne, and earth is the footstool for my feet. What kind of
house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is my resting place?
50 Did my hand not make all these things?’
51 “You stubborn people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always
resisting the Holy Spirit, like your ancestors did!
52 Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They killed those who
foretold long ago the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers
you have now become!
53 You received the law by decrees given by angels, but you did not obey it.”
54 Stephen is Killed When they heard these things, they became furious and
ground their teeth at him.
55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently toward heaven and saw
the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
56 “Look!” he said.“I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing
at the right hand of God!”
57 But they covered their ears, shouting out with a loud voice, and rushed at
him with one intent.
58 When they had driven him out of the city, they began to stone him, and the
witnesses laid their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 They continued to stone Stephen while he prayed,“Lord Jesus, receive my
spirit!”
60 Then he fell to his knees and cried out with a loud voice,“Lord, do not
hold this sin against them!” When he had said this, he died.

Chapter 8

1 And Saul agreed completely with killing him. Saul Begins to Persecute the
ChurchNow on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem,
and all except the apostles were forced to scatter throughout the regions of
Judea and Samaria.
2 Some devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation over him.
3 But Saul was trying to destroy the church; entering one house after another,
he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.
4 Philip Preaches in Samaria Now those who had been forced to scatter went
around proclaiming the good news of the word.
5 Philip went down to the main city of Samaria and began proclaiming the Christ
to them.
6 The crowds were paying attention with one mind to what Philip said, as they
heard and saw the miraculous signs he was performing.
7 For unclean spirits, crying with loud shrieks, were coming out of many who
were possessed, and many paralyzed and lame people were healed.
8 So there was great joy in that city.
9 Now in that city was a man named Simon, who had been practicing magic and
amazing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great.
10 All the people, from the least to the greatest, paid close attention to him,
saying,“This man is the power of God that is called‘Great.’”
11 And they paid close attention to him because he had amazed them for a long
time with his magic.
12 But when they believed Philip as he was proclaiming the good news about the
kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they began to be baptized, both men
and women.
13 Even Simon himself believed, and after he was baptized, he stayed close to
Philip constantly, and when he saw the signs and great miracles that were
occurring, he was amazed.
14 Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word
of God, they sent Peter and John to them.
15 These two went down and prayed for them so that they would receive the Holy
Spirit.
16 (For the Spirit had not yet come upon any of them, but they had only been
baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)
17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on the Samaritans, and they received
the Holy Spirit.
18 Now Simon, when he saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the
apostles’ hands, offered them money,
19 saying,“Give me this power too, so that everyone I place my hands on may
receive the Holy Spirit.”
20 But Peter said to him,“May your silver perish with you, because you thought
you could acquire God’s gift with money!
21 You have no share or part in this matter because your heart is not right
before God!
22 Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that he
may perhaps forgive you for the intent of your heart.
23 For I see that you are bitterly envious and in bondage to sin.”
24 But Simon replied,“You pray to the Lord for me so that nothing of what you
have said may happen to me.”
25 So after Peter and John had solemnly testified and spoken the word of the
Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, proclaiming the good news to many
Samaritan villages as they went.
26 Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch Then an angel of the Lord said to
Philip,“Get up and go south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to
Gaza.”(This is a desert road.)
27 So he got up and went. There he met an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of
Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasury. He had
come to Jerusalem to worship,
28 and was returning home, sitting in his chariot, reading the prophet Isaiah.
29 Then the Spirit said to Philip,“Go over and join this chariot.”
30 So Philip ran up to it and heard the man reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked
him,“Do you understand what you’re reading?”
31 The man replied,“How in the world can I, unless someone guides me?” So he
invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32 Now the passage of scripture the man was reading was this:“He was led like
a sheep to slaughter, and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he did
not open his mouth.
33 In humiliation justice was taken from him. Who can describe his posterity?
For his life was taken away from the earth.”
34 Then the eunuch said to Philip,“Please tell me, who is the prophet saying
this about– himself or someone else?”
35 So Philip started speaking, and beginning with this scripture proclaimed the
good news about Jesus to him.
36 Now as they were going along the road, they came to some water, and the
eunuch said,“Look, there is water! What is to stop me from being baptized?”
38 So he ordered the chariot to stop, and both Philip and the eunuch went down
into the water, and Philip baptized him.
39 Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched
Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him any more, but went on his way
rejoicing.
40 Philip, however, found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through the area,
he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

Chapter 9

1 The Conversion of Saul Meanwhile Saul, still breathing out threats to murder
the Lord’s disciples, went to the high priest
2 and requested letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he
found any who belonged to the Way, either men or women, he could bring them as
prisoners to Jerusalem.
3 As he was going along, approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven
flashed around him.
4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him,“Saul, Saul, why are
you persecuting me?”
5 So he said,“Who are you, Lord?” He replied,“I am Jesus whom you are
persecuting!
6 But stand up and enter the city and you will be told what you must do.”
7 (Now the men who were traveling with him stood there speechless, because they
heard the voice but saw no one.)
8 So Saul got up from the ground, but although his eyes were open, he could see
nothing. Leading him by the hand, his companions brought him into Damascus.
9 For three days he could not see, and he neither ate nor drank anything.
10 Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a
vision,“Ananias,” and he replied,“Here I am, Lord.”
11 Then the Lord told him,“Get up and go to the street called‘Straight,’
and at Judas’ house look for a man from Tarsus named Saul. For he is praying,
12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and place his hands
on him so that he may see again.”
13 But Ananias replied,“Lord, I have heard from many people about this man,
how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem,
14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison all who call on
your name!”
15 But the Lord said to him,“Go, because this man is my chosen instrument to
carry my name before Gentiles and kings and the people of Israel.
16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”
17 So Ananias departed and entered the house, placed his hands on Saul and
said,“Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you
came here, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy
Spirit.”
18 Immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he could see again.
He got up and was baptized,
19 and after taking some food, his strength returned.For several days he was
with the disciples in Damascus,
20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying,“This
man is the Son of God.”
21 All who heard him were amazed and were saying,“Is this not the man who in
Jerusalem was ravaging those who call on this name, and who had come here to
bring them as prisoners to the chief priests?”
22 But Saul became more and more capable, and was causing consternation among
the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.
23 Saul’s Escape from Damascus Now after some days had passed, the Jews
plotted together to kill him,
24 but Saul learned of their plot against him. They were also watching the city
gates day and night so that they could kill him.
25 But his disciples took him at night and let him down through an opening in
the wall by lowering him in a basket.
26 Saul Returns to Jerusalem When he arrived in Jerusalem, he attempted to
associate with the disciples, and they were all afraid of him, because they did
not believe that he was a disciple.
27 But Barnabas took Saul, brought him to the apostles, and related to them how
he had seen the Lord on the road, that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in
Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus.
28 So he was staying with them, associating openly with them in Jerusalem,
speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord.
29 He was speaking and debating with the Greek-speaking Jews, but they were
trying to kill him.
30 When the brothers found out about this, they brought him down to Caesarea and
sent him away to Tarsus.
31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria experienced peace and
thus was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and in the encouragement
of the Holy Spirit, the church increased in numbers.
32 Peter Heals Aeneas Now as Peter was traveling around from place to place, he
also came down to the saints who lived in Lydda.
33 He found there a man named Aeneas who had been confined to a mattress for
eight years because he was paralyzed.
34 Peter said to him,“Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Get up and make your
own bed!” And immediately he got up.
35 All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.
36 Peter Raises Dorcas Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha(which in
translation means Dorcas). She was continually doing good deeds and acts of
charity.
37 At that time she became sick and died. When they had washed her body, they
placed it in an upstairs room.
38 Because Lydda was near Joppa, when the disciples heard that Peter was there,
they sent two men to him and urged him,“Come to us without delay.”
39 So Peter got up and went with them, and when he arrived they brought him to
the upper room. All the widows stood beside him, crying and showing him the
tunics and other clothing Dorcas used to make while she was with them.
40 But Peter sent them all outside, knelt down, and prayed. Turning to the body,
he said,“Tabitha, get up.” Then she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter,
she sat up.
41 He gave her his hand and helped her get up. Then he called the saints and
widows and presented her alive.
42 This became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.
43 So Peter stayed many days in Joppa with a man named Simon, a tanner.

Chapter 10

1 Peter Visits Cornelius Now there was a man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a
centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort.
2 He was a devout, God-fearing man, as was all his household; he did many acts
of charity for the people and prayed to God regularly.
3 About three o’clock one afternoon he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God
who came in and said to him,“Cornelius.”
4 Staring at him and becoming greatly afraid, Cornelius replied,“What is it,
Lord?” The angel said to him,“Your prayers and your acts of charity have
gone up as a memorial before God.
5 Now send men to Joppa and summon a man named Simon, who is called Peter.
6 This man is staying as a guest with a man named Simon, a tanner, whose house
is by the sea.”
7 When the angel who had spoken to him departed, Cornelius called two of his
personal servants and a devout soldier from among those who served him,
8 and when he had explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
9 About noon the next day, while they were on their way and approaching the
city, Peter went up on the roof to pray.
10 He became hungry and wanted to eat, but while they were preparing the meal, a
trance came over him.
11 He saw heaven opened and an object something like a large sheet descending,
being let down to earth by its four corners.
12 In it were all kinds of four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth and
wild birds.
13 Then a voice said to him,“Get up, Peter; slaughter and eat!”
14 But Peter said,“Certainly not, Lord, for I have never eaten anything
defiled and ritually unclean!”
15 The voice spoke to him again, a second time,“What God has made clean, you
must not consider ritually unclean!”
16 This happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into
heaven.
17 Now while Peter was puzzling over what the vision he had seen could signify,
the men sent by Cornelius had learned where Simon’s house was and approached
the gate.
18 They called out to ask if Simon, known as Peter, was staying there as a
guest.
19 While Peter was still thinking seriously about the vision, the Spirit said to
him,“Look! Three men are looking for you.
20 But get up, go down, and accompany them without hesitation, because I have
sent them.”
21 So Peter went down to the men and said,“Here I am, the person you’re
looking for. Why have you come?”
22 They said,“Cornelius the centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man, well
spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to summon you
to his house and to hear a message from you.”
23 So Peter invited them in and entertained them as guests.On the next day he
got up and set out with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied
him.
24 The following day he entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting anxiously
for them and had called together his relatives and close friends.
25 So when Peter came in, Cornelius met him, fell at his feet, and worshiped
him.
26 But Peter helped him up, saying,“Stand up. I too am a mere mortal.”
27 Peter continued talking with him as he went in, and he found many people
gathered together.
28 He said to them,“You know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with
or visit a Gentile, yet God has shown me that I should call no person defiled or
ritually unclean.
29 Therefore when you sent for me, I came without any objection. Now may I ask
why you sent for me?”
30 Cornelius replied,“Four days ago at this very hour, at three o’clock in
the afternoon, I was praying in my house, and suddenly a man in shining clothing
stood before me
31 and said,‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your acts of charity
have been remembered before God.
32 Therefore send to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter. This man is
staying as a guest in the house of Simon the tanner, by the sea.’
33 Therefore I sent for you at once, and you were kind enough to come. So now we
are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has
commanded you to say to us.”
34 Then Peter started speaking:“I now truly understand that God does not show
favoritism in dealing with people,
35 but in every nation the person who fears him and does what is right is
welcomed before him.
36 You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, proclaiming the good
news of peace through Jesus Christ(he is Lord of all)–
37 you know what happened throughout Judea, beginning from Galilee after the
baptism that John announced:
38 with respect to Jesus from Nazareth, that God anointed him with the Holy
Spirit and with power. He went around doing good and healing all who were
oppressed by the devil, because God was with him.
39 We are witnesses of all the things he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem.
They killed him by hanging him on a tree,
40 but God raised him up on the third day and caused him to be seen,
41 not by all the people, but by us, the witnesses God had already chosen, who
ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to warn them that he is the one
appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead.
43 About him all the prophets testify, that everyone who believes in him
receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
44 The Gentiles Receive the Holy Spirit While Peter was still speaking these
words, the Holy Spirit fell on all those who heard the message.
45 The circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were greatly astonished
that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles,
46 for they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said,
47 “No one can withhold the water for these people to be baptized, who have
received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?”
48 So he gave orders to have them baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then
they asked him to stay for several days.

Chapter 11

1 Peter Defends His Actions to the Jerusalem Church Now the apostles and the
brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles too had accepted the
word of God.
2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers took issue with
him,
3 saying,“You went to uncircumcised men and shared a meal with them.”
4 But Peter began and explained it to them point by point, saying,
5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, an
object something like a large sheet descending, being let down from heaven by
its four corners, and it came to me.
6 As I stared I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild
animals, reptiles, and wild birds.
7 I also heard a voice saying to me,‘Get up, Peter; slaughter and eat!’
8 But I said,‘Certainly not, Lord, for nothing defiled or ritually unclean has
ever entered my mouth!’
9 But the voice replied a second time from heaven,‘What God has made clean,
you must not consider ritually unclean!’
10 This happened three times, and then everything was pulled up to heaven again.
11 At that very moment, three men sent to me from Caesarea approached the house
where we were staying.
12 The Spirit told me to accompany them without hesitation. These six brothers
also went with me, and we entered the man’s house.
13 He informed us how he had seen an angel standing in his house and
saying,‘Send to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter,
14 who will speak a message to you by which you and your entire household will
be saved.’
15 Then as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as he did on us
at the beginning.
16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, as he used to say,‘John baptized
with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
17 Therefore if God gave them the same gift as he also gave us after believing
in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to hinder God?”
18 When they heard this, they ceased their objections and praised God,
saying,“So then, God has granted the repentance that leads to life even to the
Gentiles.”
19 Activity in the Church at Antioch Now those who had been scattered because of
the persecution that took place over Stephen went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus,
and Antioch, speaking the message to no one but Jews.
20 But there were some men from Cyprus and Cyrene among them who came to Antioch
and began to speak to the Greeks too, proclaiming the good news of the Lord
Jesus.
21 The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to
the Lord.
22 A report about them came to the attention of the church in Jerusalem, and
they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
23 When he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to
remain true to the Lord with devoted hearts,
24 because he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, and a
significant number of people were brought to the Lord.
25 Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to look for Saul,
26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year
Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught a significant number of people.
Now it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.
27 Famine Relief for Judea At that time some prophets came down from Jerusalem
to Antioch.
28 One of them, named Agabus, got up and predicted by the Spirit that a severe
famine was about to come over the whole inhabited world.(This took place during
the reign of Claudius.)
29 So the disciples, each in accordance with his financial ability, decided to
send relief to the brothers living in Judea.
30 They did so, sending their financial aid to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.

Chapter 12

1 James is Killed and Peter Imprisoned About that time King Herod laid hands on
some from the church to harm them.
2 He had James, the brother of John, executed with a sword.
3 When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter too.(This
took place during the feast of Unleavened Bread.)
4 When he had seized him, he put him in prison, handing him over to four squads
of soldiers to guard him. Herod planned to bring him out for public trial after
the Passover.
5 So Peter was kept in prison, but those in the church were earnestly praying to
God for him.
6 On that very night before Herod was going to bring him out for trial, Peter
was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, while guards in front
of the door were keeping watch over the prison.
7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the prison cell.
He struck Peter on the side and woke him up, saying,“Get up quickly!” And
the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.
8 The angel said to him,“Fasten your belt and put on your sandals.” Peter
did so. Then the angel said to him,“Put on your cloak and follow me.”
9 Peter went out and followed him; he did not realize that what was happening
through the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.
10 After they had passed the first and second guards, they came to the iron gate
leading into the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went outside and
walked down one narrow street, when at once the angel left him.
11 When Peter came to himself, he said,“Now I know for certain that the Lord
has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from everything the
Jewish people were expecting to happen.”
12 When Peter realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John
Mark, where many people had gathered together and were praying.
13 When he knocked at the door of the outer gate, a slave girl named Rhoda
answered.
14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she did not open
the gate, but ran back in and told them that Peter was standing at the gate.
15 But they said to her,“You’ve lost your mind!” But she kept insisting
that it was Peter, and they kept saying,“It is his angel!”
16 Now Peter continued knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they
were greatly astonished.
17 He motioned to them with his hand to be quiet and then related how the Lord
had brought him out of the prison. He said,“Tell James and the brothers these
things,” and then he left and went to another place.
18 At daybreak there was great consternation among the soldiers over what had
become of Peter.
19 When Herod had searched for him and did not find him, he questioned the
guards and commanded that they be led away to execution. Then Herod went down
from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there.
20 Now Herod was having an angry quarrel with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So
they joined together and presented themselves before him. And after convincing
Blastus, the king’s personal assistant, to help them, they asked for peace,
because their country’s food supply was provided by the king’s country.
21 On a day determined in advance, Herod put on his royal robes, sat down on the
judgment seat, and made a speech to them.
22 But the crowd began to shout,“The voice of a god, and not of a man!”
23 Immediately an angel of the Lord struck Herod down because he did not give
the glory to God, and he was eaten by worms and died.
24 But the word of God kept on increasing and multiplying.
25 So Barnabas and Saul returned to Jerusalem when they had completed their
mission, bringing along with them John Mark.

Chapter 13

1 The Church at Antioch Commissions Barnabas and Saul Now there were these
prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger,
Lucius the Cyrenian, Manaen(a close friend of Herod the tetrarch from childhood)
and Saul.
2 While they were serving the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said,“Set
apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
3 Then, after they had fasted and prayed and placed their hands on them, they
sent them off.
4 Paul and Barnabas Preach in Cyprus So Barnabas and Saul, sent out by the Holy
Spirit, went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.
5 When they arrived in Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in the
Jewish synagogues.(Now they also had John as their assistant.)
6 When they had crossed over the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a
magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus,
7 who was with the proconsul Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. The proconsul
summoned Barnabas and Saul and wanted to hear the word of God.
8 But the magician Elymas(for that is the way his name is translated) opposed
them, trying to turn the proconsul away from the faith.
9 But Saul(also known as Paul), filled with the Holy Spirit, stared straight at
him
10 and said,“You who are full of all deceit and all wrongdoing, you son of the
devil, you enemy of all righteousness– will you not stop making crooked the
straight paths of the Lord?
11 Now look, the hand of the Lord is against you, and you will be blind, unable
to see the sun for a time!” Immediately mistiness and darkness came over him,
and he went around seeking people to lead him by the hand.
12 Then when the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, because he was
greatly astounded at the teaching about the Lord.
13 Paul and Barnabas at Pisidian Antioch Then Paul and his companions put out to
sea from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia, but John left them and returned
to Jerusalem.
14 Moving on from Perga, they arrived at Pisidian Antioch, and on the Sabbath
day they went into the synagogue and sat down.
15 After the reading from the law and the prophets, the leaders of the synagogue
sent them a message, saying,“Brothers, if you have any message of exhortation
for the people, speak it.”
16 So Paul stood up, gestured with his hand and said,“Men of Israel, and you
Gentiles who fear God, listen:
17 The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors and made the people great
during their stay as foreigners in the country of Egypt, and with uplifted arm
he led them out of it.
18 For a period of about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness.
19 After he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave his
people their land as an inheritance.
20 All this took about four hundred fifty years. After this he gave them judges
until the time of Samuel the prophet.
21 Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man from
the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years.
22 After removing him, God raised up David their king. He testified about
him:‘I have found David the son of Jesse to be a man after my heart, who will
accomplish everything I want him to do.’
23 From the descendants of this man God brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, just
as he promised.
24 Before Jesus arrived, John had proclaimed a baptism for repentance to all the
people of Israel.
25 But while John was completing his mission, he said repeatedly,‘What do you
think I am? I am not he. But look, one is coming after me. I am not worthy to
untie the sandals on his feet!’
26 Brothers, descendants of Abraham’s family, and those Gentiles among you who
fear God, the message of this salvation has been sent to us.
27 For the people who live in Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize him,
and they fulfilled the sayings of the prophets that are read every Sabbath by
condemning him.
28 Though they found no basis for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have
him executed.
29 When they had accomplished everything that was written about him, they took
him down from the cross and placed him in a tomb.
30 But God raised him from the dead,
31 and for many days he appeared to those who had accompanied him from Galilee
to Jerusalem. These are now his witnesses to the people.
32 And we proclaim to you the good news about the promise to our ancestors,
33 that this promise God has fulfilled to us, their children, by raising Jesus,
as also it is written in the second psalm,‘You are my Son; today I have
fathered you.’
34 But regarding the fact that he has raised Jesus from the dead, never again to
be in a state of decay, God has spoken in this way:‘I will give you the holy
and trustworthy promises made to David.’
35 Therefore he also says in another psalm,‘You will not permit your Holy One
to experience decay.’
36 For David, after he had served God’s purpose in his own generation, died,
was buried with his ancestors, and experienced decay,
37 but the one whom God raised up did not experience decay.
38 Therefore let it be known to you, brothers, that through this one forgiveness
of sins is proclaimed to you,
39 and by this one everyone who believes is justified from everything from which
the law of Moses could not justify you.
40 Watch out, then, that what is spoken about by the prophets does not happen to
you:
41 ‘Look, you scoffers; be amazed and perish! For I am doing a work in your
days, a work you would never believe, even if someone tells you.’”
42 As Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people were urging them to speak
about these things on the next Sabbath.
43 When the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and
God-fearing proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who were speaking with them
and were persuading them to continue in the grace of God.
44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city assembled together to hear the word
of the Lord.
45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and they
began to contradict what Paul was saying by reviling him.
46 Both Paul and Barnabas replied courageously,“It was necessary to speak the
word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves
worthy of eternal life, we are turning to the Gentiles.
47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us:‘I have appointed you to be a
light for the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
48 When the Gentiles heard this, they began to rejoice and praise the word of
the Lord, and all who had been appointed for eternal life believed.
49 So the word of the Lord was spreading through the entire region.
50 But the Jews incited the God-fearing women of high social standing and the
prominent men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and
threw them out of their region.
51 So after they shook the dust off their feet in protest against them, they
went to Iconium.
52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Chapter 14

1 Paul and Barnabas at Iconium The same thing happened in Iconium when Paul and
Barnabas went into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a large
group of both Jews and Greeks believed.
2 But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their
minds against the brothers.
3 So they stayed there for a considerable time, speaking out courageously for
the Lord, who testified to the message of his grace, granting miraculous signs
and wonders to be performed through their hands.
4 But the population of the city was divided; some sided with the Jews, and some
with the apostles.
5 When both the Gentiles and the Jews(together with their rulers) made an
attempt to mistreat them and stone them,
6 Paul and Barnabas learned about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra
and Derbe and the surrounding region.
7 There they continued to proclaim the good news.
8 Paul and Barnabas at Lystra In Lystra sat a man who could not use his feet,
lame from birth, who had never walked.
9 This man was listening to Paul as he was speaking. When Paul stared intently
at him and saw he had faith to be healed,
10 he said with a loud voice,“Stand upright on your feet.” And the man
leaped up and began walking.
11 So when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian
language,“The gods have come down to us in human form!”
12 They began to call Barnabas Zeus and Paul Hermes, because he was the chief
speaker.
13 The priest of the temple of Zeus, located just outside the city, brought
bulls and garlands to the city gates; he and the crowds wanted to offer
sacrifices to them.
14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard about it, they tore their
clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting,
15 “Men, why are you doing these things? We too are men, with human natures
just like you! We are proclaiming the good news to you, so that you should turn
from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth,
the sea, and everything that is in them.
16 In past generations he allowed all the nations to go their own ways,
17 yet he did not leave himself without a witness by doing good, by giving you
rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying you with food and your hearts
with joy.”
18 Even by saying these things, they scarcely persuaded the crowds not to offer
sacrifice to them.
19 But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and after winning the crowds over,
they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, presuming him to be dead.
20 But after the disciples had surrounded him, he got up and went back into the
city. On the next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.
21 Paul and Barnabas Return to Antioch in Syria After they had proclaimed the
good news in that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, to
Iconium, and to Antioch.
22 They strengthened the souls of the disciples and encouraged them to continue
in the faith, saying,“We must enter the kingdom of God through many
persecutions.”
23 When they had appointed elders for them in the various churches, with prayer
and fasting they entrusted them to the protection of the Lord in whom they had
believed.
24 Then they passed through Pisidia and came into Pamphylia,
25 and when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.
26 From there they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been commended to the
grace of God for the work they had now completed.
27 When they arrived and gathered the church together, they reported all the
things God had done with them, and that he had opened a door of faith for the
Gentiles.
28 So they spent considerable time with the disciples.

Chapter 15

1 The Jerusalem Council Now some men came down from Judea and began to teach the
brothers,“Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you
cannot be saved.”
2 When Paul and Barnabas had a major argument and debate with them, the church
appointed Paul and Barnabas and some others from among them to go up to meet
with the apostles and elders in Jerusalem about this point of disagreement.
3 So they were sent on their way by the church, and as they passed through both
Phoenicia and Samaria, they were relating at length the conversion of the
Gentiles and bringing great joy to all the brothers.
4 When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the
apostles and the elders, and they reported all the things God had done with
them.
5 But some from the religious party of the Pharisees who had believed stood up
and said,“It is necessary to circumcise the Gentiles and to order them to
observe the law of Moses.”
6 Both the apostles and the elders met together to deliberate about this matter.
7 After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them,“Brothers,
you know that some time ago God chose me to preach to the Gentiles so they would
hear the message of the gospel and believe.
8 And God, who knows the heart, has testified to them by giving them the Holy
Spirit just as he did to us,
9 and he made no distinction between them and us, cleansing their hearts by
faith.
10 So now why are you putting God to the test by placing on the neck of the
disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear?
11 On the contrary, we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord
Jesus, in the same way as they are.”
12 The whole group kept quiet and listened to Barnabas and Paul while they
explained all the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles
through them.
13 After they stopped speaking, James replied,“Brothers, listen to me.
14 Simeon has explained how God first concerned himself to select from among the
Gentiles a people for his name.
15 The words of the prophets agree with this, as it is written,
16 ‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the fallen tent of David; I
will rebuild its ruins and restore it,
17 so that the rest of humanity may seek the Lord, namely, all the Gentiles I
have called to be my own,’ says the Lord, who makes these things
18 known from long ago.
19 “Therefore I conclude that we should not cause extra difficulty for those
among the Gentiles who are turning to God,
20 but that we should write them a letter telling them to abstain from things
defiled by idols and from sexual immorality and from what has been strangled and
from blood.
21 For Moses has had those who proclaim him in every town from ancient times,
because he is read aloud in the synagogues every Sabbath.”
22 Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to send men
chosen from among them, Judas called Barsabbas and Silas, leaders among the
brothers, to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.
23 They sent this letter with them: From the apostles and elders, your brothers,
to the Gentile brothers and sisters in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia, greetings!
24 Since we have heard that some have gone out from among us with no orders from
us and have confused you, upsetting your minds by what they said,
25 we have unanimously decided to choose men to send to you along with our dear
friends Barnabas and Paul,
26 who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
27 Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas who will tell you these things
themselves in person.
28 For it seemed best to the Holy Spirit and to us not to place any greater
burden on you than these necessary rules:
29 that you abstain from meat that has been sacrificed to idols and from blood
and from what has been strangled and from sexual immorality. If you keep
yourselves from doing these things, you will do well. Farewell.
30 So when they were dismissed, they went down to Antioch, and after gathering
the entire group together, they delivered the letter.
31 When they read it aloud, the people rejoiced at its encouragement.
32 Both Judas and Silas, who were prophets themselves, encouraged and
strengthened the brothers with a long speech.
33 After they had spent some time there, they were sent off in peace by the
brothers to those who had sent them.
35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and proclaiming(along
with many others) the word of the Lord.
36 Paul and Barnabas Part Company After some days Paul said to
Barnabas,“Let’s return and visit the brothers in every town where we
proclaimed the word of the Lord to see how they are doing.”
37 Barnabas wanted to bring John called Mark along with them too,
38 but Paul insisted that they should not take along this one who had left them
in Pamphylia and had not accompanied them in the work.
39 They had a sharp disagreement, so that they parted company. Barnabas took
along Mark and sailed away to Cyprus,
40 but Paul chose Silas and set out, commended to the grace of the Lord by the
brothers and sisters.
41 He passed through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

Chapter 16

1 Timothy Joins Paul and Silas He also came to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple
named Timothy was there, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but whose
father was a Greek.
2 The brothers in Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him.
3 Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him
because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father
was Greek.
4 As they went through the towns, they passed on the decrees that had been
decided on by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the Gentile believers to
obey.
5 So the churches were being strengthened in the faith and were increasing in
number every day.
6 Paul’s Vision of the Macedonian Man They went through the region of Phrygia
and Galatia, having been prevented by the Holy Spirit from speaking the message
in the province of Asia.
7 When they came to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of
Jesus did not allow them to do this,
8 so they passed through Mysia and went down to Troas.
9 A vision appeared to Paul during the night: A Macedonian man was standing
there urging him,“Come over to Macedonia and help us!”
10 After Paul saw the vision, we attempted immediately to go over to Macedonia,
concluding that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.
11 Arrival at Philippi We put out to sea from Troas and sailed a straight course
to Samothrace, the next day to Neapolis,
12 and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of that district of
Macedonia, a Roman colony. We stayed in this city for some days.
13 On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate to the side of the river,
where we thought there would be a place of prayer, and we sat down and began to
speak to the women who had assembled there.
14 A woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, a
God-fearing woman, listened to us. The Lord opened her heart to respond to what
Paul was saying.
15 After she and her household were baptized, she urged us,“If you consider me
to be a believer in the Lord, come and stay in my house.” And she persuaded
us.
16 Paul and Silas Are Thrown Into Prison Now as we were going to the place of
prayer, a slave girl met us who had a spirit that enabled her to foretell the
future by supernatural means. She brought her owners a great profit by
fortune-telling.
17 She followed behind Paul and us and kept crying out,“These men are servants
of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.”
18 She continued to do this for many days. But Paul became greatly annoyed, and
turned and said to the spirit,“I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to
come out of her!” And it came out of her at once.
19 But when her owners saw their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and
Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities.
20 When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said,“These men are
throwing our city into confusion. They are Jews
21 and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us to accept or practice,
since we are Romans.”
22 The crowd joined the attack against them, and the magistrates tore the
clothes off Paul and Silas and ordered them to be beaten with rods.
23 After they had beaten them severely, they threw them into prison and
commanded the jailer to guard them securely.
24 Receiving such orders, he threw them in the inner cell and fastened their
feet in the stocks.
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the
rest of the prisoners were listening to them.
26 Suddenly a great earthquake occurred, so that the foundations of the prison
were shaken. Immediately all the doors flew open, and the bonds of all the
prisoners came loose.
27 When the jailer woke up and saw the doors of the prison standing open, he
drew his sword and was about to kill himself, because he assumed the prisoners
had escaped.
28 But Paul called out loudly,“Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!”
29 Calling for lights, the jailer rushed in and fell down trembling at the feet
of Paul and Silas.
30 Then he brought them outside and asked,“Sirs, what must I do to be
saved?”
31 They replied,“Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your
household.”
32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him, along with all those who were in
his house.
33 At that hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and
all his family were baptized right away.
34 The jailer brought them into his house and set food before them, and he
rejoiced greatly that he had come to believe in God, together with his entire
household.
35 At daybreak the magistrates sent their police officers, saying,“Release
those men.”
36 The jailer reported these words to Paul, saying,“The magistrates have sent
orders to release you. So come out now and go in peace.”
37 But Paul said to the police officers,“They had us beaten in public without
a proper trial– even though we are Roman citizens– and they threw us in
prison. And now they want to send us away secretly? Absolutely not! They
themselves must come and escort us out!”
38 The police officers reported these words to the magistrates. They were
frightened when they heard Paul and Silas were Roman citizens
39 and came and apologized to them. After they brought them out, they asked them
repeatedly to leave the city.
40 When they came out of the prison, they entered Lydia’s house, and when they
saw the brothers, they encouraged them and then departed.

Chapter 17

1 Paul and Silas at Thessalonica After they traveled through Amphipolis and
Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.
2 Paul went to the Jews in the synagogue, as he customarily did, and on three
Sabbath days he addressed them from the scriptures,
3 explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and to rise from
the dead, saying,“This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.”
4 Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large
group of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.
5 But the Jews became jealous, and gathering together some worthless men from
the rabble in the marketplace, they formed a mob and set the city in an uproar.
They attacked Jason’s house, trying to find Paul and Silas to bring them out
to the assembly.
6 When they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers
before the city officials, screaming,“These people who have stirred up trouble
throughout the world have come here too,
7 and Jason has welcomed them as guests! They are all acting against Caesar’s
decrees, saying there is another king named Jesus!”
8 They caused confusion among the crowd and the city officials who heard these
things.
9 After the city officials had received bail from Jason and the others, they
released them.
10 Paul and Silas at Berea The brothers sent Paul and Silas off to Berea at
once, during the night. When they arrived, they went to the Jewish synagogue.
11 These Jews were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they eagerly
received the message, examining the scriptures carefully every day to see if
these things were so.
12 Therefore many of them believed, along with quite a few prominent Greek women
and men.
13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica heard that Paul had also proclaimed the
word of God in Berea, they came there too, inciting and disturbing the crowds.
14 Then the brothers sent Paul away to the coast at once, but Silas and Timothy
remained in Berea.
15 Those who accompanied Paul escorted him as far as Athens, and after receiving
an order for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they left.
16 Paul at Athens While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was
greatly upset because he saw the city was full of idols.
17 So he was addressing the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles in the synagogue,
and in the marketplace every day those who happened to be there.
18 Also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him,
and some were asking,“What does this foolish babbler want to say?” Others
said,“He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods.”(They said this because
he was proclaiming the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.)
19 So they took Paul and brought him to the Areopagus, saying,“May we know
what this new teaching is that you are proclaiming?
20 For you are bringing some surprising things to our ears, so we want to know
what they mean.”
21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there used to spend their
time in nothing else than telling or listening to something new.)
22 So Paul stood before the Areopagus and said,“Men of Athens, I see that you
are very religious in all respects.
23 For as I went around and observed closely your objects of worship, I even
found an altar with this inscription:‘To an unknown god.’ Therefore what you
worship without knowing it, this I proclaim to you.
24 The God who made the world and everything in it, who is Lord of heaven and
earth, does not live in temples made by human hands,
25 nor is he served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself
gives life and breath and everything to everyone.
26 From one man he made every nation of the human race to inhabit the entire
earth, determining their set times and the fixed limits of the places where they
would live,
27 so that they would search for God and perhaps grope around for him and find
him, though he is not far from each one of us.
28 For in him we live and move about and exist, as even some of your own poets
have said,‘For we too are his offspring.’
29 So since we are God’s offspring, we should not think the deity is like gold
or silver or stone, an image made by human skill and imagination.
30 Therefore, although God has overlooked such times of ignorance, he now
commands all people everywhere to repent,
31 because he has set a day on which he is going to judge the world in
righteousness, by a man whom he designated, having provided proof to everyone by
raising him from the dead.”
32 Now when they heard about the resurrection from the dead, some began to
scoff, but others said,“We will hear you again about this.”
33 So Paul left the Areopagus.
34 But some people joined him and believed. Among them were Dionysius, who was a
member of the Areopagus, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

Chapter 18

1 Paul at Corinth After this Paul departed from Athens and went to Corinth.
2 There he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come
from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to
depart from Rome. Paul approached them,
3 and because he worked at the same trade, he stayed with them and worked with
them(for they were tentmakers by trade).
4 He addressed both Jews and Greeks in the synagogue every Sabbath, attempting
to persuade them.
5 Now when Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul became wholly absorbed
with proclaiming the word, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ.
6 When they opposed him and reviled him, he protested by shaking out his clothes
and said to them,“Your blood be on your own heads! I am guiltless! From now on
I will go to the Gentiles!”
7 Then Paul left the synagogue and went to the house of a person named Titius
Justus, a Gentile who worshiped God, whose house was next door to the synagogue.
8 Crispus, the president of the synagogue, believed in the Lord together with
his entire household, and many of the Corinthians who heard about it believed
and were baptized.
9 The Lord said to Paul by a vision in the night,“Do not be afraid, but speak
and do not be silent,
10 because I am with you, and no one will assault you to harm you, because I
have many people in this city.”
11 So he stayed there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among
them.
12 Paul Before the Proconsul Gallio Now while Gallio was proconsul of Achaia,
the Jews attacked Paul together and brought him before the judgment seat,
13 saying,“This man is persuading people to worship God in a way contrary to
the law!”
14 But just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews,“If it were a
matter of some crime or serious piece of villainy, I would have been justified
in accepting the complaint of you Jews,
15 but since it concerns points of disagreement about words and names and your
own law, settle it yourselves. I will not be a judge of these things!”
16 Then he had them forced away from the judgment seat.
17 So they all seized Sosthenes, the president of the synagogue, and began to
beat him in front of the judgment seat. Yet none of these things were of any
concern to Gallio.
18 Paul Returns to Antioch in Syria Paul, after staying many more days in
Corinth, said farewell to the brothers and sailed away to Syria accompanied by
Priscilla and Aquila. He had his hair cut off at Cenchrea because he had made a
vow.
19 When they reached Ephesus, Paul left Priscilla and Aquila behind there, but
he himself went into the synagogue and addressed the Jews.
20 When they asked him to stay longer, he would not consent,
21 but said farewell to them and added,“I will come back to you again if God
wills.” Then he set sail from Ephesus,
22 and when he arrived at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church at
Jerusalem and then went down to Antioch.
23 After he spent some time there, Paul left and went through the region of
Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.
24 Apollos Begins His Ministry Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria,
arrived in Ephesus. He was an eloquent speaker, well-versed in the scriptures.
25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and with great enthusiasm he
spoke and taught accurately the facts about Jesus, although he knew only the
baptism of John.
26 He began to speak out fearlessly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and
Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the way of God to him more
accurately.
27 When Apollos wanted to cross over to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and
wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he assisted greatly
those who had believed by grace,
28 for he refuted the Jews vigorously in public debate, demonstrating from the
scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.

Chapter 19

1 Disciples of John the Baptist at Ephesus While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul
went through the inland regions and came to Ephesus. He found some disciples
there
2 and said to them,“Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They
replied,“No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
3 So Paul said,“Into what then were you baptized?”“Into John’s
baptism,” they replied.
4 Paul said,“John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to
believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.”
5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus,
6 and when Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and
they began to speak in tongues and to prophesy.
7 (Now there were about twelve men in all.)
8 Paul Continues to Minister at Ephesus So Paul entered the synagogue and spoke
out fearlessly for three months, addressing and convincing them about the
kingdom of God.
9 But when some were stubborn and refused to believe, reviling the Way before
the congregation, he left them and took the disciples with him, addressing them
every day in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.
10 This went on for two years, so that all who lived in the province of Asia,
both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord.
11 The Seven Sons of Sceva God was performing extraordinary miracles by Paul’s
hands,
12 so that when even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his body were
brought to the sick, their diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of
them.
13 But some itinerant Jewish exorcists tried to invoke the name of the Lord
Jesus over those who were possessed by evil spirits, saying,“I sternly warn
you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.”
14 (Now seven sons of a man named Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were doing this.)
15 But the evil spirit replied to them,“I know about Jesus and I am acquainted
with Paul, but who are you?”
16 Then the man who was possessed by the evil spirit jumped on them and beat
them all into submission. He prevailed against them so that they fled from that
house naked and wounded.
17 This became known to all who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks; fear
came over them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was praised.
18 Many of those who had believed came forward, confessing and making their
deeds known.
19 Large numbers of those who had practiced magic collected their books and
burned them up in the presence of everyone. When the value of the books was
added up, it was found to total fifty thousand silver coins.
20 In this way the word of the Lord continued to grow in power and to prevail.
21 A Riot in Ephesus Now after all these things had taken place, Paul resolved
to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. He said,“After I
have been there, I must also see Rome.”
22 So after sending two of his assistants, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, he
himself stayed on for a while in the province of Asia.
23 At that time a great disturbance took place concerning the Way.
24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis,
brought a great deal of business to the craftsmen.
25 He gathered these together, along with the workmen in similar trades, and
said,“Men, you know that our prosperity comes from this business.
26 And you see and hear that this Paul has persuaded and turned away a large
crowd, not only in Ephesus but in practically all of the province of Asia, by
saying that gods made by hands are not gods at all.
27 There is danger not only that this business of ours will come into disrepute,
but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be regarded as
nothing, and she whom all the province of Asia and the world worship will suffer
the loss of her greatness.”
28 When they heard this they became enraged and began to shout,“Great is
Artemis of the Ephesians!”
29 The city was filled with the uproar, and the crowd rushed to the theater
together, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, the Macedonians who were
Paul’s traveling companions.
30 But when Paul wanted to enter the public assembly, the disciples would not
let him.
31 Even some of the provincial authorities who were his friends sent a message
to him, urging him not to venture into the theater.
32 So then some were shouting one thing, some another, for the assembly was in
confusion, and most of them did not know why they had met together.
33 Some of the crowd concluded it was about Alexander because the Jews had
pushed him to the front. Alexander, gesturing with his hand, was wanting to make
a defense before the public assembly.
34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, they all shouted in
unison,“Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” for about two hours.
35 After the city secretary quieted the crowd, he said,“Men of Ephesus, what
person is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the keeper
of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image that fell from heaven?
36 So because these facts are indisputable, you must keep quiet and not do
anything reckless.
37 For you have brought these men here who are neither temple robbers nor
blasphemers of our goddess.
38 If then Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint against
someone, the courts are open and there are proconsuls; let them bring charges
against one another there.
39 But if you want anything in addition, it will have to be settled in a legal
assembly.
40 For we are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no
cause we can give to explain this disorderly gathering.”
41 After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.

Chapter 20

1 Paul Travels Through Macedonia and Greece After the disturbance had ended,
Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging them and saying farewell, he
left to go to Macedonia.
2 After he had gone through those regions and spoken many words of encouragement
to the believers there, he came to Greece,
3 where he stayed for three months. Because the Jews had made a plot against him
as he was intending to sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia.
4 Paul was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and
Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, and Timothy, as well as Tychicus
and Trophimus from the province of Asia.
5 These had gone on ahead and were waiting for us in Troas.
6 We sailed away from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and within
five days we came to the others in Troas, where we stayed for seven days.
7 On the first day of the week, when we met to break bread, Paul began to speak
to the people, and because he intended to leave the next day, he extended his
message until midnight.
8 (Now there were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting.)
9 A young man named Eutychus, who was sitting in the window, was sinking into a
deep sleep while Paul continued to speak for a long time. Fast asleep, he fell
down from the third story and was picked up dead.
10 But Paul went down, threw himself on the young man, put his arms around him,
and said,“Do not be distressed, for he is still alive!”
11 Then Paul went back upstairs, and after he had broken bread and eaten, he
talked with them a long time, until dawn. Then he left.
12 They took the boy home alive and were greatly comforted.
13 The Voyage to Miletus We went on ahead to the ship and put out to sea for
Assos, intending to take Paul aboard there, for he had arranged it this way. He
himself was intending to go there by land.
14 When he met us in Assos, we took him aboard and went to Mitylene.
15 We set sail from there, and on the following day we arrived off Chios. The
next day we approached Samos, and the day after that we arrived at Miletus.
16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so as not to spend time in the
province of Asia, for he was hurrying to arrive in Jerusalem, if possible, by
the day of Pentecost.
17 From Miletus he sent a message to Ephesus, telling the elders of the church
to come to him.
18 When they arrived, he said to them,“You yourselves know how I lived the
whole time I was with you, from the first day I set foot in the province of
Asia,
19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears, and with the trials that
happened to me because of the plots of the Jews.
20 You know that I did not hold back from proclaiming to you anything that would
be helpful, and from teaching you publicly and from house to house,
21 testifying to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in
our Lord Jesus.
22 And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem without knowing
what will happen to me there,
23 except that the Holy Spirit warns me in town after town that imprisonment and
persecutions are waiting for me.
24 But I do not consider my life worth anything to myself, so that I may finish
my task and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the
good news of God’s grace.
25 “And now I know that none of you among whom I went around proclaiming the
kingdom will see me again.
26 Therefore I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of you all.
27 For I did not hold back from announcing to you the whole purpose of God.
28 Watch out for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has
made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the
blood of his own Son.
29 I know that after I am gone fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing
the flock.
30 Even from among your own group men will arise, teaching perversions of the
truth to draw the disciples away after them.
31 Therefore be alert, remembering that night and day for three years I did not
stop warning each one of you with tears.
32 And now I entrust you to God and to the message of his grace. This message is
able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are
sanctified.
33 I have desired no one’s silver or gold or clothing.
34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine provided for my needs and the
needs of those who were with me.
35 By all these things, I have shown you that by working in this way we must
help the weak, and remember the words of the Lord Jesus that he himself
said,‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
36 When he had said these things, he knelt down with them all and prayed.
37 They all began to weep loudly, and hugged Paul and kissed him,
38 especially saddened by what he had said, that they were not going to see him
again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.

Chapter 21

1 Paul’s Journey to Jerusalem After we tore ourselves away from them, we put
out to sea, and sailing a straight course, we came to Cos, on the next day to
Rhodes, and from there to Patara.
2 We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, went aboard, and put out to sea.
3 After we sighted Cyprus and left it behind on our port side, we sailed on to
Syria and put in at Tyre, because the ship was to unload its cargo there.
4 After we located the disciples, we stayed there seven days. They repeatedly
told Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem.
5 When our time was over, we left and went on our way. All of them, with their
wives and children, accompanied us outside of the city. After kneeling down on
the beach and praying,
6 we said farewell to one another. Then we went aboard the ship, and they
returned to their own homes.
7 We continued the voyage from Tyre and arrived at Ptolemais, and when we had
greeted the brothers, we stayed with them for one day.
8 On the next day we left and came to Caesarea, and entered the house of Philip
the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him.
9 (He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.)
10 While we remained there for a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came
down from Judea.
11 He came to us, took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it, and
said,“The Holy Spirit says this:‘This is the way the Jews in Jerusalem will
tie up the man whose belt this is, and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’”
12 When we heard this, both we and the local people begged him not to go up to
Jerusalem.
13 Then Paul replied,“What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I
am ready not only to be tied up, but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of
the Lord Jesus.”
14 Because he could not be persuaded, we said no more except,“The Lord’s
will be done.”
15 After these days we got ready and started up to Jerusalem.
16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea came along with us too, and brought us to
the house of Mnason of Cyprus, a disciple from the earliest times, with whom we
were to stay.
17 When we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers welcomed us gladly.
18 The next day Paul went in with us to see James, and all the elders were
there.
19 When Paul had greeted them, he began to explain in detail what God had done
among the Gentiles through his ministry.
20 When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to him,“You see,
brother, how many thousands of Jews there are who have believed, and they are
all ardent observers of the law.
21 They have been informed about you– that you teach all the Jews now living
among the Gentiles to abandon Moses, telling them not to circumcise their
children or live according to our customs.
22 What then should we do? They will no doubt hear that you have come.
23 So do what we tell you: We have four men who have taken a vow;
24 take them and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses, so that
they may have their heads shaved. Then everyone will know there is nothing in
what they have been told about you, but that you yourself live in conformity
with the law.
25 But regarding the Gentiles who have believed, we have written a letter,
having decided that they should avoid meat that has been sacrificed to idols and
blood and what has been strangled and sexual immorality.”
26 Then Paul took the men the next day, and after he had purified himself along
with them, he went to the temple and gave notice of the completion of the days
of purification, when the sacrifice would be offered for each of them.
27 When the seven days were almost over, the Jews from the province of Asia who
had seen him in the temple area stirred up the whole crowd and seized him,
28 shouting,“Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches everyone
everywhere against our people, our law, and this sanctuary! Furthermore he has
brought Greeks into the inner courts of the temple and made this holy place
ritually unclean!”
29 (For they had seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him previously,
and they assumed Paul had brought him into the inner temple courts.)
30 The whole city was stirred up, and the people rushed together. They seized
Paul and dragged him out of the temple courts, and immediately the doors were
shut.
31 While they were trying to kill him, a report was sent up to the commanding
officer of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion.
32 He immediately took soldiers and centurions and ran down to the crowd. When
they saw the commanding officer and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.
33 Then the commanding officer came up and arrested him and ordered him to be
tied up with two chains; he then asked who he was and what he had done.
34 But some in the crowd shouted one thing, and others something else, and when
the commanding officer was unable to find out the truth because of the
disturbance, he ordered Paul to be brought into the barracks.
35 When he came to the steps, Paul had to be carried by the soldiers because of
the violence of the mob,
36 for a crowd of people followed them, screaming,“Away with him!”
37 As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the commanding
officer,“May I say something to you?” The officer replied,“Do you know
Greek?
38 Then you’re not that Egyptian who started a rebellion and led the four
thousand men of the‘Assassins’ into the wilderness some time ago?”
39 Paul answered,“I am a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of an important
city. Please allow me to speak to the people.”
40 When the commanding officer had given him permission, Paul stood on the steps
and gestured to the people with his hand. When they had become silent, he
addressed them in Aramaic,

Chapter 22

1 Paul’s Defense“Brothers and fathers, listen to my defense that I now make
to you.”
2 (When they heard that he was addressing them in Aramaic, they became even
quieter.) Then Paul said,
3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city,
educated with strictness under Gamaliel according to the law of our ancestors,
and was zealous for God just as all of you are today.
4 I persecuted this Way even to the point of death, tying up both men and women
and putting them in prison,
5 as both the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me.
From them I also received letters to the brothers in Damascus, and I was on my
way to make arrests there and bring the prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.
6 As I was en route and near Damascus, about noon a very bright light from
heaven suddenly flashed around me.
7 Then I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me,‘Saul, Saul, why
are you persecuting me?’
8 I answered,‘Who are you, Lord?’ He said to me,‘I am Jesus the Nazarene,
whom you are persecuting.’
9 Those who were with me saw the light, but did not understand the voice of the
one who was speaking to me.
10 So I asked,‘What should I do, Lord?’ The Lord said to me,‘Get up and go
to Damascus; there you will be told about everything that you have been
designated to do.’
11 Since I could not see because of the brilliance of that light, I came to
Damascus led by the hand of those who were with me.
12 A man named Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all
the Jews who live there,
13 came to me and stood beside me and said to me,‘Brother Saul, regain your
sight!’ And at that very moment I looked up and saw him.
14 Then he said,‘The God of our ancestors has already chosen you to know his
will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear a command from his mouth,
15 because you will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and
heard.
16 And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and have your sins
washed away, calling on his name.’
17 When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a
trance
18 and saw the Lord saying to me,‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly,
because they will not accept your testimony about me.’
19 I replied,‘Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat those in
the various synagogues who believed in you.
20 And when the blood of your witness Stephen was shed, I myself was standing
nearby, approving, and guarding the cloaks of those who were killing him.’
21 Then he said to me,‘Go, because I will send you far away to the
Gentiles.’”
22 The Roman Commander Questions Paul The crowd was listening to him until he
said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted,“Away with this man from
the earth! For he should not be allowed to live!”
23 While they were screaming and throwing off their cloaks and tossing dust in
the air,
24 the commanding officer ordered Paul to be brought back into the barracks. He
told them to interrogate Paul by beating him with a lash so that he could find
out the reason the crowd was shouting at Paul in this way.
25 When they had stretched him out for the lash, Paul said to the centurion
standing nearby,“Is it legal for you to lash a man who is a Roman citizen
without a proper trial?”
26 When the centurion heard this, he went to the commanding officer and reported
it, saying,“What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen.”
27 So the commanding officer came and asked Paul,“Tell me, are you a Roman
citizen?” He replied,“Yes.”
28 The commanding officer answered,“I acquired this citizenship with a large
sum of money.”“But I was even born a citizen,” Paul replied.
29 Then those who were about to interrogate him stayed away from him, and the
commanding officer was frightened when he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen
and that he had had him tied up.
30 Paul Before the Sanhedrin The next day, because the commanding officer wanted
to know the true reason Paul was being accused by the Jews, he released him and
ordered the chief priests and the whole council to assemble. He then brought
Paul down and had him stand before them.

Chapter 23

1 Paul looked directly at the council and said,“Brothers, I have lived my life
with a clear conscience before God to this day.”
2 At that the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him
on the mouth.
3 Then Paul said to him,“God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do
you sit there judging me according to the law, and in violation of the law you
order me to be struck?”
4 Those standing near him said,“Do you dare insult God’s high priest?”
5 Paul replied,“I did not realize, brothers, that he was the high priest, for
it is written,‘You must not speak evil about a ruler of your people.’”
6 Then when Paul noticed that part of them were Sadducees and the others
Pharisees, he shouted out in the council,“Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of
Pharisees. I am on trial concerning the hope of the resurrection of the dead!”
7 When he said this, an argument began between the Pharisees and the Sadducees,
and the assembly was divided.
8 (For the Sadducees say there is no resurrection, or angel, or spirit, but the
Pharisees acknowledge them all.)
9 There was a great commotion, and some experts in the law from the party of the
Pharisees stood up and protested strongly,“We find nothing wrong with this
man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”
10 When the argument became so great the commanding officer feared that they
would tear Paul to pieces, he ordered the detachment to go down, take him away
from them by force, and bring him into the barracks.
11 The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said,“Have courage, for
just as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in
Rome.”
12 The Plot to Kill Paul When morning came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and
bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink anything until they had killed
Paul.
13 There were more than forty of them who formed this conspiracy.
14 They went to the chief priests and the elders and said,“We have bound
ourselves with a solemn oath not to partake of anything until we have killed
Paul.
15 So now you and the council request the commanding officer to bring him down
to you, as if you were going to determine his case by conducting a more thorough
inquiry. We are ready to kill him before he comes near this place.”
16 But when the son of Paul’s sister heard about the ambush, he came and
entered the barracks and told Paul.
17 Paul called one of the centurions and said,“Take this young man to the
commanding officer, for he has something to report to him.”
18 So the centurion took him and brought him to the commanding officer and
said,“The prisoner Paul called me and asked me to bring this young man to you
because he has something to tell you.”
19 The commanding officer took him by the hand, withdrew privately, and
asked,“What is it that you want to report to me?”
20 He replied,“The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the
council tomorrow, as if they were going to inquire more thoroughly about him.
21 So do not let them persuade you to do this, because more than forty of them
are lying in ambush for him. They have bound themselves with an oath not to eat
or drink anything until they have killed him, and now they are ready, waiting
for you to agree to their request.”
22 Then the commanding officer sent the young man away, directing him,“Tell no
one that you have reported these things to me.”
23 Then he summoned two of the centurions and said,“Make ready two hundred
soldiers to go to Caesarea along with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen
by nine o’clock tonight,
24 and provide mounts for Paul to ride so that he may be brought safely to Felix
the governor.”
25 He wrote a letter that went like this:
26 Claudius Lysias to His Excellency Governor Felix, greetings.
27 This man was seized by the Jews and they were about to kill him, when I came
up with the detachment and rescued him, because I had learned that he was a
Roman citizen.
28 Since I wanted to know what charge they were accusing him of, I brought him
down to their council.
29 I found he was accused with reference to controversial questions about their
law, but no charge against him deserved death or imprisonment.
30 When I was informed there would be a plot against this man, I sent him to you
at once, also ordering his accusers to state their charges against him before
you.
31 So the soldiers, in accordance with their orders, took Paul and brought him
to Antipatris during the night.
32 The next day they let the horsemen go on with him, and they returned to the
barracks.
33 When the horsemen came to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor,
they also presented Paul to him.
34 When the governor had read the letter, he asked what province he was from.
When he learned that he was from Cilicia,
35 he said,“I will give you a hearing when your accusers arrive too.” Then
he ordered that Paul be kept under guard in Herod’s palace.

Chapter 24

1 The Accusations Against Paul After five days the high priest Ananias came down
with some elders and an attorney named Tertullus, and they brought formal
charges against Paul to the governor.
2 When Paul had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying,“We have
experienced a lengthy time of peace through your rule, and reforms are being
made in this nation through your foresight.
3 Most excellent Felix, we acknowledge this everywhere and in every way with all
gratitude.
4 But so that I may not delay you any further, I beg you to hear us briefly with
your customary graciousness.
5 For we have found this man to be a troublemaker, one who stirs up riots among
all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the
Nazarenes.
6 He even tried to desecrate the temple, so we arrested him.
8 When you examine him yourself, you will be able to learn from him about all
these things we are accusing him of doing.”
9 The Jews also joined in the verbal attack, claiming that these things were
true.
10 Paul’s Defense Before Felix When the governor gestured for him to speak,
Paul replied,“Because I know that you have been a judge over this nation for
many years, I confidently make my defense.
11 As you can verify for yourself, not more than twelve days ago I went up to
Jerusalem to worship.
12 They did not find me arguing with anyone or stirring up a crowd in the temple
courts or in the synagogues or throughout the city,
13 nor can they prove to you the things they are accusing me of doing.
14 But I confess this to you, that I worship the God of our ancestors according
to the Way(which they call a sect), believing everything that is according to
the law and that is written in the prophets.
15 I have a hope in God(a hope that these men themselves accept too) that there
is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.
16 This is the reason I do my best to always have a clear conscience toward God
and toward people.
17 After several years I came to bring to my people gifts for the poor and to
present offerings,
18 which I was doing when they found me in the temple, ritually purified,
without a crowd or a disturbance.
19 But there are some Jews from the province of Asia who should be here before
you and bring charges, if they have anything against me.
20 Or these men here should tell what crime they found me guilty of when I stood
before the council,
21 other than this one thing I shouted out while I stood before them:‘I am on
trial before you today concerning the resurrection of the dead.’”
22 Then Felix, who understood the facts concerning the Way more accurately,
adjourned their hearing, saying,“When Lysias the commanding officer comes
down, I will decide your case.”
23 He ordered the centurion to guard Paul, but to let him have some freedom, and
not to prevent any of his friends from meeting his needs.
24 Paul Speaks Repeatedly to Felix Some days later, when Felix arrived with his
wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith
in Christ Jesus.
25 While Paul was discussing righteousness, self-control, and the coming
judgment, Felix became frightened and said,“Go away for now, and when I have
an opportunity, I will send for you.”
26 At the same time he was also hoping that Paul would give him money, and for
this reason he sent for Paul as often as possible and talked with him.
27 After two years had passed, Porcius Festus succeeded Felix, and because he
wanted to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison.

Chapter 25

1 Paul Appeals to Caesar Now three days after Festus arrived in the province, he
went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea.
2 So the chief priests and the most prominent men of the Jews brought formal
charges against Paul to him.
3 Requesting him to do them a favor against Paul, they urged Festus to summon
him to Jerusalem, planning an ambush to kill him along the way.
4 Then Festus replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea, and he himself
intended to go there shortly.
5 “So,” he said,“let your leaders go down there with me, and if this man
has done anything wrong, they may bring charges against him.”
6 After Festus had stayed not more than eight or ten days among them, he went
down to Caesarea, and the next day he sat on the judgment seat and ordered Paul
to be brought.
7 When he arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him,
bringing many serious charges that they were not able to prove.
8 Paul said in his defense,“I have committed no offense against the Jewish law
or against the temple or against Caesar.”
9 But Festus, wanting to do the Jews a favor, asked Paul,“Are you willing to
go up to Jerusalem and be tried before me there on these charges?”
10 Paul replied,“I am standing before Caesar’s judgment seat, where I should
be tried. I have done nothing wrong to the Jews, as you also know very well.
11 If then I am in the wrong and have done anything that deserves death, I am
not trying to escape dying, but if not one of their charges against me is true,
no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!”
12 Then, after conferring with his council, Festus replied,“You have appealed
to Caesar; to Caesar you will go!”
13 Festus Asks King Agrippa for Advice After several days had passed, King
Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus.
14 While they were staying there many days, Festus explained Paul’s case to
the king to get his opinion, saying,“There is a man left here as a prisoner by
Felix.
15 When I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews
informed me about him, asking for a sentence of condemnation against him.
16 I answered them that it was not the custom of the Romans to hand over anyone
before the accused had met his accusers face to face and had been given an
opportunity to make a defense against the accusation.
17 So after they came back here with me, I did not postpone the case, but the
next day I sat on the judgment seat and ordered the man to be brought.
18 When his accusers stood up, they did not charge him with any of the evil
deeds I had suspected.
19 Rather they had several points of disagreement with him about their own
religion and about a man named Jesus who was dead, whom Paul claimed to be
alive.
20 Because I was at a loss how I could investigate these matters, I asked if he
were willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried there on these charges.
21 But when Paul appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of His Majesty
the Emperor, I ordered him to be kept under guard until I could send him to
Caesar.”
22 Agrippa said to Festus,“I would also like to hear the man
myself.”“Tomorrow,” he replied,“you will hear him.”
23 Paul Before King Agrippa and Bernice So the next day Agrippa and Bernice came
with great pomp and entered the audience hall, along with the senior military
officers and the prominent men of the city. When Festus gave the order, Paul was
brought in.
24 Then Festus said,“King Agrippa, and all you who are present here with us,
you see this man about whom the entire Jewish populace petitioned me both in
Jerusalem and here, shouting loudly that he ought not to live any longer.
25 But I found that he had done nothing that deserved death, and when he
appealed to His Majesty the Emperor, I decided to send him.
26 But I have nothing definite to write to my lord about him. Therefore I have
brought him before you all, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that
after this preliminary hearing I may have something to write.
27 For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner without clearly indicating
the charges against him.”

Chapter 26

1 Paul Offers His Defense So Agrippa said to Paul,“You have permission to
speak for yourself.” Then Paul held out his hand and began his defense:
2 “Regarding all the things I have been accused of by the Jews, King Agrippa,
I consider myself fortunate that I am about to make my defense before you today,
3 because you are especially familiar with all the customs and controversial
issues of the Jews. Therefore I ask you to listen to me patiently.
4 Now all the Jews know the way I lived from my youth, spending my life from the
beginning among my own people and in Jerusalem.
5 They know, because they have known me from time past, if they are willing to
testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion, I lived as a
Pharisee.
6 And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to
our ancestors,
7 a promise that our twelve tribes hope to attain as they earnestly serve God
night and day. Concerning this hope the Jews are accusing me, Your Majesty!
8 Why do you people think it is unbelievable that God raises the dead?
9 Of course, I myself was convinced that it was necessary to do many things
hostile to the name of Jesus the Nazarene.
10 And that is what I did in Jerusalem: Not only did I lock up many of the
saints in prisons by the authority I received from the chief priests, but I also
cast my vote against them when they were sentenced to death.
11 I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to force them to
blaspheme. Because I was so furiously enraged at them, I went to persecute them
even in foreign cities.
12 “While doing this very thing, as I was going to Damascus with authority and
complete power from the chief priests,
13 about noon along the road, Your Majesty, I saw a light from heaven, brighter
than the sun, shining everywhere around me and those traveling with me.
14 When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in
Aramaic,‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? You are hurting yourself by
kicking against the goads.’
15 So I said,‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord replied,‘I am Jesus whom
you are persecuting.
16 But get up and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this
reason, to designate you in advance as a servant and witness to the things you
have seen and to the things in which I will appear to you.
17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am
sending you
18 to open their eyes so that they turn from darkness to light and from the
power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share
among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
19 “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,
20 but I declared to those in Damascus first, and then to those in Jerusalem and
in all Judea, and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God,
performing deeds consistent with repentance.
21 For this reason the Jews, after they seized me while I was in the temple
courts, were trying to kill me.
22 I have experienced help from God to this day, and so I stand testifying to
both small and great, saying nothing except what the prophets and Moses said was
going to happen:
23 that the Christ was to suffer and be the first to rise from the dead, to
proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.”
24 As Paul was saying these things in his defense, Festus exclaimed
loudly,“You have lost your mind, Paul! Your great learning is driving you
insane!”
25 But Paul replied,“I have not lost my mind, most excellent Festus, but am
speaking true and rational words.
26 For the king knows about these things, and I am speaking freely to him,
because I cannot believe that any of these things has escaped his notice, for
this was not done in a corner.
27 Do you believe the prophets, King Agrippa? I know that you believe.”
28 Agrippa said to Paul,“In such a short time are you persuading me to become
a Christian?”
29 Paul replied,“I pray to God that whether in a short or a long time not only
you but also all those who are listening to me today could become such as I am,
except for these chains.”
30 So the king got up, and with him the governor and Bernice and those sitting
with them,
31 and as they were leaving they said to one another,“This man is not doing
anything deserving death or imprisonment.”
32 Agrippa said to Festus,“This man could have been released if he had not
appealed to Caesar.”

Chapter 27

1 Paul and Company Sail for Rome When it was decided we would sail to Italy,
they handed over Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan
Cohort named Julius.
2 We went on board a ship from Adramyttium that was about to sail to various
ports along the coast of the province of Asia and put out to sea, accompanied by
Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica.
3 The next day we put in at Sidon, and Julius, treating Paul kindly, allowed him
to go to his friends so they could provide him with what he needed.
4 From there we put out to sea and sailed under the lee of Cyprus because the
winds were against us.
5 After we had sailed across the open sea off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we put in
at Myra in Lycia.
6 There the centurion found a ship from Alexandria sailing for Italy, and he put
us aboard it.
7 We sailed slowly for many days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus. Because
the wind prevented us from going any farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete
off Salmone.
8 With difficulty we sailed along the coast of Crete and came to a place called
Fair Havens that was near the town of Lasea.
9 Caught in a Violent Storm Since considerable time had passed and the voyage
was now dangerous because the fast was already over, Paul advised them,
10 “Men, I can see the voyage is going to end in disaster and great loss not
only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.”
11 But the centurion was more convinced by the captain and the ship’s owner
than by what Paul said.
12 Because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority
decided to put out to sea from there. They hoped that somehow they could reach
Phoenix, a harbor of Crete facing southwest and northwest, and spend the winter
there.
13 When a gentle south wind sprang up, they thought they could carry out their
purpose, so they weighed anchor and sailed close along the coast of Crete.
14 Not long after this, a hurricane-force wind called the northeaster blew down
from the island.
15 When the ship was caught in it and could not head into the wind, we gave way
to it and were driven along.
16 As we ran under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were able with
difficulty to get the ship’s boat under control.
17 After the crew had hoisted it aboard, they used supports to undergird the
ship. Fearing they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor,
thus letting themselves be driven along.
18 The next day, because we were violently battered by the storm, they began
throwing the cargo overboard,
19 and on the third day they threw the ship’s gear overboard with their own
hands.
20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and a violent storm
continued to batter us, we finally abandoned all hope of being saved.
21 Since many of them had no desire to eat, Paul stood up among them and
said,“Men, you should have listened to me and not put out to sea from Crete,
thus avoiding this damage and loss.
22 And now I advise you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of
life among you, but only the ship will be lost.
23 For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve came to
me
24 and said,‘Do not be afraid, Paul! You must stand before Caesar, and God has
graciously granted you the safety of all who are sailing with you.’
25 Therefore keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will be
just as I have been told.
26 But we must run aground on some island.”
27 When the fourteenth night had come, while we were being driven across the
Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors suspected they were approaching some
land.
28 They took soundings and found the water was twenty fathoms deep; when they
had sailed a little farther they took soundings again and found it was fifteen
fathoms deep.
29 Because they were afraid that we would run aground on the rocky coast, they
threw out four anchors from the stern and wished for day to appear.
30 Then when the sailors tried to escape from the ship and were lowering the
ship’s boat into the sea, pretending that they were going to put out anchors
from the bow,
31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers,“Unless these men stay with the
ship, you cannot be saved.”
32 Then the soldiers cut the ropes of the ship’s boat and let it drift away.
33 As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food,
saying,“Today is the fourteenth day you have been in suspense and have gone
without food; you have eaten nothing.
34 Therefore I urge you to take some food, for this is important for your
survival. For not one of you will lose a hair from his head.”
35 After he said this, Paul took bread and gave thanks to God in front of them
all, broke it, and began to eat.
36 So all of them were encouraged and took food themselves.
37 (We were in all two hundred seventy-six persons on the ship.)
38 When they had eaten enough to be satisfied, they lightened the ship by
throwing the wheat into the sea.
39 Paul is Shipwrecked When day came, they did not recognize the land, but they
noticed a bay with a beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they
could.
40 So they slipped the anchors and left them in the sea, at the same time
loosening the linkage that bound the steering oars together. Then they hoisted
the foresail to the wind and steered toward the beach.
41 But they encountered a patch of crosscurrents and ran the ship aground; the
bow stuck fast and could not be moved, but the stern was being broken up by the
force of the waves.
42 Now the soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners so that none of them would
escape by swimming away.
43 But the centurion, wanting to save Paul’s life, prevented them from
carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first
and get to land,
44 and the rest were to follow, some on planks and some on pieces of the ship.
And in this way all were brought safely to land.

Chapter 28

1 Paul on Malta After we had safely reached shore, we learned that the island
was called Malta.
2 The local inhabitants showed us extraordinary kindness, for they built a fire
and welcomed us all because it had started to rain and was cold.
3 When Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood and was putting it on the fire, a
viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand.
4 When the local people saw the creature hanging from Paul’s hand, they said
to one another,“No doubt this man is a murderer! Although he has escaped from
the sea, Justice herself has not allowed him to live!”
5 However, Paul shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm.
6 But they were expecting that he was going to swell up or suddenly drop dead.
So after they had waited a long time and had seen nothing unusual happen to him,
they changed their minds and said he was a god.
7 Now in the region around that place were fields belonging to the chief
official of the island, named Publius, who welcomed us and entertained us
hospitably as guests for three days.
8 The father of Publius lay sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery.
Paul went in to see him and after praying, placed his hands on him and healed
him.
9 After this had happened, many of the people on the island who were sick also
came and were healed.
10 They also bestowed many honors, and when we were preparing to sail, they gave
us all the supplies we needed.
11 Paul Finally Reaches Rome After three months we put out to sea in an
Alexandrian ship that had wintered at the island and had the“Heavenly Twins”
as its figurehead.
12 We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days.
13 From there we cast off and arrived at Rhegium, and after one day a south wind
sprang up and on the second day we came to Puteoli.
14 There we found some brothers and were invited to stay with them seven days.
And in this way we came to Rome.
15 The brothers from there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum
of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. When he saw them, Paul thanked God and
took courage.
16 When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with the soldier
who was guarding him.
17 Paul Addresses the Jewish Community in Rome After three days Paul called the
local Jewish leaders together. When they had assembled, he said to
them,“Brothers, although I had done nothing against our people or the customs
of our ancestors, from Jerusalem I was handed over as a prisoner to the Romans.
18 When they had heard my case, they wanted to release me, because there was no
basis for a death sentence against me.
19 But when the Jews objected, I was forced to appeal to Caesar– not that I
had some charge to bring against my own people.
20 So for this reason I have asked to see you and speak with you, for I am bound
with this chain because of the hope of Israel.”
21 They replied,“We have received no letters from Judea about you, nor have
any of the brothers come from there and reported or said anything bad about you.
22 But we would like to hear from you what you think, for regarding this sect we
know that people everywhere speak against it.”
23 They set a day to meet with him, and they came to him where he was staying in
even greater numbers. From morning until evening he explained things to them,
testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus from
both the law of Moses and the prophets.
24 Some were convinced by what he said, but others refused to believe.
25 So they began to leave, unable to agree among themselves, after Paul made one
last statement:“The Holy Spirit spoke rightly to your ancestors through the
prophet Isaiah
26 when he said,‘Go to this people and say,“You will keep on hearing, but
will never understand, and you will keep on looking, but will never perceive.
27 For the heart of this people has become dull, and their ears are hard of
hearing, and they have closed their eyes, so that they would not see with their
eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I
would heal them.”’
28 “Therefore be advised that this salvation from God has been sent to the
Gentiles; they will listen!”
30 Paul lived there two whole years in his own rented quarters and welcomed all
who came to him,
31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with
complete boldness and without restriction.


Romans

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Salutation From Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set
apart for the gospel of God.
2 This gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy
scriptures,
3 concerning his Son who was a descendant of David with reference to the flesh,
4 who was appointed the Son-of-God-in-power according to the Holy Spirit by the
resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.
5 Through him we have received grace and our apostleship to bring about the
obedience of faith among all the Gentiles on behalf of his name.
6 You also are among them, called to belong to Jesus Christ.
7 To all those loved by God in Rome, called to be saints: Grace and peace to you
from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
8 Paul’s Desire to Visit Rome First of all, I thank my God through Jesus
Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed throughout the whole
world.
9 For God, whom I serve in my spirit by preaching the gospel of his Son, is my
witness that I continually remember you
10 and I always ask in my prayers, if perhaps now at last I may succeed in
visiting you according to the will of God.
11 For I long to see you, so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to
strengthen you,
12 that is, that we may be mutually comforted by one another’s faith, both
yours and mine.
13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I often intended
to come to you(and was prevented until now), so that I may have some fruit even
among you, just as I already have among the rest of the Gentiles.
14 I am a debtor both to the Greeks and to the barbarians, both to the wise and
to the foolish.
15 Thus I am eager also to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome.
16 The Power of the Gospel For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is God’s
power for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the
Greek.
17 For the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel from faith to faith,
just as it is written,“The righteous by faith will live.”
18 The Condemnation of the Unrighteous For the wrath of God is revealed from
heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the
truth by their unrighteousness,
19 because what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it
plain to them.
20 For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes– his eternal
power and divine nature– have been clearly seen, because they are understood
through what has been made. So people are without excuse.
21 For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him
thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless hearts were
darkened.
22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools
23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal
human beings or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles.
24 Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to
dishonor their bodies among themselves.
25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the
creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. For their women
exchanged the natural sexual relations for unnatural ones,
27 and likewise the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were
inflamed in their passions for one another. Men committed shameless acts with
men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them over to a
depraved mind, to do what should not be done.
29 They are filled with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness,
malice. They are rife with envy, murder, strife, deceit, hostility. They are
gossips,
30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, contrivers of all
sorts of evil, disobedient to parents,
31 senseless, covenant-breakers, heartless, ruthless.
32 Although they fully know God’s righteous decree that those who practice
such things deserve to die, they not only do them but also approve of those who
practice them.

Chapter 2

1 The Condemnation of the Moralist Therefore you are without excuse, whoever you
are, when you judge someone else. For on whatever grounds you judge another, you
condemn yourself, because you who judge practice the same things.
2 Now we know that God’s judgment is in accordance with truth against those
who practice such things.
3 And do you think, whoever you are, when you judge those who practice such
things and yet do them yourself, that you will escape God’s judgment?
4 Or do you have contempt for the wealth of his kindness, forbearance, and
patience, and yet do not know that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?
5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing
up wrath for yourselves in the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is
revealed!
6 He will reward each one according to his works:
7 eternal life to those who by perseverance in good works seek glory and honor
and immortality,
8 but wrath and anger to those who live in selfish ambition and do not obey the
truth but follow unrighteousness.
9 There will be affliction and distress on everyone who does evil, on the Jew
first and also the Greek,
10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, for the Jew first
and also the Greek.
11 For there is no partiality with God.
12 For all who have sinned apart from the law will also perish apart from the
law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.
13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous before God, but those
who do the law will be declared righteous.
14 For whenever the Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature the things
required by the law, these who do not have the law are a law to themselves.
15 They show that the work of the law is written in their hearts, as their
conscience bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or else defend
them,
16 on the day when God will judge the secrets of human hearts, according to my
gospel through Christ Jesus.
17 The Condemnation of the Jew But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the
law and boast of your relationship to God
18 and know his will and approve the superior things because you receive
instruction from the law,
19 and if you are convinced that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light
to those who are in darkness,
20 an educator of the senseless, a teacher of little children, because you have
in the law the essential features of knowledge and of the truth–
21 therefore you who teach someone else, do you not teach yourself? You who
preach against stealing, do you steal?
22 You who tell others not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who
abhor idols, do you rob temples?
23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by transgressing the law!
24 For just as it is written,“the name of God is being blasphemed among the
Gentiles because of you.”
25 For circumcision has its value if you practice the law, but if you break the
law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.
26 Therefore if the uncircumcised man obeys the righteous requirements of the
law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?
27 The physically uncircumcised man, by keeping the law, will judge you to be
the transgressor of the law, even though you have the letter and circumcision!
28 For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision something
that is outward in the flesh,
29 but someone is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart by
the Spirit and not by the letter. This person’s praise is not from people but
from God.

Chapter 3

1 Therefore what advantage does the Jew have, or what is the value of
circumcision?
2 Actually, there are many advantages. First of all, the Jews were entrusted
with the oracles of God.
3 What then? If some did not believe, does their unbelief nullify the
faithfulness of God?
4 Absolutely not! Let God be proven true, and every human being shown up as a
liar, just as it is written:“so that you will be justified in your words and
will prevail when you are judged.”
5 But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall
we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is he?(I am speaking in
human terms.)
6 Absolutely not! For otherwise how could God judge the world?
7 For if by my lie the truth of God enhances his glory, why am I still actually
being judged as a sinner?
8 And why not say,“Let us do evil so that good may come of it”?– as some
who slander us allege that we say.(Their condemnation is deserved!)
9 The Condemnation of the World What then? Are we better off? Certainly not, for
we have already charged that Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin,
10 just as it is written:“There is no one righteous, not even one,
11 there is no one who understands, there is no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away, together they have become worthless; there is no one
who shows kindness, not even one.”
13 “Their throats are open graves, they deceive with their tongues, the poison
of asps is under their lips.”
14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood,
16 ruin and misery are in their paths,
17 and the way of peace they have not known.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the
law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world may be held
accountable to God.
20 For no one is declared righteous before him by the works of the law, for
through the law comes the knowledge of sin.
21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God(although it is attested
by the law and the prophets) has been disclosed–
22 namely, the righteousness of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for
all who believe. For there is no distinction,
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
24 But they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in
Christ Jesus.
25 God publicly displayed him at his death as the mercy seat accessible through
faith. This was to demonstrate his righteousness, because God in his forbearance
had passed over the sins previously committed.
26 This was also to demonstrate his righteousness in the present time, so that
he would be just and the justifier of the one who lives because of Jesus’
faithfulness.
27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded! By what principle? Of works? No,
but by the principle of faith!
28 For we consider that a person is declared righteous by faith apart from the
works of the law.
29 Or is God the God of the Jews only? Is he not the God of the Gentiles too?
Yes, of the Gentiles too!
30 Since God is one, he will justify the circumcised by faith and the
uncircumcised through faith.
31 Do we then nullify the law through faith? Absolutely not! Instead we uphold
the law.

Chapter 4

1 The Illustration of Justification What then shall we say that Abraham, our
ancestor according to the flesh, has discovered regarding this matter?
2 For if Abraham was declared righteous by works, he has something to boast
about– but not before God.
3 For what does the scripture say?“Abraham believed God, and it was credited
to him as righteousness.”
4 Now to the one who works, his pay is not credited due to grace but due to
obligation.
5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in the one who declares the
ungodly righteous, his faith is credited as righteousness.
6 So even David himself speaks regarding the blessedness of the man to whom God
credits righteousness apart from works:
7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are
covered;
8 blessed is the one against whom the Lord will never count sin.”
9 Is this blessedness then for the circumcision or also for the uncircumcision?
For we say,“faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.”
10 How then was it credited to him? Was he circumcised at the time, or not? No,
he was not circumcised but uncircumcised!
11 And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that
he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised, so that he would become the
father of all those who believe but have never been circumcised, that they too
could have righteousness credited to them.
12 And he is also the father of the circumcised, who are not only circumcised,
but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham
possessed when he was still uncircumcised.
13 For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would inherit the
world was not fulfilled through the law, but through the righteousness that
comes by faith.
14 For if they become heirs by the law, faith is empty and the promise is
nullified.
15 For the law brings wrath, because where there is no law there is no
transgression either.
16 For this reason it is by faith so that it may be by grace, with the result
that the promise may be certain to all the descendants– not only to those who
are under the law, but also to those who have the faith of Abraham, who is the
father of us all
17 (as it is written,“I have made you the father of many nations”). He is
our father in the presence of God whom he believed– the God who makes the dead
alive and summons the things that do not yet exist as though they already do.
18 Against hope Abraham believed in hope with the result that he became the
father of many nations according to the pronouncement,“so will your
descendants be.”
19 Without being weak in faith, he considered his own body as dead(because he
was about one hundred years old) and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.
20 He did not waver in unbelief about the promise of God but was strengthened in
faith, giving glory to God.
21 He was fully convinced that what God promised he was also able to do.
22 So indeed it was credited to Abraham as righteousness.
23 But the statement it was credited to him was not written only for Abraham’s
sake,
24 but also for our sake, to whom it will be credited, those who believe in the
one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
25 He was given over because of our transgressions and was raised for the sake
of our justification.

Chapter 5

1 The Expectation of Justification Therefore, since we have been declared
righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we
stand, and we rejoice in the hope of God’s glory.
3 Not only this, but we also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering
produces endurance,
4 and endurance, character, and character, hope.
5 And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in
our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the
ungodly.
7 (For rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person
perhaps someone might possibly dare to die.)
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, because we have now been declared righteous by his blood, we
will be saved through him from God’s wrath.
10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of
his Son, how much more, since we have been reconciled, will we be saved by his
life?
11 Not only this, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have now received this reconciliation.
12 The Amplification of Justification So then, just as sin entered the world
through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all people because
all sinned–
13 for before the law was given, sin was in the world, but there is no
accounting for sin when there is no law.
14 Yet death reigned from Adam until Moses even over those who did not sin in
the same way that Adam(who is a type of the coming one) transgressed.
15 But the gracious gift is not like the transgression. For if the many died
through the transgression of the one man, how much more did the grace of God and
the gift by the grace of the one man Jesus Christ multiply to the many!
16 And the gift is not like the one who sinned. For judgment, resulting from the
one transgression, led to condemnation, but the gracious gift from the many
failures led to justification.
17 For if, by the transgression of the one man, death reigned through the one,
how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of
righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ!
18 Consequently, just as condemnation for all people came through one
transgression, so too through the one righteous act came righteousness leading
to life for all people.
19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man many were made sinners,
so also through the obedience of one man many will be made righteous.
20 Now the law came in so that the transgression may increase, but where sin
increased, grace multiplied all the more,
21 so that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through
righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Chapter 6

1 The Believer’s Freedom from Sin’s Domination What shall we say then? Are
we to remain in sin so that grace may increase?
2 Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
3 Or do you not know that as many as were baptized into Christ Jesus were
baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we have been buried with him through baptism into death, in order
that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so
we too may live a new life.
5 For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will
certainly also be united in the likeness of his resurrection.
6 We know that our old man was crucified with him so that the body of sin would
no longer dominate us, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
7 (For someone who has died has been freed from sin.)
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
9 We know that since Christ has been raised from the dead, he is never going to
die again; death no longer has mastery over him.
10 For the death he died, he died to sin once for all, but the life he lives, he
lives to God.
11 So you too consider yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its
desires,
13 and do not present your members to sin as instruments to be used for
unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the
dead and your members to God as instruments to be used for righteousness.
14 For sin will have no mastery over you, because you are not under law but
under grace.
15 The Believer’s Enslavement to God’s Righteousness What then? Shall we sin
because we are not under law but under grace? Absolutely not!
16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves as obedient slaves, you are
slaves of the one you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or obedience
resulting in righteousness?
17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves to sin, you obeyed from the
heart that pattern of teaching you were entrusted to,
18 and having been freed from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness.
19 (I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh.) For
just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and lawlessness
leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to
righteousness leading to sanctification.
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with regard to righteousness.
21 So what benefit did you then reap from those things that you are now ashamed
of? For the end of those things is death.
22 But now, freed from sin and enslaved to God, you have your benefit leading to
sanctification, and the end is eternal life.
23 For the payoff of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ
Jesus our Lord.

Chapter 7

1 The Believer’s Relationship to the Law Or do you not know, brothers and
sisters(for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law is lord over
a person as long as he lives?
2 For a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives, but if
her husband dies, she is released from the law of the marriage.
3 So then, if she is joined to another man while her husband is alive, she will
be called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and
if she is joined to another man, she is not an adulteress.
4 So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of
Christ, so that you could be joined to another, to the one who was raised from
the dead, to bear fruit to God.
5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful desires, aroused by the law, were
active in the members of our body to bear fruit for death.
6 But now we have been released from the law, because we have died to what
controlled us, so that we may serve in the new life of the Spirit and not under
the old written code.
7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! Certainly, I would not
have known sin except through the law. For indeed I would not have known what it
means to desire something belonging to someone else if the law had not
said,“Do not covet.”
8 But sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all
kinds of wrong desires. For apart from the law, sin is dead.
9 And I was once alive apart from the law, but with the coming of the
commandment sin became alive
10 and I died. So I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring
life brought death!
11 For sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and
through it I died.
12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good.
13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? Absolutely not! But sin, so
that it would be shown to be sin, produced death in me through what is good, so
that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.
14 For we know that the law is spiritual– but I am unspiritual, sold into
slavery to sin.
15 For I don’t understand what I am doing. For I do not do what I want–
instead, I do what I hate.
16 But if I do what I don’t want, I agree that the law is good.
17 But now it is no longer me doing it, but sin that lives in me.
18 For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For I want to
do the good, but I cannot do it.
19 For I do not do the good I want, but I do the very evil I do not want!
20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer me doing it but sin that
lives in me.
21 So, I find the law that when I want to do good, evil is present with me.
22 For I delight in the law of God in my inner being.
23 But I see a different law in my members waging war against the law of my mind
and making me captive to the law of sin that is in my members.
24 Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the
law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

Chapter 8

1 The Believer’s Relationship to the Holy Spirit There is therefore now no
condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
2 For the law of the life-giving Spirit in Christ Jesus has set you free from
the law of sin and death.
3 For God achieved what the law could not do because it was weakened through the
flesh. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and concerning
sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,
4 so that the righteous requirement of the law may be fulfilled in us, who do
not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
5 For those who live according to the flesh have their outlook shaped by the
things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their
outlook shaped by the things of the Spirit.
6 For the outlook of the flesh is death, but the outlook of the Spirit is life
and peace,
7 because the outlook of the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to
the law of God, nor is it able to do so.
8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of
God lives in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, this person
does not belong to him.
10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is
your life because of righteousness.
11 Moreover if the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead lives in
you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will also make your mortal bodies
alive through his Spirit who lives in you.
12 So then, brothers and sisters, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to
live according to the flesh
13 (for if you live according to the flesh, you will die), but if by the Spirit
you put to death the deeds of the body you will live.
14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God.
15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery leading again to fear, but you
received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry,“Abba, Father.”
16 The Spirit himself bears witness to our spirit that we are God’s children.
17 And if children, then heirs(namely, heirs of God and also fellow heirs with
Christ)– if indeed we suffer with him so we may also be glorified with him.
18 For I consider that our present sufferings cannot even be compared to the
coming glory that will be revealed to us.
19 For the creation eagerly waits for the revelation of the sons of God.
20 For the creation was subjected to futility– not willingly but because of
God who subjected it– in hope
21 that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of decay into
the glorious freedom of God’s children.
22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers together until now.
23 Not only this, but we ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
groan inwardly as we eagerly await our adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
24 For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope, because who
hopes for what he sees?
25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with endurance.
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how
we should pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible
groanings.
27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the
Spirit intercedes on behalf of the saints according to God’s will.
28 And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God,
who are called according to his purpose,
29 because those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the
image of his Son, that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and
sisters.
30 And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also
justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.
31 What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be
against us?
32 Indeed, he who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all– how
will he not also, along with him, freely give us all things?
33 Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
34 Who is the one who will condemn? Christ is the one who died(and more than
that, he was raised), who is at the right hand of God, and who also is
interceding for us.
35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will trouble, or distress, or
persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
36 As it is written,“For your sake we encounter death all day long; we were
considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we have complete victory through him who loved us!
38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly
rulers, nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers,
39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate
us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Chapter 9

1 Israel’s Rejection Considered I am telling the truth in Christ(I am not
lying!), for my conscience assures me in the Holy Spirit–
2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.
3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed– cut off from Christ– for the
sake of my people, my fellow countrymen,
4 who are Israelites. To them belong the adoption as sons, the glory, the
covenants, the giving of the law, the temple worship, and the promises.
5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from them, by human descent, came the
Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever! Amen.
6 It is not as though the word of God had failed. For not all those who are
descended from Israel are truly Israel,
7 nor are all the children Abraham’s true descendants; rather“through Isaac
will your descendants be counted.”
8 This means it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God;
rather, the children of promise are counted as descendants.
9 For this is what the promise declared:“About a year from now I will return
and Sarah will have a son.”
10 Not only that, but when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our
ancestor Isaac–
11 even before they were born or had done anything good or bad(so that God’s
purpose in election would stand, not by works but by his calling)–
12 it was said to her,“The older will serve the younger,”
13 just as it is written:“Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice with God? Absolutely not!
15 For he says to Moses:“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will
have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
16 So then, it does not depend on human desire or exertion, but on God who shows
mercy.
17 For the scripture says to Pharaoh:“For this very purpose I have raised you
up, that I may demonstrate my power in you, and that my name may be proclaimed
in all the earth.”
18 So then, God has mercy on whom he chooses to have mercy, and he hardens whom
he chooses to harden.
19 You will say to me then,“Why does he still find fault? For who has ever
resisted his will?”
20 But who indeed are you– a mere human being– to talk back to God? Does
what is molded say to the molder,“Why have you made me like this?”
21 Has the potter no right to make from the same lump of clay one vessel for
special use and another for ordinary use?
22 But what if God, willing to demonstrate his wrath and to make known his
power, has endured with much patience the objects of wrath prepared for
destruction?
23 And what if he is willing to make known the wealth of his glory on the
objects of mercy that he has prepared beforehand for glory–
24 even us, whom he has called, not only from the Jews but also from the
Gentiles?
25 As he also says in Hosea:“I will call those who were not my people,‘My
people,’ and I will call her who was unloved,‘My beloved.’”
26 “And in the very place where it was said to them,‘You are not my
people,’ there they will be called‘sons of the living God.’”
27 And Isaiah cries out on behalf of Israel,“Though the number of the children
of Israel are as the sand of the sea, only the remnant will be saved,
28 for the Lord will execute his sentence on the earth completely and
quickly.”
29 Just as Isaiah predicted,“If the Lord of Heaven’s Armies had not left us
descendants, we would have become like Sodom, and we would have resembled
Gomorrah.”
30 Israel’s Rejection Culpable What shall we say then?– that the Gentiles
who did not pursue righteousness obtained it, that is, a righteousness that is
by faith,
31 but Israel even though pursuing a law of righteousness did not attain it.
32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but(as if it were possible) by
works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,
33 just as it is written,“Look, I am laying in Zion a stone that will cause
people to stumble and a rock that will make them fall, yet the one who believes
in him will not be put to shame.”

Chapter 10

1 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God on behalf of my
fellow Israelites is for their salvation.
2 For I can testify that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not in line
with the truth.
3 For ignoring the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking instead to
establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.
4 For Christ is the end of the law, with the result that there is righteousness
for everyone who believes.
5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is by the law:“The one who
does these things will live by them.”
6 But the righteousness that is by faith says:“Do not say in your heart,‘Who
will ascend into heaven?’”(that is, to bring Christ down)
7 or“Who will descend into the abyss?”(that is, to bring Christ up from the
dead).
8 But what does it say?“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your
heart”(that is, the word of faith that we preach),
9 because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your
heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes and thus has righteousness and with the mouth
one confesses and thus has salvation.
11 For the scripture says,“Everyone who believes in him will not be put to
shame.”
12 For there is no distinction between the Jew and the Greek, for the same Lord
is Lord of all, who richly blesses all who call on him.
13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
14 How are they to call on one they have not believed in? And how are they to
believe in one they have not heard of? And how are they to hear without someone
preaching to them?
15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written,“How
timely is the arrival of those who proclaim the good news.”
16 But not all have obeyed the good news, for Isaiah says,“Lord, who has
believed our report?”
17 Consequently faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through
the preached word of Christ.
18 But I ask, have they not heard? Yes, they have: Their voice has gone out to
all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.
19 But again I ask, didn’t Israel understand? First Moses says,“I will make
you jealous by those who are not a nation; with a senseless nation I will
provoke you to anger.”
20 And Isaiah is even bold enough to say,“I was found by those who did not
seek me; I became well known to those who did not ask for me.”
21 But about Israel he says,“All day long I held out my hands to this
disobedient and stubborn people!”

Chapter 11

1 Israel’s Rejection not Complete nor Final So I ask, God has not rejected his
people, has he? Absolutely not! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of
Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.
2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew! Do you not know what the
scripture says about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel?
3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars; I
alone am left and they are seeking my life!”
4 But what was the divine response to him?“I have kept for myself seven
thousand people who have not bent the knee to Baal.”
5 So in the same way at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.
6 And if it is by grace, it is no longer by works, otherwise grace would no
longer be grace.
7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was diligently seeking, but the
elect obtained it. The rest were hardened,
8 as it is written,“God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see
and ears that would not hear, to this very day.”
9 And David says,“Let their table become a snare and trap, a stumbling block
and a retribution for them;
10 let their eyes be darkened so that they may not see, and make their backs
bend continually.”
11 I ask then, they did not stumble into an irrevocable fall, did they?
Absolutely not! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles,
to make Israel jealous.
12 Now if their transgression means riches for the world and their defeat means
riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full restoration bring?
13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Seeing that I am an apostle to the
Gentiles, I magnify my ministry,
14 if somehow I could provoke my people to jealousy and save some of them.
15 For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their
acceptance be but life from the dead?
16 If the first portion of the dough offered is holy, then the whole batch is
holy, and if the root is holy, so too are the branches.
17 Now if some of the branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot,
were grafted in among them and participated in the richness of the olive root,
18 do not boast over the branches. But if you boast, remember that you do not
support the root, but the root supports you.
19 Then you will say,“The branches were broken off so that I could be grafted
in.”
20 Granted! They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand by
faith. Do not be arrogant, but fear!
21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, perhaps he will not spare you.
22 Notice therefore the kindness and harshness of God– harshness toward those
who have fallen, but God’s kindness toward you, provided you continue in his
kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.
23 And even they– if they do not continue in their unbelief– will be grafted
in, for God is able to graft them in again.
24 For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and
grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will
these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree?
25 For I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters,
so that you may not be conceited: A partial hardening has happened to Israel
until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.
26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:“The Deliverer will come
out of Zion; he will remove ungodliness from Jacob.
27 And this is my covenant with them, when I take away their sins.”
28 In regard to the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but in regard to
election they are dearly loved for the sake of the fathers.
29 For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.
30 Just as you were formerly disobedient to God, but have now received mercy due
to their disobedience,
31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to
you, they too may now receive mercy.
32 For God has consigned all people to disobedience so that he may show mercy to
them all.
33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable
are his judgments and how unfathomable his ways!
34 For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?
35 Or who has first given to God, that God needs to repay him?
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory
forever! Amen.

Chapter 12

1 Consecration of the Believer’s Life Therefore I exhort you, brothers and
sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice– alive,
holy, and pleasing to God– which is your reasonable service.
2 Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing
of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God– what
is good and well-pleasing and perfect.
3 Conduct in Humility For by the grace given to me I say to every one of you not
to think more highly of yourself than you ought to think, but to think with
sober discernment, as God has distributed to each of you a measure of faith.
4 For just as in one body we have many members, and not all the members serve
the same function,
5 so we who are many are one body in Christ, and individually we are members who
belong to one another.
6 And we have different gifts according to the grace given to us. If the gift is
prophecy, that individual must use it in proportion to his faith.
7 If it is service, he must serve; if it is teaching, he must teach;
8 if it is exhortation, he must exhort; if it is contributing, he must do so
with sincerity; if it is leadership, he must do so with diligence; if it is
showing mercy, he must do so with cheerfulness.
9 Conduct in Love Love must be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil, cling to
what is good.
10 Be devoted to one another with mutual love, showing eagerness in honoring one
another.
11 Do not lag in zeal, be enthusiastic in spirit, serve the Lord.
12 Rejoice in hope, endure in suffering, persist in prayer.
13 Contribute to the needs of the saints, pursue hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse.
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
16 Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty but associate with the
lowly. Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil; consider what is good before all people.
18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all people.
19 Do not avenge yourselves, dear friends, but give place to God’s wrath, for
it is written,“Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
20 Rather, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a
drink; for in doing this you will be heaping burning coals on his head.
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Chapter 13

1 Submission to Civil Government Let every person be subject to the governing
authorities. For there is no authority except by God’s appointment, and the
authorities that exist have been instituted by God.
2 So the person who resists such authority resists the ordinance of God, and
those who resist will incur judgment
3 (for rulers cause no fear for good conduct but for bad). Do you desire not to
fear authority? Do good and you will receive its commendation
4 because it is God’s servant for your well-being. But be afraid if you do
wrong because government does not bear the sword for nothing. It is God’s
servant to administer punishment on the person who does wrong.
5 Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of the wrath
of the authorities but also because of your conscience.
6 For this reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants
devoted to governing.
7 Pay everyone what is owed: taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom
revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.
8 Exhortation to Love Neighbors Owe no one anything, except to love one another,
for the one who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
9 For the commandments,“Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal,
do not covet,”(and if there is any other commandment) are summed up in
this,“Love your neighbor as yourself.”
10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the
law.
11 Motivation to Godly Conduct And do this because we know the time, that it is
already the hour for us to awake from sleep, for our salvation is now nearer
than when we became believers.
12 The night has advanced toward dawn; the day is near. So then we must lay
aside the works of darkness, and put on the weapons of light.
13 Let us live decently as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not
in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in discord and jealousy.
14 Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to
arouse its desires.

Chapter 14

1 Exhortation to Mutual Forbearance Now receive the one who is weak in the
faith, and do not have disputes over differing opinions.
2 One person believes in eating everything, but the weak person eats only
vegetables.
3 The one who eats everything must not despise the one who does not, and the one
who abstains must not judge the one who eats everything, for God has accepted
him.
4 Who are you to pass judgment on another’s servant? Before his own master he
stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
5 One person regards one day holier than other days, and another regards them
all alike. Each must be fully convinced in his own mind.
6 The one who observes the day does it for the Lord. The one who eats, eats for
the Lord because he gives thanks to God, and the one who abstains from eating
abstains for the Lord, and he gives thanks to God.
7 For none of us lives for himself and none dies for himself.
8 If we live, we live for the Lord; if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore,
whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
9 For this reason Christ died and returned to life, so that he may be the Lord
of both the dead and the living.
10 But you who eat vegetables only– why do you judge your brother or sister?
And you who eat everything– why do you despise your brother or sister? For we
will all stand before the judgment seat of God.
11 For it is written,“As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and
every tongue will give praise to God.”
12 Therefore, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
13 Exhortation for the Strong not to Destroy the Weak Therefore we must not pass
judgment on one another, but rather determine never to place an obstacle or a
trap before a brother or sister.
14 I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean in
itself; still, it is unclean to the one who considers it unclean.
15 For if your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are
no longer walking in love. Do not destroy by your food someone for whom Christ
died.
16 Therefore do not let what you consider good be spoken of as evil.
17 For the kingdom of God does not consist of food and drink, but righteousness,
peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
18 For the one who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by
people.
19 So then, let us pursue what makes for peace and for building up one another.
20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. For although all things
are clean, it is wrong to cause anyone to stumble by what you eat.
21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything that causes your
brother to stumble.
22 The faith you have, keep to yourself before God. Blessed is the one who does
not judge himself by what he approves.
23 But the man who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not do so
from faith, and whatever is not from faith is sin.

Chapter 15

1 Exhortation for the Strong to Help the Weak But we who are strong ought to
bear with the failings of the weak, and not just please ourselves.
2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good to build him up.
3 For even Christ did not please himself, but just as it is written,“The
insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”
4 For everything that was written in former times was written for our
instruction, so that through endurance and through encouragement of the
scriptures we may have hope.
5 Now may the God of endurance and comfort give you unity with one another in
accordance with Christ Jesus,
6 so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
7 Exhortation to Mutual Acceptance Receive one another, then, just as Christ
also received you, to God’s glory.
8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf
of God’s truth to confirm the promises made to the fathers,
9 and thus the Gentiles glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,“Because
of this I will confess you among the Gentiles, and I will sing praises to your
name.”
10 And again it says:“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.”
11 And again,“Praise the Lord all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise
him.”
12 And again Isaiah says,“The root of Jesse will come, and the one who rises
to rule over the Gentiles, in him will the Gentiles hope.”
13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in
him, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
14 Paul’s Motivation for Writing the Letter But I myself am fully convinced
about you, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness,
filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another.
15 But I have written more boldly to you on some points so as to remind you,
because of the grace given to me by God
16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. I serve the gospel of God
like a priest, so that the Gentiles may become an acceptable offering,
sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
17 So I boast in Christ Jesus about the things that pertain to God.
18 For I will not dare to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished
through me in order to bring about the obedience of the Gentiles, by word and
deed,
19 in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit of God. So from
Jerusalem even as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.
20 And in this way I desire to preach where Christ has not been named, so as not
to build on another person’s foundation,
21 but as it is written:“Those who were not told about him will see, and those
who have not heard will understand.”
22 Paul’s Intention of Visiting the Romans This is the reason I was often
hindered from coming to you.
23 But now there is nothing more to keep me in these regions, and I have for
many years desired to come to you
24 when I go to Spain. For I hope to visit you when I pass through and that you
will help me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while.
25 But now I go to Jerusalem to minister to the saints.
26 For Macedonia and Achaia are pleased to make some contribution for the poor
among the saints in Jerusalem.
27 For they were pleased to do this, and indeed they are indebted to the
Jerusalem saints. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things,
they are obligated also to minister to them in material things.
28 Therefore after I have completed this and have safely delivered this bounty
to them, I will set out for Spain by way of you,
29 and I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of Christ’s
blessing.
30 Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, through our Lord Jesus Christ and
through the love of the Spirit, to join fervently with me in prayer to God on my
behalf.
31 Pray that I may be rescued from those who are disobedient in Judea and that
my ministry in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints,
32 so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your
company.
33 Now may the God of peace be with all of you. Amen.

Chapter 16

1 Personal Greetings Now I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of
the church in Cenchrea,
2 so that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and
provide her with whatever help she may need from you, for she has been a great
help to many, including me.
3 Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus,
4 who risked their own necks for my life. Not only I, but all the churches of
the Gentiles are grateful to them.
5 Also greet the church in their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was
the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia.
6 Greet Mary, who has worked very hard for you.
7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my compatriots and my fellow prisoners. They are
well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me.
8 Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord.
9 Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my good friend Stachys.
10 Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the
household of Aristobulus.
11 Greet Herodion, my compatriot. Greet those in the household of Narcissus who
are in the Lord.
12 Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, laborers in the Lord. Greet my dear friend
Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord.
13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother who was also a mother to me.
14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and
sisters with them.
15 Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the
believers who are with them.
16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.
17 Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who create
dissensions and obstacles contrary to the teaching that you learned. Avoid them!
18 For these are the kind who do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own
appetites. By their smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of the
naive.
19 Your obedience is known to all and thus I rejoice over you. But I want you to
be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil.
20 The God of peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our
Lord Jesus be with you.
21 Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you; so do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my
compatriots.
22 I, Tertius, who am writing this letter, greet you in the Lord.
23 Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus the
city treasurer and our brother Quartus greet you.
25 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the
proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that
had been kept secret for long ages,
26 but now is disclosed, and through the prophetic scriptures has been made
known to all the nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring
about the obedience of faith–
27 to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be glory forever! Amen.


1 Corinthians

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Salutation From Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will
of God, and Sosthenes, our brother,
2 to the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ
Jesus, and called to be saints, with all those in every place who call on the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.
3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
4 Thanksgiving I always thank my God for you because of the grace of God that
was given to you in Christ Jesus.
5 For you were made rich in every way in him, in all your speech and in every
kind of knowledge–
6 just as the testimony about Christ has been confirmed among you–
7 so that you do not lack any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of
our Lord Jesus Christ.
8 He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless on the
day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into fellowship with his son, Jesus
Christ our Lord.
10 Divisions in the Church I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ, to agree together, to end your divisions, and to be united by
the same mind and purpose.
11 For members of Chloe’s household have made it clear to me, my brothers and
sisters, that there are quarrels among you.
12 Now I mean this, that each of you is saying,“I am with Paul,” or“I am
with Apollos,” or“I am with Cephas,” or“I am with Christ.”
13 Is Christ divided? Paul wasn’t crucified for you, was he? Or were you in
fact baptized in the name of Paul?
14 I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius,
15 so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name!
16 (I also baptized the household of Stephanus. Otherwise, I do not remember
whether I baptized anyone else.)
17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel– and not
with clever speech, so that the cross of Christ would not become useless.
18 The Message of the Cross For the message about the cross is foolishness to
those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
19 For it is written,“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will thwart
the cleverness of the intelligent.”
20 Where is the wise man? Where is the expert in the Mosaic law? Where is the
debater of this age? Has God not made the wisdom of the world foolish?
21 For since in the wisdom of God the world by its wisdom did not know God, God
was pleased to save those who believe by the foolishness of preaching.
22 For Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks ask for wisdom,
23 but we preach about a crucified Christ, a stumbling block to Jews and
foolishness to Gentiles.
24 But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God
and the wisdom of God.
25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of
God is stronger than human strength.
26 Think about the circumstances of your call, brothers and sisters. Not many
were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were born to a
privileged position.
27 But God chose what the world thinks foolish to shame the wise, and God chose
what the world thinks weak to shame the strong.
28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, what is regarded as nothing,
to set aside what is regarded as something,
29 so that no one can boast in his presence.
30 He is the reason you have a relationship with Christ Jesus, who became for us
wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption,
31 so that, as it is written,“Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Chapter 2

1 When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come with superior
eloquence or wisdom as I proclaimed the testimony of God.
2 For I decided to be concerned about nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and
him crucified.
3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and with much trembling.
4 My conversation and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but
with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
5 so that your faith would not be based on human wisdom but on the power of God.
6 Wisdom from God Now we do speak wisdom among the mature, but not a wisdom of
this age or of the rulers of this age, who are perishing.
7 Instead we speak the wisdom of God, hidden in a mystery, that God determined
before the ages for our glory.
8 None of the rulers of this age understood it. If they had known it, they would
not have crucified the Lord of glory.
9 But just as it is written,“Things that no eye has seen, or ear heard, or
mind imagined, are the things God has prepared for those who love him.”
10 God has revealed these to us by the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all
things, even the deep things of God.
11 For who among men knows the things of a man except the man’s spirit within
him? So too, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from
God, so that we may know the things that are freely given to us by God.
13 And we speak about these things, not with words taught us by human wisdom,
but with those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual
people.
14 The unbeliever does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are
foolishness to him. And he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually
discerned.
15 The one who is spiritual discerns all things, yet he himself is understood by
no one.
16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to advise him? But we have the
mind of Christ.

Chapter 3

1 Immaturity and Self-deception So, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to
you as spiritual people, but instead as people of the flesh, as infants in
Christ.
2 I fed you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready. In fact, you are
still not ready,
3 for you are still influenced by the flesh. For since there is still jealousy
and dissension among you, are you not influenced by the flesh and behaving like
unregenerate people?
4 For whenever someone says,“I am with Paul,” or“I am with Apollos,” are
you not merely human?
5 What is Apollos, really? Or what is Paul? Servants through whom you came to
believe, and each of us in the ministry the Lord gave us.
6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused it to grow.
7 So neither the one who plants counts for anything, nor the one who waters, but
God who causes the growth.
8 The one who plants and the one who waters work as one, but each will receive
his reward according to his work.
9 We are coworkers belonging to God. You are God’s field, God’s building.
10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master-builder I
laid a foundation, but someone else builds on it. And each one must be careful
how he builds.
11 For no one can lay any foundation other than what is being laid, which is
Jesus Christ.
12 If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood,
hay, or straw,
13 each builder’s work will be plainly seen, for the Day will make it clear,
because it will be revealed by fire. And the fire will test what kind of work
each has done.
14 If what someone has built survives, he will receive a reward.
15 If someone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be
saved, but only as through fire.
16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in
you?
17 If someone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple
is holy, which is what you are.
18 Guard against self-deception, each of you. If someone among you thinks he is
wise in this age, let him become foolish so that he can become wise.
19 For the wisdom of this age is foolishness with God. As it is written,“He
catches the wise in their craftiness.”
20 And again,“The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”
21 So then, no more boasting about mere mortals! For everything belongs to you,
22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the
present or the future. Everything belongs to you,
23 and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

Chapter 4

1 The Apostles’ Ministry One should think about us this way– as servants of
Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
2 Now what is sought in stewards is that one be found faithful.
3 So for me, it is a minor matter that I am judged by you or by any human court.
In fact, I do not even judge myself.
4 For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not acquitted because
of this. The one who judges me is the Lord.
5 So then, do not judge anything before the time. Wait until the Lord comes. He
will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the motives of
hearts. Then each will receive recognition from God.
6 I have applied these things to myself and Apollos because of you, brothers and
sisters, so that through us you may learn“not to go beyond what is written,”
so that none of you will be puffed up in favor of the one against the other.
7 For who concedes you any superiority? What do you have that you did not
receive? And if you received it, why do you boast as though you did not?
8 Already you are satisfied! Already you are rich! You have become kings without
us! I wish you had become kings so that we could reign with you!
9 For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to
die, because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to
people.
10 We are fools for Christ, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are
strong! You are distinguished, we are dishonored!
11 To the present hour we are hungry and thirsty, poorly clothed, brutally
treated, and without a roof over our heads.
12 We do hard work, toiling with our own hands. When we are verbally abused, we
respond with a blessing, when persecuted, we endure,
13 when people lie about us, we answer in a friendly manner. We are the
world’s dirt and scum, even now.
14 A Father’s Warning I am not writing these things to shame you, but to
correct you as my dear children.
15 For though you may have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have
many fathers, because I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
16 I encourage you, then, be imitators of me.
17 For this reason, I have sent Timothy to you, who is my dear and faithful son
in the Lord. He will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere
in every church.
18 Some have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you.
19 But I will come to you soon, if the Lord is willing, and I will find out not
only the talk of these arrogant people, but also their power.
20 For the kingdom of God is demonstrated not in idle talk but with power.
21 What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline or with love
and a spirit of gentleness?

Chapter 5

1 Church Discipline It is actually reported that sexual immorality exists among
you, the kind of immorality that is not permitted even among the Gentiles, so
that someone is cohabiting with his father’s wife.
2 And you are proud! Shouldn’t you have been deeply sorrowful instead and
removed the one who did this from among you?
3 For even though I am absent physically, I am present in spirit. And I have
already judged the one who did this, just as though I were present.
4 When you gather together in the name of our Lord Jesus, and I am with you in
spirit, along with the power of our Lord Jesus,
5 hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his
spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.
6 Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast affects the
whole batch of dough?
7 Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch of dough– you are, in
fact, without yeast. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
8 So then, let us celebrate the festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of
vice and evil, but with the bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and
truth.
9 I wrote you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people.
10 In no way did I mean the immoral people of this world, or the greedy and
swindlers and idolaters, since you would then have to go out of the world.
11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who calls himself a
Christian who is sexually immoral, or greedy, or an idolater, or verbally
abusive, or a drunkard, or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person.
12 For what do I have to do with judging those outside? Are you not to judge
those inside?
13 But God will judge those outside. Remove the evil person from among you.

Chapter 6

1 Lawsuits When any of you has a legal dispute with another, does he dare go to
court before the unrighteous rather than before the saints?
2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is
to be judged by you, are you not competent to settle trivial suits?
3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? Why not ordinary matters!
4 So if you have ordinary lawsuits, do you appoint as judges those who have no
standing in the church?
5 I say this to your shame! Is there no one among you wise enough to settle
disputes between fellow Christians?
6 Instead, does a Christian sue a Christian, and do this before unbelievers?
7 The fact that you have lawsuits among yourselves demonstrates that you have
already been defeated. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?
8 But you yourselves wrong and cheat, and you do this to your brothers and
sisters!
9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do
not be deceived! The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, passive homosexual
partners, practicing homosexuals,
10 thieves, the greedy, drunkards, the verbally abusive, and swindlers will not
inherit the kingdom of God.
11 Some of you once lived this way. But you were washed, you were sanctified,
you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our
God.
12 Flee Sexual Immorality“All things are lawful for me”– but not
everything is beneficial.“All things are lawful for me”– but I will not be
controlled by anything.
13 “Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away
with both.” The body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the
Lord for the body.
14 Now God indeed raised the Lord and he will raise us by his power.
15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I take the
members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never!
16 Or do you not know that anyone who is united with a prostitute is one body
with her? For it is said,“The two will become one flesh.”
17 But the one united with the Lord is one spirit with him.
18 Flee sexual immorality!“Every sin a person commits is outside of the
body”– but the immoral person sins against his own body.
19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in
you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
20 For you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.

Chapter 7

1 Celibacy and Marriage Now with regard to the issues you wrote about:“It is
good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.”
2 But because of immoralities, each man should have relations with his own wife
and each woman with her own husband.
3 A husband should fulfill his marital responsibility to his wife, and likewise
a wife to her husband.
4 It is not the wife who has the rights to her own body, but the husband. In the
same way, it is not the husband who has the rights to his own body, but the
wife.
5 Do not deprive each other, except by mutual agreement for a specified time, so
that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then resume your relationship, so that
Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
6 I say this as a concession, not as a command.
7 I wish that everyone was as I am. But each has his own gift from God, one this
way, another that.
8 To the unmarried and widows I say that it is best for them to remain as I am.
9 But if they do not have self-control, let them get married. For it is better
to marry than to burn with sexual desire.
10 To the married I give this command– not I, but the Lord– a wife should
not divorce a husband
11 (but if she does, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband),
and a husband should not divorce his wife.
12 To the rest I say– I, not the Lord– if a brother has a wife who is not a
believer and she is happy to live with him, he should not divorce her.
13 And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is happy to live
with her, she should not divorce him.
14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified because of the wife, and the
unbelieving wife because of her husband. Otherwise your children are unclean,
but now they are holy.
15 But if the unbeliever wants a divorce, let it take place. In these
circumstances the brother or sister is not bound. God has called you in peace.
16 For how do you know, wife, whether you will bring your husband to salvation?
Or how do you know, husband, whether you will bring your wife to salvation?
17 The Circumstances of Your Calling Nevertheless, as the Lord has assigned to
each one, as God has called each person, so must he live. I give this sort of
direction in all the churches.
18 Was anyone called after he had been circumcised? He should not try to undo
his circumcision. Was anyone called who is uncircumcised? He should not get
circumcised.
19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Instead, keeping
God’s commandments is what counts.
20 Let each one remain in that situation in life in which he was called.
21 Were you called as a slave? Do not worry about it. But if indeed you are able
to be free, make the most of the opportunity.
22 For the one who was called in the Lord as a slave is the Lord’s freedman.
In the same way, the one who was called as a free person is Christ’s slave.
23 You were bought with a price. Do not become slaves of men.
24 In whatever situation someone was called, brothers and sisters, let him
remain in it with God.
25 Remaining Unmarried With regard to the question about people who have never
married, I have no command from the Lord, but I give my opinion as one shown
mercy by the Lord to be trustworthy.
26 Because of the impending crisis I think it best for you to remain as you are.
27 The one bound to a wife should not seek divorce. The one released from a wife
should not seek marriage.
28 But if you marry, you have not sinned. And if a virgin marries, she has not
sinned. But those who marry will face difficult circumstances, and I am trying
to spare you such problems.
29 And I say this, brothers and sisters: The time is short. So then those who
have wives should be as those who have none,
30 those with tears like those not weeping, those who rejoice like those not
rejoicing, those who buy like those without possessions,
31 those who use the world as though they were not using it to the full. For the
present shape of this world is passing away.
32 And I want you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about
the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord.
33 But a married man is concerned about the things of the world, how to please
his wife,
34 and he is divided. An unmarried woman or a virgin is concerned about the
things of the Lord, to be holy both in body and spirit. But a married woman is
concerned about the things of the world, how to please her husband.
35 I am saying this for your benefit, not to place a limitation on you, but so
that without distraction you may give notable and constant service to the Lord.
36 If anyone thinks he is acting inappropriately toward his virgin, if she is
past the bloom of youth and it seems necessary, he should do what he wishes; he
does not sin. Let them marry.
37 But the man who is firm in his commitment, and is under no necessity but has
control over his will, and has decided in his own mind to keep his own virgin,
does well.
38 So then, the one who marries his own virgin does well, but the one who does
not, does better.
39 A wife is bound as long as her husband is living. But if her husband dies,
she is free to marry anyone she wishes(only someone in the Lord).
40 But in my opinion, she will be happier if she remains as she is– and I
think that I too have the Spirit of God!

Chapter 8

1 Food Sacrificed to Idols With regard to food sacrificed to idols, we know
that“we all have knowledge.” Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.
2 If someone thinks he knows something, he does not yet know to the degree that
he needs to know.
3 But if someone loves God, he is known by God.
4 With regard then to eating food sacrificed to idols, we know that“an idol in
this world is nothing,” and that“there is no God but one.”
5 If after all there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth(as there
are many gods and many lords),
6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom
we live, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through
whom we live.
7 But this knowledge is not shared by all. And some, by being accustomed to
idols in former times, eat this food as an idol sacrifice, and their conscience,
because it is weak, is defiled.
8 Now food will not bring us close to God. We are no worse if we do not eat and
no better if we do.
9 But be careful that this liberty of yours does not become a hindrance to the
weak.
10 For if someone weak sees you who possess knowledge dining in an idol’s
temple, will not his conscience be“strengthened” to eat food offered to
idols?
11 So by your knowledge the weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is
destroyed.
12 If you sin against your brothers or sisters in this way and wound their weak
conscience, you sin against Christ.
13 For this reason, if food causes my brother or sister to sin, I will never eat
meat again, so that I may not cause one of them to sin.

Chapter 9

1 The Rights of an Apostle Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen
Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?
2 If I am not an apostle to others, at least I am to you, for you are the
confirming sign of my apostleship in the Lord.
3 This is my defense to those who examine me.
4 Do we not have the right to financial support?
5 Do we not have the right to the company of a believing wife, like the other
apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas?
6 Or do only Barnabas and I lack the right not to work?
7 Who ever serves in the army at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does
not eat its fruit? Who tends a flock and does not consume its milk?
8 Am I saying these things only on the basis of common sense, or does the law
not say this as well?
9 For it is written in the law of Moses,“Do not muzzle an ox while it is
treading out the grain.” God is not concerned here about oxen, is he?
10 Or is he not surely speaking for our benefit? It was written for us, because
the one plowing and threshing ought to work in hope of enjoying the harvest.
11 If we sowed spiritual blessings among you, is it too much to reap material
things from you?
12 If others receive this right from you, are we not more deserving?But we have
not made use of this right. Instead we endure everything so that we may not be a
hindrance to the gospel of Christ.
13 Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple eat food from the temple,
and those who serve at the altar receive a part of the offerings?
14 In the same way the Lord commanded those who proclaim the gospel to receive
their living by the gospel.
15 But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing these things so
that something will be done for me. In fact, it would be better for me to die
than– no one will deprive me of my reason for boasting!
16 For if I preach the gospel, I have no reason for boasting, because I am
compelled to do this. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!
17 For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward. But if I do it unwillingly, I
am entrusted with a responsibility.
18 What then is my reward? That when I preach the gospel I may offer the gospel
free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights in the gospel.
19 For since I am free from all I can make myself a slave to all, in order to
gain even more people.
20 To the Jews I became like a Jew to gain the Jews. To those under the law I
became like one under the law(though I myself am not under the law) to gain
those under the law.
21 To those free from the law I became like one free from the law(though I am
not free from God’s law but under the law of Christ) to gain those free from
the law.
22 To the weak I became weak in order to gain the weak. I have become all things
to all people, so that by all means I may save some.
23 I do all these things because of the gospel, so that I can be a participant
in it.
24 Do you not know that all the runners in a stadium compete, but only one
receives the prize? So run to win.
25 Each competitor must exercise self-control in everything. They do it to
receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one.
26 So I do not run uncertainly or box like one who hits only air.
27 Instead I subdue my body and make it my slave, so that after preaching to
others I myself will not be disqualified.

Chapter 10

1 Learning from Israel’s Failures For I do not want you to be unaware,
brothers and sisters, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed
through the sea,
2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,
3 and all ate the same spiritual food,
4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they were all drinking from the
spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ.
5 But God was not pleased with most of them, for they were cut down in the
wilderness.
6 These things happened as examples for us, so that we will not crave evil
things as they did.
7 So do not be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written,“The people
sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.”
8 And let us not be immoral, as some of them were, and twenty-three thousand
died in a single day.
9 And let us not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed
by snakes.
10 And do not complain, as some of them did, and were killed by the destroying
angel.
11 These things happened to them as examples and were written for our
instruction, on whom the ends of the ages have come.
12 So let the one who thinks he is standing be careful that he does not fall.
13 No trial has overtaken you that is not faced by others. And God is faithful:
He will not let you be tried beyond what you are able to bear, but with the
trial will also provide a way out so that you may be able to endure it.
14 Avoid Idol Feasts So then, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.
15 I am speaking to thoughtful people. Consider what I say.
16 Is not the cup of blessing that we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is
not the bread that we break a sharing in the body of Christ?
17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all share
the one bread.
18 Look at the people of Israel. Are not those who eat the sacrifices partners
in the altar?
19 Am I saying that idols or food sacrificed to them amount to anything?
20 No, I mean that what the pagans sacrifice is to demons and not to God. I do
not want you to be partners with demons.
21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot take
part in the table of the Lord and the table of demons.
22 Or are we trying to provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we really stronger than
he is?
23 Live to Glorify God“Everything is lawful,” but not everything is
beneficial.“Everything is lawful,” but not everything builds others up.
24 Do not seek your own good, but the good of the other person.
25 Eat anything that is sold in the marketplace without questions of conscience,
26 for the earth and its abundance are the Lord’s.
27 If an unbeliever invites you to dinner and you want to go, eat whatever is
served without asking questions of conscience.
28 But if someone says to you,“This is from a sacrifice,” do not eat,
because of the one who told you and because of conscience–
29 I do not mean yours but the other person’s. For why is my freedom being
judged by another’s conscience?
30 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I blamed for the food that I give
thanks for?
31 So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory
of God.
32 Do not give offense to Jews or Greeks or to the church of God,
33 just as I also try to please everyone in all things. I do not seek my own
benefit, but the benefit of many, so that they may be saved.

Chapter 11

1 Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.
2 Women’s Head Coverings I praise you because you remember me in everything
and maintain the traditions just as I passed them on to you.
3 But I want you to know that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is
the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.
4 Any man who prays or prophesies with his head covered disgraces his head.
5 But any woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered disgraces her
head, for it is one and the same thing as having a shaved head.
6 For if a woman will not cover her head, she should cut off her hair. But if it
is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, she
should cover her head.
7 For a man should not have his head covered, since he is the image and glory of
God. But the woman is the glory of the man.
8 For man did not come from woman, but woman from man.
9 Neither was man created for the sake of woman, but woman for man.
10 For this reason a woman should have a symbol of authority on her head,
because of the angels.
11 In any case, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man
independent of woman.
12 For just as woman came from man, so man comes through woman. But all things
come from God.
13 Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head
uncovered?
14 Does not nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a
disgrace for him,
15 but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her
for a covering.
16 If anyone intends to quarrel about this, we have no other practice, nor do
the churches of God.
17 The Lord’s Supper Now in giving the following instruction I do not praise
you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse.
18 For in the first place, when you come together as a church I hear there are
divisions among you, and in part I believe it.
19 For there must in fact be divisions among you, so that those of you who are
approved may be evident.
20 Now when you come together at the same place, you are not really eating the
Lord’s Supper.
21 For when it is time to eat, everyone proceeds with his own supper. One is
hungry and another becomes drunk.
22 Do you not have houses so that you can eat and drink? Or are you trying to
show contempt for the church of God by shaming those who have nothing? What
should I say to you? Should I praise you? I will not praise you for this!
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you, that the Lord
Jesus on the night in which he was betrayed took bread,
24 and after he had given thanks he broke it and said,“This is my body, which
is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
25 In the same way, he also took the cup after supper, saying,“This cup is the
new covenant in my blood. Do this, every time you drink it, in remembrance of
me.”
26 For every time you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the
Lord’s death until he comes.
27 For this reason, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an
unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
28 A person should examine himself first, and in this way let him eat the bread
and drink of the cup.
29 For the one who eats and drinks without careful regard for the body eats and
drinks judgment against himself.
30 That is why many of you are weak and sick, and quite a few are dead.
31 But if we examined ourselves, we would not be judged.
32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be
condemned with the world.
33 So then, my brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, wait for one
another.
34 If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, so that when you assemble it does
not lead to judgment. I will give directions about other matters when I come.

Chapter 12

1 Spiritual Gifts With regard to spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not
want you to be uninformed.
2 You know that when you were pagans you were often led astray by speechless
idols, however you were led.
3 So I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God
says,“Jesus is cursed,” and no one can say,“Jesus is Lord,” except by
the Holy Spirit.
4 Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit.
5 And there are different ministries, but the same Lord.
6 And there are different results, but the same God who produces all of them in
everyone.
7 To each person the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the benefit of
all.
8 For one person is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, and another
the message of knowledge according to the same Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the
one Spirit,
10 to another performance of miracles, to another prophecy, and to another
discernment of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, and to another
the interpretation of tongues.
11 It is one and the same Spirit, distributing as he decides to each person, who
produces all these things.
12 Different Members in One Body For just as the body is one and yet has many
members, and all the members of the body– though many– are one body, so too
is Christ.
13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body. Whether Jews or Greeks
or slaves or free, we were all made to drink of the one Spirit.
14 For in fact the body is not a single member, but many.
15 If the foot says,“Since I am not a hand, I am not part of the body,” it
does not lose its membership in the body because of that.
16 And if the ear says,“Since I am not an eye, I am not part of the body,”
it does not lose its membership in the body because of that.
17 If the whole body were an eye, what part would do the hearing? If the whole
were an ear, what part would exercise the sense of smell?
18 But as a matter of fact, God has placed each of the members in the body just
as he decided.
19 If they were all the same member, where would the body be?
20 So now there are many members, but one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand,“I do not need you,” nor in turn can the
head say to the foot,“I do not need you.”
22 On the contrary, those members that seem to be weaker are essential,
23 and those members we consider less honorable we clothe with greater honor,
and our unpresentable members are clothed with dignity,
24 but our presentable members do not need this. Instead, God has blended
together the body, giving greater honor to the lesser member,
25 so that there may be no division in the body, but the members may have mutual
concern for one another.
26 If one member suffers, everyone suffers with it. If a member is honored, all
rejoice with it.
27 Now you are Christ’s body, and each of you is a member of it.
28 And God has placed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third
teachers, then miracles, gifts of healing, helps, gifts of leadership, different
kinds of tongues.
29 Not all are apostles, are they? Not all are prophets, are they? Not all are
teachers, are they? Not all perform miracles, do they?
30 Not all have gifts of healing, do they? Not all speak in tongues, do they?
Not all interpret, do they?
31 But you should be eager for the greater gifts.And now I will show you a way
that is beyond comparison.

Chapter 13

1 The Way of Love If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but I do not
have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
2 And if I have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I
have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am
nothing.
3 If I give away everything I own, and if I give over my body in order to boast,
but do not have love, I receive no benefit.
4 Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag, it is
not puffed up.
5 It is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered or resentful.
6 It is not glad about injustice, but rejoices in the truth.
7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all
things.
8 Love never ends. But if there are prophecies, they will be set aside; if there
are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be set aside.
9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part,
10 but when what is perfect comes, the partial will be set aside.
11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned
like a child. But when I became an adult, I set aside childish ways.
12 For now we see in a mirror indirectly, but then we will see face to face. Now
I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these
is love.

Chapter 14

1 Prophecy and Tongues Pursue love and be eager for the spiritual gifts,
especially that you may prophesy.
2 For the one speaking in a tongue does not speak to people but to God, for no
one understands; he is speaking mysteries by the Spirit.
3 But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening,
encouragement, and consolation.
4 The one who speaks in a tongue builds himself up, but the one who prophesies
builds up the church.
5 I wish you all spoke in tongues, but even more that you would prophesy. The
one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless he
interprets so that the church may be strengthened.
6 Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I
help you unless I speak to you with a revelation or with knowledge or prophecy
or teaching?
7 It is similar for lifeless things that make a sound, like a flute or harp.
Unless they make a distinction in the notes, how can what is played on the flute
or harp be understood?
8 If, for example, the trumpet makes an unclear sound, who will get ready for
battle?
9 It is the same for you. If you do not speak clearly with your tongue, how will
anyone know what is being said? For you will be speaking into the air.
10 There are probably many kinds of languages in the world, and none is without
meaning.
11 If then I do not know the meaning of a language, I will be a foreigner to the
speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me.
12 It is the same with you. Since you are eager for manifestations of the
Spirit, seek to abound in order to strengthen the church.
13 So then, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret.
14 If I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unproductive.
15 What should I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my
mind. I will sing praises with my spirit, but I will also sing praises with my
mind.
16 Otherwise, if you are praising God with your spirit, how can someone without
the gift say“Amen” to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are
saying?
17 For you are certainly giving thanks well, but the other person is not
strengthened.
18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you,
19 but in the church I want to speak five words with my mind to instruct others,
rather than ten thousand words in a tongue.
20 Brothers and sisters, do not be children in your thinking. Instead, be
infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.
21 It is written in the law:“By people with strange tongues and by the lips of
strangers I will speak to this people, yet not even in this way will they listen
to me,” says the Lord.
22 So then, tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers. Prophecy,
however, is not for unbelievers but for believers.
23 So if the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and
unbelievers or uninformed people enter, will they not say that you have lost
your minds?
24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or uninformed person enters, he will
be convicted by all, he will be called to account by all.
25 The secrets of his heart are disclosed, and in this way he will fall down
with his face to the ground and worship God, declaring,“God is really among
you.”
26 Church Order What should you do then, brothers and sisters? When you come
together, each one has a song, has a lesson, has a revelation, has a tongue, has
an interpretation. Let all these things be done for the strengthening of the
church.
27 If someone speaks in a tongue, it should be two, or at the most three, one
after the other, and someone must interpret.
28 But if there is no interpreter, he should be silent in the church. Let him
speak to himself and to God.
29 Two or three prophets should speak and the others should evaluate what is
said.
30 And if someone sitting down receives a revelation, the person who is speaking
should conclude.
31 For you can all prophesy one after another, so all can learn and be
encouraged.
32 Indeed, the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets,
33 for God is not characterized by disorder but by peace.As in all the churches
of the saints,
34 the women should be silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to
speak. Rather, let them be in submission, as in fact the law says.
35 If they want to find out about something, they should ask their husbands at
home, because it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in church.
36 Did the word of God begin with you, or did it come to you alone?
37 If anyone considers himself a prophet or spiritual person, he should
acknowledge that what I write to you is the Lord’s command.
38 If someone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.
39 So then, brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid anyone
from speaking in tongues.
40 And do everything in a decent and orderly manner.

Chapter 15

1 Christ’s Resurrection Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and
sisters, the gospel that I preached to you, that you received and on which you
stand,
2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message I preached
to you– unless you believed in vain.
3 For I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received– that
Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures,
4 and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to
the scriptures,
5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at one
time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.
7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.
8 Last of all, as though to one born at the wrong time, he appeared to me also.
9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because
I persecuted the church of God.
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been in
vain. In fact, I worked harder than all of them– yet not I, but the grace of
God with me.
11 Whether then it was I or they, this is the way we preach and this is the way
you believed.
12 No Resurrection? Now if Christ is being preached as raised from the dead, how
can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been
raised.
14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is futile and your
faith is empty.
15 Also, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified
against God that he raised Christ from the dead, when in reality he did not
raise him, if indeed the dead are not raised.
16 For if the dead are not raised, then not even Christ has been raised.
17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is useless; you are still in
your sins.
18 Furthermore, those who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished.
19 For if only in this life we have hope in Christ, we should be pitied more
than anyone.
20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who
have fallen asleep.
21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also came
through a man.
22 For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.
23 But each in his own order: Christ, the firstfruits; then when Christ comes,
those who belong to him.
24 Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, when he
has brought to an end all rule and all authority and power.
25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy to be eliminated is death.
27 For he has put everything in subjection under his feet. But when it
says“everything” has been put in subjection, it is clear that this does not
include the one who put everything in subjection to him.
28 And when all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will be
subjected to the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in
all.
29 Otherwise, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are
not raised at all, then why are they baptized for them?
30 Why too are we in danger every hour?
31 Every day I am in danger of death! This is as sure as my boasting in you,
which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord.
32 If from a human point of view I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, what did
it benefit me? If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we
die.
33 Do not be deceived:“Bad company corrupts good morals.”
34 Sober up as you should, and stop sinning! For some have no knowledge of
God– I say this to your shame!
35 The Resurrection Body But someone will say,“How are the dead raised? With
what kind of body will they come?”
36 Fool! What you sow will not come to life unless it dies.
37 And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare seed– perhaps of
wheat or something else.
38 But God gives it a body just as he planned, and to each of the seeds a body
of its own.
39 All flesh is not the same: People have one flesh, animals have another, birds
and fish another.
40 And there are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. The glory of the heavenly
body is one sort and the earthly another.
41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon and another
glory of the stars, for star differs from star in glory.
42 It is the same with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable,
what is raised is imperishable.
43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is
raised in power;
44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a
natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
45 So also it is written,“The first man, Adam, became a living person”; the
last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
46 However, the spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and then the
spiritual.
47 The first man is from the earth, made of dust; the second man is from heaven.
48 Like the one made of dust, so too are those made of dust, and like the one
from heaven, so too those who are heavenly.
49 And just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, let us also bear the
image of the man of heaven.
50 Now this is what I am saying, brothers and sisters: Flesh and blood cannot
inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
51 Listen, I will tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be
changed–
52 in a moment, in the blinking of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet
will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body
must put on immortality.
54 Now when this perishable puts on the imperishable, and this mortal puts on
immortality, then the saying that is written will happen,“Death has been
swallowed up in victory.”
55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
58 So then, dear brothers and sisters, be firm. Do not be moved! Always be
outstanding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in
the Lord.

Chapter 16

1 A Collection to Aid Jewish Christians With regard to the collection for the
saints, please follow the directions that I gave to the churches of Galatia:
2 On the first day of the week, each of you should set aside some income and
save it to the extent that God has blessed you, so that a collection will not
have to be made when I come.
3 Then, when I arrive, I will send those whom you approve with letters of
explanation to carry your gift to Jerusalem.
4 And if it seems advisable that I should go also, they will go with me.
5 Paul’s Plans to Visit But I will come to you after I have gone through
Macedonia– for I will be going through Macedonia–
6 and perhaps I will stay with you, or even spend the winter, so that you can
send me on my journey, wherever I go.
7 For I do not want to see you now in passing, since I hope to spend some time
with you, if the Lord allows.
8 But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost,
9 because a door of great opportunity stands wide open for me, but there are
many opponents.
10 Now if Timothy comes, see that he has nothing to fear among you, for he is
doing the Lord’s work, as I am too.
11 So then, let no one treat him with contempt. But send him on his way in peace
so that he may come to me. For I am expecting him with the brothers.
12 With regard to our brother Apollos: I strongly encouraged him to visit you
with the other brothers, but it was simply not his intention to come now. He
will come when he has the opportunity.
13 Final Challenge and Blessing Stay alert, stand firm in the faith, show
courage, be strong.
14 Everything you do should be done in love.
15 Now, brothers and sisters, you know about the household of Stephanus, that as
the first converts of Achaia, they devoted themselves to ministry for the
saints. I urge you
16 also to submit to people like this, and to everyone who cooperates in the
work and labors hard.
17 I was glad about the arrival of Stephanus, Fortunatus, and Achaicus because
they have supplied the fellowship with you that I lacked.
18 For they refreshed my spirit and yours. So then, recognize people like this.
19 The churches in the province of Asia send greetings to you. Aquila and Prisca
greet you warmly in the Lord, with the church that meets in their house.
20 All the brothers and sisters send greetings. Greet one another with a holy
kiss.
21 I, Paul, send this greeting with my own hand.
22 Let anyone who has no love for the Lord be accursed. Our Lord, come!
23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.
24 My love be with all of you in Christ Jesus.


2 Corinthians

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Salutation From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and
Timothy our brother, to the church of God that is in Corinth, with all the
saints who are in all Achaia.
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
3 Thanksgiving for God’s Comfort Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
4 who comforts us in all our troubles so that we may be able to comfort those
experiencing any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted
by God.
5 For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow toward us, so also our comfort
through Christ overflows to you.
6 But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are
comforted, it is for your comfort that you experience in your patient endurance
of the same sufferings that we also suffer.
7 And our hope for you is steadfast because we know that as you share in our
sufferings, so also you will share in our comfort.
8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, regarding the
affliction that happened to us in the province of Asia, that we were burdened
excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of living.
9 Indeed we felt as if the sentence of death had been passed against us, so that
we would not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.
10 He delivered us from so great a risk of death, and he will deliver us. We
have set our hope on him that he will deliver us yet again,
11 as you also join in helping us by prayer, so that many people may give thanks
to God on our behalf for the gracious gift given to us through the help of many.
12 Paul Defends His Changed Plans For our reason for confidence is this: the
testimony of our conscience, that with pure motives and sincerity which are from
God– not by human wisdom but by the grace of God– we conducted ourselves in
the world, and all the more toward you.
13 For we do not write you anything other than what you can read and also
understand. But I hope that you will understand completely
14 just as also you have partly understood us, that we are your source of pride
just as you also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus.
15 And with this confidence I intended to come to you first so that you would
get a second opportunity to see us,
16 and through your help to go on into Macedonia and then from Macedonia to come
back to you and be helped on our way into Judea by you.
17 Therefore when I was planning to do this, I did not do so without thinking
about what I was doing, did I? Or do I make my plans according to mere human
standards so that I would be saying both“Yes, yes” and“No, no” at the
same time?
18 But as God is faithful, our message to you is not“Yes” and“No.”
19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the one who was proclaimed among you by
us– by me and Silvanus and Timothy– was not“Yes” and“No,” but it has
always been“Yes” in him.
20 For every one of God’s promises are“Yes” in him; therefore also through
him the“Amen” is spoken, to the glory we give to God.
21 But it is God who establishes us together with you in Christ and who anointed
us,
22 who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment.
23 Why Paul Postponed His Visit Now I appeal to God as my witness, that to spare
you I did not come again to Corinth.
24 I do not mean that we rule over your faith, but we are workers with you for
your joy, because by faith you stand firm.

Chapter 2

1 So I made up my own mind not to pay you another painful visit.
2 For if I make you sad, who would be left to make me glad but the one I caused
to be sad?
3 And I wrote this very thing to you, so that when I came I would not have
sadness from those who ought to make me rejoice, since I am confident in you all
that my joy would be yours.
4 For out of great distress and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears,
not to make you sad, but to let you know the love that I have especially for
you.
5 But if anyone has caused sadness, he has not saddened me alone, but to some
extent(not to exaggerate) he has saddened all of you as well.
6 This punishment on such an individual by the majority is enough for him,
7 so that now instead you should rather forgive and comfort him. This will keep
him from being overwhelmed by excessive grief to the point of despair.
8 Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love for him.
9 For this reason also I wrote you: to test you to see if you are obedient in
everything.
10 If you forgive anyone for anything, I also forgive him– for indeed what I
have forgiven(if I have forgiven anything) I did so for you in the presence of
Christ,
11 so that we may not be exploited by Satan(for we are not ignorant of his
schemes).
12 Now when I arrived in Troas to proclaim the gospel of Christ, even though the
Lord had opened a door of opportunity for me,
13 I had no relief in my spirit, because I did not find my brother Titus there.
So I said goodbye to them and set out for Macedonia.
14 Apostolic Ministry But thanks be to God who always leads us in triumphal
procession in Christ and who makes known through us the fragrance that consists
of the knowledge of him in every place.
15 For we are a sweet aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and
among those who are perishing–
16 to the latter an odor from death to death, but to the former a fragrance from
life to life. And who is adequate for these things?
17 For we are not like so many others, hucksters who peddle the word of God for
profit, but we are speaking in Christ before God as persons of sincerity, as
persons sent from God.

Chapter 3

1 A Living Letter Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? We don’t need
letters of recommendation to you or from you as some other people do, do we?
2 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by
everyone,
3 revealing that you are a letter of Christ, delivered by us, written not with
ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on stone tablets but on tablets of
human hearts.
4 Now we have such confidence in God through Christ.
5 Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as if it were
coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God,
6 who made us adequate to be servants of a new covenant not based on the letter
but on the Spirit, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
7 The Greater Glory of the Spirit’s Ministry But if the ministry that produced
death– carved in letters on stone tablets– came with glory, so that the
Israelites could not keep their eyes fixed on the face of Moses because of the
glory of his face(a glory which was made ineffective),
8 how much more glorious will the ministry of the Spirit be?
9 For if there was glory in the ministry that produced condemnation, how much
more does the ministry that produces righteousness excel in glory!
10 For indeed, what had been glorious now has no glory because of the
tremendously greater glory of what replaced it.
11 For if what was made ineffective came with glory, how much more has what
remains come in glory!
12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we behave with great boldness,
13 and not like Moses who used to put a veil over his face to keep the
Israelites from staring at the result of the glory that was made ineffective.
14 But their minds were closed. For to this very day, the same veil remains when
they hear the old covenant read. It has not been removed because only in Christ
is it taken away.
15 But until this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds,
16 but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is present,
there is freedom.
18 And we all, with unveiled faces reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being
transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, which is
from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Chapter 4

1 Paul’s Perseverance in Ministry Therefore, since we have this ministry, just
as God has shown us mercy, we do not become discouraged.
2 But we have rejected shameful hidden deeds, not behaving with deceptiveness or
distorting the word of God, but by open proclamation of the truth we commend
ourselves to everyone’s conscience before God.
3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are
perishing,
4 among whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do not
believe so they would not see the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is
the image of God.
5 For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as
your slaves for Jesus’ sake.
6 For God, who said“Let light shine out of darkness,” is the one who shined
in our hearts to give us the light of the glorious knowledge of God in the face
of Christ.
7 An Eternal Weight of Glory But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that the
extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.
8 We are experiencing trouble on every side, but are not crushed; we are
perplexed, but not driven to despair;
9 we are persecuted, but not abandoned; we are knocked down, but not destroyed,
10 always carrying around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of
Jesus may also be made visible in our body.
11 For we who are alive are constantly being handed over to death for Jesus’
sake, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our mortal body.
12 As a result, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
13 But since we have the same spirit of faith as that shown in what has been
written,“I believed; therefore I spoke,” we also believe, therefore we also
speak.
14 We do so because we know that the one who raised up Jesus will also raise us
up with Jesus and will bring us with you into his presence.
15 For all these things are for your sake, so that the grace that is including
more and more people may cause thanksgiving to increase to the glory of God.
16 Therefore we do not despair, but even if our physical body is wearing away,
our inner person is being renewed day by day.
17 For our momentary, light suffering is producing for us an eternal weight of
glory far beyond all comparison
18 because we are not looking at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen.
For what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.

Chapter 5

1 Living by Faith, Not by Sight For we know that if our earthly house, the tent
we live in, is dismantled, we have a building from God, a house not built by
human hands, that is eternal in the heavens.
2 For in this earthly house we groan, because we desire to put on our heavenly
dwelling,
3 if indeed, after we have put on our heavenly house, we will not be found
naked.
4 For we groan while we are in this tent, since we are weighed down, because we
do not want to be unclothed, but clothed, so that what is mortal may be
swallowed up by life.
5 Now the one who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the
Spirit as a down payment.
6 Therefore we are always full of courage, and we know that as long as we are
alive here on earth we are absent from the Lord–
7 for we live by faith, not by sight.
8 Thus we are full of courage and would prefer to be away from the body and at
home with the Lord.
9 So then whether we are alive or away, we make it our ambition to please him.
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one
may be paid back according to what he has done while in the body, whether good
or evil.
11 The Message of Reconciliation Therefore, because we know the fear of the
Lord, we try to persuade people, but we are well known to God, and I hope we are
well known to your consciences too.
12 We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an
opportunity to be proud of us, so that you may be able to answer those who take
pride in outward appearance and not in what is in the heart.
13 For if we are out of our minds, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is
for you.
14 For the love of Christ controls us, since we have concluded this, that Christ
died for all; therefore all have died.
15 And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for
themselves but for him who died for them and was raised.
16 So then from now on we acknowledge no one from an outward human point of
view. Even though we have known Christ from such a human point of view, now we
do not know him in that way any longer.
17 So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed
away– look, what is new has come!
18 And all these things are from God who reconciled us to himself through
Christ, and who has given us the ministry of reconciliation.
19 In other words, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not
counting people’s trespasses against them, and he has given us the message of
reconciliation.
20 Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making his plea
through us. We plead with you on Christ’s behalf,“Be reconciled to God!”
21 God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we
would become the righteousness of God.

Chapter 6

1 God’s Suffering Servants Now because we are fellow workers, we also urge you
not to receive the grace of God in vain.
2 For he says,“I heard you at the acceptable time, and in the day of salvation
I helped you.” Look, now is the acceptable time; look, now is the day of
salvation!
3 We do not give anyone an occasion for taking an offense in anything, so that
no fault may be found with our ministry.
4 But as God’s servants, we have commended ourselves in every way, with great
endurance, in persecutions, in difficulties, in distresses,
5 in beatings, in imprisonments, in riots, in troubles, in sleepless nights, in
hunger,
6 by purity, by knowledge, by patience, by benevolence, by the Holy Spirit, by
genuine love,
7 by truthful teaching, by the power of God, with weapons of righteousness both
for the right hand and for the left,
8 through glory and dishonor, through slander and praise; regarded as impostors,
and yet true;
9 as unknown, and yet well-known; as dying and yet– see!– we continue to
live; as those who are scourged and yet not executed;
10 as sorrowful, but always rejoicing, as poor, but making many rich, as having
nothing, and yet possessing everything.
11 We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians; our heart has been opened wide to
you.
12 Our affection for you is not restricted, but you are restricted in your
affections for us.
13 Now as a fair exchange– I speak as to my children– open wide your hearts
to us also.
14 Unequal Partners Do not become partners with those who do not believe, for
what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness, or what
fellowship does light have with darkness?
15 And what agreement does Christ have with Beliar? Or what does a believer
share in common with an unbeliever?
16 And what mutual agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we are
the temple of the living God, just as God said,“I will live in them and will
walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
17 Therefore“come out from their midst, and be separate,” says the
Lord,“and touch no unclean thing, and I will welcome you,
18 and I will be a father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,” says
the All-Powerful Lord.

Chapter 7

1 Self-Purification Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let
us cleanse ourselves from everything that could defile the body and the spirit,
and thus accomplish holiness out of reverence for God.
2 Make room for us in your hearts; we have wronged no one, we have ruined no
one, we have exploited no one.
3 I do not say this to condemn you, for I told you before that you are in our
hearts so that we die together and live together with you.
4 A Letter That Caused Sadness I have great confidence in you; I take great
pride on your behalf. I am filled with encouragement; I am overflowing with joy
in the midst of all our suffering.
5 For even when we came into Macedonia, our body had no rest at all, but we were
troubled in every way– struggles from the outside, fears from within.
6 But God, who encourages the downhearted, encouraged us by the arrival of
Titus.
7 We were encouraged not only by his arrival, but also by the encouragement you
gave him, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your deep concern
for me, so that I rejoiced more than ever.
8 For even if I made you sad by my letter, I do not regret having written
it(even though I did regret it, for I see that my letter made you sad, though
only for a short time).
9 Now I rejoice, not because you were made sad, but because you were made sad to
the point of repentance. For you were made sad as God intended, so that you were
not harmed in any way by us.
10 For sadness as intended by God produces a repentance that leads to salvation,
leaving no regret, but worldly sadness brings about death.
11 For see what this very thing, this sadness as God intended, has produced in
you: what eagerness, what defense of yourselves, what indignation, what alarm,
what longing, what deep concern, what punishment! In everything you have proved
yourselves to be innocent in this matter.
12 So then, even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did
wrong, or on account of the one who was wronged, but to reveal to you your
eagerness on our behalf before God.
13 Therefore we have been encouraged. And in addition to our own encouragement,
we rejoiced even more at the joy of Titus, because all of you have refreshed his
spirit.
14 For if I have boasted to him about anything concerning you, I have not been
embarrassed by you, but just as everything we said to you was true, so our
boasting to Titus about you has proved true as well.
15 And his affection for you is much greater when he remembers the obedience of
you all, how you welcomed him with fear and trembling.
16 I rejoice because in everything I am fully confident in you.

Chapter 8

1 Completing the Collection for the Saints Now we make known to you, brothers
and sisters, the grace of God given to the churches of Macedonia,
2 that during a severe ordeal of suffering, their abundant joy and their extreme
poverty have overflowed in the wealth of their generosity.
3 For I testify, they gave according to their means and beyond their means. They
did so voluntarily,
4 begging us with great earnestness for the blessing and fellowship of helping
the saints.
5 And they did this not just as we had hoped, but they gave themselves first to
the Lord and to us by the will of God.
6 Thus we urged Titus that, just as he had previously begun this work, so also
he should complete this act of kindness for you.
7 But as you excel in everything– in faith, in speech, in knowledge, and in
all eagerness and in the love from us that is in you– make sure that you excel
in this act of kindness too.
8 I am not saying this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your
love by comparison with the eagerness of others.
9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although he was rich, he
became poor for your sakes, so that you by his poverty could become rich.
10 So here is my opinion on this matter: It is to your advantage, since you made
a good start last year both in your giving and your desire to give,
11 to finish what you started, so that just as you wanted to do it eagerly, you
can also complete it according to your means.
12 For if the eagerness is present, the gift itself is acceptable according to
whatever one has, not according to what he does not have.
13 For I do not say this so there would be relief for others and suffering for
you, but as a matter of equality.
14 At the present time, your abundance will meet their need, so that one day
their abundance may also meet your need, and thus there may be equality,
15 as it is written:“The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the
one who gathered little did not have too little.”
16 The Mission of Titus But thanks be to God who put in the heart of Titus the
same devotion I have for you,
17 because he not only accepted our request, but since he was very eager, he is
coming to you of his own accord.
18 And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the
churches for his work in spreading the gospel.
19 In addition, this brother has also been chosen by the churches as our
traveling companion as we administer this generous gift to the glory of the Lord
himself and to show our readiness to help.
20 We did this as a precaution so that no one should blame us in regard to this
generous gift we are administering.
21 For we are concerned about what is right not only before the Lord but also
before men.
22 And we are sending with them our brother whom we have tested many times and
found eager in many matters, but who now is much more eager than ever because of
the great confidence he has in you.
23 If there is any question about Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker
among you; if there is any question about our brothers, they are messengers of
the churches, a glory to Christ.
24 Therefore show them openly before the churches the proof of your love and of
our pride in you.

Chapter 9

1 Preparing the Gift For it is not necessary for me to write you about this
service to the saints,
2 because I know your eagerness to help. I keep boasting to the Macedonians
about this eagerness of yours, that Achaia has been ready to give since last
year, and your zeal to participate has stirred up most of them.
3 But I am sending these brothers so that our boasting about you may not be
empty in this case, so that you may be ready just as I kept telling them.
4 For if any of the Macedonians should come with me and find that you are not
ready to give, we would be humiliated(not to mention you) by this confidence we
had in you.
5 Therefore I thought it necessary to urge these brothers to go to you in
advance and to arrange ahead of time the generous contribution you had promised,
so this may be ready as a generous gift and not as something you feel forced to
do.
6 My point is this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and
the person who sows generously will also reap generously.
7 Each one of you should give just as he has decided in his heart, not
reluctantly or under compulsion, because God loves a cheerful giver.
8 And God is able to make all grace overflow to you so that because you have
enough of everything in every way at all times, you will overflow in every good
work.
9 Just as it is written,“He has scattered widely, he has given to the poor;
his righteousness remains forever.”
10 Now God who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will provide and
multiply your supply of seed and will cause the harvest of your righteousness to
grow.
11 You will be enriched in every way so that you may be generous on every
occasion, which is producing through us thanksgiving to God,
12 because the service of this ministry is not only providing for the needs of
the saints but is also overflowing with many thanks to God.
13 Through the evidence of this service they will glorify God because of your
obedience to your confession in the gospel of Christ and the generosity of your
sharing with them and with everyone.
14 And in their prayers on your behalf they long for you because of the
extraordinary grace God has shown to you.
15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Chapter 10

1 Paul’s Authority from the Lord Now I, Paul, appeal to you personally by the
meekness and gentleness of Christ(I who am meek when present among you, but am
full of courage toward you when away!)–
2 now I ask that when I am present I may not have to be bold with the confidence
that(I expect) I will dare to use against some who consider us to be behaving
according to human standards.
3 For though we live as human beings, we do not wage war according to human
standards,
4 for the weapons of our warfare are not human weapons, but are made powerful by
God for tearing down strongholds. We tear down arguments
5 and every arrogant obstacle that is raised up against the knowledge of God,
and we take every thought captive to make it obey Christ.
6 We are also ready to punish every act of disobedience, whenever your obedience
is complete.
7 You are looking at outward appearances. If anyone is confident that he belongs
to Christ, he should reflect on this again: Just as he himself belongs to
Christ, so too do we.
8 For if I boast somewhat more about our authority that the Lord gave us for
building you up and not for tearing you down, I will not be ashamed of doing so.
9 I do not want to seem as though I am trying to terrify you with my letters,
10 because some say,“His letters are weighty and forceful, but his physical
presence is weak and his speech is of no account.”
11 Let such a person consider this: What we say by letters when we are absent,
we also are in actions when we are present.
12 Paul’s Mission For we would not dare to classify or compare ourselves with
some of those who recommend themselves. But when they measure themselves by
themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without
understanding.
13 But we will not boast beyond certain limits, but will confine our boasting
according to the limits of the work to which God has appointed us, that reaches
even as far as you.
14 For we were not overextending ourselves, as though we did not reach as far as
you, because we were the first to reach as far as you with the gospel about
Christ.
15 Nor do we boast beyond certain limits in the work done by others, but we hope
that as your faith continues to grow, our work may be greatly expanded among you
according to our limits,
16 so that we may preach the gospel in the regions that lie beyond you, and not
boast of work already done in another person’s area.
17 But the one who boasts must boast in the Lord.
18 For it is not the person who commends himself who is approved, but the person
the Lord commends.

Chapter 11

1 Paul and His Opponents I wish that you would be patient with me in a little
foolishness, but indeed you are being patient with me!
2 For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy, because I promised you in
marriage to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.
3 But I am afraid that just as the serpent deceived Eve by his treachery, your
minds may be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
4 For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus different from the one we
proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit than the one you received, or a
different gospel than the one you accepted, you put up with it well enough!
5 For I consider myself not at all inferior to those“super-apostles.”
6 And even if I am unskilled in speaking, yet I am certainly not so in
knowledge. Indeed, we have made this plain to you in everything in every way.
7 Or did I commit a sin by humbling myself so that you could be exalted, because
I proclaimed the gospel of God to you free of charge?
8 I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so that I could serve
you!
9 When I was with you and was in need, I was not a burden to anyone, for the
brothers who came from Macedonia fully supplied my needs. I kept myself from
being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so.
10 As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be stopped in
the regions of Achaia.
11 Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!
12 And what I am doing I will continue to do, so that I may eliminate any
opportunity for those who want a chance to be regarded as our equals in the
things they boast about.
13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves
as apostles of Christ.
14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
15 Therefore it is not surprising his servants also disguise themselves as
servants of righteousness, whose end will correspond to their actions.
16 Paul’s Sufferings for Christ I say again, let no one think that I am a
fool. But if you do, then at least accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast
a little.
17 What I am saying with this boastful confidence I do not say the way the Lord
would. Instead it is, as it were, foolishness.
18 Since many are boasting according to human standards, I too will boast.
19 For since you are so wise, you put up with fools gladly.
20 For you put up with it if someone makes slaves of you, if someone exploits
you, if someone takes advantage of you, if someone behaves arrogantly toward
you, if someone strikes you in the face.
21 (To my disgrace I must say that we were too weak for that!) But whatever
anyone else dares to boast about(I am speaking foolishly), I also dare to boast
about the same thing.
22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants
of Abraham? So am I.
23 Are they servants of Christ?(I am talking like I am out of my mind!) I am
even more so: with much greater labors, with far more imprisonments, with more
severe beatings, facing death many times.
24 Five times I received from the Jews forty lashes less one.
25 Three times I was beaten with a rod. Once I received a stoning. Three times I
suffered shipwreck. A night and a day I spent adrift in the open sea.
26 I have been on journeys many times, in dangers from rivers, in dangers from
robbers, in dangers from my own countrymen, in dangers from Gentiles, in dangers
in the city, in dangers in the wilderness, in dangers at sea, in dangers from
false brothers,
27 in hard work and toil, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst,
many times without food, in cold and without enough clothing.
28 Apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxious
concern for all the churches.
29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not burn with
indignation?
30 If I must boast, I will boast about the things that show my weakness.
31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is blessed forever, knows I am not
lying.
32 In Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus
in order to arrest me,
33 but I was let down in a rope-basket through a window in the city wall, and
escaped his hands.

Chapter 12

1 Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh It is necessary to go on boasting. Though it is
not profitable, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord.
2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago(whether in the body or out of
the body I do not know, God knows) was caught up to the third heaven.
3 And I know that this man(whether in the body or apart from the body I do not
know, God knows)
4 was caught up into paradise and heard things too sacred to be put into words,
things that a person is not permitted to speak.
5 On behalf of such an individual I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not
boast, except about my weaknesses.
6 For even if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I would be telling the
truth, but I refrain from this so that no one may regard me beyond what he sees
in me or what he hears from me,
7 even because of the extraordinary character of the revelations. Therefore, so
that I would not become arrogant, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a
messenger of Satan to trouble me– so that I would not become arrogant.
8 I asked the Lord three times about this, that it would depart from me.
9 But he said to me,“My grace is enough for you, for my power is made perfect
in weakness.” So then, I will boast most gladly about my weaknesses, so that
the power of Christ may reside in me.
10 Therefore I am content with weaknesses, with insults, with troubles, with
persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak,
then I am strong.
11 The Signs of an Apostle I have become a fool. You yourselves forced me to do
it, for I should have been commended by you. For I lack nothing in comparison to
those“super-apostles,” even though I am nothing.
12 Indeed, the signs of an apostle were performed among you with great
perseverance by signs and wonders and powerful deeds.
13 For how were you treated worse than the other churches, except that I myself
was not a burden to you? Forgive me this injustice!
14 Look, for the third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be a
burden to you, because I do not want your possessions, but you. For children
should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.
15 Now I will most gladly spend and be spent for your lives! If I love you more,
am I to be loved less?
16 But be that as it may, I have not burdened you. Yet because I was a crafty
person, I took you in by deceit!
17 I have not taken advantage of you through anyone I have sent to you, have I?
18 I urged Titus to visit you and I sent our brother along with him. Titus did
not take advantage of you, did he? Did we not conduct ourselves in the same
spirit? Did we not behave in the same way?
19 Have you been thinking all this time that we have been defending ourselves to
you? We are speaking in Christ before God, and everything we do, dear friends,
is to build you up.
20 For I am afraid that somehow when I come I will not find you what I wish, and
you will find me not what you wish. I am afraid that somehow there may be
quarreling, jealousy, intense anger, selfish ambition, slander, gossip,
arrogance, and disorder.
21 I am afraid that when I come again, my God may humiliate me before you, and I
will grieve for many of those who previously sinned and have not repented of the
impurity, sexual immorality, and licentiousness that they have practiced.

Chapter 13

1 Paul’s Third Visit to Corinth This is the third time I am coming to visit
you. By the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter will be
established.
2 I said before when I was present the second time and now, though absent, I say
again to those who sinned previously and to all the rest, that if I come again,
I will not spare anyone,
3 since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me. He is not
weak toward you but is powerful among you.
4 For indeed he was crucified by reason of weakness, but he lives because of
God’s power. For we also are weak in him, but we will live together with him,
because of God’s power toward you.
5 Put yourselves to the test to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!
Or do you not recognize regarding yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you–
unless, indeed, you fail the test!
6 And I hope that you will realize that we have not failed the test!
7 Now we pray to God that you may not do anything wrong, not so that we may
appear to have passed the test, but so that you may do what is right even if we
may appear to have failed the test.
8 For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the sake of the
truth.
9 For we rejoice whenever we are weak, but you are strong. And we pray for this:
that you may become fully qualified.
10 Because of this I am writing these things while absent, so that when I arrive
I may not have to deal harshly with you by using my authority– the Lord gave
it to me for building up, not for tearing down!
11 Final Exhortations and Greetings Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice, set
things right, be encouraged, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God
of love and peace will be with you.
12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you.
13 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of
the Holy Spirit be with you all.


Galatians

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Salutation From Paul, an apostle(not from men, nor by human agency, but by
Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead)
2 and all the brothers with me, to the churches of Galatia.
3 Grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ,
4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age
according to the will of our God and Father,
5 to whom be glory forever and ever! Amen.
6 Occasion of the Letter I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the
one who called you by the grace of Christ and are following a different
gospel–
7 not that there really is another gospel, but there are some who are disturbing
you and wanting to distort the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we(or an angel from heaven) should preach a gospel contrary to the
one we preached to you, let him be condemned to hell!
9 As we have said before, and now I say again, if any one is preaching to you a
gospel contrary to what you received, let him be condemned to hell!
10 Am I now trying to gain the approval of people, or of God? Or am I trying to
please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a slave
of Christ!
11 Paul’s Vindication of His Apostleship Now I want you to know, brothers and
sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin.
12 For I did not receive it or learn it from any human source; instead I
received it by a revelation of Jesus Christ.
13 For you have heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how I was savagely
persecuting the church of God and trying to destroy it.
14 I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my nation, and
was extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors.
15 But when the one who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace was
pleased
16 to reveal his Son in me so that I could preach him among the Gentiles, I did
not go to ask advice from any human being,
17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before me, but
right away I departed to Arabia, and then returned to Damascus.
18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and get
information from him, and I stayed with him fifteen days.
19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother.
20 I assure you that, before God, I am not lying about what I am writing to you!
21 Afterward I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia.
22 But I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ.
23 They were only hearing,“The one who once persecuted us is now proclaiming
the good news of the faith he once tried to destroy.”
24 So they glorified God because of me.

Chapter 2

1 Confirmation from the Jerusalem Apostles Then after fourteen years I went up
to Jerusalem again with Barnabas, taking Titus along too.
2 I went there because of a revelation and presented to them the gospel that I
preach among the Gentiles. But I did so only in a private meeting with the
influential people, to make sure that I was not running– or had not run– in
vain.
3 Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, although
he was a Greek.
4 Now this matter arose because of the false brothers with false pretenses who
slipped in unnoticed to spy on our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, to make
us slaves.
5 But we did not surrender to them even for a moment, in order that the truth of
the gospel would remain with you.
6 But from those who were influential(whatever they were makes no difference to
me; God shows no favoritism between people)– those influential leaders added
nothing to my message.
7 On the contrary, when they saw that I was entrusted with the gospel to the
uncircumcised just as Peter was entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised
8 (for he who empowered Peter for his apostleship to the circumcised also
empowered me for my apostleship to the Gentiles)
9 and when James, Cephas, and John, who had a reputation as pillars, recognized
the grace that had been given to me, they gave to Barnabas and me the right hand
of fellowship, agreeing that we would go to the Gentiles and they to the
circumcised.
10 They requested only that we remember the poor, the very thing I also was
eager to do.
11 Paul Rebukes Peter But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his
face, because he had clearly done wrong.
12 Until certain people came from James, he had been eating with the Gentiles.
But when they arrived, he stopped doing this and separated himself because he
was afraid of those who were pro-circumcision.
13 And the rest of the Jews also joined with him in this hypocrisy, so that even
Barnabas was led astray with them by their hypocrisy.
14 But when I saw that they were not behaving consistently with the truth of the
gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all,“If you, although you are a Jew,
live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you try to force the Gentiles to
live like Jews?”
15 The Justification of Jews and Gentiles We are Jews by birth and not Gentile
sinners,
16 yet we know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by the
faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so
that we may be justified by the faithfulness of Christ and not by the works of
the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.
17 But if while seeking to be justified in Christ we ourselves have also been
found to be sinners, is Christ then one who encourages sin? Absolutely not!
18 But if I build up again those things I once destroyed, I demonstrate that I
am one who breaks God’s law.
19 For through the law I died to the law so that I may live to God.
20 I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ
lives in me. So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the
faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
21 I do not set aside God’s grace, because if righteousness could come through
the law, then Christ died for nothing!

Chapter 3

1 Justification by Law or by Faith? You foolish Galatians! Who has cast a spell
on you? Before your eyes Jesus Christ was vividly portrayed as crucified!
2 The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by
doing the works of the law or by believing what you heard?
3 Are you so foolish? Although you began with the Spirit, are you now trying to
finish by human effort?
4 Have you suffered so many things for nothing?– if indeed it was for nothing.
5 Does God then give you the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing
the works of the law or by your believing what you heard?
6 Just as Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,
7 so then, understand that those who believe are the sons of Abraham.
8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith,
proclaimed the gospel to Abraham ahead of time, saying,“All the nations will
be blessed in you.”
9 So then those who believe are blessed along with Abraham the believer.
10 For all who rely on doing the works of the law are under a curse, because it
is written,“Cursed is everyone who does not keep on doing everything written
in the book of the law.”
11 Now it is clear no one is justified before God by the law, because the
righteous one will live by faith.
12 But the law is not based on faith, but the one who does the works of the law
will live by them.
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for
us(because it is written,“Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”)
14 in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham would come to the
Gentiles, so that we could receive the promise of the Spirit by faith.
15 Inheritance Comes from Promises and not Law Brothers and sisters, I offer an
example from everyday life: When a covenant has been ratified, even though it is
only a human contract, no one can set it aside or add anything to it.
16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his descendant. Scripture does
not say,“and to the descendants,” referring to many, but“and to your
descendant,” referring to one, who is Christ.
17 What I am saying is this: The law that came four hundred thirty years later
does not cancel a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to invalidate the
promise.
18 For if the inheritance is based on the law, it is no longer based on the
promise, but God graciously gave it to Abraham through the promise.
19 Why then was the law given? It was added because of transgressions, until the
arrival of the descendant to whom the promise had been made. It was administered
through angels by an intermediary.
20 Now an intermediary is not for one party alone, but God is one.
21 Is the law therefore opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a
law had been given that was able to give life, then righteousness would
certainly have come by the law.
22 But the scripture imprisoned everything under sin so that the promise could
be given– because of the faithfulness of Jesus Christ– to those who believe.
23 Sons of God Are Heirs of Promise Now before faith came we were held in
custody under the law, being kept as prisoners until the coming faith would be
revealed.
24 Thus the law had become our guardian until Christ, so that we could be
declared righteous by faith.
25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.
26 For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith.
27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with
Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is
neither male nor female– for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs
according to the promise.

Chapter 4

1 Now I mean that the heir, as long as he is a minor, is no different from a
slave, though he is the owner of everything.
2 But he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father.
3 So also we, when we were minors, were enslaved under the basic forces of the
world.
4 But when the appropriate time had come, God sent out his Son, born of a woman,
born under the law,
5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we may be adopted as sons with
full rights.
6 And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, who
calls“Abba! Father!”
7 So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if you are a son, then you are
also an heir through God.
8 Heirs of Promise Are Not to Return to Law Formerly when you did not know God,
you were enslaved to beings that by nature are not gods at all.
9 But now that you have come to know God(or rather to be known by God), how can
you turn back again to the weak and worthless basic forces? Do you want to be
enslaved to them all over again?
10 You are observing religious days and months and seasons and years.
11 I fear for you that my work for you may have been in vain.
12 I beg you, brothers and sisters, become like me, because I have become like
you. You have done me no wrong!
13 Personal Appeal of Paul But you know it was because of a physical illness
that I first proclaimed the gospel to you,
14 and though my physical condition put you to the test, you did not despise or
reject me. Instead, you welcomed me as though I were an angel of God, as though
I were Christ Jesus himself!
15 Where then is your sense of happiness now? For I testify about you that if it
were possible, you would have pulled out your eyes and given them to me!
16 So then, have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?
17 They court you eagerly, but for no good purpose; they want to exclude you, so
that you would seek them eagerly.
18 However, it is good to be sought eagerly for a good purpose at all times, and
not only when I am present with you.
19 My children– I am again undergoing birth pains until Christ is formed in
you!
20 I wish I could be with you now and change my tone of voice, because I am
perplexed about you.
21 An Appeal from Allegory Tell me, you who want to be under the law, do you not
understand the law?
22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the
other by the free woman.
23 But one, the son by the slave woman, was born by natural descent, while the
other, the son by the free woman, was born through the promise.
24 These things may be treated as an allegory, for these women represent two
covenants. One is from Mount Sinai bearing children for slavery; this is Hagar.
25 Now Hagar represents Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present
Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.
26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.
27 For it is written:“Rejoice, O barren woman who does not bear children;
break forth and shout, you who have no birth pains, because the children of the
desolate woman are more numerous than those of the woman who has a husband.”
28 But you, brothers and sisters, are children of the promise like Isaac.
29 But just as at that time the one born by natural descent persecuted the one
born according to the Spirit, so it is now.
30 But what does the scripture say?“Throw out the slave woman and her son, for
the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the son” of the
free woman.
31 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman but
of the free woman.

Chapter 5

1 Freedom of the Believer For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then,
and do not be subject again to the yoke of slavery.
2 Listen! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ
will be of no benefit to you at all!
3 And I testify again to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is
obligated to obey the whole law.
4 You who are trying to be declared righteous by the law have been alienated
from Christ; you have fallen away from grace!
5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we wait expectantly for the hope of
righteousness.
6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision carries any
weight– the only thing that matters is faith working through love.
7 You were running well; who prevented you from obeying the truth?
8 This persuasion does not come from the one who calls you!
9 A little yeast makes the whole batch of dough rise!
10 I am confident in the Lord that you will accept no other view. But the one
who is confusing you will pay the penalty, whoever he may be.
11 Now, brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I
still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed.
12 I wish those agitators would go so far as to castrate themselves!
13 Practice Love For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do
not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh, but through love
serve one another.
14 For the whole law can be summed up in a single commandment, namely,“You
must love your neighbor as yourself.”
15 However, if you continually bite and devour one another, beware that you are
not consumed by one another.
16 But I say, live by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the
flesh.
17 For the flesh has desires that are opposed to the Spirit, and the Spirit has
desires that are opposed to the flesh, for these are in opposition to each
other, so that you cannot do what you want.
18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity,
depravity,
20 idolatry, sorcery, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish
rivalries, dissensions, factions,
21 envying, murder, drunkenness, carousing, and similar things. I am warning
you, as I had warned you before: Those who practice such things will not inherit
the kingdom of God!
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
24 Now those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and
desires.
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also behave in accordance with the Spirit.
26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, being jealous of one
another.

Chapter 6

1 Support One Another Brothers and sisters, if a person is discovered in some
sin, you who are spiritual restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness. Pay
close attention to yourselves, so that you are not tempted too.
2 Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of
Christ.
3 For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
4 Let each one examine his own work. Then he can take pride in himself and not
compare himself with someone else.
5 For each one will carry his own load.
6 Now the one who receives instruction in the word must share all good things
with the one who teaches it.
7 Do not be deceived. God will not be made a fool. For a person will reap what
he sows,
8 because the person who sows to his own flesh will reap corruption from the
flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the
Spirit.
9 So we must not grow weary in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we
do not give up.
10 So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us do good to all people, and
especially to those who belong to the family of faith.
11 Final Instructions and Benediction See what big letters I make as I write to
you with my own hand!
12 Those who want to make a good showing in external matters are trying to force
you to be circumcised. They do so only to avoid being persecuted for the cross
of Christ.
13 For those who are circumcised do not obey the law themselves, but they want
you to be circumcised so that they can boast about your flesh.
14 But may I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through
which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
15 For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the only
thing that matters is a new creation!
16 And all who will behave in accordance with this rule, peace and mercy be on
them, and on the Israel of God.
17 From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear the marks of Jesus on my
body.
18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters.
Amen.


Ephesians

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Salutation From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the
saints[in Ephesus], the faithful in Christ Jesus.
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
3 Spiritual Blessings in Christ Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms
in Christ.
4 For he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be
holy and blameless before him in love.
5 He did this by predestining us to adoption as his legal heirs through Jesus
Christ, according to the pleasure of his will–
6 to the praise of the glory of his grace that he has freely bestowed on us in
his dearly loved Son.
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our offenses,
according to the riches of his grace
8 that he lavished on us in all wisdom and insight.
9 He did this when he revealed to us the mystery of his will, according to his
good pleasure that he set forth in Christ,
10 toward the administration of the fullness of the times, to head up all things
in Christ– the things in heaven and the things on earth.
11 In Christ we too have been claimed as God’s own possession, since we were
predestined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things
according to the counsel of his will
12 so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, would be to the
praise of his glory.
13 And when you heard the word of truth(the gospel of your salvation)– when
you believed in Christ– you were marked with the seal of the promised Holy
Spirit,
14 who is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of God’s
own possession, to the praise of his glory.
15 Prayer for Wisdom and Revelation For this reason, because I have heard of
your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,
16 I do not cease to give thanks for you when I remember you in my prayers.
17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, will give
you spiritual wisdom and revelation in your growing knowledge of him,
18 – since the eyes of your heart have been enlightened– so that you can
know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious
inheritance in the saints,
19 and what is the incomparable greatness of his power toward us who believe, as
displayed in the exercise of his immense strength.
20 This power he exercised in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated
him at his right hand in the heavenly realms
21 far above every rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that
is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
22 And God put all things under Christ’s feet, and gave him to the church as
head over all things.
23 Now the church is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Chapter 2

1 New Life Individually And although you were dead in your offenses and sins,
2 in which you formerly lived according to this world’s present path,
according to the ruler of the domain of the air, the ruler of the spirit that is
now energizing the sons of disobedience,
3 among whom all of us also formerly lived out our lives in the cravings of our
flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature
children of wrath even as the rest…
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved
us,
5 even though we were dead in offenses, made us alive together with Christ– by
grace you are saved!–
6 and he raised us up together with him and seated us together with him in the
heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
7 to demonstrate in the coming ages the surpassing wealth of his grace in
kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it
is the gift of God;
9 it is not from works, so that no one can boast.
10 For we are his creative work, having been created in Christ Jesus for good
works that God prepared beforehand so we can do them.
11 New Life Corporately Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in
the flesh– who are called“uncircumcision” by the
so-called“circumcision” that is performed on the body by human hands–
12 that you were at that time without the Messiah, alienated from the
citizenship of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope
and without God in the world.
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who used to be far away have been brought near by
the blood of Christ.
14 For he is our peace, the one who made both groups into one and who destroyed
the middle wall of partition, the hostility,
15 when he nullified in his flesh the law of commandments in decrees. He did
this to create in himself one new man out of two, thus making peace,
16 and to reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by which the
hostility has been killed.
17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who
were near,
18 so that through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
19 So then you are no longer foreigners and noncitizens, but you are fellow
citizens with the saints and members of God’s household,
20 because you have been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.
21 In him the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in
the Lord,
22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the
Spirit.

Chapter 3

1 Paul’s Relationship to the Divine Mystery For this reason I, Paul, the
prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles
2 if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to
me for you,
3 that by revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I wrote before
briefly.
4 When reading this, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery
of Christ
5 (which was not disclosed to people in former generations as it has now been
revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit),
6 namely, that through the gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members
of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus.
7 I became a servant of this gospel according to the gift of God’s grace that
was given to me by the exercise of his power.
8 To me– less than the least of all the saints– this grace was given, to
proclaim to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ
9 and to enlighten everyone about God’s secret plan– the mystery that has
been hidden for ages in God who has created all things.
10 The purpose of this enlightenment is that through the church the multifaceted
wisdom of God should now be disclosed to the rulers and the authorities in the
heavenly realms.
11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ
Jesus our Lord,
12 in whom we have boldness and confident access to God by way of Christ’s
faithfulness.
13 For this reason I ask you not to lose heart because of what I am suffering
for you, which is your glory.
14 Prayer for Strengthened Love For this reason I kneel before the Father,
15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.
16 I pray that according to the wealth of his glory he will grant you to be
strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person,
17 that Christ will dwell in your hearts through faith, so that, because you
have been rooted and grounded in love,
18 you will be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and
length and height and depth,
19 and thus to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you
will be filled up to all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who by the power that is working within us is able to do far
beyond all that we ask or think,
21 to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations,
forever and ever. Amen.

Chapter 4

1 Live in Unity I, therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live
worthily of the calling with which you have been called,
2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, putting up with one another
in love,
3 making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you too were called to the one hope
of your calling,
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s
gift.
8 Therefore it says,“When he ascended on high he captured captives; he gave
gifts to men.”
9 Now what is the meaning of“he ascended,” except that he also descended to
the lower regions, namely, the earth?
10 He, the very one who descended, is also the one who ascended above all the
heavens, in order to fill all things.
11 And he himself gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists,
and some as pastors and teachers,
12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, that is, to build up the body
of Christ,
13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son
of God– a mature person, attaining to the measure of Christ’s full stature.
14 So we are no longer to be children, tossed back and forth by waves and
carried about by every wind of teaching by the trickery of people who craftily
carry out their deceitful schemes.
15 But practicing the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ,
who is the head.
16 From him the whole body grows, fitted and held together through every
supporting ligament. As each one does its part, the body builds itself up in
love.
17 Live in Holiness So I say this, and insist in the Lord, that you no longer
live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.
18 They are darkened in their understanding, being alienated from the life of
God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their
hearts.
19 Because they are callous, they have given themselves over to indecency for
the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.
20 But you did not learn about Christ like this,
21 if indeed you heard about him and were taught in him, just as the truth is in
Jesus.
22 You were taught with reference to your former way of life to lay aside the
old man who is being corrupted in accordance with deceitful desires,
23 to be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
24 and to put on the new man who has been created in God’s image– in
righteousness and holiness that comes from truth.
25 Therefore, having laid aside falsehood, each one of you speak the truth with
his neighbor, because we are members of one another.
26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on the cause of your
anger.
27 Do not give the devil an opportunity.
28 The one who steals must steal no longer; instead he must labor, doing good
with his own hands, so that he will have something to share with the one who has
need.
29 You must let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but only what is
beneficial for the building up of the one in need, that it would give grace to
those who hear.
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day
of redemption.
31 You must put away all bitterness, anger, wrath, quarreling, and slanderous
talk– indeed all malice.
32 Instead, be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just
as God in Christ also forgave you.

Chapter 5

1 Live in Love Therefore, be imitators of God as dearly loved children
2 and live in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a
sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.
3 But among you there must not be either sexual immorality, impurity of any
kind, or greed, as these are not fitting for the saints.
4 Neither should there be vulgar speech, foolish talk, or coarse jesting– all
of which are out of character– but rather thanksgiving.
5 For you can be confident of this one thing: that no person who is immoral,
impure, or greedy(such a person is an idolater) has any inheritance in the
kingdom of Christ and God.
6 Live in the Light Let nobody deceive you with empty words, for because of
these things God’s wrath comes on the sons of disobedience.
7 Therefore do not be sharers with them,
8 for you were at one time darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live
like children of light–
9 for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and
truth–
10 trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.
11 Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather expose
them.
12 For the things they do in secret are shameful even to mention.
13 But all things being exposed by the light are made visible.
14 For everything made visible is light, and for this reason it says:“Awake, O
sleeper! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you!”
15 Live Wisely Therefore consider carefully how you live– not as unwise but as
wise,
16 taking advantage of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
17 For this reason do not be foolish, but be wise by understanding what the
Lord’s will is.
18 And do not get drunk with wine, which is debauchery, but be filled by the
Spirit,
19 speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and
making music in your hearts to the Lord,
20 always giving thanks to God the Father for each other in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ,
21 and submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
22 Exhortations to Households Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord,
23 because the husband is the head of the wife as also Christ is the head of the
church(he himself being the savior of the body).
24 But as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their
husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself
for her
26 to sanctify her by cleansing her with the washing of the water by the word,
27 so that he may present the church to himself as glorious– not having a
stain or wrinkle, or any such blemish, but holy and blameless.
28 In the same way husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He
who loves his wife loves himself.
29 For no one has ever hated his own body, but he feeds it and takes care of it,
just as Christ also does the church,
30 because we are members of his body.
31 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be joined to
his wife, and the two will become one flesh.
32 This mystery is great– but I am actually speaking with reference to Christ
and the church.
33 Nevertheless, each one of you must also love his own wife as he loves
himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Chapter 6

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
2 “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment accompanied
by a promise, namely,
3 “that it will go well with you and that you will live a long time on the
earth.”
4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but raise them up in the
discipline and instruction of the Lord.
5 Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of
your heart, as to Christ,
6 not like those who do their work only when someone is watching– as
people-pleasers– but as slaves of Christ doing the will of God from the heart.
7 Obey with enthusiasm, as though serving the Lord and not people,
8 because you know that each person, whether slave or free, if he does something
good, this will be rewarded by the Lord.
9 Masters, treat your slaves the same way, giving up the use of threats, because
you know that both you and they have the same master in heaven, and there is no
favoritism with him.
10 Exhortations for Spiritual Warfare Finally, be strengthened in the Lord and
in the strength of his power.
11 Clothe yourselves with the full armor of God, so that you will be able to
stand against the schemes of the devil.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers,
against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the
spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.
13 For this reason, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to
stand your ground on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand.
14 Stand firm therefore, by fastening the belt of truth around your waist, by
putting on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 by fitting your feet with the preparation that comes from the good news of
peace,
16 and in all of this, by taking up the shield of faith with which you can
extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit(which is the
word of God).
18 With every prayer and petition, pray at all times in the Spirit, and to this
end be alert, with all perseverance and petitions for all the saints.
19 Pray for me also, that I may be given the right words when I begin to
speak– that I may confidently make known the mystery of the gospel,
20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may be able to speak
boldly as I ought to speak.
21 Farewell Comments Tychicus, my dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord,
will make everything known to you, so that you too may know about my
circumstances, how I am doing.
22 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know our
circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts.
23 Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith, from God the Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.


Philippians

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Salutation From Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus, to all the saints
in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the overseers and deacons.
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
3 Prayer for the Church I thank my God every time I remember you.
4 I always pray with joy in my every prayer for all of you
5 because of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.
6 For I am sure of this very thing, that the one who began a good work in you
will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
7 For it is right for me to think this about all of you, because I have you in
my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of
the gospel all of you became partners in God’s grace together with me.
8 For God is my witness that I long for all of you with the affection of Christ
Jesus.
9 And I pray this, that your love may abound even more and more in knowledge and
every kind of insight
10 so that you can decide what is best, and thus be sincere and blameless for
the day of Christ,
11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the
glory and praise of God.
12 Ministry as a Prisoner I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that my
situation has actually turned out to advance the gospel:
13 The whole imperial guard and everyone else knows that I am in prison for the
sake of Christ,
14 and most of the brothers and sisters, having confidence in the Lord because
of my imprisonment, now more than ever dare to speak the word fearlessly.
15 Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from
goodwill.
16 The latter do so from love because they know that I am placed here for the
defense of the gospel.
17 The former proclaim Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, because they
think they can cause trouble for me in my imprisonment.
18 What is the result? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth,
Christ is being proclaimed, and in this I rejoice.Yes, and I will continue to
rejoice,
19 for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers
and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
20 My confident hope is that I will in no way be ashamed but that with complete
boldness, even now as always, Christ will be exalted in my body, whether I live
or die.
21 For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain.
22 Now if I am to go on living in the body, this will mean productive work for
me, yet I don’t know which I prefer:
23 I feel torn between the two, because I have a desire to depart and be with
Christ, which is better by far,
24 but it is more vital for your sake that I remain in the body.
25 And since I am sure of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all
of you for the sake of your progress and joy in the faith,
26 so that what you can be proud of may increase because of me in Christ Jesus,
when I come back to you.
27 Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ so that–
whether I come and see you or whether I remain absent– I should hear that you
are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, by contending side by side for
the faith of the gospel,
28 and by not being intimidated in any way by your opponents. This is a sign of
their destruction, but of your salvation– a sign which is from God.
29 For it has been granted to you not only to believe in Christ but also to
suffer for him,
30 since you are encountering the same conflict that you saw me face and now
hear that I am facing.

Chapter 2

1 Christian Unity and Christ’s Humility Therefore, if there is any
encouragement in Christ, any comfort provided by love, any fellowship in the
Spirit, any affection or mercy,
2 complete my joy and be of the same mind, by having the same love, being united
in spirit, and having one purpose.
3 Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should,
in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself.
4 Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about
the interests of others as well.
5 You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had,
6 who though he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God as
something to be grasped,
7 but emptied himself by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other
men, and by sharing in human nature.
8 He humbled himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death– even death
on a cross!
9 As a result God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every
name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow– in heaven and on earth
and under the earth–
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the
Father.
12 Lights in the World So then, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed,
not only in my presence but even more in my absence, continue working out your
salvation with awe and reverence,
13 for the one bringing forth in you both the desire and the effort– for the
sake of his good pleasure– is God.
14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing,
15 so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without blemish though
you live in a crooked and perverse society, in which you shine as lights in the
world
16 by holding on to the word of life so that on the day of Christ I will have a
reason to boast that I did not run in vain nor labor in vain.
17 But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and
service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice together with all of you.
18 And in the same way you also should be glad and rejoice together with me.
19 Models for Ministry Now I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon,
so that I too may be encouraged by hearing news about you.
20 For there is no one here like him who will readily demonstrate his deep
concern for you.
21 Others are busy with their own concerns, not those of Jesus Christ.
22 But you know his qualifications, that like a son working with his father, he
served with me in advancing the gospel.
23 So I hope to send him as soon as I know more about my situation,
24 though I am confident in the Lord that I too will be coming to see you soon.
25 But for now I have considered it necessary to send Epaphroditus to you. For
he is my brother, coworker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister
to me in my need.
26 Indeed, he greatly missed all of you and was distressed because you heard
that he had been ill.
27 In fact he became so ill that he nearly died. But God showed mercy to him–
and not to him only, but also to me– so that I would not have grief on top of
grief.
28 Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again
you can rejoice and I can be free from anxiety.
29 So welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him,
30 since it was because of the work of Christ that he almost died. He risked his
life so that he could make up for your inability to serve me.

Chapter 3

1 True and False Righteousness Finally, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the
Lord! To write this again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.
2 Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate
the flesh!
3 For we are the circumcision, the ones who worship by the Spirit of God, exult
in Christ Jesus, and do not rely on human credentials
4 – though mine too are significant. If someone thinks he has good reasons to
put confidence in human credentials, I have more:
5 I was circumcised on the eighth day, from the people of Israel and the tribe
of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews. I lived according to the law as a Pharisee.
6 In my zeal for God I persecuted the church. According to the righteousness
stipulated in the law I was blameless.
7 But these assets I have come to regard as liabilities because of Christ.
8 More than that, I now regard all things as liabilities compared to the far
greater value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss
of all things– indeed, I regard them as dung!– that I may gain Christ,
9 and be found in him, not because I have my own righteousness derived from the
law, but because I have the righteousness that comes by way of Christ’s
faithfulness– a righteousness from God that is in fact based on Christ’s
faithfulness.
10 My aim is to know him, to experience the power of his resurrection, to share
in his sufferings, and to be like him in his death,
11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
12 Keep Going Forward Not that I have already attained this– that is, I have
not already been perfected– but I strive to lay hold of that for which Christ
Jesus also laid hold of me.
13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have attained this. Instead
I am single-minded: Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for
the things that are ahead,
14 with this goal in mind, I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God
in Christ Jesus.
15 Therefore let those of us who are“perfect” embrace this point of view. If
you think otherwise, God will reveal to you the error of your ways.
16 Nevertheless, let us live up to the standard that we have already attained.
17 Be imitators of me, brothers and sisters, and watch carefully those who are
living this way, just as you have us as an example.
18 For many live, about whom I have often told you, and now, with tears, I tell
you that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ.
19 Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, they exult in their shame,
and they think about earthly things.
20 But our citizenship is in heaven– and we also eagerly await a savior from
there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
21 who will transform these humble bodies of ours into the likeness of his
glorious body by means of that power by which he is able to subject all things
to himself.

Chapter 4

1 Christian Practices So then, my brothers and sisters, dear friends whom I long
to see, my joy and crown, stand in the Lord in this way, my dear friends!
2 I appeal to Euodia and to Syntyche to agree in the Lord.
3 Yes, I say also to you, true companion, help them. They have struggled
together in the gospel ministry along with me and Clement and my other
coworkers, whose names are in the book of life.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice!
5 Let everyone see your gentleness. The Lord is near!
6 Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer
and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God.
7 And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts
and minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of
respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is
commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these
things.
9 And what you learned and received and heard and saw in me, do these things.
And the God of peace will be with you.
10 Appreciation for Support I have great joy in the Lord because now at last you
have again expressed your concern for me.(Now I know you were concerned before
but had no opportunity to do anything.)
11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content
in any circumstance.
12 I have experienced times of need and times of abundance. In any and every
circumstance I have learned the secret of contentment, whether I go satisfied or
hungry, have plenty or nothing.
13 I am able to do all things through the one who strengthens me.
14 Nevertheless, you did well to share with me in my trouble.
15 And as you Philippians know, at the beginning of my gospel ministry, when I
left Macedonia, no church shared with me in this matter of giving and receiving
except you alone.
16 For even in Thessalonica on more than one occasion you sent something for my
need.
17 I do not say this because I am seeking a gift. Rather, I seek the credit that
abounds to your account.
18 For I have received everything, and I have plenty. I have all I need because
I received from Epaphroditus what you sent– a fragrant offering, an acceptable
sacrifice, very pleasing to God.
19 And my God will supply your every need according to his glorious riches in
Christ Jesus.
20 May glory be given to God our Father forever and ever. Amen.
21 Final Greetings Give greetings to all the saints in Christ Jesus. The
brothers with me here send greetings.
22 All the saints greet you, especially those who belong to Caesar’s
household.
23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.


Colossians

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Salutation From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and
Timothy our brother,
2 to the saints, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ, at Colossae. Grace
and peace to you from God our Father!
3 Paul’s Thanksgiving and Prayer for the Church We always give thanks to God,
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
4 since we heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for
all the saints.
5 Your faith and love have arisen from the hope laid up for you in heaven, which
you have heard about in the message of truth, the gospel
6 that has come to you. Just as in the entire world this gospel is bearing fruit
and growing, so it has also been bearing fruit and growing among you from the
first day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth.
7 You learned the gospel from Epaphras, our dear fellow slave– a faithful
minister of Christ on our behalf–
8 who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
9 Paul’s Prayer for the Growth of the Church For this reason we also, from the
day we heard about you, have not ceased praying for you and asking God to fill
you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
10 so that you may live worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects–
bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God,
11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the
display of all patience and steadfastness, joyfully
12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the saints’
inheritance in the light.
13 He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom
of the Son he loves,
14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
15 The Supremacy of Christ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn
over all creation,
16 for all things in heaven and on earth were created in him– all things,
whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether
principalities or powers– all things were created through him and for him.
17 He himself is before all things and all things are held together in him.
18 He is the head of the body, the church, as well as the beginning, the
firstborn from the dead, so that he himself may become first in all things.
19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in the Son
20 and through him to reconcile all things to himself by making peace through
the blood of his cross– through him, whether things on earth or things in
heaven.
21 Paul’s Goal in Ministry And you were at one time strangers and enemies in
your minds as expressed through your evil deeds,
22 but now he has reconciled you by his physical body through death to present
you holy, without blemish, and blameless before him–
23 if indeed you remain in the faith, established and firm, without shifting
from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has also been preached
in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become its servant.
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my physical body–
for the sake of his body, the church– what is lacking in the sufferings of
Christ.
25 I became a servant of the church according to the stewardship from God–
given to me for you– in order to complete the word of God,
26 that is, the mystery that has been kept hidden from ages and generations, but
has now been revealed to his saints.
27 God wanted to make known to them the glorious riches of this mystery among
the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
28 We proclaim him by instructing and teaching all people with all wisdom so
that we may present every person mature in Christ.
29 Toward this goal I also labor, struggling according to his power that
powerfully works in me.

Chapter 2

1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you, and for those in
Laodicea, and for those who have not met me face to face.
2 My goal is that their hearts, having been knit together in love, may be
encouraged, and that they may have all the riches that assurance brings in their
understanding of the knowledge of the mystery of God, namely, Christ,
3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
4 I say this so that no one will deceive you through arguments that sound
reasonable.
5 For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit,
rejoicing to see your morale and the firmness of your faith in Christ.
6 Warnings Against the Adoption of False Philosophies Therefore, just as you
received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him,
7 rooted and built up in him and firm in your faith just as you were taught, and
overflowing with thankfulness.
8 Be careful not to allow anyone to captivate you through an empty, deceitful
philosophy that is according to human traditions and the elemental spirits of
the world, and not according to Christ.
9 For in him all the fullness of deity lives in bodily form,
10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head over every ruler and
authority.
11 In him you also were circumcised– not, however, with a circumcision
performed by human hands, but by the removal of the fleshly body, that is,
through the circumcision done by Christ.
12 Having been buried with him in baptism, you also have been raised with him
through your faith in the power of God who raised him from the dead.
13 And even though you were dead in your transgressions and in the
uncircumcision of your flesh, he nevertheless made you alive with him, having
forgiven all your transgressions.
14 He has destroyed what was against us, a certificate of indebtedness expressed
in decrees opposed to us. He has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.
15 Disarming the rulers and authorities, he has made a public disgrace of them,
triumphing over them by the cross.
16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you with respect to food or drink, or in
the matter of a feast, new moon, or Sabbath days–
17 these are only the shadow of the things to come, but the reality is Christ!
18 Let no one who delights in false humility and the worship of angels pass
judgment on you. That person goes on at great lengths about what he has
supposedly seen, but he is puffed up with empty notions by his fleshly mind.
19 He has not held fast to the head from whom the whole body, supported and knit
together through its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God.
20 If you have died with Christ to the elemental spirits of the world, why do
you submit to them as though you lived in the world?
21 “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”
22 These are all destined to perish with use, founded as they are on human
commands and teachings.
23 Even though they have the appearance of wisdom with their self-imposed
worship and humility achieved by an unsparing treatment of the body– a wisdom
with no true value– they in reality result in fleshly indulgence.

Chapter 3

1 Exhortations to Seek the Things Above Therefore, if you have been raised with
Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand
of God.
2 Keep thinking about things above, not things on the earth,
3 for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
4 When Christ(who is your life) appears, then you too will be revealed in glory
with him.
5 So put to death whatever in your nature belongs to the earth: sexual
immorality, impurity, shameful passion, evil desire, and greed which is
idolatry.
6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of
disobedience.
7 You also lived your lives in this way at one time, when you used to live among
them.
8 But now, put off all such things as anger, rage, malice, slander, abusive
language from your mouth.
9 Do not lie to one another since you have put off the old man with its
practices
10 and have been clothed with the new man that is being renewed in knowledge
according to the image of the one who created it.
11 Here there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian,
Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all and in all.
12 Exhortation to Unity and Love Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and dearly
loved, clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness,
and patience,
13 bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if someone happens to
have a complaint against anyone else. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you
also forgive others.
14 And to all these virtues add love, which is the perfect bond.
15 Let the peace of Christ be in control in your heart(for you were in fact
called as one body to this peace), and be thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and exhorting one
another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, all with
grace in your hearts to God.
17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.
18 Exhortation to Households Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in
the Lord.
19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them.
20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing in the Lord.
21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, so they will not become disheartened.
22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in every respect, not only when they are
watching– like those who are strictly people-pleasers– but with a sincere
heart, fearing the Lord.
23 Whatever you are doing, work at it with enthusiasm, as to the Lord and not
for people,
24 because you know that you will receive your inheritance from the Lord as the
reward. Serve the Lord Christ.
25 For the one who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there are no
exceptions.

Chapter 4

1 Masters, treat your slaves with justice and fairness, because you know that
you also have a master in heaven.
2 Exhortation to Pray for the Success of Paul’s Mission Be devoted to prayer,
keeping alert in it with thanksgiving.
3 At the same time pray for us too, that God may open a door for the message so
that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.
4 Pray that I may make it known as I should.
5 Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the
opportunities.
6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know
how you should answer everyone.
7 Personal Greetings and Instructions Tychicus, a dear brother, faithful
minister, and fellow slave in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me.
8 I sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are doing
and that he may encourage your hearts.
9 I sent him with Onesimus, the faithful and dear brother, who is one of you.
They will tell you about everything here.
10 Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you greetings, as does Mark, the
cousin of Barnabas(about whom you received instructions; if he comes to you,
welcome him).
11 And Jesus who is called Justus also sends greetings. In terms of Jewish
converts, these are the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they
have been a comfort to me.
12 Epaphras, who is one of you and a slave of Christ, greets you. He is always
struggling in prayer on your behalf, so that you may stand mature and fully
assured in all the will of God.
13 For I can testify that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea
and Hierapolis.
14 Our dear friend Luke the physician and Demas greet you.
15 Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters who are in Laodicea and to
Nympha and the church that meets in her house.
16 And after you have read this letter, have it read to the church of Laodicea.
In turn, read the letter from Laodicea as well.
17 And tell Archippus,“See to it that you complete the ministry you received
in the Lord.”
18 I, Paul, write this greeting by my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be
with you.


1 Thessalonians

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Salutation From Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the
Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace and peace to
you!
2 Thanksgiving for Response to the Gospel We thank God always for all of you as
we mention you constantly in our prayers,
3 because we recall in the presence of our God and Father your work of faith and
labor of love and endurance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
4 We know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you,
5 in that our gospel did not come to you merely in words, but in power and in
the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction(surely you recall the character we
displayed when we came among you to help you).
6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, when you received the message
with joy that comes from the Holy Spirit, despite great affliction.
7 As a result you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in
Achaia.
8 For from you the message of the Lord has echoed forth not just in Macedonia
and Achaia, but in every place reports of your faith in God have spread, so that
we do not need to say anything.
9 For people everywhere report how you welcomed us and how you turned to God
from idols to serve the living and true God
10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus our
deliverer from the coming wrath.

Chapter 2

1 Paul’s Ministry in Thessalonica For you yourselves know, brothers and
sisters, about our coming to you– it has not proven to be purposeless.
2 But although we suffered earlier and were mistreated in Philippi, as you know,
we had the courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of
much opposition.
3 For the appeal we make does not come from error or impurity or with deceit,
4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so
we declare it, not to please people but God, who examines our hearts.
5 For we never appeared with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext
for greed– God is our witness–
6 nor to seek glory from people, either from you or from others,
7 although we could have imposed our weight as apostles of Christ; instead we
became little children among you. Like a nursing mother caring for her own
children,
8 with such affection for you we were happy to share with you not only the
gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.
9 For you recall, brothers and sisters, our toil and drudgery: By working night
and day so as not to impose a burden on any of you, we preached to you the
gospel of God.
10 You are witnesses, and so is God, as to how holy and righteous and blameless
our conduct was toward you who believe.
11 As you know, we treated each one of you as a father treats his own children,
12 exhorting and encouraging you and insisting that you live in a way worthy of
God who calls you to his own kingdom and his glory.
13 And so we too constantly thank God that when you received God’s message
that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human message, but as it truly
is, God’s message, which is at work among you who believe.
14 For you became imitators, brothers and sisters, of God’s churches in Christ
Jesus that are in Judea, because you too suffered the same things from your own
countrymen as they in fact did from the Jews,
15 who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets and persecuted us severely.
They are displeasing to God and are opposed to all people,
16 because they hinder us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be
saved. Thus they constantly fill up their measure of sins, but wrath has come
upon them completely.
17 Forced Absence from Thessalonica But when we were separated from you,
brothers and sisters, for a short time(in presence, not in affection) we became
all the more fervent in our great desire to see you in person.
18 For we wanted to come to you(I, Paul, in fact tried again and again) but
Satan thwarted us.
19 For who is our hope or joy or crown to boast of before our Lord Jesus at his
coming? Is it not of course you?
20 For you are our glory and joy!

Chapter 3

1 So when we could bear it no longer, we decided to stay on in Athens alone.
2 We sent Timothy, our brother and fellow worker for God in the gospel of
Christ, to strengthen you and encourage you about your faith,
3 so that no one would be shaken by these afflictions. For you yourselves know
that we are destined for this.
4 For in fact when we were with you, we were telling you in advance that we
would suffer affliction, and so it has happened, as you well know.
5 So when I could bear it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith, for
fear that the tempter somehow tempted you and our toil had proven useless.
6 But now Timothy has come to us from you and given us the good news of your
faith and love and that you always think of us with affection and long to see us
just as we also long to see you!
7 So in all our distress and affliction, we were reassured about you, brothers
and sisters, through your faith.
8 For now we are alive again, if you stand firm in the Lord.
9 For how can we thank God enough for you, for all the joy we feel because of
you before our God?
10 We pray earnestly night and day to see you in person and make up what may be
lacking in your faith.
11 Now may God our Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you.
12 And may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another and
for all, just as we do for you,
13 so that your hearts are strengthened in holiness to be blameless before our
God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

Chapter 4

1 A Life Pleasing to God Finally then, brothers and sisters, we ask you and urge
you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received instruction from us about how you
must live and please God(as you are in fact living) that you do so more and
more.
2 For you know what commands we gave you through the Lord Jesus.
3 For this is God’s will: that you become holy, that you keep away from sexual
immorality,
4 that each of you know how to possess his own body in holiness and honor,
5 not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know God.
6 In this matter no one should violate the rights of his brother or take
advantage of him, because the Lord is the avenger in all these cases, as we also
told you earlier and warned you solemnly.
7 For God did not call us to impurity but in holiness.
8 Consequently the one who rejects this is not rejecting human authority but
God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.
9 Now on the topic of brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write you,
for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another.
10 And indeed you are practicing it toward all the brothers and sisters in all
of Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more,
11 to aspire to lead a quiet life, to attend to your own business, and to work
with your own hands, as we commanded you.
12 In this way you will live a decent life before outsiders and not be in need.
13 The Lord Returns for Believers Now we do not want you to be uninformed,
brothers and sisters, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve
like the rest who have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also we believe that God
will bring with him those who have fallen asleep as Christians.
15 For we tell you this by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are
left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not go ahead of those who have
fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with
the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ
will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be suddenly caught up together with
them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with
the Lord.
18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Chapter 5

1 The Day of the Lord Now on the topic of times and seasons, brothers and
sisters, you have no need for anything to be written to you.
2 For you know quite well that the day of the Lord will come in the same way as
a thief in the night.
3 Now when they are saying,“There is peace and security,” then sudden
destruction comes on them, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will
surely not escape.
4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in the darkness for the day to overtake
you like a thief would.
5 For you all are sons of the light and sons of the day. We are not of the night
nor of the darkness.
6 So then we must not sleep as the rest, but must stay alert and sober.
7 For those who sleep, sleep at night and those who get drunk are drunk at
night.
8 But since we are of the day, we must stay sober by putting on the breastplate
of faith and love and as a helmet our hope for salvation.
9 For God did not destine us for wrath but for gaining salvation through our
Lord Jesus Christ.
10 He died for us so that whether we are alert or asleep we will come to life
together with him.
11 Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, just as you are in
fact doing.
12 Final Instructions Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those
who labor among you and preside over you in the Lord and admonish you,
13 and to esteem them most highly in love because of their work. Be at peace
among yourselves.
14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, admonish the undisciplined, comfort
the discouraged, help the weak, be patient toward all.
15 See that no one pays back evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is
good for one another and for all.
16 Always rejoice,
17 constantly pray,
18 in everything give thanks. For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Do not extinguish the Spirit.
20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt.
21 But examine all things; hold fast to what is good.
22 Stay away from every form of evil.
23 Conclusion Now may the God of peace himself make you completely holy and may
your spirit and soul and body be kept entirely blameless at the coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
24 He who calls you is trustworthy, and he will in fact do this.
25 Brothers and sisters, pray for us too.
26 Greet all the brothers and sisters with a holy kiss.
27 I call on you solemnly in the Lord to have this letter read to all the
brothers and sisters.
28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.


2 Thessalonians

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Salutation From Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the
Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
3 Thanksgiving We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters, and
rightly so, because your faith flourishes more and more and the love of each one
of you all for one another is ever greater.
4 As a result we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your
perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and afflictions you are enduring.
5 Encouragement in Persecution This is evidence of God’s righteous judgment,
to make you worthy of the kingdom of God, for which in fact you are suffering.
6 For it is right for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you,
7 and to you who are being afflicted to give rest together with us when the Lord
Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels.
8 With flaming fire he will mete out punishment on those who do not know God and
do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
9 They will undergo the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence
of the Lord and from the glory of his strength,
10 when he comes to be glorified among his saints and admired on that day among
all who have believed– and you did in fact believe our testimony.
11 And in this regard we pray for you always, that our God will make you worthy
of his calling and fulfill by his power your every desire for goodness and every
work of faith,
12 that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him,
according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Chapter 2

1 The Day of the Lord Now regarding the arrival of our Lord Jesus Christ and our
being gathered to be with him, we ask you, brothers and sisters,
2 not to be easily shaken from your composure or disturbed by any kind of spirit
or message or letter allegedly from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord
is already here.
3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not arrive until the
rebellion comes and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.
4 He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship,
and as a result he takes his seat in God’s temple, displaying himself as God.
5 Surely you recall that I used to tell you these things while I was still with
you.
6 And so you know what holds him back, so that he will be revealed in his own
time.
7 For the hidden power of lawlessness is already at work. However, the one who
holds him back will do so until he is taken out of the way,
8 and then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will destroy by the
breath of his mouth and wipe out by the manifestation of his arrival.
9 The arrival of the lawless one will be by Satan’s working with all kinds of
miracles and signs and false wonders,
10 and with every kind of evil deception directed against those who are
perishing, because they found no place in their hearts for the truth so as to be
saved.
11 Consequently God sends on them a deluding influence so that they will believe
what is false.
12 And so all of them who have not believed the truth but have delighted in evil
will be condemned.
13 Call to Stand Firm But we ought to thank God always for you, brothers and
sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning for
salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.
14 He called you to this salvation through our gospel, so that you may possess
the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
15 Therefore, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold on to the traditions
that we taught you, whether by speech or by letter.
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by
grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope,
17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good thing you do or say.

Chapter 3

1 Request for Prayer Finally, pray for us, brothers and sisters, that the
Lord’s message may spread quickly and be honored as in fact it was among you,
2 and that we may be delivered from perverse and evil people. For not all have
faith.
3 But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the
evil one.
4 And we are confident about you in the Lord that you are both doing– and will
do– what we are commanding.
5 Now may the Lord direct your hearts toward the love of God and the endurance
of Christ.
6 Response to the Undisciplined But we command you, brothers and sisters, in the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from any brother who lives an
undisciplined life and not according to the tradition they received from us.
7 For you know yourselves how you must imitate us, because we did not behave
without discipline among you,
8 and we did not eat anyone’s food without paying. Instead, in toil and
drudgery we worked night and day in order not to burden any of you.
9 It was not because we do not have that right, but to give ourselves as an
example for you to imitate.
10 For even when we were with you, we used to give you this command:“If anyone
is not willing to work, neither should he eat.”
11 For we hear that some among you are living an undisciplined life, not doing
their own work but meddling in the work of others.
12 Now such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly
and so provide their own food to eat.
13 But you, brothers and sisters, do not grow weary in doing what is right.
14 But if anyone does not obey our message through this letter, take note of him
and do not associate closely with him, so that he may be ashamed.
15 Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
16 Conclusion Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and
in every way. The Lord be with you all.
17 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand, which is how I write in every
letter.
18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.


1 Timothy

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Salutation From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our
Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,
2 to Timothy, my genuine child in the faith. Grace, mercy, and peace from God
the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord!
3 Timothy’s Task in Ephesus As I urged you when I was leaving for Macedonia,
stay on in Ephesus to instruct certain people not to spread false teachings,
4 nor to occupy themselves with myths and interminable genealogies. Such things
promote useless speculations rather than God’s redemptive plan that operates
by faith.
5 But the aim of our instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good
conscience, and a sincere faith.
6 Some have strayed from these and turned away to empty discussion.
7 They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not understand what they are
saying or the things they insist on so confidently.
8 But we know that the law is good if someone uses it legitimately,
9 realizing that law is not intended for a righteous person, but for lawless and
rebellious people, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for
those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers,
10 sexually immoral people, practicing homosexuals, kidnappers, liars,
perjurers– in fact, for any who live contrary to sound teaching.
11 This accords with the glorious gospel of the blessed God that was entrusted
to me.
12 I am grateful to the one who has strengthened me, Christ Jesus our Lord,
because he considered me faithful in putting me into ministry,
13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor, and an arrogant
man. But I was treated with mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief,
14 and our Lord’s grace was abundant, bringing faith and love in Christ Jesus.
15 This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance:“Christ Jesus came
into the world to save sinners”– and I am the worst of them!
16 But here is why I was treated with mercy: so that in me as the worst, Christ
Jesus could demonstrate his utmost patience, as an example for those who are
going to believe in him for eternal life.
17 Now to the eternal king, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and
glory forever and ever! Amen.
18 I put this charge before you, Timothy my child, in keeping with the
prophecies once spoken about you, in order that with such encouragement you may
fight the good fight.
19 To do this you must hold firmly to faith and a good conscience, which some
have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck in regard to the faith.
20 Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I handed over to Satan to be
taught not to blaspheme.

Chapter 2

1 Prayer for All People First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers,
intercessions, and thanks be offered on behalf of all people,
2 even for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a peaceful and
quiet life in all godliness and dignity.
3 Such prayer for all is good and welcomed before God our Savior,
4 since he wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
5 For there is one God and one intermediary between God and humanity, Christ
Jesus, himself human,
6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, revealing God’s purpose at his
appointed time.
7 For this I was appointed a preacher and apostle– I am telling the truth; I
am not lying– and a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
8 So I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger
or dispute.
9 Conduct of Women Likewise the women are to dress in suitable apparel, with
modesty and self-control. Their adornment must not be with braided hair and gold
or pearls or expensive clothing,
10 but with good deeds, as is proper for women who profess reverence for God.
11 A woman must learn quietly with all submissiveness.
12 But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man. She
must remain quiet.
13 For Adam was formed first and then Eve.
14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman, because she was fully deceived,
fell into transgression.
15 But she will be delivered through childbearing, if she continues in faith and
love and holiness with self-control.

Chapter 3

1 Qualifications for Overseers and Deacons This saying is trustworthy:“If
someone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a good work.”
2 The overseer then must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate,
self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, an able teacher,
3 not a drunkard, not violent, but gentle, not contentious, free from the love
of money.
4 He must manage his own household well and keep his children in control without
losing his dignity.
5 But if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care
for the church of God?
6 He must not be a recent convert or he may become arrogant and fall into the
punishment that the devil will exact.
7 And he must be well thought of by those outside the faith, so that he may not
fall into disgrace and be caught by the devil’s trap.
8 Deacons likewise must be dignified, not two-faced, not given to excessive
drinking, not greedy for gain,
9 holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
10 And these also must be tested first and then let them serve as deacons if
they are found blameless.
11 Likewise also their wives must be dignified, not slanderous, temperate,
faithful in every respect.
12 Deacons must be husbands of one wife and good managers of their children and
their own households.
13 For those who have served well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves
and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.
14 Conduct in God’s Church I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these
instructions to you
15 in case I am delayed, to let you know how people ought to conduct themselves
in the household of God, because it is the church of the living God, the support
and bulwark of the truth.
16 And we all agree, our religion contains amazing revelation: He was revealed
in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among
Gentiles, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.

Chapter 4

1 Timothy’s Ministry in the Later Times Now the Spirit explicitly says that in
the later times some will desert the faith and occupy themselves with deceiving
spirits and demonic teachings,
2 influenced by the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared.
3 They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created
to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
4 For every creation of God is good and no food is to be rejected if it is
received with thanksgiving.
5 For it is sanctified by God’s word and by prayer.
6 By pointing out such things to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good
servant of Christ Jesus, having nourished yourself on the words of the faith and
of the good teaching that you have followed.
7 But reject those myths fit only for the godless and gullible, and train
yourself for godliness.
8 For“physical exercise has some value, but godliness is valuable in every
way. It holds promise for the present life and for the life to come.”
9 This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance.
10 In fact this is why we work hard and struggle, because we have set our hope
on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of believers.
11 Command and teach these things.
12 Let no one look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the
believers in your speech, conduct, love, faithfulness, and purity.
13 Until I come, give attention to the public reading of scripture, to
exhortation, to teaching.
14 Do not neglect the spiritual gift you have, given to you and confirmed by
prophetic words when the elders laid hands on you.
15 Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that everyone will see
your progress.
16 Be conscientious about how you live and what you teach. Persevere in this,
because by doing so you will save both yourself and those who listen to you.

Chapter 5

1 Instructions about Specific Groups Do not address an older man harshly but
appeal to him as a father. Speak to younger men as brothers,
2 older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters– with complete purity.
3 Honor widows who are truly in need.
4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they should first learn to
fulfill their duty toward their own household and so repay their parents what is
owed them. For this is what pleases God.
5 But the widow who is truly in need, and completely on her own, has set her
hope on God and continues in her pleas and prayers night and day.
6 But the one who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives.
7 Reinforce these commands, so that they will be beyond reproach.
8 But if someone does not provide for his own, especially his own family, he has
denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
9 No widow should be put on the list unless she is at least sixty years old, was
the wife of one husband,
10 and has a reputation for good works: as one who has raised children,
practiced hospitality, washed the feet of the saints, helped those in
distress– as one who has exhibited all kinds of good works.
11 But do not accept younger widows on the list, because their passions may lead
them away from Christ and they will desire to marry,
12 and so incur judgment for breaking their former pledge.
13 And besides that, going around from house to house they learn to be lazy, and
they are not only lazy, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things
they should not.
14 So I want younger women to marry, raise children, and manage a household, in
order to give the adversary no opportunity to vilify us.
15 For some have already wandered away to follow Satan.
16 If a believing woman has widows in her family, let her help them. The church
should not be burdened, so that it may help the widows who are truly in need.
17 Elders who provide effective leadership must be counted worthy of double
honor, especially those who work hard in speaking and teaching.
18 For the scripture says,“Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the
grain,” and,“The worker deserves his pay.”
19 Do not accept an accusation against an elder unless it can be confirmed by
two or three witnesses.
20 Those guilty of sin must be rebuked before all, as a warning to the rest.
21 Before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, I solemnly charge you to
carry out these commands without prejudice or favoritism of any kind.
22 Do not lay hands on anyone hastily and so identify with the sins of others.
Keep yourself pure.
23 (Stop drinking just water, but use a little wine for your digestion and your
frequent illnesses.)
24 The sins of some people are obvious, going before them into judgment, but for
others, they show up later.
25 Similarly good works are also obvious, and the ones that are not cannot
remain hidden.

Chapter 6

1 Those who are under the yoke as slaves must regard their own masters as
deserving of full respect. This will prevent the name of God and Christian
teaching from being discredited.
2 But those who have believing masters must not show them less respect because
they are brothers. Instead they are to serve all the more, because those who
benefit from their service are believers and dearly loved. Summary of
Timothy’s DutiesTeach them and exhort them about these things.
3 If someone spreads false teachings and does not agree with sound words(that
is, those of our Lord Jesus Christ) and with the teaching that accords with
godliness,
4 he is conceited and understands nothing, but has an unhealthy interest in
controversies and verbal disputes. This gives rise to envy, dissension,
slanders, evil suspicions,
5 and constant bickering by people corrupted in their minds and deprived of the
truth, who suppose that godliness is a way of making a profit.
6 Now godliness combined with contentment brings great profit.
7 For we have brought nothing into this world and so we cannot take a single
thing out either.
8 But if we have food and shelter, we will be satisfied with that.
9 Those who long to be rich, however, stumble into temptation and a trap and
many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.
10 For the love of money is the root of all evils. Some people in reaching for
it have strayed from the faith and stabbed themselves with many pains.
11 But you, as a person dedicated to God, keep away from all that. Instead
pursue righteousness, godliness, faithfulness, love, endurance, and gentleness.
12 Compete well for the faith and lay hold of that eternal life you were called
for and made your good confession for in the presence of many witnesses.
13 I charge you before God who gives life to all things and Christ Jesus who
made his good confession before Pontius Pilate,
14 to obey this command without fault or failure until the appearing of our Lord
Jesus Christ
15 – whose appearing the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and
Lord of lords, will reveal at the right time.
16 He alone possesses immortality and lives in unapproachable light, whom no
human has ever seen or is able to see. To him be honor and eternal power! Amen.
17 Command those who are rich in this world’s goods not to be haughty or to
set their hope on riches, which are uncertain, but on God who richly provides us
with all things for our enjoyment.
18 Tell them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, to be generous givers,
sharing with others.
19 In this way they will save up a treasure for themselves as a firm foundation
for the future and so lay hold of what is truly life.
20 Conclusion O Timothy, protect what has been entrusted to you. Avoid the
profane chatter and absurdities of so-called“knowledge.”
21 By professing it, some have strayed from the faith. Grace be with you all.


2 Timothy

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Salutation From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to
further the promise of life in Christ Jesus,
2 to Timothy, my dear child. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and
Christ Jesus our Lord!
3 Thanksgiving and Charge to Timothy I am thankful to God, whom I have served
with a clear conscience as my ancestors did, when I remember you in my prayers
as I do constantly night and day.
4 As I remember your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy.
5 I recall your sincere faith that was alive first in your grandmother Lois and
in your mother Eunice, and I am sure is in you.
6 Because of this I remind you to rekindle God’s gift that you possess through
the laying on of my hands.
7 For God did not give us a Spirit of fear but of power and love and
self-control.
8 So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me, a prisoner for
his sake, but by God’s power accept your share of suffering for the gospel.
9 He is the one who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not based on our
works but on his own purpose and grace, granted to us in Christ Jesus before
time began,
10 but now made visible through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus. He has
broken the power of death and brought life and immortality to light through the
gospel!
11 For this gospel I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher.
12 Because of this, in fact, I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, because I
know the one in whom my faith is set and I am convinced that he is able to
protect what has been entrusted to me until that day.
13 Hold to the standard of sound words that you heard from me and do so with the
faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
14 Protect that good thing entrusted to you, through the Holy Spirit who lives
within us.
15 You know that everyone in the province of Asia deserted me, including
Phygelus and Hermogenes.
16 May the Lord grant mercy to the family of Onesiphorus, because he often
refreshed me and was not ashamed of my imprisonment.
17 But when he arrived in Rome, he eagerly searched for me and found me.
18 May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day! And you know
very well all the ways he served me in Ephesus.

Chapter 2

1 Serving Faithfully Despite Hardship So you, my child, be strong in the grace
that is in Christ Jesus.
2 And what you heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to
faithful people who will be competent to teach others as well.
3 Take your share of suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
4 No one in military service gets entangled in matters of everyday life;
otherwise he will not please the one who recruited him.
5 Also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he will not be crowned as the winner
unless he competes according to the rules.
6 The farmer who works hard ought to have the first share of the crops.
7 Think about what I am saying and the Lord will give you understanding of all
this.
8 Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David; such is my
gospel,
9 for which I suffer hardship to the point of imprisonment as a criminal, but
God’s message is not imprisoned!
10 So I endure all things for the sake of those chosen by God, that they too may
obtain salvation in Christ Jesus and its eternal glory.
11 This saying is trustworthy: If we died with him, we will also live with him.
12 If we endure, we will also reign with him. If we deny him, he will also deny
us.
13 If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, since he cannot deny himself.
14 Dealing with False Teachers Remind people of these things and solemnly charge
them before the Lord not to wrangle over words. This is of no benefit; it just
brings ruin on those who listen.
15 Make every effort to present yourself before God as a proven worker who does
not need to be ashamed, teaching the message of truth accurately.
16 But avoid profane chatter, because those occupied with it will stray further
and further into ungodliness,
17 and their message will spread its infection like gangrene. Hymenaeus and
Philetus are in this group.
18 They have strayed from the truth by saying that the resurrection has already
occurred, and they are undermining some people’s faith.
19 However, God’s solid foundation remains standing, bearing this seal:“The
Lord knows those who are his,” and“Everyone who confesses the name of the
Lord must turn away from evil.”
20 Now in a wealthy home there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also
ones made of wood and of clay, and some are for honorable use, but others for
ignoble use.
21 So if someone cleanses himself of such behavior, he will be a vessel for
honorable use, set apart, useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.
22 But keep away from youthful passions, and pursue righteousness, faithfulness,
love, and peace, in company with others who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
23 But reject foolish and ignorant controversies, because you know they breed
infighting.
24 And the Lord’s slave must not engage in heated disputes but be kind toward
all, an apt teacher, patient,
25 correcting opponents with gentleness. Perhaps God will grant them repentance
and then knowledge of the truth
26 and they will come to their senses and escape the devil’s trap where they
are held captive to do his will.

Chapter 3

1 Ministry in the Last Days But understand this, that in the last days difficult
times will come.
2 For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant,
blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, savage, opposed to
what is good,
4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, loving pleasure rather than loving God.
5 They will maintain the outward appearance of religion but will have repudiated
its power. So avoid people like these.
6 For some of these insinuate themselves into households and captivate weak
women who are overwhelmed with sins and led along by various passions.
7 Such women are always seeking instruction, yet never able to arrive at a
knowledge of the truth.
8 And just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these people– who have
warped minds and are disqualified in the faith– also oppose the truth.
9 But they will not go much further, for their foolishness will be obvious to
everyone, just like it was with Jannes and Jambres.
10 Continue in What You Have Learned You, however, have followed my teaching, my
way of life, my purpose, my faith, my patience, my love, my endurance,
11 as well as the persecutions and sufferings that happened to me in Antioch, in
Iconium, and in Lystra. I endured these persecutions and the Lord delivered me
from them all.
12 Now in fact all who want to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will be
persecuted.
13 But evil people and charlatans will go from bad to worse, deceiving others
and being deceived themselves.
14 You, however, must continue in the things you have learned and are confident
about. You know who taught you
15 and how from infancy you have known the holy writings, which are able to give
you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
16 Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for
correction, and for training in righteousness,
17 that the person dedicated to God may be capable and equipped for every good
work.

Chapter 4

1 Charge to Timothy Repeated I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus,
who is going to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his
kingdom:
2 Preach the message, be ready whether it is convenient or not, reprove, rebuke,
exhort with complete patience and instruction.
3 For there will be a time when people will not tolerate sound teaching.
Instead, following their own desires, they will accumulate teachers for
themselves, because they have an insatiable curiosity to hear new things.
4 And they will turn away from hearing the truth, but on the other hand they
will turn aside to myths.
5 You, however, be self-controlled in all things, endure hardship, do an
evangelist’s work, fulfill your ministry.
6 For I am already being poured out as an offering, and the time for me to
depart is at hand.
7 I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith!
8 Finally the crown of righteousness is reserved for me. The Lord, the righteous
Judge, will award it to me in that day– and not to me only, but also to all
who have set their affection on his appearing.
9 Travel Plans and Concluding Greetings Make every effort to come to me soon.
10 For Demas deserted me, since he loved the present age, and he went to
Thessalonica. Crescens went to Galatia and Titus to Dalmatia.
11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is a great
help to me in ministry.
12 Now I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus.
13 When you come, bring with you the cloak I left in Troas with Carpas and the
scrolls, especially the parchments.
14 Alexander the coppersmith did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay
him in keeping with his deeds.
15 You be on guard against him too, because he vehemently opposed our words.
16 At my first defense no one appeared in my support; instead they all deserted
me– may they not be held accountable for it.
17 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message
would be fully proclaimed for all the Gentiles to hear. And so I was delivered
from the lion’s mouth!
18 The Lord will deliver me from every evil deed and will bring me safely into
his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever! Amen.
19 Greetings to Prisca and Aquila and the family of Onesiphorus.
20 Erastus stayed in Corinth. Trophimus I left ill in Miletus.
21 Make every effort to come before winter. Greetings to you from Eubulus,
Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers and sisters.
22 The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.


Titus

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Salutation From Paul, a slave of God and apostle of Jesus Christ, to
further the faith of God’s chosen ones and the knowledge of the truth that is
in keeping with godliness,
2 in hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before time
began.
3 But now in his own time he has made his message evident through the preaching
I was entrusted with according to the command of God our Savior.
4 To Titus, my genuine son in a common faith. Grace and peace from God the
Father and Christ Jesus our Savior!
5 Titus’ Task on Crete The reason I left you in Crete was to set in order the
remaining matters and to appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.
6 An elder must be blameless, the husband of one wife, with faithful children
who cannot be charged with dissipation or rebellion.
7 For the overseer must be blameless as one entrusted with God’s work, not
arrogant, not prone to anger, not a drunkard, not violent, not greedy for gain.
8 Instead he must be hospitable, devoted to what is good, sensible, upright,
devout, and self-controlled.
9 He must hold firmly to the faithful message as it has been taught, so that he
will be able to give exhortation in such healthy teaching and correct those who
speak against it.
10 For there are many rebellious people, idle talkers, and deceivers, especially
those with Jewish connections,
11 who must be silenced because they mislead whole families by teaching for
dishonest gain what ought not to be taught.
12 A certain one of them, in fact, one of their own prophets, said,“Cretans
are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”
13 Such testimony is true. For this reason rebuke them sharply that they may be
healthy in the faith
14 and not pay attention to Jewish myths and commands of people who reject the
truth.
15 All is pure to those who are pure. But to those who are corrupt and
unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their minds and consciences are
corrupted.
16 They profess to know God but with their deeds they deny him, since they are
detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed.

Chapter 2

1 Conduct Consistent with Sound Teaching But as for you, communicate the
behavior that goes with sound teaching.
2 Older men are to be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in
love, and in endurance.
3 Older women likewise are to exhibit behavior fitting for those who are holy,
not slandering, not slaves to excessive drinking, but teaching what is good.
4 In this way they will train the younger women to love their husbands, to love
their children,
5 to be self-controlled, pure, fulfilling their duties at home, kind, being
subject to their own husbands, so that the message of God may not be
discredited.
6 Encourage younger men likewise to be self-controlled,
7 showing yourself to be an example of good works in every way. In your teaching
show integrity, dignity,
8 and a sound message that cannot be criticized, so that any opponent will be at
a loss, because he has nothing evil to say about us.
9 Slaves are to be subject to their own masters in everything, to do what is
wanted and not talk back,
10 not pilfering, but showing all good faith, in order to bring credit to the
teaching of God our Savior in everything.
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people.
12 It trains us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live
self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,
13 as we wait for the happy fulfillment of our hope in the glorious appearing of
our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
14 He gave himself for us to set us free from every kind of lawlessness and to
purify for himself a people who are truly his, who are eager to do good.
15 So communicate these things with the sort of exhortation or rebuke that
carries full authority. Don’t let anyone look down on you.

Chapter 3

1 Conduct Toward Those Outside the Church Remind them to be subject to rulers
and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work.
2 They must not slander anyone, but be peaceable, gentle, showing complete
courtesy to all people.
3 For we too were once foolish, disobedient, misled, enslaved to various
passions and desires, spending our lives in evil and envy, hateful and hating
one another.
4 But“when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared,
5 he saved us not by works of righteousness that we have done but on the basis
of his mercy, through the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the Holy
Spirit,
6 whom he poured out on us in full measure through Jesus Christ our Savior.
7 And so, since we have been justified by his grace, we become heirs with the
confident expectation of eternal life.”
8 Summary of the Letter This saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on
such truths, so that those who have placed their faith in God may be intent on
engaging in good works. These things are good and beneficial for all people.
9 But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, quarrels, and fights about the
law, because they are useless and empty.
10 Reject a divisive person after one or two warnings.
11 You know that such a person is twisted by sin and is conscious of it himself.
12 Final Instructions and Greeting When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do
your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter
there.
13 Make every effort to help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; make
sure they have what they need.
14 Here is another way that our people can learn to engage in good works to meet
pressing needs and so not be unfruitful.
15 Everyone with me greets you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be
with you all.


Philemon

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Salutation From Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,
to Philemon, our dear friend and colaborer,
2 to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church that
meets in your house.
3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
4 Thanks for Philemon’s Love and Faith I always thank my God as I remember you
in my prayers,
5 because I hear of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the
saints.
6 I pray that the faith you share with us may deepen your understanding of every
blessing that belongs to you in Christ.
7 I have had great joy and encouragement because of your love, for the hearts of
the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.
8 Paul’s Request for Onesimus So, although I have quite a lot of confidence in
Christ and could command you to do what is proper,
9 I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love– I, Paul, an old man and
even now a prisoner for the sake of Christ Jesus–
10 I am appealing to you concerning my child, whose spiritual father I have
become during my imprisonment, that is, Onesimus,
11 who was formerly useless to you, but is now useful to you and me.
12 I have sent him(who is my very heart) back to you.
13 I wanted to keep him with me so that he could serve me in your place during
my imprisonment for the sake of the gospel.
14 However, without your consent I did not want to do anything, so that your
good deed would not be out of compulsion, but from your own willingness.
15 For perhaps it was for this reason that he was separated from you for a
little while, so that you would have him back eternally,
16 no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, as a dear brother. He is
especially so to me, and even more so to you now, both humanly speaking and in
the Lord.
17 Therefore if you regard me as a partner, accept him as you would me.
18 Now if he has defrauded you of anything or owes you anything, charge what he
owes to me.
19 I, Paul, have written this letter with my own hand: I will repay it. I could
also mention that you owe me your very self.
20 Yes, brother, let me have some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart
in Christ.
21 Since I was confident that you would obey, I wrote to you, because I knew
that you would do even more than what I am asking you to do.
22 At the same time also, prepare a place for me to stay, for I hope that
through your prayers I will be given back to you.
23 Concluding Greetings Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets
you.
24 Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my colaborers, greet you too.
25 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.


Hebrews

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Introduction: God Has Spoken Fully and Finally in His Son After God spoke
long ago in various portions and in various ways to our ancestors through the
prophets,
2 in these last days he has spoken to us in a son, whom he appointed heir of all
things, and through whom he created the world.
3 The Son is the radiance of his glory and the representation of his essence,
and he sustains all things by his powerful word, and so when he had accomplished
cleansing for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
4 Thus he became so far better than the angels as he has inherited a name
superior to theirs.
5 The Son Is Superior to Angels For to which of the angels did God ever
say,“You are my son! Today I have fathered you”? And in another place he
says,“I will be his father and he will be my son.”
6 But when he again brings his firstborn into the world, he says,“Let all the
angels of God worship him!”
7 And he says of the angels,“He makes his angels winds and his ministers a
flame of fire,”
8 but of the Son he says,“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and a
righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness. So God, your God, has
anointed you over your companions with the oil of rejoicing.”
10 And,“You founded the earth in the beginning, Lord, and the heavens are the
works of your hands.
11 They will perish, but you continue. And they will all grow old like a
garment,
12 and like a robe you will fold them up and like a garment they will be
changed, but you are the same and your years will never run out.”
13 But to which of the angels has he ever said,“Sit at my right hand until I
make your enemies a footstool for your feet”?
14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to serve those who will
inherit salvation?

Chapter 2

1 Warning Against Drifting Away Therefore we must pay closer attention to what
we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
2 For if the message spoken through angels proved to be so firm that every
violation or disobedience received its just penalty,
3 how will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was first
communicated through the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard him,
4 while God confirmed their witness with signs and wonders and various miracles
and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
5 Exposition of Psalm 8: Jesus and the Destiny of Humanity For he did not put
the world to come, about which we are speaking, under the control of angels.
6 Instead someone testified somewhere:“What is man that you think of him or
the son of man that you care for him?
7 You made him lower than the angels for a little while. You crowned him with
glory and honor.
8 You put all things under his control.” For when he put all things under his
control, he left nothing outside of his control. At present we do not yet see
all things under his control,
9 but we see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now
crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by God’s grace
he would experience death on behalf of everyone.
10 For it was fitting for him, for whom and through whom all things exist, in
bringing many sons to glory, to make the pioneer of their salvation perfect
through sufferings.
11 For indeed he who makes holy and those being made holy all have the same
origin, and so he is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters,
12 saying,“I will proclaim your name to my brothers; in the midst of the
assembly I will praise you.”
13 Again he says,“I will be confident in him,” and again,“Here I am, with
the children God has given me.”
14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, he likewise shared in
their humanity, so that through death he could destroy the one who holds the
power of death(that is, the devil),
15 and set free those who were held in slavery all their lives by their fear of
death.
16 For surely his concern is not for angels, but he is concerned for Abraham’s
descendants.
17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers and sisters in every respect,
so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in things relating
to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people.
18 For since he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those
who are tempted.

Chapter 3

1 Jesus and Moses Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, partners in a heavenly
calling, take note of Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess,
2 who is faithful to the one who appointed him, as Moses was also in God’s
house.
3 For he has come to deserve greater glory than Moses, just as the builder of a
house deserves greater honor than the house itself!
4 For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.
5 Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the
things that would be spoken.
6 But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house. We are of his house, if in
fact we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope we take pride in.
7 Exposition of Psalm 95: Hearing God’s Word in Faith Therefore, as the Holy
Spirit says,“Oh, that today you would listen as he speaks!
8 “Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the
wilderness.
9 “There your fathers tested me and tried me, and they saw my works for forty
years.
10 “Therefore, I became provoked at that generation and said,‘Their hearts
are always wandering and they have not known my ways.’
11 “As I swore in my anger,‘They will never enter my rest!’”
12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has an evil, unbelieving
heart that forsakes the living God.
13 But exhort one another each day, as long as it is called“Today,” that
none of you may become hardened by sin’s deception.
14 For we have become partners with Christ, if in fact we hold our initial
confidence firm until the end.
15 As it says,“Oh, that today you would listen as he speaks! Do not harden
your hearts as in the rebellion.”
16 For which ones heard and rebelled? Was it not all who came out of Egypt under
Moses’ leadership?
17 And against whom was God provoked for forty years? Was it not those who
sinned, whose dead bodies fell in the wilderness?
18 And to whom did he swear they would never enter into his rest, except those
who were disobedient?
19 So we see that they could not enter because of unbelief.

Chapter 4

1 God’s Promised Rest Therefore we must be wary that, while the promise of
entering his rest remains open, none of you may seem to have come short of it.
2 For we had good news proclaimed to us just as they did. But the message they
heard did them no good, since they did not join in with those who heard it in
faith.
3 For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said,“As I swore in my
anger,‘They will never enter my rest!’” And yet God’s works were
accomplished from the foundation of the world.
4 For he has spoken somewhere about the seventh day in this way:“And God
rested on the seventh day from all his works,”
5 but to repeat the text cited earlier:“They will never enter my rest!”
6 Therefore it remains for some to enter it, yet those to whom it was previously
proclaimed did not enter because of disobedience.
7 So God again ordains a certain day,“Today,” speaking through David after
so long a time, as in the words quoted before,“Oh, that today you would listen
as he speaks! Do not harden your hearts.”
8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken afterward about
another day.
9 Consequently a Sabbath rest remains for the people of God.
10 For the one who enters God’s rest has also rested from his works, just as
God did from his own works.
11 Thus we must make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by
following the same pattern of disobedience.
12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged
sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul from spirit, and joints from
marrow; it is able to judge the desires and thoughts of the heart.
13 And no creature is hidden from God, but everything is naked and exposed to
the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.
14 Jesus Our Compassionate High Priest Therefore since we have a great high
priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold
fast to our confession.
15 For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our
weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet
without sin.
16 Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy
and find grace whenever we need help.

Chapter 5

1 For every high priest is taken from among the people and appointed to
represent them before God, to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins.
2 He is able to deal compassionately with those who are ignorant and erring,
since he also is subject to weakness,
3 and for this reason he is obligated to make sin offerings for himself as well
as for the people.
4 And no one assumes this honor on his own initiative, but only when called to
it by God, as in fact Aaron was.
5 So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming high priest, but the one
who glorified him was God, who said to him,“You are my Son! Today I have
fathered you,”
6 as also in another place God says,“You are a priest forever in the order of
Melchizedek.”
7 During his earthly life Christ offered both requests and supplications, with
loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death and he was
heard because of his devotion.
8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through the things he suffered.
9 And by being perfected in this way, he became the source of eternal salvation
to all who obey him,
10 and he was designated by God as high priest in the order of Melchizedek.
11 The Need to Move on to Maturity On this topic we have much to say and it is
difficult to explain, since you have become sluggish in hearing.
12 For though you should in fact be teachers by this time, you need someone to
teach you the beginning elements of God’s utterances. You have gone back to
needing milk, not solid food.
13 For everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced in the message of
righteousness, because he is an infant.
14 But solid food is for the mature, whose perceptions are trained by practice
to discern both good and evil.

Chapter 6

1 Therefore we must progress beyond the elementary instructions about Christ and
move on to maturity, not laying this foundation again: repentance from dead
works and faith in God,
2 teaching about ritual washings, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead,
and eternal judgment.
3 And this is what we intend to do, if God permits.
4 For it is impossible in the case of those who have once been enlightened,
tasted the heavenly gift, become partakers of the Holy Spirit,
5 tasted the good word of God and the miracles of the coming age,
6 and then have committed apostasy, to renew them again to repentance, since
they are crucifying the Son of God for themselves all over again and holding him
up to contempt.
7 For the ground that has soaked up the rain that frequently falls on it and
yields useful vegetation for those who tend it receives a blessing from God.
8 But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is useless and about to be cursed;
its fate is to be burned.
9 But in your case, dear friends, even though we speak like this, we are
convinced of better things relating to salvation.
10 For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love you have
demonstrated for his name, in having served and continuing to serve the saints.
11 But we passionately want each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness for
the fulfillment of your hope until the end,
12 so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and
perseverance inherit the promises.
13 Now when God made his promise to Abraham, since he could swear by no one
greater, he swore by himself,
14 saying,“Surely I will bless you greatly and multiply your descendants
abundantly.”
15 And so by persevering, Abraham inherited the promise.
16 For people swear by something greater than themselves, and the oath serves as
a confirmation to end all dispute.
17 In the same way God wanted to demonstrate more clearly to the heirs of the
promise that his purpose was unchangeable, and so he intervened with an oath,
18 so that we who have found refuge in him may find strong encouragement to hold
fast to the hope set before us through two unchangeable things, since it is
impossible for God to lie.
19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, sure and steadfast, which
reaches inside behind the curtain,
20 where Jesus our forerunner entered on our behalf, since he became a priest
forever in the order of Melchizedek.

Chapter 7

1 The Nature of Melchizedek’s Priesthood Now this Melchizedek, king of Salem,
priest of the most high God, met Abraham as he was returning from defeating the
kings and blessed him.
2 To him also Abraham apportioned a tithe of everything. His name first means
king of righteousness, then king of Salem, that is, king of peace.
3 Without father, without mother, without genealogy, he has neither beginning of
days nor end of life but is like the son of God, and he remains a priest for all
time.
4 But see how great he must be, if Abraham the patriarch gave him a tithe of his
plunder.
5 And those of the sons of Levi who receive the priestly office have
authorization according to the law to collect a tithe from the people, that is,
from their fellow countrymen, although they too are descendants of Abraham.
6 But Melchizedek who does not share their ancestry collected a tithe from
Abraham and blessed the one who possessed the promise.
7 Now without dispute the inferior is blessed by the superior,
8 and in one case tithes are received by mortal men, while in the other by him
who is affirmed to be alive.
9 And it could be said that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid a tithe
through Abraham.
10 For he was still in his ancestor Abraham’s loins when Melchizedek met him.
11 Jesus and the Priesthood of Melchizedek So if perfection had in fact been
possible through the Levitical priesthood– for on that basis the people
received the law– what further need would there have been for another priest
to arise, said to be in the order of Melchizedek and not in Aaron’s order?
12 For when the priesthood changes, a change in the law must come as well.
13 Yet the one these things are spoken about belongs to a different tribe, and
no one from that tribe has ever officiated at the altar.
14 For it is clear that our Lord is descended from Judah, yet Moses said nothing
about priests in connection with that tribe.
15 And this is even clearer if another priest arises in the likeness of
Melchizedek,
16 who has become a priest not by a legal regulation about physical descent but
by the power of an indestructible life.
17 For here is the testimony about him:“You are a priest forever in the order
of Melchizedek.”
18 On the one hand a former command is set aside because it is weak and useless,
19 for the law made nothing perfect. On the other hand a better hope is
introduced, through which we draw near to God.
20 And since this was not done without a sworn affirmation– for the others
have become priests without a sworn affirmation,
21 but Jesus did so with a sworn affirmation by the one who said to him,“The
Lord has sworn and will not change his mind,‘You are a priest forever’”–
22 accordingly Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.
23 And the others who became priests were numerous, because death prevented them
from continuing in office,
24 but he holds his priesthood permanently since he lives forever.
25 So he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because
he always lives to intercede for them.
26 For it is indeed fitting for us to have such a high priest: holy, innocent,
undefiled, separate from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.
27 He has no need to do every day what those priests do, to offer sacrifices
first for their own sins and then for the sins of the people, since he did this
in offering himself once for all.
28 For the law appoints as high priests men subject to weakness, but the word of
solemn affirmation that came after the law appoints a son made perfect forever.

Chapter 8

1 The High Priest of a Better Covenant Now the main point of what we are saying
is this: We have such a high priest, one who sat down at the right hand of the
throne of the Majesty in heaven,
2 a minister in the sanctuary and the true tabernacle that the Lord, not man,
set up.
3 For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. So this
one too had to have something to offer.
4 Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest, since there are already
priests who offer the gifts prescribed by the law.
5 The place where they serve is a sketch and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary,
just as Moses was warned by God as he was about to complete the tabernacle. For
he says,“See that you make everything according to the design shown to you on
the mountain.”
6 But now Jesus has obtained a superior ministry, since the covenant that he
mediates is also better and is enacted on better promises.
7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, no one would have looked for a
second one.
8 But showing its fault, God says to them,“Look, the days are coming, says the
Lord, when I will complete a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the
house of Judah.
9 “It will not be like the covenant that I made with their fathers, on the day
when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not
continue in my covenant and I had no regard for them, says the Lord.
10 “For this is the covenant that I will establish with the house of Israel
after those days, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and I will
inscribe them on their hearts. And I will be their God and they will be my
people.
11 “And there will be no need at all for each one to teach his countryman or
each one to teach his brother saying,‘Know the Lord,’ since they will all
know me, from the least to the greatest.
12 “For I will be merciful toward their evil deeds, and their sins I will
remember no longer.”
13 When he speaks of a new covenant, he makes the first obsolete. Now what is
growing obsolete and aging is about to disappear.

Chapter 9

1 The Arrangement and Ritual of the Earthly Sanctuary Now the first covenant, in
fact, had regulations for worship and its earthly sanctuary.
2 For a tent was prepared, the outer one, which contained the lampstand, the
table, and the presentation of the loaves; this is called the holy place.
3 And after the second curtain there was a tent called the holy of holies.
4 It contained the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered
entirely with gold. In this ark were the golden urn containing the manna,
Aaron’s rod that budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant.
5 And above the ark were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Now
is not the time to speak of these things in detail.
6 So with these things prepared like this, the priests enter continually into
the outer tent as they perform their duties.
7 But only the high priest enters once a year into the inner tent, and not
without blood that he offers for himself and for the sins of the people
committed in ignorance.
8 The Holy Spirit is making clear that the way into the holy place had not yet
appeared as long as the old tabernacle was standing.
9 This was a symbol for the time then present, when gifts and sacrifices were
offered that could not perfect the conscience of the worshiper.
10 They served only for matters of food and drink and various ritual washings;
they are external regulations imposed until the new order came.
11 Christ’s Service in the Heavenly Sanctuary But now Christ has come as the
high priest of the good things to come. He passed through the greater and more
perfect tent not made with hands, that is, not of this creation,
12 and he entered once for all into the most holy place not by the blood of
goats and calves but by his own blood, and so he himself secured eternal
redemption.
13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow sprinkled on
those who are defiled consecrated them and provided ritual purity,
14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit
offered himself without blemish to God, purify our consciences from dead works
to worship the living God.
15 And so he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may
receive the eternal inheritance he has promised, since he died to set them free
from the violations committed under the first covenant.
16 For where there is a will, the death of the one who made it must be proven.
17 For a will takes effect only at death, since it carries no force while the
one who made it is alive.
18 So even the first covenant was inaugurated with blood.
19 For when Moses had spoken every command to all the people according to the
law, he took the blood of calves and goats with water and scarlet wool and
hyssop and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,
20 and said,“This is the blood of the covenant that God has commanded you to
keep.”
21 And both the tabernacle and all the utensils of worship he likewise sprinkled
with blood.
22 Indeed according to the law almost everything was purified with blood, and
without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
23 So it was necessary for the sketches of the things in heaven to be purified
with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves required better
sacrifices than these.
24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with hands– the representation of
the true sanctuary– but into heaven itself, and he appears now in God’s
presence for us.
25 And he did not enter to offer himself again and again, the way the high
priest enters the sanctuary year after year with blood that is not his own,
26 for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of
the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the consummation of the ages
to put away sin by his sacrifice.
27 And just as people are appointed to die once, and then to face judgment,
28 so also, after Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many, to those who
eagerly await him he will appear a second time, not to bear sin but to bring
salvation.

Chapter 10

1 Concluding Exposition: Old and New Sacrifices Contrasted For the law possesses
a shadow of the good things to come but not the reality itself, and is therefore
completely unable, by the same sacrifices offered continually, year after year,
to perfect those who come to worship.
2 For otherwise would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers
would have been purified once for all and so have no further consciousness of
sin?
3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year after year.
4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
5 So when he came into the world, he said,“Sacrifice and offering you did not
desire, but a body you prepared for me.
6 “Whole burnt offerings and sin-offerings you took no delight in.
7 “Then I said,‘Here I am: I have come– it is written of me in the scroll
of the book– to do your will, O God.’”
8 When he says above,“Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and
sin-offerings you did not desire nor did you take delight in them”(which are
offered according to the law),
9 then he says,“Here I am: I have come to do your will.” He does away with
the first to establish the second.
10 By his will we have been made holy through the offering of the body of Jesus
Christ once for all.
11 And every priest stands day after day serving and offering the same
sacrifices again and again– sacrifices that can never take away sins.
12 But when this priest had offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, he sat
down at the right hand of God,
13 where he is now waiting until his enemies are made a footstool for his feet.
14 For by one offering he has perfected for all time those who are made holy.
15 And the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us, for after saying,
16 “This is the covenant that I will establish with them after those days,
says the Lord. I will put my laws on their hearts and I will inscribe them on
their minds,”
17 then he says,“Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no
longer.”
18 Now where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for
sin.
19 Drawing Near to God in Enduring Faith Therefore, brothers and sisters, since
we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus,
20 by the fresh and living way that he inaugurated for us through the curtain,
that is, through his flesh,
21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in the assurance that faith brings,
because we have had our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our
bodies washed in pure water.
23 And let us hold unwaveringly to the hope that we confess, for the one who
made the promise is trustworthy.
24 And let us take thought of how to spur one another on to love and good works,
25 not abandoning our own meetings, as some are in the habit of doing, but
encouraging each other, and even more so because you see the day drawing near.
26 For if we deliberately keep on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the
truth, no further sacrifice for sins is left for us,
27 but only a certain fearful expectation of judgment and a fury of fire that
will consume God’s enemies.
28 Someone who rejected the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the
testimony of two or three witnesses.
29 How much greater punishment do you think that person deserves who has
contempt for the Son of God, and profanes the blood of the covenant that made
him holy, and insults the Spirit of grace?
30 For we know the one who said,“Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” and
again,“The Lord will judge his people.”
31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
32 But remember the former days when you endured a harsh conflict of suffering
after you were enlightened.
33 At times you were publicly exposed to abuse and afflictions, and at other
times you came to share with others who were treated in that way.
34 For in fact you shared the sufferings of those in prison, and you accepted
the confiscation of your belongings with joy, because you knew that you
certainly had a better and lasting possession.
35 So do not throw away your confidence, because it has great reward.
36 For you need endurance in order to do God’s will and so receive what is
promised.
37 For just a little longer and he who is coming will arrive and not delay.
38 But my righteous one will live by faith, and if he shrinks back, I take no
pleasure in him.
39 But we are not among those who shrink back and thus perish, but are among
those who have faith and preserve their souls.

Chapter 11

1 People Commended for Their Faith Now faith is being sure of what we hope for,
being convinced of what we do not see.
2 For by it the people of old received God’s commendation.
3 By faith we understand that the worlds were set in order at God’s command,
so that the visible has its origin in the invisible.
4 By faith Abel offered God a greater sacrifice than Cain, and through his faith
he was commended as righteous, because God commended him for his offerings. And
through his faith he still speaks, though he is dead.
5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he did not see death, and he was not to be
found because God took him up. For before his removal he had been commended as
having pleased God.
6 Now without faith it is impossible to please him, for the one who approaches
God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
7 By faith Noah, when he was warned about things not yet seen, with reverent
regard constructed an ark for the deliverance of his family. Through faith he
condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place he would later
receive as an inheritance, and he went out without understanding where he was
going.
9 By faith he lived as a foreigner in the promised land as though it were a
foreign country, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, who were fellow heirs of
the same promise.
10 For he was looking forward to the city with firm foundations, whose architect
and builder is God.
11 By faith, even though Sarah herself was barren and he was too old, he
received the ability to procreate, because he regarded the one who had given the
promise to be trustworthy.
12 So in fact children were fathered by one man– and this one as good as
dead– like the number of stars in the sky and like the innumerable grains of
sand on the seashore.
13 These all died in faith without receiving the things promised, but they saw
them in the distance and welcomed them and acknowledged that they were strangers
and foreigners on the earth.
14 For those who speak in such a way make it clear that they are seeking a
homeland.
15 In fact, if they had been thinking of the land that they had left, they would
have had opportunity to return.
16 But as it is, they aspire to a better land, that is, a heavenly one.
Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city
for them.
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He had received the
promises, yet he was ready to offer up his only son.
18 God had told him,“Through Isaac descendants will carry on your name,”
19 and he reasoned that God could even raise him from the dead, and in a sense
he received him back from there.
20 By faith also Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning the future.
21 By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and
worshiped as he leaned on his staff.
22 By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, mentioned the exodus of the sons of
Israel and gave instructions about his burial.
23 By faith, when Moses was born, his parents hid him for three months, because
they saw the child was beautiful and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.
24 By faith, when he grew up, Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s
daughter,
25 choosing rather to be ill-treated with the people of God than to enjoy
sin’s fleeting pleasure.
26 He regarded abuse suffered for Christ to be greater wealth than the treasures
of Egypt, for his eyes were fixed on the reward.
27 By faith he left Egypt without fearing the king’s anger, for he persevered
as though he could see the one who is invisible.
28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that the
one who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them.
29 By faith they crossed the Red Sea as if on dry ground, but when the Egyptians
tried it, they were swallowed up.
30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell after the people marched around them for
seven days.
31 By faith Rahab the prostitute escaped the destruction of the disobedient,
because she welcomed the spies in peace.
32 And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak,
Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets.
33 Through faith they conquered kingdoms, administered justice, gained what was
promised, shut the mouths of lions,
34 quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength in
weakness, became mighty in battle, put foreign armies to flight,
35 and women received back their dead raised to life. But others were tortured,
not accepting release, to obtain resurrection to a better life.
36 And others experienced mocking and flogging, and even chains and
imprisonment.
37 They were stoned, sawed apart, murdered with the sword; they went about in
sheepskins and goatskins; they were destitute, afflicted, ill-treated
38 (the world was not worthy of them); they wandered in deserts and mountains
and caves and openings in the earth.
39 And these all were commended for their faith, yet they did not receive what
was promised.
40 For God had provided something better for us, so that they would be made
perfect together with us.

Chapter 12

1 The Lord’s Discipline Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great
cloud of witnesses, we must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so
closely, and run with endurance the race set out for us,
2 keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For
the joy set out for him he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has
taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 Think of him who endured such opposition against himself by sinners, so that
you may not grow weary in your souls and give up.
4 You have not yet resisted to the point of bloodshed in your struggle against
sin.
5 And have you forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as sons?“My son, do
not scorn the Lord’s discipline or give up when he corrects you.
6 “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves and chastises every son he
accepts.”
7 Endure your suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son
is there that a father does not discipline?
8 But if you do not experience discipline, something all sons have shared in,
then you are illegitimate and are not sons.
9 Besides, we have experienced discipline from our earthly fathers and we
respected them; shall we not submit ourselves all the more to the Father of
spirits and receive life?
10 For they disciplined us for a little while as seemed good to them, but he
does so for our benefit, that we may share his holiness.
11 Now all discipline seems painful at the time, not joyful. But later it
produces the fruit of peace and righteousness for those trained by it.
12 Therefore, strengthen your listless hands and your weak knees,
13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put
out of joint but be healed.
14 Do Not Reject God’s Warning Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness, for
without it no one will see the Lord.
15 See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God, that no one be like a
bitter root springing up and causing trouble, and through it many become
defiled.
16 And see to it that no one becomes an immoral or godless person like Esau, who
sold his own birthright for a single meal.
17 For you know that later when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was
rejected, for he found no opportunity for repentance, although he sought the
blessing with tears.
18 For you have not come to something that can be touched, to a burning fire and
darkness and gloom and a whirlwind
19 and the blast of a trumpet and a voice uttering words such that those who
heard begged to hear no more.
20 For they could not bear what was commanded:“If even an animal touches the
mountain, it must be stoned.”
21 In fact, the scene was so terrifying that Moses said,“I shudder with
fear.”
22 But you have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly
Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the assembly
23 and congregation of the firstborn, who are enrolled in heaven, and to God,
the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous, who have been made
perfect,
24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that
speaks of something better than Abel’s does.
25 Take care not to refuse the one who is speaking! For if they did not escape
when they refused the one who warned them on earth, how much less shall we, if
we reject the one who warns from heaven?
26 Then his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised,“I will once more
shake not only the earth but heaven too.”
27 Now this phrase“once more” indicates the removal of what is shaken, that
is, of created things, so that what is unshaken may remain.
28 So since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us give thanks, and
through this let us offer worship pleasing to God in devotion and awe.
29 For our God is indeed a devouring fire.

Chapter 13

1 Final Exhortations Brotherly love must continue.
2 Do not neglect hospitality, because through it some have entertained angels
without knowing it.
3 Remember those in prison as though you were in prison with them, and those
ill-treated as though you too felt their torment.
4 Marriage must be honored among all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for
God will judge sexually immoral people and adulterers.
5 Your conduct must be free from the love of money and you must be content with
what you have, for he has said,“I will never leave you and I will never
abandon you.”
6 So we can say with confidence,“The Lord is my helper, and I will not be
afraid. What can people do to me?”
7 Remember your leaders, who spoke God’s message to you; reflect on the
outcome of their lives and imitate their faith.
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever!
9 Do not be carried away by all sorts of strange teachings. For it is good for
the heart to be strengthened by grace, not ritual meals, which have never
benefited those who participated in them.
10 We have an altar that those who serve in the tabernacle have no right to eat
from.
11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood the high priest brings into the
sanctuary as an offering for sin are burned outside the camp.
12 Therefore, to sanctify the people by his own blood, Jesus also suffered
outside the camp.
13 We must go out to him, then, outside the camp, bearing the abuse he
experienced.
14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.
15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God,
that is, the fruit of our lips, acknowledging his name.
16 And do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for God is pleased
with such sacrifices.
17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls and
will give an account for their work. Let them do this with joy and not with
complaints, for this would be no advantage for you.
18 Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to
conduct ourselves rightly in every respect.
19 I especially ask you to pray that I may be restored to you very soon.
20 Benediction and Conclusion Now may the God of peace who by the blood of the
eternal covenant brought back from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep, our
Lord Jesus,
21 equip you with every good thing to do his will, working in us what is
pleasing before him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever. Amen.
22 Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, bear with my message of exhortation,
for in fact I have written to you briefly.
23 You should know that our brother Timothy has been released. If he comes soon,
he will be with me when I see you.
24 Greetings to all your leaders and all the saints. Those from Italy send you
greetings.
25 Grace be with you all.


James

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Salutation From James, a slave of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the
twelve tribes dispersed abroad. Greetings!
2 Joy in Trials My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you
fall into all sorts of trials,
3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
4 And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and
complete, not deficient in anything.
5 But if anyone is deficient in wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all
generously and without reprimand, and it will be given to him.
6 But he must ask in faith without doubting, for the one who doubts is like a
wave of the sea, blown and tossed around by the wind.
7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord,
8 since he is a double-minded individual, unstable in all his ways.
9 Now the believer of humble means should take pride in his high position.
10 But the rich person’s pride should be in his humiliation, because he will
pass away like a wildflower in the meadow.
11 For the sun rises with its heat and dries up the meadow; the petal of the
flower falls off and its beauty is lost forever. So also the rich person in the
midst of his pursuits will wither away.
12 Happy is the one who endures testing, because when he has proven to be
genuine, he will receive the crown of life that God promised to those who love
him.
13 Let no one say when he is tempted,“I am tempted by God,” for God cannot
be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one.
14 But each one is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires.
15 Then when desire conceives, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is full
grown, it gives birth to death.
16 Do not be led astray, my dear brothers and sisters.
17 All generous giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from
the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of
change.
18 By his sovereign plan he gave us birth through the message of truth, that we
would be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
19 Living Out the Message Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters! Let
every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger.
20 For human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness.
21 So put away all filth and evil excess and humbly welcome the message
implanted within you, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be sure you live out the message and do not merely listen to it and so
deceive yourselves.
23 For if someone merely listens to the message and does not live it out, he is
like someone who gazes at his own face in a mirror.
24 For he gazes at himself and then goes out and immediately forgets what sort
of person he was.
25 But the one who peers into the perfect law of liberty and fixes his attention
there, and does not become a forgetful listener but one who lives it out– he
will be blessed in what he does.
26 If someone thinks he is religious yet does not bridle his tongue, and so
deceives his heart, his religion is futile.
27 Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to care for
orphans and widows in their adversity and to keep oneself unstained by the
world.

Chapter 2

1 Prejudice and the Law of Love My brothers and sisters, do not show prejudice
if you possess faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.
2 For if someone comes into your assembly wearing a gold ring and fine clothing,
and a poor person enters in filthy clothes,
3 do you pay attention to the one who is finely dressed and say,“You sit here
in a good place,” and to the poor person,“You stand over there,” or“Sit
on the floor”?
4 If so, have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with
evil motives?
5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters! Did not God choose the poor in the world
to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love
him?
6 But you have dishonored the poor! Are not the rich oppressing you and dragging
you into the courts?
7 Do they not blaspheme the good name of the one you belong to?
8 But if you fulfill the royal law as expressed in this scripture,“You shall
love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.
9 But if you show prejudice, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law
as violators.
10 For the one who obeys the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty
of all of it.
11 For he who said,“Do not commit adultery,” also said,“Do not murder.”
Now if you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a
violator of the law.
12 Speak and act as those who will be judged by a law that gives freedom.
13 For judgment is merciless for the one who has shown no mercy. But mercy
triumphs over judgment.
14 Faith and Works Together What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone
claims to have faith but does not have works? Can this kind of faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacks daily food,
16 and one of you says to them,“Go in peace, keep warm and eat well,” but
you do not give them what the body needs, what good is it?
17 So also faith, if it does not have works, is dead being by itself.
18 But someone will say,“You have faith and I have works.” Show me your
faith without works and I will show you faith by my works.
19 You believe that God is one; well and good. Even the demons believe that–
and tremble with fear.
20 But would you like evidence, you empty fellow, that faith without works is
useless?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son
on the altar?
22 You see that his faith was working together with his works and his faith was
perfected by works.
23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says,“Now Abraham believed God and it
was counted to him for righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend.
24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
25 And similarly, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she
welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another way?
26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works
is dead.

Chapter 3

1 The Power of the Tongue Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers
and sisters, because you know that we will be judged more strictly.
2 For we all stumble in many ways. If someone does not stumble in what he says,
he is a perfect individual, able to control the entire body as well.
3 And if we put bits into the mouths of horses to get them to obey us, then we
guide their entire bodies.
4 Look at ships too: Though they are so large and driven by harsh winds, they
are steered by a tiny rudder wherever the pilot’s inclination directs.
5 So too the tongue is a small part of the body, yet it has great pretensions.
Think how small a flame sets a huge forest ablaze.
6 And the tongue is a fire! The tongue represents the world of wrongdoing among
the parts of our bodies. It pollutes the entire body and sets fire to the course
of human existence– and is set on fire by hell.
7 For every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and sea creature is subdued and has
been subdued by humankind.
8 But no human being can subdue the tongue; it is a restless evil, full of
deadly poison.
9 With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse people made in
God’s image.
10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. These things should not be so,
my brothers and sisters.
11 A spring does not pour out fresh water and bitter water from the same
opening, does it?
12 Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers and sisters, or a vine produce
figs? Neither can a salt water spring produce fresh water.
13 True Wisdom Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct he
should show his works done in the gentleness that wisdom brings.
14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfishness in your hearts, do not boast
and tell lies against the truth.
15 Such wisdom does not come from above but is earthly, natural, demonic.
16 For where there is jealousy and selfishness, there is disorder and every evil
practice.
17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle,
accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and not hypocritical.
18 And the fruit that consists of righteousness is planted in peace among those
who make peace.

Chapter 4

1 Passions and Pride Where do the conflicts and where do the quarrels among you
come from? Is it not from this, from your passions that battle inside you?
2 You desire and you do not have; you murder and envy and you cannot obtain; you
quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask;
3 you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, so you can spend it on
your passions.
4 Adulterers, do you not know that friendship with the world means hostility
toward God? So whoever decides to be the world’s friend makes himself God’s
enemy.
5 Or do you think the scripture means nothing when it says,“The spirit that
God caused to live within us has an envious yearning”?
6 But he gives greater grace. Therefore it says,“God opposes the proud, but he
gives grace to the humble.”
7 So submit to God. But resist the devil and he will flee from you.
8 Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you
sinners, and make your hearts pure, you double-minded.
9 Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter into mourning and your joy into
despair.
10 Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.
11 Do not speak against one another, brothers and sisters. He who speaks against
a fellow believer or judges a fellow believer speaks against the law and judges
the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but its judge.
12 But there is only one who is lawgiver and judge– the one who is able to
save and destroy. On the other hand, who are you to judge your neighbor?
13 Come now, you who say,“Today or tomorrow we will go into this or that town
and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.”
14 You do not know about tomorrow. What is your life like? For you are a puff of
smoke that appears for a short time and then vanishes.
15 You ought to say instead,“If the Lord is willing, then we will live and do
this or that.”
16 But as it is, you boast about your arrogant plans. All such boasting is evil.
17 So whoever knows what is good to do and does not do it is guilty of sin.

Chapter 5

1 Warning to the Rich Come now, you rich! Weep and cry aloud over the miseries
that are coming on you.
2 Your riches have rotted and your clothing has become moth-eaten.
3 Your gold and silver have rusted and their rust will be a witness against you.
It will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have
hoarded treasure!
4 Look, the pay you have held back from the workers who mowed your fields cries
out against you, and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord
of Heaven’s Armies.
5 You have lived indulgently and luxuriously on the earth. You have fattened
your hearts in a day of slaughter.
6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person, although he does not
resist you.
7 Patience in Suffering So be patient, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s
return. Think of how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the ground and
is patient for it until it receives the early and late rains.
8 You also be patient and strengthen your hearts, for the Lord’s return is
near.
9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, so that you may not
be judged. See, the judge stands before the gates!
10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers and sisters, take the
prophets who spoke in the Lord’s name.
11 Think of how we regard as blessed those who have endured. You have heard of
Job’s endurance and you have seen the Lord’s purpose, that the Lord is full
of compassion and mercy.
12 And above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear, either by heaven or by
earth or by any other oath. But let your“Yes” be yes and your“No” be no,
so that you may not fall into judgment.
13 Prayer for the Sick Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone
in good spirits? He should sing praises.
14 Is anyone among you ill? He should summon the elders of the church, and they
should pray for him and anoint him with olive oil in the name of the Lord.
15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick and the Lord will raise
him up– and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
16 So confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may
be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great effectiveness.
17 Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed earnestly that it would not
rain and there was no rain on the land for three years and six months!
18 Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the land sprouted with a
harvest.
19 My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and
someone turns him back,
20 he should know that the one who turns a sinner back from his wandering path
will save that person’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.


1 Peter

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Salutation From Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those temporarily
residing abroad(in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, the province of Asia, and
Bithynia) who are chosen
2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father by being set apart by the
Spirit for obedience and for sprinkling with Jesus Christ’s blood. May grace
and peace be yours in full measure!
3 New Birth to Joy and Holiness Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ! By his great mercy he gave us new birth into a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 that is, into an inheritance imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. It is
reserved in heaven for you,
5 who by God’s power are protected through faith for a salvation ready to be
revealed in the last time.
6 This brings you great joy, although you may have to suffer for a short time in
various trials.
7 Such trials show the proven character of your faith, which is much more
valuable than gold– gold that is tested by fire, even though it is passing
away– and will bring praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
8 You have not seen him, but you love him. You do not see him now but you
believe in him, and so you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy,
9 because you are attaining the goal of your faith– the salvation of your
souls.
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who predicted the grace that would
come to you searched and investigated carefully.
11 They probed into what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was
indicating when he testified beforehand about the sufferings appointed for
Christ and his subsequent glory.
12 They were shown that they were serving not themselves but you, in regard to
the things now announced to you through those who proclaimed the gospel to you
by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven– things angels long to catch a glimpse of.
13 Therefore, get your minds ready for action by being fully sober, and set your
hope completely on the grace that will be brought to you when Jesus Christ is
revealed.
14 Like obedient children, do not comply with the evil urges you used to follow
in your ignorance,
15 but, like the Holy One who called you, become holy yourselves in all of your
conduct,
16 for it is written,“You shall be holy, because I am holy.”
17 And if you address as Father the one who impartially judges according to each
one’s work, live out the time of your temporary residence here in reverence.
18 You know that from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors you
were ransomed– not by perishable things like silver or gold,
19 but by precious blood like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb, namely
Christ.
20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was manifested in
these last times for your sake.
21 Through him you now trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him
glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
22 You have purified your souls by obeying the truth in order to show sincere
mutual love. So love one another earnestly from a pure heart.
23 You have been born anew, not from perishable but from imperishable seed,
through the living and enduring word of God.
24 For all flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of the grass;
the grass withers and the flower falls off,
25 but the word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the word that was
proclaimed to you.

Chapter 2

1 So get rid of all evil and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.
2 And yearn like newborn infants for pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may
grow up to salvation,
3 if you have experienced the Lord’s kindness.
4 A Living Stone, a Chosen People So as you come to him, a living stone rejected
by men but chosen and precious in God’s sight,
5 you yourselves, as living stones, are built up as a spiritual house to be a
holy priesthood and to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God
through Jesus Christ.
6 For it says in scripture,“Look, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious
cornerstone, and whoever believes in him will never be put to shame.”
7 So you who believe see his value, but for those who do not believe, the stone
that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,
8 and a stumbling-stone and a rock to trip over. They stumble because they
disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his
own, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of
darkness into his marvelous light.
10 You once were not a people, but now you are God’s people. You were shown no
mercy, but now you have received mercy.
11 Dear friends, I urge you as foreigners and exiles to keep away from fleshly
desires that do battle against the soul,
12 and maintain good conduct among the non-Christians, so that though they now
malign you as wrongdoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God when he
appears.
13 Submission to Authorities Be subject to every human institution for the
Lord’s sake, whether to a king as supreme
14 or to governors as those he commissions to punish wrongdoers and praise those
who do good.
15 For God wants you to silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good.
16 Live as free people, not using your freedom as a pretext for evil, but as
God’s slaves.
17 Honor all people, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the king.
18 Slaves, be subject to your masters with all reverence, not only to those who
are good and gentle, but also to those who are perverse.
19 For this finds God’s favor, if because of conscience toward God someone
endures hardships in suffering unjustly.
20 For what credit is it if you sin and are mistreated and endure it? But if you
do good and suffer and so endure, this finds favor with God.
21 For to this you were called, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving an
example for you to follow in his steps.
22 He committed no sin nor was deceit found in his mouth.
23 When he was maligned, he did not answer back; when he suffered, he threatened
no retaliation, but committed himself to God who judges justly.
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we may cease from
sinning and live for righteousness. By his wounds you were healed.
25 For you were going astray like sheep but now you have turned back to the
shepherd and guardian of your souls.

Chapter 3

1 Wives and Husbands In the same way, wives, be subject to your own husbands.
Then, even if some are disobedient to the word, they will be won over without a
word by the way you live,
2 when they see your pure and reverent conduct.
3 Let your beauty not be external– the braiding of hair and wearing of gold
jewelry or fine clothes–
4 but the inner person of the heart, the lasting beauty of a gentle and tranquil
spirit, which is precious in God’s sight.
5 For in the same way the holy women who hoped in God long ago adorned
themselves by being subject to their husbands,
6 like Sarah who obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. You become her children when
you do what is good and have no fear in doing so.
7 Husbands, in the same way, treat your wives with consideration as the weaker
partners and show them honor as fellow heirs of the grace of life. In this way
nothing will hinder your prayers.
8 Suffering for Doing Good Finally, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic,
affectionate, compassionate, and humble.
9 Do not return evil for evil or insult for insult, but instead bless others
because you were called to inherit a blessing.
10 For the one who wants to love life and see good days must keep his tongue
from evil and his lips from uttering deceit.
11 And he must turn away from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue
it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and his ears are open to
their prayer. But the Lord’s face is against those who do evil.
13 For who is going to harm you if you are devoted to what is good?
14 But in fact, if you happen to suffer for doing what is right, you are
blessed. But do not be terrified of them or be shaken.
15 But set Christ apart as Lord in your hearts and always be ready to give an
answer to anyone who asks about the hope you possess.
16 Yet do it with courtesy and respect, keeping a good conscience, so that those
who slander your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame when they accuse
you.
17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if God wills it, than for doing
evil.
18 Because Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, to bring
you to God, by being put to death in the flesh but by being made alive in the
spirit.
19 In it he went and preached to the spirits in prison,
20 after they were disobedient long ago when God patiently waited in the days of
Noah as an ark was being constructed. In the ark a few, that is eight souls,
were delivered through water.
21 And this prefigured baptism, which now saves you– not the washing off of
physical dirt but the pledge of a good conscience to God– through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ,
22 who went into heaven and is at the right hand of God with angels and
authorities and powers subject to him.

Chapter 4

1 So, since Christ suffered in the flesh, you also arm yourselves with the same
attitude, because the one who has suffered in the flesh has finished with sin,
2 in that he spends the rest of his time on earth concerned about the will of
God and not human desires.
3 For the time that has passed was sufficient for you to do what the
non-Christians desire. You lived then in debauchery, evil desires, drunkenness,
carousing, drinking bouts, and wanton idolatries.
4 So they are astonished when you do not rush with them into the same flood of
wickedness, and they vilify you.
5 They will face a reckoning before Jesus Christ who stands ready to judge the
living and the dead.
6 Now it was for this very purpose that the gospel was preached to those who are
now dead, so that though they were judged in the flesh by human standards they
may live spiritually by God’s standards.
7 Service, Suffering, and Judgment For the culmination of all things is near. So
be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of prayer.
8 Above all keep your love for one another fervent, because love covers a
multitude of sins.
9 Show hospitality to one another without complaining.
10 Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good
stewards of the varied grace of God.
11 Whoever speaks, let it be with God’s words. Whoever serves, do so with the
strength that God supplies, so that in everything God will be glorified through
Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
12 Dear friends, do not be astonished that a trial by fire is occurring among
you, as though something strange were happening to you.
13 But rejoice in the degree that you have shared in the sufferings of Christ,
so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice and be glad.
14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the
Spirit of glory, who is the Spirit of God, rests on you.
15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or thief or criminal or as a
troublemaker.
16 But if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but glorify God that you
bear such a name.
17 For it is time for judgment to begin, starting with the house of God. And if
it starts with us, what will be the fate of those who are disobedient to the
gospel of God?
18 And if the righteous are barely saved, what will become of the ungodly and
sinners?
19 So then let those who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls
to a faithful Creator as they do good.

Chapter 5

1 Leading and Living in God’s Flock So as your fellow elder and a witness of
Christ’s sufferings and as one who shares in the glory that will be revealed,
I urge the elders among you:
2 Give a shepherd’s care to God’s flock among you, exercising oversight not
merely as a duty but willingly under God’s direction, not for shameful profit
but eagerly.
3 And do not lord it over those entrusted to you, but be examples to the flock.
4 Then when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that
never fades away.
5 In the same way, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. And all of
you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the
proud but gives grace to the humble.
6 And God will exalt you in due time, if you humble yourselves under his mighty
hand
7 by casting all your cares on him because he cares for you.
8 Be sober and alert. Your enemy the devil, like a roaring lion, is on the prowl
looking for someone to devour.
9 Resist him, strong in your faith, because you know that your brothers and
sisters throughout the world are enduring the same kinds of suffering.
10 And, after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace who
called you to his eternal glory in Christ will himself restore, confirm,
strengthen, and establish you.
11 To him belongs the power forever. Amen.
12 Final Greetings Through Silvanus, whom I know to be a faithful brother, I
have written to you briefly, in order to encourage you and testify that this is
the true grace of God. Stand fast in it.
13 The church in Babylon, chosen together with you, greets you, and so does
Mark, my son.
14 Greet one another with a loving kiss. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.


2 Peter

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Salutation From Simeon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those
who through the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ, have been
granted a faith just as precious as ours.
2 May grace and peace be lavished on you as you grow in the rich knowledge of
God and of Jesus our Lord!
3 Believers’ Salvation and the Work of God I can pray this because his divine
power has bestowed on us everything necessary for life and godliness through the
rich knowledge of the one who called us by his own glory and excellence.
4 Through these things he has bestowed on us his precious and most magnificent
promises, so that by means of what was promised you may become partakers of the
divine nature, after escaping the worldly corruption that is produced by evil
desire.
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith excellence, to
excellence, knowledge;
6 to knowledge, self-control; to self-control, perseverance; to perseverance,
godliness;
7 to godliness, brotherly affection; to brotherly affection, unselfish love.
8 For if these things are really yours and are continually increasing, they will
keep you from becoming ineffective and unproductive in your pursuit of knowing
our Lord Jesus Christ more intimately.
9 But concerning the one who lacks such things– he is blind. That is to say,
he is nearsighted, since he has forgotten about the cleansing of his past sins.
10 Therefore, brothers and sisters, make every effort to be sure of your calling
and election. For by doing this you will never stumble into sin.
11 For thus an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ, will be richly provided for you.
12 Salvation Based on the Word of God Therefore, I intend to remind you
constantly of these things even though you know them and are well established in
the truth that you now have.
13 Indeed, as long as I am in this tabernacle, I consider it right to stir you
up by way of a reminder,
14 since I know that my tabernacle will soon be removed, because our Lord Jesus
Christ revealed this to me.
15 Indeed, I will also make every effort that, after my departure, you have a
testimony of these things.
16 For we did not follow cleverly concocted fables when we made known to you the
power and return of our Lord Jesus Christ; no, we were eyewitnesses of his
grandeur.
17 For he received honor and glory from God the Father, when that voice was
conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory:“This is my dear Son, in whom I am
delighted.”
18 When this voice was conveyed from heaven, we ourselves heard it, for we were
with him on the holy mountain.
19 Moreover, we possess the prophetic word as an altogether reliable thing. You
do well if you pay attention to this as you would to a light shining in a murky
place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
20 Above all, you do well if you recognize this: No prophecy of scripture ever
comes about by the prophet’s own imagination,
21 for no prophecy was ever borne of human impulse; rather, men carried along by
the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

Chapter 2

1 The False Teachers’ Ungodly Lifestyle But false prophets arose among the
people, just as there will be false teachers among you. These false teachers
will infiltrate your midst with destructive heresies, even to the point of
denying the Master who bought them. As a result, they will bring swift
destruction on themselves.
2 And many will follow their debauched lifestyles. Because of these false
teachers, the way of truth will be slandered.
3 And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their
condemnation pronounced long ago is not sitting idly by; their destruction is
not asleep.
4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but threw them into hell and
locked them up in chains in utter darkness, to be kept until the judgment,
5 and if he did not spare the ancient world, but did protect Noah, a herald of
righteousness, along with seven others, when God brought a flood on an ungodly
world,
6 and if he turned to ashes the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah when he condemned
them to destruction, having appointed them to serve as an example to future
generations of the ungodly,
7 and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man in anguish over the debauched lifestyle
of lawless men,
8 (for while he lived among them day after day, that righteous man was tormented
in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)
9 – if so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from their trials, and
to reserve the unrighteous for punishment at the day of judgment,
10 especially those who indulge their fleshly desires and who despise authority.
Brazen and insolent, they are not afraid to insult the glorious ones,
11 yet even angels, who are much more powerful, do not bring a slanderous
judgment against them before the Lord.
12 But these men, like irrational animals– creatures of instinct, born to be
caught and destroyed– do not understand whom they are insulting, and
consequently in their destruction they will be destroyed,
13 suffering harm as the wages for their harmful ways. By considering it a
pleasure to carouse in broad daylight, they are stains and blemishes, indulging
in their deceitful pleasures when they feast together with you.
14 Their eyes, full of adultery, never stop sinning; they entice unstable
people. They have trained their hearts for greed, these cursed children!
15 By forsaking the right path they have gone astray, because they followed the
way of Balaam son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness,
16 yet was rebuked for his own transgression(a dumb donkey, speaking with a
human voice, restrained the prophet’s madness).
17 These men are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm, for whom the
utter depths of darkness have been reserved.
18 For by speaking high-sounding but empty words they are able to entice, with
fleshly desires and with debauchery, people who have just escaped from those who
reside in error.
19 Although these false teachers promise such people freedom, they themselves
are enslaved to immorality. For whatever a person succumbs to, to that he is
enslaved.
20 For if after they have escaped the filthy things of the world through the
rich knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they again get entangled in
them and succumb to them, their last state has become worse for them than their
first.
21 For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of
righteousness than, having known it, to turn back from the holy commandment that
had been delivered to them.
22 They are illustrations of this true proverb:“A dog returns to its own
vomit,” and“A sow, after washing herself, wallows in the mire.”

Chapter 3

1 The False Teachers’ Denial of the Lord’s Return Dear friends, this is
already the second letter I have written you, in which I am trying to stir up
your pure mind by way of reminder:
2 I want you to recall both the predictions foretold by the holy prophets and
the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles.
3 Above all, understand this: In the last days blatant scoffers will come, being
propelled by their own evil urges
4 and saying,“Where is his promised return? For ever since our ancestors died,
all things have continued as they were from the beginning of creation.”
5 For they deliberately suppress this fact, that by the word of God heavens
existed long ago and an earth was formed out of water and by means of water.
6 Through these things the world existing at that time was destroyed when it was
deluged with water.
7 But by the same word the present heavens and earth have been reserved for
fire, by being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
8 Now, dear friends, do not let this one thing escape your notice, that a single
day is like a thousand years with the Lord and a thousand years are like a
single day.
9 The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some regard slowness, but is
being patient toward you, because he does not wish for any to perish but for all
to come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; when it comes, the heavens
will disappear with a horrific noise, and the celestial bodies will melt away in
a blaze, and the earth and every deed done on it will be laid bare.
11 Since all these things are to melt away in this manner, what sort of people
must we be, conducting our lives in holiness and godliness,
12 while waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God? Because of this
day, the heavens will be burned up and dissolve, and the celestial bodies will
melt away in a blaze!
13 But, according to his promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new
earth, in which righteousness truly resides.
14 Exhortation to the Faithful Therefore, dear friends, since you are waiting
for these things, strive to be found at peace, without spot or blemish, when you
come into his presence.
15 And regard the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as also our dear
brother Paul wrote to you, according to the wisdom given to him,
16 speaking of these things in all his letters. Some things in these letters are
hard to understand, things the ignorant and unstable twist to their own
destruction, as they also do to the rest of the scriptures.
17 Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard
that you do not get led astray by the error of these unprincipled men and fall
from your firm grasp on the truth.
18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To
him be the honor both now and on that eternal day.


1 John

Chapter 1

1 ¶ The Prologue to the Letter This is what we proclaim to you: what was from
the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have
looked at and our hands have touched(concerning the word of life–
2 and the life was revealed, and we have seen and testify and announce to you
the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us).
3 What we have seen and heard we announce to you too, so that you may have
fellowship with us(and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son
Jesus Christ).
4 Thus we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
5 God Is Light, So We Must Walk in the Light Now this is the gospel message we
have heard from him and announce to you: God is light, and in him there is no
darkness at all.
6 If we say we have fellowship with him and yet keep on walking in the darkness,
we are lying and not practicing the truth.
7 But if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship
with one another and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we say we do not bear the guilt of sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the
truth is not in us.
9 But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our
sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us.

Chapter 2

1 (My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not
sin.) But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ
the Righteous One,
2 and he himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for our
sins but also for the whole world.
3 Keeping God’s Commandments Now by this we know that we have come to know
God: if we keep his commandments.
4 The one who says“I have come to know God” and yet does not keep his
commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in such a person.
5 But whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has been
perfected. By this we know that we are in him.
6 The one who says he resides in God ought himself to walk just as Jesus walked.
7 Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old
commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the
word that you have already heard.
8 On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you which is true in him
and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already
shining.
9 The one who says he is in the light but still hates his fellow Christian is
still in the darkness.
10 The one who loves his fellow Christian resides in the light, and there is no
cause for stumbling in him.
11 But the one who hates his fellow Christian is in the darkness, walks in the
darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded
his eyes.
12 Words of Reassurance I am writing to you, little children, that your sins
have been forgiven because of his name.
13 I am writing to you, fathers, that you have known him who has been from the
beginning. I am writing to you, young people, that you have conquered the evil
one.
14 I have written to you, children, that you have known the Father. I have
written to you, fathers, that you have known him who has been from the
beginning. I have written to you, young people, that you are strong, and the
word of God resides in you, and you have conquered the evil one.
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world,
the love of the Father is not in him,
16 because all that is in the world(the desire of the flesh and the desire of
the eyes and the arrogance produced by material possessions) is not from the
Father, but is from the world.
17 And the world is passing away with all its desires, but the person who does
the will of God remains forever.
18 Warning About False Teachers Children, it is the last hour, and just as you
heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. We
know from this that it is the last hour.
19 They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us, because if they
had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But they went out from us
to demonstrate that all of them do not belong to us.
20 Nevertheless you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know.
21 I have not written to you that you do not know the truth, but that you do
know it, and that no lie is of the truth.
22 Who is the liar but the person who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This one
is the antichrist: the person who denies the Father and the Son.
23 Everyone who denies the Son does not have the Father either. The person who
confesses the Son has the Father also.
24 As for you, what you have heard from the beginning must remain in you. If
what you heard from the beginning remains in you, you also will remain in the
Son and in the Father.
25 Now this is the promise that he himself made to us: eternal life.
26 These things I have written to you about those who are trying to deceive you.
27 Now as for you, the anointing that you received from him resides in you, and
you have no need for anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about
all things, it is true and is not a lie. Just as it has taught you, you reside
in him.
28 Children of God And now, little children, remain in him, so that when he
appears we may have confidence and not shrink away from him in shame when he
comes back.
29 If you know that he is righteous, you also know that everyone who practices
righteousness has been fathered by him.

Chapter 3

1 (See what sort of love the Father has given to us: that we should be called
God’s children– and indeed we are! For this reason the world does not know
us: because it did not know him.
2 Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet
been revealed. We know that whenever it is revealed we will be like him, because
we will see him just as he is.
3 And everyone who has this hope focused on him purifies himself, just as Jesus
is pure).
4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; indeed, sin is
lawlessness.
5 And you know that Jesus was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no
sin.
6 Everyone who resides in him does not sin; everyone who sins has neither seen
him nor known him.
7 Little children, let no one deceive you: The one who practices righteousness
is righteous, just as Jesus is righteous.
8 The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning
from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was revealed: to destroy the
works of the devil.
9 Everyone who has been fathered by God does not practice sin, because God’s
seed resides in him, and thus he is not able to sin, because he has been
fathered by God.
10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are revealed:
Everyone who does not practice righteousness– the one who does not love his
fellow Christian– is not of God.
11 God Is Love, So We Must Love One Another For this is the gospel message that
you have heard from the beginning: that we should love one another,
12 not like Cain who was of the evil one and brutally murdered his brother. And
why did he murder him? Because his deeds were evil, but his brother’s were
righteous.
13 Therefore do not be surprised, brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.
14 We know that we have crossed over from death to life because we love our
fellow Christians. The one who does not love remains in death.
15 Everyone who hates his fellow Christian is a murderer, and you know that no
murderer has eternal life residing in him.
16 We have come to know love by this: that Jesus laid down his life for us; thus
we ought to lay down our lives for our fellow Christians.
17 But whoever has the world’s possessions and sees his fellow Christian in
need and shuts off his compassion against him, how can the love of God reside in
such a person?
18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue but in deed and
truth.
19 And by this we will know that we are of the truth and will convince our
conscience in his presence,
20 that if our conscience condemns us, that God is greater than our conscience
and knows all things.
21 Dear friends, if our conscience does not condemn us, we have confidence in
the presence of God,
22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and
do the things that are pleasing to him.
23 Now this is his commandment: that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus
Christ and love one another, just as he gave us the commandment.
24 And the person who keeps his commandments resides in God, and God in him. Now
by this we know that God resides in us: by the Spirit he has given us.

Chapter 4

1 Testing the Spirits Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the
spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone
out into the world.
2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses Jesus as the
Christ who has come in the flesh is from God,
3 but every spirit that refuses to confess Jesus, that spirit is not from God,
and this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and
now is already in the world.
4 You are from God, little children, and have conquered them, because the one
who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world’s perspective
and the world listens to them.
6 We are from God; the person who knows God listens to us, but whoever is not
from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the
spirit of deceit.
7 God is Love Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God,
and everyone who loves has been fathered by God and knows God.
8 The person who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
9 By this the love of God is revealed in us: that God has sent his one and only
Son into the world so that we may live through him.
10 In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent
his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
11 Dear friends, if God so loved us, then we also ought to love one another.
12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God resides in us,
and his love is perfected in us.
13 By this we know that we reside in God and he in us: in that he has given us
of his Spirit.
14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the
Savior of the world.
15 If anyone confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God resides in him and he
in God.
16 And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has in us. God is
love, and the one who resides in love resides in God, and God resides in him.
17 By this love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day
of judgment, because just as Jesus is, so also are we in this world.
18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear has
to do with punishment. The one who fears punishment has not been perfected in
love.
19 We love because he loved us first.
20 If anyone says“I love God” and yet hates his fellow Christian, he is a
liar, because the one who does not love his fellow Christian whom he has seen
cannot love God whom he has not seen.
21 And the commandment we have from him is this: that the one who loves God
should love his fellow Christian too.

Chapter 5

1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been fathered by God, and
everyone who loves the father loves the child fathered by him.
2 By this we know that we love the children of God: whenever we love God and
obey his commandments.
3 For this is the love of God: that we keep his commandments. And his
commandments do not weigh us down,
4 because everyone who has been fathered by God conquers the world. Testimony
About the SonThis is the conquering power that has conquered the world: our
faith.
5 Now who is the person who has conquered the world except the one who believes
that Jesus is the Son of God?
6 Jesus Christ is the one who came by water and blood– not by the water only,
but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because
the Spirit is the truth.
7 For there are three that testify,
8 the Spirit and the water and the blood, and these three are in agreement.
9 If we accept the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, because
this is the testimony of God that he has testified concerning his Son.
10 (The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one
who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the
testimony that God has testified concerning his Son.)
11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in
his Son.
12 The one who has the Son has this eternal life; the one who does not have the
Son of God does not have this eternal life.
13 Assurance of Eternal Life I have written these things to you who believe in
the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
14 And this is the confidence that we have before him: that whenever we ask
anything according to his will, he hears us.
15 And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask, then we know
that we have the requests that we have asked from him.
16 If anyone sees his fellow Christian committing a sin not resulting in death,
he should ask, and God will grant life to the person who commits a sin not
resulting in death. There is a sin resulting in death. I do not say that he
should ask about that.
17 All unrighteousness is sin, but there is sin not resulting in death.
18 We know that everyone fathered by God does not sin, but God protects the one
he has fathered, and the evil one cannot touch him.
19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the
evil one.
20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us insight to know him
who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This one is
the true God and eternal life.
21 Little children, guard yourselves from idols.


2 John

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Introduction and Thanksgiving From the elder, to an elect lady and her
children, whom I love in truth(and not I alone, but also all those who know the
truth),
2 because of the truth that resides in us and will be with us forever.
3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus
Christ the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
4 I rejoiced greatly because I have found some of your children living according
to the truth, just as the Father commanded us.
5 Warning Against False Teachers But now I ask you, lady(not as if I were
writing a new commandment to you, but the one we have had from the beginning),
that we love one another.
6 (Now this is love: that we walk according to his commandments.) This is the
commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning; thus you should walk in
it.
7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, people who do not confess
Jesus as Christ coming in the flesh. This person is the deceiver and the
antichrist!
8 Watch out, so that you do not lose the things we have worked for, but receive
a full reward.
9 Everyone who goes on ahead and does not remain in the teaching of Christ does
not have God. The one who remains in this teaching has both the Father and the
Son.
10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him
into your house and do not give him any greeting,
11 because the person who gives him a greeting shares in his evil deeds.
12 Conclusion Though I have many other things to write to you, I do not want to
do so with paper and ink, but I hope to come visit you and speak face to face,
so that our joy may be complete.
13 The children of your elect sister greet you.


3 John

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Introduction and Thanksgiving From the elder, to Gaius my dear brother,
whom I love in truth.
2 Dear friend, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good
health, just as it is well with your soul.
3 For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth,
just as you are living according to the truth.
4 I have no greater joy than this: to hear that my children are living according
to the truth.
5 The Charge to Gaius Dear friend, you demonstrate faithfulness by whatever you
do for the brothers(even though they are strangers).
6 They have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send
them on their way in a manner worthy of God.
7 For they have gone forth on behalf of“The Name,” accepting nothing from
the pagans.
8 Therefore we ought to support such people, so that we become coworkers in
cooperation with the truth.
9 Diotrephes the Troublemaker I wrote something to the church, but Diotrephes,
who loves to be first among them, does not acknowledge us.
10 Therefore, if I come, I will call attention to the deeds he is doing– the
bringing of unjustified charges against us with evil words! And not being
content with that, he not only refuses to welcome the brothers himself, but
hinders the people who want to do so and throws them out of the church!
11 Dear friend, do not imitate what is bad but what is good. The one who does
good is of God; the one who does what is bad has not seen God.
12 Worthy Demetrius Demetrius has been testified to by all, even by the truth
itself. We also testify to him, and you know that our testimony is true.
13 Conclusion I have many things to write to you, but I do not wish to write to
you with pen and ink.
14 But I hope to see you right away, and we will speak face to face.
15 Peace be with you. The friends here greet you. Greet the friends there by
name.


Jude

Chapter 1

1 ¶ Salutation From Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to
those who are called, wrapped in the love of God the Father and kept for Jesus
Christ.
2 May mercy, peace, and love be lavished on you!
3 Condemnation of the False Teachers Dear friends, although I have been eager to
write to you about our common salvation, I now feel compelled instead to write
to encourage you to contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all
entrusted to the saints.
4 For certain men have secretly slipped in among you– men who long ago were
marked out for the condemnation I am about to describe– ungodly men who have
turned the grace of our God into a license for evil and who deny our only Master
and Lord, Jesus Christ.
5 Now I desire to remind you(even though you have been fully informed of these
facts once for all) that Jesus, having saved the people out of the land of
Egypt, later destroyed those who did not believe.
6 You also know that the angels who did not keep within their proper domain but
abandoned their own place of residence, he has kept in eternal chains in utter
darkness, locked up for the judgment of the great Day.
7 So also Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighboring towns, since they indulged in
sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire in a way similar to these angels,
are now displayed as an example by suffering the punishment of eternal fire.
8 Yet these men, as a result of their dreams, defile the flesh, reject
authority, and insult the glorious ones.
9 But even when Michael the archangel was arguing with the devil and debating
with him concerning Moses’ body, he did not dare to bring a slanderous
judgment, but said,“May the Lord rebuke you!”
10 But these men do not understand the things they slander, and they are being
destroyed by the very things that, like irrational animals, they instinctively
comprehend.
11 Woe to them! For they have traveled down Cain’s path, and because of greed
have abandoned themselves to Balaam’s error; hence, they will certainly perish
in Korah’s rebellion.
12 These men are dangerous reefs at your love feasts, feasting without
reverence, feeding only themselves. They are waterless clouds, carried along by
the winds; autumn trees without fruit– twice dead, uprooted;
13 wild sea waves, spewing out the foam of their shame; wayward stars for whom
the utter depths of eternal darkness have been reserved.
14 Now Enoch, the seventh in descent beginning with Adam, even prophesied of
them, saying,“Look! The Lord is coming with thousands and thousands of his
holy ones,
15 to execute judgment on all, and to convict every person of all their
thoroughly ungodly deeds that they have committed, and of all the harsh words
that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”
16 These people are grumblers and fault-finders who go wherever their desires
lead them, and they give bombastic speeches, enchanting folks for their own
gain.
17 Exhortation to the Faithful But you, dear friends– recall the predictions
foretold by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.
18 For they said to you,“In the end time there will come scoffers, propelled
by their own ungodly desires.”
19 These people are divisive, worldly, devoid of the Spirit.
20 But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith, by
praying in the Holy Spirit,
21 maintain yourselves in the love of God, while anticipating the mercy of our
Lord Jesus Christ that brings eternal life.
22 And have mercy on those who waver;
23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; have mercy on others, coupled
with a fear of God, hating even the clothes stained by the flesh.
24 Final Blessing Now to the one who is able to keep you from falling, and to
cause you to stand, rejoicing, without blemish before his glorious presence,
25 to the only God our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty,
power, and authority, before all time, and now, and for all eternity. Amen.


Revelation

Chapter 1

1 ¶ The Prologue The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his
servants what must happen very soon. He made it clear by sending his angel to
his servant John,
2 who then testified to everything that he saw concerning the word of God and
the testimony about Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy aloud, and blessed are
those who hear and obey the things written in it, because the time is near!
4 From John, to the seven churches that are in the province of Asia: Grace and
peace to you from“he who is,” and who was, and who is still to come, and
from the seven spirits who are before his throne,
5 and from Jesus Christ– the faithful witness, the firstborn from among the
dead, the ruler over the kings of the earth. To the one who loves us and has set
us free from our sins at the cost of his own blood
6 and has appointed us as a kingdom, as priests serving his God and Father– to
him be the glory and the power for ever and ever! Amen.
7 (Look! He is returning with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those
who pierced him, and all the tribes on the earth will mourn because of him. This
will certainly come to pass! Amen.)
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God– the one who is, and
who was, and who is still to come– the All-Powerful!
9 I, John, your brother and the one who shares with you in the persecution,
kingdom, and endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos
because of the word of God and the testimony about Jesus.
10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day when I heard behind me a loud voice
like a trumpet,
11 saying:“Write in a book what you see and send it to the seven churches–
to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
12 I turned to see whose voice was speaking to me, and when I did so, I saw
seven golden lampstands,
13 and in the midst of the lampstands was one like a son of man. He was dressed
in a robe extending down to his feet and he wore a wide golden belt around his
chest.
14 His head and hair were as white as wool, even as white as snow, and his eyes
were like a fiery flame.
15 His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice was
like the roar of many waters.
16 He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp double-edged sword
extended out of his mouth. His face shone like the sun shining at full strength.
17 When I saw him I fell down at his feet as though I were dead, but he placed
his right hand on me and said:“Do not be afraid! I am the first and the last,
18 and the one who lives! I was dead, but look, now I am alive– forever and
ever– and I hold the keys of death and of Hades!
19 Therefore write what you saw, what is, and what will be after these things.
20 The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and the seven
golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches
and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

Chapter 2

1 To the Church in Ephesus“To the angel of the church in Ephesus, write the
following:“This is the solemn pronouncement of the one who has a firm grasp on
the seven stars in his right hand– the one who walks among the seven golden
lampstands:
2 ‘I know your works as well as your labor and steadfast endurance, and that
you cannot tolerate evil. You have even put to the test those who refer to
themselves as apostles(but are not), and have discovered that they are false.
3 I am also aware that you have persisted steadfastly, endured much for the sake
of my name, and have not grown weary.
4 But I have this against you: You have departed from your first love!
5 Therefore, remember from what high state you have fallen and repent! Do the
deeds you did at the first; if not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand
from its place– that is, if you do not repent.
6 But you do have this going for you: You hate what the Nicolaitans practice–
practices I also hate.
7 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To the one who conquers, I will permit him to eat from the tree of life that is
in the paradise of God.’
8 To the Church in Smyrna“To the angel of the church in Smyrna write the
following:“This is the solemn pronouncement of the one who is the first and
the last, the one who was dead, but came to life:
9 ‘I know the distress you are suffering and your poverty(but you are rich). I
also know the slander against you by those who call themselves Jews and really
are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
10 Do not be afraid of the things you are about to suffer. The devil is about to
have some of you thrown into prison so you may be tested, and you will
experience suffering for ten days. Remain faithful even to the point of death,
and I will give you the crown that is life itself.
11 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
The one who conquers will in no way be harmed by the second death.’
12 To the Church in Pergamum“To the angel of the church in Pergamum write the
following:“This is the solemn pronouncement of the one who has the sharp
double-edged sword:
13 ‘I know where you live– where Satan’s throne is. Yet you continue to
cling to my name and you have not denied your faith in me, even in the days of
Antipas, my faithful witness, who was killed in your city where Satan lives.
14 But I have a few things against you: You have some people there who follow
the teaching of Balaam, who instructed Balak to put a stumbling block before the
people of Israel so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual
immorality.
15 In the same way, there are also some among you who follow the teaching of the
Nicolaitans.
16 Therefore, repent! If not, I will come against you quickly and make war
against those people with the sword of my mouth.
17 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To the one who conquers, I will give him some of the hidden manna, and I will
give him a white stone, and on that stone will be written a new name that no one
can understand except the one who receives it.’
18 To the Church in Thyatira“To the angel of the church in Thyatira write the
following:“This is the solemn pronouncement of the Son of God, the one who has
eyes like a fiery flame and whose feet are like polished bronze:
19 ‘I know your deeds: your love, faith, service, and steadfast endurance. In
fact, your more recent deeds are greater than your earlier ones.
20 But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls
herself a prophetess, and by her teaching deceives my servants to commit sexual
immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.
21 I have given her time to repent, but she is not willing to repent of her
sexual immorality.
22 Look! I am throwing her onto a bed of violent illness, and those who commit
adultery with her into terrible suffering, unless they repent of her deeds.
23 Furthermore, I will strike her followers with a deadly disease, and then all
the churches will know that I am the one who searches minds and hearts. I will
repay each one of you what your deeds deserve.
24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, all who do not hold to this teaching(who
have not learned the so-called“deep secrets of Satan”), to you I say: I do
not put any additional burden on you.
25 However, hold on to what you have until I come.
26 And to the one who conquers and who continues in my deeds until the end, I
will give him authority over the nations–
27 he will rule them with an iron rod and like clay jars he will break them to
pieces,
28 just as I have received the right to rule from my Father– and I will give
him the morning star.
29 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the
churches.’

Chapter 3

1 To the Church in Sardis“To the angel of the church in Sardis write the
following:“This is the solemn pronouncement of the one who holds the seven
spirits of God and the seven stars:‘I know your deeds, that you have a
reputation that you are alive, but in reality you are dead.
2 Wake up then, and strengthen what remains that was about to die, because I
have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.
3 Therefore, remember what you received and heard, and obey it, and repent. If
you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will never know at what
hour I will come against you.
4 But you have a few individuals in Sardis who have not stained their clothes,
and they will walk with me dressed in white, because they are worthy.
5 The one who conquers will be dressed like them in white clothing, and I will
never erase his name from the book of life, but will declare his name before my
Father and before his angels.
6 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the
churches.’
7 To the Church in Philadelphia“To the angel of the church in Philadelphia
write the following:“This is the solemn pronouncement of the Holy One, the
True One, who holds the key of David, who opens doors no one can shut, and shuts
doors no one can open:
8 ‘I know your deeds.(Look! I have put in front of you an open door that no
one can shut.) I know that you have little strength, but you have obeyed my word
and have not denied my name.
9 Listen! I am going to make those people from the synagogue of Satan– who say
they are Jews yet are not, but are lying– Look, I will make them come and bow
down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you.
10 Because you have kept my admonition to endure steadfastly, I will also keep
you from the hour of testing that is about to come on the whole world to test
those who live on the earth.
11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have so that no one can take away your
crown.
12 The one who conquers I will make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he
will never depart from it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name
of the city of my God(the new Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven from my
God), and my new name as well.
13 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the
churches.’
14 To the Church in Laodicea“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write the
following:“This is the solemn pronouncement of the Amen, the faithful and true
witness, the originator of God’s creation:
15 ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were
either cold or hot!
16 So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit
you out of my mouth!
17 Because you say,“I am rich and have acquired great wealth, and need
nothing,” but do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and
naked,
18 take my advice and buy gold from me refined by fire so you can become rich!
Buy from me white clothing so you can be clothed and your shameful nakedness
will not be exposed, and buy eye salve to put on your eyes so you can see!
19 All those I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent!
20 Listen! I am standing at the door and knocking! If anyone hears my voice and
opens the door I will come into his home and share a meal with him, and he with
me.
21 I will grant the one who conquers permission to sit with me on my throne,
just as I too conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.
22 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the
churches.’”

Chapter 4

1 The Amazing Scene in Heaven After these things I looked, and there was a door
standing open in heaven! And the first voice I had heard speaking to me like a
trumpet said:“Come up here so that I can show you what must happen after these
things.”
2 Immediately I was in the Spirit, and a throne was standing in heaven with
someone seated on it!
3 And the one seated on it was like jasper and carnelian in appearance, and a
rainbow looking like it was made of emerald encircled the throne.
4 In a circle around the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on
those thrones were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white clothing and
had golden crowns on their heads.
5 From the throne came out flashes of lightning and roaring and crashes of
thunder. Seven flaming torches, which are the seven spirits of God, were burning
in front of the throne
6 and in front of the throne was something like a sea of glass, like crystal. In
the middle of the throne and around the throne were four living creatures full
of eyes in front and in back.
7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second creature like an ox, the
third creature had a face like a man’s, and the fourth creature looked like an
eagle flying.
8 Each one of the four living creatures had six wings and was full of eyes all
around and inside. They never rest day or night, saying:“Holy Holy Holy is the
Lord God, the All-Powerful, Who was and who is, and who is still to come!”
9 And whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the one who
sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever,
10 the twenty-four elders throw themselves to the ground before the one who sits
on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever, and they offer
their crowns before his throne, saying:
11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power,
since you created all things, and because of your will they existed and were
created!”

Chapter 5

1 The Opening of the Scroll Then I saw in the right hand of the one who was
seated on the throne a scroll written on the front and back and sealed with
seven seals.
2 And I saw a powerful angel proclaiming in a loud voice:“Who is worthy to
open the scroll and to break its seals?”
3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the
scroll or look into it.
4 So I began weeping bitterly because no one was found who was worthy to open
the scroll or to look into it.
5 Then one of the elders said to me,“Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe
of Judah, the root of David, has conquered; thus he can open the scroll and its
seven seals.”
6 Then I saw standing in the middle of the throne and of the four living
creatures, and in the middle of the elders, a Lamb that appeared to have been
killed. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God
sent out into all the earth.
7 Then he came and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who was seated
on the throne,
8 and when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the
twenty-four elders threw themselves to the ground before the Lamb. Each of them
had a harp and golden bowls full of incense(which are the prayers of the
saints).
9 They were singing a new song:“You are worthy to take the scroll and to open
its seals because you were killed, and at the cost of your own blood you have
purchased for God persons from every tribe, language, people, and nation.
10 You have appointed them as a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they
will reign on the earth.”
11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels in a circle around the
throne, as well as the living creatures and the elders. Their number was ten
thousand times ten thousand– thousands times thousands–
12 all of whom were singing in a loud voice:“Worthy is the lamb who was killed
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and
praise!”
13 Then I heard every creature– in heaven, on earth, under the earth, in the
sea, and all that is in them– singing:“To the one seated on the throne and
to the Lamb be praise, honor, glory, and ruling power forever and ever!”
14 And the four living creatures were saying“Amen,” and the elders threw
themselves to the ground and worshiped.

Chapter 6

1 The Seven Seals I looked on when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I
heard one of the four living creatures saying with a thunderous
voice,“Come!”
2 So I looked, and here came a white horse! The one who rode it had a bow, and
he was given a crown, and as a conqueror he rode out to conquer.
3 Then when the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature
saying,“Come!”
4 And another horse, fiery red, came out, and the one who rode it was granted
permission to take peace from the earth, so that people would butcher one
another, and he was given a huge sword.
5 Then when the Lamb opened the third seal I heard the third living creature
saying,“Come!” So I looked, and here came a black horse! The one who rode it
had a balance scale in his hand.
6 Then I heard something like a voice from among the four living creatures
saying,“A quart of wheat will cost a day’s pay and three quarts of barley
will cost a day’s pay. But do not damage the olive oil and the wine!”
7 Then when the Lamb opened the fourth seal I heard the voice of the fourth
living creature saying,“Come!”
8 So I looked and here came a pale green horse! The name of the one who rode it
was Death, and Hades followed right behind. They were given authority over a
fourth of the earth, to kill its population with the sword, famine, and disease,
and by the wild animals of the earth.
9 Now when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of
those who had been violently killed because of the word of God and because of
the testimony they had given.
10 They cried out with a loud voice,“How long, Sovereign Master, holy and
true, before you judge those who live on the earth and avenge our blood?”
11 Each of them was given a long white robe and they were told to rest for a
little longer, until the full number was reached of both their fellow servants
and their brothers who were going to be killed just as they had been.
12 Then I looked when the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and a huge earthquake took
place; the sun became as black as sackcloth made of hair, and the full moon
became blood red;
13 and the stars in the sky fell to the earth like a fig tree dropping its
unripe figs when shaken by a fierce wind.
14 The sky was split apart like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and
island was moved from its place.
15 Then the kings of the earth, the very important people, the generals, the
rich, the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves
and among the rocks of the mountains.
16 They said to the mountains and to the rocks,“Fall on us and hide us from
the face of the one who is seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb,
17 because the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand
it?”

Chapter 7

1 The Sealing of the 144,000 After this I saw four angels standing at the four
corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth so no wind could
blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree.
2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, who had the seal of the
living God. He shouted out with a loud voice to the four angels who had been
given permission to damage the earth and the sea:
3 “Do not damage the earth or the sea or the trees until we have put a seal on
the foreheads of the servants of our God.”
4 Now I heard the number of those who were marked with the seal, one hundred and
forty-four thousand, sealed from all the tribes of the people of Israel:
5 From the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed, from the tribe of
Reuben, twelve thousand, from the tribe of Gad, twelve thousand,
6 from the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand, from the tribe of Naphtali, twelve
thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh, twelve thousand,
7 from the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand, from the tribe of Levi, twelve
thousand, from the tribe of Issachar, twelve thousand,
8 from the tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousand, from the tribe of Joseph, twelve
thousand, from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed.
9 After these things I looked, and here was an enormous crowd that no one could
count, made up of persons from every nation, tribe, people, and language,
standing before the throne and before the Lamb dressed in long white robes, and
with palm branches in their hands.
10 They were shouting out in a loud voice,“Salvation belongs to our God, who
is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
11 And all the angels stood there in a circle around the throne and around the
elders and the four living creatures, and they threw themselves down with their
faces to the ground before the throne and worshiped God,
12 saying,“Amen! Praise and glory, and wisdom and thanksgiving, and honor and
power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!”
13 Then one of the elders asked me,“These dressed in long white robes– who
are they and where have they come from?”
14 So I said to him,“My lord, you know the answer.” Then he said to
me,“These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation. They have
washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb!
15 For this reason they are before the throne of God, and they serve him day and
night in his temple, and the one seated on the throne will shelter them.
16 They will never go hungry or be thirsty again, and the sun will not beat down
on them, nor any burning heat,
17 because the Lamb in the middle of the throne will shepherd them and lead them
to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their
eyes.”

Chapter 8

1 The Seventh Seal Now when the Lamb opened the seventh seal there was silence
in heaven for about half an hour.
2 Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were
given to them.
3 Another angel holding a golden censer came and was stationed at the altar. A
large amount of incense was given to him to offer up, with the prayers of all
the saints, on the golden altar that is before the throne.
4 The smoke coming from the incense, along with the prayers of the saints,
ascended before God from the angel’s hand.
5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw
it on the earth, and there were crashes of thunder, roaring, flashes of
lightning, and an earthquake.
6 Now the seven angels holding the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.
7 The first angel blew his trumpet, and there was hail and fire mixed with
blood, and it was thrown at the earth so that a third of the earth was burned
up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
8 Then the second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain of
burning fire was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea became blood,
9 and a third of the creatures living in the sea died, and a third of the ships
were completely destroyed.
10 Then the third angel blew his trumpet, and a huge star burning like a torch
fell from the sky; it landed on a third of the rivers and on the springs of
water.
11 (Now the name of the star is Wormwood.) So a third of the waters became
wormwood, and many people died from these waters because they were poisoned.
12 Then the fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck,
and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were
darkened. And there was no light for a third of the day and for a third of the
night likewise.
13 Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying directly overhead, proclaiming
with a loud voice,“Woe! Woe! Woe to those who live on the earth because of the
remaining sounds of the trumpets of the three angels who are about to blow
them!”

Chapter 9

1 Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from
the sky to the earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the abyss.
2 He opened the shaft of the abyss and smoke rose out of it like smoke from a
giant furnace. The sun and the air were darkened with smoke from the shaft.
3 Then out of the smoke came locusts onto the earth, and they were given power
like that of the scorpions of the earth.
4 They were told not to damage the grass of the earth, or any green plant or
tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their forehead.
5 The locusts were not given permission to kill them, but only to torture them
for five months, and their torture was like that of a scorpion when it stings a
person.
6 In those days people will seek death, but will not be able to find it; they
will long to die, but death will flee from them.
7 Now the locusts looked like horses equipped for battle. On their heads were
something like crowns similar to gold, and their faces looked like men’s
faces.
8 They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth.
9 They had breastplates like iron breastplates, and the sound of their wings was
like the noise of many horse-drawn chariots charging into battle.
10 They have tails and stingers like scorpions, and their ability to injure
people for five months is in their tails.
11 They have as king over them the angel of the abyss, whose name in Hebrew is
Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon.
12 The first woe has passed, but two woes are still coming after these things!
13 Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a single voice coming from
the horns on the golden altar that is before God,
14 saying to the sixth angel, the one holding the trumpet,“Set free the four
angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates!”
15 Then the four angels who had been prepared for this hour, day, month, and
year were set free to kill a third of humanity.
16 The number of soldiers on horseback was two hundred million; I heard their
number.
17 Now this is what the horses and their riders looked like in my vision: The
riders had breastplates that were fiery red, dark blue, and sulfurous yellow in
color. The heads of the horses looked like lions’ heads, and fire, smoke, and
sulfur came out of their mouths.
18 A third of humanity was killed by these three plagues, that is, by the fire,
the smoke, and the sulfur that came out of their mouths.
19 For the power of the horses resides in their mouths and in their tails,
because their tails are like snakes, having heads that inflict injuries.
20 The rest of humanity, who had not been killed by these plagues, did not
repent of the works of their hands, so that they did not stop worshiping demons
and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood– idols that cannot see
or hear or walk about.
21 Furthermore, they did not repent of their murders, of their magic spells, of
their sexual immorality, or of their stealing.

Chapter 10

1 The Angel with the Little Scroll Then I saw another powerful angel descending
from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was
like the sun and his legs were like pillars of fire.
2 He held in his hand a little scroll that was open, and he put his right foot
on the sea and his left on the land.
3 Then he shouted in a loud voice like a lion roaring, and when he shouted, the
seven thunders sounded their voices.
4 When the seven thunders spoke, I was preparing to write, but just then I heard
a voice from heaven say,“Seal up what the seven thunders spoke and do not
write it down.”
5 Then the angel I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand
to heaven
6 and swore by the one who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what
is in it, and the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in
it,“There will be no more delay!
7 But in the days when the seventh angel is about to blow his trumpet, the
mystery of God is completed, just as he has proclaimed to his servants the
prophets.”
8 Then the voice I had heard from heaven began to speak to me again,“Go and
take the open scroll in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on
the land.”
9 So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to
me,“Take the scroll and eat it. It will make your stomach bitter, but it will
be as sweet as honey in your mouth.”
10 So I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it, and it did
taste as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach became
bitter.
11 Then they told me:“You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations,
languages, and kings.”

Chapter 11

1 The Fate of the Two Witnesses Then a measuring rod like a staff was given to
me, and I was told,“Get up and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and
the ones who worship there.
2 But do not measure the outer courtyard of the temple; leave it out, because it
has been given to the Gentiles, and they will trample on the holy city for
forty-two months.
3 And I will grant my two witnesses authority to prophesy for 1,260 days,
dressed in sackcloth.”
4 (These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the
Lord of the earth.)
5 If anyone wants to harm them, fire comes out of their mouths and completely
consumes their enemies. If anyone wants to harm them, they must be killed this
way.
6 These two have the power to close up the sky so that it does not rain during
the time they are prophesying. They have power to turn the waters to blood and
to strike the earth with every kind of plague whenever they want.
7 When they have completed their testimony, the beast that comes up from the
abyss will make war on them and conquer them and kill them.
8 Their corpses will lie in the street of the great city that is symbolically
called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was also crucified.
9 For three and a half days those from every people, tribe, nation, and language
will look at their corpses, because they will not permit them to be placed in a
tomb.
10 And those who live on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate, even
sending gifts to each other, because these two prophets had tormented those who
live on the earth.
11 But after three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and
they stood on their feet, and tremendous fear seized those who were watching
them.
12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them:“Come up here!”
So the two prophets went up to heaven in a cloud while their enemies stared at
them.
13 Just then a major earthquake took place and a tenth of the city collapsed;
seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified
and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14 The second woe has come and gone; the third is coming quickly.
15 The Seventh Trumpet Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were
loud voices in heaven saying:“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom
of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.”
16 Then the twenty-four elders who are seated on their thrones before God threw
themselves down with their faces to the ground and worshiped God
17 with these words:“We give you thanks, Lord God, the All-Powerful, the one
who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and begun to reign.
18 The nations were enraged, but your wrath has come, and the time has come for
the dead to be judged, and the time has come to give to your servants, the
prophets, their reward, as well as to the saints and to those who revere your
name, both small and great, and the time has come to destroy those who destroy
the earth.”
19 Then the temple of God in heaven was opened and the ark of his covenant was
visible within his temple. And there were flashes of lightning, roaring, crashes
of thunder, an earthquake, and a great hailstorm.

Chapter 12

1 The Woman, the Child, and the Dragon Then a great sign appeared in heaven: a
woman clothed with the sun, and with the moon under her feet, and on her head
was a crown of twelve stars.
2 She was pregnant and was screaming in labor pains, struggling to give birth.
3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon that had seven heads
and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadem crowns.
4 Now the dragon’s tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled
them to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give
birth, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born.
5 So the woman gave birth to a son, a male child, who is going to rule over all
the nations with an iron rod. Her child was suddenly caught up to God and to his
throne,
6 and she fled into the wilderness where a place had been prepared for her by
God, so she could be taken care of for 1,260 days.
7 War in Heaven Then war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought
against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.
8 But the dragon was not strong enough to prevail, so there was no longer any
place left in heaven for him and his angels.
9 So that huge dragon– the ancient serpent, the one called the devil and
Satan, who deceives the whole world– was thrown down to the earth, and his
angels along with him.
10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying,“The salvation and the power and
the kingdom of our God, and the ruling authority of his Christ, have now come,
because the accuser of our brothers and sisters, the one who accuses them day
and night before our God, has been thrown down.
11 But they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their
testimony, and they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to
die.
12 Therefore you heavens rejoice, and all who reside in them! But woe to the
earth and the sea because the devil has come down to you! He is filled with
terrible anger, for he knows that he only has a little time!”
13 Now when the dragon realized that he had been thrown down to the earth, he
pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.
14 But the woman was given the two wings of a giant eagle so that she could fly
out into the wilderness, to the place God prepared for her, where she is taken
care of– away from the presence of the serpent– for a time, times, and half
a time.
15 Then the serpent spouted water like a river out of his mouth after the woman
in an attempt to sweep her away by a flood,
16 but the earth came to her rescue; the ground opened up and swallowed the
river that the dragon had spewed from his mouth.
17 So the dragon became enraged at the woman and went away to make war on the
rest of her children, those who keep God’s commandments and hold to the
testimony about Jesus.
18 And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore.

Chapter 13

1 The Two Beasts Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns
and seven heads, and on its horns were ten diadem crowns, and on its heads a
blasphemous name.
2 Now the beast that I saw was like a leopard, but its feet were like a
bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. The dragon gave the beast his
power, his throne, and great authority to rule.
3 One of the beast’s heads appeared to have been killed, but the lethal wound
had been healed. And the whole world followed the beast in amazement;
4 they worshiped the dragon because he had given ruling authority to the beast,
and they worshiped the beast too, saying:“Who is like the beast?” and“Who
is able to make war against him?”
5 The beast was given a mouth speaking proud words and blasphemies, and he was
permitted to exercise ruling authority for forty-two months.
6 So the beast opened his mouth to blaspheme against God– to blaspheme both
his name and his dwelling place, that is, those who dwell in heaven.
7 The beast was permitted to go to war against the saints and conquer them. He
was given ruling authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation,
8 and all those who live on the earth will worship the beast, everyone whose
name has not been written since the foundation of the world in the book of life
belonging to the Lamb who was killed.
9 If anyone has an ear, he had better listen!
10 If anyone is meant for captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to
be killed by the sword, then by the sword he must be killed.This requires
steadfast endurance and faith from the saints.
11 Then I saw another beast coming up from the earth. He had two horns like a
lamb, but was speaking like a dragon.
12 He exercised all the ruling authority of the first beast on his behalf, and
made the earth and those who inhabit it worship the first beast, the one whose
lethal wound had been healed.
13 He performed momentous signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth
in front of people
14 and, by the signs he was permitted to perform on behalf of the beast, he
deceived those who live on the earth. He told those who live on the earth to
make an image to the beast who had been wounded by the sword, but still lived.
15 The second beast was empowered to give life to the image of the first beast
so that it could speak, and could cause all those who did not worship the image
of the beast to be killed.
16 He also caused everyone(small and great, rich and poor, free and slave) to
obtain a mark on their right hand or on their forehead.
17 Thus no one was allowed to buy or sell things unless he bore the mark of the
beast– that is, his name or his number.
18 This calls for wisdom: Let the one who has insight calculate the beast’s
number, for it is man’s number, and his number is 666.

Chapter 14

1 An Interlude: The Song of the 144,000 Then I looked, and here was the Lamb
standing on Mount Zion, and with him were one hundred and forty-four thousand,
who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.
2 I also heard a sound coming out of heaven like the sound of many waters and
like the sound of loud thunder. Now the sound I heard was like that made by
harpists playing their harps,
3 and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living
creatures and the elders. No one was able to learn the song except the one
hundred and forty-four thousand who had been redeemed from the earth.
4 These are the ones who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are
virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were
redeemed from humanity as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb,
5 and no lie was found on their lips; they are blameless.
6 Three Angels and Three Messages Then I saw another angel flying directly
overhead, and he had an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the
earth– to every nation, tribe, language, and people.
7 He declared in a loud voice:“Fear God and give him glory, because the hour
of his judgment has arrived, and worship the one who made heaven and earth, the
sea and the springs of water!”
8 A second angel followed the first, declaring:“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the
great city! She made all the nations drink of the wine of her immoral
passion.”
9 A third angel followed the first two, declaring in a loud voice:“If anyone
worships the beast and his image, and takes the mark on his forehead or his
hand,
10 that person will also drink of the wine of God’s anger that has been mixed
undiluted in the cup of his wrath, and he will be tortured with fire and sulfur
in front of the holy angels and in front of the Lamb.
11 And the smoke from their torture will go up forever and ever, and those who
worship the beast and his image will have no rest day or night, along with
anyone who receives the mark of his name.”
12 This requires the steadfast endurance of the saints– those who obey God’s
commandments and hold to their faith in Jesus.
13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say,“Write this:‘Blessed are the dead,
those who die in the Lord from this moment on!’”“Yes,” says the
Spirit,“so they can rest from their hard work, because their deeds will follow
them.”
14 Then I looked, and a white cloud appeared, and seated on the cloud was one
like a son of man! He had a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his
hand.
15 Then another angel came out of the temple, shouting in a loud voice to the
one seated on the cloud,“Use your sickle and start to reap, because the time
to reap has come, since the earth’s harvest is ripe!”
16 So the one seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth
was reaped.
17 Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp
sickle.
18 Another angel, who was in charge of the fire, came from the altar and called
in a loud voice to the angel who had the sharp sickle,“Use your sharp sickle
and gather the clusters of grapes off the vine of the earth, because its grapes
are now ripe.”
19 So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the grapes from the
vineyard of the earth and tossed them into the great winepress of the wrath of
God.
20 Then the winepress was stomped outside the city, and blood poured out of the
winepress up to the height of horses’ bridles for a distance of almost two
hundred miles.

Chapter 15

1 The Final Plagues Then I saw another great and astounding sign in heaven:
seven angels who have seven final plagues(they are final because in them God’s
anger is completed).
2 Then I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had
conquered the beast and his image and the number of his name. They were standing
by the sea of glass, holding harps given to them by God.
3 They sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the
Lamb:“Great and astounding are your deeds, Lord God, the All-Powerful! Just
and true are your ways, King over the nations!
4 Who will not fear you, O Lord, and glorify your name, because you alone are
holy? All nations will come and worship before you for your righteous acts have
been revealed.”
5 After these things I looked, and the temple(the tent of the testimony) was
opened in heaven,
6 and the seven angels who had the seven plagues came out of the temple, dressed
in clean bright linen, wearing wide golden belts around their chests.
7 Then one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls
filled with the wrath of God who lives forever and ever,
8 and the temple was filled with smoke from God’s glory and from his power.
Thus no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues from the seven angels
were completed.

Chapter 16

1 The Bowls of God’s Wrath Then I heard a loud voice from the temple declaring
to the seven angels:“Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls containing
God’s wrath.”
2 So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth. Then ugly and
painful sores appeared on the people who had the mark of the beast and who
worshiped his image.
3 Next, the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea and it turned into
blood, like that of a corpse, and every living creature that was in the sea
died.
4 Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and the springs of
water, and they turned into blood.
5 Now I heard the angel of the waters saying:“You are just– the one who is
and who was, the Holy One– because you have passed these judgments,
6 because they poured out the blood of your saints and prophets, so you have
given them blood to drink. They got what they deserved!”
7 Then I heard the altar reply,“Yes, Lord God, the All-Powerful, your
judgments are true and just!”
8 Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was permitted to
scorch people with fire.
9 Thus people were scorched by the terrible heat, yet they blasphemed the name
of God, who has ruling authority over these plagues, and they would not repent
and give him glory.
10 Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast so that
darkness covered his kingdom, and people began to bite their tongues because of
their pain.
11 They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their sufferings and because of
their sores, but nevertheless they still refused to repent of their deeds.
12 Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates and
dried up its water to prepare the way for the kings from the east.
13 Then I saw three unclean spirits that looked like frogs coming out of the
mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the
false prophet.
14 For they are the spirits of the demons performing signs who go out to the
kings of the earth to bring them together for the battle that will take place on
the great day of God, the All-Powerful.
15 (Look! I will come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays alert and does
not lose his clothes so that he will not have to walk around naked and his
shameful condition be seen.)
16 Now the spirits gathered the kings and their armies to the place that is
called Armageddon in Hebrew.
17 Finally the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air and a loud voice
came out of the temple from the throne, saying:“It is done!”
18 Then there were flashes of lightning, roaring, and crashes of thunder, and
there was a tremendous earthquake– an earthquake unequaled since humanity has
been on the earth, so tremendous was that earthquake.
19 The great city was split into three parts and the cities of the nations
collapsed. So Babylon the great was remembered before God, and was given the cup
filled with the wine made of God’s furious wrath.
20 Every island fled away and no mountains could be found.
21 And gigantic hailstones, weighing about a hundred pounds each, fell from
heaven on people, but they blasphemed God because of the plague of hail, since
it was so horrendous.

Chapter 17

1 The Great Prostitute and the Beast Then one of the seven angels who had the
seven bowls came and spoke to me.“Come,” he said,“I will show you the
condemnation and punishment of the great prostitute who sits on many waters,
2 with whom the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality and the earth’s
inhabitants got drunk with the wine of her immorality.”
3 So he carried me away in the Spirit to a wilderness, and there I saw a woman
sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names and had seven
heads and ten horns.
4 Now the woman was dressed in purple and scarlet clothing, and adorned with
gold, precious stones, and pearls. She held in her hand a golden cup filled with
detestable things and unclean things from her sexual immorality.
5 On her forehead was written a name, a mystery:“Babylon the Great, the Mother
of prostitutes and of the detestable things of the earth.”
6 I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of
those who testified to Jesus. I was greatly astounded when I saw her.
7 But the angel said to me,“Why are you astounded? I will interpret for you
the mystery of the woman and of the beast with the seven heads and ten horns
that carries her.
8 The beast you saw was, and is not, but is about to come up from the abyss and
then go to destruction. The inhabitants of the earth– all those whose names
have not been written in the book of life since the foundation of the world–
will be astounded when they see that the beast was, and is not, but is to come.
9 (This requires a mind that has wisdom.) The seven heads are seven mountains
the woman sits on. They are also seven kings:
10 five have fallen; one is, and the other has not yet come, but whenever he
does come, he must remain for only a brief time.
11 The beast that was, and is not, is himself an eighth king and yet is one of
the seven, and is going to destruction.
12 The ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom,
but will receive ruling authority as kings with the beast for one hour.
13 These kings have a single intent, and they will give their power and
authority to the beast.
14 They will make war with the Lamb, but the Lamb will conquer them, because he
is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those accompanying the Lamb are the
called, chosen, and faithful.”
15 Then the angel said to me,“The waters you saw(where the prostitute is
seated) are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages.
16 The ten horns that you saw, and the beast– these will hate the prostitute
and make her desolate and naked. They will consume her flesh and burn her up
with fire.
17 For God has put into their minds to carry out his purpose by making a
decision to give their royal power to the beast until the words of God are
fulfilled.
18 As for the woman you saw, she is the great city that has sovereignty over the
kings of the earth.”

Chapter 18

1 Babylon is Destroyed After these things I saw another angel, who possessed
great authority, coming down out of heaven, and the earth was lit up by his
radiance.
2 He shouted with a powerful voice:“Fallen, fallen, is Babylon the great! She
has become a lair for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for
every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detested beast.
3 For all the nations have fallen from the wine of her immoral passion, and the
kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality with her, and the merchants
of the earth have gotten rich from the power of her sensual behavior.”
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying,“Come out of her, my people,
so you will not take part in her sins and so you will not receive her plagues,
5 because her sins have piled up all the way to heaven and God has remembered
her crimes.
6 Repay her the same way she repaid others; pay her back double corresponding to
her deeds. In the cup she mixed, mix double the amount for her.
7 As much as she exalted herself and lived in sensual luxury, to this extent
give her torment and grief because she said to herself,‘I rule as queen and am
no widow; I will never experience grief!’
8 For this reason, she will experience her plagues in a single day: disease,
mourning, and famine, and she will be burned down with fire, because the Lord
God who judges her is powerful!”
9 Then the kings of the earth who committed immoral acts with her and lived in
sensual luxury with her will weep and wail for her when they see the smoke from
the fire that burns her up.
10 They will stand a long way off because they are afraid of her torment, and
will say,“Woe, woe, O great city, Babylon the powerful city! For in a single
hour your doom has come!”
11 Then the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn for her because no one
buys their cargo any longer–
12 cargo such as gold, silver, precious stones, pearls, fine linen, purple
cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all sorts of things made of citron wood, all sorts
of objects made of ivory, all sorts of things made of expensive wood, bronze,
iron and marble,
13 cinnamon, spice, incense, perfumed ointment, frankincense, wine, olive oil
and costly flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and four-wheeled carriages,
slaves and human lives.
14 (The ripe fruit you greatly desired has gone from you, and all your luxury
and splendor have gone from you– they will never ever be found again!)
15 The merchants who sold these things, who got rich from her, will stand a long
way off because they are afraid of her torment. They will weep and mourn,
16 saying,“Woe, woe, O great city– dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet
clothing, and adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls–
17 because in a single hour such great wealth has been destroyed!” And every
ship’s captain, and all who sail along the coast– seamen, and all who make
their living from the sea, stood a long way off
18 and began to shout when they saw the smoke from the fire that burned her
up,“Who is like the great city?”
19 And they threw dust on their heads and were shouting with weeping and
mourning,“Woe, Woe, O great city– in which all those who had ships on the
sea got rich from her wealth– because in a single hour she has been
destroyed!”
20 (Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for
God has pronounced judgment against her on your behalf!)
21 Then one powerful angel picked up a stone like a huge millstone, threw it
into the sea, and said,“With this kind of sudden violent force Babylon the
great city will be thrown down and it will never be found again!
22 And the sound of the harpists, musicians, flute players, and trumpeters will
never be heard in you again. No craftsman who practices any trade will ever be
found in you again; the noise of a mill will never be heard in you again.
23 Even the light from a lamp will never shine in you again! The voices of the
bridegroom and his bride will never be heard in you again. For your merchants
were the tycoons of the world, because all the nations were deceived by your
magic spells!
24 The blood of the saints and prophets was found in her, along with the blood
of all those who had been killed on the earth.”

Chapter 19

1 After these things I heard what sounded like the loud voice of a vast throng
in heaven, saying,“Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our
God,
2 because his judgments are true and just. For he has judged the great
prostitute who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality, and has avenged
the blood of his servants poured out by her own hands!”
3 Then a second time the crowd shouted,“Hallelujah!” The smoke rises from
her forever and ever.
4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures threw themselves to the
ground and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne, saying:“Amen!
Hallelujah!”
5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying:“Praise our God all you his
servants, and all you who fear him, both the small and the great!”
6 The Wedding Celebration of the Lamb Then I heard what sounded like the voice
of a vast throng, like the roar of many waters and like loud crashes of thunder.
They were shouting:“Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the All-Powerful,
reigns!
7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him glory, because the wedding celebration
of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.
8 She was permitted to be dressed in bright, clean, fine linen”(for the fine
linen is the righteous deeds of the saints).
9 Then the angel said to me,“Write the following: Blessed are those who are
invited to the banquet at the wedding celebration of the Lamb!” He also said
to me,“These are the true words of God.”
10 So I threw myself down at his feet to worship him, but he said,“Do not do
this! I am only a fellow servant with you and your brothers and sisters who hold
to the testimony about Jesus. Worship God, for the testimony about Jesus is the
spirit of prophecy.”
11 The Son of God Goes to War Then I saw heaven opened and here came a white
horse! The one riding it was called“Faithful” and“True,” and with
justice he judges and goes to war.
12 His eyes are like a fiery flame and there are many diadem crowns on his head.
He has a name written that no one knows except himself.
13 He is dressed in clothing dipped in blood, and he is called the Word of God.
14 The armies that are in heaven, dressed in white, clean, fine linen, were
following him on white horses.
15 From his mouth extends a sharp sword, so that with it he can strike the
nations. He will rule them with an iron rod, and he stomps the winepress of the
furious wrath of God, the All-Powerful.
16 He has a name written on his clothing and on his thigh:“King of kings and
Lord of lords.”
17 Then I saw one angel standing in the sun, and he shouted in a loud voice to
all the birds flying high in the sky:“Come, gather around for the great
banquet of God,
18 to eat your fill of the flesh of kings, the flesh of generals, the flesh of
powerful people, the flesh of horses and those who ride them, and the flesh of
all people, both free and slave, and small and great!”
19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to
do battle with the one who rode the horse and with his army.
20 Now the beast was seized, and along with him the false prophet who had
performed the signs on his behalf– signs by which he deceived those who had
received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. Both of them
were thrown alive into the lake of fire burning with sulfur.
21 The others were killed by the sword that extended from the mouth of the one
who rode the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves with their flesh.

Chapter 20

1 The Thousand Year Reign Then I saw an angel descending from heaven, holding in
his hand the key to the abyss and a huge chain.
2 He seized the dragon– the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan– and
tied him up for a thousand years.
3 The angel then threw him into the abyss and locked and sealed it so that he
could not deceive the nations until the one thousand years were finished.(After
these things he must be released for a brief period of time.)
4 Then I saw thrones and seated on them were those who had been given authority
to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the
testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. These had not worshiped
the beast or his image and had refused to receive his mark on their forehead or
hand. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were
finished.) This is the first resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy is the one who takes part in the first resurrection. The
second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of
Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
7 Satan’s Final Defeat Now when the thousand years are finished, Satan will be
released from his prison
8 and will go out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog
and Magog, to bring them together for the battle. They are as numerous as the
grains of sand in the sea.
9 They went up on the broad plain of the earth and encircled the camp of the
saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and devoured them
completely.
10 And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur,
where the beast and the false prophet are too, and they will be tormented there
day and night forever and ever.
11 The Great White Throne Then I saw a large white throne and the one who was
seated on it; the earth and the heaven fled from his presence, and no place was
found for them.
12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne. Then
books were opened, and another book was opened– the book of life. So the dead
were judged by what was written in the books, according to their deeds.
13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the
dead that were in them, and each one was judged according to his deeds.
14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second
death– the lake of fire.
15 If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, that person was
thrown into the lake of fire.

Chapter 21

1 A New Heaven and a New Earth Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the
first heaven and earth had ceased to exist, and the sea existed no more.
2 And I saw the holy city– the new Jerusalem– descending out of heaven from
God, made ready like a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying:“Look! The residence of God
is among human beings. He will live among them, and they will be his people, and
God himself will be with them.
4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will not exist any
more– or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the former things have ceased to
exist.”
5 And the one seated on the throne said:“Look! I am making all things new!”
Then he said to me,“Write it down, because these words are reliable and
true.”
6 He also said to me,“It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning
and the end. To the one who is thirsty I will give water free of charge from the
spring of the water of life.
7 The one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he
will be my son.
8 But as for the cowards, unbelievers, detestable persons, murderers, the
sexually immoral, and those who practice magic spells, idol worshipers, and all
those who lie, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur.
That is the second death.”
9 The New Jerusalem Descends Then one of the seven angels who had the seven
bowls full of the seven final plagues came and spoke to me, saying,“Come, I
will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb!”
10 So he took me away in the Spirit to a huge, majestic mountain and showed me
the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.
11 The city possesses the glory of God; its brilliance is like a precious jewel,
like a stone of crystal-clear jasper.
12 It has a massive, high wall with twelve gates, with twelve angels at the
gates, and the names of the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel are written on
the gates.
13 There are three gates on the east side, three gates on the north side, three
gates on the south side and three gates on the west side.
14 The wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them are the twelve names
of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 The angel who spoke to me had a golden measuring rod with which to measure
the city and its foundation stones and wall.
16 Now the city is laid out as a square, its length and width the same. He
measured the city with the measuring rod at fourteen hundred miles(its length
and width and height are equal).
17 He also measured its wall, one hundred forty-four cubits according to human
measurement, which is also the angel’s.
18 The city’s wall is made of jasper and the city is pure gold, like
transparent glass.
19 The foundations of the city’s wall are decorated with every kind of
precious stone. The first foundation is jasper, the second sapphire, the third
agate, the fourth emerald,
20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth
beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the
twelfth amethyst.
21 And the twelve gates are twelve pearls– each one of the gates is made from
just one pearl! The main street of the city is pure gold, like transparent
glass.
22 Now I saw no temple in the city, because the Lord God– the All-Powerful–
and the Lamb are its temple.
23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory
of God lights it up, and its lamp is the Lamb.
24 The nations will walk by its light and the kings of the earth will bring
their grandeur into it.
25 Its gates will never be closed during the day(and there will be no night
there).
26 They will bring the grandeur and the wealth of the nations into it,
27 but nothing ritually unclean will ever enter into it, nor anyone who does
what is detestable or practices falsehood, but only those whose names are
written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Chapter 22

1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life– water as clear as
crystal– pouring out from the throne of God and of the Lamb,
2 flowing down the middle of the city’s main street. On each side of the river
is the tree of life producing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every
month of the year. Its leaves are for the healing of the nations.
3 And there will no longer be any curse, and the throne of God and the Lamb will
be in the city. His servants will worship him,
4 and they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
5 Night will be no more, and they will not need the light of a lamp or the light
of the sun, because the Lord God will shine on them, and they will reign forever
and ever.
6 A Final Reminder Then the angel said to me,“These words are reliable and
true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to
show his servants what must happen soon.”
7 (Look! I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the
prophecy expressed in this book.)
8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things, and when I heard and saw
them, I threw myself down to worship at the feet of the angel who was showing
them to me.
9 But he said to me,“Do not do this! I am a fellow servant with you and with
your brothers the prophets, and with those who obey the words of this book.
Worship God!”
10 Then he said to me,“Do not seal up the words of the prophecy contained in
this book, because the time is near.
11 The evildoer must continue to do evil, and the one who is morally filthy must
continue to be filthy. The one who is righteous must continue to act
righteously, and the one who is holy must continue to be holy.”
12 (Look! I am coming soon, and my reward is with me to pay each one according
to what he has done!
13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the
end!)
14 Blessed are those who wash their robes so they can have access to the tree of
life and can enter into the city by the gates.
15 Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the sexually immoral, and the
murderers, and the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood!
16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the
churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star!”
17 And the Spirit and the bride say,“Come!” And let the one who hears
say:“Come!” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wants it
take the water of life free of charge.
18 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy contained in this
book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this
book.
19 And if anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophecy, God will
take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described
in this book.
20 The one who testifies to these things says,“Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen!
Come, Lord Jesus!
21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.
