Month: March 2025

Song of Solomon

Posted on by robertmacsbible_hpehg4

Song of Solomon

9I liken you, my darling, to a mare harnessed to one of the chariots of

1Solomon’s Song of Songs.

2Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth- for your love is more delightful than wine.

3Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes; your name is like perfume poured out. No wonder the maidens love you!

4Take me away with you-let us hurry! Let the king bring me into his chambers. We rejoice and delight in you ; we will praise your love more than wine. How right they are to adore you!

5Dark am I, yet lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, dark like the tents of Kedar, like the tent curtains of Solomon.

6Do not stare at me because I am dark, because I am darkened by the sun. My mother’s sons were angry with me and made me take care of the vineyards; my own vineyard I have neglected.

7Tell me, you whom I love, where you graze your flock and where you rest your sheep at midday. Why should I be like a veiled woman beside the flocks of your friends?

8If you do not know, most beautiful of women, follow the tracks of the sheep and graze your young goats by the tents of the shepherds.

Pharaoh.

10Your cheeks are beautiful with earrings, your neck with strings of jewels.

11We will make you earrings of gold, studded with silver.

12While the king was at his table, my perfume spread its fragrance.

13My lover is to me a sachet of myrrh resting between my breasts.

14My lover is to me a cluster of henna blossoms from the vineyards of En Gedi.

15How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful! Your eyes are doves.

16How handsome you are, my lover! Oh, how charming! And our bed is verdant.

17The beams of our house are cedars; our rafters are firs.

2I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.

2Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the maidens.

3Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my lover among the young men. I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste.

4He has taken me to the banquet hall, and his banner over me is love.

5Strengthen me with raisins, refresh me with apples, for I am faint with love.

6His left arm is under my head, and his right arm embraces me.

7Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and by the does of the field: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.

8Listen! My lover! Look! Here he comes, leaping across the mountains, bounding over the hills.

9My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag. Look! There he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattice.

10My lover spoke and said to me, “Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me.

11See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone.

12Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.

13The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me.”

14My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places on the mountainside, show me your face, let me hear your

voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.

15Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.

16My lover is mine and I am his; he browses among the lilies.

17Until the day breaks and the shadows flee, turn, my lover, and be like a gazelle or like a young stag on the rugged hills.

3All night long on my bed I looked for the one my heart loves; I looked for him but did not find him.

2I will get up now and go about the city, through its streets and squares; I will search for the one my heart loves. So I looked for him but did not find him.

3The watchmen found me as they made their rounds in the city. “Have you seen the one my heart loves?”

4Scarcely had I passed them when I found the one my heart loves. I held him and would not let him go till I had brought him to my mother’s house, to the room of the one who conceived me.

5Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and by the does of the field: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.

6Who is this coming up from the desert like a column of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and incense made from all the spices of the merchant?

7Look! It is Solomon’s carriage, escorted by sixty warriors, the noblest of Israel,

8all of them wearing the sword, all experienced in battle, each with his sword at his side, prepared for the terrors of the night.

9King Solomon made for himself the carriage; he made it of wood from Lebanon.

10Its posts he made of silver, its base of gold. Its seat was upholstered with purple, its interior lovingly inlaid by the daughters of Jerusalem.

11Come out, you daughters of Zion, and look at King Solomon wearing the crown, the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding, the day his heart rejoiced.

4How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful! Your eyes behind your veil are doves. Your hair is like a flock of goats descending from Mount Gilead.

2Your teeth are like a flock of sheep just shorn, coming up from the washing. Each has its twin; not one of them is alone.

3Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon; your mouth is lovely. Your temples behind your veil are like the halves of a pomegranate.

4Your neck is like the tower of David, built with elegance ; on it hang a

thousand shields, all of them shields of warriors.

5Your two breasts are like two fawns, like twin fawns of a gazelle that browse among the lilies.

6Until the day breaks and the shadows flee, I will go to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of incense.

7All beautiful you are, my darling; there is no flaw in you.

8Come 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.

9You 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.

10How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much more pleasing is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your perfume than any spice!

11Your lips drop sweetness as the honeycomb, my bride; milk and honey are under your tongue. The fragrance of your garments is like that of Lebanon.

12You are a garden locked up, my sister, my bride; you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain.

13Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates with choice fruits, with henna and nard,

14nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with every kind of incense tree, with myrrh and aloes and all the finest spices.

15You are a garden fountain, a well of flowing water streaming down from Lebanon.

16Awake, north wind, and come, south wind! Blow on my garden, that its fragrance may spread abroad. Let my lover come into his garden and taste its choice fruits.

5I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice. I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey; I have drunk my wine and my milk. Eat, O friends, and drink; drink your fill, O lovers.

2I slept but my heart was awake. Listen! My lover is knocking: “Open to me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my flawless one. My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness of the night.”

3I have taken off my robe- must I put it on again? I have washed my feet- must I soil them again?

4My lover thrust his hand through the latch-opening; my heart began to pound for him.

5I arose to open for my lover, and my hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with flowing myrrh, on the handles of the lock.

6I opened for my lover, but my lover had left; he was gone. My heart sank at his departure. I looked for him but did not find him. I called him but he did not answer.

7The watchmen found me as they made their rounds in the city. They beat me, they bruised me; they took away my cloak, those watchmen of the walls!

8O daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you- if you find my lover, what will you tell him? Tell him I am faint with love.

9How is your beloved better than others, most beautiful of women? How is your beloved better than others, that you charge us so?

10My lover is radiant and ruddy, outstanding among ten thousand.

11His head is purest gold; his hair is wavy and black as a raven.

12His eyes are like doves by the water streams, washed in milk, mounted like jewels.

13His cheeks are like beds of spice yielding perfume. His lips are like lilies dripping with myrrh.

14His arms are rods of gold set with chrysolite. His body is like polished ivory decorated with sapphires.

15His legs are pillars of marble set on bases of pure gold. His appearance is like Lebanon, choice as its cedars.

16His mouth is sweetness itself; he is altogether lovely. This is my lover, this my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

6Where has your lover gone, most beautiful of women? Which way did your lover turn, that we may look for him with you?

2My lover has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to browse in the gardens and to gather lilies.

3I am my lover’s and my lover is mine; he browses among the lilies.

4You are beautiful, my darling, as Tirzah, lovely as Jerusalem, majestic as troops with banners.

5Turn your eyes from me; they overwhelm me. Your hair is like a flock of goats descending from Gilead.

6Your teeth are like a flock of sheep coming up from the washing. Each has its twin, not one of them is alone.

7Your temples behind your veil are like the halves of a pomegranate.

8Sixty queens there may be, and eighty concubines, and virgins beyond number;

9but my dove, my perfect one, is unique, the only daughter of her mother, the favorite of the one who bore her. The maidens saw her and called her blessed; the queens and concubines praised her.

10Who is this that appears like the dawn, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, majestic as the stars in procession?

11I went down to the grove of nut trees to look at the new growth in the valley, to see if the vines had budded or the pomegranates were in bloom.

12Before I realized it, my desire set me among the royal chariots of my people.

13Come back, come back, O Shulammite; come back, come back, that we may gaze on you! Why would you gaze on the Shulammite as on the dance of Mahanaim?

7How beautiful your sandaled feet, O prince’s daughter! Your graceful legs are like jewels, the work of a craftsman’s hands.

2Your navel is a rounded goblet that never lacks blended wine. Your waist is a mound of wheat encircled by lilies.

3Your breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle.

4Your neck is like an ivory tower. Your eyes are the pools of Heshbon by the gate of Bath Rabbim. Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon looking toward Damascus.

5Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel. Your hair is like royal tapestry; the king is held captive by its tresses.

6How beautiful you are and how pleasing, O love, with your delights!

7Your stature is like that of the palm, and your breasts like clusters of fruit.

8I said, “I will climb the palm tree; I will take hold of its fruit.” May your breasts be like the clusters of the vine, the fragrance of your breath like apples,

9and your mouth like the best wine. May the wine go straight to my lover, flowing gently over lips and teeth.

10I belong to my lover, and his desire is for me.

11Come, my lover, let us go to the countryside, let us spend the night in the villages.

12Let us go early to the vineyards to see if the vines have budded, if their blossoms have opened, and if the pomegranates are in bloom- there I will give you my love.

13The mandrakes send out their fragrance, and at our door is every delicacy, both new and old, that I have stored up for you, my lover.

8If only you were to me like a brother, who was nursed at my mother’s breasts! Then, if I found you outside, I would kiss you, and no one would despise me.

2I would lead you and bring you to my mother’s house- she who has taught me. I would give you spiced wine to drink, the nectar of my pomegranates.

3His left arm is under my head and his right arm embraces me.

4Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.

5Who is this coming up from the desert leaning on her lover? Under the apple tree I roused you; there your mother conceived you, there she who was in labor gave you birth.

6Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.

7Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned.

8We have a young sister, and her breasts are not yet grown. What shall we do for our sister for the day she is spoken for?

9If she is a wall, we will build towers of silver on her. If she is a door, we will enclose her with panels of cedar.

10I am a wall, and my breasts are like towers. Thus I have become in his eyes like one bringing contentment.

11Solomon had a vineyard in Baal Hamon; he let out his vineyard to tenants. Each was to bring for its fruit a thousand shekels of silver.

12But my own vineyard is mine to give; the thousand shekels are for you, O Solomon, and two hundred are for those who tend its fruit.

13You who dwell in the gardens with friends in attendance, let me hear your voice!

14Come away, my lover, and be like a gazelle or like a young stag on the spice-laden mountains.

Ecclesiastes

Posted on by robertmacsbible_hpehg4

Ecclesiastes

11There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to

1The words of the Teacher, son of

David, king in Jerusalem:

2“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.”

3What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?

4Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.

5The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises.

6The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course.

7All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again.

8All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing.

9What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.

10Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.

come will not be remembered by those who follow.

12I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

13I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid on men!

14I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

15What is twisted cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted.

16I thought to myself, “Look, I have grown and increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.”

17Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.

18For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.

2I thought in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless.

2“Laughter,” I said, “is foolish. And what does pleasure accomplish?”

3I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly-my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.

4I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards.

5I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.

6I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees.

7I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me.

8I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a harem as well-the delights of the heart of man.

9I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.

10I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure.

My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor.

11Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.

12Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom, and also madness and folly. What more can the king’s successor do than what has already been done?

13I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness.

14The wise man has eyes in his head, while the fool walks in the darkness; but I came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both.

15Then I thought in my heart, “The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain by being wise?” I said in my heart, “This too is meaningless.”

16For the wise man, like the fool, will not be long remembered; in days to come both will be forgotten. Like the fool, the wise man too must die!

17So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

18I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me.

19And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have

control over all the work into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless.

20So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun.

21For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune.

22What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun?

23All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless.

24A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God,

25for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?

26To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

3There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:

2a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,

4a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

6a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

9What does the worker gain from his toil?

10I have seen the burden God has laid on men.

11He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

12I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.

13That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil-this is the gift of God.

14I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.

15Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account.

16And I saw something else under the sun: In the place of judgment- wickedness was there, in the place of justice-wickedness was there.

17I thought in my heart, “God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed.”

18I also thought, “As for men, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals.

19Man’s fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath ; man has no advantage over the animal. Everything is meaningless.

20All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.

21Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?”

22So I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?

4Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed- and they have no comforter;

power was on the side of their oppressors- and they have no comforter.

2And I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive.

3But better than both is he who has not yet been, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun.

4And I saw that all labor and all achievement spring from man’s envy of his neighbor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

5The fool folds his hands and ruins himself.

6Better one handful with tranquillity than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.

7Again I saw something meaningless under the sun:

8There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. “For whom am I toiling,” he asked, “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?” This too is meaningless- a miserable business!

9Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:

10If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!

11Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?

12Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

13Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to take warning.

14The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom.

15I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed the youth, the king’s successor.

16There was no end to all the people who were before them. But those who came later were not pleased with the successor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

5Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.

2Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.

3As a dream comes when there are many cares, so the speech of a fool when there are many words.

4When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow.

5It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.

6Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.” Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands?

7Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God.

8If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still.

9The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.

10Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.

11As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them?

12The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep.

13I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner,

14or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when he has a son there is nothing left for him.

15Naked a man comes from his mother’s womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand.

16This too is a grievous evil: As a man comes, so he departs, and what does he gain, since he toils for the wind?

17All his days he eats in darkness, with great frustration, affliction and anger.

18Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him-for this is his lot.

19Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work-this is a gift of God.

20He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.

6I have seen another evil under the sun, and it weighs heavily on men:

2God gives a man wealth, possessions and honor, so that he lacks nothing his heart desires, but God does not enable him to enjoy them, and a stranger

enjoys them instead. This is meaningless, a grievous evil.

3A man may have a hundred children and live many years; yet no matter how long he lives, if he cannot enjoy his prosperity and does not receive proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he.

4It comes without meaning, it departs in darkness, and in darkness its name is shrouded.

5Though it never saw the sun or knew anything, it has more rest than does that man-

6even if he lives a thousand years twice over but fails to enjoy his prosperity. Do not all go to the same place?

7All man’s efforts are for his mouth, yet his appetite is never satisfied.

8What advantage has a wise man over a fool? What does a poor man gain by knowing how to conduct himself before others?

9Better what the eye sees than the roving of the appetite. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

10Whatever exists has already been named, and what man is has been known; no man can contend with one who is stronger than he.

11The more the words, the less the meaning, and how does that profit anyone?

12For who knows what is good for a man in life, during the few and meaningless days he passes through like a shadow? Who can tell him what will happen under the sun after he is gone?

7A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth.

2It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart.

3Sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart.

4The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.

5It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke than to listen to the song of fools.

6Like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of fools. This too is meaningless.

7Extortion turns a wise man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart.

8The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.

9Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.

10Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is not wise to ask such questions.

11Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing and benefits those who see the sun.

12Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: that wisdom preserves the life of its possessor.

13Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what he has made crooked?

14When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future.

15In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these: a righteous man perishing in his righteousness, and a wicked man living long in his wickedness.

16Do not be overrighteous, neither be overwise- why destroy yourself?

17Do not be overwicked, and do not be a fool- why die before your time?

18It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. The man who fears God will avoid all extremes .

19Wisdom makes one wise man more powerful than ten rulers in a city.

20There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.

21Do not pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you-

22for you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others.

23All this I tested by wisdom and I said, “I am determined to be wise”- but this was beyond me.

24Whatever wisdom may be, it is far off and most profound- who can discover it?

25So I turned my mind to understand, to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly.

26I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a trap and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner she will ensnare.

27“Look,” says the Teacher, “this is what I have discovered: “Adding one thing to another to discover the scheme of things-

28while I was still searching but not finding- I found one upright man among a thousand, but not one upright woman among them all.

29This only have I found: God made mankind upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes.”

8Who is like the wise man? Who knows the explanation of things? Wisdom brightens a man’s face and changes its hard appearance.

2Obey the king’s command, I say, because you took an oath before God.

3Do not be in a hurry to leave the king’s presence. Do not stand up for a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases.

4Since a king’s word is supreme, who can say to him, “What are you doing?”

5Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm, and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure.

6For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter, though a man’s misery weighs heavily upon him.

7Since no man knows the future, who can tell him what is to come?

8No man has power over the wind to contain it ; so no one has power over the day of his death. As no one is discharged in time of war, so wickedness will not release those who practice it.

9All this I saw, as I applied my mind to everything done under the sun. There is a time when a man lords it over others to his own hurt.

10Then too, I saw the wicked buried- those who used to come and go from the holy place and receive praise in the

city where they did this. This too is meaningless.

11When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, the hearts of the people are filled with schemes to do wrong.

12Although a wicked man commits a hundred crimes and still lives a long time, I know that it will go better with God-fearing men, who are reverent before God.

13Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow.

14There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: righteous men who get what the wicked deserve, and wicked men who get what the righteous deserve. This too, I say, is meaningless.

15So I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany him in his work all the days of the life God has given him under the sun.

16When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to observe man’s labor on earth-his eyes not seeing sleep day or night-

17then I saw all that God has done. No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all his efforts to search it out, man cannot discover its meaning. Even if a wise man claims he knows, he cannot really comprehend it.

9So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God’s hands, but no man knows whether love or hate awaits him.

2All share a common destiny-the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good man, so with the sinner; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them.

3This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of men, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead.

4Anyone who is among the living has hope -even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!

5For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten.

6Their love, their hate and their jealousy have long since vanished; never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun.

7Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do.

8Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil.

9Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun- all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun.

10Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.

11I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.

12Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come: As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so men are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them.

13I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom that greatly impressed me:

14There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siegeworks against it.

15Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man.

16So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” But the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.

17The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools.

18Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.

10As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.

2The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left.

3Even as he walks along the road, the fool lacks sense and shows everyone how stupid he is.

4If a ruler’s anger rises against you, do not leave your post; calmness can lay great errors to rest.

5There is an evil I have seen under the sun, the sort of error that arises from a ruler:

6Fools are put in many high positions, while the rich occupy the low ones.

7I have seen slaves on horseback, while princes go on foot like slaves.

8Whoever digs a pit may fall into it; whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.

9Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them; whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.

10If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed but skill will bring success.

11If a snake bites before it is charmed, there is no profit for the charmer.

12Words from a wise man’s mouth are gracious, but a fool is consumed by his own lips.

13At the beginning his words are folly; at the end they are wicked madness-

14and the fool multiplies words. No one knows what is coming- who can tell him what will happen after him?

15A fool’s work wearies him; he does not know the way to town.

16Woe to you, O land whose king was a servant and whose princes feast in the morning.

17Blessed are you, O land whose king is of noble birth and whose princes eat at a proper time- for strength and not for drunkenness.

18If a man is lazy, the rafters sag; if his hands are idle, the house leaks.

19A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for everything.

20Do not revile the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom, because a bird of the air may carry your words, and a bird on the wing may report what you say.

11Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.

2Give portions to seven, yes to eight, for you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.

3If clouds are full of water, they pour rain upon the earth. Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where it falls, there will it lie.

4Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.

5As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.

6Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.

7Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.

8However many years a man may live, let him enjoy them all. But let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. Everything to come is meaningless.

9Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes

see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.

10So then, banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body, for youth and vigor are meaningless.

12Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them”-

2before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark, and the clouds return after the rain;

3when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men stoop, when the grinders cease because they are few, and those looking through the windows grow dim;

4when the doors to the street are closed and the sound of grinding fades; when men rise up at the sound of birds, but all their songs grow faint;

5when men are afraid of heights and of dangers in the streets; when the almond tree blossoms and the grasshopper drags himself along and desire no longer is stirred. Then man goes to his eternal home and mourners go about the streets.

6Remember him-before the silver cord is severed, or the golden bowl is broken; before the pitcher is shattered at the spring, or the wheel broken at the well,

7and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

8“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Everything is meaningless!”

9Not only was the Teacher wise, but also he imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs.

10The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true.

11The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails-given by one Shepherd.

12Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them. Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.

13Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

14For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.

Proverbs

Posted on by robertmacsbible_hpehg4

Proverbs

1The proverbs of Solomon son of

David, king of Israel:

2for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight;

3for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair;

4for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young-

5let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance-

6for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.

7The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Exhortations to Embrace Wisdom

8Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.

9They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.

10My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them.

waylay some harmless soul;

12let’s swallow them alive, like the grave, and whole, like those who go down to the pit;

13we will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with plunder;

14throw in your lot with us, and we will share a common purse”-

15my son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths;

16for their feet rush into sin, they are swift to shed blood.

17How useless to spread a net in full view of all the birds!

18These men lie in wait for their own blood; they waylay only themselves!

19Such is the end of all who go after ill- gotten gain; it takes away the lives of those who get it.

20Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares;

21at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech:

22“How long will you simple ones love your simple ways? How long will

mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge?

23If you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you.

24But since you rejected me when I called and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand,

25since you ignored all my advice and would not accept my rebuke,

26I in turn will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you-

27when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you.

28“Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me.

29Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lord ,

30since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke,

31they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.

32For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them;

33but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

2My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you,

2turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding,

3and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding,

4and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure,

5then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.

6For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

7He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,

8for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.

9Then you will understand what is right and just and fair-every good path.

10For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

11Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.

12Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse,

13who leave the straight paths to walk in dark ways,

14who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,

15whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways.

16It will save you also from the adulteress, from the wayward wife with her seductive words,

17who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God.

18For her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead.

19None who go to her return or attain the paths of life.

20Thus you will walk in the ways of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous.

21For the upright will live in the land, and the blameless will remain in it;

22but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be torn from it.

3My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart,

2for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.

3Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.

4Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.

5Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

6in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

7Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.

8This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.

9Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops;

10then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

11My son, do not despise the Lord ‘s discipline and do not resent his rebuke,

12because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.

13Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding,

14for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.

15She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.

16Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.

17Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace.

18She is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed.

19By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place;

20by his knowledge the deeps were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew.

21My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight;

22they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck.

23Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble;

24when you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

25Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,

26for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.

27Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act.

28Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back later; I’ll give it tomorrow”- when you now have it with you.

29Do not plot harm against your neighbor, who lives trustfully near you.

30Do not accuse a man for no reason- when he has done you no harm.

31Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways,

32for the Lord detests a perverse man but takes the upright into his confidence.

33The Lord ‘s curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous.

34He mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble.

35The wise inherit honor, but fools he holds up to shame.

4Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding.

2I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching.

3When I was a boy in my father’s house, still tender, and an only child of my mother,

4he taught me and said, “Lay hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands and you will live.

5Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them.

6Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you.

7Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.

8Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you.

9She will set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a crown of splendor.”

10Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many.

11I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths.

12When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble.

13Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.

14Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil men.

15Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way.

16For they cannot sleep till they do evil; they are robbed of slumber till they make someone fall.

17They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.

18The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.

19But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.

20My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words.

21Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart;

22for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body.

23Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

24Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.

25Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.

26Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm.

27Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.

5My son, pay attention to my wisdom, listen well to my words of insight,

2that you may maintain discretion and your lips may preserve knowledge.

3For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil;

4but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword.

5Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave.

6She gives no thought to the way of life; her paths are crooked, but she knows it not.

7Now then, my sons, listen to me; do not turn aside from what I say.

8Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house,

9lest you give your best strength to others and your years to one who is cruel,

10lest strangers feast on your wealth and your toil enrich another man’s house.

11At the end of your life you will groan, when your flesh and body are spent.

12You will say, “How I hated discipline! How my heart spurned correction!

13I would not obey my teachers or listen to my instructors.

14I have come to the brink of utter ruin in the midst of the whole assembly.”

15Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well.

16Should your springs overflow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares?

17Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers.

18May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.

19A loving doe, a graceful deer- may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love.

20Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of another man’s wife?

21For a man’s ways are in full view of the Lord , and he examines all his paths.

22The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast.

23He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly.

6My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, if you have struck hands in pledge for another,

2if you have been trapped by what you said, ensnared by the words of your mouth,

3then do this, my son, to free yourself, since you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands: Go and humble yourself; press your plea with your neighbor!

4Allow no sleep to your eyes, no slumber to your eyelids.

5Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.

6Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!

7It has no commander, no overseer or ruler,

8yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.

9How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep?

10A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest-

11and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.

12A scoundrel and villain, who goes about with a corrupt mouth,

13who winks with his eye, signals with his feet and motions with his fingers,

14who plots evil with deceit in his heart- he always stirs up dissension.

15Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant; he will suddenly be destroyed-without remedy.

16There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him:

17haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,

18a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil,

19a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.

20My son, keep your father’s commands and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.

21Bind them upon your heart forever; fasten them around your neck.

22When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you.

23For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life,

24keeping you from the immoral woman, from the smooth tongue of the wayward wife.

25Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes,

26for the prostitute reduces you to a loaf of bread, and the adulteress preys upon your very life.

27Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?

28Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched?

29So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished.

30Men do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his hunger when he is starving.

31Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold, though it costs him all the wealth of his house.

32But a man who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself.

33Blows and disgrace are his lot, and his shame will never be wiped away;

34for jealousy arouses a husband’s fury, and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.

35He will not accept any compensation; he will refuse the bribe, however great it is.

7My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you.

2Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.

3Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.

4Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call understanding your kinsman;

5they will keep you from the adulteress, from the wayward wife with her seductive words.

6At the window of my house I looked out through the lattice.

7I saw among the simple, I noticed among the young men, a youth who lacked judgment.

8He was going down the street near her corner, walking along in the direction of her house

9at twilight, as the day was fading, as the dark of night set in.

10Then out came a woman to meet him, dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent.

11(She is loud and defiant, her feet never stay at home;

12now in the street, now in the squares, at every corner she lurks.)

13She took hold of him and kissed him and with a brazen face she said:

14“I have fellowship offerings at home; today I fulfilled my vows.

15So I came out to meet you; I looked for you and have found you!

16I have covered my bed with colored linens from Egypt.

17I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon.

18Come, let’s drink deep of love till morning; let’s enjoy ourselves with love!

19My husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey.

20He took his purse filled with money and will not be home till full moon.”

21With persuasive words she led him astray; she seduced him with her smooth talk.

22All at once he followed her like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer stepping into a noose

23till an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare, little knowing it will cost him his life.

24Now then, my sons, listen to me; pay attention to what I say.

25Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths.

26Many are the victims she has brought down; her slain are a mighty throng.

27Her house is a highway to the grave, leading down to the chambers of death.

8Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice?

2On the heights along the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand;

3beside the gates leading into the city, at the entrances, she cries aloud:

4“To you, O men, I call out; I raise my voice to all mankind.

5You who are simple, gain prudence; you who are foolish, gain understanding.

6Listen, for I have worthy things to say; I open my lips to speak what is right.

7My mouth speaks what is true, for my lips detest wickedness.

8All the words of my mouth are just; none of them is crooked or perverse.

9To the discerning all of them are right; they are faultless to those who have knowledge.

10Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold,

11for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her.

12“I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion.

13To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.

14Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have understanding and power.

15By me kings reign and rulers make laws that are just;

16by me princes govern, and all nobles who rule on earth.

17I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.

18With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity.

19My fruit is better than fine gold; what I yield surpasses choice silver.

20I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice,

21bestowing wealth on those who love me and making their treasuries full.

22“The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works, , before his deeds of old;

23I was appointed from eternity, from the beginning, before the world began.

24When there were no oceans, I was given birth, when there were no springs abounding with water;

25before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was given birth,

26before he made the earth or its fields or any of the dust of the world.

27I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,

28when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,

29when he gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his

command, and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.

30Then I was the craftsman at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence,

31rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind.

32“Now then, my sons, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways.

33Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not ignore it.

34Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway.

35For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord .

36But whoever fails to find me harms himself; all who hate me love death.”

9Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn out its seven pillars.

2She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine; she has also set her table.

3She has sent out her maids, and she calls from the highest point of the city.

4“Let all who are simple come in here!” she says to those who lack judgment.

5“Come, eat my food and drink the wine I have mixed.

6Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of understanding.

7“Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse.

8Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you.

9Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.

10“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

11For through me your days will be many, and years will be added to your life.

12If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you; if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.”

13The woman Folly is loud; she is undisciplined and without knowledge.

14She sits at the door of her house, on a seat at the highest point of the city,

15calling out to those who pass by, who go straight on their way.

16“Let all who are simple come in here!” she says to those who lack judgment.

17“Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!”

18But little do they know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of the grave.

10The proverbs of Solomon: A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son grief to his mother.

2Ill-gotten treasures are of no value, but righteousness delivers from death.

3The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.

4Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.

5He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.

6Blessings crown the head of the righteous, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.

7The memory of the righteous will be a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.

8The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin.

9The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.

10He who winks maliciously causes grief, and a chattering fool comes to ruin.

11The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.

12Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs.

13Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks judgment.

14Wise men store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.

15The wealth of the rich is their fortified city, but poverty is the ruin of the poor.

16The wages of the righteous bring them life, but the income of the wicked brings them punishment.

17He who heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.

18He who conceals his hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool.

19When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.

20The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value.

21The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of judgment.

22The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.

23A fool finds pleasure in evil conduct, but a man of understanding delights in wisdom.

24What the wicked dreads will overtake him; what the righteous desire will be granted.

25When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.

26As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is a sluggard to those who send him.

27The fear of the Lord adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short.

28The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.

29The way of the Lord is a refuge for the righteous, but it is the ruin of those who do evil.

30The righteous will never be uprooted, but the wicked will not remain in the land.

31The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be cut out.

32The lips of the righteous know what is fitting, but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse.

11The Lord abhors dishonest scales, but accurate weights are his delight.

2When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

3The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.

4Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.

5The righteousness of the blameless makes a straight way for them, but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness.

6The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires.

7When a wicked man dies, his hope perishes; all he expected from his power comes to nothing.

8The righteous man is rescued from trouble, and it comes on the wicked instead.

9With his mouth the godless destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge the righteous escape.

10When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices; when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.

11Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.

12A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue.

13A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.

14For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisers make victory sure.

15He who puts up security for another will surely suffer, but whoever refuses to strike hands in pledge is safe.

16A kindhearted woman gains respect, but ruthless men gain only wealth.

17A kind man benefits himself, but a cruel man brings trouble on himself.

18The wicked man earns deceptive wages, but he who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.

19The truly righteous man attains life, but he who pursues evil goes to his death.

20The Lord detests men of perverse heart but he delights in those whose ways are blameless.

21Be sure of this: The wicked will not go unpunished, but those who are righteous will go free.

22Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.

23The desire of the righteous ends only in good, but the hope of the wicked only in wrath.

24One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.

25A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

26People curse the man who hoards grain, but blessing crowns him who is willing to sell.

27He who seeks good finds goodwill, but evil comes to him who searches for it.

28Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.

29He who brings trouble on his family will inherit only wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise.

30The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.

31If the righteous receive their due on earth, how much more the ungodly and the sinner!

12Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.

2A good man obtains favor from the Lord , but the Lord condemns a crafty man.

3A man cannot be established through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted.

4A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.

5The plans of the righteous are just, but the advice of the wicked is deceitful.

6The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the speech of the upright rescues them.

7Wicked men are overthrown and are no more, but the house of the righteous stands firm.

8A man is praised according to his wisdom, but men with warped minds are despised.

9Better to be a nobody and yet have a servant than pretend to be somebody and have no food.

10A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.

11He who works his land will have abundant food, but he who chases fantasies lacks judgment.

12The wicked desire the plunder of evil men, but the root of the righteous flourishes.

13An evil man is trapped by his sinful talk, but a righteous man escapes trouble.

14From the fruit of his lips a man is filled with good things as surely as the work of his hands rewards him.

15The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.

16A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.

17A truthful witness gives honest testimony, but a false witness tells lies.

18Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

19Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.

20There is deceit in the hearts of those who plot evil, but joy for those who promote peace.

21No harm befalls the righteous, but the wicked have their fill of trouble.

22The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful.

23A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself, but the heart of fools blurts out folly.

24Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor.

25An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.

26A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

27The lazy man does not roast his game, but the diligent man prizes his possessions.

28In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality.

13A wise son heeds his father’s instruction, but a mocker does not listen to rebuke.

2From the fruit of his lips a man enjoys good things, but the unfaithful have a craving for violence.

3He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.

4The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.

5The righteous hate what is false, but the wicked bring shame and disgrace.

6Righteousness guards the man of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner.

7One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.

8A man’s riches may ransom his life, but a poor man hears no threat.

9The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out.

10Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.

11Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.

12Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.

13He who scorns instruction will pay for it, but he who respects a command is rewarded.

14The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.

15Good understanding wins favor, but the way of the unfaithful is hard.

16Every prudent man acts out of knowledge, but a fool exposes his folly.

17A wicked messenger falls into trouble, but a trustworthy envoy brings healing.

18He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored.

19A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but fools detest turning from evil.

20He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.

21Misfortune pursues the sinner, but prosperity is the reward of the righteous.

22A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.

23A poor man’s field may produce abundant food, but injustice sweeps it away.

24He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.

25The righteous eat to their hearts’ content, but the stomach of the wicked goes hungry.

14The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.

2He whose walk is upright fears the Lord , but he whose ways are devious despises him.

3A fool’s talk brings a rod to his back, but the lips of the wise protect them.

4Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest.

5A truthful witness does not deceive, but a false witness pours out lies.

6The mocker seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge comes easily to the discerning.

7Stay away from a foolish man, for you will not find knowledge on his lips.

8The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception.

9Fools mock at making amends for sin, but goodwill is found among the upright.

10Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy.

11The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish.

12There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

13Even in laughter the heart may ache, and joy may end in grief.

14The faithless will be fully repaid for their ways, and the good man rewarded for his.

15A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps.

16A wise man fears the Lord and shuns evil, but a fool is hotheaded and reckless.

17A quick-tempered man does foolish things, and a crafty man is hated.

18The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

19Evil men will bow down in the presence of the good, and the wicked at the gates of the righteous.

20The poor are shunned even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends.

21He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy.

22Do not those who plot evil go astray? But those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness.

23All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.

24The wealth of the wise is their crown, but the folly of fools yields folly.

25A truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is deceitful.

26He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge.

27The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.

28A large population is a king’s glory, but without subjects a prince is ruined.

29A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly.

30A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.

31He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.

32When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down, but even in death the righteous have a refuge.

33Wisdom reposes in the heart of the discerning and even among fools she lets herself be known.

34Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.

35A king delights in a wise servant, but a shameful servant incurs his wrath.

15A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

2The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.

3The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.

4The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.

5A fool spurns his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence.

6The house of the righteous contains great treasure, but the income of the wicked brings them trouble.

7The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the hearts of fools.

8The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him.

9The Lord detests the way of the wicked but he loves those who pursue righteousness.

10Stern discipline awaits him who leaves the path; he who hates correction will die.

11Death and Destruction lie open before the Lord – how much more the hearts of men!

12A mocker resents correction; he will not consult the wise.

13A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.

14The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.

15All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.

16Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil.

17Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf with hatred.

18A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel.

19The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway.

20A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish man despises his mother.

21Folly delights a man who lacks judgment, but a man of understanding keeps a straight course.

22Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.

23A man finds joy in giving an apt reply- and how good is a timely word!

24The path of life leads upward for the wise to keep him from going down to the grave.

25The Lord tears down the proud man’s house but he keeps the widow’s boundaries intact.

26The Lord detests the thoughts of the wicked, but those of the pure are pleasing to him.

27A greedy man brings trouble to his family, but he who hates bribes will live.

28The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.

29The Lord is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous.

30A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.

31He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise.

32He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding.

33The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor.

16To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue.

2All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord .

3Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.

4The Lord works out everything for his own ends- even the wicked for a day of disaster.

5The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.

6Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the Lord a man avoids evil.

7When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord , he makes even his enemies live at peace with him.

8Better a little with righteousness than much gain with injustice.

9In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.

10The lips of a king speak as an oracle, and his mouth should not betray justice.

11Honest scales and balances are from the Lord ; all the weights in the bag are of his making.

12Kings detest wrongdoing, for a throne is established through righteousness.

13Kings take pleasure in honest lips; they value a man who speaks the truth.

14A king’s wrath is a messenger of death, but a wise man will appease it.

15When a king’s face brightens, it means life; his favor is like a rain cloud in spring.

16How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver!

17The highway of the upright avoids evil; he who guards his way guards his life.

18Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

19Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.

20Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord .

21The wise in heart are called discerning, and pleasant words promote instruction.

22Understanding is a fountain of life to those who have it, but folly brings punishment to fools.

23A wise man’s heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction.

24Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

25There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

26The laborer’s appetite works for him; his hunger drives him on.

27A scoundrel plots evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire.

28A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends.

29A violent man entices his neighbor and leads him down a path that is not good.

30He who winks with his eye is plotting perversity; he who purses his lips is bent on evil.

31Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life.

32Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.

33The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord .

17Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife.

2A wise servant will rule over a disgraceful son, and will share the inheritance as one of the brothers.

3The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.

4A wicked man listens to evil lips; a liar pays attention to a malicious tongue.

5He who mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.

6Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.

7Arrogant lips are unsuited to a fool- how much worse lying lips to a ruler!

8A bribe is a charm to the one who gives it; wherever he turns, he succeeds.

9He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.

10A rebuke impresses a man of discernment more than a hundred lashes a fool.

11An evil man is bent only on rebellion; a merciless official will be sent against him.

12Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his folly.

13If a man pays back evil for good, evil will never leave his house.

14Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.

15Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent- the Lord detests them both.

16Of what use is money in the hand of a fool, since he has no desire to get wisdom?

17A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

18A man lacking in judgment strikes hands in pledge and puts up security for his neighbor.

19He who loves a quarrel loves sin; he who builds a high gate invites destruction.

20A man of perverse heart does not prosper; he whose tongue is deceitful falls into trouble.

21To have a fool for a son brings grief; there is no joy for the father of a fool.

22A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

23A wicked man accepts a bribe in secret to pervert the course of justice.

24A discerning man keeps wisdom in view, but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.

25A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to the one who bore him.

26It is not good to punish an innocent man, or to flog officials for their integrity.

27A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered.

28Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.

18An unfriendly man pursues selfish ends; he defies all sound judgment.

2A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions.

3When wickedness comes, so does contempt, and with shame comes disgrace.

4The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters, but the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.

5It is not good to be partial to the wicked or to deprive the innocent of justice.

6A fool’s lips bring him strife, and his mouth invites a beating.

7A fool’s mouth is his undoing, and his lips are a snare to his soul.

8The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man’s inmost parts.

9One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys.

10The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.

11The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it an unscalable wall.

12Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.

13He who answers before listening- that is his folly and his shame.

14A man’s spirit sustains him in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?

15The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out.

16A gift opens the way for the giver and ushers him into the presence of the great.

17The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him.

18Casting the lot settles disputes and keeps strong opponents apart.

19An offended brother is more unyielding than a fortified city, and disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.

20From the fruit of his mouth a man’s stomach is filled; with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied.

21The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

22He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord .

23A poor man pleads for mercy, but a rich man answers harshly.

24A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

19Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a fool whose lips are perverse.

2It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way.

3A man’s own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the Lord .

4Wealth brings many friends, but a poor man’s friend deserts him.

5A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who pours out lies will not go free.

6Many curry favor with a ruler, and everyone is the friend of a man who gives gifts.

7A poor man is shunned by all his relatives- how much more do his friends avoid him! Though he pursues them with pleading, they are nowhere to be found.

8He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; he who cherishes understanding prospers.

9A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who pours out lies will perish.

10It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury- how much worse for a slave to rule over princes!

11A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.

12A king’s rage is like the roar of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass.

13A foolish son is his father’s ruin, and a quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping.

14Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the Lord .

15Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless man goes hungry.

16He who obeys instructions guards his life, but he who is contemptuous of his ways will die.

17He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord , and he will reward him for what he has done.

18Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to his death.

19A hot-tempered man must pay the penalty; if you rescue him, you will have to do it again.

20Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.

21Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord ‘s purpose that prevails.

22What a man desires is unfailing love ; better to be poor than a liar.

23The fear of the Lord leads to life: Then one rests content, untouched by trouble.

24The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth!

25Flog a mocker, and the simple will learn prudence; rebuke a discerning man, and he will gain knowledge.

26He who robs his father and drives out his mother is a son who brings shame and disgrace.

27Stop listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.

28A corrupt witness mocks at justice, and the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.

29Penalties are prepared for mockers, and beatings for the backs of fools.

20Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.

2A king’s wrath is like the roar of a lion; he who angers him forfeits his life.

3It is to a man’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel.

4A sluggard does not plow in season; so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing.

5The purposes of a man’s heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out.

6Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man who can find?

7The righteous man leads a blameless life; blessed are his children after him.

8When a king sits on his throne to judge, he winnows out all evil with his eyes.

9Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin”?

10Differing weights and differing measures- the Lord detests them both.

11Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right.

12Ears that hear and eyes that see- the Lord has made them both.

13Do not love sleep or you will grow poor; stay awake and you will have food to spare.

14“It’s no good, it’s no good!” says the buyer; then off he goes and boasts about his purchase.

15Gold there is, and rubies in abundance, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel.

16Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger; hold it in pledge if he does it for a wayward woman.

17Food gained by fraud tastes sweet to a man, but he ends up with a mouth full of gravel.

18Make plans by seeking advice; if you wage war, obtain guidance.

19A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man who talks too much.

20If a man curses his father or mother, his lamp will be snuffed out in pitch darkness.

21An inheritance quickly gained at the beginning will not be blessed at the end.

22Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!” Wait for the Lord , and he will deliver you.

23The Lord detests differing weights, and dishonest scales do not please him.

24A man’s steps are directed by the Lord . How then can anyone understand his own way?

25It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider his vows.

26A wise king winnows out the wicked; he drives the threshing wheel over them.

27The lamp of the Lord searches the spirit of a man ; it searches out his inmost being.

28Love and faithfulness keep a king safe; through love his throne is made secure.

29The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old.

30Blows and wounds cleanse away evil, and beatings purge the inmost being.

21The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord ; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.

2All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart.

3To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

4Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin!

5The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.

6A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare.

7The violence of the wicked will drag them away, for they refuse to do what is right.

8The way of the guilty is devious, but the conduct of the innocent is upright.

9Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.

10The wicked man craves evil; his neighbor gets no mercy from him.

11When a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom; when a wise man is instructed, he gets knowledge.

12The Righteous One takes note of the house of the wicked and brings the wicked to ruin.

13If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.

14A gift given in secret soothes anger, and a bribe concealed in the cloak pacifies great wrath.

15When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.

16A man who strays from the path of understanding comes to rest in the company of the dead.

17He who loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and oil will never be rich.

18The wicked become a ransom for the righteous, and the unfaithful for the upright.

19Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and ill-tempered wife.

20In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has.

21He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.

22A wise man attacks the city of the mighty and pulls down the stronghold in which they trust.

23He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.

24The proud and arrogant man-“Mocker” is his name; he behaves with overweening pride.

25The sluggard’s craving will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work.

26All day long he craves for more, but the righteous give without sparing.

27The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable- how much more so when brought with evil intent!

28A false witness will perish, and whoever listens to him will be destroyed forever.

29A wicked man puts up a bold front, but an upright man gives thought to his ways.

30There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord .

31The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord .

22A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.

2Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all.

3A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.

4Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life.

5In the paths of the wicked lie thorns and snares, but he who guards his soul stays far from them.

6Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

7The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

8He who sows wickedness reaps trouble, and the rod of his fury will be destroyed.

9A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.

10Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife; quarrels and insults are ended.

11He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious will have the king for his friend.

12The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge, but he frustrates the words of the unfaithful.

13The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside!” or, “I will be murdered in the streets!”

14The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit; he who is under the Lord ‘s wrath will fall into it.

15Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.

16He who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and he who gives gifts to the rich-both come to poverty. Sayings of the Wise

17Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach,

18for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips.

19So that your trust may be in the Lord , I teach you today, even you.

20Have I not written thirty sayings for you, sayings of counsel and knowledge,

21teaching you true and reliable words, so that you can give sound answers to him who sent you?

22Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court,

23for the Lord will take up their case and will plunder those who plunder them.

24Do not make friends with a hot- tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered,

25or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared.

26Do not be a man who strikes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts;

27if you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you.

28Do not move an ancient boundary stone set up by your forefathers.

29Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men.

23When you sit to dine with a ruler, note well what is before you,

2and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony.

3Do not crave his delicacies, for that food is deceptive.

4Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint.

5Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.

6Do not eat the food of a stingy man, do not crave his delicacies;

7for he is the kind of man who is always thinking about the cost. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.

8You will vomit up the little you have eaten and will have wasted your compliments.

9Do not speak to a fool, for he will scorn the wisdom of your words.

10Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless,

11for their Defender is strong; he will take up their case against you.

12Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.

13Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die.

14Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death.

15My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad;

16my inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.

17Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord .

18There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.

19Listen, my son, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path.

20Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat,

21for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.

22Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.

23Buy the truth and do not sell it; get wisdom, discipline and understanding.

24The father of a righteous man has great joy; he who has a wise son delights in him.

25May your father and mother be glad; may she who gave you birth rejoice!

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

27for a prostitute is a deep pit and a wayward wife is a narrow well.

28Like a bandit she lies in wait, and multiplies the unfaithful among men.

29Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?

30Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine.

31Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly!

32In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper.

33Your eyes will see strange sights and your mind imagine confusing things.

34You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging.

35“They hit me,” you will say, “but I’m not hurt! They beat me, but I don’t feel it! When will I wake up so I can find another drink?”

24Do not envy wicked men, do not desire their company;

2for their hearts plot violence, and their lips talk about making trouble.

3By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established;

4through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.

5A wise man has great power, and a man of knowledge increases strength;

6for waging war you need guidance, and for victory many advisers.

7Wisdom is too high for a fool; in the assembly at the gate he has nothing to say.

8He who plots evil will be known as a schemer.

9The schemes of folly are sin, and men detest a mocker.

10If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength!

11Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter.

12If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?

13Eat honey, my son, for it is good; honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.

14Know also that wisdom is sweet to your soul; if you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.

15Do not lie in wait like an outlaw against a righteous man’s house, do not raid his dwelling place;

16for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity.

17Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice,

18or the Lord will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from him.

19Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of the wicked,

20for the evil man has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.

21Fear the Lord and the king, my son, and do not join with the rebellious,

22for those two will send sudden destruction upon them, and who knows what calamities they can bring? Further Sayings of the Wise

23These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judging is not good:

24Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent”- peoples will curse him and nations denounce him.

25But it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come upon them.

26An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.

27Finish your outdoor work and get your fields ready; after that, build your house.

28Do not testify against your neighbor without cause, or use your lips to deceive.

29Do not say, “I’ll do to him as he has done to me; I’ll pay that man back for what he did.”

30I went past the field of the sluggard, past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment;

31thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins.

32I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw:

33A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest-

34and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.

25These are more proverbs of Solomon, copied by the men of Hezekiah king of Judah:

2It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.

3As the heavens are high and the earth is deep, so the hearts of kings are unsearchable.

4Remove the dross from the silver, and out comes material for the silversmith;

5remove the wicked from the king’s presence, and his throne will be established through righteousness.

6Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence, and do not claim a place among great men;

7it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here,” than for him to humiliate you before a nobleman. What you have seen with your eyes

8do not bring hastily to court, for what will you do in the end if your neighbor puts you to shame?

9If you argue your case with a neighbor, do not betray another man’s confidence,

10or he who hears it may shame you and you will never lose your bad reputation.

11A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.

12Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise man’s rebuke to a listening ear.

13Like the coolness of snow at harvest time is a trustworthy messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the spirit of his masters.

14Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of gifts he does not give.

15Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.

16If you find honey, eat just enough- too much of it, and you will vomit.

17Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house- too much of you, and he will hate you.

18Like a club or a sword or a sharp arrow is the man who gives false testimony against his neighbor.

19Like a bad tooth or a lame foot is reliance on the unfaithful in times of trouble.

20Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar poured on soda, is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.

21If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.

22In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.

23As a north wind brings rain, so a sly tongue brings angry looks.

24Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.

25Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land.

26Like a muddied spring or a polluted well is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked.

27It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable to seek one’s own honor.

28Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.

26Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, honor is not fitting for a fool.

2Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest.

3A whip for the horse, a halter for the donkey, and a rod for the backs of fools!

4Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself.

5Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.

6Like cutting off one’s feet or drinking violence is the sending of a message by the hand of a fool.

7Like a lame man’s legs that hang limp is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.

8Like tying a stone in a sling is the giving of honor to a fool.

9Like a thornbush in a drunkard’s hand is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.

10Like an archer who wounds at random is he who hires a fool or any passer-by.

11As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.

12Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

13The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road, a fierce lion roaming the streets!”

14As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed.

15The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth.

16The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who answer discreetly.

17Like one who seizes a dog by the ears is a passer-by who meddles in a quarrel not his own.

18Like a madman shooting firebrands or deadly arrows

19is a man who deceives his neighbor and says, “I was only joking!”

20Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down.

21As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.

22The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man’s inmost parts.

23Like a coating of glaze over earthenware are fervent lips with an evil heart.

24A malicious man disguises himself with his lips, but in his heart he harbors deceit.

25Though his speech is charming, do not believe him, for seven abominations fill his heart.

26His malice may be concealed by deception, but his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.

27If a man digs a pit, he will fall into it; if a man rolls a stone, it will roll back on him.

28A lying tongue hates those it hurts, and a flattering mouth works ruin.

27Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.

2Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips.

3Stone is heavy and sand a burden, but provocation by a fool is heavier than both.

4Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?

5Better is open rebuke than hidden love.

6Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.

7He who is full loathes honey, but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet.

8Like a bird that strays from its nest is a man who strays from his home.

9Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of one’s friend springs from his earnest counsel.

10Do not forsake your friend and the friend of your father, and do not go to your brother’s house when disaster strikes you- better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.

11Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart; then I can answer anyone who treats me with contempt.

12The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.

13Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger; hold it in pledge if he does it for a wayward woman.

14If a man loudly blesses his neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse.

15A quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping on a rainy day;

16restraining her is like restraining the wind or grasping oil with the hand.

17As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

18He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who looks after his master will be honored.

19As water reflects a face, so a man’s heart reflects the man.

20Death and Destruction are never satisfied, and neither are the eyes of man.

21The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but man is tested by the praise he receives.

22Though you grind a fool in a mortar, grinding him like grain with a pestle, you will not remove his folly from him.

23Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds;

24for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations.

25When the hay is removed and new growth appears and the grass from the hills is gathered in,

26the lambs will provide you with clothing, and the goats with the price of a field.

27You will have plenty of goats’ milk to feed you and your family and to nourish your servant girls.

28The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

2When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers, but a man of understanding and knowledge maintains order.

3A ruler who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no crops.

4Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law resist them.

5Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand it fully.

6Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a rich man whose ways are perverse.

7He who keeps the law is a discerning son, but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.

8He who increases his wealth by exorbitant interest amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor.

9If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law, even his prayers are detestable.

10He who leads the upright along an evil path will fall into his own trap, but the blameless will receive a good inheritance.

11A rich man may be wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has discernment sees through him.

12When the righteous triumph, there is great elation; but when the wicked rise to power, men go into hiding.

13He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

14Blessed is the man who always fears the Lord , but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.

15Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked man ruling over a helpless people.

16A tyrannical ruler lacks judgment, but he who hates ill-gotten gain will enjoy a long life.

17A man tormented by the guilt of murder will be a fugitive till death; let no one support him.

18He whose walk is blameless is kept safe, but he whose ways are perverse will suddenly fall.

19He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.

20A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.

21To show partiality is not good- yet a man will do wrong for a piece of bread.

22A stingy man is eager to get rich and is unaware that poverty awaits him.

23He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor than he who has a flattering tongue.

24He who robs his father or mother and says, “It’s not wrong”- he is partner to him who destroys.

25A greedy man stirs up dissension, but he who trusts in the Lord will prosper.

26He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.

27He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.

28When the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding; but when the wicked perish, the righteous thrive.

29A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed-without remedy.

2When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan.

3A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.

4By justice a king gives a country stability, but one who is greedy for bribes tears it down.

5Whoever flatters his neighbor is spreading a net for his feet.

6An evil man is snared by his own sin, but a righteous one can sing and be glad.

7The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.

8Mockers stir up a city, but wise men turn away anger.

9If a wise man goes to court with a fool, the fool rages and scoffs, and there is no peace.

10Bloodthirsty men hate a man of integrity and seek to kill the upright.

11A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.

12If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials become wicked.

13The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The Lord gives sight to the eyes of both.

14If a king judges the poor with fairness, his throne will always be secure.

15The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.

16When the wicked thrive, so does sin, but the righteous will see their downfall.

17Discipline your son, and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul.

18Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law.

19A servant cannot be corrected by mere words; though he understands, he will not respond.

20Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

21If a man pampers his servant from youth, he will bring grief in the end.

22An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered one commits many sins.

23A man’s pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.

24The accomplice of a thief is his own enemy; he is put under oath and dare not testify.

25Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.

26Many seek an audience with a ruler, but it is from the Lord that man gets justice.

27The righteous detest the dishonest; the wicked detest the upright.

30The sayings of Agur son of Jakeh- an oracle : This man declared to Ithiel, to Ithiel and to Ucal:

2“I am the most ignorant of men; I do not have a man’s understanding.

3I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.

4Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and the name of his son? Tell me if you know!

5“Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

6Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.

7“Two things I ask of you, O Lord ; do not refuse me before I die:

8Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.

9Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord ?’

Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.

10“Do not slander a servant to his master, or he will curse you, and you will pay for it.

11“There are those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers;

12those who are pure in their own eyes and yet are not cleansed of their filth;

13those whose eyes are ever so haughty, whose glances are so disdainful;

14those whose teeth are swords and whose jaws are set with knives to devour the poor from the earth, the needy from among mankind.

15“The leech has two daughters. ‘Give! Give!’ they cry. “There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, ‘Enough!’:

16the grave, the barren womb, land, which is never satisfied with water, and fire, which never says, ‘Enough!’

17“The eye that mocks a father, that scorns obedience to a mother, will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten by the vultures.

18“There are three things that are too amazing for me, four that I do not understand:

19the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a maiden.

20“This is the way of an adulteress: She eats and wipes her mouth and says, ‘I’ve done nothing wrong.’

21“Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up:

22a servant who becomes king, a fool who is full of food,

23an unloved woman who is married, and a maidservant who displaces her mistress.

24“Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise:

25Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer;

26coneys are creatures of little power, yet they make their home in the crags;

27locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks;

28a lizard can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings’ palaces.

29“There are three things that are stately in their stride, four that move with stately bearing:

30a lion, mighty among beasts, who retreats before nothing;

31a strutting rooster, a he-goat, and a king with his army around him.

32“If you have played the fool and exalted yourself, or if you have planned evil, clap your hand over your mouth!

33For as churning the milk produces butter, and as twisting the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife.”

31The sayings of King Lemuel-an oracle his mother taught him:

2“O my son, O son of my womb, O son of my vows,

3do not spend your strength on women, your vigor on those who ruin kings.

4“It is not for kings, O Lemuel- not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer,

5lest they drink and forget what the law decrees, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.

6Give beer to those who are perishing, wine to those who are in anguish;

7let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more.

8“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.

9Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character

10A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.

11Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.

12She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.

13She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.

14She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.

15She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls.

16She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

17She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.

18She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.

19In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

20She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.

21When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

22She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

23Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

24She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.

25She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.

26She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

27She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.

28Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:

29“Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.”

30Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

31Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Psalms

Posted on by robertmacsbible_hpehg4

Psalms

4The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.

1Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.

2But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

3He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

4Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.

5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

PSALM 2

1Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?

2The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.

3“Let us break their chains,” they say, “and throw off their fetters.”

5Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,

6“I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill.”

7I will proclaim the decree of the Lord : He said to me, “You are my Son ; today I have become your Father.

8Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.

9You will rule them with an iron scepter ; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”

10Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth.

11Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.

12Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

PSALM 3

1O Lord , how many are my foes! How many rise up against me!

2Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” Selah

3But you are a shield around me, O Lord ; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.

4To the Lord I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill. Selah

5I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.

6I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side.

7Arise, O Lord ! Deliver me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.

8From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people. Selah

PSALM 4

1Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer.

2How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame ? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods ? Selah

3Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord will hear when I call to him.

4In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent. Selah

5Offer right sacrifices and trust in the Lord .

6Many are asking, “Who can show us any good?” Let the light of your face shine upon us, O Lord .

7You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound.

8I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord , make me dwell in safety.

PSALM 5

1Give ear to my words, O Lord , consider my sighing.

2Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.

3In the morning, O Lord , you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.

4You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell.

5The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do wrong.

6You destroy those who tell lies; bloodthirsty and deceitful men the Lord abhors.

7But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple.

8Lead me, O Lord , in your righteousness because of my enemies- make straight your way before me.

9Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with destruction. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongue they speak deceit.

10Declare them guilty, O God! Let their intrigues be their downfall. Banish them for their many sins, for they have rebelled against you.

11But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

12For surely, O Lord , you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

PSALM 6

1O Lord , do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.

2Be merciful to me, Lord , for I am faint; O Lord , heal me, for my bones are in agony.

3My soul is in anguish. How long, O Lord , how long?

4Turn, O Lord , and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love.

5No one remembers you when he is dead. Who praises you from the grave 1 ?

6I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears.

7My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes.

8Away from me, all you who do evil, for the Lord has heard my weeping.

9The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer.

10All my enemies will be ashamed and dismayed; they will turn back in sudden disgrace.

PSALM 7

1O Lord my God, I take refuge in you; save and deliver me from all who pursue me,

2or they will tear me like a lion and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.

3O Lord my God, if I have done this and there is guilt on my hands-

4if I have done evil to him who is at peace with me or without cause have robbed my foe-

5then let my enemy pursue and overtake me; let him trample my life to the ground and make me sleep in the dust. Selah

6Arise, O Lord , in your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies. Awake, my God; decree justice.

7Let the assembled peoples gather around you. Rule over them from on high;

8let the Lord judge the peoples. Judge me, O Lord , according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High.

9O righteous God, who searches minds and hearts, bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure.

10My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart.

11God is a righteous judge, a God who expresses his wrath every day.

12If he does not relent, he will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow.

13He has prepared his deadly weapons; he makes ready his flaming arrows.

14He who is pregnant with evil and conceives trouble gives birth to disillusionment.

15He who digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit he has made.

16The trouble he causes recoils on himself; his violence comes down on his own head.

17I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.

PSALM 8

1O Lord , our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.

2From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.

3When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,

4what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?

5You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.

6You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet:

7all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field,

8the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.

9O Lord , our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

PSALM 9

1I will praise you, O Lord , with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders.

2I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

3My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before you.

4For you have upheld my right and my cause; you have sat on your throne, judging righteously.

5You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.

6Endless ruin has overtaken the enemy, you have uprooted their cities; even the memory of them has perished.

7The Lord reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment.

8He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice.

9The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

10Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord , have never forsaken those who seek you.

11Sing praises to the Lord , enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done.

12For he who avenges blood remembers; he does not ignore the cry of the afflicted.

13O Lord , see how my enemies persecute me! Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death,

14that I may declare your praises in the gates of the Daughter of Zion and there rejoice in your salvation.

15The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.

16The Lord is known by his justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands. Higgaion. Selah

17The wicked return to the grave, all the nations that forget God.

18But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish.

19Arise, O Lord , let not man triumph; let the nations be judged in your presence.

20Strike them with terror, O Lord ; let the nations know they are but men. Selah

PSALM 10

1Why, O Lord , do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

2In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises.

3He boasts of the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord .

4In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.

5His ways are always prosperous; he is haughty and your laws are far from him; he sneers at all his enemies.

6He says to himself, “Nothing will shake me; I’ll always be happy and never have trouble.”

7His mouth is full of curses and lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue.

8He lies in wait near the villages; from ambush he murders the innocent, watching in secret for his victims.

9He lies in wait like a lion in cover; he lies in wait to catch the helpless; he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.

10His victims are crushed, they collapse; they fall under his strength.

11He says to himself, “God has forgotten; he covers his face and never sees.”

12Arise, Lord ! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless.

13Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself, “He won’t call me to account”?

14But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.

15Break the arm of the wicked and evil man; call him to account for his wickedness that would not be found out.

16The Lord is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land.

17You hear, O Lord , the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,

18defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.

PSALM 11

1In the Lord I take refuge. How then can you say to me: “Flee like a bird to your mountain.

2For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.

3When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do ?”

4The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them.

5The Lord examines the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence his soul hates.

6On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot.

7For the Lord is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face.

PSALM 12

1Help, Lord , for the godly are no more; the faithful have vanished from among men.

2Everyone lies to his neighbor; their flattering lips speak with deception.

3May the Lord cut off all flattering lips and every boastful tongue

4that says, “We will triumph with our tongues; we own our lips -who is our master?”

5“Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says the Lord . “I will protect them from those who malign them.”

6And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times.

7O Lord , you will keep us safe and protect us from such people forever.

8The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men.

PSALM 13

1How long, O Lord ? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?

2How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?

3Look on me and answer, O Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;

4my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

5But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.

6I will sing to the Lord , for he has been good to me.

PSALM 14

1The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.

2The Lord looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.

3All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.

4Will evildoers never learn- those who devour my people as men eat bread and who do not call on the Lord ?

5There they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous.

6You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the Lord is their refuge.

7Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

PSALM 15

1Lord , who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?

2He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart

3and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman,

4who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the Lord , who keeps his oath even when it hurts,

5who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.

PSALM 16

1Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.

2I said to the Lord , “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.”

3As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.

4The sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods. I will not pour out their libations of blood or take up their names on my lips.

5Lord , you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure.

6The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.

7I will praise the Lord , who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.

8I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

9Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,

10because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.

11You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

PSALM 17

1Hear, O Lord , my righteous plea; listen to my cry. Give ear to my prayer- it does not rise from deceitful lips.

2May my vindication come from you; may your eyes see what is right.

3Though you probe my heart and examine me at night, though you test me, you will find nothing; I have resolved that my mouth will not sin.

4As for the deeds of men- by the word of your lips I have kept myself from the ways of the violent.

5My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not slipped.

6I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer.

7Show the wonder of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes.

8Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings

9from the wicked who assail me, from my mortal enemies who surround me.

10They close up their callous hearts, and their mouths speak with arrogance.

11They have tracked me down, they now surround me, with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground.

12They are like a lion hungry for prey, like a great lion crouching in cover.

13Rise up, O Lord , confront them, bring them down; rescue me from the wicked by your sword.

14O Lord , by your hand save me from such men, from men of this world whose reward is in this life. You still the hunger of those you cherish; their sons have plenty, and they store up wealth for their children.

15And I-in righteousness I will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.

PSALM 18

1I love you, O Lord , my strength.

2The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

3I call to the Lord , who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.

4The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.

5The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me.

6In my distress I called to the Lord ; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.

7The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry.

8Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it.

9He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet.

10He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind.

11He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him- the dark rain clouds of the sky.

12Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightning.

13The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.

14He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies , great bolts of lightning and routed them.

15The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, O Lord , at the blast of breath from your nostrils.

16He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.

17He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.

18They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support.

19He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.

20The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.

21For I have kept the ways of the Lord ; I have not done evil by turning from my God.

22All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees.

23I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin.

24The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

25To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless,

26to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.

27You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.

28You, O Lord , keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.

29With your help I can advance against a troop ; with my God I can scale a wall.

30As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.

31For who is God besides the Lord ? And who is the Rock except our God?

32It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.

33He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights.

34He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

35You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great.

36You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn.

37I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed.

38I crushed them so that they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet.

39You armed me with strength for battle; you made my adversaries bow at my feet.

40You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, and I destroyed my foes.

41They cried for help, but there was no one to save them- to the Lord , but he did not answer.

42I beat them as fine as dust borne on the wind; I poured them out like mud in the streets.

43You have delivered me from the attacks of the people; you have made me the head of nations; people I did not know are subject to me.

44As soon as they hear me, they obey me; foreigners cringe before me.

45They all lose heart; they come trembling from their strongholds.

46The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior!

47He is the God who avenges me, who subdues nations under me,

48who saves me from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes; from violent men you rescued me.

49Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O Lord ; I will sing praises to your name.

50He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever.

PSALM 19

1The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

2Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.

3There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.

4Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,

5which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

6It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.

7The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

8The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

9The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous.

10They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.

11By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

12Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults.

13Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression.

14May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord , my Rock and my Redeemer.

PSALM 20

1May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.

2May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion.

3May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings. Selah

4May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.

5We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests.

6Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed; he answers him from his holy heaven with the saving power of his right hand.

7Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

8They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.

9O Lord , save the king! Answer us when we call!

PSALM 21

1O Lord , the king rejoices in your strength. How great is his joy in the victories you give!

2You have granted him the desire of his heart and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah

3You welcomed him with rich blessings and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.

4He asked you for life, and you gave it to him- length of days, for ever and ever.

5Through the victories you gave, his glory is great; you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.

6Surely you have granted him eternal blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence.

7For the king trusts in the Lord ; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken.

8Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies; your right hand will seize your foes.

9At the time of your appearing you will make them like a fiery furnace. In his wrath the Lord will swallow them up, and his fire will consume them.

10You will destroy their descendants from the earth, their posterity from mankind.

11Though they plot evil against you and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed;

12for you will make them turn their backs when you aim at them with drawn bow.

13Be exalted, O Lord , in your strength; we will sing and praise your might.

PSALM 22

1My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?

2O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent.

3Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel.

4In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them.

5They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed.

6But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people.

7All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads:

8“He trusts in the Lord ; let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.”

9Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother’s breast.

10From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

11Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.

12Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.

13Roaring lions tearing their prey open their mouths wide against me.

14I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me.

15My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.

16Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.

17I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me.

18They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.

19But you, O Lord , be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me.

20Deliver my life from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs.

21Rescue me from the mouth of the lions; save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

22I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you.

23You who fear the Lord , praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!

24For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.

25From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows.

26The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the Lord will praise him- may your hearts live forever!

27All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord , and all the families of the nations will bow down before him,

28for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations.

29All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him- those who cannot keep themselves alive.

30Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord.

31They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn- for he has done it.

PSALM 23

1The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

2He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,

3he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,

for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

6Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

PSALM 24

1The earth is the Lord ‘s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;

2for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.

3Who may ascend the hill of the Lord ? Who may stand in his holy place?

4He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false.

5He will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God his Savior.

6Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob. Selah

7Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.

8Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.

9Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.

10Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty- he is the King of glory. Selah

PSALM 25

1To you, O Lord , I lift up my soul;

2in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.

3No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse.

4Show me your ways, O Lord , teach me your paths;

5guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

6Remember, O Lord , your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.

7Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O Lord .

8Good and upright is the Lord ; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.

9He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.

10All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant.

11For the sake of your name, O Lord , forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

12Who, then, is the man that fears the Lord ? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him.

13He will spend his days in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land.

14The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.

15My eyes are ever on the Lord , for only he will release my feet from the snare.

16Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.

17The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish.

18Look upon my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins.

19See how my enemies have increased and how fiercely they hate me!

20Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.

21May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you.

22Redeem Israel, O God, from all their troubles!

PSALM 26

1Vindicate me, O Lord , for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.

2Test me, O Lord , and try me, examine my heart and my mind;

3for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth.

4I do not sit with deceitful men, nor do I consort with hypocrites;

5I abhor the assembly of evildoers and refuse to sit with the wicked.

6I wash my hands in innocence, and go about your altar, O Lord ,

7proclaiming aloud your praise and telling of all your wonderful deeds.

8I love the house where you live, O Lord , the place where your glory dwells.

9Do not take away my soul along with sinners, my life with bloodthirsty men,

10in whose hands are wicked schemes, whose right hands are full of bribes.

11But I lead a blameless life; redeem me and be merciful to me.

12My feet stand on level ground; in the great assembly I will praise the Lord .

PSALM 27

1The Lord is my light and my salvation- whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life- of whom shall I be afraid?

2When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall.

3Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.

4One thing I ask of the Lord , this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.

5For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.

6Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord .

7Hear my voice when I call, O Lord ; be merciful to me and answer me.

8My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord , I will seek.

9Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior.

10Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.

11Teach me your way, O Lord ; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.

12Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence.

13I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

14Wait for the Lord ; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord .

PSALM 28

1To you I call, O Lord my Rock; do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you remain silent, I will be like those who have gone down to the pit.

2Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place.

3Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who do evil, who speak cordially with their neighbors but harbor malice in their hearts.

4Repay them for their deeds and for their evil work; repay them for what their hands have done and bring back upon them what they deserve.

5Since they show no regard for the works of the Lord and what his hands have done, he will tear them down and never build them up again.

6Praise be to the Lord , for he has heard my cry for mercy.

7The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.

8The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.

9Save your people and bless your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever.

PSALM 29

1Ascribe to the Lord , O mighty ones, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

2Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.

3The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.

4The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic.

5The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.

6He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox.

7The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning.

8The voice of the Lord shakes the desert; the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.

9The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

10The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever.

11The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.

PSALM 30

1I will exalt you, O Lord , for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me.

2O Lord my God, I called to you for help and you healed me.

3O Lord , you brought me up from the grave ; you spared me from going down into the pit.

4Sing to the Lord , you saints of his; praise his holy name.

5For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

6When I felt secure, I said, “I will never be shaken.”

7O Lord , when you favored me, you made my mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed.

8To you, O Lord , I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy:

9“What gain is there in my destruction, in my going down into the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness?

10Hear, O Lord , and be merciful to me; O Lord , be my help.”

11You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

12that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.

PSALM 31

1In you, O Lord , I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness.

2Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.

3Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me.

4Free me from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge.

5Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O Lord , the God of truth.

6I hate those who cling to worthless idols; I trust in the Lord .

7I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul.

8You have not handed me over to the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place.

9Be merciful to me, O Lord , for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief.

10My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak.

11Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbors; I am a dread to my friends- those who see me on the street flee from me.

12I am forgotten by them as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery.

13For I hear the slander of many; there is terror on every side; they conspire against me and plot to take my life.

14But I trust in you, O Lord ; I say, “You are my God.”

15My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me.

16Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love.

17Let me not be put to shame, O Lord , for I have cried out to you; but let the

wicked be put to shame and lie silent in the grave.

18Let their lying lips be silenced, for with pride and contempt they speak arrogantly against the righteous.

19How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you.

20In the shelter of your presence you hide them from the intrigues of men; in your dwelling you keep them safe from accusing tongues.

21Praise be to the Lord , for he showed his wonderful love to me when I was in a besieged city.

22In my alarm I said, “I am cut off from your sight!” Yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help.

23Love the Lord , all his saints! The Lord preserves the faithful, but the proud he pays back in full.

24Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord .

PSALM 32

1Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

2Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.

3When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.

4For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah

5Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord “- and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah

6Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him.

7You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah

8I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.

9Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.

10Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord ‘s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.

11Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!

PSALM 33

1Sing joyfully to the Lord , you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him.

2Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.

3Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.

4For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.

5The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.

6By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.

7He gathers the waters of the sea into jars ; he puts the deep into storehouses.

8Let all the earth fear the Lord ; let all the people of the world revere him.

9For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.

10The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.

11But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.

12Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord , the people he chose for his inheritance.

13From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind;

14from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth-

15he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.

16No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength.

17A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save.

18But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,

19to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.

20We wait in hope for the Lord ; he is our help and our shield.

21In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.

22May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord , even as we put our hope in you.

PSALM 34

1I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.

2My soul will boast in the Lord ; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

3Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.

4I sought the Lord , and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.

5Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.

6This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.

7The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.

8Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

9Fear the Lord , you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing.

10The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

11Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord .

12Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days,

13keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.

14Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

15The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry;

16the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

17The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.

18The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

19A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all;

20he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.

21Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned.

22The Lord redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.

PSALM 35

1Contend, O Lord , with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me.

2Take up shield and buckler; arise and come to my aid.

3Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”

4May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; may those who plot my ruin be turned back in dismay.

5May they be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away;

6may their path be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.

7Since they hid their net for me without cause and without cause dug a pit for me,

8may ruin overtake them by surprise- may the net they hid entangle them, may they fall into the pit, to their ruin.

9Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord and delight in his salvation.

10My whole being will exclaim, “Who is like you, O Lord ? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them.”

11Ruthless witnesses come forward; they question me on things I know nothing about.

12They repay me evil for good and leave my soul forlorn.

13Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting. When my prayers returned to me unanswered,

14I went about mourning as though for my friend or brother. I bowed my head in grief as though weeping for my mother.

15But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee; attackers gathered against me when I was unaware. They slandered me without ceasing.

16Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked ; they gnashed their teeth at me.

17O Lord, how long will you look on? Rescue my life from their ravages, my precious life from these lions.

18I will give you thanks in the great assembly; among throngs of people I will praise you.

19Let not those gloat over me who are my enemies without cause; let not those who hate me without reason maliciously wink the eye.

20They do not speak peaceably, but devise false accusations against those who live quietly in the land.

21They gape at me and say, “Aha! Aha! With our own eyes we have seen it.”

22O Lord , you have seen this; be not silent. Do not be far from me, O Lord.

23Awake, and rise to my defense! Contend for me, my God and Lord.

24Vindicate me in your righteousness, O Lord my God; do not let them gloat over me.

25Do not let them think, “Aha, just what we wanted!” or say, “We have swallowed him up.”

26May all who gloat over my distress be put to shame and confusion; may all who exalt themselves over me be clothed with shame and disgrace.

27May those who delight in my vindication shout for joy and gladness; may they always say, “The Lord be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant.”

28My tongue will speak of your righteousness and of your praises all day long.

PSALM 36

1An oracle is within my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes.

2For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin.

3The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; he has ceased to be wise and to do good.

4Even on his bed he plots evil; he commits himself to a sinful course and does not reject what is wrong.

5Your love, O Lord , reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.

6Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O Lord , you preserve both man and beast.

7How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings.

8They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights.

9For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.

10Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart.

11May the foot of the proud not come against me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.

12See how the evildoers lie fallen- thrown down, not able to rise!

PSALM 37

1Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong;

2for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.

3Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

4Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5Commit your way to the Lord ; trust in him and he will do this:

6He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

7Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

8Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret-it leads only to evil.

9For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.

10A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.

11But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.

12The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them;

13but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming.

14The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright.

15But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.

16Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked;

17for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.

18The days of the blameless are known to the Lord , and their inheritance will endure forever.

19In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

20But the wicked will perish: The Lord ‘s enemies will be like the beauty of the fields, they will vanish-vanish like smoke.

21The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously;

22those the Lord blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be cut off.

23If the Lord delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm;

24though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.

25I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.

26They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed.

27Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever.

28For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off;

29the righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.

30The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just.

31The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip.

32The wicked lie in wait for the righteous, seeking their very lives;

33but the Lord will not leave them in their power or let them be condemned when brought to trial.

34Wait for the Lord and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

35I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a green tree in its native soil,

36but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found.

37Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future for the man of peace.

38But all sinners will be destroyed; the future of the wicked will be cut off.

39The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord ; he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

40The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.

PSALM 38

1O Lord , do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.

2For your arrows have pierced me, and your hand has come down upon me.

3Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; my bones have no soundness because of my sin.

4My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear.

5My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly.

6I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning.

7My back is filled with searing pain; there is no health in my body.

8I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart.

9All my longings lie open before you, O Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you.

10My heart pounds, my strength fails me; even the light has gone from my eyes.

11My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds; my neighbors stay far away.

12Those who seek my life set their traps, those who would harm me talk of my ruin; all day long they plot deception.

13I am like a deaf man, who cannot hear, like a mute, who cannot open his mouth;

14I have become like a man who does not hear, whose mouth can offer no reply.

15I wait for you, O Lord ; you will answer, O Lord my God.

16For I said, “Do not let them gloat or exalt themselves over me when my foot slips.”

17For I am about to fall, and my pain is ever with me.

18I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin.

19Many are those who are my vigorous enemies; those who hate me without reason are numerous.

20Those who repay my good with evil slander me when I pursue what is good.

21O Lord , do not forsake me; be not far from me, O my God.

22Come quickly to help me, O Lord my Savior.

PSALM 39

1I said, “I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth as long as the wicked are in my presence.”

2But when I was silent and still, not even saying anything good, my anguish increased.

3My heart grew hot within me, and as I meditated, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue:

4“Show me, O Lord , my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life.

5You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man’s life is but a breath. Selah

6Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro: He bustles about, but only in vain; he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it.

7“But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.

8Save me from all my transgressions; do not make me the scorn of fools.

9I was silent; I would not open my mouth, for you are the one who has done this.

10Remove your scourge from me; I am overcome by the blow of your hand.

11You rebuke and discipline men for their sin; you consume their wealth like a moth- each man is but a breath. Selah

12“Hear my prayer, O Lord , listen to my cry for help; be not deaf to my weeping. For I dwell with you as an alien, a stranger, as all my fathers were.

13Look away from me, that I may rejoice again before I depart and am no more.”

PSALM 40

1I waited patiently for the Lord ; he turned to me and heard my cry.

2He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.

3He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord .

4Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.

5Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare.

6Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but my ears you have pierced , ; burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require.

7Then I said, “Here I am, I have come- it is written about me in the scroll.

8I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”

9I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly; I do not seal my lips, as you know, O Lord .

10I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and salvation. I do not conceal your love and your truth from the great assembly.

11Do not withhold your mercy from me, O Lord ; may your love and your truth always protect me.

12For troubles without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see. They are more than the

hairs of my head, and my heart fails within me.

13Be pleased, O Lord , to save me; O Lord , come quickly to help me.

14May all who seek to take my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace.

15May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!” be appalled at their own shame.

16But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, “The Lord be exalted!”

17Yet I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; O my God, do not delay.

PSALM 41

1Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the Lord delivers him in times of trouble.

2The Lord will protect him and preserve his life; he will bless him in the land and not surrender him to the desire of his foes.

3The Lord will sustain him on his sickbed and restore him from his bed of illness.

4I said, “O Lord , have mercy on me; heal me, for I have sinned against you.”

5My enemies say of me in malice, “When will he die and his name perish?”

6Whenever one comes to see me, he speaks falsely, while his heart gathers slander; then he goes out and spreads it abroad.

7All my enemies whisper together against me; they imagine the worst for me, saying,

8“A vile disease has beset him; he will never get up from the place where he lies.”

9Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.

10But you, O Lord , have mercy on me; raise me up, that I may repay them.

11I know that you are pleased with me, for my enemy does not triumph over me.

12In my integrity you uphold me and set me in your presence forever.

13Praise be to the Lord , the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.

PSALM 42

1As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.

2My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?

3My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

4These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng.

5Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and

6my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon-from Mount Mizar.

7Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.

8By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me- a prayer to the God of my life.

9I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?”

10My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

11Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

PSALM 43

1Vindicate me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation; rescue me from deceitful and wicked men.

2You are God my stronghold. Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?

3Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.

4Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God.

5Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

PSALM 44

1We have heard with our ears, O God; our fathers have told us what you did in their days, in days long ago.

2With your hand you drove out the nations and planted our fathers; you crushed the peoples and made our fathers flourish.

3It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them.

4You are my King and my God, who decrees victories for Jacob.

5Through you we push back our enemies; through your name we trample our foes.

6I do not trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory;

7but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame.

8In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever. Selah

9But now you have rejected and humbled us; you no longer go out with our armies.

10You made us retreat before the enemy, and our adversaries have plundered us.

11You gave us up to be devoured like sheep and have scattered us among the nations.

12You sold your people for a pittance, gaining nothing from their sale.

13You have made us a reproach to our neighbors, the scorn and derision of those around us.

14You have made us a byword among the nations; the peoples shake their heads at us.

15My disgrace is before me all day long, and my face is covered with shame

16at the taunts of those who reproach and revile me, because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.

17All this happened to us, though we had not forgotten you or been false to your covenant.

18Our hearts had not turned back; our feet had not strayed from your path.

19But you crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals and covered us over with deep darkness.

20If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god,

21would not God have discovered it, since he knows the secrets of the heart?

22Yet for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.

23Awake, O Lord! Why do you sleep? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever.

24Why do you hide your face and forget our misery and oppression?

25We are brought down to the dust; our bodies cling to the ground.

26Rise up and help us; redeem us because of your unfailing love.

PSALM 45

1My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.

2You are the most excellent of men and your lips have been anointed with grace, since God has blessed you forever.

3Gird your sword upon your side, O mighty one; clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.

4In your majesty ride forth victoriously in behalf of truth, humility and righteousness; let your right hand display awesome deeds.

5Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies; let the nations fall beneath your feet.

6Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.

7You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.

8All your robes are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia; from palaces adorned with ivory the music of the strings makes you glad.

9Daughters of kings are among your honored women; at your right hand is the royal bride in gold of Ophir.

10Listen, O daughter, consider and give ear: Forget your people and your father’s house.

11The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord.

12The Daughter of Tyre will come with a gift, men of wealth will seek your favor.

13All glorious is the princess within her chamber ; her gown is interwoven with gold.

14In embroidered garments she is led to the king; her virgin companions follow her and are brought to you.

15They are led in with joy and gladness; they enter the palace of the king.

16Your sons will take the place of your fathers; you will make them princes throughout the land.

17I will perpetuate your memory through all generations; therefore the nations will praise you for ever and ever.

PSALM 46

1God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

2Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

3though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah

4There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.

5God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.

6Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

7The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

8Come and see the works of the Lord , the desolations he has brought on the earth.

9He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire.

10“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

11The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

PSALM 47

1Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.

2How awesome is the Lord Most High, the great King over all the earth!

3He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet.

4He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved. Selah

5God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets.

6Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises.

7For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise.

8God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne.

9The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted.

PSALM 48

1Great is the Lord , and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain.

2It is beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth. Like the utmost heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the Great King.

3God is in her citadels; he has shown himself to be her fortress.

4When the kings joined forces, when they advanced together,

5they saw her and were astounded; they fled in terror.

6Trembling seized them there, pain like that of a woman in labor.

7You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish shattered by an east wind.

8As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord Almighty, in the city of our God: God makes her secure forever. Selah

9Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love.

10Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with righteousness.

11Mount Zion rejoices, the villages of Judah are glad because of your judgments.

12Walk about Zion, go around her, count her towers,

13consider well her ramparts, view her citadels, that you may tell of them to the next generation.

14For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.

PSALM 49

1Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who live in this world,

2both low and high, rich and poor alike:

3My mouth will speak words of wisdom; the utterance from my heart will give understanding.

4I will turn my ear to a proverb; with the harp I will expound my riddle:

5Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me-

6those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches?

7No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him-

8the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough-

9that he should live on forever and not see decay.

10For all can see that wise men die; the foolish and the senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others.

11Their tombs will remain their houses forever, their dwellings for endless generations, though they had named lands after themselves.

12But man, despite his riches, does not endure; he is like the beasts that perish.

13This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings. Selah

14Like sheep they are destined for the grave, and death will feed on them. The upright will rule over them in the morning; their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions.

15But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself. Selah

16Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases;

17for he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him.

18Though while he lived he counted himself blessed- and men praise you when you prosper-

19he will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light of life .

20A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish.

PSALM 50

1The Mighty One, God, the Lord , speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets.

2From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth.

3Our God comes and will not be silent; a fire devours before him, and around him a tempest rages.

4He summons the heavens above, and the earth, that he may judge his people:

5“Gather to me my consecrated ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”

6And the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for God himself is judge. Selah

7“Hear, O my people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you: I am God, your God.

8I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.

9I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens,

10for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.

11I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine.

12If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.

13Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?

14Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High,

15and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”

16But to the wicked, God says: “What right have you to recite my laws or take my covenant on your lips?

17You hate my instruction and cast my words behind you.

18When you see a thief, you join with him; you throw in your lot with adulterers.

19You use your mouth for evil and harness your tongue to deceit.

20You speak continually against your brother and slander your own mother’s son.

21These things you have done and I kept silent; you thought I was altogether like you. But I will rebuke you and accuse you to your face.

22“Consider this, you who forget God, or I will tear you to pieces, with none to rescue:

23He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.”

PSALM 51

1Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.

2Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

3For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.

4Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.

5Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

6Surely you desire truth in the inner parts ; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

7Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

8Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

9Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.

10Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.

12Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

13Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.

14Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

15O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.

16You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

18In your good pleasure make Zion prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem.

19Then there will be righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings to delight you; then bulls will be offered on your altar.

PSALM 52

1Why do you boast of evil, you mighty man? Why do you boast all day long,

you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?

2Your tongue plots destruction; it is like a sharpened razor, you who practice deceit.

3You love evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth. Selah

4You love every harmful word, O you deceitful tongue!

5Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin: He will snatch you up and tear you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah

6The righteous will see and fear; they will laugh at him, saying,

7“Here now is the man who did not make God his stronghold but trusted in his great wealth and grew strong by destroying others!”

8But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever.

9I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints.

PSALM 53

1The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their ways are vile; there is no one who does good.

2God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.

3Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.

4Will the evildoers never learn- those who devour my people as men eat bread and who do not call on God?

5There they were, overwhelmed with dread, where there was nothing to dread. God scattered the bones of those who attacked you; you put them to shame, for God despised them.

6Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

PSALM 54

1Save me, O God, by your name; vindicate me by your might.

2Hear my prayer, O God; listen to the words of my mouth.

3Strangers are attacking me; ruthless men seek my life- men without regard for God. Selah

4Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.

5Let evil recoil on those who slander me; in your faithfulness destroy them.

6I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you; I will praise your name, O Lord , for it is good.

7For he has delivered me from all my troubles, and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes.

PSALM 55

1Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea;

2hear me and answer me. My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught

3at the voice of the enemy, at the stares of the wicked; for they bring down suffering upon me and revile me in their anger.

4My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death assail me.

5Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me.

6I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest-

7I would flee far away and stay in the desert; Selah

8I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm.”

9Confuse the wicked, O Lord, confound their speech, for I see violence and strife in the city.

10Day and night they prowl about on its walls; malice and abuse are within it.

11Destructive forces are at work in the city; threats and lies never leave its streets.

12If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him.

13But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend,

14with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God.

15Let death take my enemies by surprise; let them go down alive to the grave, for evil finds lodging among them.

16But I call to God, and the Lord saves me.

17Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice.

18He ransoms me unharmed from the battle waged against me, even though many oppose me.

19God, who is enthroned forever, will hear them and afflict them- Selah men who never change their ways and have no fear of God.

20My companion attacks his friends; he violates his covenant.

21His speech is smooth as butter, yet war is in his heart; his words are more soothing than oil, yet they are drawn swords.

22Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.

23But you, O God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of corruption; bloodthirsty and deceitful men will not live out half their days. But as for me, I trust in you.

PSALM 56

1Be merciful to me, O God, for men hotly pursue me; all day long they press their attack.

2My slanderers pursue me all day long; many are attacking me in their pride.

3When I am afraid, I will trust in you.

4In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?

5All day long they twist my words; they are always plotting to harm me.

6They conspire, they lurk, they watch my steps, eager to take my life.

7On no account let them escape; in your anger, O God, bring down the nations.

8Record my lament; list my tears on your scroll – are they not in your record?

9Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help. By this I will know that God is for me.

10In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord , whose word I praise-

11in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

12I am under vows to you, O God; I will present my thank offerings to you.

13For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.

PSALM 57

1Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.

2I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills [his purpose] for me.

3He sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me; Selah God sends his love and his faithfulness.

4I am in the midst of lions; I lie among ravenous beasts- men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.

5Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.

6They spread a net for my feet- I was bowed down in distress. They dug a pit in my path- but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah

7My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music.

8Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.

9I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples.

10For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

11Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.

PSALM 58

1Do you rulers indeed speak justly? Do you judge uprightly among men?

2No, in your heart you devise injustice, and your hands mete out violence on the earth.

3Even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb they are wayward and speak lies.

4Their venom is like the venom of a snake, like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears,

5that will not heed the tune of the charmer, however skillful the enchanter may be.

6Break the teeth in their mouths, O God; tear out, O Lord , the fangs of the lions!

7Let them vanish like water that flows away; when they draw the bow, let their arrows be blunted.

8Like a slug melting away as it moves along, like a stillborn child, may they not see the sun.

9Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns- whether they be green or dry-the wicked will be swept away.

10The righteous will be glad when they are avenged, when they bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.

11Then men will say, “Surely the righteous still are rewarded; surely there is a God who judges the earth.”

PSALM 59

1Deliver me from my enemies, O God; protect me from those who rise up against me.

2Deliver me from evildoers and save me from bloodthirsty men.

3See how they lie in wait for me! Fierce men conspire against me for no offense or sin of mine, O Lord .

4I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me. Arise to help me; look on my plight!

5O Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, rouse yourself to punish all the nations; show no mercy to wicked traitors. Selah

6They return at evening, snarling like dogs, and prowl about the city.

7See what they spew from their mouths- they spew out swords from their lips, and they say, “Who can hear us?”

8But you, O Lord , laugh at them; you scoff at all those nations.

9O my Strength, I watch for you; you, O God, are my fortress,

10my loving God. God will go before me and will let me gloat over those who slander me.

11But do not kill them, O Lord our shield, or my people will forget. In your might make them wander about, and bring them down.

12For the sins of their mouths, for the words of their lips, let them be caught in their pride. For the curses and lies they utter,

13consume them in wrath, consume them till they are no more. Then it will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob. Selah

14They return at evening, snarling like dogs, and prowl about the city.

15They wander about for food and howl if not satisfied.

16But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.

17O my Strength, I sing praise to you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.

PSALM 60

1You have rejected us, O God, and burst forth upon us; you have been angry-now restore us!

2You have shaken the land and torn it open; mend its fractures, for it is quaking.

3You have shown your people desperate times; you have given us wine that makes us stagger.

4But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner to be unfurled against the bow. Selah

5Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered.

6God has spoken from his sanctuary: “In triumph I will parcel out Shechem and measure off the Valley of Succoth.

7Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my scepter.

8Moab is my washbasin, upon Edom I toss my sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph.”

9Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom?

10Is it not you, O God, you who have rejected us and no longer go out with our armies?

11Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless.

12With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.

PSALM 61

1Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.

2From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

3For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.

4I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. Selah

5For you have heard my vows, O God; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

6Increase the days of the king’s life, his years for many generations.

7May he be enthroned in God’s presence forever; appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him.

8Then will I ever sing praise to your name and fulfill my vows day after day.

PSALM 62

1My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.

2He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

3How long will you assault a man? Would all of you throw him down- this leaning wall, this tottering fence?

4They fully intend to topple him from his lofty place; they take delight in lies. With their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse. Selah

5Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.

6He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

7My salvation and my honor depend on God ; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.

8Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Selah

9Lowborn men are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie; if weighed on a balance, they are nothing; together they are only a breath.

10Do not trust in extortion or take pride in stolen goods; though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them.

11One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong,

12and that you, O Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done.

PSALM 63

1O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

2I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.

3Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.

4I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.

5My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

6On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.

7Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

8My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.

9They who seek my life will be destroyed; they will go down to the depths of the earth.

10They will be given over to the sword and become food for jackals.

11But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by God’s name will praise him, while the mouths of liars will be silenced.

PSALM 64

1Hear me, O God, as I voice my complaint; protect my life from the threat of the enemy.

2Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked, from that noisy crowd of evildoers.

3They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their words like deadly arrows.

4They shoot from ambush at the innocent man; they shoot at him suddenly, without fear.

5They encourage each other in evil plans, they talk about hiding their snares; they say, “Who will see them ?”

6They plot injustice and say, “We have devised a perfect plan!” Surely the mind and heart of man are cunning.

7But God will shoot them with arrows; suddenly they will be struck down.

8He will turn their own tongues against them and bring them to ruin; all who see them will shake their heads in scorn.

9All mankind will fear; they will proclaim the works of God and ponder what he has done.

10Let the righteous rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in him; let all the upright in heart praise him!

PSALM 65

1Praise awaits you, O God, in Zion; to you our vows will be fulfilled.

2O you who hear prayer, to you all men will come.

3When we were overwhelmed by sins, you forgave our transgressions.

4Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts! We are filled with the good things of your house, of your holy temple.

5You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness, O God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas,

6who formed the mountains by your power, having armed yourself with strength,

7who stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations.

8Those living far away fear your wonders; where morning dawns and evening fades you call forth songs of joy.

9You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it.

10You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops.

11You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance.

12The grasslands of the desert overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness.

13The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing.

PSALM 66

1Shout with joy to God, all the earth!

2Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious!

3Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you.

4All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing praise to your name.” Selah

5Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man’s behalf!

6He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the waters on foot- come, let us rejoice in him.

7He rules forever by his power, his eyes watch the nations- let not the rebellious rise up against him. Selah

8Praise our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard;

9he has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping.

10For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver.

11You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs.

12You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.

13I will come to your temple with burnt offerings and fulfill my vows to you-

14vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke when I was in trouble.

15I will sacrifice fat animals to you and an offering of rams; I will offer bulls and goats. Selah

16Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me.

17I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue.

18If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;

19but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer.

20Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!

PSALM 67

1May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, Selah

2that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.

3May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you.

4May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. Selah

5May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you.

6Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us.

7God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him.

PSALM 68

1May God arise, may his enemies be scattered; may his foes flee before him.

2As smoke is blown away by the wind, may you blow them away; as wax melts before the fire, may the wicked perish before God.

3But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful.

4Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds – his

name is the Lord – and rejoice before him.

5A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.

6God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

7When you went out before your people, O God, when you marched through the wasteland, Selah

8the earth shook, the heavens poured down rain, before God, the One of Sinai, before God, the God of Israel.

9You gave abundant showers, O God; you refreshed your weary inheritance.

10Your people settled in it, and from your bounty, O God, you provided for the poor.

11The Lord announced the word, and great was the company of those who proclaimed it:

12“Kings and armies flee in haste; in the camps men divide the plunder.

13Even while you sleep among the campfires, the wings of my dove are sheathed with silver, its feathers with shining gold.”

14When the Almighty scattered the kings in the land, it was like snow fallen on Zalmon.

15The mountains of Bashan are majestic mountains; rugged are the mountains of Bashan.

16Why gaze in envy, O rugged mountains, at the mountain where God chooses to reign, where the Lord himself will dwell forever?

17The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands; the Lord has come from Sinai into his sanctuary.

18When you ascended on high, you led captives in your train; you received gifts from men, even from the rebellious- that you, O Lord God, might dwell there.

19Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Selah

20Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death.

21Surely God will crush the heads of his enemies, the hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins.

22The Lord says, “I will bring them from Bashan; I will bring them from the depths of the sea,

23that you may plunge your feet in the blood of your foes, while the tongues of your dogs have their share.”

24Your procession has come into view, O God, the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary.

25In front are the singers, after them the musicians; with them are the maidens playing tambourines.

26Praise God in the great congregation; praise the Lord in the assembly of Israel.

27There is the little tribe of Benjamin, leading them, there the great throng of Judah’s princes, and there the princes of Zebulun and of Naphtali.

28Summon your power, O God ; show us your strength, O God, as you have done before.

29Because of your temple at Jerusalem kings will bring you gifts.

30Rebuke the beast among the reeds, the herd of bulls among the calves of the nations. Humbled, may it bring bars of silver. Scatter the nations who delight in war.

31Envoys will come from Egypt; Cush will submit herself to God.

32Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth, sing praise to the Lord, Selah

33to him who rides the ancient skies above, who thunders with mighty voice.

34Proclaim the power of God, whose majesty is over Israel, whose power is in the skies.

35You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!

PSALM 69

1Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.

2I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me.

3I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.

4Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me. I am forced to restore what I did not steal.

5You know my folly, O God; my guilt is not hidden from you.

6May those who hope in you not be disgraced because of me, O Lord, the Lord Almighty; may those who seek you not be put to shame because of me, O God of Israel.

7For I endure scorn for your sake, and shame covers my face.

8I am a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my own mother’s sons;

9for zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.

10When I weep and fast, I must endure scorn;

11when I put on sackcloth, people make sport of me.

12Those who sit at the gate mock me, and I am the song of the drunkards.

13But I pray to you, O Lord , in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation.

14Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters.

15Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me.

16Answer me, O Lord , out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me.

17Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.

18Come near and rescue me; redeem me because of my foes.

19You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed; all my enemies are before you.

20Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless; I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found none.

21They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.

22May the table set before them become a snare; may it become retribution and a trap.

23May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.

24Pour out your wrath on them; let your fierce anger overtake them.

25May their place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in their tents.

26For they persecute those you wound and talk about the pain of those you hurt.

27Charge them with crime upon crime; do not let them share in your salvation.

28May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous.

29I am in pain and distress; may your salvation, O God, protect me.

30I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.

31This will please the Lord more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hoofs.

32The poor will see and be glad- you who seek God, may your hearts live!

33The Lord hears the needy and does not despise his captive people.

34Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and all that move in them,

35for God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah. Then people will settle there and possess it;

36the children of his servants will inherit it, and those who love his name will dwell there.

PSALM 70

1Hasten, O God, to save me; O Lord , come quickly to help me.

2May those who seek my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace.

3May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!” turn back because of their shame.

4But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, “Let God be exalted!”

5Yet I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord , do not delay.

PSALM 71

1In you, O Lord , I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame.

2Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; turn your ear to me and save me.

3Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.

4Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of evil and cruel men.

5For you have been my hope, O Sovereign Lord , my confidence since my youth.

6From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise you.

7I have become like a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge.

8My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long.

9Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone.

10For my enemies speak against me; those who wait to kill me conspire together.

11They say, “God has forsaken him; pursue him and seize him, for no one will rescue him.”

12Be not far from me, O God; come quickly, O my God, to help me.

13May my accusers perish in shame; may those who want to harm me be covered with scorn and disgrace.

14But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.

15My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure.

16I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign Lord ; I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone.

17Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.

18Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.

19Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, you who have done great things. Who, O God, is like you?

20Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up.

21You will increase my honor and comfort me once again.

22I will praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praise to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.

23My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you- I, whom you have redeemed.

24My tongue will tell of your righteous acts all day long, for those who wanted to harm me have been put to shame and confusion.

PSALM 72

1Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness.

2He will judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice.

3The mountains will bring prosperity to the people, the hills the fruit of righteousness.

4He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; he will crush the oppressor.

5He will endure as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations.

6He will be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth.

7In his days the righteous will flourish; prosperity will abound till the moon is no more.

8He will rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.

9The desert tribes will bow before him and his enemies will lick the dust.

10The kings of Tarshish and of distant shores will bring tribute to him; the kings of Sheba and Seba will present him gifts.

11All kings will bow down to him and all nations will serve him.

12For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.

13He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death.

14He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.

15Long may he live! May gold from Sheba be given him. May people ever pray for him and bless him all day long.

16Let grain abound throughout the land; on the tops of the hills may it sway. Let its fruit flourish like Lebanon; let it thrive like the grass of the field.

17May his name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun. All nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed.

18Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds.

19Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen.

20This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.

PSALM 73

1p header A psalm of Asaph. /header Surely God is good to Israel, p to those who are pure in heart. pp>

2But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.

3For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

4They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong.

5They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills.

6Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence.

7From their callous hearts comes iniquity ; the evil conceits of their minds know no limits.

8They scoff, and speak with malice; in their arrogance they threaten oppression.

9Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth.

10Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance.

11They say, “How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?”

12This is what the wicked are like- always carefree, they increase in wealth.

13Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.

14All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning.

15If I had said, “I will speak thus,” I would have betrayed your children.

16When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me

17till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.

18Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin.

19How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors!

20As a dream when one awakes, so when you arise, O Lord, you will despise them as fantasies.

21When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered,

22I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you.

23Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.

24You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.

25Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

26My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

27Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.

28But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.

PSALM 74

1Why have you rejected us forever, O God? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?

2Remember the people you purchased of old, the tribe of your inheritance, whom you redeemed- Mount Zion, where you dwelt.

3Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins, all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary.

4Your foes roared in the place where you met with us; they set up their standards as signs.

5They behaved like men wielding axes to cut through a thicket of trees.

6They smashed all the carved paneling with their axes and hatchets.

7They burned your sanctuary to the ground; they defiled the dwelling place of your Name.

8They said in their hearts, “We will crush them completely!” They burned every place where God was worshiped in the land.

9We are given no miraculous signs; no prophets are left, and none of us knows how long this will be.

10How long will the enemy mock you, O God? Will the foe revile your name forever?

11Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand? Take it from the folds of your garment and destroy them!

12But you, O God, are my king from of old; you bring salvation upon the earth.

13It was you who split open the sea by your power; you broke the heads of the monster in the waters.

14It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan and gave him as food to the creatures of the desert.

15It was you who opened up springs and streams; you dried up the ever flowing rivers.

16The day is yours, and yours also the night; you established the sun and moon.

17It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter.

18Remember how the enemy has mocked you, O Lord , how foolish people have reviled your name.

19Do not hand over the life of your dove to wild beasts; do not forget the lives of your afflicted people forever.

20Have regard for your covenant, because haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land.

21Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace; may the poor and needy praise your name.

22Rise up, O God, and defend your cause; remember how fools mock you all day long.

23Do not ignore the clamor of your adversaries, the uproar of your enemies, which rises continually.

PSALM 75

1We give thanks to you, O God, we give thanks, for your Name is near; men tell of your wonderful deeds.

2You say, “I choose the appointed time; it is I who judge uprightly.

3When the earth and all its people quake, it is I who hold its pillars firm. Selah

4To the arrogant I say, ‘Boast no more,’ and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horns.

5Do not lift your horns against heaven; do not speak with outstretched neck.’ “

6No one from the east or the west or from the desert can exalt a man.

7But it is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another.

8In the hand of the Lord is a cup full of foaming wine mixed with spices; he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to its very dregs.

9As for me, I will declare this forever; I will sing praise to the God of Jacob.

10I will cut off the horns of all the wicked, but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.

PSALM 76

1In Judah God is known; his name is great in Israel.

2His tent is in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion.

3There he broke the flashing arrows, the shields and the swords, the weapons of war. Selah

4You are resplendent with light, more majestic than mountains rich with game.

5Valiant men lie plundered, they sleep their last sleep; not one of the warriors can lift his hands.

6At your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both horse and chariot lie still.

7You alone are to be feared. Who can stand before you when you are angry?

8From heaven you pronounced judgment, and the land feared and was quiet-

9when you, O God, rose up to judge, to save all the afflicted of the land. Selah

10Surely your wrath against men brings you praise, and the survivors of your wrath are restrained.

11Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfill them; let all the neighboring lands bring gifts to the One to be feared.

12He breaks the spirit of rulers; he is feared by the kings of the earth.

PSALM 77

1I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me.

2When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands and my soul refused to be comforted.

3I remembered you, O God, and I groaned; I mused, and my spirit grew faint. Selah

4You kept my eyes from closing; I was too troubled to speak.

5I thought about the former days, the years of long ago;

6I remembered my songs in the night. My heart mused and my spirit inquired:

7“Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again?

8Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time?

9Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?” Selah

10Then I thought, “To this I will appeal: the years of the right hand of the Most High.”

11I will remember the deeds of the Lord ; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.

12I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds.

13Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God?

14You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.

15With your mighty arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

16The waters saw you, O God, the waters saw you and writhed; the very depths were convulsed.

17The clouds poured down water, the skies resounded with thunder; your arrows flashed back and forth.

18Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind, your lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked.

19Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen.

20You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

PSALM 78

1O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth.

2I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hidden things, things from of old-

3what we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us.

4We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord , his power, and the wonders he has done.

5He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children,

6so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.

7Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.

8They would not be like their forefathers- a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to him.

9The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned back on the day of battle;

10they did not keep God’s covenant and refused to live by his law.

11They forgot what he had done, the wonders he had shown them.

12He did miracles in the sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.

13He divided the sea and led them through; he made the water stand firm like a wall.

14He guided them with the cloud by day and with light from the fire all night.

15He split the rocks in the desert and gave them water as abundant as the seas;

16he brought streams out of a rocky crag and made water flow down like rivers.

17But they continued to sin against him, rebelling in the desert against the Most High.

18They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food they craved.

19They spoke against God, saying, “Can God spread a table in the desert?

20When he struck the rock, water gushed out, and streams flowed abundantly. But can he also give us food? Can he supply meat for his people?”

21When the Lord heard them, he was very angry; his fire broke out against Jacob, and his wrath rose against Israel,

22for they did not believe in God or trust in his deliverance.

23Yet he gave a command to the skies above and opened the doors of the heavens;

24he rained down manna for the people to eat, he gave them the grain of heaven.

25Men ate the bread of angels; he sent them all the food they could eat.

26He let loose the east wind from the heavens and led forth the south wind by his power.

27He rained meat down on them like dust, flying birds like sand on the seashore.

28He made them come down inside their camp, all around their tents.

29They ate till they had more than enough, for he had given them what they craved.

30But before they turned from the food they craved, even while it was still in their mouths,

31God’s anger rose against them; he put to death the sturdiest among them, cutting down the young men of Israel.

32In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; in spite of his wonders, they did not believe.

33So he ended their days in futility and their years in terror.

34Whenever God slew them, they would seek him; they eagerly turned to him again.

35They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer.

36But then they would flatter him with their mouths, lying to him with their tongues;

37their hearts were not loyal to him, they were not faithful to his covenant.

38Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time

after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath.

39He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.

40How often they rebelled against him in the desert and grieved him in the wasteland!

41Again and again they put God to the test; they vexed the Holy One of Israel.

42They did not remember his power- the day he redeemed them from the oppressor,

43the day he displayed his miraculous signs in Egypt, his wonders in the region of Zoan.

44He turned their rivers to blood; they could not drink from their streams.

45He sent swarms of flies that devoured them, and frogs that devastated them.

46He gave their crops to the grasshopper, their produce to the locust.

47He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamore-figs with sleet.

48He gave over their cattle to the hail, their livestock to bolts of lightning.

49He unleashed against them his hot anger, his wrath, indignation and hostility- a band of destroying angels.

50He prepared a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death but gave them over to the plague.

51He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, the firstfruits of manhood in the tents of Ham.

52But he brought his people out like a flock; he led them like sheep through the desert.

53He guided them safely, so they were unafraid; but the sea engulfed their enemies.

54Thus he brought them to the border of his holy land, to the hill country his right hand had taken.

55He drove out nations before them and allotted their lands to them as an inheritance; he settled the tribes of Israel in their homes.

56But they put God to the test and rebelled against the Most High; they did not keep his statutes.

57Like their fathers they were disloyal and faithless, as unreliable as a faulty bow.

58They angered him with their high places; they aroused his jealousy with their idols.

59When God heard them, he was very angry; he rejected Israel completely.

60He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent he had set up among men.

61He sent the ark of his might into captivity, his splendor into the hands of the enemy.

62He gave his people over to the sword; he was very angry with his inheritance.

63Fire consumed their young men, and their maidens had no wedding songs;

64their priests were put to the sword, and their widows could not weep.

65Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, as a man wakes from the stupor of wine.

66He beat back his enemies; he put them to everlasting shame.

67Then he rejected the tents of Joseph, he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim;

68but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loved.

69He built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth that he established forever.

70He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens;

71from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance.

72And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.

PSALM 79

1O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple, they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble.

2They have given the dead bodies of your servants as food to the birds of the air, the flesh of your saints to the beasts of the earth.

3They have poured out blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there is no one to bury the dead.

4We are objects of reproach to our neighbors, of scorn and derision to those around us.

5How long, O Lord ? Will you be angry forever? How long will your jealousy burn like fire?

6Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you, on the kingdoms that do not call on your name;

7for they have devoured Jacob and destroyed his homeland.

8Do not hold against us the sins of the fathers; may your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need.

9Help us, O God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake.

10Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Before our eyes, make known among the nations that you avenge the outpoured blood of your servants.

11May the groans of the prisoners come before you; by the strength of your arm preserve those condemned to die.

12Pay back into the laps of our neighbors seven times the reproach they have hurled at you, O Lord.

13Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will praise you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise.

PSALM 80

1Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock; you who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth

2before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh. Awaken your might; come and save us.

3Restore us, O God; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.

4O Lord God Almighty, how long will your anger smolder against the prayers of your people?

5You have fed them with the bread of tears; you have made them drink tears by the bowlful.

6You have made us a source of contention to our neighbors, and our enemies mock us.

7Restore us, O God Almighty; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.

8You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it.

9You cleared the ground for it, and it took root and filled the land.

10The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches.

11It sent out its boughs to the Sea, its shoots as far as the River.

12Why have you broken down its walls so that all who pass by pick its grapes?

13Boars from the forest ravage it and the creatures of the field feed on it.

14Return to us, O God Almighty! Look down from heaven and see! Watch over this vine,

15the root your right hand has planted, the son you have raised up for yourself.

16Your vine is cut down, it is burned with fire; at your rebuke your people perish.

17Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand, the son of man you have raised up for yourself.

18Then we will not turn away from you; revive us, and we will call on your name.

19Restore us, O Lord God Almighty; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.

PSALM 81

1Sing for joy to God our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob!

2Begin the music, strike the tambourine, play the melodious harp and lyre.

3Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon, and when the moon is full, on the day of our Feast;

4this is a decree for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob.

5He established it as a statute for Joseph when he went out against Egypt, where we heard a language we did not understand.

6He says, “I removed the burden from their shoulders; their hands were set free from the basket.

7In your distress you called and I rescued you, I answered you out of a thundercloud; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah

8“Hear, O my people, and I will warn you- if you would but listen to me, O Israel!

9You shall have no foreign god among you; you shall not bow down to an alien god.

10I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.

11“But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me.

12So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.

13“If my people would but listen to me, if Israel would follow my ways,

14how quickly would I subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes!

15Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him, and their punishment would last forever.

16But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

PSALM 82

1God presides in the great assembly; he gives judgment among the “gods”:

2“How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked? Selah

3Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.

4Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

5“They know nothing, they understand nothing. They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

6“I said, ‘You are “gods”; you are all sons of the Most High.’

7But you will die like mere men; you will fall like every other ruler.”

8Rise up, O God, judge the earth, for all the nations are your inheritance.

PSALM 83

1O God, do not keep silent; be not quiet, O God, be not still.

2See how your enemies are astir, how your foes rear their heads.

3With cunning they conspire against your people; they plot against those you cherish.

4“Come,” they say, “let us destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more.”

5With one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against you-

6the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagrites,

7Gebal, Ammon and Amalek, Philistia, with the people of Tyre.

8Even Assyria has joined them to lend strength to the descendants of Lot. Selah

9Do to them as you did to Midian, as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon,

10who perished at Endor and became like refuse on the ground.

11Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,

12who said, “Let us take possession of the pasturelands of God.”

13Make them like tumbleweed, O my God, like chaff before the wind.

14As fire consumes the forest or a flame sets the mountains ablaze,

15so pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your storm.

16Cover their faces with shame so that men will seek your name, O Lord .

17May they ever be ashamed and dismayed; may they perish in disgrace.

18Let them know that you, whose name is the Lord – that you alone are the Most High over all the earth.

PSALM 84

1How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty!

2My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord ; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

3Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young- a place near your altar, O Lord Almighty, my King and my God.

4Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Selah

5Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.

6As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools.

7They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.

8Hear my prayer, O Lord God Almighty; listen to me, O God of Jacob. Selah

9Look upon our shield, O God; look with favor on your anointed one.

10Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

11For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.

12O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.

PSALM 85

1You showed favor to your land, O Lord ; you restored the fortunes of Jacob.

2You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins. Selah

3You set aside all your wrath and turned from your fierce anger.

4Restore us again, O God our Savior, and put away your displeasure toward us.

5Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger through all generations?

6Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?

7Show us your unfailing love, O Lord , and grant us your salvation.

8I will listen to what God the Lord will say; he promises peace to his people, his saints- but let them not return to folly.

9Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land.

10Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.

11Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven.

12The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest.

13Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps.

PSALM 86

1Hear, O Lord , and answer me, for I am poor and needy.

2Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you.

3Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long.

4Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

5You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you.

6Hear my prayer, O Lord ; listen to my cry for mercy.

7In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me.

8Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours.

9All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name.

10For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.

11Teach me your way, O Lord , and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.

12I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.

13For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave.

14The arrogant are attacking me, O God; a band of ruthless men seeks my life- men without regard for you.

15But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.

16Turn to me and have mercy on me; grant your strength to your servant and save the son of your maidservant.

17Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, O Lord , have helped me and comforted me.

PSALM 87

1He has set his foundation on the holy mountain;

2the Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

3Glorious things are said of you, O city of God: Selah

4“I will record Rahab and Babylon among those who acknowledge me- Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush – and will say, ‘This one was born in Zion.’ “

5Indeed, of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her, and the Most High himself will establish her.”

6The Lord will write in the register of the peoples: “This one was born in Zion.” Selah

7As they make music they will sing, “All my fountains are in you.”

PSALM 88

1O Lord , the God who saves me, day and night I cry out before you.

2May my prayer come before you; turn your ear to my cry.

3For my soul is full of trouble and my life draws near the grave.

4I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am like a man without strength.

5I am set apart with the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom you remember no more, who are cut off from your care.

6You have put me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths.

7Your wrath lies heavily upon me; you have overwhelmed me with all your waves. Selah

8You have taken from me my closest friends and have made me repulsive to them. I am confined and cannot escape;

9my eyes are dim with grief. I call to you, O Lord , every day; I spread out my hands to you.

10Do you show your wonders to the dead? Do those who are dead rise up and praise you? Selah

11Is your love declared in the grave, your faithfulness in Destruction ?

12Are your wonders known in the place of darkness, or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?

13But I cry to you for help, O Lord ; in the morning my prayer comes before you.

14Why, O Lord , do you reject me and hide your face from me?

15From my youth I have been afflicted and close to death; I have suffered your terrors and am in despair.

16Your wrath has swept over me; your terrors have destroyed me.

17All day long they surround me like a flood; they have completely engulfed me.

18You have taken my companions and loved ones from me; the darkness is my closest friend.

PSALM 89

1I will sing of the Lord ‘s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.

2I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you established your faithfulness in heaven itself.

3You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant,

4‘I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations.’ ” Selah

5The heavens praise your wonders, O Lord , your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.

6For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord ? Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings?

7In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared; he is more awesome than all who surround him.

8O Lord God Almighty, who is like you? You are mighty, O Lord , and your faithfulness surrounds you.

9You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, you still them.

10You crushed Rahab like one of the slain; with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.

11The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it.

12You created the north and the south; Tabor and Hermon sing for joy at your name.

13Your arm is endued with power; your hand is strong, your right hand exalted.

14Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.

15Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O Lord .

16They rejoice in your name all day long; they exult in your righteousness.

17For you are their glory and strength, and by your favor you exalt our horn.

18Indeed, our shield belongs to the Lord , our king to the Holy One of Israel.

19Once you spoke in a vision, to your faithful people you said: “I have bestowed strength on a warrior; I have exalted a young man from among the people.

20I have found David my servant; with my sacred oil I have anointed him.

21My hand will sustain him; surely my arm will strengthen him.

22No enemy will subject him to tribute; no wicked man will oppress him.

23I will crush his foes before him and strike down his adversaries.

24My faithful love will be with him, and through my name his horn will be exalted.

25I will set his hand over the sea, his right hand over the rivers.

26He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, the Rock my Savior.’

27I will also appoint him my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth.

28I will maintain my love to him forever, and my covenant with him will never fail.

29I will establish his line forever, his throne as long as the heavens endure.

30“If his sons forsake my law and do not follow my statutes,

31if they violate my decrees and fail to keep my commands,

32I will punish their sin with the rod, their iniquity with flogging;

33but I will not take my love from him, nor will I ever betray my faithfulness.

34I will not violate my covenant or alter what my lips have uttered.

35Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness- and I will not lie to David-

36that his line will continue forever and his throne endure before me like the sun;

37it will be established forever like the moon, the faithful witness in the sky.” Selah

38But you have rejected, you have spurned, you have been very angry with your anointed one.

39You have renounced the covenant with your servant and have defiled his crown in the dust.

40You have broken through all his walls and reduced his strongholds to ruins.

41All who pass by have plundered him; he has become the scorn of his neighbors.

42You have exalted the right hand of his foes; you have made all his enemies rejoice.

43You have turned back the edge of his sword and have not supported him in battle.

44You have put an end to his splendor and cast his throne to the ground.

45You have cut short the days of his youth; you have covered him with a mantle of shame. Selah

46How long, O Lord ? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire?

47Remember how fleeting is my life. For what futility you have created all men!

48What man can live and not see death, or save himself from the power of the grave ? Selah

49O Lord, where is your former great love, which in your faithfulness you swore to David?

50Remember, Lord, how your servant has been mocked, how I bear in my heart the taunts of all the nations,

51the taunts with which your enemies have mocked, O Lord , with which they have mocked every step of your anointed one.

52Praise be to the Lord forever! Amen and Amen. BOOK IV Psalms 90-106

PSALM 90

1Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.

2Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

3You turn men back to dust, saying, “Return to dust, O sons of men.”

4For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.

5You sweep men away in the sleep of death; they are like the new grass of the morning-

6though in the morning it springs up new, by evening it is dry and withered.

7We are consumed by your anger and terrified by your indignation.

8You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.

9All our days pass away under your wrath; we finish our years with a moan.

10The length of our days is seventy years- or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.

11Who knows the power of your anger? For your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you.

12Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

13Relent, O Lord ! How long will it be? Have compassion on your servants.

14Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

15Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen trouble.

16May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their children.

17May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us- yes, establish the work of our hands.

PSALM 91

1He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

2I will say of the Lord , “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

3Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.

4He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

5You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,

6nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.

7A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.

8You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.

9If you make the Most High your dwelling- even the Lord , who is my refuge-

10then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.

11For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;

12they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

13You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

14“Because he loves me,” says the Lord , “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

15He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.

16With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

PSALM 92

1It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High,

2to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night,

3to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp.

4For you make me glad by your deeds, O Lord ; I sing for joy at the works of your hands.

5How great are your works, O Lord , how profound your thoughts!

6The senseless man does not know, fools do not understand,

7that though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be forever destroyed.

8But you, O Lord , are exalted forever.

9For surely your enemies, O Lord , surely your enemies will perish; all evildoers will be scattered.

10You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox; fine oils have been poured upon me.

11My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries; my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes.

12The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;

13planted in the house of the Lord , they will flourish in the courts of our God.

14They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green,

15proclaiming, “The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”

PSALM 93

1The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed in majesty and is armed with strength. The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.

2Your throne was established long ago; you are from all eternity.

3The seas have lifted up, O Lord , the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.

4Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea- the Lord on high is mighty.

5Your statutes stand firm; holiness adorns your house for endless days, O Lord .

PSALM 94

1O Lord , the God who avenges, O God who avenges, shine forth.

2Rise up, O Judge of the earth; pay back to the proud what they deserve.

3How long will the wicked, O Lord , how long will the wicked be jubilant?

4They pour out arrogant words; all the evildoers are full of boasting.

5They crush your people, O Lord ; they oppress your inheritance.

6They slay the widow and the alien; they murder the fatherless.

7They say, “The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob pays no heed.”

8Take heed, you senseless ones among the people; you fools, when will you become wise?

9Does he who implanted the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see?

10Does he who disciplines nations not punish? Does he who teaches man lack knowledge?

11The Lord knows the thoughts of man; he knows that they are futile.

12Blessed is the man you discipline, O Lord , the man you teach from your law;

13you grant him relief from days of trouble, till a pit is dug for the wicked.

14For the Lord will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance.

15Judgment will again be founded on righteousness, and all the upright in heart will follow it.

16Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?

17Unless the Lord had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.

18When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your love, O Lord , supported me.

19When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.

20Can a corrupt throne be allied with you- one that brings on misery by its decrees?

21They band together against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death.

22But the Lord has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.

23He will repay them for their sins and destroy them for their wickedness; the Lord our God will destroy them.

PSALM 95

1Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord ; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

2Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.

3For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods.

4In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.

5The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.

6Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;

7for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if you hear his voice,

8do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the desert,

9where your fathers tested and tried me, though they had seen what I did.

10For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.”

11So I declared on oath in my anger, “They shall never enter my rest.”

PSALM 96

1Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord , all the earth.

2Sing to the Lord , praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.

3Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

4For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.

5For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.

6Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary.

7Ascribe to the Lord , O families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

8Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts.

9Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth.

10Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.” The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.

11Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it;

12let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy;

13they will sing before the Lord , for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his truth.

PSALM 97

1The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice.

2Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

3Fire goes before him and consumes his foes on every side.

4His lightning lights up the world; the earth sees and trembles.

5The mountains melt like wax before the Lord , before the Lord of all the earth.

6The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory.

7All who worship images are put to shame, those who boast in idols- worship him, all you gods!

8Zion hears and rejoices and the villages of Judah are glad because of your judgments, O Lord .

9For you, O Lord , are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.

10Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

11Light is shed upon the righteous and joy on the upright in heart.

12Rejoice in the Lord , you who are righteous, and praise his holy name.

PSALM 98

1Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.

2The Lord has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations.

3He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

4Shout for joy to the Lord , all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music;

5make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing,

6with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn- shout for joy before the Lord , the King.

7Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.

8Let the rivers clap their hands,

9Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the Lord our God is holy.

9let them sing before the Lord , for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.

PSALM 99

1The Lord reigns, let the nations tremble; he sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake.

2Great is the Lord in Zion; he is exalted over all the nations.

3Let them praise your great and awesome name- he is holy.

4The King is mighty, he loves justice- you have established equity; in Jacob you have done what is just and right.

5Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy.

6Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel was among those who called on his name; they called on the Lord and he answered them.

7He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud; they kept his statutes and the decrees he gave them.

8O Lord our God, you answered them; you were to Israel a forgiving God, though you punished their misdeeds.

PSALM 100

1Shout for joy to the Lord , all the earth.

2Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

3Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his ; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

5For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

PSALM 101

1I will sing of your love and justice; to you, O Lord , I will sing praise.

2I will be careful to lead a blameless life- when will you come to me? I will walk in my house with blameless heart.

3I will set before my eyes no vile thing. The deeds of faithless men I hate; they will not cling to me.

4Men of perverse heart shall be far from me; I will have nothing to do with evil.

5Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, him will I put to silence; whoever

has haughty eyes and a proud heart, him will I not endure.

6My eyes will be on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he whose walk is blameless will minister to me.

7No one who practices deceit will dwell in my house; no one who speaks falsely will stand in my presence.

8Every morning I will put to silence all the wicked in the land; I will cut off every evildoer from the city of the Lord .

PSALM 102

1Hear my prayer, O Lord ; let my cry for help come to you.

2Do not hide your face from me when I am in distress. Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly.

3For my days vanish like smoke; my bones burn like glowing embers.

4My heart is blighted and withered like grass; I forget to eat my food.

5Because of my loud groaning I am reduced to skin and bones.

6I am like a desert owl, like an owl among the ruins.

7I lie awake; I have become like a bird alone on a roof.

8All day long my enemies taunt me; those who rail against me use my name as a curse.

9For I eat ashes as my food and mingle my drink with tears

10because of your great wrath, for you have taken me up and thrown me aside.

11My days are like the evening shadow; I wither away like grass.

12But you, O Lord , sit enthroned forever; your renown endures through all generations.

13You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favor to her; the appointed time has come.

14For her stones are dear to your servants; her very dust moves them to pity.

15The nations will fear the name of the Lord , all the kings of the earth will revere your glory.

16For the Lord will rebuild Zion and appear in his glory.

17He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea.

18Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord :

19“The Lord looked down from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he viewed the earth,

20to hear the groans of the prisoners and release those condemned to death.”

21So the name of the Lord will be declared in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem

22when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the Lord .

23In the course of my life he broke my strength; he cut short my days.

24So I said: “Do not take me away, O my God, in the midst of my days; your years go on through all generations.

25In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.

26They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded.

27But you remain the same, and your years will never end.

28The children of your servants will live in your presence; their descendants will be established before you.”

PSALM 103

1Praise the Lord , O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

2Praise the Lord , O my soul, and forget not all his benefits-

3who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,

4who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,

5who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

6The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.

7He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel:

8The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.

9He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;

10he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.

11For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;

12as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

13As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;

14for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.

15As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field;

16the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.

17But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord ‘s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children-

18with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

19The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.

20Praise the Lord , you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word.

21Praise the Lord , all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.

22Praise the Lord , all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the Lord , O my soul.

PSALM 104

1Praise the Lord , O my soul. O Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

2He wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent

3and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind.

4He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants.

5He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved.

6You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains.

7But at your rebuke the waters fled, at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;

8they flowed over the mountains, they went down into the valleys, to the place you assigned for them.

9You set a boundary they cannot cross; never again will they cover the earth.

10He makes springs pour water into the ravines; it flows between the mountains.

11They give water to all the beasts of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst.

12The birds of the air nest by the waters; they sing among the branches.

13He waters the mountains from his upper chambers; the earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work.

14He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate- bringing forth food from the earth:

15wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart.

16The trees of the Lord are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.

17There the birds make their nests; the stork has its home in the pine trees.

18The high mountains belong to the wild goats; the crags are a refuge for the coneys.

19The moon marks off the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down.

20You bring darkness, it becomes night, and all the beasts of the forest prowl.

21The lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God.

22The sun rises, and they steal away; they return and lie down in their dens.

23Then man goes out to his work, to his labor until evening.

24How many are your works, O Lord ! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.

25There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number- living things both large and small.

26There the ships go to and fro, and the leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

27These all look to you to give them their food at the proper time.

28When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things.

29When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.

30When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.

31May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works-

32he who looks at the earth, and it trembles, who touches the mountains, and they smoke.

33I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

34May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the Lord .

35But may sinners vanish from the earth and the wicked be no more. Praise the Lord , O my soul. Praise the Lord .

PSALM 105

1Give thanks to the Lord , call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.

2Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.

3Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

4Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.

5Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,

6O descendants of Abraham his servant, O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones.

7He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth.

8He remembers his covenant forever, the word he commanded, for a thousand generations,

9the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac.

10He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant:

11“To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit.”

12When they were but few in number, few indeed, and strangers in it,

13they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another.

14He allowed no one to oppress them; for their sake he rebuked kings:

15“Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm.”

16He called down famine on the land and destroyed all their supplies of food;

17and he sent a man before them- Joseph, sold as a slave.

18They bruised his feet with shackles, his neck was put in irons,

19till what he foretold came to pass, till the word of the Lord proved him true.

20The king sent and released him, the ruler of peoples set him free.

21He made him master of his household, ruler over all he possessed,

22to instruct his princes as he pleased and teach his elders wisdom.

23Then Israel entered Egypt; Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham.

24The Lord made his people very fruitful; he made them too numerous for their foes,

25whose hearts he turned to hate his people, to conspire against his servants.

26He sent Moses his servant, and Aaron, whom he had chosen.

27They performed his miraculous signs among them, his wonders in the land of Ham.

28He sent darkness and made the land dark- for had they not rebelled against his words?

29He turned their waters into blood, causing their fish to die.

30Their land teemed with frogs, which went up into the bedrooms of their rulers.

31He spoke, and there came swarms of flies, and gnats throughout their country.

32He turned their rain into hail, with lightning throughout their land;

33he struck down their vines and fig trees and shattered the trees of their country.

34He spoke, and the locusts came, grasshoppers without number;

35they ate up every green thing in their land, ate up the produce of their soil.

36Then he struck down all the firstborn in their land, the firstfruits of all their manhood.

37He brought out Israel, laden with silver and gold, and from among their tribes no one faltered.

38Egypt was glad when they left, because dread of Israel had fallen on them.

39He spread out a cloud as a covering, and a fire to give light at night.

40They asked, and he brought them quail and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.

41He opened the rock, and water gushed out; like a river it flowed in the desert.

42For he remembered his holy promise given to his servant Abraham.

43He brought out his people with rejoicing, his chosen ones with shouts of joy;

44he gave them the lands of the nations, and they fell heir to what others had toiled for-

45that they might keep his precepts and observe his laws. Praise the Lord .

PSALM 106

1Praise the Lord . Give thanks to the Lord , for he is good; his love endures forever.

2Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord or fully declare his praise?

3Blessed are they who maintain justice, who constantly do what is right.

4Remember me, O Lord , when you show favor to your people, come to my aid when you save them,

5that I may enjoy the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may share in the joy of your nation and join your inheritance in giving praise.

6We have sinned, even as our fathers did; we have done wrong and acted wickedly.

7When our fathers were in Egypt, they gave no thought to your miracles; they did not remember your many

kindnesses, and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea.

8Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, to make his mighty power known.

9He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up; he led them through the depths as through a desert.

10He saved them from the hand of the foe; from the hand of the enemy he redeemed them.

11The waters covered their adversaries; not one of them survived.

12Then they believed his promises and sang his praise.

13But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his counsel.

14In the desert they gave in to their craving; in the wasteland they put God to the test.

15So he gave them what they asked for, but sent a wasting disease upon them.

16In the camp they grew envious of Moses and of Aaron, who was consecrated to the Lord .

17The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan; it buried the company of Abiram.

18Fire blazed among their followers; a flame consumed the wicked.

19At Horeb they made a calf and worshiped an idol cast from metal.

20They exchanged their Glory for an image of a bull, which eats grass.

21They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt,

22miracles in the land of Ham and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.

23So he said he would destroy them- had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him to keep his wrath from destroying them.

24Then they despised the pleasant land; they did not believe his promise.

25They grumbled in their tents and did not obey the Lord .

26So he swore to them with uplifted hand that he would make them fall in the desert,

27make their descendants fall among the nations and scatter them throughout the lands.

28They yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods;

29they provoked the Lord to anger by their wicked deeds, and a plague broke out among them.

30But Phinehas stood up and intervened, and the plague was checked.

31This was credited to him as righteousness for endless generations to come.

32By the waters of Meribah they angered the Lord , and trouble came to Moses because of them;

33for they rebelled against the Spirit of God, and rash words came from Moses’ lips.

34They did not destroy the peoples as the Lord had commanded them,

35but they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs.

36They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them.

37They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons.

38They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was desecrated by their blood.

39They defiled themselves by what they did; by their deeds they prostituted themselves.

40Therefore the Lord was angry with his people and abhorred his inheritance.

41He handed them over to the nations, and their foes ruled over them.

42Their enemies oppressed them and subjected them to their power.

43Many times he delivered them, but they were bent on rebellion and they wasted away in their sin.

44But he took note of their distress when he heard their cry;

45for their sake he remembered his covenant and out of his great love he relented.

46He caused them to be pitied by all who held them captive.

47Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.

48Praise be to the Lord , the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Let all the people say, “Amen!” Praise the Lord .

PSALM 107

1Give thanks to the Lord , for he is good; his love endures forever.

2Let the redeemed of the Lord say this- those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,

3those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south.

4Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle.

5They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away.

6Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.

7He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle.

8Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men,

9for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.

10Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom, prisoners suffering in iron chains,

11for they had rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High.

12So he subjected them to bitter labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help.

13Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.

14He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains.

15Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men,

16for he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron.

17Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.

18They loathed all food and drew near the gates of death.

19Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.

20He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.

21Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.

22Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy.

23Others went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters.

24They saw the works of the Lord , his wonderful deeds in the deep.

25For he spoke and stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves.

26They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths; in their peril their courage melted away.

27They reeled and staggered like drunken men; they were at their wits’ end.

28Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.

29He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.

30They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.

31Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.

32Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the council of the elders.

33He turned rivers into a desert, flowing springs into thirsty ground,

34and fruitful land into a salt waste, because of the wickedness of those who lived there.

35He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs;

36there he brought the hungry to live, and they founded a city where they could settle.

37They sowed fields and planted vineyards that yielded a fruitful harvest;

38he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased, and he did not let their herds diminish.

39Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled by oppression, calamity and sorrow;

40he who pours contempt on nobles made them wander in a trackless waste.

41But he lifted the needy out of their affliction and increased their families like flocks.

42The upright see and rejoice, but all the wicked shut their mouths.

43Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the Lord .

PSALM 108

1My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul.

2Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.

3I will praise you, O Lord , among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples.

4For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

5Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth.

6Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered.

7God has spoken from his sanctuary: “In triumph I will parcel out Shechem and measure off the Valley of Succoth.

8Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my scepter.

9Moab is my washbasin, upon Edom I toss my sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph.”

10Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom?

11Is it not you, O God, you who have rejected us and no longer go out with our armies?

12Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless.

13With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.

PSALM 109

1O God, whom I praise, do not remain silent,

2for wicked and deceitful men have opened their mouths against me; they have spoken against me with lying tongues.

3With words of hatred they surround me; they attack me without cause.

4In return for my friendship they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer.

5They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my friendship.

6Appoint an evil man to oppose him; let an accuser stand at his right hand.

7When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayers condemn him.

8May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership.

9May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.

10May his children be wandering beggars; may they be driven from their ruined homes.

11May a creditor seize all he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.

12May no one extend kindness to him or take pity on his fatherless children.

13May his descendants be cut off, their names blotted out from the next generation.

14May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord ; may the sin of his mother never be blotted out.

15May their sins always remain before the Lord , that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.

16For he never thought of doing a kindness, but hounded to death the poor and the needy and the brokenhearted.

17He loved to pronounce a curse- may it come on him; he found no pleasure in blessing- may it be far from him.

18He wore cursing as his garment; it entered into his body like water, into his bones like oil.

19May it be like a cloak wrapped about him, like a belt tied forever around him.

20May this be the Lord ‘s payment to my accusers, to those who speak evil of me.

21But you, O Sovereign Lord , deal well with me for your name’s sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me.

22For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.

23I fade away like an evening shadow; I am shaken off like a locust.

24My knees give way from fasting; my body is thin and gaunt.

25I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads.

26Help me, O Lord my God; save me in accordance with your love.

27Let them know that it is your hand, that you, O Lord , have done it.

28They may curse, but you will bless; when they attack they will be put to shame, but your servant will rejoice.

29My accusers will be clothed with disgrace and wrapped in shame as in a cloak.

30With my mouth I will greatly extol the Lord ; in the great throng I will praise him.

31For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save his life from those who condemn him.

PSALM 110

1The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”

2The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion; you will rule in the midst of your enemies.

3Your troops will be willing on your day of battle. Arrayed in holy majesty, from the womb of the dawn you will receive the dew of your youth.

4The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

5The Lord is at your right hand; he will crush kings on the day of his wrath.

6He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the whole earth.

7He will drink from a brook beside the way ; therefore he will lift up his head.

PSALM 111

1Praise the Lord . I will extol the Lord with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly.

2Great are the works of the Lord ; they are pondered by all who delight in them.

3Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever.

4He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate.

5He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever.

6He has shown his people the power of his works, giving them the lands of other nations.

7The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy.

8They are steadfast for ever and ever, done in faithfulness and uprightness.

9He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever- holy and awesome is his name.

10The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.

PSALM 112

1Praise the Lord . Blessed is the man who fears the Lord , who finds great delight in his commands.

2His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.

3Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.

4Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.

5Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.

6Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever.

7He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord .

8His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.

9He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor.

10The wicked man will see and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

PSALM 113

1Praise the Lord . Praise, O servants of the Lord , praise the name of the Lord .

2Let the name of the Lord be praised, both now and forevermore.

3From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised.

4The Lord is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens.

5Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high,

6who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?

7He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap;

8he seats them with princes, with the princes of their people.

9He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the Lord .

PSALM 114

1When Israel came out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of foreign tongue,

2Judah became God’s sanctuary, Israel his dominion.

3The sea looked and fled, the Jordan turned back;

4the mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs.

5Why was it, O sea, that you fled, O Jordan, that you turned back,

6you mountains, that you skipped like rams, you hills, like lambs?

7Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob,

8who turned the rock into a pool, the hard rock into springs of water.

PSALM 115

1Not to us, O Lord , not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.

2Why do the nations say, “Where is their God?”

3Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.

4But their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men.

5They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see;

6they have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but they cannot smell;

7they have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but they cannot walk; nor can they utter a sound with their throats.

8Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.

9O house of Israel, trust in the Lord – he is their help and shield.

10O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord – he is their help and shield.

11You who fear him, trust in the Lord – he is their help and shield.

12The Lord remembers us and will bless us: He will bless the house of Israel, he will bless the house of Aaron,

13he will bless those who fear the Lord – small and great alike.

14May the Lord make you increase, both you and your children.

15May you be blessed by the Lord , the Maker of heaven and earth.

16The highest heavens belong to the Lord , but the earth he has given to man.

17It is not the dead who praise the Lord , those who go down to silence;

18it is we who extol the Lord , both now and forevermore. Praise the Lord .

PSALM 116

1I love the Lord , for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.

2Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.

3The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow.

4Then I called on the name of the Lord : “O Lord , save me!”

5The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.

6The Lord protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, he saved me.

7Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.

8For you, O Lord , have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling,

9that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

10I believed; therefore I said, “I am greatly afflicted.”

11And in my dismay I said, “All men are liars.”

12How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me?

13I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord .

14I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.

15Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.

16O Lord , truly I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant ; you have freed me from my chains.

17I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the Lord .

18I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people,

19in the courts of the house of the Lord – in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord .

PSALM 117

1Praise the Lord , all you nations; extol him, all you peoples.

2For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord .

PSALM 118

1Give thanks to the Lord , for he is good; his love endures forever.

2Let Israel say: “His love endures forever.”

3Let the house of Aaron say: “His love endures forever.”

4Let those who fear the Lord say: “His love endures forever.”

5In my anguish I cried to the Lord , and he answered by setting me free.

6The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

7The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies.

8It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.

9It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.

10All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I cut them off.

11They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the Lord I cut them off.

12They swarmed around me like bees, but they died out as quickly as burning

thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them off.

13I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me.

14The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.

15Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: “The Lord ‘s right hand has done mighty things!

16The Lord ‘s right hand is lifted high; the Lord ‘s right hand has done mighty things!”

17I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done.

18The Lord has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death.

19Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord .

20This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter.

21I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation.

22The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone;

23the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.

24This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

25O Lord , save us; O Lord , grant us success.

26Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord . From the house of the Lord we bless you.

27The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine upon us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar.

28You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you.

29Give thanks to the Lord , for he is good; his love endures forever.

PSALM 119

1Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord .

2Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.

3They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways.

4You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed.

5Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees!

6Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands.

7I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws.

8I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me.

9How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.

10I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.

11I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

12Praise be to you, O Lord ; teach me your decrees.

13With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth.

14I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.

15I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.

16I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.

17Do good to your servant, and I will live; I will obey your word.

18Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.

19I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me.

20My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times.

21You rebuke the arrogant, who are cursed and who stray from your commands.

22Remove from me scorn and contempt, for I keep your statutes.

23Though rulers sit together and slander me, your servant will meditate on your decrees.

24Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors.

25I am laid low in the dust; preserve my life according to your word.

26I recounted my ways and you answered me; teach me your decrees.

27Let me understand the teaching of your precepts; then I will meditate on your wonders.

28My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.

29Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me through your law.

30I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws.

31I hold fast to your statutes, O Lord ; do not let me be put to shame.

32I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.

33Teach me, O Lord , to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end.

34Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart.

35Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.

36Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.

37Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.

38Fulfill your promise to your servant, so that you may be feared.

39Take away the disgrace I dread, for your laws are good.

40How I long for your precepts! Preserve my life in your righteousness.

41May your unfailing love come to me, O Lord , your salvation according to your promise;

42then I will answer the one who taunts me, for I trust in your word.

43Do not snatch the word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in your laws.

44I will always obey your law, for ever and ever.

45I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.

46I will speak of your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame,

47for I delight in your commands because I love them.

48I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees.

49Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope.

50My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.

51The arrogant mock me without restraint, but I do not turn from your law.

52I remember your ancient laws, O Lord , and I find comfort in them.

53Indignation grips me because of the wicked, who have forsaken your law.

54Your decrees are the theme of my song wherever I lodge.

55In the night I remember your name, O Lord , and I will keep your law.

56This has been my practice: I obey your precepts.

57You are my portion, O Lord ; I have promised to obey your words.

58I have sought your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise.

59I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to your statutes.

60I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands.

61Though the wicked bind me with ropes, I will not forget your law.

62At midnight I rise to give you thanks for your righteous laws.

63I am a friend to all who fear you, to all who follow your precepts.

64The earth is filled with your love, O Lord ; teach me your decrees.

65Do good to your servant according to your word, O Lord .

66Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I believe in your commands.

67Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word.

68You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees.

69Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies, I keep your precepts with all my heart.

70Their hearts are callous and unfeeling, but I delight in your law.

71It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.

72The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.

73Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding to learn your commands.

74May those who fear you rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in your word.

75I know, O Lord , that your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness you have afflicted me.

76May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant.

77Let your compassion come to me that I may live, for your law is my delight.

78May the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause; but I will meditate on your precepts.

79May those who fear you turn to me, those who understand your statutes.

80May my heart be blameless toward your decrees, that I may not be put to shame.

81My soul faints with longing for your salvation, but I have put my hope in your word.

82My eyes fail, looking for your promise; I say, “When will you comfort me?”

83Though I am like a wineskin in the smoke, I do not forget your decrees.

84How long must your servant wait? When will you punish my persecutors?

85The arrogant dig pitfalls for me, contrary to your law.

86All your commands are trustworthy; help me, for men persecute me without cause.

87They almost wiped me from the earth, but I have not forsaken your precepts.

88Preserve my life according to your love, and I will obey the statutes of your mouth.

89Your word, O Lord , is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.

90Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures.

91Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve you.

92If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.

93I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.

94Save me, for I am yours; I have sought out your precepts.

95The wicked are waiting to destroy me, but I will ponder your statutes.

96To all perfection I see a limit; but your commands are boundless.

97Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.

98Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me.

99I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.

100I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.

101I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word.

102I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me.

103How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

104I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.

105Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

106I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws.

107I have suffered much; preserve my life, O Lord , according to your word.

108Accept, O Lord , the willing praise of my mouth, and teach me your laws.

109Though I constantly take my life in my hands, I will not forget your law.

110The wicked have set a snare for me, but I have not strayed from your precepts.

111Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart.

112My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end.

113I hate double-minded men, but I love your law.

114You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.

115Away from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commands of my God!

116Sustain me according to your promise, and I will live; do not let my hopes be dashed.

117Uphold me, and I will be delivered; I will always have regard for your decrees.

118You reject all who stray from your decrees, for their deceitfulness is in vain.

119All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross; therefore I love your statutes.

120My flesh trembles in fear of you; I stand in awe of your laws.

121I have done what is righteous and just; do not leave me to my oppressors.

122Ensure your servant’s well-being; let not the arrogant oppress me.

123My eyes fail, looking for your salvation, looking for your righteous promise.

124Deal with your servant according to your love and teach me your decrees.

125I am your servant; give me discernment that I may understand your statutes.

126It is time for you to act, O Lord ; your law is being broken.

127Because I love your commands more than gold, more than pure gold,

128and because I consider all your precepts right, I hate every wrong path.

129Your statutes are wonderful; therefore I obey them.

130The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.

131I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands.

132Turn to me and have mercy on me, as you always do to those who love your name.

133Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.

134Redeem me from the oppression of men, that I may obey your precepts.

135Make your face shine upon your servant and teach me your decrees.

136Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for your law is not obeyed.

137Righteous are you, O Lord , and your laws are right.

138The statutes you have laid down are righteous; they are fully trustworthy.

139My zeal wears me out, for my enemies ignore your words.

140Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them.

141Though I am lowly and despised, I do not forget your precepts.

142Your righteousness is everlasting and your law is true.

143Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands are my delight.

144Your statutes are forever right; give me understanding that I may live.

145I call with all my heart; answer me, O Lord , and I will obey your decrees.

146I call out to you; save me and I will keep your statutes.

147I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word.

148My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises.

149Hear my voice in accordance with your love; preserve my life, O Lord , according to your laws.

150Those who devise wicked schemes are near, but they are far from your law.

151Yet you are near, O Lord , and all your commands are true.

152Long ago I learned from your statutes that you established them to last forever.

153Look upon my suffering and deliver me, for I have not forgotten your law.

154Defend my cause and redeem me; preserve my life according to your promise.

155Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek out your decrees.

156Your compassion is great, O Lord ; preserve my life according to your laws.

157Many are the foes who persecute me, but I have not turned from your statutes.

158I look on the faithless with loathing, for they do not obey your word.

159See how I love your precepts; preserve my life, O Lord , according to your love.

160All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.

161Rulers persecute me without cause, but my heart trembles at your word.

162I rejoice in your promise like one who finds great spoil.

163I hate and abhor falsehood but I love your law.

164Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws.

165Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.

166I wait for your salvation, O Lord , and I follow your commands.

167I obey your statutes, for I love them greatly.

168I obey your precepts and your statutes, for all my ways are known to you.

169May my cry come before you, O Lord ; give me understanding according to your word.

170May my supplication come before you; deliver me according to your promise.

171May my lips overflow with praise, for you teach me your decrees.

172May my tongue sing of your word, for all your commands are righteous.

173May your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts.

174I long for your salvation, O Lord , and your law is my delight.

175Let me live that I may praise you, and may your laws sustain me.

176I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands.

PSALM 120

1I call on the Lord in my distress, and he answers me.

2Save me, O Lord , from lying lips and from deceitful tongues.

3What will he do to you, and what more besides, O deceitful tongue?

4He will punish you with a warrior’s sharp arrows, with burning coals of the broom tree.

5Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech, that I live among the tents of Kedar!

6Too long have I lived among those who hate peace.

7I am a man of peace; but when I speak, they are for war.

PSALM 121

1I lift up my eyes to the hills- where does my help come from?

2My help comes from the Lord , the Maker of heaven and earth.

3He will not let your foot slip- he who watches over you will not slumber;

4indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

5The Lord watches over you- the Lord is your shade at your right hand;

6the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.

7The Lord will keep you from all harm- he will watch over your life;

8the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

PSALM 122

1I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord .”

2Our feet are standing in your gates, O Jerusalem.

3Jerusalem is built like a city that is closely compacted together.

4That is where the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord , to praise the name of the Lord according to the statute given to Israel.

5There the thrones for judgment stand, the thrones of the house of David.

6Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you be secure.

7May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.”

8For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.”

9For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your prosperity.

PSALM 123

1I lift up my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven.

2As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he shows us his mercy.

3Have mercy on us, O Lord , have mercy on us, for we have endured much contempt.

4We have endured much ridicule from the proud, much contempt from the arrogant.

PSALM 124

1If the Lord had not been on our side- let Israel say-

2if the Lord had not been on our side when men attacked us,

3when their anger flared against us, they would have swallowed us alive;

4the flood would have engulfed us, the torrent would have swept over us,

5the raging waters would have swept us away.

6Praise be to the Lord , who has not let us be torn by their teeth.

7We have escaped like a bird out of the fowler’s snare; the snare has been broken, and we have escaped.

8Our help is in the name of the Lord , the Maker of heaven and earth.

PSALM 125

1Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever.

2As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore.

3The scepter of the wicked will not remain over the land allotted to the righteous, for then the righteous might use their hands to do evil.

4Do good, O Lord , to those who are good, to those who are upright in heart.

5But those who turn to crooked ways the Lord will banish with the evildoers. Peace be upon Israel.

PSALM 126

1When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed.

2Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”

3The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.

4Restore our fortunes, O Lord , like streams in the Negev.

5Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.

6He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.

PSALM 127

1Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.

2In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat- for he grants sleep to those he loves.

3Sons are a heritage from the Lord , children a reward from him.

4Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth.

5Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate.

PSALM 128

1Blessed are all who fear the Lord , who walk in his ways.

2You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.

3Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your sons will be like olive shoots around your table.

4Thus is the man blessed who fears the Lord .

5May the Lord bless you from Zion all the days of your life; may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem,

6and may you live to see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel.

PSALM 129

1They have greatly oppressed me from my youth- let Israel say-

2they have greatly oppressed me from my youth, but they have not gained the victory over me.

3Plowmen have plowed my back and made their furrows long.

4But the Lord is righteous; he has cut me free from the cords of the wicked.

5May all who hate Zion be turned back in shame.

6May they be like grass on the roof, which withers before it can grow;

7with it the reaper cannot fill his hands, nor the one who gathers fill his arms.

8May those who pass by not say, “The blessing of the Lord be upon you; we bless you in the name of the Lord .”

PSALM 130

1Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord ;

2O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.

3If you, O Lord , kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?

4But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.

5I wait for the Lord , my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.

6My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.

7O Israel, put your hope in the Lord , for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.

8He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.

PSALM 131

1My heart is not proud, O Lord , my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.

2But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.

3O Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore.

PSALM 132

1O Lord , remember David and all the hardships he endured.

2He swore an oath to the Lord and made a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:

3“I will not enter my house or go to my bed-

4I will allow no sleep to my eyes, no slumber to my eyelids,

5till I find a place for the Lord , a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

6We heard it in Ephrathah, we came upon it in the fields of Jaar :

7“Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at his footstool-

8arise, O Lord , and come to your resting place, you and the ark of your might.

9May your priests be clothed with righteousness; may your saints sing for joy.”

10For the sake of David your servant, do not reject your anointed one.

11The Lord swore an oath to David, a sure oath that he will not revoke: “One of your own descendants I will place on your throne-

12if your sons keep my covenant and the statutes I teach them, then their sons will sit on your throne for ever and ever.”

13For the Lord has chosen Zion, he has desired it for his dwelling:

14“This is my resting place for ever and ever; here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it-

15I will bless her with abundant provisions; her poor will I satisfy with food.

16I will clothe her priests with salvation, and her saints will ever sing for joy.

17“Here I will make a horn grow for David and set up a lamp for my anointed one.

18I will clothe his enemies with shame, but the crown on his head will be resplendent.”

PSALM 133

1How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!

2It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of his robes.

3It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.

PSALM 134

1Praise the Lord , all you servants of the Lord who minister by night in the house of the Lord .

2Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord .

3May the Lord , the Maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion.

PSALM 135

1Praise the Lord . Praise the name of the Lord ; praise him, you servants of the Lord ,

2you who minister in the house of the Lord , in the courts of the house of our God.

3Praise the Lord , for the Lord is good; sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant.

4For the Lord has chosen Jacob to be his own, Israel to be his treasured possession.

5I know that the Lord is great, that our Lord is greater than all gods.

6The Lord does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths.

7He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; he sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.

8He struck down the firstborn of Egypt, the firstborn of men and animals.

9He sent his signs and wonders into your midst, O Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants.

10He struck down many nations and killed mighty kings-

11Sihon king of the Amorites, Og king of Bashan and all the kings of Canaan-

12and he gave their land as an inheritance, an inheritance to his people Israel.

13Your name, O Lord , endures forever, your renown, O Lord , through all generations.

14For the Lord will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants.

15The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men.

16They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see;

17they have ears, but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths.

18Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.

19O house of Israel, praise the Lord ; O house of Aaron, praise the Lord ;

20O house of Levi, praise the Lord ; you who fear him, praise the Lord .

21Praise be to the Lord from Zion, to him who dwells in Jerusalem. Praise the Lord .

PSALM 136

1Give thanks to the Lord , for he is good. His love endures forever.

2Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.

3Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.

4to him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever.

5who by his understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever.

6who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever.

7who made the great lights- His love endures forever.

8the sun to govern the day, His love endures forever.

9the moon and stars to govern the night; His love endures forever.

10to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt His love endures forever.

11and brought Israel out from among them His love endures forever.

12with a mighty hand and outstretched arm; His love endures forever.

13to him who divided the Red Sea asunder His love endures forever.

14and brought Israel through the midst of it, His love endures forever.

15but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea; His love endures forever.

16to him who led his people through the desert, His love endures forever.

17who struck down great kings, His love endures forever.

18and killed mighty kings- His love endures forever.

19Sihon king of the Amorites His love endures forever.

20and Og king of Bashan- His love endures forever.

21and gave their land as an inheritance, His love endures forever.

22an inheritance to his servant Israel; His love endures forever.

23to the One who remembered us in our low estate His love endures forever.

24and freed us from our enemies, His love endures forever.

25and who gives food to every creature. His love endures forever.

26Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever.

PSALM 137

1By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.

2There on the poplars we hung our harps,

3for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

4How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?

5If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill .

6May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy.

7Remember, O Lord , what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. “Tear it down,” they cried, “tear it down to its foundations!”

8O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is he who repays you for what you have done to us-

9he who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.

PSALM 138

1I will praise you, O Lord , with all my heart; before the “gods” I will sing your praise.

2I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.

3When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted.

4May all the kings of the earth praise you, O Lord , when they hear the words of your mouth.

5May they sing of the ways of the Lord , for the glory of the Lord is great.

6Though the Lord is on high, he looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar.

7Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me.

8The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O Lord , endures forever- do not abandon the works of your hands.

PSALM 139

1O Lord , you have searched me and you know me.

2You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.

4Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord .

5You hem me in-behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.

6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

7Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?

8If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

9If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,

10even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

11If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,”

12even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

13For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

15My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

17How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!

18Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.

19If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!

20They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.

21Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord , and abhor those who rise up against you?

22I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.

23Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

24See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

PSALM 140

1Rescue me, O Lord , from evil men; protect me from men of violence,

2who devise evil plans in their hearts and stir up war every day.

3They make their tongues as sharp as a serpent’s; the poison of vipers is on their lips. Selah

4Keep me, O Lord , from the hands of the wicked; protect me from men of violence who plan to trip my feet.

5Proud men have hidden a snare for me; they have spread out the cords of their net and have set traps for me along my path. Selah

6O Lord , I say to you, “You are my God.” Hear, O Lord , my cry for mercy.

7O Sovereign Lord , my strong deliverer, who shields my head in the day of battle-

8do not grant the wicked their desires, O Lord ; do not let their plans succeed, or they will become proud. Selah

9Let the heads of those who surround me be covered with the trouble their lips have caused.

10Let burning coals fall upon them; may they be thrown into the fire, into miry pits, never to rise.

11Let slanderers not be established in the land; may disaster hunt down men of violence.

12I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.

13Surely the righteous will praise your name and the upright will live before you.

PSALM 141

1O Lord , I call to you; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to you.

2May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.

3Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord ; keep watch over the door of my lips.

4Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil, to take part in wicked deeds with men who are evildoers; let me not eat of their delicacies.

5Let a righteous man strike me-it is a kindness; let him rebuke me-it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it. Yet my prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers;

6their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs, and the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken.

7They will say, “As one plows and breaks up the earth, so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of the grave. “

8But my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign Lord ; in you I take refuge-do not give me over to death.

9Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, from the traps set by evildoers.

10Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by in safety.

PSALM 142

1I cry aloud to the Lord ; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy.

2I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble.

3When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who know my way. In the path where I walk men have hidden a snare for me.

4Look to my right and see; no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge; no one cares for my life.

5I cry to you, O Lord ; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”

6Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me.

7Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me.

PSALM 143

1O Lord , hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief.

2Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you.

3The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in darkness like those long dead.

4So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed.

5I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done.

6I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah

7Answer me quickly, O Lord ; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit.

8Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.

9Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord , for I hide myself in you.

10Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

11For your name’s sake, O Lord , preserve my life; in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.

12In your unfailing love, silence my enemies; destroy all my foes, for I am your servant.

PSALM 144

1Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.

2He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.

3O Lord , what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him?

4Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow.

5Part your heavens, O Lord , and come down; touch the mountains, so that they smoke.

6Send forth lightning and scatter [the enemies]; shoot your arrows and rout them.

7Reach down your hand from on high; deliver me and rescue me from the mighty waters, from the hands of foreigners

8whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful.

9I will sing a new song to you, O God; on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to you,

10to the One who gives victory to kings, who delivers his servant David from the deadly sword.

11Deliver me and rescue me from the hands of foreigners whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful.

12Then our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants, and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace.

13Our barns will be filled with every kind of provision. Our sheep will increase by thousands, by tens of thousands in our fields;

14our oxen will draw heavy loads. There will be no breaching of walls, no going into captivity, no cry of distress in our streets.

15Blessed are the people of whom this is true; blessed are the people whose God is the Lord .

PSALM 145

1I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever.

2Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.

3Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.

4One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts.

5They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works.

6They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds.

7They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

8The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.

9The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.

10All you have made will praise you, O Lord ; your saints will extol you.

11They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might,

12so that all men may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

13Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.

14The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.

15The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time.

16You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

17The Lord is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made.

18The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

19He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.

20The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.

21My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord . Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever.

PSALM 146

1Praise the Lord . Praise the Lord , O my soul.

2I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

3Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save.

4When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing.

5Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God,

6the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them- the Lord , who remains faithful forever.

7He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free,

8the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous.

9The Lord watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

10The Lord reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the Lord .

PSALM 147

1Praise the Lord . How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!

2The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel.

3He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

4He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.

5Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.

6The Lord sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground.

7Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make music to our God on the harp.

8He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills.

9He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call.

10His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of a man;

11the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.

12Extol the Lord , O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion,

13for he strengthens the bars of your gates and blesses your people within you.

14He grants peace to your borders and satisfies you with the finest of wheat.

15He sends his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly.

16He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes.

17He hurls down his hail like pebbles. Who can withstand his icy blast?

18He sends his word and melts them; he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow.

19He has revealed his word to Jacob, his laws and decrees to Israel.

20He has done this for no other nation; they do not know his laws. Praise the Lord .

PSALM 148

1Praise the Lord . Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the heights above.

2Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his heavenly hosts.

3Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars.

4Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies.

5Let them praise the name of the Lord , for he commanded and they were created.

6He set them in place for ever and ever; he gave a decree that will never pass away.

7Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,

8lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding,

9you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars,

10wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds,

11kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth,

12young men and maidens, old men and children.

13Let them praise the name of the Lord , for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.

14He has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his saints, of Israel, the people close to his heart. Praise the Lord .

PSALM 149

1Praise the Lord . Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints.

2Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the people of Zion be glad in their King.

3Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with tambourine and harp.

4For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation.

5Let the saints rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds.

6May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands,

7to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples,

8to bind their kings with fetters, their nobles with shackles of iron,

9to carry out the sentence written against them. This is the glory of all his saints. Praise the Lord .

PSALM 150

1Praise the Lord . Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.

2Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.

3Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre,

4praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute,

5praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.

6Let everything that has breath praise the Lord . Praise the Lord .

Job

Posted on by robertmacsbible_hpehg4

Job

8Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no

1In the land of Uz there lived a man

whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.

2He had seven sons and three daughters,

3and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.

4His sons used to take turns holding feasts in their homes, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.

5When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would send and have them purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular custom.

6One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord , and Satan also came with them.

7The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord , “From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.”

one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”

9“Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied.

10“Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land.

11But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”

12The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord .

13One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house,

14a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby,

15and the Sabeans attacked and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

16While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The fire of

God fell from the sky and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

17While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

18While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house,

19when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

20At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship

21and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”

22In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

2On another day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord , and Satan also came with them to present himself before him.

2And the Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord , “From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.”

3Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”

4“Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give all he has for his own life.

5But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.”

6The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.”

7So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

8Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes.

9His wife said to him, “Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!”

10He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.

11When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him.

12When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads.

13Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.

3After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.

2He said:

3“May the day of my birth perish, and the night it was said, ‘A boy is born!’

4That day-may it turn to darkness; may God above not care about it; may no light shine upon it.

5May darkness and deep shadow claim it once more; may a cloud settle over it; may blackness overwhelm its light.

6That night-may thick darkness seize it; may it not be included among the days of the year nor be entered in any of the months.

7May that night be barren; may no shout of joy be heard in it.

8May those who curse days curse that day, those who are ready to rouse Leviathan.

9May its morning stars become dark; may it wait for daylight in vain and not see the first rays of dawn,

10for it did not shut the doors of the womb on me to hide trouble from my eyes.

11“Why did I not perish at birth, and die as I came from the womb?

12Why were there knees to receive me and breasts that I might be nursed?

13For now I would be lying down in peace; I would be asleep and at rest

14with kings and counselors of the earth, who built for themselves places now lying in ruins,

15with rulers who had gold, who filled their houses with silver.

16Or why was I not hidden in the ground like a stillborn child, like an infant who never saw the light of day?

17There the wicked cease from turmoil, and there the weary are at rest.

18Captives also enjoy their ease; they no longer hear the slave driver’s shout.

19The small and the great are there, and the slave is freed from his master.

20“Why is light given to those in misery, and life to the bitter of soul,

21to those who long for death that does not come, who search for it more than for hidden treasure,

22who are filled with gladness and rejoice when they reach the grave?

23Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in?

24For sighing comes to me instead of food; my groans pour out like water.

25What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me.

26I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil.”

4Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:

2“If someone ventures a word with you, will you be impatient? But who can keep from speaking?

3Think how you have instructed many, how you have strengthened feeble hands.

4Your words have supported those who stumbled; you have strengthened faltering knees.

5But now trouble comes to you, and you are discouraged; it strikes you, and you are dismayed.

6Should not your piety be your confidence and your blameless ways your hope?

7“Consider now: Who, being innocent, has ever perished? Where were the upright ever destroyed?

8As I have observed, those who plow evil and those who sow trouble reap it.

9At the breath of God they are destroyed; at the blast of his anger they perish.

10The lions may roar and growl, yet the teeth of the great lions are broken.

11The lion perishes for lack of prey, and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

12“A word was secretly brought to me, my ears caught a whisper of it.

13Amid disquieting dreams in the night, when deep sleep falls on men,

14fear and trembling seized me and made all my bones shake.

15A spirit glided past my face, and the hair on my body stood on end.

16It stopped, but I could not tell what it was. A form stood before my eyes, and I heard a hushed voice:

17‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God? Can a man be more pure than his Maker?

18If God places no trust in his servants, if he charges his angels with error,

19how much more those who live in houses of clay, whose foundations are in the dust, who are crushed more readily than a moth!

20Between dawn and dusk they are broken to pieces; unnoticed, they perish forever.

21Are not the cords of their tent pulled up, so that they die without wisdom?’

5“Call if you will, but who will answer you? To which of the holy ones will you turn?

2Resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple.

3I myself have seen a fool taking root, but suddenly his house was cursed.

4His children are far from safety, crushed in court without a defender.

5The hungry consume his harvest, taking it even from among thorns, and the thirsty pant after his wealth.

6For hardship does not spring from the soil, nor does trouble sprout from the ground.

7Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.

8“But if it were I, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before him.

9He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.

10He bestows rain on the earth; he sends water upon the countryside.

11The lowly he sets on high, and those who mourn are lifted to safety.

12He thwarts the plans of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success.

13He catches the wise in their craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are swept away.

14Darkness comes upon them in the daytime; at noon they grope as in the night.

15He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth; he saves them from the clutches of the powerful.

16So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth.

17“Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.

18For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal.

19From six calamities he will rescue you; in seven no harm will befall you.

20In famine he will ransom you from death, and in battle from the stroke of the sword.

21You will be protected from the lash of the tongue, and need not fear when destruction comes.

22You will laugh at destruction and famine, and need not fear the beasts of the earth.

23For you will have a covenant with the stones of the field, and the wild animals will be at peace with you.

24You will know that your tent is secure; you will take stock of your property and find nothing missing.

25You will know that your children will be many, and your descendants like the grass of the earth.

26You will come to the grave in full vigor, like sheaves gathered in season.

27“We have examined this, and it is true. So hear it and apply it to yourself.”

6Then Job replied:

2“If only my anguish could be weighed and all my misery be placed on the scales!

3It would surely outweigh the sand of the seas- no wonder my words have been impetuous.

4The arrows of the Almighty are in me, my spirit drinks in their poison; God’s terrors are marshaled against me.

5Does a wild donkey bray when it has grass, or an ox bellow when it has fodder?

6Is tasteless food eaten without salt, or is there flavor in the white of an egg ?

7I refuse to touch it; such food makes me ill.

8“Oh, that I might have my request, that God would grant what I hope for,

9that God would be willing to crush me, to let loose his hand and cut me off!

10Then I would still have this consolation- my joy in unrelenting pain- that I had not denied the words of the Holy One.

11“What strength do I have, that I should still hope? What prospects, that I should be patient?

12Do I have the strength of stone? Is my flesh bronze?

13Do I have any power to help myself, now that success has been driven from me?

14“A despairing man should have the devotion of his friends, even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty.

15But my brothers are as undependable as intermittent streams, as the streams that overflow

16when darkened by thawing ice and swollen with melting snow,

17but that cease to flow in the dry season, and in the heat vanish from their channels.

18Caravans turn aside from their routes; they go up into the wasteland and perish.

19The caravans of Tema look for water, the traveling merchants of Sheba look in hope.

20They are distressed, because they had been confident; they arrive there, only to be disappointed.

21Now you too have proved to be of no help; you see something dreadful and are afraid.

22Have I ever said, ‘Give something on my behalf, pay a ransom for me from your wealth,

23deliver me from the hand of the enemy, ransom me from the clutches of the ruthless’?

24“Teach me, and I will be quiet; show me where I have been wrong.

25How painful are honest words! But what do your arguments prove?

26Do you mean to correct what I say, and treat the words of a despairing man as wind?

27You would even cast lots for the fatherless and barter away your friend.

28“But now be so kind as to look at me. Would I lie to your face?

29Relent, do not be unjust; reconsider, for my integrity is at stake.

30Is there any wickedness on my lips? Can my mouth not discern malice?

7“Does not man have hard service on earth? Are not his days like those of a hired man?

2Like a slave longing for the evening shadows, or a hired man waiting eagerly for his wages,

3so I have been allotted months of futility, and nights of misery have been assigned to me.

4When I lie down I think, ‘How long before I get up?’ The night drags on, and I toss till dawn.

5My body is clothed with worms and 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.

7Remember, O God, that my life is but a breath; my eyes will never see happiness again.

8The eye that now sees me will see me no longer; you will look for me, but I will be no more.

9As a cloud vanishes and is gone, so he who goes down to the grave does not return.

10He will never come to his house again; his place will know him no more.

11“Therefore I will not keep silent; I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

12Am I the sea, or the monster of the deep, that you put me under guard?

13When I think my bed will comfort me and my couch will ease my complaint,

14even then you frighten me with dreams and terrify me with visions,

15so that I prefer strangling and death, rather than this body of mine.

16I despise my life; I would not live forever. Let me alone; my days have no meaning.

17“What is man that you make so much of him, that you give him so much attention,

18that you examine him every morning and test him every moment?

19Will you never look away from me, or let me alone even for an instant?

20If I have sinned, what have I done to you, O watcher of men? Why have you made me your target? Have I become a burden to you?

21Why do you not pardon my offenses and forgive my sins? For I will soon lie down in the dust; you will search for me, but I will be no more.”

8Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:

2“How long will you say such things? Your words are a blustering wind.

3Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right?

4When your children sinned against him, he gave them over to the penalty of their sin.

5But if you will look to God and plead with the Almighty,

6if you are pure and upright, even now he will rouse himself on your behalf and restore you to your rightful place.

7Your beginnings will seem humble, so prosperous will your future be.

8“Ask the former generations and find out what their fathers learned,

9for we were born only yesterday and know nothing, and our days on earth are but a shadow.

10Will they not instruct you and tell you? Will they not bring forth words from their understanding?

11Can papyrus grow tall where there is no marsh? Can reeds thrive without water?

12While still growing and uncut, they wither more quickly than grass.

13Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so perishes the hope of the godless.

14What he trusts in is fragile ; what he relies on is a spider’s web.

15He leans on his web, but it gives way; he clings to it, but it does not hold.

16He is like a well-watered plant in the sunshine, spreading its shoots over the garden;

17it entwines its roots around a pile of rocks and looks for a place among the stones.

18But when it is torn from its spot, that place disowns it and says, ‘I never saw you.’

19Surely its life withers away, and from the soil other plants grow.

20“Surely God does not reject a blameless man or strengthen the hands of evildoers.

21He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.

22Your enemies will be clothed in shame, and the tents of the wicked will be no more.”

9Then Job replied:

2“Indeed, I know that this is true. But how can a mortal be righteous before God?

3Though one wished to dispute with him, he could not answer him one time out of a thousand.

4His wisdom is profound, his power is vast. Who has resisted him and come out unscathed?

5He moves mountains without their knowing it and overturns them in his anger.

6He shakes the earth from its place and makes its pillars tremble.

7He speaks to the sun and it does not shine; he seals off the light of the stars.

8He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea.

9He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.

10He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.

11When he passes me, I cannot see him; when he goes by, I cannot perceive him.

12If he snatches away, who can stop him? Who can say to him, ‘What are you doing?’

13God does not restrain his anger; even the cohorts of Rahab cowered at his feet.

14“How then can I dispute with him? How can I find words to argue with him?

15Though I were innocent, I could not answer him; I could only plead with my Judge for mercy.

16Even if I summoned him and he responded, I do not believe he would give me a hearing.

17He would crush me with a storm and multiply my wounds for no reason.

18He would not let me regain my breath but would overwhelm me with misery.

19If it is a matter of strength, he is mighty! And if it is a matter of justice, who will summon him ?

20Even if I were innocent, my mouth would condemn me; if I were blameless, it would pronounce me guilty.

21“Although I am blameless, I have no concern for myself; I despise my own life.

22It is all the same; that is why I say, ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’

23When a scourge brings sudden death, he mocks the despair of the innocent.

24When a land falls into the hands of the wicked, he blindfolds its judges. If it is not he, then who is it?

25“My days are swifter than a runner; they fly away without a glimpse of joy.

26They skim past like boats of papyrus, like eagles swooping down on their prey.

27If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint, I will change my expression, and smile,’

28I still dread all my sufferings, for I know you will not hold me innocent.

29Since I am already found guilty, why should I struggle in vain?

30Even if I washed myself with soap and my hands with washing soda,

31you would plunge me into a slime pit so that even my clothes would detest me.

32“He is not a man like me that I might answer him, that we might confront each other in court.

33If only there were someone to arbitrate between us, to lay his hand upon us both,

34someone to remove God’s rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more.

35Then I would speak up without fear of him, but as it now stands with me, I cannot.

10“I loathe my very life; therefore I will give free rein to my complaint and speak out in the bitterness of my soul.

2I will say to God: Do not condemn me, but tell me what charges you have against me.

3Does it please you to oppress me, to spurn the work of your hands, while you smile on the schemes of the wicked?

4Do you have eyes of flesh? Do you see as a mortal sees?

5Are your days like those of a mortal or your years like those of a man,

6that you must search out my faults and probe after my sin-

7though you know that I am not guilty and that no one can rescue me from your hand?

8“Your hands shaped me and made me. Will you now turn and destroy me?

9Remember that you molded me like clay. Will you now turn me to dust again?

10Did you not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese,

11clothe me with skin and flesh and knit me together with bones and sinews?

12You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit.

13“But this is what you concealed in your heart, and I know that this was in your mind:

14If I sinned, you would be watching me and would not let my offense go unpunished.

15If I am guilty-woe to me! Even if I am innocent, I cannot lift my head, for I am full of shame and drowned in my affliction.

16If I hold my head high, you stalk me like a lion and again display your awesome power against me.

17You bring new witnesses against me and increase your anger toward me; your forces come against me wave upon wave.

18“Why then did you bring me out of the womb? I wish I had died before any eye saw me.

19If only I had never come into being, or had been carried straight from the womb to the grave!

20Are not my few days almost over? Turn away from me so I can have a moment’s joy

21before I go to the place of no return, to the land of gloom and deep shadow,

22to the land of deepest night, of deep shadow and disorder, where even the light is like darkness.”

11Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:

2“Are all these words to go unanswered? Is this talker to be vindicated?

3Will your idle talk reduce men to silence? Will no one rebuke you when you mock?

4You say to God, ‘My beliefs are flawless and I am pure in your sight.’

5Oh, how I wish that God would speak, that he would open his lips against you

6and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom has two sides. Know this: God has even forgotten some of your sin.

7“Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?

8They are higher than the heavens-what can you do? They are deeper than the depths of the grave -what can you know?

9Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea.

10“If he comes along and confines you in prison and convenes a court, who can oppose him?

11Surely he recognizes deceitful men; and when he sees evil, does he not take note?

12But a witless man can no more become wise than a wild donkey’s colt can be born a man.

13“Yet if you devote your heart to him and stretch out your hands to him,

14if you put away the sin that is in your hand and allow no evil to dwell in your tent,

15then you will lift up your face without shame; you will stand firm and without fear.

16You will surely forget your trouble, recalling it only as waters gone by.

17Life will be brighter than noonday, and darkness will become like morning.

18You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety.

19You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid, and many will court your favor.

20But the eyes of the wicked will fail, and escape will elude them; their hope will become a dying gasp.”

12Then Job replied:

2“Doubtless you are the people, and wisdom will die with you!

3But I have a mind as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Who does not know all these things?

4“I have become a laughingstock to my friends, though I called upon God and he answered- a mere laughingstock, though righteous and blameless!

5Men at ease have contempt for misfortune as the fate of those whose feet are slipping.

6The tents of marauders are undisturbed, and those who provoke God are secure- those who carry their god in their hands.

7“But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you;

8or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you.

9Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?

10In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.

11Does not the ear test words as the tongue tastes food?

12Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?

13“To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his.

14What he tears down cannot be rebuilt; the man he imprisons cannot be released.

15If he holds back the waters, there is drought; if he lets them loose, they devastate the land.

16To him belong strength and victory; both deceived and deceiver are his.

17He leads counselors away stripped and makes fools of judges.

18He takes off the shackles put on by kings and ties a loincloth around their waist.

19He leads priests away stripped and overthrows men long established.

20He silences the lips of trusted advisers and takes away the discernment of elders.

21He pours contempt on nobles and disarms the mighty.

22He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings deep shadows into the light.

23He makes nations great, and destroys them; he enlarges nations, and disperses them.

24He deprives the leaders of the earth of their reason; he sends them wandering through a trackless waste.

25They grope in darkness with no light; he makes them stagger like drunkards.

13“My eyes have seen all this, my ears have heard and understood it.

2What you know, I also know; I am not inferior to you.

3But I desire to speak to the Almighty and to argue my case with God.

4You, however, smear me with lies; you are worthless physicians, all of you!

5If only you would be altogether silent! For you, that would be wisdom.

6Hear now my argument; listen to the plea of my lips.

7Will you speak wickedly on God’s behalf? Will you speak deceitfully for him?

8Will you show him partiality? Will you argue the case for God?

9Would it turn out well if he examined you? Could you deceive him as you might deceive men?

10He would surely rebuke you if you secretly showed partiality.

11Would not his splendor terrify you? Would not the dread of him fall on you?

12Your maxims are proverbs of ashes; your defenses are defenses of clay.

13“Keep silent and let me speak; then let come to me what may.

14Why do I put myself in jeopardy and take my life in my hands?

15Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face.

16Indeed, this will turn out for my deliverance, for no godless man would dare come before him!

17Listen carefully to my words; let your ears take in what I say.

18Now that I have prepared my case, I know I will be vindicated.

19Can anyone bring charges against me? If so, I will be silent and die.

20“Only grant me these two things, O God, and then I will not hide from you:

21Withdraw your hand far from me, and stop frightening me with your terrors.

22Then summon me and I will answer, or let me speak, and you reply.

23How many wrongs and sins have I committed? Show me my offense and my sin.

24Why do you hide your face and consider me your enemy?

25Will you torment a windblown leaf? Will you chase after dry chaff?

26For you write down bitter things against me and make me inherit the sins of my youth.

27You fasten my feet in shackles; you keep close watch on all my paths by putting marks on the soles of my feet.

28“So man wastes away like something rotten, like a garment eaten by moths.

14“Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble.

2He springs up like a flower and withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure.

3Do you fix your eye on such a one? Will you bring him before you for judgment?

4Who can bring what is pure from the impure? No one!

5Man’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed.

6So look away from him and let him alone, till he has put in his time like a hired man.

7“At least there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail.

8Its roots may grow old in the ground and its stump die in the soil,

9yet at the scent of water it will bud and put forth shoots like a plant.

10But man dies and is laid low; he breathes his last and is no more.

11As water disappears from the sea or a riverbed becomes parched and dry,

12so man lies down and does not rise; till the heavens are no more, men will not awake or be roused from their sleep.

13“If only you would hide me in the grave and conceal me till your anger has passed! If only you would set me a time and then remember me!

14If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait for my renewal to come.

15You will call and I will answer you; you will long for the creature your hands have made.

16Surely then you will count my steps but not keep track of my sin.

17My offenses will be sealed up in a bag; you will cover over my sin.

18“But as a mountain erodes and crumbles and as a rock is moved from its place,

19as water wears away stones and torrents wash away the soil, so you destroy man’s hope.

20You overpower him once for all, and he is gone; you change his countenance and send him away.

21If his sons are honored, he does not know it; if they are brought low, he does not see it.

22He feels but the pain of his own body and mourns only for himself.”

15Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:

2“Would a wise man answer with empty notions or fill his belly with the hot east wind?

3Would he argue with useless words, with speeches that have no value?

4But you even undermine piety and hinder devotion to God.

5Your sin prompts your mouth; you adopt the tongue of the crafty.

6Your own mouth condemns you, not mine; your own lips testify against you.

7“Are you the first man ever born? Were you brought forth before the hills?

8Do you listen in on God’s council? Do you limit wisdom to yourself?

9What do you know that we do not know? What insights do you have that we do not have?

10The gray-haired and the aged are on our side, men even older than your father.

11Are God’s consolations not enough for you, words spoken gently to you?

12Why has your heart carried you away, and why do your eyes flash,

13so that you vent your rage against God and pour out such words from your mouth?

14“What is man, that he could be pure, or one born of woman, that he could be righteous?

15If God places no trust in his holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes,

16how much less man, who is vile and corrupt, who drinks up evil like water!

17“Listen to me and I will explain to you; let me tell you what I have seen,

18what wise men have declared, hiding nothing received from their fathers

19(to whom alone the land was given when no alien passed among them):

20All his days the wicked man suffers torment, the ruthless through all the years stored up for him.

21Terrifying sounds fill his ears; when all seems well, marauders attack him.

22He despairs of escaping the darkness; he is marked for the sword.

23He wanders about-food for vultures ; he knows the day of darkness is at hand.

24Distress and anguish fill him with terror; they overwhelm him, like a king poised to attack,

25because he shakes his fist at God and vaunts himself against the Almighty,

26defiantly charging against him with a thick, strong shield.

27“Though his face is covered with fat and his waist bulges with flesh,

28he will inhabit ruined towns and houses where no one lives, houses crumbling to rubble.

29He will no longer be rich and his wealth will not endure, nor will his possessions spread over the land.

30He will not escape the darkness; a flame will wither his shoots, and the breath of God’s mouth will carry him away.

31Let him not deceive himself by trusting what is worthless, for he will get nothing in return.

32Before his time he will be paid in full, and his branches will not flourish.

33He will be like a vine stripped of its unripe grapes, like an olive tree shedding its blossoms.

34For the company of the godless will be barren, and fire will consume the tents of those who love bribes.

35They conceive trouble and give birth to evil; their womb fashions deceit.”

16Then Job replied:

2“I have heard many things like these; miserable comforters are you all!

3Will your long-winded speeches never end? What ails you that you keep on arguing?

4I also could speak like you, if you were in my place; I could make fine speeches against you and shake my head at you.

5But my mouth would encourage you; comfort from my lips would bring you relief.

6“Yet if I speak, my pain is not relieved; and if I refrain, it does not go away.

7Surely, O God, you have worn me out; you have devastated my entire household.

8You have bound me-and it has become a witness; my gauntness rises up and testifies against me.

9God assails me and tears me in his anger and gnashes his teeth at me; my opponent fastens on me his piercing eyes.

10Men open their mouths to jeer at me; they strike my cheek in scorn and unite together against me.

11God has turned me over to evil men and thrown me into the clutches of the wicked.

12All was well with me, but he shattered me; he seized me by the neck and crushed me. He has made me his target;

13his archers surround me. Without pity, he pierces my kidneys and spills my gall on the ground.

14Again and again he bursts upon me; he rushes at me like a warrior.

15“I have sewed sackcloth over my skin and buried my brow in the dust.

16My face is red with weeping, deep shadows ring my eyes;

17yet my hands have been free of violence and my prayer is pure.

18“O earth, do not cover my blood; may my cry never be laid to rest!

19Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high.

20My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God;

21on behalf of a man he pleads with God as a man pleads for his friend.

22“Only a few years will pass before I go on the journey of no return.

17My spirit is broken, my days are cut short, the grave awaits me.

2Surely mockers surround me; my eyes must dwell on their hostility.

3“Give me, O God, the pledge you demand. Who else will put up security for me?

4You have closed their minds to understanding; therefore you will not let them triumph.

5If a man denounces his friends for reward, the eyes of his children will fail.

6“God has made me a byword to everyone, a man in whose face people spit.

7My eyes have grown dim with grief; my whole frame is but a shadow.

8Upright men are appalled at this; the innocent are aroused against the ungodly.

9Nevertheless, the righteous will hold to their ways, and those with clean hands will grow stronger.

10“But come on, all of you, try again! I will not find a wise man among you.

11My days have passed, my plans are shattered, and so are the desires of my heart.

12These men turn night into day; in the face of darkness they say, ‘Light is near.’

13If the only home I hope for is the grave, if I spread out my bed in darkness,

14if I say to corruption, ‘You are my father,’ and to the worm, ‘My mother’ or ‘My sister,’

15where then is my hope? Who can see any hope for me?

16Will it go down to the gates of death ? Will we descend together into the dust?”

18Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:

2“When will you end these speeches? Be sensible, and then we can talk.

3Why are we regarded as cattle and considered stupid in your sight?

4You who tear yourself to pieces in your anger, is the earth to be abandoned for your sake? Or must the rocks be moved from their place?

5“The lamp of the wicked is snuffed out; the flame of his fire stops burning.

6The light in his tent becomes dark; the lamp beside him goes out.

7The vigor of his step is weakened; his own schemes throw him down.

8His feet thrust him into a net and he wanders into its mesh.

9A trap seizes him by the heel; a snare holds him fast.

10A noose is hidden for him on the ground; a trap lies in his path.

11Terrors startle him on every side and dog his every step.

12Calamity is hungry for him; disaster is ready for him when he falls.

13It eats away parts of his skin; death’s firstborn devours his limbs.

14He is torn from the security of his tent and marched off to the king of terrors.

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

16His roots dry up below and his branches wither above.

17The memory of him perishes from the earth; he has no name in the land.

18He is driven from light into darkness and is banished from the world.

19He has no offspring or descendants among his people, no survivor where once he lived.

20Men of the west are appalled at his fate; men of the east are seized with horror.

21Surely such is the dwelling of an evil man; such is the place of one who knows not God.”

19Then Job replied:

2“How long will you torment me and crush me with words?

3Ten times now you have reproached me; shamelessly you attack me.

4If it is true that I have gone astray, my error remains my concern alone.

5If indeed you would exalt yourselves above me and use my humiliation against me,

6then know that God has wronged me and drawn his net around me.

7“Though I cry, ‘I’ve been wronged!’ I get no response; though I call for help, there is no justice.

8He has blocked my way so I cannot pass; he has shrouded my paths in darkness.

9He has stripped me of my honor and removed the crown from my head.

10He tears me down on every side till I am gone; he uproots my hope like a tree.

11His anger burns against me; he counts me among his enemies.

12His troops advance in force; they build a siege ramp against me and encamp around my tent.

13“He has alienated my brothers from me; my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.

14My kinsmen have gone away; my friends have forgotten me.

15My guests and my maidservants count me a stranger; they look upon me as an alien.

16I summon my servant, but he does not answer, though I beg him with my own mouth.

17My breath is offensive to my wife; I am loathsome to my own brothers.

18Even the little boys scorn me; when I appear, they ridicule me.

19All my intimate friends detest me; those I love have turned against me.

20I am nothing but skin and bones; I have escaped with only the skin of my teeth.

21“Have pity on me, my friends, have pity, for the hand of God has struck me.

22Why do you pursue me as God does? Will you never get enough of my flesh?

23“Oh, that my words were recorded, that they were written on a scroll,

24that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead, or engraved in rock forever!

25I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.

26And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God;

27I myself will see him with my own eyes-I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!

28“If you say, ‘How we will hound him, since the root of the trouble lies in him, ‘

29you should fear the sword yourselves; for wrath will bring punishment by the sword, and then you will know that there is judgment. “

20Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:

2“My troubled thoughts prompt me to answer because I am greatly disturbed.

3I hear a rebuke that dishonors me, and my understanding inspires me to reply.

4“Surely you know how it has been from of old, ever since man was placed on the earth,

5that the mirth of the wicked is brief, the joy of the godless lasts but a moment.

6Though his pride reaches to the heavens and his head touches the clouds,

7he will perish forever, like his own dung; those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’

8Like a dream he flies away, no more to be found, banished like a vision of the night.

9The eye that saw him will not see him again; his place will look on him no more.

10His children must make amends to the poor; his own hands must give back his wealth.

11The youthful vigor that fills his bones will lie with him in the dust.

12“Though evil is sweet in his mouth and he hides it under his tongue,

13though he cannot bear to let it go and keeps it in his mouth,

14yet his food will turn sour in his stomach; it will become the venom of serpents within him.

15He will spit out the riches he swallowed; God will make his stomach vomit them up.

16He will suck the poison of serpents; the fangs of an adder will kill him.

17He will not enjoy the streams, the rivers flowing with honey and cream.

18What he toiled for he must give back uneaten; he will not enjoy the profit from his trading.

19For he has oppressed the poor and left them destitute; he has seized houses he did not build.

20“Surely he will have no respite from his craving; he cannot save himself by his treasure.

21Nothing is left for him to devour; his prosperity will not endure.

22In the midst of his plenty, distress will overtake him; the full force of misery will come upon him.

23When he has filled his belly, God will vent his burning anger against him and rain down his blows upon him.

24Though he flees from an iron weapon, a bronze-tipped arrow pierces him.

25He pulls it out of his back, the gleaming point out of his liver. Terrors will come over him;

26total darkness lies in wait for his treasures. A fire unfanned will consume him and devour what is left in his tent.

27The heavens will expose his guilt; the earth will rise up against him.

28A flood will carry off his house, rushing waters on the day of God’s wrath.

29Such is the fate God allots the wicked, the heritage appointed for them by God.”

21Then Job replied:

2“Listen carefully to my words; let this be the consolation you give me.

3Bear with me while I speak, and after I have spoken, mock on.

4“Is my complaint directed to man? Why should I not be impatient?

5Look at me and be astonished; clap your hand over your mouth.

6When I think about this, I am terrified; trembling seizes my body.

7Why do the wicked live on, growing old and increasing in power?

8They see their children established around them, their offspring before their eyes.

9Their homes are safe and free from fear; the rod of God is not upon them.

10Their bulls never fail to breed; their cows calve and do not miscarry.

11They send forth their children as a flock; their little ones dance about.

12They sing to the music of tambourine and harp; they make merry to the sound of the flute.

13They spend their years in prosperity and go down to the grave in peace.

14Yet they say to God, ‘Leave us alone! We have no desire to know your ways.

15Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him? What would we gain by praying to him?’

16But their prosperity is not in their own hands, so I stand aloof from the counsel of the wicked.

17“Yet how often is the lamp of the wicked snuffed out? How often does calamity come upon them, the fate God allots in his anger?

18How often are they like straw before the wind, like chaff swept away by a gale?

19It is said, ‘God stores up a man’s punishment for his sons.’ Let him repay the man himself, so that he will know it!

20Let his own eyes see his destruction; let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.

21For what does he care about the family he leaves behind when his allotted months come to an end?

22“Can anyone teach knowledge to God, since he judges even the highest?

23One man dies in full vigor, completely secure and at ease,

24his body well nourished, his bones rich with marrow.

25Another man dies in bitterness of soul, never having enjoyed anything good.

26Side by side they lie in the dust, and worms cover them both.

27“I know full well what you are thinking, the schemes by which you would wrong me.

28You say, ‘Where now is the great man’s house, the tents where wicked men lived?’

29Have you never questioned those who travel? Have you paid no regard to their accounts-

30that the evil man is spared from the day of calamity, that he is delivered from the day of wrath?

31Who denounces his conduct to his face? Who repays him for what he has done?

32He is carried to the grave, and watch is kept over his tomb.

33The soil in the valley is sweet to him; all men follow after him, and a countless throng goes before him.

34“So how can you console me with your nonsense? Nothing is left of your answers but falsehood!”

22Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:

2“Can a man be of benefit to God? Can even a wise man benefit him?

3What pleasure would it give the Almighty if you were righteous? What would he gain if your ways were blameless?

4“Is it for your piety that he rebukes you and brings charges against you?

5Is not your wickedness great? Are not your sins endless?

6You demanded security from your brothers for no reason; you stripped men of their clothing, leaving them naked.

7You gave no water to the weary and you withheld food from the hungry,

8though you were a powerful man, owning land- an honored man, living on it.

9And you sent widows away empty- handed and broke the strength of the fatherless.

10That is why snares are all around you, why sudden peril terrifies you,

11why it is so dark you cannot see, and why a flood of water covers you.

12“Is not God in the heights of heaven? And see how lofty are the highest stars!

13Yet you say, ‘What does God know? Does he judge through such darkness?

14Thick clouds veil him, so he does not see us as he goes about in the vaulted heavens.’

15Will you keep to the old path that evil men have trod?

16They were carried off before their time, their foundations washed away by a flood.

17They said to God, ‘Leave us alone! What can the Almighty do to us?’

18Yet it was he who filled their houses with good things, so I stand aloof from the counsel of the wicked.

19“The righteous see their ruin and rejoice; the innocent mock them, saying,

20‘Surely our foes are destroyed, and fire devours their wealth.’

21“Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you.

22Accept instruction from his mouth and lay up his words in your heart.

23If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored: If you remove wickedness far from your tent

24and assign your nuggets to the dust, your gold of Ophir to the rocks in the ravines,

25then the Almighty will be your gold, the choicest silver for you.

26Surely then you will find delight in the Almighty and will lift up your face to God.

27You will pray to him, and he will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows.

28What you decide on will be done, and light will shine on your ways.

29When men are brought low and you say, ‘Lift them up!’ then he will save the downcast.

30He will deliver even one who is not innocent, who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”

23Then Job replied:

2“Even today my complaint is bitter; his hand is heavy in spite of my groaning.

3If only I knew where to find him; if only I could go to his dwelling!

4I would state my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments.

5I would find out what he would answer me, and consider what he would say.

6Would he oppose me with great power? No, he would not press charges against me.

7There an upright man could present his case before him, and I would be delivered forever from my judge.

8“But if I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find him.

9When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.

10But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.

11My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside.

12I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.

13“But he stands alone, and who can oppose him? He does whatever he pleases.

14He carries out his decree against me, and many such plans he still has in store.

15That is why I am terrified before him; when I think of all this, I fear him.

16God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me.

17Yet I am not silenced by the darkness, by the thick darkness that covers my face.

24“Why does the Almighty not set times for judgment? Why must those who know him look in vain for such days?

2Men move boundary stones; they pasture flocks they have stolen.

3They drive away the orphan’s donkey and take the widow’s ox in pledge.

4They thrust the needy from the path and force all the poor of the land into hiding.

5Like wild donkeys in the desert, the poor go about their labor of foraging food; the wasteland provides food for their children.

6They gather fodder in the fields and glean in the vineyards of the wicked.

7Lacking clothes, they spend the night naked; they have nothing to cover themselves in the cold.

8They are drenched by mountain rains and hug the rocks for lack of shelter.

9The fatherless child is snatched from the breast; the infant of the poor is seized for a debt.

10Lacking clothes, they go about naked; they carry the sheaves, but still go hungry.

11They crush olives among the terraces ; they tread the winepresses, yet suffer thirst.

12The groans of the dying rise from the city, and the souls of the wounded cry out for help. But God charges no one with wrongdoing.

13“There are those who rebel against the light, who do not know its ways or stay in its paths.

14When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up and kills the poor and needy; in the night he steals forth like a thief.

15The eye of the adulterer watches for dusk; he thinks, ‘No eye will see me,’ and he keeps his face concealed.

16In the dark, men break into houses, but by day they shut themselves in; they want nothing to do with the light.

17For all of them, deep darkness is their morning ; they make friends with the terrors of darkness.

18“Yet they are foam on the surface of the water; their portion of the land is cursed, so that no one goes to the vineyards.

19As heat and drought snatch away the melted snow, so the grave snatches away those who have sinned.

20The womb forgets them, the worm feasts on them; evil men are no longer remembered but are broken like a tree.

21They prey on the barren and childless woman, and to the widow show no kindness.

22But God drags away the mighty by his power; though they become established, they have no assurance of life.

23He may let them rest in a feeling of security, but his eyes are on their ways.

24For a little while they are exalted, and then they are gone; they are brought low and gathered up like all others; they are cut off like heads of grain.

25“If this is not so, who can prove me false and reduce my words to nothing?”

25Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:

2“Dominion and awe belong to God; he establishes order in the heights of heaven.

3Can his forces be numbered? Upon whom does his light not rise?

4How then can a man be righteous before God? How can one born of woman be pure?

5If even the moon is not bright and the stars are not pure in his eyes,

6how much less man, who is but a maggot- a son of man, who is only a worm!”

26Then Job replied:

2“How you have helped the powerless! How you have saved the arm that is feeble!

3What advice you have offered to one without wisdom! And what great insight you have displayed!

4Who has helped you utter these words? And whose spirit spoke from your mouth?

5“The dead are in deep anguish, those beneath the waters and all that live in them.

6Death is naked before God; Destruction lies uncovered.

7He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing.

8He wraps up the waters in his clouds, yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.

9He covers the face of the full moon, spreading his clouds over it.

10He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters for a boundary between light and darkness.

11The pillars of the heavens quake, aghast at his rebuke.

12By his power he churned up the sea; by his wisdom he cut Rahab to pieces.

13By his breath the skies became fair; his hand pierced the gliding serpent.

14And these are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him! Who then can understand the thunder of his power?”

27And Job continued his discourse:

2“As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice, the Almighty, who has made me taste bitterness of soul,

3as long as I have life within me, the breath of God in my nostrils,

4my lips will not speak wickedness, and my tongue will utter no deceit.

5I will never admit you are in the right; till I die, I will not deny my integrity.

6I will maintain my righteousness and never let go of it; my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live.

7“May my enemies be like the wicked, my adversaries like the unjust!

8For what hope has the godless when he is cut off, when God takes away his life?

9Does God listen to his cry when distress comes upon him?

10Will he find delight in the Almighty? Will he call upon God at all times?

11“I will teach you about the power of God; the ways of the Almighty I will not conceal.

12You have all seen this yourselves. Why then this meaningless talk?

13“Here is the fate God allots to the wicked, the heritage a ruthless man receives from the Almighty:

14However many his children, their fate is the sword; his offspring will never have enough to eat.

15The plague will bury those who survive him, and their widows will not weep for them.

16Though he heaps up silver like dust and clothes like piles of clay,

17what he lays up the righteous will wear, and the innocent will divide his silver.

18The house he builds is like a moth’s cocoon, like a hut made by a watchman.

19He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more; when he opens his eyes, all is gone.

20Terrors overtake him like a flood; a tempest snatches him away in the night.

21The east wind carries him off, and he is gone; it sweeps him out of his place.

22It hurls itself against him without mercy as he flees headlong from its power.

23It claps its hands in derision and hisses him out of his place.

28“There is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined.

2Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore.

3Man puts an end to the darkness; he searches the farthest recesses for ore in the blackest darkness.

4Far from where people dwell he cuts a shaft, in places forgotten by the foot of man; far from men he dangles and sways.

5The earth, from which food comes, is transformed below as by fire;

6sapphires come from its rocks, and its dust contains nuggets of gold.

7No bird of prey knows that hidden path, no falcon’s eye has seen it.

8Proud beasts do not set foot on it, and no lion prowls there.

9Man’s hand assaults the flinty rock and lays bare the roots of the mountains.

10He tunnels through the rock; his eyes see all its treasures.

11He searches the sources of the rivers and brings hidden things to light.

12“But where can wisdom be found? Where does understanding dwell?

13Man does not comprehend its worth; it cannot be found in the land of the living.

14The deep says, ‘It is not in me’; the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’

15It cannot be bought with the finest gold, nor can its price be weighed in silver.

16It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir, with precious onyx or sapphires.

17Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it, nor can it be had for jewels of gold.

18Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.

19The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it; it cannot be bought with pure gold.

20“Where then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell?

21It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing, concealed even from the birds of the air.

22Destruction and Death say, ‘Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.’

23God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells,

24for he views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.

25When he established the force of the wind and measured out the waters,

26when he made a decree for the rain and a path for the thunderstorm,

27then he looked at wisdom and appraised it; he confirmed it and tested it.

28And he said to man, ‘The fear of the Lord-that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.’ “

29Job continued his discourse:

2“How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me,

3when his lamp shone upon my head and by his light I walked through darkness!

4Oh, for the days when I was in my prime, when God’s intimate friendship blessed my house,

5when the Almighty was still with me and my children were around me,

6when my path was drenched with cream and the rock poured out for me streams of olive oil.

7“When I went to the gate of the city and took my seat in the public square,

8the young men saw me and stepped aside and the old men rose to their feet;

9the chief men refrained from speaking and covered their mouths with their hands;

10the voices of the nobles were hushed, and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.

11Whoever heard me spoke well of me, and those who saw me commended me,

12because I rescued the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to assist him.

13The man who was dying blessed me; I made the widow’s heart sing.

14I put on righteousness as my clothing; justice was my robe and my turban.

15I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame.

16I was a father to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger.

17I broke the fangs of the wicked and snatched the victims from their teeth.

18“I thought, ‘I will die in my own house, my days as numerous as the grains of sand.

19My roots will reach to the water, and the dew will lie all night on my branches.

20My glory will remain fresh in me, the bow ever new in my hand.’

21“Men listened to me expectantly, waiting in silence for my counsel.

22After I had spoken, they spoke no more; my words fell gently on their ears.

23They waited for me as for showers and drank in my words as the spring rain.

24When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it; the light of my face was precious to them.

25I chose the way for them and sat as their chief; I dwelt as a king among his troops; I was like one who comforts mourners.

30“But now they mock me, men younger than I, whose fathers I would have disdained to put with my sheep dogs.

2Of what use was the strength of their hands to me, since their vigor had gone from them?

3Haggard from want and hunger, they roamed the parched land in desolate wastelands at night.

4In the brush they gathered salt herbs, and their food was the root of the broom tree.

5They were banished from their fellow men, shouted at as if they were thieves.

6They were forced to live in the dry stream beds, among the rocks and in holes in the ground.

7They brayed among the bushes and huddled in the undergrowth.

8A base and nameless brood, they were driven out of the land.

9“And now their sons mock me in song; I have become a byword among them.

10They detest me and keep their distance; they do not hesitate to spit in my face.

11Now that God has unstrung my bow and afflicted me, they throw off restraint in my presence.

12On my right the tribe attacks; they lay snares for my feet, they build their siege ramps against me.

13They break up my road; they succeed in destroying me- without anyone’s helping them.

14They advance as through a gaping breach; amid the ruins they come rolling in.

15Terrors overwhelm me; my dignity is driven away as by the wind, my safety vanishes like a cloud.

16“And now my life ebbs away; days of suffering grip me.

17Night pierces my bones; my gnawing pains never rest.

18In his great power God becomes like clothing to me ; he binds me like the neck of my garment.

19He throws me into the mud, and I am reduced to dust and ashes.

20“I cry out to you, O God, but you do not answer; I stand up, but you merely look at me.

21You turn on me ruthlessly; with the might of your hand you attack me.

22You snatch me up and drive me before the wind; you toss me about in the storm.

23I know you will bring me down to death, to the place appointed for all the living.

24“Surely no one lays a hand on a broken man when he cries for help in his distress.

25Have I not wept for those in trouble? Has not my soul grieved for the poor?

26Yet when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, then came darkness.

27The churning inside me never stops; days of suffering confront me.

28I go about blackened, but not by the sun; I stand up in the assembly and cry for help.

29I have become a brother of jackals, a companion of owls.

30My skin grows black and peels; my body burns with fever.

31My harp is tuned to mourning, and my flute to the sound of wailing.

31“I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl.

2For what is man’s lot from God above, his heritage from the Almighty on high?

3Is it not ruin for the wicked, disaster for those who do wrong?

4Does he not see my ways and count my every step?

5“If I have walked in falsehood or my foot has hurried after deceit-

6let God weigh me in honest scales and he will know that I am blameless-

7if my steps have turned from the path, if my heart has been led by my eyes, or if my hands have been defiled,

8then may others eat what I have sown, and may my crops be uprooted.

9“If my heart has been enticed by a woman, or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,

10then may my wife grind another man’s grain, and may other men sleep with her.

11For that would have been shameful, a sin to be judged.

12It is a fire that burns to Destruction ; it would have uprooted my harvest.

13“If I have denied justice to my menservants and maidservants when they had a grievance against me,

14what will I do when God confronts me? What will I answer when called to account?

15Did not he who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?

16“If I have denied the desires of the poor or let the eyes of the widow grow weary,

17if I have kept my bread to myself, not sharing it with the fatherless-

18but from my youth I reared him as would a father, and from my birth I guided the widow-

19if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing, or a needy man without a garment,

20and his heart did not bless me for warming him with the fleece from my sheep,

21if I have raised my hand against the fatherless, knowing that I had influence in court,

22then let my arm fall from the shoulder, let it be broken off at the joint.

23For I dreaded destruction from God, and for fear of his splendor I could not do such things.

24“If I have put my trust in gold or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security,’

25if I have rejoiced over my great wealth, the fortune my hands had gained,

26if I have regarded the sun in its radiance or the moon moving in splendor,

27so that my heart was secretly enticed and my hand offered them a kiss of homage,

28then these also would be sins to be judged, for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.

29“If I have rejoiced at my enemy’s misfortune or gloated over the trouble that came to him-

30I have not allowed my mouth to sin by invoking a curse against his life-

31if the men of my household have never said, ‘Who has not had his fill of Job’s meat?’-

32but no stranger had to spend the night in the street, for my door was always open to the traveler-

33if I have concealed my sin as men do, by hiding my guilt in my heart

34because I so feared the crowd and so dreaded the contempt of the clans that I kept silent and would not go outside

35(“Oh, that I had someone to hear me! I sign now my defense-let the Almighty answer me; let my accuser put his indictment in writing.

36Surely I would wear it on my shoulder, I would put it on like a crown.

37I would give him an account of my every step; like a prince I would approach him.)-

38“if my land cries out against me and all its furrows are wet with tears,

39if I have devoured its yield without payment or broken the spirit of its tenants,

40then let briers come up instead of wheat and weeds instead of barley.” The words of Job are ended.

32So these three men stopped answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.

2But Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, became very angry with Job for justifying himself rather than God.

3He was also angry with the three friends, because they had found no way to refute Job, and yet had condemned him.

4Now Elihu had waited before speaking to Job because they were older than he.

5But when he saw that the three men had nothing more to say, his anger was aroused.

6So Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite said: “I am young in years, and you are old; that is why I was fearful, not daring to tell you what I know.

7I thought, ‘Age should speak; advanced years should teach wisdom.’

8But it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding.

9It is not only the old who are wise, not only the aged who understand what is right.

10“Therefore I say: Listen to me; I too will tell you what I know.

11I waited while you spoke, I listened to your reasoning; while you were searching for words,

12I gave you my full attention. But not one of you has proved Job wrong; none of you has answered his arguments.

13Do not say, ‘We have found wisdom; let God refute him, not man.’

14But Job has not marshaled his words against me, and I will not answer him with your arguments.

15“They are dismayed and have no more to say; words have failed them.

16Must I wait, now that they are silent, now that they stand there with no reply?

17I too will have my say; I too will tell what I know.

18For I am full of words, and the spirit within me compels me;

19inside I am like bottled-up wine, like new wineskins ready to burst.

20I must speak and find relief; I must open my lips and reply.

21I will show partiality to no one, nor will I flatter any man;

22for if I were skilled in flattery, my Maker would soon take me away.

33“But now, Job, listen to my words; pay attention to everything I say.

2I am about to open my mouth; my words are on the tip of my tongue.

3My words come from an upright heart; my lips sincerely speak what I know.

4The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

5Answer me then, if you can; prepare yourself and confront me.

6I am just like you before God; I too have been taken from clay.

7No fear of me should alarm you, nor should my hand be heavy upon you.

8“But you have said in my hearing- I heard the very words-

9‘I am pure and without sin; I am clean and free from guilt.

10Yet God has found fault with me; he considers me his enemy.

11He fastens my feet in shackles; he keeps close watch on all my paths.’

12“But I tell you, in this you are not right, for God is greater than man.

13Why do you complain to him that he answers none of man’s words ?

14For God does speak-now one way, now another- though man may not perceive it.

15In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men as they slumber in their beds,

16he may speak in their ears and terrify them with warnings,

17to turn man from wrongdoing and keep him from pride,

18to preserve his soul from the pit, his life from perishing by the sword.

19Or a man may be chastened on a bed of pain with constant distress in his bones,

20so that his very being finds food repulsive and his soul loathes the choicest meal.

21His flesh wastes away to nothing, and his bones, once hidden, now stick out.

22His soul draws near to the pit, and his life to the messengers of death.

23“Yet if there is an angel on his side as a mediator, one out of a thousand, to tell a man what is right for him,

24to be gracious to him and say, ‘Spare him from going down to the pit ; I have found a ransom for him’-

25then his flesh is renewed like a child’s; it is restored as in the days of his youth.

26He prays to God and finds favor with him, he sees God’s face and shouts for joy; he is restored by God to his righteous state.

27Then he comes to men and says, ‘I sinned, and perverted what was right, but I did not get what I deserved.

28He redeemed my soul from going down to the pit, and I will live to enjoy the light.’

29“God does all these things to a man- twice, even three times-

30to turn back his soul from the pit, that the light of life may shine on him.

31“Pay attention, Job, and listen to me; be silent, and I will speak.

32If you have anything to say, answer me; speak up, for I want you to be cleared.

33But if not, then listen to me; be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”

34Then Elihu said:

2“Hear my words, you wise men; listen to me, you men of learning.

3For the ear tests words as the tongue tastes food.

4Let us discern for ourselves what is right; let us learn together what is good.

5“Job says, ‘I am innocent, but God denies me justice.

6Although I am right, I am considered a liar; although I am guiltless, his arrow inflicts an incurable wound.’

7What man is like Job, who drinks scorn like water?

8He keeps company with evildoers; he associates with wicked men.

9For he says, ‘It profits a man nothing when he tries to please God.’

10“So listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to do evil, from the Almighty to do wrong.

11He repays a man for what he has done; he brings upon him what his conduct deserves.

12It is unthinkable that God would do wrong, that the Almighty would pervert justice.

13Who appointed him over the earth? Who put him in charge of the whole world?

14If it were his intention and he withdrew his spirit and breath,

15all mankind would perish together and man would return to the dust.

16“If you have understanding, hear this; listen to what I say.

17Can he who hates justice govern? Will you condemn the just and mighty One?

18Is he not the One who says to kings, ‘You are worthless,’ and to nobles, ‘You are wicked,’

19who shows no partiality to princes and does not favor the rich over the poor, for they are all the work of his hands?

20They die in an instant, in the middle of the night; the people are shaken and they pass away; the mighty are removed without human hand.

21“His eyes are on the ways of men; he sees their every step.

22There is no dark place, no deep shadow, where evildoers can hide.

23God has no need to examine men further, that they should come before him for judgment.

24Without inquiry he shatters the mighty and sets up others in their place.

25Because he takes note of their deeds, he overthrows them in the night and they are crushed.

26He punishes them for their wickedness where everyone can see them,

27because they turned from following him and had no regard for any of his ways.

28They caused the cry of the poor to come before him, so that he heard the cry of the needy.

29But if he remains silent, who can condemn him? If he hides his face, who can see him? Yet he is over man and nation alike,

30to keep a godless man from ruling, from laying snares for the people.

31“Suppose a man says to God, ‘I am guilty but will offend no more.

32Teach me what I cannot see; if I have done wrong, I will not do so again.’

33Should God then reward you on your terms, when you refuse to repent? You must decide, not I; so tell me what you know.

34“Men of understanding declare, wise men who hear me say to me,

35‘Job speaks without knowledge; his words lack insight.’

36Oh, that Job might be tested to the utmost for answering like a wicked man!

37To his sin he adds rebellion; scornfully he claps his hands among us and multiplies his words against God.”

35Then Elihu said:

2“Do you think this is just? You say, ‘I will be cleared by God. ‘

3Yet you ask him, ‘What profit is it to me, and what do I gain by not sinning?’

4“I would like to reply to you and to your friends with you.

5Look up at the heavens and see; gaze at the clouds so high above you.

6If you sin, how does that affect him? If your sins are many, what does that do to him?

7If you are righteous, what do you give to him, or what does he receive from your hand?

8Your wickedness affects only a man like yourself, and your righteousness only the sons of men.

9“Men cry out under a load of oppression; they plead for relief from the arm of the powerful.

10But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night,

11who teaches more to us than to the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds of the air?’

12He does not answer when men cry out because of the arrogance of the wicked.

13Indeed, God does not listen to their empty plea; the Almighty pays no attention to it.

14How much less, then, will he listen when you say that you do not see him, that your case is before him and you must wait for him,

15and further, that his anger never punishes and he does not take the least notice of wickedness.

16So Job opens his mouth with empty talk; without knowledge he multiplies words.”

36Elihu continued:

2“Bear with me a little longer and I will show you that there is more to be said in God’s behalf.

3I get my knowledge from afar; I will ascribe justice to my Maker.

4Be assured that my words are not false; one perfect in knowledge is with you.

5“God is mighty, but does not despise men; he is mighty, and firm in his purpose.

6He does not keep the wicked alive but gives the afflicted their rights.

7He does not take his eyes off the righteous; he enthrones them with kings and exalts them forever.

8But if men are bound in chains, held fast by cords of affliction,

9he tells them what they have done- that they have sinned arrogantly.

10He makes them listen to correction and commands them to repent of their evil.

11If they obey and serve him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment.

12But if they do not listen, they will perish by the sword and die without knowledge.

13“The godless in heart harbor resentment; even when he fetters them, they do not cry for help.

14They die in their youth, among male prostitutes of the shrines.

15But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction.

16“He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food.

17But now you are laden with the judgment due the wicked; judgment and justice have taken hold of you.

18Be careful that no one entices you by riches; do not let a large bribe turn you aside.

19Would your wealth or even all your mighty efforts sustain you so you would not be in distress?

20Do not long for the night, to drag people away from their homes.

21Beware of turning to evil, which you seem to prefer to affliction.

22“God is exalted in his power. Who is a teacher like him?

23Who has prescribed his ways for him, or said to him, ‘You have done wrong’?

24Remember to extol his work, which men have praised in song.

25All mankind has seen it; men gaze on it from afar.

26How great is God-beyond our understanding! The number of his years is past finding out.

27“He draws up the drops of water, which distill as rain to the streams ;

28the clouds pour down their moisture and abundant showers fall on mankind.

29Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds, how he thunders from his pavilion?

30See how he scatters his lightning about him, bathing the depths of the sea.

31This is the way he governs the nations and provides food in abundance.

32He fills his hands with lightning and commands it to strike its mark.

33His thunder announces the coming storm; even the cattle make known its approach.

37“At this my heart pounds and leaps from its place.

2Listen! Listen to the roar of his voice, to the rumbling that comes from his mouth.

3He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven and sends it to the ends of the earth.

4After that comes the sound of his roar; he thunders with his majestic voice. When his voice resounds, he holds nothing back.

5God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding.

6He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’

7So that all men he has made may know his work, he stops every man from his labor.

8The animals take cover; they remain in their dens.

9The tempest comes out from its chamber, the cold from the driving winds.

10The breath of God produces ice, and the broad waters become frozen.

11He loads the clouds with moisture; he scatters his lightning through them.

12At his direction they swirl around over the face of the whole earth to do whatever he commands them.

13He brings the clouds to punish men, or to water his earth and show his love.

14“Listen to this, Job; stop and consider God’s wonders.

15Do you know how God controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash?

16Do you know how the clouds hang poised, those wonders of him who is perfect in knowledge?

17You who swelter in your clothes when the land lies hushed under the south wind,

18can you join him in spreading out the skies, hard as a mirror of cast bronze?

19“Tell us what we should say to him; we cannot draw up our case because of our darkness.

20Should he be told that I want to speak? Would any man ask to be swallowed up?

21Now no one can look at the sun, bright as it is in the skies after the wind has swept them clean.

22Out of the north he comes in golden splendor; God comes in awesome majesty.

23The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power; in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress.

24Therefore, men revere him, for does he not have regard for all the wise in heart? “

38Then the Lord answered Job out of the storm. He said:

2“Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?

3Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.

4“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand.

5Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it?

6On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone-

7while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?

8“Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb,

9when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness,

10when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place,

11when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt’?

12“Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place,

13that it might take the earth by the edges and shake the wicked out of it?

14The earth takes shape like clay under a seal; its features stand out like those of a garment.

15The wicked are denied their light, and their upraised arm is broken.

16“Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep?

17Have the gates of death been shown to you? Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death ?

18Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth? Tell me, if you know all this.

19“What is the way to the abode of light? And where does darkness reside?

20Can you take them to their places? Do you know the paths to their dwellings?

21Surely you know, for you were already born! You have lived so many years!

22“Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail,

23which I reserve for times of trouble, for days of war and battle?

24What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed, or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth?

25Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorm,

26to water a land where no man lives, a desert with no one in it,

27to satisfy a desolate wasteland and make it sprout with grass?

28Does the rain have a father? Who fathers the drops of dew?

29From whose womb comes the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens

30when the waters become hard as stone, when the surface of the deep is frozen?

31“Can you bind the beautiful Pleiades? Can you loose the cords of Orion?

32Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead out the Bear with its cubs?

33Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God’s dominion over the earth?

34“Can you raise your voice to the clouds and cover yourself with a flood of water?

35Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?

36Who endowed the heart with wisdom or gave understanding to the mind ?

37Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens

38when the dust becomes hard and the clods of earth stick together?

39“Do you hunt the prey for the lioness and satisfy the hunger of the lions

40when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in a thicket?

41Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food?

39“Do you know when the mountain goats give birth? Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn?

2Do you count the months till they bear? Do you know the time they give birth?

3They crouch down and bring forth their young; their labor pains are ended.

4Their young thrive and grow strong in the wilds; they leave and do not return.

5“Who let the wild donkey go free? Who untied his ropes?

6I gave him the wasteland as his home, the salt flats as his habitat.

7He laughs at the commotion in the town; he does not hear a driver’s shout.

8He ranges the hills for his pasture and searches for any green thing.

9“Will the wild ox consent to serve you? Will he stay by your manger at night?

10Can you hold him to the furrow with a harness? Will he till the valleys behind you?

11Will you rely on him for his great strength? Will you leave your heavy work to him?

12Can you trust him to bring in your grain and gather it to your threshing floor?

13“The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully, but they cannot compare with the pinions and feathers of the stork.

14She lays her eggs on the ground and lets them warm in the sand,

15unmindful that a foot may crush them, that some wild animal may trample them.

16She treats her young harshly, as if they were not hers; she cares not that her labor was in vain,

17for God did not endow her with wisdom or give her a share of good sense.

18Yet when she spreads her feathers to run, she laughs at horse and rider.

19“Do you give the horse his strength or clothe his neck with a flowing mane?

20Do you make him leap like a locust, striking terror with his proud snorting?

21He paws fiercely, rejoicing in his strength, and charges into the fray.

22He laughs at fear, afraid of nothing; he does not shy away from the sword.

23The quiver rattles against his side, along with the flashing spear and lance.

24In frenzied excitement he eats up the ground; he cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds.

25At the blast of the trumpet he snorts, ‘Aha!’ He catches the scent of battle from afar, the shout of commanders and the battle cry.

26“Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom and spread his wings toward the south?

27Does the eagle soar at your command and build his nest on high?

28He dwells on a cliff and stays there at night; a rocky crag is his stronghold.

29From there he seeks out his food; his eyes detect it from afar.

30His young ones feast on blood, and where the slain are, there is he.”

40The Lord said to Job:

2“Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer him!”

3Then Job answered the Lord :

4“I am unworthy-how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth.

5I spoke once, but I have no answer- twice, but I will say no more.”

6Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm:

7“Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.

8“Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself?

9Do you have an arm like God’s, and can your voice thunder like his?

10Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor, and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.

11Unleash the fury of your wrath, look at every proud man and bring him low,

12look at every proud man and humble him, crush the wicked where they stand.

13Bury them all in the dust together; shroud their faces in the grave.

14Then I myself will admit to you that your own right hand can save you.

15“Look at the behemoth, which I made along with you and which feeds on grass like an ox.

16What strength he has in his loins, what power in the muscles of his belly!

17His tail sways like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are close-knit.

18His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like rods of iron.

19He ranks first among the works of God, yet his Maker can approach him with his sword.

20The hills bring him their produce, and all the wild animals play nearby.

21Under the lotus plants he lies, hidden among the reeds in the marsh.

22The lotuses conceal him in their shadow; the poplars by the stream surround him.

23When the river rages, he is not alarmed; he is secure, though the Jordan should surge against his mouth.

24Can anyone capture him by the eyes, or trap him and pierce his nose?

41“Can you pull in the leviathan with a fishhook or tie down his tongue with a rope?

2Can you put a cord through his nose or pierce his jaw with a hook?

3Will he keep begging you for mercy? Will he speak to you with gentle words?

4Will he make an agreement with you for you to take him as your slave for life?

5Can you make a pet of him like a bird or put him on a leash for your girls?

6Will traders barter for him? Will they divide him up among the merchants?

7Can you fill his hide with harpoons or his head with fishing spears?

8If you lay a hand on him, you will remember the struggle and never do it again!

9Any hope of subduing him is false; the mere sight of him is overpowering.

10No one is fierce enough to rouse him. Who then is able to stand against me?

11Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me.

12“I will not fail to speak of his limbs, his strength and his graceful form.

13Who can strip off his outer coat? Who would approach him with a bridle?

14Who dares open the doors of his mouth, ringed about with his fearsome teeth?

15His back has rows of shields tightly sealed together;

16each is so close to the next that no air can pass between.

17They are joined fast to one another; they cling together and cannot be parted.

18His snorting throws out flashes of light; his eyes are like the rays of dawn.

19Firebrands stream from his mouth; sparks of fire shoot out.

20Smoke pours from his nostrils as from a boiling pot over a fire of reeds.

21His breath sets coals ablaze, and flames dart from his mouth.

22Strength resides in his neck; dismay goes before him.

23The folds of his flesh are tightly joined; they are firm and immovable.

24His chest is hard as rock, hard as a lower millstone.

25When he rises up, the mighty are terrified; they retreat before his thrashing.

26The sword that reaches him has no effect, nor does the spear or the dart or the javelin.

27Iron he treats like straw and bronze like rotten wood.

28Arrows do not make him flee; slingstones are like chaff to him.

29A club seems to him but a piece of straw; he laughs at the rattling of the lance.

30His undersides are jagged potsherds, leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing sledge.

31He makes the depths churn like a boiling caldron and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment.

32Behind him he leaves a glistening wake; one would think the deep had white hair.

33Nothing on earth is his equal- a creature without fear.

34He looks down on all that are haughty; he is king over all that are proud.”

42Then Job replied to the Lord :

2“I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.

3You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.

4“You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’

5My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.

6Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”

7After the Lord had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.

8So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.”

9So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the Lord told them; and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.

10After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before.

11All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the Lord had brought upon him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring.

12The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand

camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys.

13And he also had seven sons and three daughters.

14The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren- Happuch.

15Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job’s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers.

16After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation.

17And so he died, old and full of years.

Esther

Posted on by robertmacsbible_hpehg4

Esther

8By the king’s command each guest was allowed to drink in his own way, for the

1This is what happened during the

time of Xerxes, the Xerxes who ruled over 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush :

2At that time King Xerxes reigned from his royal throne in the citadel of Susa,

3and in the third year of his reign he gave a banquet for all his nobles and officials. The military leaders of Persia and Media, the princes, and the nobles of the provinces were present.

4For a full 180 days he displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and glory of his majesty.

5When these days were over, the king gave a banquet, lasting seven days, in the enclosed garden of the king’s palace, for all the people from the least to the greatest, who were in the citadel of Susa.

6The garden had hangings of white and blue linen, fastened with cords of white linen and purple material to silver rings on marble pillars. There were couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and other costly stones.

7Wine was served in goblets of gold, each one different from the other, and the royal wine was abundant, in keeping with the king’s liberality.

king instructed all the wine stewards to serve each man what he wished.

9Queen Vashti also gave a banquet for the women in the royal palace of King Xerxes.

10On the seventh day, when King Xerxes was in high spirits from wine, he commanded the seven eunuchs who served him-Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Carcas-

11to bring before him Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown, in order to display her beauty to the people and nobles, for she was lovely to look at.

12But when the attendants delivered the king’s command, Queen Vashti refused to come. Then the king became furious and burned with anger.

13Since it was customary for the king to consult experts in matters of law and justice, he spoke with the wise men who understood the times

14and were closest to the king-Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena and Memucan, the seven nobles of Persia and Media who had special access to the king and were highest in the kingdom.

15“According to law, what must be done to Queen Vashti?” he asked. “She has not obeyed the command of King

Xerxes that the eunuchs have taken to her.”

16Then Memucan replied in the presence of the king and the nobles, “Queen Vashti has done wrong, not only against the king but also against all the nobles and the peoples of all the provinces of King Xerxes.

17For the queen’s conduct will become known to all the women, and so they will despise their husbands and say, ‘King Xerxes commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, but she would not come.’

18This very day the Persian and Median women of the nobility who have heard about the queen’s conduct will respond to all the king’s nobles in the same way. There will be no end of disrespect and discord.

19“Therefore, if it pleases the king, let him issue a royal decree and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media, which cannot be repealed, that Vashti is never again to enter the presence of King Xerxes. Also let the king give her royal position to someone else who is better than she.

20Then when the king’s edict is proclaimed throughout all his vast realm, all the women will respect their husbands, from the least to the greatest.”

21The king and his nobles were pleased with this advice, so the king did as Memucan proposed.

22He sent dispatches to all parts of the kingdom, to each province in its own script and to each people in its own language, proclaiming in each people’s tongue that every man should be ruler over his own household.

2Later when the anger of King Xerxes had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what he had decreed about her.

2Then the king’s personal attendants proposed, “Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king.

3Let the king appoint commissioners in every province of his realm to bring all these beautiful girls into the harem at the citadel of Susa. Let them be placed under the care of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let beauty treatments be given to them.

4Then let the girl who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” This advice appealed to the king, and he followed it.

5Now there was in the citadel of Susa a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, named Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish,

6who had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, among those taken captive with Jehoiachin king of Judah.

7Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor

mother. This girl, who was also known as Esther, was lovely in form and features, and Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died.

8When the king’s order and edict had been proclaimed, many girls were brought to the citadel of Susa and put under the care of Hegai. Esther also was taken to the king’s palace and entrusted to Hegai, who had charge of the harem.

9The girl pleased him and won his favor. Immediately he provided her with her beauty treatments and special food. He assigned to her seven maids selected from the king’s palace and moved her and her maids into the best place in the harem.

10Esther had not revealed her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had forbidden her to do so.

11Every day he walked back and forth near the courtyard of the harem to find out how Esther was and what was happening to her.

12Before a girl’s turn came to go in to King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics.

13And this is how she would go to the king: Anything she wanted was given her to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace.

14In the evening she would go there and in the morning return to another part of the harem to the care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the concubines. She would not return to the king unless he was pleased with her and summoned her by name.

15When the turn came for Esther (the girl Mordecai had adopted, the daughter of his uncle Abihail) to go to the king, she asked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the harem, suggested. And Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her.

16She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal residence in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.

17Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.

18And the king gave a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his nobles and officials. He proclaimed a holiday throughout the provinces and distributed gifts with royal liberality.

19When the virgins were assembled a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate.

20But Esther had kept secret her family background and nationality just as Mordecai had told her to do, for she continued to follow Mordecai’s instructions as she had done when he was bringing her up.

21During the time Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s officers who guarded the doorway, became angry and conspired to assassinate King Xerxes.

22But Mordecai found out about the plot and told Queen Esther, who in turn reported it to the king, giving credit to Mordecai.

23And when the report was investigated and found to be true, the two officials were hanged on a gallows. All this was recorded in the book of the annals in the presence of the king.

3After these events, King Xerxes honored Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, elevating him and giving him a seat of honor higher than that of all the other nobles.

2All the royal officials at the king’s gate knelt down and paid honor to Haman, for the king had commanded this concerning him. But Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor.

3Then the royal officials at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why do you disobey the king’s command?”

4Day after day they spoke to him but he refused to comply. Therefore they told Haman about it to see whether Mordecai’s behavior would be tolerated, for he had told them he was a Jew.

5When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor, he was enraged.

6Yet having learned who Mordecai’s people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes.

7In the twelfth year of King Xerxes, in the first month, the month of Nisan, they cast the pur (that is, the lot) in the presence of Haman to select a day and month. And the lot fell on the twelfth month, the month of Adar.

8Then Haman said to King Xerxes, “There is a certain people dispersed and scattered among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom whose customs are different from those of all other people and who do not obey the king’s laws; it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them.

9If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will put ten thousand talents of silver into the royal treasury for the men who carry out this business.”

10So the king took his signet ring from his finger and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews.

11“Keep the money,” the king said to Haman, “and do with the people as you please.”

12Then on the thirteenth day of the first month the royal secretaries were summoned. They wrote out in the script of each province and in the language of each people all Haman’s orders to the king’s satraps, the governors of the

various provinces and the nobles of the various peoples. These were written in the name of King Xerxes himself and sealed with his own ring.

13Dispatches were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces with the order to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews- young and old, women and little children-on a single day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods.

14A copy of the text of the edict was to be issued as law in every province and made known to the people of every nationality so they would be ready for that day.

15Spurred on by the king’s command, the couriers went out, and the edict was issued in the citadel of Susa. The king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was bewildered.

4When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly.

2But he went only as far as the king’s gate, because no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to enter it.

3In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

4When Esther’s maids and eunuchs came and told her about Mordecai, she

was in great distress. She sent clothes for him to put on instead of his sackcloth, but he would not accept them.

5Then Esther summoned Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs assigned to attend her, and ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai and why.

6So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate.

7Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews.

8He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict for their annihilation, which had been published in Susa, to show to Esther and explain it to her, and he told him to urge her to go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people.

9Hathach went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said.

10Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai,

11“All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that he be put to death. The only exception to this is for the king to extend the gold scepter to him and spare his life. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.”

12When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai,

13he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape.

14For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”

15Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai:

16“Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”

17So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther’s instructions.

5On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the palace, in front of the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall, facing the entrance.

2When he saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased with her and held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand. So Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter.

3Then the king asked, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given you.”

4“If it pleases the king,” replied Esther, “let the king, together with Haman, come today to a banquet I have prepared for him.”

5“Bring Haman at once,” the king said, “so that we may do what Esther asks.” So the king and Haman went to the banquet Esther had prepared.

6As they were drinking wine, the king again asked Esther, “Now what is your petition? It will be given you. And what is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted.”

7Esther replied, “My petition and my request is this:

8If the king regards me with favor and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come tomorrow to the banquet I will prepare for them. Then I will answer the king’s question.”

9Haman went out that day happy and in high spirits. But when he saw Mordecai at the king’s gate and observed that he neither rose nor showed fear in his presence, he was filled with rage against Mordecai.

10Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home. Calling together his friends and Zeresh, his wife,

11Haman boasted to them about his vast wealth, his many sons, and all the ways

the king had honored him and how he had elevated him above the other nobles and officials.

12“And that’s not all,” Haman added. “I’m the only person Queen Esther invited to accompany the king to the banquet she gave. And she has invited me along with the king tomorrow.

13But all this gives me no satisfaction as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king’s gate.”

14His wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Have a gallows built, seventy- five feet high, and ask the king in the morning to have Mordecai hanged on it. Then go with the king to the dinner and be happy.” This suggestion delighted Haman, and he had the gallows built.

6That night the king could not sleep; so he ordered the book of the chronicles, the record of his reign, to be brought in and read to him.

2It was found recorded there that Mordecai had exposed Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s officers who guarded the doorway, who had conspired to assassinate King Xerxes.

3“What honor and recognition has Mordecai received for this?” the king asked. “Nothing has been done for him,” his attendants answered.

4The king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the palace to speak to the king

about hanging Mordecai on the gallows he had erected for him.

5His attendants answered, “Haman is standing in the court.” “Bring him in,” the king ordered.

6When Haman entered, the king asked him, “What should be done for the man the king delights to honor?” Now Haman thought to himself, “Who is there that the king would rather honor than me?”

7So he answered the king, “For the man the king delights to honor,

8have them bring a royal robe the king has worn and a horse the king has ridden, one with a royal crest placed on its head.

9Then let the robe and horse be entrusted to one of the king’s most noble princes. Let them robe the man the king delights to honor, and lead him on the horse through the city streets, proclaiming before him, ‘This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!’ “

10“Go at once,” the king commanded Haman. “Get the robe and the horse and do just as you have suggested for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king’s gate. Do not neglect anything you have recommended.”

11So Haman got the robe and the horse. He robed Mordecai, and led him on horseback through the city streets, proclaiming before him, “This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!”

12Afterward Mordecai returned to the king’s gate. But Haman rushed home, with his head covered in grief,

13and told Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had happened to him. His advisers and his wife Zeresh said to him, “Since Mordecai, before whom your downfall has started, is of Jewish origin, you cannot stand against him-you will surely come to ruin!”

14While they were still talking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived and hurried Haman away to the banquet Esther had prepared.

7So the king and Haman went to dine with Queen Esther,

2and as they were drinking wine on that second day, the king again asked, “Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted.”

3Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor with you, O king, and if it pleases your majesty, grant me my life-this is my petition. And spare my people-this is my request.

4For I and my people have been sold for destruction and slaughter and annihilation. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king. “

5King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, “Who is he? Where is the man who has dared to do such a thing?”

6Esther said, “The adversary and enemy is this vile Haman.” Then Haman was terrified before the king and queen.

7The king got up in a rage, left his wine and went out into the palace garden. But Haman, realizing that the king had already decided his fate, stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life.

8Just as the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was reclining. The king exclaimed, “Will he even molest the queen while she is with me in the house?” As soon as the word left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.

9Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs attending the king, said, “A gallows seventy-five feet high stands by Haman’s house. He had it made for Mordecai, who spoke up to help the king.” The king said, “Hang him on it!”

10So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s fury subsided.

8That same day King Xerxes gave Queen Esther the estate of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came into the presence of the king, for Esther had told how he was related to her.

2The king took off his signet ring, which he had reclaimed from Haman, and presented it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed him over Haman’s estate.

3Esther again pleaded with the king, falling at his feet and weeping. She begged him to put an end to the evil plan of Haman the Agagite, which he had devised against the Jews.

4Then the king extended the gold scepter to Esther and she arose and stood before him.

5“If it pleases the king,” she said, “and if he regards me with favor and thinks it the right thing to do, and if he is pleased with me, let an order be written overruling the dispatches that Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, devised and wrote to destroy the Jews in all the king’s provinces.

6For how can I bear to see disaster fall on my people? How can I bear to see the destruction of my family?”

7King Xerxes replied to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Because Haman attacked the Jews, I have given his estate to Esther, and they have hanged him on the gallows.

8Now write another decree in the king’s name in behalf of the Jews as seems best to you, and seal it with the king’s signet ring-for no document written in the king’s name and sealed with his ring can be revoked.”

9At once the royal secretaries were summoned-on the twenty-third day of

the third month, the month of Sivan. They wrote out all Mordecai’s orders to the Jews, and to the satraps, governors and nobles of the 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush. These orders were written in the script of each province and the language of each people and also to the Jews in their own script and language.

10Mordecai wrote in the name of King Xerxes, sealed the dispatches with the king’s signet ring, and sent them by mounted couriers, who rode fast horses especially bred for the king.

11The king’s edict granted the Jews in every city the right to assemble and protect themselves; to destroy, kill and annihilate any armed force of any nationality or province that might attack them and their women and children; and to plunder the property of their enemies.

12The day appointed for the Jews to do this in all the provinces of King Xerxes was the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar.

13A copy of the text of the edict was to be issued as law in every province and made known to the people of every nationality so that the Jews would be ready on that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.

14The couriers, riding the royal horses, raced out, spurred on by the king’s command. And the edict was also issued in the citadel of Susa.

15Mordecai left the king’s presence wearing royal garments of blue and white, a large crown of gold and a

purple robe of fine linen. And the city of Susa held a joyous celebration.

16For the Jews it was a time of happiness and joy, gladness and honor.

17In every province and in every city, wherever the edict of the king went, there was joy and gladness among the Jews, with feasting and celebrating. And many people of other nationalities became Jews because fear of the Jews had seized them.

9On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the edict commanded by the king was to be carried out. On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but now the tables were turned and the Jews got the upper hand over those who hated them.

2The Jews assembled in their cities in all the provinces of King Xerxes to attack those seeking their destruction. No one could stand against them, because the people of all the other nationalities were afraid of them.

3And all the nobles of the provinces, the satraps, the governors and the king’s administrators helped the Jews, because fear of Mordecai had seized them.

4Mordecai was prominent in the palace; his reputation spread throughout the provinces, and he became more and more powerful.

5The Jews struck down all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and they did what they pleased to those who hated them.

6In the citadel of Susa, the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men.

7They also killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha,

8Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha,

9Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai and Vaizatha,

10the ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. But they did not lay their hands on the plunder.

11The number of those slain in the citadel of Susa was reported to the king that same day.

12The king said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men and the ten sons of Haman in the citadel of Susa. What have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces? Now what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? It will also be granted.”

13“If it pleases the king,” Esther answered, “give the Jews in Susa permission to carry out this day’s edict tomorrow also, and let Haman’s ten sons be hanged on gallows.”

14So the king commanded that this be done. An edict was issued in Susa, and they hanged the ten sons of Haman.

15The Jews in Susa came together on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, and they put to death in Susa three hundred men, but they did not lay their hands on the plunder.

16Meanwhile, the remainder of the Jews who were in the king’s provinces also assembled to protect themselves and get relief from their enemies. They killed seventy-five thousand of them but did not lay their hands on the plunder.

17This happened on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting and joy.

18The Jews in Susa, however, had assembled on the thirteenth and fourteenth, and then on the fifteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting and joy.

19That is why rural Jews-those living in villages-observe the fourteenth of the month of Adar as a day of joy and feasting, a day for giving presents to each other.

20Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Xerxes, near and far,

21to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar

22as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of

celebration. He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor.

23So the Jews agreed to continue the celebration they had begun, doing what Mordecai had written to them.

24For Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them and had cast the pur (that is, the lot) for their ruin and destruction.

25But when the plot came to the king’s attention, he issued written orders that the evil scheme Haman had devised against the Jews should come back onto his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.

26(Therefore these days were called Purim, from the word pur .) Because of everything written in this letter and because of what they had seen and what had happened to them,

27the Jews took it upon themselves to establish the custom that they and their descendants and all who join them should without fail observe these two days every year, in the way prescribed and at the time appointed.

28These days should be remembered and observed in every generation by every family, and in every province and in every city. And these days of Purim should never cease to be celebrated by the Jews, nor should the memory of them die out among their descendants.

29So Queen Esther, daughter of Abihail, along with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter concerning Purim.

30And Mordecai sent letters to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Xerxes-words of goodwill and assurance-

31to establish these days of Purim at their designated times, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had decreed for them, and as they had established for themselves and their descendants in regard to their times of fasting and lamentation.

32Esther’s decree confirmed these regulations about Purim, and it was written down in the records.

10King Xerxes imposed tribute throughout the empire, to its distant shores.

2And all his acts of power and might, together with a full account of the greatness of Mordecai to which the king had raised him, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Media and Persia?

3Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Xerxes, preeminent among the Jews, and held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews.

Nehemiah

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Nehemiah

1The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa,

2Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.

3They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”

4When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.

5Then I said: “O Lord , God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands,

6let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s house, have committed against you.

7We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the

commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.

8“Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations,

9but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’

10“They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand.

11O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” I was cupbearer to the king.

2In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before;

2so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.” I was very much afraid,

3but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”

4The king said to me, “What is it you want?” Then I prayed to the God of heaven,

5and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it.”

6Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?” It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.

7I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah?

8And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?” And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests.

9So I went to the governors of Trans- Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.

10When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.

11I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days

12I set out during the night with a few men. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on.

13By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire.

14Then I moved on toward the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was not enough room for my mount to get through;

15so I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and reentered through the Valley Gate.

16The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work.

17Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of

Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.”

18I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me. They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work.

19But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. “What is this you are doing?” they asked. “Are you rebelling against the king?”

20I answered them by saying, “The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.”

3Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set its doors in place, building as far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they dedicated, and as far as the Tower of Hananel.

2The men of Jericho built the adjoining section, and Zaccur son of Imri built next to them.

3The Fish Gate was rebuilt by the sons of Hassenaah. They laid its beams and put its doors and bolts and bars in place.

4Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired the next section. Next to him Meshullam son of Berekiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs, and

next to him Zadok son of Baana also made repairs.

5The next section was repaired by the men of Tekoa, but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work under their supervisors.

6The Jeshanah Gate was repaired by Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah. They laid its beams and put its doors and bolts and bars in place.

7Next to them, repairs were made by men from Gibeon and Mizpah-Melatiah of Gibeon and Jadon of Meronoth- places under the authority of the governor of Trans-Euphrates.

8Uzziel son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired the next section; and Hananiah, one of the perfume- makers, made repairs next to that. They restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall.

9Rephaiah son of Hur, ruler of a half- district of Jerusalem, repaired the next section.

10Adjoining this, Jedaiah son of Harumaph made repairs opposite his house, and Hattush son of Hashabneiah made repairs next to him.

11Malkijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath-Moab repaired another section and the Tower of the Ovens.

12Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, repaired the

next section with the help of his daughters.

13The Valley Gate was repaired by Hanun and the residents of Zanoah. They rebuilt it and put its doors and bolts and bars in place. They also repaired five hundred yards of the wall as far as the Dung Gate.

14The Dung Gate was repaired by Malkijah son of Recab, ruler of the district of Beth Hakkerem. He rebuilt it and put its doors and bolts and bars in place.

15The Fountain Gate was repaired by Shallun son of Col-Hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah. He rebuilt it, roofing it over and putting its doors and bolts and bars in place. He also repaired the wall of the Pool of Siloam, by the King’s Garden, as far as the steps going down from the City of David.

16Beyond him, Nehemiah son of Azbuk, ruler of a half-district of Beth Zur, made repairs up to a point opposite the tombs of David, as far as the artificial pool and the House of the Heroes.

17Next to him, the repairs were made by the Levites under Rehum son of Bani. Beside him, Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of Keilah, carried out repairs for his district.

18Next to him, the repairs were made by their countrymen under Binnui son of Henadad, ruler of the other half-district of Keilah.

19Next to him, Ezer son of Jeshua, ruler of Mizpah, repaired another section, from a point facing the ascent to the armory as far as the angle.

20Next to him, Baruch son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section, from the angle to the entrance of the house of Eliashib the high priest.

21Next to him, Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired another section, from the entrance of Eliashib’s house to the end of it.

22The repairs next to him were made by the priests from the surrounding region.

23Beyond them, Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs in front of their house; and next to them, Azariah son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, made repairs beside his house.

24Next to him, Binnui son of Henadad repaired another section, from Azariah’s house to the angle and the corner,

25and Palal son of Uzai worked opposite the angle and the tower projecting from the upper palace near the court of the guard. Next to him, Pedaiah son of Parosh

26and the temple servants living on the hill of Ophel made repairs up to a point opposite the Water Gate toward the east and the projecting tower.

27Next to them, the men of Tekoa repaired another section, from the great projecting tower to the wall of Ophel.

28Above the Horse Gate, the priests made repairs, each in front of his own house.

29Next to them, Zadok son of Immer made repairs opposite his house. Next to him, Shemaiah son of Shecaniah, the guard at the East Gate, made repairs.

30Next to him, Hananiah son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another section. Next to them, Meshullam son of Berekiah made repairs opposite his living quarters.

31Next to him, Malkijah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs as far as the house of the temple servants and the merchants, opposite the Inspection Gate, and as far as the room above the corner;

32and between the room above the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and merchants made repairs.

4When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews,

2and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble-burned as they are?”

3Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building-if

even a fox climbed up on it, he would break down their wall of stones!”

4Hear us, O our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity.

5Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of the builders.

6So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.

7But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the men of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry.

8They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it.

9But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.

10Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.”

11Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.”

12Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”

13Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows.

14After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”

15When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to his own work.

16From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah

17who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other,

18and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me.

19Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall.

20Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!”

21So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out.

22At that time I also said to the people, “Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and workmen by day.”

23Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water.

5Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their Jewish brothers.

2Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain.”

3Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine.”

4Still others were saying, “We have had to borrow money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards.

5Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our countrymen and though our sons are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others.”

6When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry.

7I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, “You are exacting usury from your own countrymen!” So I called together a large meeting to deal with them

8and said: “As far as possible, we have bought back our Jewish brothers who were sold to the Gentiles. Now you are selling your brothers, only for them to be sold back to us!” They kept quiet, because they could find nothing to say.

9So I continued, “What you are doing is not right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies?

10I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let the exacting of usury stop!

11Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the usury you are charging them-the hundredth part of the money, grain, new wine and oil.”

12“We will give it back,” they said. “And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say.” Then I summoned the priests and made the nobles and officials take an oath to do what they had promised.

13I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, “In this way may God shake out of his house and possessions every man who does not keep this promise. So may such a man be shaken out and

emptied!” At this the whole assembly said, “Amen,” and praised the Lord . And the people did as they had promised.

14Moreover, from the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, until his thirty-second year-twelve years- neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor.

15But the earlier governors-those preceding me-placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God I did not act like that.

16Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled there for the work; we did not acquire any land.

17Furthermore, a hundred and fifty Jews and officials ate at my table, as well as those who came to us from the surrounding nations.

18Each day one ox, six choice sheep and some poultry were prepared for me, and every ten days an abundant supply of wine of all kinds. In spite of all this, I never demanded the food allotted to the governor, because the demands were heavy on these people.

19Remember me with favor, O my God, for all I have done for these people.

6When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it-though up to that time I had not set the doors in the gates-

2Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.” But they were scheming to harm me;

3so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?”

4Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer.

5Then, the fifth time, Sanballat sent his aide to me with the same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter

6in which was written: “It is reported among the nations-and Geshem says it is true-that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and therefore you are building the wall. Moreover, according to these reports you are about to become their king

7and have even appointed prophets to make this proclamation about you in Jerusalem: ‘There is a king in Judah!’ Now this report will get back to the king; so come, let us confer together.”

8I sent him this reply: “Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head.”

9They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.” But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.”

10One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home. He said, “Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you-by night they are coming to kill you.”

11But I said, “Should a man like me run away? Or should one like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!”

12I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

13He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me.

14Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who have been trying to intimidate me.

15So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.

16When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.

17Also, in those days the nobles of Judah were sending many letters to Tobiah, and replies from Tobiah kept coming to them.

18For many in Judah were under oath to him, since he was son-in-law to Shecaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berekiah.

19Moreover, they kept reporting to me his good deeds and then telling him what I said. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.

7After the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers and the singers and the Levites were appointed.

2I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah the commander of the citadel, because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most men do.

3I said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot. While the gatekeepers are still on duty, have them shut the doors and bar them. Also appoint residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some near their own houses.”

4Now the city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and the houses had not yet been rebuilt.

5So my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials and the common people for registration by families. I found the genealogical record of those who had been the first to return. This is what I found written there:

6These are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken captive (they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town,

7in company with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum and Baanah): The list of the men of Israel:

8the descendants of Parosh 2,172

9of Shephatiah 372

10of Arah 652

11of Pahath-Moab (through the line of Jeshua and Joab) 2,818

12of Elam 1,254

13of Zattu 845

14of Zaccai 760

15of Binnui 648

16of Bebai 628

17of Azgad 2,322

18of Adonikam 667

19of Bigvai 2,067

20of Adin 655

21of Ater (through Hezekiah) 98

22of Hashum 328

23of Bezai 324

24of Hariph 112

25of Gibeon 95

26the men of Bethlehem and Netophah 188

27of Anathoth 128

28of Beth Azmaveth 42

29of Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah and Beeroth 743

30of Ramah and Geba 621

31of Micmash 122

32of Bethel and Ai 123 33of the other Nebo 52 34of the other Elam 1,254 35of Harim 320

36of Jericho 345

37of Lod, Hadid and Ono 721

38of Senaah 3,930

39The priests: the descendants of Jedaiah (through the family of Jeshua) 973

40of Immer 1,052

41of Pashhur 1,247

42of Harim 1,017

43The Levites: the descendants of Jeshua (through Kadmiel through the line of Hodaviah) 74

44The singers: the descendants of Asaph 148

45The gatekeepers: the descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita and Shobai 138

46The temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,

47Keros, Sia, Padon, 48Lebana, Hagaba, Shalmai, 49Hanan, Giddel, Gahar, 50Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda, 51Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah, 52Besai, Meunim, Nephussim, 53Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,

54Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha, 55Barkos, Sisera, Temah, 56Neziah and Hatipha

57The descendants of the servants of Solomon: the descendants of Sotai, Sophereth, Perida,

58Jaala, Darkon, Giddel,

59Shephatiah, Hattil, Pokereth- Hazzebaim and Amon

60The temple servants and the descendants of the servants of Solomon 392

61The following came up from the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon and Immer, but they could not show that their families were descended from Israel:

62the descendants of Delaiah, Tobiah and Nekoda 642

63And from among the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, Hakkoz and Barzillai (a man who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by that name).

64These searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean.

65The governor, therefore, ordered them not to eat any of the most sacred food until there should be a priest ministering with the Urim and Thummim.

66The whole company numbered 42,360,

67besides their 7,337 menservants and maidservants; and they also had 245 men and women singers.

68There were 736 horses, 245 mules,

69435 camels and 6,720 donkeys.

70Some of the heads of the families contributed to the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 drachmas of gold, 50 bowls and 530 garments for priests.

71Some of the heads of the families gave to the treasury for the work 20,000 drachmas of gold and 2,200 minas of silver.

72The total given by the rest of the people was 20,000 drachmas of gold, 2,000 minas of silver and 67 garments for priests.

73The priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers and the temple servants, along with certain of the people and the rest of the Israelites, settled in their own towns. When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns,

8all the people assembled as one man in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel.

2So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law

before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand.

3He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.

4Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion. Beside him on his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah; and on his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam.

5Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up.

6Ezra praised the Lord , the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

7The Levites-Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah-instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there.

8They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read.

9Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is sacred to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.

10Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

11The Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for this is a sacred day. Do not grieve.”

12Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.

13On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra the scribe to give attention to the words of the Law.

14They found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in booths during the feast of the seventh month

15and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem: “Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade trees, to make booths”-as it is written.

16So the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves booths on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God and in the square by the Water Gate and the one by the Gate of Ephraim.

17The whole company that had returned from exile built booths and lived in them. From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great.

18Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. They celebrated the feast for seven days, and on the eighth day, in accordance with the regulation, there was an assembly.

9On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and having dust on their heads.

2Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the wickedness of their fathers.

3They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the Lord their God.

4Standing on the stairs were the Levites- Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani and Kenani-who

called with loud voices to the Lord their God.

5And the Levites-Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah-said: “Stand up and praise the Lord your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting. ” “Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.

6You alone are the Lord . You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.

7“You are the Lord God, who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and named him Abraham.

8You found his heart faithful to you, and you made a covenant with him to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites and Girgashites. You have kept your promise because you are righteous.

9“You saw the suffering of our forefathers in Egypt; you heard their cry at the Red Sea.

10You sent miraculous signs and wonders against Pharaoh, against all his officials and all the people of his land, for you knew how arrogantly the Egyptians treated them. You made a name for yourself, which remains to this day.

11You divided the sea before them, so that they passed through it on dry ground, but you hurled their pursuers into the depths, like a stone into mighty waters.

12By day you led them with a pillar of cloud, and by night with a pillar of fire to give them light on the way they were to take.

13“You came down on Mount Sinai; you spoke to them from heaven. You gave them regulations and laws that are just and right, and decrees and commands that are good.

14You made known to them your holy Sabbath and gave them commands, decrees and laws through your servant Moses.

15In their hunger you gave them bread from heaven and in their thirst you brought them water from the rock; you told them to go in and take possession of the land you had sworn with uplifted hand to give them.

16“But they, our forefathers, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and did not obey your commands.

17They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them,

18even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, ‘This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies.

19“Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the desert. By day the pillar of cloud did not cease to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take.

20You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst.

21For forty years you sustained them in the desert; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen.

22“You gave them kingdoms and nations, allotting to them even the remotest frontiers. They took over the country of Sihon king of Heshbon and the country of Og king of Bashan.

23You made their sons as numerous as the stars in the sky, and you brought them into the land that you told their fathers to enter and possess.

24Their sons went in and took possession of the land. You subdued before them the Canaanites, who lived in the land; you handed the Canaanites over to them, along with their kings and the peoples of the land, to deal with them as they pleased.

25They captured fortified cities and fertile land; they took possession of houses filled with all kinds of good things, wells already dug, vineyards, olive groves and fruit trees in abundance. They ate to the full and were well-nourished; they reveled in your great goodness.

26“But they were disobedient and rebelled against you; they put your law behind their backs. They killed your prophets, who had admonished them in order to turn them back to you; they committed awful blasphemies.

27So you handed them over to their enemies, who oppressed them. But when they were oppressed they cried out to you. From heaven you heard them, and in your great compassion you gave them deliverers, who rescued them from the hand of their enemies.

28“But as soon as they were at rest, they again did what was evil in your sight. Then you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies so that they ruled over them. And when they cried out to you again, you heard from heaven, and in your compassion you delivered them time after time.

29“You warned them to return to your law, but they became arrogant and disobeyed your commands. They sinned against your ordinances, by which a man will live if he obeys them. Stubbornly they turned their backs on you, became stiff-necked and refused to listen.

30For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you admonished them through your prophets. Yet they

paid no attention, so you handed them over to the neighboring peoples.

31But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.

32“Now therefore, O our God, the great, mighty and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love, do not let all this hardship seem trifling in your eyes-the hardship that has come upon us, upon our kings and leaders, upon our priests and prophets, upon our fathers and all your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today.

33In all that has happened to us, you have been just; you have acted faithfully, while we did wrong.

34Our kings, our leaders, our priests and our fathers did not follow your law; they did not pay attention to your commands or the warnings you gave them.

35Even while they were in their kingdom, enjoying your great goodness to them in the spacious and fertile land you gave them, they did not serve you or turn from their evil ways.

36“But see, we are slaves today, slaves in the land you gave our forefathers so they could eat its fruit and the other good things it produces.

37Because of our sins, its abundant harvest goes to the kings you have placed over us. They rule over our bodies and our cattle as they please. We are in great distress.

38“In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement, putting it in writing, and our leaders, our Levites and our priests are affixing their seals to it.”

10Those who sealed it were: Nehemiah the governor, the son of Hacaliah. Zedekiah,

2Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, 3Pashhur, Amariah, Malkijah, 4Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, 5Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, 6Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, 7Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,

8Maaziah, Bilgai and Shemaiah. These were the priests.

9The Levites: Jeshua son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel,

10and their associates: Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,

11Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah, 12Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, 13Hodiah, Bani and Beninu.

14The leaders of the people: Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,

15Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,

16Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, 17Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, 18Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai, 19Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, 20Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, 21Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, 22Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, 23Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub, 24Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,

25Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,

26Ahiah, Hanan, Anan,

27Malluch, Harim and Baanah.

28“The rest of the people-priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, temple servants and all who separated themselves from the neighboring peoples for the sake of the Law of God, together with their wives and all their sons and daughters who are able to understand-

29all these now join their brothers the nobles, and bind themselves with a curse and an oath to follow the Law of God given through Moses the servant of God and to obey carefully all the commands, regulations and decrees of the Lord our Lord.

30“We promise not to give our daughters in marriage to the peoples around us or take their daughters for our sons.

31“When the neighboring peoples bring merchandise or grain to sell on the Sabbath, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on any holy day. Every seventh year we will forgo working the land and will cancel all debts.

32“We assume the responsibility for carrying out the commands to give a third of a shekel each year for the service of the house of our God:

33for the bread set out on the table; for the regular grain offerings and burnt offerings; for the offerings on the Sabbaths, New Moon festivals and appointed feasts; for the holy offerings; for sin offerings to make atonement for Israel; and for all the duties of the house of our God.

34“We-the priests, the Levites and the people-have cast lots to determine when each of our families is to bring to the house of our God at set times each year a contribution of wood to burn on the altar of the Lord our God, as it is written in the Law.

35“We also assume responsibility for bringing to the house of the Lord each year the firstfruits of our crops and of every fruit tree.

36“As it is also written in the Law, we will bring the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, of our herds and of our flocks to the house of our God, to the priests ministering there.

37“Moreover, we will bring to the storerooms of the house of our God, to the priests, the first of our ground meal, of our grain offerings, of the fruit of all our trees and of our new wine and oil. And we will bring a tithe of our crops to the Levites, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all the towns where we work.

38A priest descended from Aaron is to accompany the Levites when they receive the tithes, and the Levites are to bring a tenth of the tithes up to the house of our God, to the storerooms of the treasury.

39The people of Israel, including the Levites, are to bring their contributions of grain, new wine and oil to the storerooms where the articles for the sanctuary are kept and where the ministering priests, the gatekeepers and the singers stay. “We will not neglect the house of our God.”

11Now the leaders of the people settled in Jerusalem, and the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of every ten to live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while the remaining nine were to stay in their own towns.

2The people commended all the men who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.

3These are the provincial leaders who settled in Jerusalem (now some Israelites, priests, Levites, temple servants and descendants of Solomon’s servants lived in the towns of Judah,

each on his own property in the various towns,

4while other people from both Judah and Benjamin lived in Jerusalem): From the descendants of Judah: Athaiah son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalalel, a descendant of Perez;

5and 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, a descendant of Shelah.

6The descendants of Perez who lived in Jerusalem totaled 468 able men.

7From 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,

8and his followers, Gabbai and Sallai- 928 men.

9Joel son of Zicri was their chief officer, and Judah son of Hassenuah was over the Second District of the city.

10From the priests: Jedaiah; the son of Joiarib; Jakin;

11Seraiah son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, supervisor in the house of God,

12and their associates, who carried on work for the temple-822 men; Adaiah son of Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah, the

son of Amzi, the son of Zechariah, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malkijah,

13and his associates, who were heads of families-242 men; Amashsai son of Azarel, the son of Ahzai, the son of Meshillemoth, the son of Immer,

14and his associates, who were able men-128. Their chief officer was Zabdiel son of Haggedolim.

15From the Levites: Shemaiah son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni;

16Shabbethai and Jozabad, two of the heads of the Levites, who had charge of the outside work of the house of God;

17Mattaniah son of Mica, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, the director who led in thanksgiving and prayer; Bakbukiah, second among his associates; and Abda son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun.

18The Levites in the holy city totaled 284.

19The gatekeepers: Akkub, Talmon and their associates, who kept watch at the gates-172 men.

20The rest of the Israelites, with the priests and Levites, were in all the towns of Judah, each on his ancestral property.

21The temple servants lived on the hill of Ophel, and Ziha and Gishpa were in charge of them.

22The chief officer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi son of Bani, the

son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Mica. Uzzi was one of Asaph’s descendants, who were the singers responsible for the service of the house of God.

23The singers were under the king’s orders, which regulated their daily activity.

24Pethahiah son of Meshezabel, one of the descendants of Zerah son of Judah, was the king’s agent in all affairs relating to the people.

25As for the villages with their fields, some of the people of Judah lived in Kiriath Arba and its surrounding settlements, in Dibon and its settlements, in Jekabzeel and its villages,

26in Jeshua, in Moladah, in Beth Pelet,

27in Hazar Shual, in Beersheba and its settlements,

28in Ziklag, in Meconah and its settlements,

29in En Rimmon, in Zorah, in Jarmuth,

30Zanoah, Adullam and their villages, in Lachish and its fields, and in Azekah and its settlements. So they were living all the way from Beersheba to the Valley of Hinnom.

31The descendants of the Benjamites from Geba lived in Micmash, Aija, Bethel and its settlements,

32in Anathoth, Nob and Ananiah,

33in Hazor, Ramah and Gittaim,

34in Hadid, Zeboim and Neballat,

35in Lod and Ono, and in the Valley of the Craftsmen.

36Some of the divisions of the Levites of Judah settled in Benjamin.

12These were the priests and Levites who returned with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and with Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,

2Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, 3Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, 4Iddo, Ginnethon, Abijah, 5Mijamin, Moadiah, Bilgah, 6Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah,

7Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah and Jedaiah. These were the leaders of the priests and their associates in the days of Jeshua.

8The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and also Mattaniah, who, together with his associates, was in charge of the songs of thanksgiving.

9Bakbukiah and Unni, their associates, stood opposite them in the services.

10Jeshua was the father of Joiakim, Joiakim the father of Eliashib, Eliashib the father of Joiada,

11Joiada the father of Jonathan, and Jonathan the father of Jaddua.

12In the days of Joiakim, these were the heads of the priestly families: of Seraiah’s family, Meraiah; of Jeremiah’s, Hananiah;

13of Ezra’s, Meshullam; of Amariah’s, Jehohanan;

14of Malluch’s, Jonathan; of Shecaniah’s, Joseph;

15of Harim’s, Adna; of Meremoth’s, Helkai;

16of Iddo’s, Zechariah; of Ginnethon’s, Meshullam;

17of Abijah’s, Zicri; of Miniamin’s and of Moadiah’s, Piltai;

18of Bilgah’s, Shammua; of Shemaiah’s, Jehonathan;

19of Joiarib’s, Mattenai; of Jedaiah’s, Uzzi;

20of Sallu’s, Kallai; of Amok’s, Eber;

21of Hilkiah’s, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah’s, Nethanel.

22The family heads of the Levites in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan and Jaddua, as well as those of the priests,

were recorded in the reign of Darius the Persian.

23The family heads among the descendants of Levi up to the time of Johanan son of Eliashib were recorded in the book of the annals.

24And the leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua son of Kadmiel, and their associates, who stood opposite them to give praise and thanksgiving, one section responding to the other, as prescribed by David the man of God.

25Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon and Akkub were gatekeepers who guarded the storerooms at the gates.

26They 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 priest and scribe.

27At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites were sought out from where they lived and were brought to Jerusalem to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals, harps and lyres.

28The singers also were brought together from the region around Jerusalem-from the villages of the Netophathites,

29from Beth Gilgal, and from the area of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem.

30When the priests and Levites had purified themselves ceremonially, they purified the people, the gates and the wall.

31I had the leaders of Judah go up on top of the wall. I also assigned two large choirs to give thanks. One was to proceed on top of the wall to the right, toward the Dung Gate.

32Hoshaiah and half the leaders of Judah followed them,

33along with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,

34Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah,

35as well as some priests with trumpets, and also Zechariah son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph,

36and his associates-Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah and Hanani-with musical instruments prescribed by David the man of God. Ezra the scribe led the procession.

37At the Fountain Gate they continued directly up the steps of the City of David on the ascent to the wall and passed above the house of David to the Water Gate on the east.

38The second choir proceeded in the opposite direction. I followed them on top of the wall, together with half the people-past the Tower of the Ovens to the Broad Wall,

39over the Gate of Ephraim, the Jeshanah Gate, the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel and the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate. At the Gate of the Guard they stopped.

40The two choirs that gave thanks then took their places in the house of God; so did I, together with half the officials,

41as well as the priests-Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah and Hananiah with their trumpets-

42and also Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malkijah, Elam and Ezer. The choirs sang under the direction of Jezrahiah.

43And on that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced. The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away.

44At that time men were appointed to be in charge of the storerooms for the contributions, firstfruits and tithes. From the fields around the towns they were to bring into the storerooms the portions required by the Law for the priests and the Levites, for Judah was pleased with the ministering priests and Levites.

45They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, as did also the singers and gatekeepers, according to the commands of David and his son Solomon.

46For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph, there had been directors for the singers and for the songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.

47So in the days of Zerubbabel and of Nehemiah, all Israel contributed the daily portions for the singers and gatekeepers. They also set aside the portion for the other Levites, and the Levites set aside the portion for the descendants of Aaron.

13On that day the Book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people and there it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever be admitted into the assembly of God,

2because they had not met the Israelites with food and water but had hired Balaam to call a curse down on them. (Our God, however, turned the curse into a blessing.)

3When the people heard this law, they excluded from Israel all who were of foreign descent.

4Before this, Eliashib the priest had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God. He was closely associated with Tobiah,

5and he had provided him with a large room formerly used to store the grain offerings and incense and temple articles, and also the tithes of grain, new wine and oil prescribed for the Levites, singers and gatekeepers, as well as the contributions for the priests.

6But while all this was going on, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had returned to the king. Some time later I asked his permission

7and came back to Jerusalem. Here I learned about the evil thing Eliashib had done in providing Tobiah a room in the courts of the house of God.

8I was greatly displeased and threw all Tobiah’s household goods out of the room.

9I gave orders to purify the rooms, and then I put back into them the equipment of the house of God, with the grain offerings and the incense.

10I also learned that the portions assigned to the Levites had not been given to them, and that all the Levites and singers responsible for the service had gone back to their own fields.

11So I rebuked the officials and asked them, “Why is the house of God neglected?” Then I called them together and stationed them at their posts.

12All Judah brought the tithes of grain, new wine and oil into the storerooms.

13I put Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and a Levite named Pedaiah in charge of the storerooms and made Hanan son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah, their assistant, because these men were considered trustworthy. They were made responsible for distributing the supplies to their brothers.

14Remember me for this, O my God, and do not blot out what I have so faithfully done for the house of my God and its services.

15In those days I saw men in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in grain and loading it on donkeys, together with wine, grapes, figs and all other kinds of loads. And they were bringing all this into Jerusalem on the Sabbath. Therefore I warned them against selling food on that day.

16Men from Tyre who lived in Jerusalem were bringing in fish and all kinds of merchandise and selling them in Jerusalem on the Sabbath to the people of Judah.

17I rebuked the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this wicked thing you are doing-desecrating the Sabbath day?

18Didn’t your forefathers do the same things, so that our God brought all this calamity upon us and upon this city? Now you are stirring up more wrath against Israel by desecrating the Sabbath.”

19When evening shadows fell on the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I ordered the doors to be shut and not opened until the Sabbath was over. I stationed some of my own men at the gates so that no load could be brought in on the Sabbath day.

20Once or twice the merchants and sellers of all kinds of goods spent the night outside Jerusalem.

21But I warned them and said, “Why do you spend the night by the wall? If you do this again, I will lay hands on you.” From that time on they no longer came on the Sabbath.

22Then I commanded the Levites to purify themselves and go and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember me for this also, O my God, and show mercy to me according to your great love.

23Moreover, in those days I saw men of Judah who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab.

24Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of one of the other peoples, and did not know how to speak the language of Judah.

25I rebuked them and called curses down on them. I beat some of the men and pulled out their hair. I made them take an oath in God’s name and said: “You are not to give your daughters in marriage to their sons, nor are you to take their daughters in marriage for your sons or for yourselves.

26Was it not because of marriages like these that Solomon king 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 even he was led into sin by foreign women.

27Must we hear now that you too are doing all this terrible wickedness and are being unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women?”

28One of the sons of Joiada son of Eliashib the high priest was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite. And I drove him away from me.

29Remember them, O my God, because they defiled the priestly office and the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites.

30So I purified the priests and the Levites of everything foreign, and assigned them duties, each to his own task.

31I also made provision for contributions of wood at designated times, and for the firstfruits. Remember me with favor, O my God.

Ezra

Posted on by robertmacsbible_hpehg4

Ezra

7Moreover, King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the

1In the first year of Cyrus king of

Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing:

2“This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ” ‘The Lord , the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah.

3Anyone of his people among you-may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the Lord , the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem.

4And the people of any place where survivors may now be living are to provide him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.’ “

5Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites- everyone whose heart God had moved- prepared to go up and build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem.

6All their neighbors assisted them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the freewill offerings.

Lord , which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his god.

8Cyrus king of Persia had them brought by Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.

9This was the inventory: gold dishes 30 silver dishes 1,000 silver pans 29

10gold bowls 30 matching silver bowls 410 other articles 1,000

11In all, there were 5,400 articles of gold and of silver. Sheshbazzar brought all these along when the exiles came up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

2Now these are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken captive to Babylon (they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town,

2in company with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum and Baanah): The list of the men of the people of Israel:

3the descendants of Parosh 2,172

4of Shephatiah 372

5of Arah 775

6of Pahath-Moab (through the line of Jeshua and Joab) 2,812

7of Elam 1,254

8of Zattu 945

9of Zaccai 760

10of Bani 642

11of Bebai 623

12of Azgad 1,222

13of Adonikam 666

14of Bigvai 2,056

15of Adin 454

16of Ater (through Hezekiah) 98

17of Bezai 323

18of Jorah 112

19of Hashum 223

20of Gibbar 95

21the men of Bethlehem 123

22of Netophah 56

23of Anathoth 128

24of Azmaveth 42

25of Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah and Beeroth 743

26of Ramah and Geba 621

27of Micmash 122

28of Bethel and Ai 223

29of Nebo 52

30of Magbish 156

31of the other Elam 1,254

32of Harim 320

33of Lod, Hadid and Ono 725

34of Jericho 345

35of Senaah 3,630

36The priests: the descendants of Jedaiah (through the family of Jeshua) 973

37of Immer 1,052

38of Pashhur 1,247

39of Harim 1,017

40The Levites: the descendants of Jeshua and Kadmiel (through the line of Hodaviah) 74

41The singers: the descendants of Asaph 128

42The gatekeepers of the temple: the descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita and Shobai 139

43The temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,

44Keros, Siaha, Padon, 45Lebanah, Hagabah, Akkub, 46Hagab, Shalmai, Hanan, 47Giddel, Gahar, Reaiah, 48Rezin, Nekoda, Gazzam, 49Uzza, Paseah, Besai, 50Asnah, Meunim, Nephussim, 51Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur, 52Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha, 53Barkos, Sisera, Temah, 54Neziah and Hatipha

55The descendants of the servants of Solomon: the descendants of Sotai, Hassophereth, Peruda,

56Jaala, Darkon, Giddel,

57Shephatiah, Hattil, Pokereth- Hazzebaim and Ami

58The temple servants and the descendants of the servants of Solomon 392

59The following came up from the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon and Immer, but they could not show that their families were descended from Israel:

60The descendants of Delaiah, Tobiah and Nekoda 652

61And from among the priests: The descendants of Hobaiah, Hakkoz and Barzillai (a man who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by that name).

62These searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean.

63The governor ordered them not to eat any of the most sacred food until there was a priest ministering with the Urim and Thummim.

64The whole company numbered 42,360,

65besides their 7,337 menservants and maidservants; and they also had 200 men and women singers.

66They had 736 horses, 245 mules,

67435 camels and 6,720 donkeys.

68When they arrived at the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, some of the heads of the families gave freewill offerings toward the rebuilding of the house of God on its site.

69According to their ability they gave to the treasury for this work 61,000

drachmas of gold, 5,000 minas of silver and 100 priestly garments.

70The priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers and the temple servants settled in their own towns, along with some of the other people, and the rest of the Israelites settled in their towns.

3When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, the people assembled as one man in Jerusalem.

2Then Jeshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his associates began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, in accordance with what is written in the Law of Moses the man of God.

3Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord , both the morning and evening sacrifices.

4Then in accordance with what is written, they celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles with the required number of burnt offerings prescribed for each day.

5After that, they presented the regular burnt offerings, the New Moon sacrifices and the sacrifices for all the appointed sacred feasts of the Lord , as well as those brought as freewill offerings to the Lord .

6On the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord , though the foundation of the Lord ‘s temple had not yet been laid.

7Then they gave money to the masons and carpenters, and gave food and drink and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre, so that they would bring cedar logs by sea from Lebanon to Joppa, as authorized by Cyrus king of Persia.

8In the second month of the second year after their arrival at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Jeshua son of Jozadak and the rest of their brothers (the priests and the Levites and all who had returned from the captivity to Jerusalem) began the work, appointing Levites twenty years of age and older to supervise the building of the house of the Lord .

9Jeshua and his sons and brothers and Kadmiel and his sons (descendants of Hodaviah ) and the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers-all Levites- joined together in supervising those working on the house of God.

10When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord , the priests in their vestments and with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise the Lord , as prescribed by David king of Israel.

11With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord : “He is good; his love to Israel endures forever.” And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord , because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.

12But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy.

13No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.

4When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the Lord , the God of Israel,

2they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the families and said, “Let us help you build because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.”

3But Zerubbabel, Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel answered, “You have no part with us in building a temple to our God. We alone will build it for the Lord , the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us.”

4Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building.

5They hired counselors to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and

down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.

6At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes, they lodged an accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.

7And in the days of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and the rest of his associates wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. The letter was written in Aramaic script and in the Aramaic language. ,

8Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows:

9Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary, together with the rest of their associates-the judges and officials over the men from Tripolis, Persia, Erech and Babylon, the Elamites of Susa,

10and the other people whom the great and honorable Ashurbanipal deported and settled in the city of Samaria and elsewhere in Trans-Euphrates.

11(This is a copy of the letter they sent him.) To King Artaxerxes, From your servants, the men of Trans-Euphrates:

12The king should know that the Jews who came up to us from you have gone to Jerusalem and are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are restoring the walls and repairing the foundations.

13Furthermore, the king should know that if this city is built and its walls are restored, no more taxes, tribute or duty will be paid, and the royal revenues will suffer.

14Now since we are under obligation to the palace and it is not proper for us to see the king dishonored, we are sending this message to inform the king,

15so that a search may be made in the archives of your predecessors. In these records you will find that this city is a rebellious city, troublesome to kings and provinces, a place of rebellion from ancient times. That is why this city was destroyed.

16We inform the king that if this city is built and its walls are restored, you will be left with nothing in Trans-Euphrates.

17The king sent this reply: To Rehum the commanding officer, Shimshai the secretary and the rest of their associates living in Samaria and elsewhere in Trans-Euphrates: Greetings.

18The letter you sent us has been read and translated in my presence.

19I issued an order and a search was made, and it was found that this city has a long history of revolt against kings and has been a place of rebellion and sedition.

20Jerusalem has had powerful kings ruling over the whole of Trans- Euphrates, and taxes, tribute and duty were paid to them.

21Now issue an order to these men to stop work, so that this city will not be rebuilt until I so order.

22Be careful not to neglect this matter. Why let this threat grow, to the detriment of the royal interests?

23As soon as the copy of the letter of King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum and Shimshai the secretary and their associates, they went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and compelled them by force to stop.

24Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

5Now Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the prophet, a descendant of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them.

2Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak set to work to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, helping them.

3At that time Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates went to them and asked, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and restore this structure?”

4They also asked, “What are the names of the men constructing this building?”

5But the eye of their God was watching over the elders of the Jews, and they were not stopped until a report could go to Darius and his written reply be received.

6This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates, the officials of Trans-Euphrates, sent to King Darius.

7The report they sent him read as follows: To King Darius: Cordial greetings.

8The king should know that we went to the district of Judah, to the temple of the great God. The people are building it with large stones and placing the timbers in the walls. The work is being carried on with diligence and is making rapid progress under their direction.

9We questioned the elders and asked them, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and restore this structure?”

10We also asked them their names, so that we could write down the names of their leaders for your information.

11This is the answer they gave us: “We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, one that a great king of Israel built and finished.

12But because our fathers angered the God of heaven, he handed them over to Nebuchadnezzar the Chaldean, king of

Babylon, who destroyed this temple and deported the people to Babylon.

13“However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to rebuild this house of God.

14He even removed from the temple of Babylon the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to the temple in Babylon. “Then King Cyrus gave them to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom he had appointed governor,

15and he told him, ‘Take these articles and go and deposit them in the temple in Jerusalem. And rebuild the house of God on its site.’

16So this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God in Jerusalem. From that day to the present it has been under construction but is not yet finished.”

17Now if it pleases the king, let a search be made in the royal archives of Babylon to see if King Cyrus did in fact issue a decree to rebuild this house of God in Jerusalem. Then let the king send us his decision in this matter.

6King Darius then issued an order, and they searched in the archives stored in the treasury at Babylon.

2A scroll was found in the citadel of Ecbatana in the province of Media, and this was written on it: Memorandum:

3In the first year of King Cyrus, the king issued a decree concerning the temple of God in Jerusalem: Let the temple be rebuilt as a place to present sacrifices, and let its foundations be laid. It is to be ninety feet high and ninety feet wide,

4with three courses of large stones and one of timbers. The costs are to be paid by the royal treasury.

5Also, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, are to be returned to their places in the temple in Jerusalem; they are to be deposited in the house of God.

6Now then, Tattenai, governor of Trans- Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and you, their fellow officials of that province, stay away from there.

7Do not interfere with the work on this temple of God. Let the governor of the Jews and the Jewish elders rebuild this house of God on its site.

8Moreover, I hereby decree what you are to do for these elders of the Jews in the construction of this house of God: The expenses of these men are to be fully paid out of the royal treasury, from the revenues of Trans-Euphrates, so that the work will not stop.

9Whatever is needed-young bulls, rams, male lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, and wheat, salt, wine and oil, as requested by the priests in Jerusalem-must be given them daily without fail,

10so that they may offer sacrifices pleasing to the God of heaven and pray for the well-being of the king and his sons.

11Furthermore, I decree that if anyone changes this edict, a beam is to be pulled from his house and he is to be lifted up and impaled on it. And for this crime his house is to be made a pile of rubble.

12May God, who has caused his Name to dwell there, overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to change this decree or to destroy this temple in Jerusalem. I Darius have decreed it. Let it be carried out with diligence.

13Then, because of the decree King Darius had sent, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates carried it out with diligence.

14So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo. They finished building the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia.

15The temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.

16Then the people of Israel-the priests, the Levites and the rest of the exiles- celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy.

17For the dedication of this house of God they offered a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred male lambs and, as a sin offering for all Israel, twelve male goats, one for each of the tribes of Israel.

18And they installed the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their groups for the service of God at Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses.

19On the fourteenth day of the first month, the exiles celebrated the Passover.

20The priests and Levites had purified themselves and were all ceremonially clean. The Levites slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their brothers the priests and for themselves.

21So the Israelites who had returned from the exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from the unclean practices of their Gentile neighbors in order to seek the Lord , the God of Israel.

22For seven days they celebrated with joy the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because the Lord had filled them with joy by changing the attitude of the king of Assyria, so that he assisted them in the work on the house of God, the God of Israel.

7After these things, during the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,

2the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub,

3the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth,

4the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki,

5the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest-

6this Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses, which the Lord , the God of Israel, had given. The king had granted him everything he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him.

7Some of the Israelites, including priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers and temple servants, also came up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.

8Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king.

9He had begun his journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the gracious hand of his God was on him.

10For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord , and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.

11This is a copy of the letter King Artaxerxes had given to Ezra the priest and teacher, a man learned in matters

concerning the commands and decrees of the Lord for Israel:

12Artaxerxes, king of kings, To Ezra the priest, a teacher of the Law of the God of heaven: Greetings.

13Now I decree that any of the Israelites in my kingdom, including priests and Levites, who wish to go to Jerusalem with you, may go.

14You are sent by the king and his seven advisers to inquire about Judah and Jerusalem with regard to the Law of your God, which is in your hand.

15Moreover, you are to take with you the silver and gold that the king and his advisers have freely given to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem,

16together with all the silver and gold you may obtain from the province of Babylon, as well as the freewill offerings of the people and priests for the temple of their God in Jerusalem.

17With this money be sure to buy bulls, rams and male lambs, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings, and sacrifice them on the altar of the temple of your God in Jerusalem.

18You and your brother Jews may then do whatever seems best with the rest of the silver and gold, in accordance with the will of your God.

19Deliver to the God of Jerusalem all the articles entrusted to you for worship in the temple of your God.

20And anything else needed for the temple of your God that you may have occasion to supply, you may provide from the royal treasury.

21Now I, King Artaxerxes, order all the treasurers of Trans-Euphrates to provide with diligence whatever Ezra the priest, a teacher of the Law of the God of heaven, may ask of you-

22up to a hundred talents of silver, a hundred cors of wheat, a hundred baths of wine, a hundred baths of olive oil, and salt without limit.

23Whatever the God of heaven has prescribed, let it be done with diligence for the temple of the God of heaven. Why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and of his sons?

24You are also to know that you have no authority to impose taxes, tribute or duty on any of the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, temple servants or other workers at this house of God.

25And you, Ezra, in accordance with the wisdom of your God, which you possess, appoint magistrates and judges to administer justice to all the people of Trans-Euphrates-all who know the laws of your God. And you are to teach any who do not know them.

26Whoever does not obey the law of your God and the law of the king must surely be punished by death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment.

27Praise be to the Lord , the God of our fathers, who has put it into the king’s heart to bring honor to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem in this way

28and who has extended his good favor to me before the king and his advisers and all the king’s powerful officials. Because the hand of the Lord my God was on me, I took courage and gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.

8These are the family heads and those registered with them who came up with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes:

2of the descendants of Phinehas, Gershom; of the descendants of Ithamar, Daniel; of the descendants of David, Hattush

3of the descendants of Shecaniah; of the descendants of Parosh, Zechariah, and with him were registered 150 men;

4of the descendants of Pahath-Moab, Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah, and with him 200 men;

5of the descendants of Zattu, Shecaniah son of Jahaziel, and with him 300 men;

6of the descendants of Adin, Ebed son of Jonathan, and with him 50 men;

7of the descendants of Elam, Jeshaiah son of Athaliah, and with him 70 men;

8of the descendants of Shephatiah, Zebadiah son of Michael, and with him 80 men;

9of the descendants of Joab, Obadiah son of Jehiel, and with him 218 men;

10of the descendants of Bani, Shelomith son of Josiphiah, and with him 160 men;

11of the descendants of Bebai, Zechariah son of Bebai, and with him 28 men;

12of the descendants of Azgad, Johanan son of Hakkatan, and with him 110 men;

13of the descendants of Adonikam, the last ones, whose names were Eliphelet, Jeuel and Shemaiah, and with them 60 men;

14of the descendants of Bigvai, Uthai and Zaccur, and with them 70 men.

15I assembled them at the canal that flows toward Ahava, and we camped there three days. When I checked among the people and the priests, I found no Levites there.

16So I summoned Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah and Meshullam, who were leaders, and Joiarib and Elnathan, who were men of learning,

17and I sent them to Iddo, the leader in Casiphia. I told them what to say to Iddo and his kinsmen, the temple servants in Casiphia, so that they might bring attendants to us for the house of our God.

18Because the gracious hand of our God was on us, they brought us Sherebiah, a capable man, from the descendants of Mahli son of Levi, the son of Israel, and Sherebiah’s sons and brothers, 18 men;

19and Hashabiah, together with Jeshaiah from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and nephews, 20 men.

20They also brought 220 of the temple servants-a body that David and the officials had established to assist the Levites. All were registered by name.

21There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions.

22I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him.”

23So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.

24Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests, together with Sherebiah, Hashabiah and ten of their brothers,

25and I weighed out to them the offering of silver and gold and the articles that the king, his advisers, his officials and all Israel present there had donated for the house of our God.

26I weighed out to them 650 talents of silver, silver articles weighing 100 talents, 100 talents of gold,

2720 bowls of gold valued at 1,000 darics, and two fine articles of polished bronze, as precious as gold.

28I said to them, “You as well as these articles are consecrated to the Lord . The silver and gold are a freewill offering to the Lord , the God of your fathers.

29Guard them carefully until you weigh them out in the chambers of the house of the Lord in Jerusalem before the leading priests and the Levites and the family heads of Israel.”

30Then the priests and Levites received the silver and gold and sacred articles that had been weighed out to be taken to the house of our God in Jerusalem.

31On the twelfth day of the first month we set out from the Ahava Canal to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he protected us from enemies and bandits along the way.

32So we arrived in Jerusalem, where we rested three days.

33On the fourth day, in the house of our God, we weighed out the silver and gold and the sacred articles into the hands of Meremoth son of Uriah, the priest. Eleazar son of Phinehas was with him, and so were the Levites Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui.

34Everything was accounted for by number and weight, and the entire weight was recorded at that time.

35Then the exiles who had returned from captivity sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven male lambs and, as a sin offering, twelve male goats. All this was a burnt offering to the Lord .

36They also delivered the king’s orders to the royal satraps and to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, who then gave assistance to the people and to the house of God.

9After these things had been done, the leaders came to me and said, “The people of Israel, including the priests and the Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the neighboring peoples with their detestable practices, like those of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians and Amorites.

2They have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, and have mingled the holy race with the peoples around them. And the leaders and officials have led the way in this unfaithfulness.”

3When I heard this, I tore my tunic and cloak, pulled hair from my head and beard and sat down appalled.

4Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel gathered

around me because of this unfaithfulness of the exiles. And I sat there appalled until the evening sacrifice.

5Then, at the evening sacrifice, I rose from my self-abasement, with my tunic and cloak torn, and fell on my knees with my hands spread out to the Lord my God

6and prayed: “O my God, I am too ashamed and disgraced to lift up my face to you, my God, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens.

7From the days of our forefathers until now, our guilt has been great. Because of our sins, we and our kings and our priests have been subjected to the sword and captivity, to pillage and humiliation at the hand of foreign kings, as it is today.

8“But now, for a brief moment, the Lord our God has been gracious in leaving us a remnant and giving us a firm place in his sanctuary, and so our God gives light to our eyes and a little relief in our bondage.

9Though we are slaves, our God has not deserted us in our bondage. He has shown us kindness in the sight of the kings of Persia: He has granted us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins, and he has given us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem.

10“But now, O our God, what can we say after this? For we have disregarded the commands

11you gave through your servants the prophets when you said: ‘The land you are entering to possess is a land polluted by the corruption of its peoples. By their detestable practices they have filled it with their impurity from one end to the other.

12Therefore, do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters for your sons. Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them at any time, that you may be strong and eat the good things of the land and leave it to your children as an everlasting inheritance.’

13“What has happened to us is a result of our evil deeds and our great guilt, and yet, our God, you have punished us less than our sins have deserved and have given us a remnant like this.

14Shall we again break your commands and intermarry with the peoples who commit such detestable practices? Would you not be angry enough with us to destroy us, leaving us no remnant or survivor?

15O Lord , God of Israel, you are righteous! We are left this day as a remnant. Here we are before you in our guilt, though because of it not one of us can stand in your presence.”

10While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a large crowd of Israelites-men, women and children-gathered around him. They too wept bitterly.

2Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, one of the descendants of Elam, said to Ezra, “We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the peoples around us. But in spite of this, there is still hope for Israel.

3Now let us make a covenant before our God to send away all these women and their children, in accordance with the counsel of my lord and of those who fear the commands of our God. Let it be done according to the Law.

4Rise up; this matter is in your hands. We will support you, so take courage and do it.”

5So Ezra rose up and put the leading priests and Levites and all Israel under oath to do what had been suggested. And they took the oath.

6Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and went to the room of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. While he was there, he ate no food and drank no water, because he continued to mourn over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.

7A proclamation was then issued throughout Judah and Jerusalem for all the exiles to assemble in Jerusalem.

8Anyone who failed to appear within three days would forfeit all his property, in accordance with the decision of the officials and elders, and would himself be expelled from the assembly of the exiles.

9Within the three days, all the men of Judah and Benjamin had gathered in

Jerusalem. And on the twentieth day of the ninth month, all the people were sitting in the square before the house of God, greatly distressed by the occasion and because of the rain.

10Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful; you have married foreign women, adding to Israel’s guilt.

11Now make confession to the Lord , the God of your fathers, and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples around you and from your foreign wives.”

12The whole assembly responded with a loud voice: “You are right! We must do as you say.

13But there are many people here and it is the rainy season; so we cannot stand outside. Besides, this matter cannot be taken care of in a day or two, because we have sinned greatly in this thing.

14Let our officials act for the whole assembly. Then let everyone in our towns who has married a foreign woman come at a set time, along with the elders and judges of each town, until the fierce anger of our God in this matter is turned away from us.”

15Only Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah, supported by Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite, opposed this.

16So the exiles did as was proposed. Ezra the priest selected men who were family heads, one from each family

division, and all of them designated by name. On the first day of the tenth month they sat down to investigate the cases,

17and by the first day of the first month they finished dealing with all the men who had married foreign women.

18Among the descendants of the priests, the following had married foreign women: From the descendants of Jeshua son of Jozadak, and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib and Gedaliah.

19(They all gave their hands in pledge to put away their wives, and for their guilt they each presented a ram from the flock as a guilt offering.)

20From the descendants of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah.

21From the descendants of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel and Uzziah.

22From the descendants of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad and Elasah.

23Among the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is, Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah and Eliezer.

24From the singers: Eliashib. From the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem and Uri.

25And among the other Israelites: From the descendants of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malkijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malkijah and Benaiah.

26From the descendants of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth and Elijah.

27From the descendants of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad and Aziza.

28From the descendants of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai and Athlai.

29From the descendants of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal and Jeremoth.

30From the descendants of Pahath- Moab: Adna, Kelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui and Manasseh.

31From the descendants of Harim: Eliezer, Ishijah, Malkijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,

32Benjamin, Malluch and Shemariah.

33From the descendants of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh and Shimei.

34From the descendants of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel,

35Benaiah, Bedeiah, Keluhi, 36Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37Mattaniah, Mattenai and Jaasu.

38From the descendants of Binnui: Shimei,

39Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, 40Macnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42Shallum, Amariah and Joseph.

43From the descendants of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel and Benaiah.

44All these had married foreign women, and some of them had children by these wives.

2nd Chronicles

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2nd Chronicles

8Solomon answered God, “You have shown great kindness to David my

1Solomon son of David established

himself firmly over his kingdom, for the Lord his God was with him and made him exceedingly great.

2Then Solomon spoke to all Israel-to the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, to the judges and to all the leaders in Israel, the heads of families-

3and Solomon and the whole assembly went to the high place at Gibeon, for God’s Tent of Meeting was there, which Moses the Lord ‘s servant had made in the desert.

4Now David had brought up the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim to the place he had prepared for it, because he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem.

5But the bronze altar that Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made was in Gibeon in front of the tabernacle of the Lord ; so Solomon and the assembly inquired of him there.

6Solomon went up to the bronze altar before the Lord in the Tent of Meeting and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.

7That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”

father and have made me king in his place.

9Now, Lord God, let your promise to my father David be confirmed, for you have made me king over a people who are as numerous as the dust of the earth.

10Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?”

11God said to Solomon, “Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, riches or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king,

12therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, riches and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.”

13Then Solomon went to Jerusalem from the high place at Gibeon, from before the Tent of Meeting. And he reigned over Israel.

14Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem.

15The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills.

16Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue – the royal merchants purchased them from Kue.

17They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty. They also exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and of the Arameans.

2Solomon gave orders to build a temple for the Name of the Lord and a royal palace for himself.

2He conscripted seventy thousand men as carriers and eighty thousand as stonecutters in the hills and thirty-six hundred as foremen over them.

3Solomon sent this message to Hiram king of Tyre: “Send me cedar logs as you did for my father David when you sent him cedar to build a palace to live in.

4Now I am about to build a temple for the Name of the Lord my God and to dedicate it to him for burning fragrant incense before him, for setting out the consecrated bread regularly, and for making burnt offerings every morning and evening and on Sabbaths and New Moons and at the appointed feasts of the Lord our God. This is a lasting ordinance for Israel.

5“The temple I am going to build will be great, because our God is greater than all other gods.

6But who is able to build a temple for him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain him? Who then am I to build a temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before him?

7“Send me, therefore, a man skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, and in purple, crimson and blue yarn, and experienced in the art of engraving, to work in Judah and Jerusalem with my skilled craftsmen, whom my father David provided.

8“Send me also cedar, pine and algum logs from Lebanon, for I know that your men are skilled in cutting timber there. My men will work with yours

9to provide me with plenty of lumber, because the temple I build must be large and magnificent.

10I will give your servants, the woodsmen who cut the timber, twenty thousand cors of ground wheat, twenty thousand cors of barley, twenty thousand baths of wine and twenty thousand baths of olive oil.”

11Hiram king of Tyre replied by letter to Solomon: “Because the Lord loves his people, he has made you their king.”

12And Hiram added: “Praise be to the Lord , the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth! He has given King David a wise son, endowed with

intelligence and discernment, who will build a temple for the Lord and a palace for himself.

13“I am sending you Huram-Abi, a man of great skill,

14whose mother was from Dan and whose father was from Tyre. He is trained to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and wood, and with purple and blue and crimson yarn and fine linen. He is experienced in all kinds of engraving and can execute any design given to him. He will work with your craftsmen and with those of my Lord , David your father.

15“Now let my Lord send his servants the wheat and barley and the olive oil and wine he promised,

16and we will cut all the logs from Lebanon that you need and will float them in rafts by sea down to Joppa. You can then take them up to Jerusalem.”

17Solomon took a census of all the aliens who were in Israel, after the census his father David had taken; and they were found to be 153,600.

18He assigned 70,000 of them to be carriers and 80,000 to be stonecutters in the hills, with 3,600 foremen over them to keep the people working.

3Then Solomon began to build the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David. It was on

the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, the place provided by David.

2He began building on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign.

3The foundation Solomon laid for building the temple of God was sixty cubits long and twenty cubits wide (using the cubit of the old standard).

4The portico at the front of the temple was twenty cubits long across the width of the building and twenty cubits high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold.

5He paneled the main hall with pine and covered it with fine gold and decorated it with palm tree and chain designs.

6He adorned the temple with precious stones. And the gold he used was gold of Parvaim.

7He overlaid the ceiling beams, doorframes, walls and doors of the temple with gold, and he carved cherubim on the walls.

8He built the Most Holy Place, its length corresponding to the width of the temple-twenty cubits long and twenty cubits wide. He overlaid the inside with six hundred talents of fine gold.

9The gold nails weighed fifty shekels. He also overlaid the upper parts with gold.

10In the Most Holy Place he made a pair of sculptured cherubim and overlaid them with gold.

11The total wingspan of the cherubim was twenty cubits. One wing of the first cherub was five cubits long and touched the temple wall, while its other wing, also five cubits long, touched the wing of the other cherub.

12Similarly one wing of the second cherub was five cubits long and touched the other temple wall, and its other wing, also five cubits long, touched the wing of the first cherub.

13The wings of these cherubim extended twenty cubits. They stood on their feet, facing the main hall.

14He made the curtain of blue, purple and crimson yarn and fine linen, with cherubim worked into it.

15In the front of the temple he made two pillars, which together were thirty-five cubits long, each with a capital on top measuring five cubits.

16He made interwoven chains and put them on top of the pillars. He also made a hundred pomegranates and attached them to the chains.

17He erected the pillars in the front of the temple, one to the south and one to the north. The one to the south he named Jakin and the one to the north Boaz.

4He made a bronze altar twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide and ten cubits high.

2He made the Sea of cast metal, circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim

to rim and five cubits high. It took a line of thirty cubits to measure around it.

3Below the rim, figures of bulls encircled it-ten to a cubit. The bulls were cast in two rows in one piece with the Sea.

4The Sea stood on twelve bulls, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south and three facing east. The Sea rested on top of them, and their hindquarters were toward the center.

5It was a handbreadth in thickness, and its rim was like the rim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It held three thousand baths.

6He then made ten basins for washing and placed five on the south side and five on the north. In them the things to be used for the burnt offerings were rinsed, but the Sea was to be used by the priests for washing.

7He made ten gold lampstands according to the specifications for them and placed them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north.

8He made ten tables and placed them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north. He also made a hundred gold sprinkling bowls.

9He made the courtyard of the priests, and the large court and the doors for the court, and overlaid the doors with bronze.

10He placed the Sea on the south side, at the southeast corner.

11He also made the pots and shovels and sprinkling bowls. So Huram finished the work he had undertaken for King Solomon in the temple of God:

12the two pillars; the two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars; the two sets of network decorating the two bowl- shaped capitals on top of the pillars;

13the four hundred pomegranates for the two sets of network (two rows of pomegranates for each network, decorating the bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars);

14the stands with their basins;

15the Sea and the twelve bulls under it;

16the pots, shovels, meat forks and all related articles. All the objects that Huram-Abi made for King Solomon for the temple of the Lord were of polished bronze.

17The king had them cast in clay molds in the plain of the Jordan between Succoth and Zarethan.

18All these things that Solomon made amounted to so much that the weight of the bronze was not determined.

19Solomon also made all the furnishings that were in God’s temple: the golden altar; the tables on which was the bread of the Presence;

20the lampstands of pure gold with their lamps, to burn in front of the inner sanctuary as prescribed;

21the gold floral work and lamps and tongs (they were solid gold);

22the pure gold wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, dishes and censers; and the gold doors of the temple: the inner doors to the Most Holy Place and the doors of the main hall.

5When all the work Solomon had done for the temple of the Lord was finished, he brought in the things his father David had dedicated-the silver and gold and all the furnishings-and he placed them in the treasuries of God’s temple.

2Then Solomon summoned to Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs of the Israelite families, to bring up the ark of the Lord ‘s covenant from Zion, the City of David.

3And all the men of Israel came together to the king at the time of the festival in the seventh month.

4When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the Levites took up the ark,

5and they brought up the ark and the Tent of Meeting and all the sacred furnishings in it. The priests, who were Levites, carried them up;

6and King Solomon and the entire assembly of Israel that had gathered about him were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and cattle that they could not be recorded or counted.

7The priests then brought the ark of the Lord ‘s covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim.

8The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and covered the ark and its carrying poles.

9These poles were so long that their ends, extending from the ark, could be seen from in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are still there today.

10There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.

11The priests then withdrew from the Holy Place. All the priests who were there had consecrated themselves, regardless of their divisions.

12All the Levites who were musicians- Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and relatives-stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets.

13The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the Lord . Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, they raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang: “He is good; his love endures forever.” Then the temple of the Lord was filled with a cloud,

14and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God.

6Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud;

2I have built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell forever.”

3While the whole assembly of Israel was standing there, the king turned around and blessed them.

4Then he said: “Praise be to the Lord , the God of Israel, who with his hands has fulfilled what he promised with his mouth to my father David. For he said,

5‘Since the day I brought my people out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city in any tribe of Israel to have a temple built for my Name to be there, nor have I chosen anyone to be the leader over my people Israel.

6But now I have chosen Jerusalem for my Name to be there, and I have chosen David to rule my people Israel.’

7“My father David had it in his heart to build a temple for the Name of the Lord , the God of Israel.

8But the Lord said to my father David, ‘Because it was in your heart to build a temple for my Name, you did well to have this in your heart.

9Nevertheless, you are not the one to build the temple, but your son, who is

your own flesh and blood-he is the one who will build the temple for my Name.’

10“The Lord has kept the promise he made. I have succeeded David my father and now I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the Lord promised, and I have built the temple for the Name of the Lord , the God of Israel.

11There I have placed the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord that he made with the people of Israel.”

12Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel and spread out his hands.

13Now he had made a bronze platform, five cubits long, five cubits wide and three cubits high, and had placed it in the center of the outer court. He stood on the platform and then knelt down before the whole assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven.

14He said: “O Lord , God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven or on earth-you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way.

15You have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled it-as it is today.

16“Now Lord , God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father the promises you made to him when you said, ‘You shall never fail to have a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if

only your sons are careful in all they do to walk before me according to my law, as you have done.’

17And now, O Lord , God of Israel, let your word that you promised your servant David come true.

18“But will God really dwell on earth with men? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!

19Yet give attention to your servant’s prayer and his plea for mercy, O Lord my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence.

20May your eyes be open toward this temple day and night, this place of which you said you would put your Name there. May you hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place.

21Hear the supplications of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place; and when you hear, forgive.

22“When a man wrongs his neighbor and is required to take an oath and he comes and swears the oath before your altar in this temple,

23then hear from heaven and act. Judge between your servants, repaying the guilty by bringing down on his own head what he has done. Declare the innocent not guilty and so establish his innocence.

24“When your people Israel have been defeated by an enemy because they have sinned against you and when they turn back and confess your name, praying and making supplication before you in this temple,

25then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them back to the land you gave to them and their fathers.

26“When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because your people have sinned against you, and when they pray toward this place and confess your name and turn from their sin because you have afflicted them,

27then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Teach them the right way to live, and send rain on the land you gave your people for an inheritance.

28“When famine or plague comes to the land, or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers, or when enemies besiege them in any of their cities, whatever disaster or disease may come,

29and when a prayer or plea is made by any of your people Israel-each one aware of his afflictions and pains, and spreading out his hands toward this temple-

30then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive, and deal with each man according to all he does, since you know his heart (for you alone know the hearts of men),

31so that they will fear you and walk in your ways all the time they live in the land you gave our fathers.

32“As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm-when he comes and prays toward this temple,

33then hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name.

34“When your people go to war against their enemies, wherever you send them, and when they pray to you toward this city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name,

35then hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause.

36“When they sin against you-for there is no one who does not sin-and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to a land far away or near;

37and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captivity and say, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong and acted wickedly’;

38and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their

captivity where they were taken, and pray toward the land you gave their fathers, toward the city you have chosen and toward the temple I have built for your Name;

39then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their pleas, and uphold their cause. And forgive your people, who have sinned against you.

40“Now, my God, may your eyes be open and your ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.

41“Now arise, O Lord God, and come to your resting place, you and the ark of your might. May your priests, O Lord God, be clothed with salvation, may your saints rejoice in your goodness.

42O Lord God, do not reject your anointed one. Remember the great love promised to David your servant.”

7When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.

2The priests could not enter the temple of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled it.

3When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord , saying, “He is good; his love endures forever.”

4Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the Lord .

5And King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand head of cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the people dedicated the temple of God.

6The priests took their positions, as did the Levites with the Lord ‘s musical instruments, which King David had made for praising the Lord and which were used when he gave thanks, saying, “His love endures forever.” Opposite the Levites, the priests blew their trumpets, and all the Israelites were standing.

7Solomon consecrated the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple of the Lord , and there he offered burnt offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings, because the bronze altar he had made could not hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the fat portions.

8So Solomon observed the festival at that time for seven days, and all Israel with him-a vast assembly, people from Lebo Hamath to the Wadi of Egypt.

9On the eighth day they held an assembly, for they had celebrated the dedication of the altar for seven days and the festival for seven days more.

10On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people to their homes, joyful and glad in heart for the good things the Lord had done for David and Solomon and for his people Israel.

11When Solomon had finished the temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the Lord and in his own palace,

12the Lord appeared to him at night and said: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices.

13“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people,

14if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

15Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.

16I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.

17“As for you, if you walk before me as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decrees and laws,

18I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a man to rule over Israel.’

19“But if you turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them,

20then I will uproot Israel from my land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples.

21And though this temple is now so imposing, all who pass by will be appalled and say, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’

22People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord , the God of their fathers, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them-that is why he brought all this disaster on them.’ “

8At the end of twenty years, during which Solomon built the temple of the Lord and his own palace,

2Solomon rebuilt the villages that Hiram had given him, and settled Israelites in them.

3Solomon then went to Hamath Zobah and captured it.

4He also built up Tadmor in the desert and all the store cities he had built in Hamath.

5He rebuilt Upper Beth Horon and Lower Beth Horon as fortified cities, with walls and with gates and bars,

6as well as Baalath and all his store cities, and all the cities for his chariots and for his horses -whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon and throughout all the territory he ruled.

7All the people left from the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites (these peoples were not Israelites),

8that is, their descendants remaining in the land, whom the Israelites had not destroyed-these Solomon conscripted for his slave labor force, as it is to this day.

9But Solomon did not make slaves of the Israelites for his work; they were his fighting men, commanders of his captains, and commanders of his chariots and charioteers.

10They were also King Solomon’s chief officials-two hundred and fifty officials supervising the men.

11Solomon brought 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 David king of Israel, because the places the ark of the Lord has entered are holy.”

12On the altar of the Lord that he had built in front of the portico, Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings to the Lord ,

13according to the daily requirement for offerings commanded by Moses for Sabbaths, New Moons and the three annual feasts-the Feast of Unleavened

Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles.

14In keeping with the ordinance of his father David, he appointed the divisions of the priests for their duties, and the Levites to lead the praise and to assist the priests according to each day’s requirement. He also appointed the gatekeepers by divisions for the various gates, because this was what David the man of God had ordered.

15They did not deviate from the king’s commands to the priests or to the Levites in any matter, including that of the treasuries.

16All Solomon’s work was carried out, from the day the foundation of the temple of the Lord was laid until its completion. So the temple of the Lord was finished.

17Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber and Elath on the coast of Edom.

18And Hiram sent him ships commanded by his own officers, men who knew the sea. These, with Solomon’s men, sailed to Ophir and brought back four hundred and fifty talents of gold, which they delivered to King Solomon.

9When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. Arriving with a very great caravan-with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones-she came to Solomon and talked with him about all she had on her mind.

2Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for him to explain to her.

3When the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, as well as the palace he had built,

4the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, the cupbearers in their robes and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the Lord , she was overwhelmed.

5She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true.

6But I did not believe what they said until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half the greatness of your wisdom was told me; you have far exceeded the report I heard.

7How happy your men must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom!

8Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on his throne as king to rule for the Lord your God. Because of the love of your God for Israel and his desire to uphold them forever, he has made you king over them, to maintain justice and righteousness.”

9Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. There had never been such spices as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

10(The men of Hiram and the men of Solomon brought gold from Ophir; they also brought algumwood and precious stones.

11The king used the algumwood to make steps for the temple of the Lord and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. Nothing like them had ever been seen in Judah.)

12King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for; he gave her more than she had brought to him. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country.

13The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents,

14not including the revenues brought in by merchants and traders. Also all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land brought gold and silver to Solomon.

15King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred bekas of hammered gold went into each shield.

16He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three hundred bekas of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.

17Then the king made a great throne inlaid with ivory and overlaid with pure gold.

18The throne had six steps, and a footstool of gold was attached to it. On

both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them.

19Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom.

20All King Solomon’s goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s day.

21The king had a fleet of trading ships manned by Hiram’s men. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons.

22King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth.

23All the kings of the earth sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.

24Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift-articles of silver and gold, and robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules.

25Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem.

26He ruled over all the kings from the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt.

27The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills.

28Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from all other countries.

29As for the other events of Solomon’s reign, from beginning to end, are they not written in the records of Nathan the prophet, in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat?

30Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.

31Then he rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father. And Rehoboam his son succeeded him as king.

10Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all the Israelites had gone there to make him king.

2When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard this (he was in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), he returned from Egypt.

3So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and all Israel went to Rehoboam and said to him:

4“Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”

5Rehoboam answered, “Come back to me in three days.” So the people went away.

6Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. “How would you advise me to answer these people?” he asked.

7They replied, “If you will be kind to these people and please them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants.”

8But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him.

9He asked them, “What is your advice? How should we answer these people who say to me, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?”

10The young men who had grown up with him replied, “Tell the people who have said to you, ‘Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but make our yoke lighter’-tell them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist.

11My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.’ “

12Three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, as the king had said, “Come back to me in three days.”

13The king answered them harshly. Rejecting the advice of the elders,

14he followed the advice of the young men and said, “My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.”

15So the king did not listen to the people, for this turn of events was from God, to fulfill the word the Lord had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite.

16When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, they answered the king: “What share do we have in David, what part in Jesse’s son? To your tents, O Israel! Look after your own house, O David!” So all the Israelites went home.

17But as for the Israelites who were living in the towns of Judah, Rehoboam still ruled over them.

18King Rehoboam sent out Adoniram, who was in charge of forced labor, but the Israelites stoned him to death. King Rehoboam, however, managed to get into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem.

19So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.

11When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mustered the house of Judah and Benjamin-a hundred and eighty thousand fighting men-to make war against Israel and to regain the kingdom for Rehoboam.

2But this word of the Lord came to Shemaiah the man of God:

3“Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah and to all the Israelites in Judah and Benjamin,

4‘This is what the Lord says: Do not go up to fight against your brothers. Go home, every one of you, for this is my doing.’ ” So they obeyed the words of the Lord and turned back from marching against Jeroboam.

5Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem and built up towns for defense in Judah:

6Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, 7Beth Zur, Soco, Adullam, 8Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, 9Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,

10Zorah, Aijalon and Hebron. These were fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin.

11He strengthened their defenses and put commanders in them, with supplies of food, olive oil and wine.

12He put shields and spears in all the cities, and made them very strong. So Judah and Benjamin were his.

13The priests and Levites from all their districts throughout Israel sided with him.

14The Levites even abandoned their pasturelands and property, and came to

Judah and Jerusalem because Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them as priests of the Lord .

15And he appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat and calf idols he had made.

16Those from every tribe of Israel who set their hearts on seeking the Lord , the God of Israel, followed the Levites to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to the Lord , the God of their fathers.

17They strengthened the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam son of Solomon three years, walking in the ways of David and Solomon during this time.

18Rehoboam married Mahalath, who was the daughter of David’s son Jerimoth and of Abihail, the daughter of Jesse’s son Eliab.

19She bore him sons: Jeush, Shemariah and Zaham.

20Then he married Maacah daughter of Absalom, who bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza and Shelomith.

21Rehoboam loved Maacah daughter of Absalom more than any of his other wives and concubines. In all, he had eighteen wives and sixty concubines, twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.

22Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maacah to be the chief prince among his brothers, in order to make him king.

23He acted wisely, dispersing some of his sons throughout the districts of Judah and Benjamin, and to all the fortified cities. He gave them abundant provisions and took many wives for them.

12After Rehoboam’s position as king was established and he had become strong, he and all Israel with him abandoned the law of the Lord .

2Because they had been unfaithful to the Lord , Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam.

3With twelve hundred chariots and sixty thousand horsemen and the innumerable troops of Libyans, Sukkites and Cushites that came with him from Egypt,

4he captured the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem.

5Then the prophet Shemaiah came to Rehoboam and to the leaders of Judah who had assembled in Jerusalem for fear of Shishak, and he said to them, “This is what the Lord says, ‘You have abandoned me; therefore, I now abandon you to Shishak.’ “

6The leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “The Lord is just.”

7When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, this word of the Lord came to Shemaiah: “Since they have humbled themselves, I will not destroy them but

will soon give them deliverance. My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak.

8They will, however, become subject to him, so that they may learn the difference between serving me and serving the kings of other lands.”

9When Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem, he carried off the treasures of the temple of the Lord and the treasures of the royal palace. He took everything, including the gold shields Solomon had made.

10So King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and assigned these to the commanders of the guard on duty at the entrance to the royal palace.

11Whenever the king went to the Lord ‘s temple, the guards went with him, bearing the shields, and afterward they returned them to the guardroom.

12Because Rehoboam humbled himself, the Lord ‘s anger turned from him, and he was not totally destroyed. Indeed, there was some good in Judah.

13King Rehoboam established himself firmly in Jerusalem and continued as king. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel in which to put his Name. His mother’s name was Naamah; she was an Ammonite.

14He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord .

15As for the events of Rehoboam’s reign, from beginning to end, are they not written in the records of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the seer that deal with genealogies? There was continual warfare between Rehoboam and Jeroboam.

16Rehoboam rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David. And Abijah his son succeeded him as king.

13In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam, Abijah became king of Judah,

2and he reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother’s name was Maacah, a daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.

3Abijah went into battle with a force of four hundred thousand able fighting men, and Jeroboam drew up a battle line against him with eight hundred thousand able troops.

4Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, “Jeroboam and all Israel, listen to me!

5Don’t you know that the Lord , the God of Israel, has given the kingship of Israel to David and his descendants forever by a covenant of salt?

6Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, an official of Solomon son of David, rebelled against his master.

7Some worthless scoundrels gathered around him and opposed Rehoboam son of Solomon when he was young and indecisive and not strong enough to resist them.

8“And now you plan to resist the kingdom of the Lord , which is in the hands of David’s descendants. You are indeed a vast army and have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made to be your gods.

9But didn’t you drive out the priests of the Lord , the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and make priests of your own as the peoples of other lands do? Whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams may become a priest of what are not gods.

10“As for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. The priests who serve the Lord are sons of Aaron, and the Levites assist them.

11Every morning and evening they present burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the Lord . They set out the bread on the ceremonially clean table and light the lamps on the gold lampstand every evening. We are observing the requirements of the Lord our God. But you have forsaken him.

12God is with us; he is our leader. His priests with their trumpets will sound the battle cry against you. Men of Israel, do not fight against the Lord , the God of your fathers, for you will not succeed.”

13Now Jeroboam had sent troops around to the rear, so that while he was

in front of Judah the ambush was behind them.

14Judah turned and saw that they were being attacked at both front and rear. Then they cried out to the Lord . The priests blew their trumpets

15and the men of Judah raised the battle cry. At the sound of their battle cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.

16The Israelites fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hands.

17Abijah and his men inflicted heavy losses on them, so that there were five hundred thousand casualties among Israel’s able men.

18The men of Israel were subdued on that occasion, and the men of Judah were victorious because they relied on the Lord , the God of their fathers.

19Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took from him the towns of Bethel, Jeshanah and Ephron, with their surrounding villages.

20Jeroboam did not regain power during the time of Abijah. And the Lord struck him down and he died.

21But Abijah grew in strength. He married fourteen wives and had twenty- two sons and sixteen daughters.

22The other events of Abijah’s reign, what he did and what he said, are written in the annotations of the prophet Iddo.

14And Abijah rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David. Asa his son succeeded him as king, and in his days the country was at peace for ten years.

2Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God.

3He removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles.

4He commanded Judah to seek the Lord , the God of their fathers, and to obey his laws and commands.

5He removed the high places and incense altars in every town in Judah, and the kingdom was at peace under him.

6He built up the fortified cities of Judah, since the land was at peace. No one was at war with him during those years, for the Lord gave him rest.

7“Let us build up these towns,” he said to Judah, “and put walls around them, with towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the Lord our God; we sought him and he has given us rest on every side.” So they built and prospered.

8Asa had an army of three hundred thousand men from Judah, equipped with large shields and with spears, and two hundred and eighty thousand from Benjamin, armed with small shields and with bows. All these were brave fighting men.

9Zerah the Cushite marched out against them with a vast army and three hundred chariots, and came as far as Mareshah.

10Asa went out to meet him, and they took up battle positions in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.

11Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, “Lord , there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. O Lord , you are our God; do not let man prevail against you.”

12The Lord struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled,

13and Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar. Such a great number of Cushites fell that they could not recover; they were crushed before the Lord and his forces. The men of Judah carried off a large amount of plunder.

14They destroyed all the villages around Gerar, for the terror of the Lord had fallen upon them. They plundered all these villages, since there was much booty there.

15They also attacked the camps of the herdsmen and carried off droves of sheep and goats and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.

15The Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded.

2He went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.

3For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach and without the law.

4But in their distress they turned to the Lord , the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them.

5In those days it was not safe to travel about, for all the inhabitants of the lands were in great turmoil.

6One nation was being crushed by another and one city by another, because God was troubling them with every kind of distress.

7But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”

8When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded the prophet, he took courage. He removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the towns he had captured in the hills of Ephraim. He repaired the altar of the Lord that was in front of the portico of the Lord ‘s temple.

9Then he assembled all Judah and Benjamin and the people from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon who had settled among them, for large numbers had come over to him from Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.

10They assembled at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign.

11At that time they sacrificed to the Lord seven hundred head of cattle and seven thousand sheep and goats from the plunder they had brought back.

12They entered into a covenant to seek the Lord , the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul.

13All who would not seek the Lord , the God of Israel, were to be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman.

14They took an oath to the Lord with loud acclamation, with shouting and with trumpets and horns.

15All Judah rejoiced about the oath because they had sworn it wholeheartedly. They sought God eagerly, and he was found by them. So the Lord gave them rest on every side.

16King Asa also deposed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother, because she had made a repulsive Asherah pole. Asa cut the pole down, broke it up and burned it in the Kidron Valley.

17Although he did not remove the high places from Israel, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life.

18He brought into the temple of God the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated.

19There was no more war until the thirty- fifth year of Asa’s reign.

16In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and fortified Ramah to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the territory of Asa king of Judah.

2Asa then took the silver and gold out of the treasuries of the Lord ‘s temple and of his own palace and sent it to Ben- Hadad king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus.

3“Let there be a treaty between me and you,” he said, “as there was between my father and your father. See, I am sending you silver and gold. Now break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so he will withdraw from me.”

4Ben-Hadad agreed with King Asa and sent the commanders of his forces against the towns of Israel. They conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim and all the store cities of Naphtali.

5When Baasha heard this, he stopped building Ramah and abandoned his work.

6Then King Asa brought all the men of Judah, and they carried away from Ramah the stones and timber Baasha had been using. With them he built up Geba and Mizpah.

7At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him: “Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the Lord your God, the army

of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand.

8Were not the Cushites and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen ? Yet when you relied on the Lord , he delivered them into your hand.

9For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.”

10Asa was angry with the seer because of this; he was so enraged that he put him in prison. At the same time Asa brutally oppressed some of the people.

11The events of Asa’s reign, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

12In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the Lord , but only from the physicians.

13Then in the forty-first year of his reign Asa died and rested with his fathers.

14They buried him in the tomb that he had cut out for himself in the City of David. They laid him on a bier covered with spices and various blended perfumes, and they made a huge fire in his honor.

17Jehoshaphat his son succeeded him as king and strengthened himself against Israel.

2He stationed troops in all the fortified cities of Judah and put garrisons in Judah and in the towns of Ephraim that his father Asa had captured.

3The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because in his early years he walked in the ways his father David had followed. He did not consult the Baals

4but sought the God of his father and followed his commands rather than the practices of Israel.

5The Lord established the kingdom under his control; and all Judah brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, so that he had great wealth and honor.

6His heart was devoted to the ways of the Lord ; furthermore, he removed the high places and the Asherah poles from Judah.

7In the third year of his reign he sent his officials Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel and Micaiah to teach in the towns of Judah.

8With them were certain Levites- Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah and Tob-Adonijah-and the priests Elishama and Jehoram.

9They taught throughout Judah, taking with them the Book of the Law of the

Lord ; they went around to all the towns of Judah and taught the people.

10The fear of the Lord fell on all the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Judah, so that they did not make war with Jehoshaphat.

11Some Philistines brought Jehoshaphat gifts and silver as tribute, and the Arabs brought him flocks: seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred goats.

12Jehoshaphat became more and more powerful; he built forts and store cities in Judah

13and had large supplies in the towns of Judah. He also kept experienced fighting men in Jerusalem.

14Their enrollment by families was as follows: From Judah, commanders of units of 1,000: Adnah the commander, with 300,000 fighting men;

15next, Jehohanan the commander, with 280,000;

16next, Amasiah son of Zicri, who volunteered himself for the service of the Lord , with 200,000.

17From Benjamin: Eliada, a valiant soldier, with 200,000 men armed with bows and shields;

18next, Jehozabad, with 180,000 men armed for battle.

19These were the men who served the king, besides those he stationed in the fortified cities throughout Judah.

18Now Jehoshaphat had great wealth and honor, and he allied himself with Ahab by marriage.

2Some years later he went down to visit Ahab in Samaria. Ahab slaughtered many sheep and cattle for him and the people with him and urged him to attack Ramoth Gilead.

3Ahab king of Israel asked Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me against Ramoth Gilead?” Jehoshaphat replied, “I am as you are, and my people as your people; we will join you in the war.”

4But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “First seek the counsel of the Lord .”

5So the king of Israel brought together the prophets-four hundred men-and asked them, “Shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?” “Go,” they answered, “for God will give it into the king’s hand.”

6But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not a prophet of the Lord here whom we can inquire of?”

7The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man through whom we can inquire of the Lord , but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”

“The king should not say that,” Jehoshaphat replied.

8So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once.”

9Dressed in their royal robes, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance to the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them.

10Now Zedekiah son of Kenaanah had made iron horns, and he declared, “This is what the Lord says: ‘With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.’ “

11All the other prophets were prophesying the same thing. “Attack Ramoth Gilead and be victorious,” they said, “for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand.”

12The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, as one man the other prophets are predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with theirs, and speak favorably.”

13But Micaiah said, “As surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what my God says.”

14When he arrived, the king asked him, “Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?” “Attack and be victorious,” he answered, “for they will be given into your hand.”

15The king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord ?”

16Then Micaiah answered, “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the Lord said, ‘These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace.’ “

17The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad?”

18Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord : I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the host of heaven standing on his right and on his left.

19And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab king of Israel into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?’ “One suggested this, and another that.

20Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will entice him.’ ” ‘By what means?’ the Lord asked.

21” ‘I will go and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,’ he said. ” ‘You will succeed in enticing him,’ said the Lord . ‘Go and do it.’

22“So now the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours. The Lord has decreed disaster for you.”

23Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah went up and slapped Micaiah in the face. “Which way did the spirit from the Lord

go when he went from me to speak to you?” he asked.

24Micaiah replied, “You will find out on the day you go to hide in an inner room.”

25The king of Israel then ordered, “Take Micaiah and send him back to Amon the ruler of the city and to Joash the king’s son,

26and say, ‘This is what the king says: Put this fellow in prison and give him nothing but bread and water until I return safely.’ “

27Micaiah declared, “If you ever return safely, the Lord has not spoken through me.” Then he added, “Mark my words, all you people!”

28So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead.

29The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will enter the battle in disguise, but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.

30Now the king of Aram had ordered his chariot commanders, “Do not fight with anyone, small or great, except the king of Israel.”

31When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they thought, “This is the king of Israel.” So they turned to attack him, but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him. God drew them away from him,

32for when the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, they stopped pursuing him.

33But someone drew his bow at random and hit the king of Israel between the sections of his armor. The king told the chariot driver, “Wheel around and get me out of the fighting. I’ve been wounded.”

34All day long the battle raged, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Arameans until evening. Then at sunset he died.

19When Jehoshaphat king of Judah returned safely to his palace in Jerusalem,

2Jehu the seer, the son of Hanani, went out to meet him and said to the king, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord ? Because of this, the wrath of the Lord is upon you.

3There is, however, some good in you, for you have rid the land of the Asherah poles and have set your heart on seeking God.”

4Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and turned them back to the Lord , the God of their fathers.

5He appointed judges in the land, in each of the fortified cities of Judah.

6He told them, “Consider carefully what you do, because you are not judging for

man but for the Lord , who is with you whenever you give a verdict.

7Now let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Judge carefully, for with the Lord our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.”

8In Jerusalem also, Jehoshaphat appointed some of the Levites, priests and heads of Israelite families to administer the law of the Lord and to settle disputes. And they lived in Jerusalem.

9He gave them these orders: “You must serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the Lord .

10In every case that comes before you from your fellow countrymen who live in the cities-whether bloodshed or other concerns of the law, commands, decrees or ordinances-you are to warn them not to sin against the Lord ; otherwise his wrath will come on you and your brothers. Do this, and you will not sin.

11“Amariah the chief priest will be over you in any matter concerning the Lord , and Zebadiah son of Ishmael, the leader of the tribe of Judah, will be over you in any matter concerning the king, and the Levites will serve as officials before you. Act with courage, and may the Lord be with those who do well.”

20After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to make war on Jehoshaphat.

2Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Sea. It is already in Hazazon Tamar” (that is, En Gedi).

3Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord , and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah.

4The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord ; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him.

5Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the Lord in the front of the new courtyard

6and said: “O Lord , God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you.

7O our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?

8They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying,

9‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.’

10“But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory

you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them.

11See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance.

12O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.”

13All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the Lord .

14Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph, as he stood in the assembly.

15He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.

16Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel.

17You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to

face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’ “

18Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord .

19Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the Lord , the God of Israel, with very loud voice.

20Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.”

21After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the Lord , for his love endures forever.”

22As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.

23The men of Ammon and Moab rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another.

24When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks the desert and

looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped.

25So Jehoshaphat and his men went to carry off their plunder, and they found among them a great amount of equipment and clothing and also articles of value-more than they could take away. There was so much plunder that it took three days to collect it.

26On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah, where they praised the Lord . This is why it is called the Valley of Beracah to this day.

27Then, led by Jehoshaphat, all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned joyfully to Jerusalem, for the Lord had given them cause to rejoice over their enemies.

28They entered Jerusalem and went to the temple of the Lord with harps and lutes and trumpets.

29The fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard how the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel.

30And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.

31So Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king of Judah, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-five years. His mother’s name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi.

32He walked in the ways of his father Asa and did not stray from them; he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord .

33The high places, however, were not removed, and the people still had not set their hearts on the God of their fathers.

34The other events of Jehoshaphat’s reign, from beginning to end, are written in the annals of Jehu son of Hanani, which are recorded in the book of the kings of Israel.

35Later, Jehoshaphat king of Judah made an alliance with Ahaziah king of Israel, who was guilty of wickedness.

36He agreed with him to construct a fleet of trading ships. After these were built at Ezion Geber,

37Eliezer son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have made an alliance with Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy what you have made.” The ships were wrecked and were not able to set sail to trade.

21Then Jehoshaphat rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David. And Jehoram his son succeeded him as king.

2Jehoram’s brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat, were Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael and Shephatiah. All these were sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel.

3Their father had given them many gifts of silver and gold and articles of value, as well as fortified cities in Judah, but he had given the kingdom to Jehoram because he was his firstborn son.

4When Jehoram established himself firmly over his father’s kingdom, he put all his brothers to the sword along with some of the princes of Israel.

5Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years.

6He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord .

7Nevertheless, because of the covenant the Lord had made with David, the Lord was not willing to destroy the house of David. He had promised to maintain a lamp for him and his descendants forever.

8In the time of Jehoram, Edom rebelled against Judah and set up its own king.

9So Jehoram went there with his officers and all his chariots. The Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, but he rose up and broke through by night.

10To this day Edom has been in rebellion against Judah. Libnah revolted at the same time, because Jehoram had forsaken the Lord , the God of his fathers.

11He had also built high places on the hills of Judah and had caused the people of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves and had led Judah astray.

12Jehoram received a letter from Elijah the prophet, which said: “This is what the Lord , the God of your father David, says: ‘You have not walked in the ways of your father Jehoshaphat or of Asa king of Judah.

13But you have walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and you have led Judah and the people of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves, just as the house of Ahab did. You have also murdered your own brothers, members of your father’s house, men who were better than you.

14So now the Lord is about to strike your people, your sons, your wives and everything that is yours, with a heavy blow.

15You yourself will be very ill with a lingering disease of the bowels, until the disease causes your bowels to come out.’ “

16The Lord aroused against Jehoram the hostility of the Philistines and of the Arabs who lived near the Cushites.

17They attacked Judah, invaded it and carried off all the goods found in the king’s palace, together with his sons and wives. Not a son was left to him except Ahaziah, the youngest.

18After all this, the Lord afflicted Jehoram with an incurable disease of the bowels.

19In the course of time, at the end of the second year, his bowels came out because of the disease, and he died in great pain. His people made no fire in his honor, as they had for his fathers.

20Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He passed away, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

22The people of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, Jehoram’s youngest son, king in his place, since the raiders, who came with the Arabs into the camp, had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign.

2Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah, a granddaughter of Omri.

3He too walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother encouraged him in doing wrong.

4He did evil in the eyes of the Lord , as the house of Ahab had done, for after his father’s death they became his advisers, to his undoing.

5He also followed their counsel when he went with Joram son of Ahab king of Israel to war against Hazael king of

Aram at Ramoth Gilead. The Arameans wounded Joram;

6so he returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds they had inflicted on him at Ramoth in his battle with Hazael king of Aram. Then Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to see Joram son of Ahab because he had been wounded.

7Through Ahaziah’s visit to Joram, God brought about Ahaziah’s downfall. When Ahaziah arrived, he went out with Joram to meet Jehu son of Nimshi, whom the Lord had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab.

8While Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, he found the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s relatives, who had been attending Ahaziah, and he killed them.

9He then went in search of Ahaziah, and his men captured him while he was hiding in Samaria. He was brought to Jehu and put to death. They buried him, for they said, “He was a son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the Lord with all his heart.” So there was no one in the house of Ahaziah powerful enough to retain the kingdom.

10When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family of the house of Judah.

11But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes who were about to be murdered and put him and his nurse in a

bedroom. Because Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and wife of the priest Jehoiada, was Ahaziah’s sister, she hid the child from Athaliah so she could not kill him.

12He remained hidden with them at the temple of God for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.

23In the seventh year Jehoiada showed his strength. He made a covenant with the commanders of units of a hundred: Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zicri.

2They went throughout Judah and gathered the Levites and the heads of Israelite families from all the towns. When they came to Jerusalem,

3the whole assembly made a covenant with the king at the temple of God. Jehoiada said to them, “The king’s son shall reign, as the Lord promised concerning the descendants of David.

4Now this is what you are to do: A third of you priests and Levites who are going on duty on the Sabbath are to keep watch at the doors,

5a third of you at the royal palace and a third at the Foundation Gate, and all the other men are to be in the courtyards of the temple of the Lord .

6No one is to enter the temple of the Lord except the priests and Levites on duty; they may enter because they are

consecrated, but all the other men are to guard what the Lord has assigned to them.

7The Levites are to station themselves around the king, each man with his weapons in his hand. Anyone who enters the temple must be put to death. Stay close to the king wherever he goes.”

8The Levites and all the men of Judah did just as Jehoiada the priest ordered. Each one took his men-those who were going on duty on the Sabbath and those who were going off duty-for Jehoiada the priest had not released any of the divisions.

9Then he gave the commanders of units of a hundred the spears and the large and small shields that had belonged to King David and that were in the temple of God.

10He stationed all the men, each with his weapon in his hand, around the king- near the altar and the temple, from the south side to the north side of the temple.

11Jehoiada and his sons brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him; they presented him with a copy of the covenant and proclaimed him king. They anointed him and shouted, “Long live the king!”

12When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and cheering the king, she went to them at the temple of the Lord .

13She looked, and there was the king, standing by his pillar at the entrance. The officers and the trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and singers with musical instruments were leading the praises. Then Athaliah tore her robes and shouted, “Treason! Treason!”

14Jehoiada the priest sent out the commanders of units of a hundred, who were in charge of the troops, and said to them: “Bring her out between the ranks and put to the sword anyone who follows her.” For the priest had said, “Do not put her to death at the temple of the Lord .”

15So they seized her as she reached the entrance of the Horse Gate on the palace grounds, and there they put her to death.

16Jehoiada then made a covenant that he and the people and the king would be the Lord ‘s people.

17All the people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols and killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars.

18Then Jehoiada placed the oversight of the temple of the Lord in the hands of the priests, who were Levites, to whom David had made assignments in the temple, to present the burnt offerings of the Lord as written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicing and singing, as David had ordered.

19He also stationed doorkeepers at the gates of the Lord ‘s temple so that no

one who was in any way unclean might enter.

20He took with him the commanders of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people and all the people of the land and brought the king down from the temple of the Lord . They went into the palace through the Upper Gate and seated the king on the royal throne,

21and all the people of the land rejoiced. And the city was quiet, because Athaliah had been slain with the sword.

24Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba.

2Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years of Jehoiada the priest.

3Jehoiada chose two wives for him, and he had sons and daughters.

4Some time later Joash decided to restore the temple of the Lord .

5He called together the priests and Levites and said to them, “Go to the towns of Judah and collect the money due annually from all Israel, to repair the temple of your God. Do it now.” But the Levites did not act at once.

6Therefore the king summoned Jehoiada the chief priest and said to him, “Why haven’t you required the Levites to bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the

tax imposed by Moses the servant of the Lord and by the assembly of Israel for the Tent of the Testimony?”

7Now the sons of that wicked woman Athaliah had broken into the temple of God and had used even its sacred objects for the Baals.

8At the king’s command, a chest was made and placed outside, at the gate of the temple of the Lord .

9A proclamation was then issued in Judah and Jerusalem that they should bring to the Lord the tax that Moses the servant of God had required of Israel in the desert.

10All the officials and all the people brought their contributions gladly, dropping them into the chest until it was full.

11Whenever the chest was brought in by the Levites to the king’s officials and they saw that there was a large amount of money, the royal secretary and the officer of the chief priest would come and empty the chest and carry it back to its place. They did this regularly and collected a great amount of money.

12The king and Jehoiada gave it to the men who carried out the work required for the temple of the Lord . They hired masons and carpenters to restore the Lord ‘s temple, and also workers in iron and bronze to repair the temple.

13The men in charge of the work were diligent, and the repairs progressed under them. They rebuilt the temple of

God according to its original design and reinforced it.

14When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money to the king and Jehoiada, and with it were made articles for the Lord ‘s temple: articles for the service and for the burnt offerings, and also dishes and other objects of gold and silver. As long as Jehoiada lived, burnt offerings were presented continually in the temple of the Lord .

15Now Jehoiada was old and full of years, and he died at the age of a hundred and thirty.

16He was buried with the kings in the City of David, because of the good he had done in Israel for God and his temple.

17After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them.

18They abandoned the temple of the Lord , the God of their fathers, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols. Because of their guilt, God’s anger came upon Judah and Jerusalem.

19Although the Lord sent prophets to the people to bring them back to him, and though they testified against them, they would not listen.

20Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you disobey the Lord ‘s commands? You will

not prosper. Because you have forsaken the Lord , he has forsaken you.’ “

21But they plotted against him, and by order of the king they stoned him to death in the courtyard of the Lord ‘s temple.

22King Joash did not remember the kindness Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had shown him but killed his son, who said as he lay dying, “May the Lord see this and call you to account.”

23At the turn of the year, the army of Aram marched against Joash; it invaded Judah and Jerusalem and killed all the leaders of the people. They sent all the plunder to their king in Damascus.

24Although the Aramean army had come with only a few men, the Lord delivered into their hands a much larger army. Because Judah had forsaken the Lord , the God of their fathers, judgment was executed on Joash.

25When the Arameans withdrew, they left Joash severely wounded. His officials conspired against him for murdering the son of Jehoiada the priest, and they killed him in his bed. So he died and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

26Those who conspired against him were Zabad, son of Shimeath an Ammonite woman, and Jehozabad, son of Shimrith a Moabite woman.

27The account of his sons, the many prophecies about him, and the record of the restoration of the temple of God are

written in the annotations on the book of the kings. And Amaziah his son succeeded him as king.

25Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Jehoaddin ; she was from Jerusalem.

2He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord , but not wholeheartedly.

3After the kingdom was firmly in his control, he executed the officials who had murdered his father the king.

4Yet he did not put their sons to death, but acted in accordance with what is written in the Law, in the Book of Moses, where the Lord commanded: “Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sins.”

5Amaziah called the people of Judah together and assigned them according to their families to commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. He then mustered those twenty years old or more and found that there were three hundred thousand men ready for military service, able to handle the spear and shield.

6He also hired a hundred thousand fighting men from Israel for a hundred talents of silver.

7But a man of God came to him and said, “O king, these troops from Israel must not march with you, for the Lord is not with Israel-not with any of the people of Ephraim.

8Even if you go and fight courageously in battle, God will overthrow you before the enemy, for God has the power to help or to overthrow.”

9Amaziah asked the man of God, “But what about the hundred talents I paid for these Israelite troops?” The man of God replied, “The Lord can give you much more than that.”

10So Amaziah dismissed the troops who had come to him from Ephraim and sent them home. They were furious with Judah and left for home in a great rage.

11Amaziah then marshaled his strength and led his army to the Valley of Salt, where he killed ten thousand men of Seir.

12The army of Judah also captured ten thousand men alive, took them to the top of a cliff and threw them down so that all were dashed to pieces.

13Meanwhile the troops that Amaziah had sent back and had not allowed to take part in the war raided Judean towns from Samaria to Beth Horon. They killed three thousand people and carried off great quantities of plunder.

14When Amaziah returned from slaughtering the Edomites, he brought back the gods of the people of Seir. He set them up as his own gods, bowed

down to them and burned sacrifices to them.

15The anger of the Lord burned against Amaziah, and he sent a prophet to him, who said, “Why do you consult this people’s gods, which could not save their own people from your hand?”

16While he was still speaking, the king said to him, “Have we appointed you an adviser to the king? Stop! Why be struck down?” So the prophet stopped but said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel.”

17After Amaziah king of Judah consulted his advisers, he sent this challenge to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel: “Come, meet me face to face.”

18But Jehoash king of Israel replied to Amaziah king of Judah: “A thistle in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar in Lebanon, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ Then a wild beast in Lebanon came along and trampled the thistle underfoot.

19You say to yourself that you have defeated Edom, and now you are arrogant and proud. But stay at home! Why ask for trouble and cause your own downfall and that of Judah also?”

20Amaziah, however, would not listen, for God so worked that he might hand them over to Jehoash , because they sought the gods of Edom.

21So Jehoash king of Israel attacked. He and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth Shemesh in Judah.

22Judah was routed by Israel, and every man fled to his home.

23Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Ahaziah, at Beth Shemesh. Then Jehoash brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate-a section about six hundred feet long.

24He took all the gold and silver and all the articles found in the temple of God that had been in the care of Obed-Edom, together with the palace treasures and the hostages, and returned to Samaria.

25Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel.

26As for the other events of Amaziah’s reign, from beginning to end, are they not written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel?

27From the time that Amaziah turned away from following the Lord , they conspired against him in Jerusalem and he fled to Lachish, but they sent men after him to Lachish and killed him there.

28He was brought back by horse and was buried with his fathers in the City of Judah.

26Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah.

2He was the one who rebuilt Elath and restored it to Judah after Amaziah rested with his fathers.

3Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother’s name was Jecoliah; she was from Jerusalem.

4He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord , just as his father Amaziah had done.

5He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the Lord , God gave him success.

6He went to war against the Philistines and broke down the walls of Gath, Jabneh and Ashdod. He then rebuilt towns near Ashdod and elsewhere among the Philistines.

7God helped him against the Philistines and against the Arabs who lived in Gur Baal and against the Meunites.

8The Ammonites brought tribute to Uzziah, and his fame spread as far as the border of Egypt, because he had become very powerful.

9Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate and at

the angle of the wall, and he fortified them.

10He also built towers in the desert and dug many cisterns, because he had much livestock in the foothills and in the plain. He had people working his fields and vineyards in the hills and in the fertile lands, for he loved the soil.

11Uzziah had a well-trained army, ready to go out by divisions according to their numbers as mustered by Jeiel the secretary and Maaseiah the officer under the direction of Hananiah, one of the royal officials.

12The total number of family leaders over the fighting men was 2,600.

13Under their command was an army of 307,500 men trained for war, a powerful force to support the king against his enemies.

14Uzziah provided shields, spears, helmets, coats of armor, bows and slingstones for the entire army.

15In Jerusalem he made machines designed by skillful men for use on the towers and on the corner defenses to shoot arrows and hurl large stones. His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful.

16But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God, and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.

17Azariah the priest with eighty other courageous priests of the Lord followed him in.

18They confronted him and said, “It is not right for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord . That is for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who have been consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful; and you will not be honored by the Lord God.”

19Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand ready to burn incense, became angry. While he was raging at the priests in their presence before the incense altar in the Lord ‘s temple, leprosy broke out on his forehead.

20When Azariah the chief priest and all the other priests looked at him, they saw that he had leprosy on his forehead, so they hurried him out. Indeed, he himself was eager to leave, because the Lord had afflicted him.

21King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in a separate house – leprous, and excluded from the temple of the Lord . Jotham his son had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land.

22The other events of Uzziah’s reign, from beginning to end, are recorded by the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.

23Uzziah rested with his fathers and was buried near them in a field for burial that belonged to the kings, for people said, “He had leprosy.” And Jotham his son succeeded him as king.

27Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. His mother’s name was Jerusha daughter of Zadok.

2He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord , just as his father Uzziah had done, but unlike him he did not enter the temple of the Lord . The people, however, continued their corrupt practices.

3Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate of the temple of the Lord and did extensive work on the wall at the hill of Ophel.

4He built towns in the Judean hills and forts and towers in the wooded areas.

5Jotham made war on the king of the Ammonites and conquered them. That year the Ammonites paid him a hundred talents of silver, ten thousand cors of wheat and ten thousand cors of barley. The Ammonites brought him the same amount also in the second and third years.

6Jotham grew powerful because he walked steadfastly before the Lord his God.

7The other events in Jotham’s reign, including all his wars and the other things he did, are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.

8He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years.

9Jotham rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David. And Ahaz his son succeeded him as king.

28Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord .

2He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and also made cast idols for worshiping the Baals.

3He burned sacrifices in the Valley of Ben Hinnom and sacrificed his sons in the fire, following the detestable ways of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.

4He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading tree.

5Therefore the Lord his God handed him over to the king of Aram. The Arameans defeated him and took many of his people as prisoners and brought them to Damascus. He was also given into the hands of the king of Israel, who inflicted heavy casualties on him.

6In one day Pekah son of Remaliah killed a hundred and twenty thousand soldiers in Judah-because Judah had forsaken the Lord , the God of their fathers.

7Zicri, an Ephraimite warrior, killed Maaseiah the king’s son, Azrikam the officer in charge of the palace, and Elkanah, second to the king.

8The Israelites took captive from their kinsmen two hundred thousand wives, sons and daughters. They also took a great deal of plunder, which they carried back to Samaria.

9But a prophet of the Lord named Oded was there, and he went out to meet the army when it returned to Samaria. He said to them, “Because the Lord , the God of your fathers, was angry with Judah, he gave them into your hand. But you have slaughtered them in a rage that reaches to heaven.

10And now you intend to make the men and women of Judah and Jerusalem your slaves. But aren’t you also guilty of sins against the Lord your God?

11Now listen to me! Send back your fellow countrymen you have taken as prisoners, for the Lord ‘s fierce anger rests on you.”

12Then some of the leaders in Ephraim- Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berekiah son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai- confronted those who were arriving from the war.

13“You must not bring those prisoners here,” they said, “or we will be guilty before the Lord . Do you intend to add to our sin and guilt? For our guilt is already great, and his fierce anger rests on Israel.”

14So the soldiers gave up the prisoners and plunder in the presence of the officials and all the assembly.

15The men designated by name took the prisoners, and from the plunder they clothed all who were naked. They provided them with clothes and sandals, food and drink, and healing balm. All those who were weak they put on donkeys. So they took them back to their fellow countrymen at Jericho, the City of Palms, and returned to Samaria.

16At that time King Ahaz sent to the king of Assyria for help.

17The Edomites had again come and attacked Judah and carried away prisoners,

18while the Philistines had raided towns in the foothills and in the Negev of Judah. They captured and occupied Beth Shemesh, Aijalon and Gederoth, as well as Soco, Timnah and Gimzo, with their surrounding villages.

19The Lord had humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had promoted wickedness in Judah and had been most unfaithful to the Lord .

20Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came to him, but he gave him trouble instead of help.

21Ahaz took some of the things from the temple of the Lord and from the royal palace and from the princes and presented them to the king of Assyria, but that did not help him.

22In his time of trouble King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the Lord .

23He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus, who had defeated him; for he thought, “Since the gods of the kings of Aram have helped them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me.” But they were his downfall and the downfall of all Israel.

24Ahaz gathered together the furnishings from the temple of God and took them away. He shut the doors of the Lord ‘s temple and set up altars at every street corner in Jerusalem.

25In every town in Judah he built high places to burn sacrifices to other gods and provoked the Lord , the God of his fathers, to anger.

26The other events of his reign and all his ways, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

27Ahaz rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of Jerusalem, but he was not placed in the tombs of the kings of Israel. And Hezekiah his son succeeded him as king.

29Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah.

2He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord , just as his father David had done.

3In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the temple of the Lord and repaired them.

4He brought in the priests and the Levites, assembled them in the square on the east side

5and said: “Listen to me, Levites! Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the Lord , the God of your fathers. Remove all defilement from the sanctuary.

6Our fathers were unfaithful; they did evil in the eyes of the Lord our God and forsook him. They turned their faces away from the Lord ‘s dwelling place and turned their backs on him.

7They also shut the doors of the portico and put out the lamps. They did not burn incense or present any burnt offerings at the sanctuary to the God of Israel.

8Therefore, the anger of the Lord has fallen on Judah and Jerusalem; he has made them an object of dread and horror and scorn, as you can see with your own eyes.

9This is why our fathers have fallen by the sword and why our sons and daughters and our wives are in captivity.

10Now I intend to make a covenant with the Lord , the God of Israel, so that his fierce anger will turn away from us.

11My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to stand before him and serve him, to minister before him and to burn incense.”

12Then these Levites set to work: 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;

13from the descendants of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeiel; from the descendants of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah;

14from the descendants of Heman, Jehiel and Shimei; from the descendants of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel.

15When they had assembled their brothers and consecrated themselves, they went in to purify the temple of the Lord , as the king had ordered, following the word of the Lord .

16The priests went into the sanctuary of the Lord to purify it. They brought out to the courtyard of the Lord ‘s temple everything unclean that they found in the temple of the Lord . The Levites took it and carried it out to the Kidron Valley.

17They began the consecration on the first day of the first month, and by the eighth day of the month they reached the portico of the Lord . For eight more days they consecrated the temple of the Lord itself, finishing on the sixteenth day of the first month.

18Then they went in to King Hezekiah and reported: “We have purified the entire temple of the Lord , the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the table for setting out the consecrated bread, with all its articles.

19We have prepared and consecrated all the articles that King Ahaz removed in his unfaithfulness while he was king. They are now in front of the Lord ‘s altar.”

20Early the next morning King Hezekiah gathered the city officials together and went up to the temple of the Lord .

21They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven male lambs and seven male goats as a sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary and for Judah. The king commanded the priests, the descendants of Aaron, to offer these on the altar of the Lord .

22So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests took the blood and sprinkled it on the altar; next they slaughtered the rams and sprinkled their blood on the altar; then they slaughtered the lambs and sprinkled their blood on the altar.

23The goats for the sin offering were brought before the king and the assembly, and they laid their hands on them.

24The priests then slaughtered the goats and presented their blood on the altar for a sin offering to atone for all Israel, because the king had ordered the burnt offering and the sin offering for all Israel.

25He stationed the Levites in the temple of the Lord with cymbals, harps and lyres in the way prescribed by David and Gad the king’s seer and Nathan the prophet; this was commanded by the Lord through his prophets.

26So the Levites stood ready with David’s instruments, and the priests with their trumpets.

27Hezekiah gave the order to sacrifice the burnt offering on the altar. As the offering began, singing to the Lord began also, accompanied by trumpets and the instruments of David king of Israel.

28The whole assembly bowed in worship, while the singers sang and the trumpeters played. All this continued until the sacrifice of the burnt offering was completed.

29When the offerings were finished, the king and everyone present with him knelt down and worshiped.

30King Hezekiah and his officials ordered the Levites to praise the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with gladness and bowed their heads and worshiped.

31Then Hezekiah said, “You have now dedicated yourselves to the Lord . Come and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the temple of the Lord .” So the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all whose hearts were willing brought burnt offerings.

32The number of burnt offerings the assembly brought was seventy bulls, a hundred rams and two hundred male lambs-all of them for burnt offerings to the Lord .

33The animals consecrated as sacrifices amounted to six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep and goats.

34The priests, however, were too few to skin all the burnt offerings; so their kinsmen the Levites helped them until the task was finished and until other priests had been consecrated, for the Levites had been more conscientious in consecrating themselves than the priests had been.

35There were burnt offerings in abundance, together with the fat of the fellowship offerings and the drink offerings that accompanied the burnt offerings. So the service of the temple of the Lord was reestablished.

36Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced at what God had brought about for his people, because it was done so quickly.

30Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and Judah and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, inviting them to come to the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover to the Lord , the God of Israel.

2The king and his officials and the whole assembly in Jerusalem decided to celebrate the Passover in the second month.

3They had not been able to celebrate it at the regular time because not enough priests had consecrated themselves and the people had not assembled in Jerusalem.

4The plan seemed right both to the king and to the whole assembly.

5They decided to send a proclamation throughout Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, calling the people to come to Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover to the Lord , the God of Israel. It had not been celebrated in large numbers according to what was written.

6At the king’s command, couriers went throughout Israel and Judah with letters from the king and from his officials, which read: “People of Israel, return to the Lord , the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that he may return to you who are left, who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria.

7Do not be like your fathers and brothers, who were unfaithful to the Lord , the God of their fathers, so that he made them an object of horror, as you see.

8Do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were; submit to the Lord . Come to the sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever. Serve the Lord your God, so that his fierce anger will turn away from you.

9If you return to the Lord , then your brothers and your children will be shown compassion by their captors and will come back to this land, for the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him.”

10The couriers went from town to town in Ephraim and Manasseh, as far as Zebulun, but the people scorned and ridiculed them.

11Nevertheless, some men of Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and went to Jerusalem.

12Also in Judah the hand of God was on the people to give them unity of mind to carry out what the king and his officials had ordered, following the word of the Lord .

13A very large crowd of people assembled in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month.

14They removed the altars in Jerusalem and cleared away the incense altars and threw them into the Kidron Valley.

15They slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and the Levites were ashamed and consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the temple of the Lord .

16Then they took up their regular positions as prescribed in the Law of Moses the man of God. The priests sprinkled the blood handed to them by the Levites.

17Since many in the crowd had not consecrated themselves, the Levites had to kill the Passover lambs for all those who were not ceremonially clean and could not consecrate their lambs to the Lord .

18Although most of the many people who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover,

contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the Lord , who is good, pardon everyone

19who sets his heart on seeking God-the Lord , the God of his fathers-even if he is not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary.”

20And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people.

21The Israelites who were present in Jerusalem celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great rejoicing, while the Levites and priests sang to the Lord every day, accompanied by the Lord ‘s instruments of praise.

22Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites, who showed good understanding of the service of the Lord . For the seven days they ate their assigned portion and offered fellowship offerings and praised the Lord , the God of their fathers.

23The whole assembly then agreed to celebrate the festival seven more days; so for another seven days they celebrated joyfully.

24Hezekiah king of Judah provided a thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep and goats for the assembly, and the officials provided them with a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep and goats. A great number of priests consecrated themselves.

25The entire assembly of Judah rejoiced, along with the priests and Levites and

all who had assembled from Israel, including the aliens who had come from Israel and those who lived in Judah.

26There was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the days of Solomon son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem.

27The priests and the Levites stood to bless the people, and God heard them, for their prayer reached heaven, his holy dwelling place.

31When all this had ended, the Israelites who were there went out to the towns of Judah, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. They destroyed the high places and the altars throughout Judah and Benjamin and in Ephraim and Manasseh. After they had destroyed all of them, the Israelites returned to their own towns and to their own property.

2Hezekiah assigned the priests and Levites to divisions-each of them according to their duties as priests or Levites-to offer burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, to minister, to give thanks and to sing praises at the gates of the Lord ‘s dwelling.

3The king contributed from his own possessions for the morning and evening burnt offerings and for the burnt offerings on the Sabbaths, New Moons and appointed feasts as written in the Law of the Lord .

4He ordered the people living in Jerusalem to give the portion due the

priests and Levites so they could devote themselves to the Law of the Lord .

5As soon as the order went out, the Israelites generously gave the firstfruits of their grain, new wine, oil and honey and all that the fields produced. They brought a great amount, a tithe of everything.

6The men of Israel and Judah who lived in the towns of Judah also brought a tithe of their herds and flocks and a tithe of the holy things dedicated to the Lord their God, and they piled them in heaps.

7They began doing this in the third month and finished in the seventh month.

8When Hezekiah and his officials came and saw the heaps, they praised the Lord and blessed his people Israel.

9Hezekiah asked the priests and Levites about the heaps;

10and Azariah the chief priest, from the family of Zadok, answered, “Since the people began to bring their contributions to the temple of the Lord , we have had enough to eat and plenty to spare, because the Lord has blessed his people, and this great amount is left over.”

11Hezekiah gave orders to prepare storerooms in the temple of the Lord , and this was done.

12Then they faithfully brought in the contributions, tithes and dedicated gifts. Conaniah, a Levite, was in charge of

these things, and his brother Shimei was next in rank.

13Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismakiah, Mahath and Benaiah were supervisors under Conaniah and Shimei his brother, by appointment of King Hezekiah and Azariah the official in charge of the temple of God.

14Kore son of Imnah the Levite, keeper of the East Gate, was in charge of the freewill offerings given to God, distributing the contributions made to the Lord and also the consecrated gifts.

15Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah and Shecaniah assisted him faithfully in the towns of the priests, distributing to their fellow priests according to their divisions, old and young alike.

16In addition, they distributed to the males three years old or more whose names were in the genealogical records-all who would enter the temple of the Lord to perform the daily duties of their various tasks, according to their responsibilities and their divisions.

17And they distributed to the priests enrolled by their families in the genealogical records and likewise to the Levites twenty years old or more, according to their responsibilities and their divisions.

18They included all the little ones, the wives, and the sons and daughters of the whole community listed in these genealogical records. For they were faithful in consecrating themselves.

19As for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who lived on the farm lands around their towns or in any other towns, men were designated by name to distribute portions to every male among them and to all who were recorded in the genealogies of the Levites.

20This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah, doing what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God.

21In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.

32After all that Hezekiah had so faithfully done, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah. He laid siege to the fortified cities, thinking to conquer them for himself.

2When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that he intended to make war on Jerusalem,

3he consulted with his officials and military staff about blocking off the water from the springs outside the city, and they helped him.

4A large force of men assembled, and they blocked all the springs and the stream that flowed through the land. “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find plenty of water?” they said.

5Then he worked hard repairing all the broken sections of the wall and building towers on it. He built another wall

outside that one and reinforced the supporting terraces of the City of David. He also made large numbers of weapons and shields.

6He appointed military officers over the people and assembled them before him in the square at the city gate and encouraged them with these words:

7“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him.

8With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said.

9Later, when Sennacherib king of Assyria and all his forces were laying siege to Lachish, he sent his officers to Jerusalem with this message for Hezekiah king of Judah and for all the people of Judah who were there:

10“This is what Sennacherib king of Assyria says: On what are you basing your confidence, that you remain in Jerusalem under siege?

11When Hezekiah says, ‘The Lord our God will save us from the hand of the king of Assyria,’ he is misleading you, to let you die of hunger and thirst.

12Did not Hezekiah himself remove this god’s high places and altars, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must

worship before one altar and burn sacrifices on it’?

13“Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of the other lands? Were the gods of those nations ever able to deliver their land from my hand?

14Who of all the gods of these nations that my fathers destroyed has been able to save his people from me? How then can your god deliver you from my hand?

15Now do not let Hezekiah deceive you and mislead you like this. Do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand or the hand of my fathers. How much less will your god deliver you from my hand!”

16Sennacherib’s officers spoke further against the Lord God and against his servant Hezekiah.

17The king also wrote letters insulting the Lord , the God of Israel, and saying this against him: “Just as the gods of the peoples of the other lands did not rescue their people from my hand, so the god of Hezekiah will not rescue his people from my hand.”

18Then they called out in Hebrew to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to terrify them and make them afraid in order to capture the city.

19They spoke about the God of Jerusalem as they did about the gods of the other peoples of the world-the work of men’s hands.

20King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer to heaven about this.

21And the Lord sent an angel, who annihilated all the fighting men and the leaders and officers in the camp of the Assyrian king. So he withdrew to his own land in disgrace. And when he went into the temple of his god, some of his sons cut him down with the sword.

22So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all others. He took care of them on every side.

23Many brought offerings to Jerusalem for the Lord and valuable gifts for Hezekiah king of Judah. From then on he was highly regarded by all the nations.

24In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. He prayed to the Lord , who answered him and gave him a miraculous sign.

25But Hezekiah’s heart was proud and he did not respond to the kindness shown him; therefore the Lord ‘s wrath was on him and on Judah and Jerusalem.

26Then Hezekiah repented of the pride of his heart, as did the people of Jerusalem; therefore the Lord ‘s wrath did not come upon them during the days of Hezekiah.

27Hezekiah had very great riches and honor, and he made treasuries for his

silver and gold and for his precious stones, spices, shields and all kinds of valuables.

28He also made buildings to store the harvest of grain, new wine and oil; and he made stalls for various kinds of cattle, and pens for the flocks.

29He built villages and acquired great numbers of flocks and herds, for God had given him very great riches.

30It was Hezekiah who blocked the upper outlet of the Gihon spring and channeled the water down to the west side of the City of David. He succeeded in everything he undertook.

31But when envoys were sent by the rulers of Babylon to ask him about the miraculous sign that had occurred in the land, God left him to test him and to know everything that was in his heart.

32The other events of Hezekiah’s reign and his acts of devotion are written in the vision of the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

33Hezekiah rested with his fathers and was buried on the hill where the tombs of David’s descendants are. All Judah and the people of Jerusalem honored him when he died. And Manasseh his son succeeded him as king.

33Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years.

2He did evil in the eyes of the Lord , following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.

3He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had demolished; he also erected altars to the Baals and made Asherah poles. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them.

4He built altars in the temple of the Lord , of which the Lord had said, “My Name will remain in Jerusalem forever.”

5In both courts of the temple of the Lord , he built altars to all the starry hosts.

6He sacrificed his sons in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, practiced sorcery, divination and witchcraft, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord , provoking him to anger.

7He took the carved image he had made and put it in God’s temple, of which God had said to David and to his son Solomon, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name forever.

8I will not again make the feet of the Israelites leave the land I assigned to your forefathers, if only they will be careful to do everything I commanded them concerning all the laws, decrees and ordinances given through Moses.”

9But Manasseh led Judah and the people of Jerusalem astray, so that they

did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites.

10The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention.

11So the Lord brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon.

12In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers.

13And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.

14Afterward he rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David, west of the Gihon spring in the valley, as far as the entrance of the Fish Gate and encircling the hill of Ophel; he also made it much higher. He stationed military commanders in all the fortified cities in Judah.

15He got rid of the foreign gods and removed the image from the temple of the Lord , as well as all the altars he had built on the temple hill and in Jerusalem; and he threw them out of the city.

16Then he restored the altar of the Lord and sacrificed fellowship offerings and thank offerings on it, and told Judah to serve the Lord , the God of Israel.

17The people, however, continued to sacrifice at the high places, but only to the Lord their God.

18The other events of Manasseh’s reign, including his prayer to his God and the words the seers spoke to him in the name of the Lord , the God of Israel, are written in the annals of the kings of Israel.

19His prayer and how God was moved by his entreaty, as well as all his sins and unfaithfulness, and the sites where he built high places and set up Asherah poles and idols before he humbled himself-all are written in the records of the seers.

20Manasseh rested with his fathers and was buried in his palace. And Amon his son succeeded him as king.

21Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem two years.

22He did evil in the eyes of the Lord , as his father Manasseh had done. Amon worshiped and offered sacrifices to all the idols Manasseh had made.

23But unlike his father Manasseh, he did not humble himself before the Lord ; Amon increased his guilt.

24Amon’s officials conspired against him and assassinated him in his palace.

25Then the people of the land killed all who had plotted against King Amon, and they made Josiah his son king in his place.

34Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years.

2He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.

3In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David. In his twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of high places, Asherah poles, carved idols and cast images.

4Under his direction the altars of the Baals were torn down; he cut to pieces the incense altars that were above them, and smashed the Asherah poles, the idols and the images. These he broke to pieces and scattered over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.

5He burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and so he purged Judah and Jerusalem.

6In the towns of Manasseh, Ephraim and Simeon, as far as Naphtali, and in the ruins around them,

7he tore down the altars and the Asherah poles and crushed the idols to powder and cut to pieces all the incense altars throughout Israel. Then he went back to Jerusalem.

8In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign, to purify the land and the temple, he sent Shaphan son of Azaliah and Maaseiah the ruler of the city, with Joah

son of Joahaz, the recorder, to repair the temple of the Lord his God.

9They went to Hilkiah the high priest and gave him the money that had been brought into the temple of God, which the Levites who were the doorkeepers had collected from the people of Manasseh, Ephraim and the entire remnant of Israel and from all the people of Judah and Benjamin and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

10Then they entrusted it to the men appointed to supervise the work on the Lord ‘s temple. These men paid the workers who repaired and restored the temple.

11They also gave money to the carpenters and builders to purchase dressed stone, and timber for joists and beams for the buildings that the kings of Judah had allowed to fall into ruin.

12The men did the work faithfully. Over them to direct them were Jahath and Obadiah, Levites descended from Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, descended from Kohath. The Levites-all who were skilled in playing musical instruments-

13had charge of the laborers and supervised all the workers from job to job. Some of the Levites were secretaries, scribes and doorkeepers.

14While they were bringing out the money that had been taken into the temple of the Lord , Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord that had been given through Moses.

15Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the Lord .” He gave it to Shaphan.

16Then Shaphan took the book to the king and reported to him: “Your officials are doing everything that has been committed to them.

17They have paid out the money that was in the temple of the Lord and have entrusted it to the supervisors and workers.”

18Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.

19When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his robes.

20He gave these orders to Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king’s attendant:

21“Go and inquire of the Lord for me and for the remnant in Israel and Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord ‘s anger that is poured out on us because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord ; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written in this book.”

22Hilkiah and those the king had sent with him went to speak to the prophetess Huldah, who was the wife of Shallum son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe. She

lived in Jerusalem, in the Second District.

23She said to them, “This is what the Lord , the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me,

24‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people-all the curses written in the book that has been read in the presence of the king of Judah.

25Because they have forsaken me and burned incense to other gods and provoked me to anger by all that their hands have made, my anger will be poured out on this place and will not be quenched.’

26Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord , ‘This is what the Lord , the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard:

27Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before God when you heard what he spoke against this place and its people, and because you humbled yourself before me and tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the Lord .

28Now I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place and on those who live here.’ ” So they took her answer back to the king.

29Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.

30He went up to the temple of the Lord with the men of Judah, the people of Jerusalem, the priests and the Levites- all the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord .

31The king stood by his pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the Lord -to follow the Lord and keep his commands, regulations and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, and to obey the words of the covenant written in this book.

32Then he had everyone in Jerusalem and Benjamin pledge themselves to it; the people of Jerusalem did this in accordance with the covenant of God, the God of their fathers.

33Josiah removed all the detestable idols from all the territory belonging to the Israelites, and he had all who were present in Israel serve the Lord their God. As long as he lived, they did not fail to follow the Lord , the God of their fathers.

35Josiah celebrated the Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem, and the Passover lamb was slaughtered on the fourteenth day of the first month.

2He appointed the priests to their duties and encouraged them in the service of the Lord ‘s temple.

3He said to the Levites, who instructed all Israel and who had been consecrated

to the Lord : “Put the sacred ark in the temple that Solomon son of David king of Israel built. It is not to be carried about on your shoulders. Now serve the Lord your God and his people Israel.

4Prepare yourselves by families in your divisions, according to the directions written by David king of Israel and by his son Solomon.

5“Stand in the holy place with a group of Levites for each subdivision of the families of your fellow countrymen, the lay people.

6Slaughter the Passover lambs, consecrate yourselves and prepare the lambs for your fellow countrymen, doing what the Lord commanded through Moses.”

7Josiah provided for all the lay people who were there a total of thirty thousand sheep and goats for the Passover offerings, and also three thousand cattle-all from the king’s own possessions.

8His officials also contributed voluntarily to the people and the priests and Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah and Jehiel, the administrators of God’s temple, gave the priests twenty-six hundred Passover offerings and three hundred cattle.

9Also Conaniah along with Shemaiah and Nethanel, his brothers, and Hashabiah, Jeiel and Jozabad, the leaders of the Levites, provided five thousand Passover offerings and five hundred head of cattle for the Levites.

10The service was arranged and the priests stood in their places with the Levites in their divisions as the king had ordered.

11The Passover lambs were slaughtered, and the priests sprinkled the blood handed to them, while the Levites skinned the animals.

12They set aside the burnt offerings to give them to the subdivisions of the families of the people to offer to the Lord , as is written in the Book of Moses. They did the same with the cattle.

13They roasted the Passover animals over the fire as prescribed, and boiled the holy offerings in pots, caldrons and pans and served them quickly to all the people.

14After this, they made preparations for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were sacrificing the burnt offerings and the fat portions until nightfall. So the Levites made preparations for themselves and for the Aaronic priests.

15The musicians, the descendants of Asaph, were in the places prescribed by David, Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun the king’s seer. The gatekeepers at each gate did not need to leave their posts, because their fellow Levites made the preparations for them.

16So at that time the entire service of the Lord was carried out for the celebration of the Passover and the offering of burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord , as King Josiah had ordered.

17The Israelites who were present celebrated the Passover at that time and observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days.

18The Passover had not been observed like this in Israel since the days of the prophet Samuel; and none of the kings of Israel had ever celebrated such a Passover as did Josiah, with the priests, the Levites and all Judah and Israel who were there with the people of Jerusalem.

19This Passover was celebrated in the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign.

20After all this, when Josiah had set the temple in order, Neco king of Egypt went up to fight at Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah marched out to meet him in battle.

21But Neco sent messengers to him, saying, “What quarrel is there between you and me, O king of Judah? It is not you I am attacking at this time, but the house with which I am at war. God has told me to hurry; so stop opposing God, who is with me, or he will destroy you.”

22Josiah, however, would not turn away from him, but disguised himself to engage him in battle. He would not listen to what Neco had said at God’s command but went to fight him on the plain of Megiddo.

23Archers shot King Josiah, and he told his officers, “Take me away; I am badly wounded.”

24So they took him out of his chariot, put him in the other chariot he had and

brought him to Jerusalem, where he died. He was buried in the tombs of his fathers, and all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for him.

25Jeremiah composed laments for Josiah, and to this day all the men and women singers commemorate Josiah in the laments. These became a tradition in Israel and are written in the Laments.

26The other events of Josiah’s reign and his acts of devotion, according to what is written in the Law of the Lord –

27all the events, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.

36And the people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and made him king in Jerusalem in place of his father.

2Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months.

3The king of Egypt dethroned him in Jerusalem and imposed on Judah a levy of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.

4The king of Egypt made Eliakim, a brother of Jehoahaz, king over Judah and Jerusalem and changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Eliakim’s brother Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt.

5Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned

in Jerusalem eleven years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord his God.

6Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon attacked him and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.

7Nebuchadnezzar also took to Babylon articles from the temple of the Lord and put them in his temple there.

8The other events of Jehoiakim’s reign, the detestable things he did and all that was found against him, are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. And Jehoiachin his son succeeded him as king.

9Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord .

10In the spring, King Nebuchadnezzar sent for him and brought him to Babylon, together with articles of value from the temple of the Lord , and he made Jehoiachin’s uncle, Zedekiah, king over Judah and Jerusalem.

11Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years.

12He did evil in the eyes of the Lord his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke the word of the Lord .

13He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him take an oath in God’s name. He became stiff-necked and hardened his heart and

would not turn to the Lord , the God of Israel.

14Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful, following all the detestable practices of the nations and defiling the temple of the Lord , which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.

15The Lord , the God of their fathers, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place.

16But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy.

17He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians, who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and spared neither young man nor young woman, old man or aged. God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar.

18He carried to Babylon all the articles from the temple of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the Lord ‘s temple and the treasures of the king and his officials.

19They set fire to God’s temple and broke down the wall of Jerusalem; they burned all the palaces and destroyed everything of value there.

20He carried into exile to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power.

21The land enjoyed its sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfillment of the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah.

22In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing:

23“This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ” ‘The Lord , the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Anyone of his people among you-may the Lord his God be with him, and let him go up.’ “

1st Chronicles

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1st Chronicles

1Adam, Seth, Enosh,

2Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared,

3Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah.

4The sons of Noah: Shem, Ham and Japheth. The Japhethites

5The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech and Tiras.

6The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath and Togarmah.

7The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittim and the Rodanim. The Hamites

8The sons of Ham: Cush, Mizraim, Put and Canaan.

9The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raamah and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan.

10Cush was the father of Nimrod, who grew to be a mighty warrior on earth.

11Mizraim was the father of the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites,

12Pathrusites, Casluhites (from whom the Philistines came) and Caphtorites.

13Canaan was the father of Sidon his firstborn, and of the Hittites,

14Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites,

15Hivites, Arkites, Sinites,

16Arvadites, Zemarites and Hamathites. The Semites

17The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud and Aram. The sons of Aram : Uz, Hul, Gether and Meshech.

18Arphaxad was the father of Shelah, and Shelah the father of Eber.

19Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg, because in his time the earth was divided; his brother was named Joktan.

20Joktan was the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah,

21Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah,

22Obal, Abimael, Sheba,

23Ophir, Havilah and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan.

24Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah, 25Eber, Peleg, Reu, 26Serug, Nahor, Terah

27and Abram (that is, Abraham).

28The sons of Abraham: Isaac and Ishmael. Descendants of Hagar

29These were their descendants: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,

30Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema,

31Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael. Descendants of Keturah

32The sons born to Keturah, Abraham’s concubine: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. The sons of Jokshan: Sheba and Dedan.

33The sons of Midian: Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah. Descendants of Sarah

34Abraham was the father of Isaac. The sons of Isaac: Esau and Israel.

35The sons of Esau: Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam and Korah.

36The sons of Eliphaz: Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam and Kenaz; by Timna: Amalek.

37The sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. The People of Seir in Edom

38The sons of Seir: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer and Dishan.

39The sons of Lotan: Hori and Homam. Timna was Lotan’s sister.

40The sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho and Onam. The sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah.

41The son of Anah: Dishon. The sons of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran and Keran.

42The sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan and Akan. The sons of Dishan : Uz and Aran. The Rulers of Edom

43These were the kings who reigned in Edom before any Israelite king reigned : Bela son of Beor, whose city was named Dinhabah.

44When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah succeeded him as king.

45When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites succeeded him as king.

46When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, succeeded him as king. His city was named Avith.

47When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah succeeded him as king.

48When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth on the river succeeded him as king.

49When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan son of Acbor succeeded him as king.

50When Baal-Hanan died, Hadad succeeded him as king. His city was named Pau, and his wife’s name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-Zahab.

51Hadad also died. The chiefs of Edom were: Timna, Alvah, Jetheth,

52Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon,

53Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar,

54Magdiel and Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom.

2These were the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun,

2Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad and Asher.

3The sons of Judah: Er, Onan and Shelah. These three were born to him by a Canaanite woman, the daughter of Shua. Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the Lord ‘s sight; so the Lord put him to death.

4Tamar, Judah’s daughter-in-law, bore him Perez and Zerah. Judah had five sons in all.

5The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul.

6The sons of Zerah: Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol and Darda -five in all.

7The son of Carmi: Achar, who brought trouble on Israel by violating the ban on taking devoted things.

8The son of Ethan: Azariah.

9The sons born to Hezron were: Jerahmeel, Ram and Caleb. From Ram Son of Hezron

10Ram was the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, the leader of the people of Judah.

11Nahshon was the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz,

12Boaz the father of Obed and Obed the father of Jesse.

13Jesse was the father of Eliab his firstborn; the second son was Abinadab, the third Shimea,

14the fourth Nethanel, the fifth Raddai,

15the sixth Ozem and the seventh David.

16Their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. Zeruiah’s three sons were Abishai, Joab and Asahel.

17Abigail was the mother of Amasa, whose father was Jether the Ishmaelite. Caleb Son of Hezron

18Caleb son of Hezron had children by his wife Azubah (and by Jerioth). These were her sons: Jesher, Shobab and Ardon.

19When Azubah died, Caleb married Ephrath, who bore him Hur.

20Hur was the father of Uri, and Uri the father of Bezalel.

21Later, Hezron lay with the daughter of Makir the father of Gilead (he had married her when he was sixty years old), and she bore him Segub.

22Segub was the father of Jair, who controlled twenty-three towns in Gilead.

23(But Geshur and Aram captured Havvoth Jair, as well as Kenath with its surrounding settlements-sixty towns.) All these were descendants of Makir the father of Gilead.

24After Hezron died in Caleb Ephrathah, Abijah the wife of Hezron bore him Ashhur the father of Tekoa. Jerahmeel Son of Hezron

25The sons of Jerahmeel the firstborn of Hezron: Ram his firstborn, Bunah, Oren, Ozem and Ahijah.

26Jerahmeel had another wife, whose name was Atarah; she was the mother of Onam.

27The sons of Ram the firstborn of Jerahmeel: Maaz, Jamin and Eker.

28The sons of Onam: Shammai and Jada. The sons of Shammai: Nadab and Abishur.

29Abishur’s wife was named Abihail, who bore him Ahban and Molid.

30The sons of Nadab: Seled and Appaim. Seled died without children.

31The son of Appaim: Ishi, who was the father of Sheshan. Sheshan was the father of Ahlai.

32The sons of Jada, Shammai’s brother: Jether and Jonathan. Jether died without children.

33The sons of Jonathan: Peleth and Zaza. These were the descendants of Jerahmeel.

34Sheshan had no sons-only daughters. He had an Egyptian servant named Jarha.

35Sheshan gave his daughter in marriage to his servant Jarha, and she bore him Attai.

36Attai was the father of Nathan, Nathan the father of Zabad,

37Zabad the father of Ephlal, Ephlal the father of Obed,

38Obed the father of Jehu, Jehu the father of Azariah,

39Azariah the father of Helez, Helez the father of Eleasah,

40Eleasah the father of Sismai, Sismai the father of Shallum,

41Shallum the father of Jekamiah, and Jekamiah the father of Elishama. The Clans of Caleb

42The sons of Caleb the brother of Jerahmeel: Mesha his firstborn, who was the father of Ziph, and his son Mareshah, who was the father of Hebron.

43The sons of Hebron: Korah, Tappuah, Rekem and Shema.

44Shema was the father of Raham, and Raham the father of Jorkeam. Rekem was the father of Shammai.

45The son of Shammai was Maon, and Maon was the father of Beth Zur.

46Caleb’s concubine Ephah was the mother of Haran, Moza and Gazez. Haran was the father of Gazez.

47The sons of Jahdai: Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah and Shaaph.

48Caleb’s concubine Maacah was the mother of Sheber and Tirhanah.

49She also gave birth to Shaaph the father of Madmannah and to Sheva the father of Macbenah and Gibea. Caleb’s daughter was Acsah.

50These were the descendants of Caleb. The sons of Hur the firstborn of Ephrathah: Shobal the father of Kiriath Jearim,

51Salma the father of Bethlehem, and Hareph the father of Beth Gader.

52The descendants of Shobal the father of Kiriath Jearim were: Haroeh, half the Manahathites,

53and the clans of Kiriath Jearim: the Ithrites, Puthites, Shumathites and Mishraites. From these descended the Zorathites and Eshtaolites.

54The descendants of Salma: Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth Beth Joab, half the Manahathites, the Zorites,

55and the clans of scribes who lived at Jabez: the Tirathites, Shimeathites and Sucathites. These are the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the house of Recab.

3These were the sons of David born to him in Hebron: The firstborn was Amnon the son of Ahinoam of Jezreel; the second, Daniel the son of Abigail of Carmel;

2the third, Absalom the son of Maacah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith;

3the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; and the sixth, Ithream, by his wife Eglah.

4These six were born to David in Hebron, where he reigned seven years and six months. David reigned in Jerusalem thirty-three years,

5and these were the children born to him there: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan and Solomon. These four were by Bathsheba daughter of Ammiel.

6There were also Ibhar, Elishua, Eliphelet,

7Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia,

8Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet-nine in all.

9All these were the sons of David, besides his sons by his concubines. And Tamar was their sister. The Kings of Judah

10Solomon’s son was Rehoboam, Abijah his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son,

11Jehoram his son, Ahaziah his son, Joash his son,

12Amaziah his son, Azariah his son, Jotham his son,

13Ahaz his son, Hezekiah his son, Manasseh his son,

14Amon his son, Josiah his son.

15The sons of Josiah: Johanan the firstborn, Jehoiakim the second son, Zedekiah the third, Shallum the fourth.

16The successors of Jehoiakim: Jehoiachin his son, and Zedekiah. The Royal Line After the Exile

17The descendants of Jehoiachin the captive: Shealtiel his son,

18Malkiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama and Nedabiah.

19The sons of Pedaiah: Zerubbabel and Shimei. The sons of Zerubbabel: Meshullam and Hananiah. Shelomith was their sister.

20There were also five others: Hashubah, Ohel, Berekiah, Hasadiah and Jushab- Hesed.

21The descendants of Hananiah: Pelatiah and Jeshaiah, and the sons of Rephaiah, of Arnan, of Obadiah and of Shecaniah.

22The descendants of Shecaniah: Shemaiah and his sons: Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah and Shaphat-six in all.

23The sons of Neariah: Elioenai, Hizkiah and Azrikam-three in all.

24The sons of Elioenai: Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah and Anani-seven in all.

4The descendants of Judah: Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur and Shobal.

2Reaiah son of Shobal was the father of Jahath, and Jahath the father of Ahumai and Lahad. These were the clans of the Zorathites.

3These were the sons of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma and Idbash. Their sister was named Hazzelelponi.

4Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer the father of Hushah. These were the descendants of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah and father of Bethlehem.

5Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.

6Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni and Haahashtari. These were the descendants of Naarah.

7The sons of Helah: Zereth, Zohar, Ethnan,

8and Koz, who was the father of Anub and Hazzobebah and of the clans of Aharhel son of Harum.

9Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.”

10Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.

11Kelub, Shuhah’s brother, was the father of Mehir, who was the father of Eshton.

12Eshton was the father of Beth Rapha, Paseah and Tehinnah the father of Ir Nahash. These were the men of Recah.

13The sons of Kenaz: Othniel and Seraiah. The sons of Othniel: Hathath and Meonothai.

14Meonothai was the father of Ophrah. Seraiah was the father of Joab, the father of Ge Harashim. It was called this because its people were craftsmen.

15The sons of Caleb son of Jephunneh: Iru, Elah and Naam. The son of Elah: Kenaz.

16The sons of Jehallelel: Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria and Asarel.

17The sons of Ezrah: Jether, Mered, Epher and Jalon. One of Mered’s wives gave birth to Miriam, Shammai and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa.

18(His Judean wife gave birth to Jered the father of Gedor, Heber the father of Soco, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah.) These were the children of Pharaoh’s daughter Bithiah, whom Mered had married.

19The sons of Hodiah’s wife, the sister of Naham: the father of Keilah the Garmite, and Eshtemoa the Maacathite.

20The sons of Shimon: Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-Hanan and Tilon. The descendants of Ishi: Zoheth and Ben-Zoheth.

21The sons of Shelah son of Judah: Er the father of Lecah, Laadah the father of Mareshah and the clans of the linen workers at Beth Ashbea,

22Jokim, the men of Cozeba, and Joash and Saraph, who ruled in Moab and Jashubi Lehem. (These records are from ancient times.)

23They were the potters who lived at Netaim and Gederah; they stayed there and worked for the king.

24The descendants of Simeon: Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah and Shaul;

25Shallum was Shaul’s son, Mibsam his son and Mishma his son.

26The descendants of Mishma: Hammuel his son, Zaccur his son and Shimei his son.

27Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters, but his brothers did not have many children; so their entire clan did not become as numerous as the people of Judah.

28They lived in Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar Shual,

29Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad,

30Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag,

31Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susim, Beth Biri and Shaaraim. These were their towns until the reign of David.

32Their surrounding villages were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Token and Ashan-five towns-

33and all the villages around these towns as far as Baalath. These were their settlements. And they kept a genealogical record.

34Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah son of Amaziah,

35Joel, Jehu son of Joshibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel,

36also Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah,

37and Ziza son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, the son of Jedaiah, the son of Shimri, the son of Shemaiah.

38The men listed above by name were leaders of their clans. Their families increased greatly,

39and they went to the outskirts of Gedor to the east of the valley in search of pasture for their flocks.

40They found rich, good pasture, and the land was spacious, peaceful and quiet. Some Hamites had lived there formerly.

41The men whose names were listed came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah. They attacked the Hamites in their dwellings and also the Meunites who were there and completely destroyed them, as is evident to this day. Then they settled in their place, because there was pasture for their flocks.

42And five hundred of these Simeonites, led by Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi, invaded the hill country of Seir.

43They killed the remaining Amalekites who had escaped, and they have lived there to this day.

5The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (he was the firstborn, but when he defiled his father’s marriage bed, his rights as firstborn were given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel; so he could not be listed in the genealogical record in accordance with his birthright,

2and though Judah was the strongest of his brothers and a ruler came from him, the rights of the firstborn belonged to Joseph)-

3the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron and Carmi.

4The descendants of Joel: Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son,

5Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son,

6and Beerah his son, whom Tiglath- Pileser king of Assyria took into exile. Beerah was a leader of the Reubenites.

7Their relatives by clans, listed according to their genealogical records: Jeiel the chief, Zechariah,

8and Bela son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel. They settled in the area from Aroer to Nebo and Baal Meon.

9To the east they occupied the land up to the edge of the desert that extends to the Euphrates River, because their livestock had increased in Gilead.

10During Saul’s reign they waged war against the Hagrites, who were defeated at their hands; they occupied the dwellings of the Hagrites throughout the entire region east of Gilead.

11The Gadites lived next to them in Bashan, as far as Salecah:

12Joel was the chief, Shapham the second, then Janai and Shaphat, in Bashan.

13Their relatives, by families, were: Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia and Eber-seven in all.

14These were the sons of Abihail son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz.

15Ahi son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, was head of their family.

16The Gadites lived in Gilead, in Bashan and its outlying villages, and on all the pasturelands of Sharon as far as they extended.

17All these were entered in the genealogical records during the reigns of Jotham king of Judah and Jeroboam king of Israel.

18The Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 men ready for military service-able-bodied men who could handle shield and sword, who could use a bow, and who were trained for battle.

19They waged war against the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish and Nodab.

20They were helped in fighting them, and God handed the Hagrites and all their allies over to them, because they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him.

21They seized the livestock of the Hagrites-fifty thousand camels, two hundred fifty thousand sheep and two thousand donkeys. They also took one hundred thousand people captive,

22and many others fell slain, because the battle was God’s. And they occupied the land until the exile.

23The people of the half-tribe of Manasseh were numerous; they settled in the land from Bashan to Baal Hermon, that is, to Senir (Mount Hermon).

24These were the heads of their families: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah and Jahdiel. They were brave warriors, famous men, and heads of their families.

25But they were unfaithful to the God of their fathers and prostituted themselves to the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them.

26So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria (that is, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria), who took the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh into exile. He took them to Halah, Habor, Hara and the river of Gozan, where they are to this day.

6The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

2The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.

3The children of Amram: Aaron, Moses and Miriam. The sons of Aaron: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

4Eleazar was the father of Phinehas, Phinehas the father of Abishua,

5Abishua the father of Bukki, Bukki the father of Uzzi,

6Uzzi the father of Zerahiah, Zerahiah the father of Meraioth,

7Meraioth the father of Amariah, Amariah the father of Ahitub,

8Ahitub the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Ahimaaz,

9Ahimaaz the father of Azariah, Azariah the father of Johanan,

10Johanan the father of Azariah (it was he who served as priest in the temple Solomon built in Jerusalem),

11Azariah the father of Amariah, Amariah the father of Ahitub,

12Ahitub the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Shallum,

13Shallum the father of Hilkiah, Hilkiah the father of Azariah,

14Azariah the father of Seraiah, and Seraiah the father of Jehozadak.

15Jehozadak was deported when the Lord sent Judah and Jerusalem into exile by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.

16The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

17These are the names of the sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei.

18The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.

19The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites listed according to their fathers:

20Of Gershon: Libni his son, Jehath his son, Zimmah his son,

21Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son and Jeatherai his son.

22The descendants of Kohath: Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son,

23Elkanah his son, Ebiasaph his son, Assir his son,

24Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son and Shaul his son.

25The descendants of Elkanah: Amasai, Ahimoth,

26Elkanah his son, Zophai his son, Nahath his son,

27Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, Elkanah his son and Samuel his son.

28The sons of Samuel: Joel the firstborn and Abijah the second son.

29The descendants of Merari: Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzzah his son,

30Shimea his son, Haggiah his son and Asaiah his son. The Temple Musicians

31These are the men David put in charge of the music in the house of the Lord after the ark came to rest there.

32They ministered with music before the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, until Solomon built the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. They performed their duties according to the regulations laid down for them.

33Here are the men who served, together with their sons: From the Kohathites: Heman, the musician, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel,

34the son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah,

35the son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai,

36the son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah,

37the son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah,

38the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel;

39and Heman’s associate Asaph, who served at his right hand: Asaph son of Berekiah, the son of Shimea,

40the son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah, the son of Malkijah,

41the son of Ethni, the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah,

42the son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah, the son of Shimei,

43the son of Jahath, the son of Gershon, the son of Levi;

44and from their associates, the Merarites, at his left hand: Ethan son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch,

45the son of Hashabiah, the son of Amaziah, the son of Hilkiah,

46the son of Amzi, the son of Bani, the son of Shemer,

47the son of Mahli, the son of Mushi, the son of Merari, the son of Levi.

48Their fellow Levites were assigned to all the other duties of the tabernacle, the house of God.

49But Aaron and his descendants were the ones who presented offerings on the altar of burnt offering and on the altar of incense in connection with all that was done in the Most Holy Place, making atonement for Israel, in accordance with all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.

50These were the descendants of Aaron: Eleazar his son, Phinehas his son, Abishua his son,

51Bukki his son, Uzzi his son, Zerahiah his son,

52Meraioth his son, Amariah his son, Ahitub his son,

53Zadok his son and Ahimaaz his son.

54These were the locations of their settlements allotted as their territory (they were assigned to the descendants of Aaron who were from the Kohathite clan, because the first lot was for them):

55They were given Hebron in Judah with its surrounding pasturelands.

56But the fields and villages around the city were given to Caleb son of Jephunneh.

57So the descendants of Aaron were given Hebron (a city of refuge), and Libnah, Jattir, Eshtemoa,

58Hilen, Debir,

59Ashan, Juttah and Beth Shemesh, together with their pasturelands.

60And from the tribe of Benjamin they were given Gibeon, Geba, Alemeth and Anathoth, together with their pasturelands. These towns, which were distributed among the Kohathite clans, were thirteen in all.

61The rest of Kohath’s descendants were allotted ten towns from the clans of half the tribe of Manasseh.

62The descendants of Gershon, clan by clan, were allotted thirteen towns from the tribes of Issachar, Asher and Naphtali, and from the part of the tribe of Manasseh that is in Bashan.

63The descendants of Merari, clan by clan, were allotted twelve towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun.

64So the Israelites gave the Levites these towns and their pasturelands.

65From the tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin they allotted the previously named towns.

66Some of the Kohathite clans were given as their territory towns from the tribe of Ephraim.

67In the hill country of Ephraim they were given Shechem (a city of refuge), and Gezer,

68Jokmeam, Beth Horon,

69Aijalon and Gath Rimmon, together with their pasturelands.

70And from half the tribe of Manasseh the Israelites gave Aner and Bileam, together with their pasturelands, to the rest of the Kohathite clans.

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

72from the tribe of Issachar they received Kedesh, Daberath,

73Ramoth and Anem, together with their pasturelands;

74from the tribe of Asher they received Mashal, Abdon,

75Hukok and Rehob, together with their pasturelands;

76and from the tribe of Naphtali they received Kedesh in Galilee, Hammon and Kiriathaim, together with their pasturelands.

77The Merarites (the rest of the Levites) received the following: From the tribe of Zebulun they received Jokneam, Kartah, Rimmono and Tabor, together with their pasturelands;

78from the tribe of Reuben across the Jordan east of Jericho they received Bezer in the desert, Jahzah,

79Kedemoth and Mephaath, together with their pasturelands;

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

81Heshbon and Jazer, together with their pasturelands.

7The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puah, Jashub and Shimron-four in all.

2The sons of Tola: Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam and Samuel- heads of their families. During the reign of David, the descendants of Tola listed as fighting men in their genealogy numbered 22,600.

3The son of Uzzi: Izrahiah. The sons of Izrahiah: Michael, Obadiah, Joel and Isshiah. All five of them were chiefs.

4According to their family genealogy, they had 36,000 men ready for battle, for they had many wives and children.

5The relatives who were fighting men belonging to all the clans of Issachar, as listed in their genealogy, were 87,000 in all.

6Three sons of Benjamin: Bela, Beker and Jediael.

7The sons of Bela: Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth and Iri, heads of families-five in all. Their genealogical record listed 22,034 fighting men.

8The sons of Beker: Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth and Alemeth. All these were the sons of Beker.

9Their genealogical record listed the heads of families and 20,200 fighting men.

10The son of Jediael: Bilhan. The sons of Bilhan: Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Kenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish and Ahishahar.

11All these sons of Jediael were heads of families. There were 17,200 fighting men ready to go out to war.

12The Shuppites and Huppites were the descendants of Ir, and the Hushites the descendants of Aher.

13The sons of Naphtali: Jahziel, Guni, Jezer and Shillem -the descendants of Bilhah.

14The descendants of Manasseh: Asriel was his descendant through his Aramean concubine. She gave birth to Makir the father of Gilead.

15Makir took a wife from among the Huppites and Shuppites. His sister’s name was Maacah. Another descendant was named Zelophehad, who had only daughters.

16Makir’s wife Maacah gave birth to a son and named him Peresh. His brother was named Sheresh, and his sons were Ulam and Rakem.

17The son of Ulam: Bedan. These were the sons of Gilead son of Makir, the son of Manasseh.

18His sister Hammoleketh gave birth to Ishhod, Abiezer and Mahlah.

19The sons of Shemida were: Ahian, Shechem, Likhi and Aniam.

20The descendants of Ephraim: Shuthelah, Bered his son, Tahath his son, Eleadah his son, Tahath his son,

21Zabad his son and Shuthelah his son. Ezer and Elead were killed by the native-born men of Gath, when they went down to seize their livestock.

22Their father Ephraim mourned for them many days, and his relatives came to comfort him.

23Then he lay with his wife again, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. He named him Beriah, because there had been misfortune in his family.

24His daughter was Sheerah, who built Lower and Upper Beth Horon as well as Uzzen Sheerah.

25Rephah was his son, Resheph his son, Telah his son, Tahan his son,

26Ladan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son,

27Nun his son and Joshua his son.

28Their lands and settlements included Bethel and its surrounding villages, Naaran to the east, Gezer and its villages to the west, and Shechem and its villages all the way to Ayyah and its villages.

29Along the borders of Manasseh were Beth Shan, Taanach, Megiddo and Dor, together with their villages. The descendants of Joseph son of Israel lived in these towns.

30The sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi and Beriah. Their sister was Serah.

31The sons of Beriah: Heber and Malkiel, who was the father of Birzaith.

32Heber was the father of Japhlet, Shomer and Hotham and of their sister Shua.

33The sons of Japhlet: Pasach, Bimhal and Ashvath. These were Japhlet’s sons.

34The sons of Shomer: Ahi, Rohgah, Hubbah and Aram.

35The sons of his brother Helem: Zophah, Imna, Shelesh and Amal.

36The sons of Zophah: Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah,

37Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Ithran and Beera.

38The sons of Jether: Jephunneh, Pispah and Ara.

39The sons of Ulla: Arah, Hanniel and Rizia.

40All these were descendants of Asher- heads of families, choice men, brave warriors and outstanding leaders. The number of men ready for battle, as listed in their genealogy, was 26,000.

8Benjamin was the father of Bela his firstborn, Ashbel the second son, Aharah the third,

2Nohah the fourth and Rapha the fifth.

3The sons of Bela were: Addar, Gera, Abihud,

4Abishua, Naaman, Ahoah,

5Gera, Shephuphan and Huram.

6These were the descendants of Ehud, who were heads of families of those living in Geba and were deported to Manahath:

7Naaman, Ahijah, and Gera, who deported them and who was the father of Uzza and Ahihud.

8Sons were born to Shaharaim in Moab after he had divorced his wives Hushim and Baara.

9By his wife Hodesh he had Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam,

10Jeuz, Sakia and Mirmah. These were his sons, heads of families.

11By Hushim he had Abitub and Elpaal.

12The sons of Elpaal: Eber, Misham, Shemed (who built Ono and Lod with its surrounding villages),

13and Beriah and Shema, who were heads of families of those living in Aijalon and who drove out the inhabitants of Gath.

14Ahio, Shashak, Jeremoth,

15Zebadiah, Arad, Eder,

16Michael, Ishpah and Joha were the sons of Beriah.

17Zebadiah, Meshullam, Hizki, Heber,

18Ishmerai, Izliah and Jobab were the sons of Elpaal.

19Jakim, Zicri, Zabdi,

20Elienai, Zillethai, Eliel,

21Adaiah, Beraiah and Shimrath were the sons of Shimei.

22Ishpan, Eber, Eliel,

23Abdon, Zicri, Hanan,

24Hananiah, Elam, Anthothijah,

25Iphdeiah and Penuel were the sons of Shashak.

26Shamsherai, Shehariah, Athaliah,

27Jaareshiah, Elijah and Zicri were the sons of Jeroham.

28All these were heads of families, chiefs as listed in their genealogy, and they lived in Jerusalem.

29Jeiel the father of Gibeon lived in Gibeon. His wife’s name was Maacah,

30and his firstborn son was Abdon, followed by Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab,

31Gedor, Ahio, Zeker

32and Mikloth, who was the father of Shimeah. They too lived near their relatives in Jerusalem.

33Ner was the father of Kish, Kish the father of Saul, and Saul the father of Jonathan, Malki-Shua, Abinadab and Esh-Baal.

34The son of Jonathan: Merib-Baal, who was the father of Micah.

35The sons of Micah: Pithon, Melech, Tarea and Ahaz.

36Ahaz was the father of Jehoaddah, Jehoaddah was the father of Alemeth,

Azmaveth and Zimri, and Zimri was the father of Moza.

37Moza was the father of Binea; Raphah was his son, Eleasah his son and Azel his son.

38Azel had six sons, and these were their names: Azrikam, Bokeru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah and Hanan. All these were the sons of Azel.

39The sons of his brother Eshek: Ulam his firstborn, Jeush the second son and Eliphelet the third.

40The sons of Ulam were brave warriors who could handle the bow. They had many sons and grandsons-150 in all. All these were the descendants of Benjamin.

9All Israel was listed in the genealogies recorded in the book of the kings of Israel. The people of Judah were taken captive to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness.

2Now the first to resettle on their own property in their own towns were some Israelites, priests, Levites and temple servants.

3Those from Judah, from Benjamin, and from Ephraim and Manasseh who lived in Jerusalem were:

4Uthai son of Ammihud, the son of Omri, the son of Imri, the son of Bani, a descendant of Perez son of Judah.

5Of the Shilonites: Asaiah the firstborn and his sons.

6Of the Zerahites: Jeuel. The people from Judah numbered 690.

7Of the Benjamites: Sallu son of Meshullam, the son of Hodaviah, the son of Hassenuah;

8Ibneiah son of Jeroham; Elah son of Uzzi, the son of Micri; and Meshullam son of Shephatiah, the son of Reuel, the son of Ibnijah.

9The people from Benjamin, as listed in their genealogy, numbered 956. All these men were heads of their families.

10Of the priests: Jedaiah; Jehoiarib; Jakin;

11Azariah son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the official in charge of the house of God;

12Adaiah son of Jeroham, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malkijah; and Maasai son of Adiel, the son of Jahzerah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Meshillemith, the son of Immer.

13The priests, who were heads of families, numbered 1,760. They were able men, responsible for ministering in the house of God.

14Of the Levites: Shemaiah son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, a Merarite;

15Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal and Mattaniah son of Mica, the son of Zicri, the son of Asaph;

16Obadiah son of Shemaiah, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun; and Berekiah son of Asa, the son of Elkanah, who lived in the villages of the Netophathites.

17The gatekeepers: Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman and their brothers, Shallum their chief

18being stationed at the King’s Gate on the east, up to the present time. These were the gatekeepers belonging to the camp of the Levites.

19Shallum son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, and his fellow gatekeepers from his family (the Korahites) were responsible for guarding the thresholds of the Tent just as their fathers had been responsible for guarding the entrance to the dwelling of the Lord .

20In earlier times Phinehas son of Eleazar was in charge of the gatekeepers, and the Lord was with him.

21Zechariah son of Meshelemiah was the gatekeeper at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

22Altogether, those chosen to be gatekeepers at the thresholds numbered

212. They were registered by genealogy in their villages. The gatekeepers had been assigned to their positions of trust by David and Samuel the seer.

23They and their descendants were in charge of guarding the gates of the house of the Lord -the house called the Tent.

24The gatekeepers were on the four sides: east, west, north and south.

25Their brothers in their villages had to come from time to time and share their duties for seven-day periods.

26But the four principal gatekeepers, who were Levites, were entrusted with the responsibility for the rooms and treasuries in the house of God.

27They would spend the night stationed around the house of God, because they had to guard it; and they had charge of the key for opening it each morning.

28Some of them were in charge of the articles used in the temple service; they counted them when they were brought in and when they were taken out.

29Others were assigned to take care of the furnishings and all the other articles of the sanctuary, as well as the flour and wine, and the oil, incense and spices.

30But some of the priests took care of mixing the spices.

31A Levite named Mattithiah, the firstborn son of Shallum the Korahite, was entrusted with the responsibility for baking the offering bread.

32Some of their Kohathite brothers were in charge of preparing for every Sabbath the bread set out on the table.

33Those who were musicians, heads of Levite families, stayed in the rooms of the temple and were exempt from other duties because they were responsible for the work day and night.

34All these were heads of Levite families, chiefs as listed in their genealogy, and they lived in Jerusalem.

35Jeiel the father of Gibeon lived in Gibeon. His wife’s name was Maacah,

36and his firstborn son was Abdon, followed by Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab,

37Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah and Mikloth.

38Mikloth was the father of Shimeam. They too lived near their relatives in Jerusalem.

39Ner was the father of Kish, Kish the father of Saul, and Saul the father of Jonathan, Malki-Shua, Abinadab and Esh-Baal.

40The son of Jonathan: Merib-Baal, who was the father of Micah.

41The sons of Micah: Pithon, Melech, Tahrea and Ahaz.

42Ahaz was the father of Jadah, Jadah was the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth and Zimri, and Zimri was the father of Moza.

43Moza was the father of Binea; Rephaiah was his son, Eleasah his son and Azel his son.

44Azel had six sons, and these were their names: Azrikam, Bokeru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah and Hanan. These were the sons of Azel.

10Now the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa.

2The Philistines pressed hard after Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua.

3The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded him.

4Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through, or these uncircumcised fellows will come and abuse me.” But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it.

5When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died.

6So Saul and his three sons died, and all his house died together.

7When all the Israelites in the valley saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and fled. And the Philistines came and occupied them.

8The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.

9They stripped him and took his head and his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news among their idols and their people.

10They put his armor in the temple of their gods and hung up his head in the temple of Dagon.

11When all the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard of everything the Philistines had done to Saul,

12all their valiant men went and took the bodies of Saul and his sons and brought them to Jabesh. Then they buried their bones under the great tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.

13Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord ; he did not keep the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium for guidance,

14and did not inquire of the Lord . So the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.

11All Israel came together to David at Hebron and said, “We are your own flesh and blood.

2In the past, even while Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the Lord your God said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.’ “

3When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, he made a

compact with them at Hebron before the Lord , and they anointed David king over Israel, as the Lord had promised through Samuel.

4David and all the Israelites marched to Jerusalem (that is, Jebus). The Jebusites who lived there

5said to David, “You will not get in here.” Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion, the City of David.

6David had said, “Whoever leads the attack on the Jebusites will become commander-in-chief.” Joab son of Zeruiah went up first, and so he received the command.

7David then took up residence in the fortress, and so it was called the City of David.

8He built up the city around it, from the supporting terraces to the surrounding wall, while Joab restored the rest of the city.

9And David became more and more powerful, because the Lord Almighty was with him.

10These were the chiefs of David’s mighty men-they, together with all Israel, gave his kingship strong support to extend it over the whole land, as the Lord had promised-

11this is the list of David’s mighty men: Jashobeam, a Hacmonite, was chief of the officers ; he raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter.

12Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men.

13He was with David at Pas Dammim when the Philistines gathered there for battle. At a place where there was a field full of barley, the troops fled from the Philistines.

14But they took their stand in the middle of the field. They defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the Lord brought about a great victory.

15Three of the thirty chiefs came down to David to the rock at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.

16At that time David was in the stronghold, and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem.

17David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!”

18So the Three broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the Lord .

19“God forbid that I should do this!” he said. “Should I drink the blood of these men who went at the risk of their lives?” Because they risked their lives to bring it back, David would not drink it. Such were the exploits of the three mighty men.

20Abishai the brother of Joab was chief of the Three. He raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed, and so he became as famous as the Three.

21He was doubly honored above the Three and became their commander, even though he was not included among them.

22Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, who performed great exploits. He struck down two of Moab’s best men. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion.

23And he struck down an Egyptian who was seven and a half feet tall. Although the Egyptian had a spear like a weaver’s rod in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear.

24Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he too was as famous as the three mighty men.

25He was held in greater honor than any of the Thirty, but he was not included among the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

26The mighty men were: Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem,

27Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite,

28Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa, Abiezer from Anathoth,

29Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite,

30Maharai the Netophathite, Heled son of Baanah the Netophathite,

31Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah in Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite,

32Hurai from the ravines of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite,

33Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite,

34the sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan son of Shagee the Hararite,

35Ahiam son of Sacar the Hararite, Eliphal son of Ur,

36Hepher the Mekerathite, Ahijah the Pelonite,

37Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai son of Ezbai,

38Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar son of Hagri,

39Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothite, the armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah,

40Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,

41Uriah the Hittite, Zabad son of Ahlai,

42Adina son of Shiza the Reubenite, who was chief of the Reubenites, and the thirty with him,

43Hanan son of Maacah, Joshaphat the Mithnite,

44Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite,

45Jediael son of Shimri, his brother Joha the Tizite,

46Eliel the Mahavite, Jeribai and Joshaviah the sons of Elnaam, Ithmah the Moabite,

47Eliel, Obed and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.

12These were the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he was banished from the presence of Saul son of Kish (they were among the warriors who helped him in battle;

2they were armed with bows and were able to shoot arrows or to sling stones right-handed or left-handed; they were kinsmen of Saul from the tribe of Benjamin):

3Ahiezer their chief and Joash the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet the sons of Azmaveth; Beracah, Jehu the Anathothite,

4and Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the Thirty, who was a leader of the Thirty; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad the Gederathite,

5Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah and Shephatiah the Haruphite;

6Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer and Jashobeam the Korahites;

7and Joelah and Zebadiah the sons of Jeroham from Gedor.

8Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the desert. They were brave warriors, ready for battle and able to handle the shield and spear. Their faces were the faces of lions, and they were as swift as gazelles in the mountains.

9Ezer was the chief, Obadiah the second in command, Eliab the third,

10Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth,

11Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,

12Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth,

13Jeremiah the tenth and Macbannai the eleventh.

14These Gadites were army commanders; the least was a match for a hundred, and the greatest for a thousand.

15It was they who crossed the Jordan in the first month when it was overflowing all its banks, and they put to flight everyone living in the valleys, to the east and to the west.

16Other Benjamites and some men from Judah also came to David in his stronghold.

17David went out to meet them and said to them, “If you have come to me in peace, to help me, I am ready to have you unite with me. But if you have come to betray me to my enemies when my hands are free from violence, may the God of our fathers see it and judge you.”

18Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the Thirty, and he said: “We are yours, O David! We are with you, O son of Jesse! Success, success to you, and success to those who help you, for your God will help you.” So David received them and made them leaders of his raiding bands.

19Some of the men of Manasseh defected to David when he went with the Philistines to fight against Saul. (He and his men did not help the Philistines because, after consultation, their rulers sent him away. They said, “It will cost us our heads if he deserts to his master Saul.”)

20When David went to Ziklag, these were the men of Manasseh who defected to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu and Zillethai, leaders of units of a thousand in Manasseh.

21They helped David against raiding bands, for all of them were brave warriors, and they were commanders in his army.

22Day after day men came to help David, until he had a great army, like the army of God.

23These are the numbers of the men armed for battle who came to David at Hebron to turn Saul’s kingdom over to him, as the Lord had said:

24men of Judah, carrying shield and spear-6,800 armed for battle;

25men of Simeon, warriors ready for battle-7,100;

26men of Levi-4,600,

27including Jehoiada, leader of the family of Aaron, with 3,700 men,

28and Zadok, a brave young warrior, with 22 officers from his family;

29men of Benjamin, Saul’s kinsmen- 3,000, most of whom had remained loyal to Saul’s house until then;

30men of Ephraim, brave warriors, famous in their own clans-20,800;

31men of half the tribe of Manasseh, designated by name to come and make David king-18,000;

32men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do- 200 chiefs, with all their relatives under their command;

33men of Zebulun, experienced soldiers prepared for battle with every type of weapon, to help David with undivided loyalty-50,000;

34men of Naphtali-1,000 officers, together with 37,000 men carrying shields and spears;

35men of Dan, ready for battle-28,600;

36men of Asher, experienced soldiers prepared for battle-40,000;

37and from east of the Jordan, men of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, armed with every type of weapon-120,000.

38All these were fighting men who volunteered to serve in the ranks. They came to Hebron fully determined to make David king over all Israel. All the rest of the Israelites were also of one mind to make David king.

39The men spent three days there with David, eating and drinking, for their families had supplied provisions for them.

40Also, their neighbors from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun and Naphtali came bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules and oxen. There were plentiful supplies of flour, fig cakes, raisin cakes, wine, oil, cattle and sheep, for there was joy in Israel.

13David conferred with each of his officers, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds.

2He then said to the whole assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you and if it is the will of the Lord our God, let us send word far and wide to the rest of our

brothers throughout the territories of Israel, and also to the priests and Levites who are with them in their towns and pasturelands, to come and join us.

3Let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we did not inquire of it during the reign of Saul.”

4The whole assembly agreed to do this, because it seemed right to all the people.

5So David assembled all the Israelites, from the Shihor River in Egypt to Lebo Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim.

6David and all the Israelites with him went to Baalah of Judah (Kiriath Jearim) to bring up from there the ark of God the Lord , who is enthroned between the cherubim-the ark that is called by the Name.

7They moved the ark of God from Abinadab’s house on a new cart, with Uzzah and Ahio guiding it.

8David and all the Israelites were celebrating with all their might before God, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, cymbals and trumpets.

9When they came to the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark, because the oxen stumbled.

10The Lord ‘s anger burned against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God.

11Then David was angry because the Lord ‘s wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah.

12David was afraid of God that day and asked, “How can I ever bring the ark of God to me?”

13He did not take the ark to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it aside to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.

14The ark of God remained with the family of Obed-Edom in his house for three months, and the Lord blessed his household and everything he had.

14Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedar logs, stonemasons and carpenters to build a palace for him.

2And David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and that his kingdom had been highly exalted for the sake of his people Israel.

3In Jerusalem David took more wives and became the father of more sons and daughters.

4These are the names of the children born to him there: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,

5Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet,

6Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia,

7Elishama, Beeliada and Eliphelet.

8When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, they went up in full force to search for him, but David heard about it and went out to meet them.

9Now the Philistines had come and raided the Valley of Rephaim;

10so David inquired of God: “Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?” The Lord answered him, “Go, I will hand them over to you.”

11So David and his men went up to Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. He said, “As waters break out, God has broken out against my enemies by my hand.” So that place was called Baal Perazim.

12The Philistines had abandoned their gods there, and David gave orders to burn them in the fire.

13Once more the Philistines raided the valley;

14so David inquired of God again, and God answered him, “Do not go straight up, but circle around them and attack them in front of the balsam trees.

15As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move out to battle, because that will mean God has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.”

16So David did as God commanded him, and they struck down the Philistine army, all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.

17So David’s fame spread throughout every land, and the Lord made all the nations fear him.

15After David had constructed buildings for himself in the City of David, he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it.

2Then David said, “No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the Lord chose them to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister before him forever.”

3David assembled all Israel in Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the Lord to the place he had prepared for it.

4He called together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites:

5From the descendants of Kohath, Uriel the leader and 120 relatives;

6from the descendants of Merari, Asaiah the leader and 220 relatives;

7from the descendants of Gershon, Joel the leader and 130 relatives;

8from the descendants of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the leader and 200 relatives;

9from the descendants of Hebron, Eliel the leader and 80 relatives;

10from the descendants of Uzziel, Amminadab the leader and 112 relatives.

11Then David summoned Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel and Amminadab the Levites.

12He said to them, “You are the heads of the Levitical families; you and your fellow Levites are to consecrate yourselves and bring up the ark of the Lord , the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it.

13It was because you, the Levites, did not bring it up the first time that the Lord our God broke out in anger against us. We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way.”

14So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves in order to bring up the ark of the Lord , the God of Israel.

15And the Levites carried the ark of God with the poles on their shoulders, as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the Lord .

16David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their brothers as singers to sing joyful songs, accompanied by musical instruments: lyres, harps and cymbals.

17So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel; from his brothers, Asaph son of Berekiah; and from their brothers the Merarites, Ethan son of Kushaiah;

18and with them their brothers next in rank: Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah,

Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed- Edom and Jeiel, the gatekeepers.

19The musicians Heman, Asaph and Ethan were to sound the bronze cymbals;

20Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah and Benaiah were to play the lyres according to alamoth ,

21and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel and Azaziah were to play the harps, directing according to sheminith .

22Kenaniah the head Levite was in charge of the singing; that was his responsibility because he was skillful at it.

23Berekiah and Elkanah were to be doorkeepers for the ark.

24Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah and Eliezer the priests were to blow trumpets before the ark of God. Obed-Edom and Jehiah were also to be doorkeepers for the ark.

25So David and the elders of Israel and the commanders of units of a thousand went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed- Edom, with rejoicing.

26Because God had helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord , seven bulls and seven rams were sacrificed.

27Now David was clothed in a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and as were the singers, and Kenaniah, who was in charge of the singing of the choirs. David also wore a linen ephod.

28So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouts, with the sounding of rams’ horns and trumpets, and of cymbals, and the playing of lyres and harps.

29As the ark of the covenant of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David dancing and celebrating, she despised him in her heart.

16They brought the ark of God and set it inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and they presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before God.

2After David had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord .

3Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each Israelite man and woman.

4He appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord , to make petition, to give thanks, and to praise the Lord , the God of Israel:

5Asaph was the chief, Zechariah second, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel,

Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-Edom and Jeiel. They were to play the lyres and harps, Asaph was to sound the cymbals,

6and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow the trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God.

7That day David first committed to Asaph and his associates this psalm of thanks to the Lord :

8Give thanks to the Lord , call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.

9Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.

10Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

11Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.

12Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,

13O descendants of Israel his servant, O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones.

14He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth.

15He remembers his covenant forever, the word he commanded, for a thousand generations,

16the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac.

17He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant:

18“To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit.”

19When they were but few in number, few indeed, and strangers in it,

20they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another.

21He allowed no man to oppress them; for their sake he rebuked kings:

22“Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm.”

23Sing to the Lord , all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day.

24Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

25For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.

26For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.

27Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy in his dwelling place.

28Ascribe to the Lord , O families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength,

29ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name. Bring an offering and come before him; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.

30Tremble before him, all the earth! The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.

31Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!”

32Let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them!

33Then the trees of the forest will sing, they will sing for joy before the Lord , for he comes to judge the earth.

34Give thanks to the Lord , for he is good; his love endures forever.

35Cry out, “Save us, O God our Savior; gather us and deliver us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name, that we may glory in your praise.”

36Praise be to the Lord , the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Then all the people said “Amen” and “Praise the Lord .”

37David left Asaph and his associates before the ark of the covenant of the Lord to minister there regularly, according to each day’s requirements.

38He also left Obed-Edom and his sixty- eight associates to minister with them. Obed-Edom son of Jeduthun, and also Hosah, were gatekeepers.

39David left Zadok the priest and his fellow priests before the tabernacle of the Lord at the high place in Gibeon

40to present burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of burnt offering regularly, morning and evening, in accordance with everything written in the Law of the Lord , which he had given Israel.

41With them were Heman and Jeduthun and the rest of those chosen and designated by name to give thanks to the Lord , “for his love endures forever.”

42Heman and Jeduthun were responsible for the sounding of the trumpets and cymbals and for the playing of the other instruments for sacred song. The sons of Jeduthun were stationed at the gate.

43Then all the people left, each for his own home, and David returned home to bless his family.

17After David was settled in his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under a tent.”

2Nathan replied to David, “Whatever you have in mind, do it, for God is with you.”

3That night the word of God came to Nathan, saying:

4“Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: You are not the one to build me a house to dwell in.

5I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought Israel up out of Egypt to this day. I have moved from one tent

site to another, from one dwelling place to another.

6Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their leaders whom I commanded to shepherd my people, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” ‘

7“Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock, to be ruler over my people Israel.

8I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name like the names of the greatest men of the earth.

9And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning

10and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also subdue all your enemies. ” ‘I declare to you that the Lord will build a house for you:

11When your days are over and you go to be with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom.

12He is the one who will build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever.

13I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will never take my love away from him, as I took it away from your predecessor.

14I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever.’ “

15Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.

16Then King David went in and sat before the Lord , and he said: “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?

17And as if this were not enough in your sight, O God, you have spoken about the future of the house of your servant. You have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men, O Lord God.

18“What more can David say to you for honoring your servant? For you know your servant,

19O Lord . For the sake of your servant and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made known all these great promises.

20“There is no one like you, O Lord , and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.

21And who is like your people Israel-the one nation on earth whose God went out to redeem a people for himself, and to make a name for yourself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations from before your

people, whom you redeemed from Egypt?

22You made your people Israel your very own forever, and you, O Lord , have become their God.

23“And now, Lord , let the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house be established forever. Do as you promised,

24so that it will be established and that your name will be great forever. Then men will say, ‘The Lord Almighty, the God over Israel, is Israel’s God!’ And the house of your servant David will be established before you.

25“You, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build a house for him. So your servant has found courage to pray to you.

26O Lord , you are God! You have promised these good things to your servant.

27Now you have been pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, O Lord , have blessed it, and it will be blessed forever.”

18In the course of time, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Gath and its surrounding villages from the control of the Philistines.

2David also defeated the Moabites, and they became subject to him and brought tribute.

3Moreover, David fought Hadadezer king of Zobah, as far as Hamath, when he went to establish his control along the Euphrates River.

4David captured a thousand of his chariots, seven thousand charioteers and twenty thousand foot soldiers. He hamstrung all but a hundred of the chariot horses.

5When the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand of them.

6He put garrisons in the Aramean kingdom of Damascus, and the Arameans became subject to him and brought tribute. The Lord gave David victory everywhere he went.

7David took the gold shields carried by the officers of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem.

8From Tebah and Cun, towns that belonged to Hadadezer, David took a great quantity of bronze, which Solomon used to make the bronze Sea, the pillars and various bronze articles.

9When Tou king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer king of Zobah,

10he sent his son Hadoram to King David to greet him and congratulate him on his victory in battle over Hadadezer,

who had been at war with Tou. Hadoram brought all kinds of articles of gold and silver and bronze.

11King David dedicated these articles to the Lord , as he had done with the silver and gold he had taken from all these nations: Edom and Moab, the Ammonites and the Philistines, and Amalek.

12Abishai son of Zeruiah struck down eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.

13He put garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became subject to David. The Lord gave David victory everywhere he went.

14David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right for all his people.

15Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder;

16Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were priests; Shavsha was secretary;

17Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites; and David’s sons were chief officials at the king’s side.

19In the course of time, Nahash king of the Ammonites died, and his son succeeded him as king.

2David thought, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, because his

father showed kindness to me.” So David sent a delegation to express his sympathy to Hanun concerning his father. When David’s men came to Hanun in the land of the Ammonites to express sympathy to him,

3the Ammonite nobles said to Hanun, “Do you think David is honoring your father by sending men to you to express sympathy? Haven’t his men come to you to explore and spy out the country and overthrow it?”

4So Hanun seized David’s men, shaved them, cut off their garments in the middle at the buttocks, and sent them away.

5When someone came and told David about the men, he sent messengers to meet them, for they were greatly humiliated. The king said, “Stay at Jericho till your beards have grown, and then come back.”

6When the Ammonites realized that they had become a stench in David’s nostrils, Hanun and the Ammonites sent a thousand talents of silver to hire chariots and charioteers from Aram Naharaim, Aram Maacah and Zobah.

7They hired thirty-two thousand chariots and charioteers, as well as the king of Maacah with his troops, who came and camped near Medeba, while the Ammonites were mustered from their towns and moved out for battle.

8On hearing this, David sent Joab out with the entire army of fighting men.

9The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle formation at the entrance to their city, while the kings who had come were by themselves in the open country.

10Joab saw that there were battle lines in front of him and behind him; so he selected some of the best troops in Israel and deployed them against the Arameans.

11He put the rest of the men under the command of Abishai his brother, and they were deployed against the Ammonites.

12Joab said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you are to rescue me; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will rescue you.

13Be strong and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in his sight.”

14Then Joab and the troops with him advanced to fight the Arameans, and they fled before him.

15When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans were fleeing, they too fled before his brother Abishai and went inside the city. So Joab went back to Jerusalem.

16After the Arameans saw that they had been routed by Israel, they sent messengers and had Arameans brought from beyond the River, with Shophach the commander of Hadadezer’s army leading them.

17When David was told of this, he gathered all Israel and crossed the Jordan; he advanced against them and formed his battle lines opposite them. David formed his lines to meet the Arameans in battle, and they fought against him.

18But they fled before Israel, and David killed seven thousand of their charioteers and forty thousand of their foot soldiers. He also killed Shophach the commander of their army.

19When the vassals of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and became subject to him. So the Arameans were not willing to help the Ammonites anymore.

20In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, Joab led out the armed forces. He laid waste the land of the Ammonites and went to Rabbah and besieged it, but David remained in Jerusalem. Joab attacked Rabbah and left it in ruins.

2David took the crown from the head of their king -its weight was found to be a talent of gold, and it was set with precious stones-and it was placed on David’s head. He took a great quantity of plunder from the city

3and brought out the people who were there, consigning them to labor with saws and with iron picks and axes. David did this to all the Ammonite towns. Then David and his entire army returned to Jerusalem.

4In the course of time, war broke out with the Philistines, at Gezer. At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Sippai, one of the descendants of the Rephaites, and the Philistines were subjugated.

5In another battle with the Philistines, Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver’s rod.

6In still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot-twenty-four in all. He also was descended from Rapha.

7When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of Shimea, David’s brother, killed him.

8These were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hands of David and his men.

21Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel.

2So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are.”

3But Joab replied, “May the Lord multiply his troops a hundred times over. My lord the king, are they not all my lord’s subjects? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?”

4The king’s word, however, overruled Joab; so Joab left and went throughout Israel and then came back to Jerusalem.

5Joab reported the number of the fighting men to David: In all Israel there were one million one hundred thousand men who could handle a sword, including four hundred and seventy thousand in Judah.

6But Joab did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, because the king’s command was repulsive to him.

7This command was also evil in the sight of God; so he punished Israel.

8Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly by doing this. Now, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.”

9The Lord said to Gad, David’s seer,

10“Go and tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.’ “

11So Gad went to David and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Take your choice:

12three years of famine, three months of being swept away before your enemies, with their swords overtaking you, or three days of the sword of the Lord – days of plague in the land, with the angel of the Lord ravaging every part of Israel.’ Now then, decide how I should answer the one who sent me.”

13David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let me fall into the hands of the Lord , for his mercy is very great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men.”

14So the Lord sent a plague on Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell dead.

15And God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But as the angel was doing so, the Lord saw it and was grieved because of the calamity and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” The angel of the Lord was then standing at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

16David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand extended over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell facedown.

17David said to God, “Was it not I who ordered the fighting men to be counted? I am the one who has sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? O Lord my God, let your hand fall upon me and my family, but do not let this plague remain on your people.”

18Then the angel of the Lord ordered Gad to tell David to go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

19So David went up in obedience to the word that Gad had spoken in the name of the Lord .

20While Araunah was threshing wheat, he turned and saw the angel; his four sons who were with him hid themselves.

21Then David approached, and when Araunah looked and saw him, he left the threshing floor and bowed down before David with his face to the ground.

22David said to him, “Let me have the site of your threshing floor so I can build an altar to the Lord , that the plague on the people may be stopped. Sell it to me at the full price.”

23Araunah said to David, “Take it! Let my lord the king do whatever pleases him. Look, I will give the oxen for the burnt offerings, the threshing sledges for the wood, and the wheat for the grain offering. I will give all this.”

24But King David replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing.”

25So David paid Araunah six hundred shekels of gold for the site.

26David built an altar to the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He called on the Lord , and the Lord answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering.

27Then the Lord spoke to the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath.

28At that time, when David saw that the Lord had answered him on the threshing

floor of Araunah the Jebusite, he offered sacrifices there.

29The tabernacle of the Lord , which Moses had made in the desert, and the altar of burnt offering were at that time on the high place at Gibeon.

30But David could not go before it to inquire of God, because he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the Lord .

22Then David said, “The house of the Lord God is to be here, and also the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”

2So David gave orders to assemble the aliens living in Israel, and from among them he appointed stonecutters to prepare dressed stone for building the house of God.

3He provided a large amount of iron to make nails for the doors of the gateways and for the fittings, and more bronze than could be weighed.

4He also provided more cedar logs than could be counted, for the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought large numbers of them to David.

5David said, “My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the Lord should be of great magnificence and fame and splendor in the sight of all the nations. Therefore I will make preparations for it.” So David made extensive preparations before his death.

6Then he called for his son Solomon and charged him to build a house for the Lord , the God of Israel.

7David said to Solomon: “My son, I had it in my heart to build a house for the Name of the Lord my God.

8But this word of the Lord came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight.

9But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon, and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign.

10He is the one who will build a house for my Name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’

11“Now, my son, the Lord be with you, and may you have success and build the house of the Lord your God, as he said you would.

12May the Lord give you discretion and understanding when he puts you in command over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the Lord your God.

13Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the Lord gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged.

14“I have taken great pains to provide for the temple of the Lord a hundred thousand talents of gold, a million talents of silver, quantities of bronze and iron too great to be weighed, and wood and stone. And you may add to them.

15You have many workmen: stonecutters, masons and carpenters, as well as men skilled in every kind of work

16in gold and silver, bronze and iron- craftsmen beyond number. Now begin the work, and the Lord be with you.”

17Then David ordered all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon.

18He said to them, “Is not the Lord your God with you? And has he not granted you rest on every side? For he has handed the inhabitants of the land over to me, and the land is subject to the Lord and to his people.

19Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God. Begin to build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the sacred articles belonging to God into the temple that will be built for the Name of the Lord .”

23When David was old and full of years, he made his son Solomon king over Israel.

2He also gathered together all the leaders of Israel, as well as the priests and Levites.

3The Levites thirty years old or more were counted, and the total number of men was thirty-eight thousand.

4David said, “Of these, twenty-four thousand are to supervise the work of the temple of the Lord and six thousand are to be officials and judges.

5Four thousand are to be gatekeepers and four thousand are to praise the Lord with the musical instruments I have provided for that purpose.”

6David divided the Levites into groups corresponding to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

7Belonging to the Gershonites: Ladan and Shimei.

8The sons of Ladan: Jehiel the first, Zetham and Joel-three in all.

9The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, Haziel and Haran-three in all. These were the heads of the families of Ladan.

10And the sons of Shimei: Jahath, Ziza, Jeush and Beriah. These were the sons of Shimei-four in all.

11Jahath was the first and Ziza the second, but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons; so they were counted as one family with one assignment.

12The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel-four in all.

13The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. Aaron was set apart, he and his descendants forever, to consecrate the

most holy things, to offer sacrifices before the Lord , to minister before him and to pronounce blessings in his name forever.

14The sons of Moses the man of God were counted as part of the tribe of Levi.

15The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.

16The descendants of Gershom: Shubael was the first.

17The descendants of Eliezer: Rehabiah was the first. Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very numerous.

18The sons of Izhar: Shelomith was the first.

19The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third and Jekameam the fourth.

20The sons of Uzziel: Micah the first and Isshiah the second.

21The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish.

22Eleazar died without having sons: he had only daughters. Their cousins, the sons of Kish, married them.

23The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder and Jerimoth-three in all.

24These were the descendants of Levi by their families-the heads of families as they were registered under their names and counted individually, that is, the

workers twenty years old or more who served in the temple of the Lord .

25For David had said, “Since the Lord , the God of Israel, has granted rest to his people and has come to dwell in Jerusalem forever,

26the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the articles used in its service.”

27According to the last instructions of David, the Levites were counted from those twenty years old or more.

28The duty of the Levites was to help Aaron’s descendants in the service of the temple of the Lord : to be in charge of the courtyards, the side rooms, the purification of all sacred things and the performance of other duties at the house of God.

29They were in charge of the bread set out on the table, the flour for the grain offerings, the unleavened wafers, the baking and the mixing, and all measurements of quantity and size.

30They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord . They were to do the same in the evening

31and whenever burnt offerings were presented to the Lord on Sabbaths and at New Moon festivals and at appointed feasts. They were to serve before the Lord regularly in the proper number and in the way prescribed for them.

32And so the Levites carried out their responsibilities for the Tent of Meeting,

for the Holy Place and, under their brothers the descendants of Aaron, for the service of the temple of the Lord .

24These were the divisions of the sons of Aaron: The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

2But Nadab and Abihu died before their father did, and they had no sons; so Eleazar and Ithamar served as the priests.

3With the help of Zadok a descendant of Eleazar and Ahimelech a descendant of Ithamar, David separated them into divisions for their appointed order of ministering.

4A larger number of leaders were found among Eleazar’s descendants than among Ithamar’s, and they were divided accordingly: sixteen heads of families from Eleazar’s descendants and eight heads of families from Ithamar’s descendants.

5They divided them impartially by drawing lots, for there were officials of the sanctuary and officials of God among the descendants of both Eleazar and Ithamar.

6The scribe Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite, recorded their names in the presence of the king and of the officials: Zadok the priest, Ahimelech son of Abiathar and the heads of families of the priests and of the Levites-one family being taken from Eleazar and then one from Ithamar.

7The first lot fell to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah,

8the third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim,

9the fifth to Malkijah, the sixth to Mijamin,

10the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah,

11the ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shecaniah,

12the eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim,

13the thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab,

14the fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer,

15the seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Happizzez,

16the nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to Jehezkel,

17the twenty-first to Jakin, the twenty- second to Gamul,

18the twenty-third to Delaiah and the twenty-fourth to Maaziah.

19This was their appointed order of ministering when they entered the temple of the Lord , according to the regulations prescribed for them by their forefather Aaron, as the Lord , the God of Israel, had commanded him.

20As for the rest of the descendants of Levi: from the sons of Amram: Shubael; from the sons of Shubael: Jehdeiah.

21As for Rehabiah, from his sons: Isshiah was the first.

22From the Izharites: Shelomoth; from the sons of Shelomoth: Jahath.

23The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third and Jekameam the fourth.

24The son of Uzziel: Micah; from the sons of Micah: Shamir.

25The brother of Micah: Isshiah; from the sons of Isshiah: Zechariah.

26The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The son of Jaaziah: Beno.

27The sons of Merari: from Jaaziah: Beno, Shoham, Zaccur and Ibri.

28From Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons.

29From Kish: the son of Kish: Jerahmeel.

30And the sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder and Jerimoth. These were the Levites, according to their families.

31They also cast lots, just as their brothers the descendants of Aaron did, in the presence of King David and of Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of families of the priests and of the Levites. The families of the oldest brother were treated the same as those of the youngest.

25David, together with the commanders of the army, set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun for the ministry of prophesying, accompanied by harps, lyres and cymbals. Here is the list of the men who performed this service:

2From the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah and Asarelah. The sons of Asaph were under the supervision of Asaph, who prophesied under the king’s supervision.

3As for Jeduthun, from his sons: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah and Mattithiah, six in all, under the supervision of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied, using the harp in thanking and praising the Lord .

4As for Heman, from his sons: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shubael and Jerimoth; Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti and Romamti-Ezer; Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir and Mahazioth.

5All these were sons of Heman the king’s seer. They were given him through the promises of God to exalt him. God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.

6All these men were under the supervision of their fathers for the music of the temple of the Lord , with cymbals, lyres and harps, for the ministry at the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman were under the supervision of the king.

7Along with their relatives-all of them trained and skilled in music for the Lord

-they numbered 288.

8Young and old alike, teacher as well as student, cast lots for their duties.

9The first lot, which was for Asaph, fell to Joseph, his sons and relatives, 12 the second to Gedaliah, he and his relatives and sons, 12

10the third to Zaccur, his sons and relatives, 12

11the fourth to Izri, his sons and relatives, 12

12the fifth to Nethaniah, his sons and relatives, 12

13the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons and relatives, 12

14the seventh to Jesarelah, his sons and relatives, 12

15the eighth to Jeshaiah, his sons and relatives, 12

16the ninth to Mattaniah, his sons and relatives, 12

17the tenth to Shimei, his sons and relatives, 12

18the eleventh to Azarel, his sons and relatives, 12

19the twelfth to Hashabiah, his sons and relatives, 12

20the thirteenth to Shubael, his sons and relatives, 12

21the fourteenth to Mattithiah, his sons and relatives, 12

22the fifteenth to Jerimoth, his sons and relatives, 12

23the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons and relatives, 12

24the seventeenth to Joshbekashah, his sons and relatives, 12

25the eighteenth to Hanani, his sons and relatives, 12

26the nineteenth to Mallothi, his sons and relatives, 12

27the twentieth to Eliathah, his sons and relatives, 12

28the twenty-first to Hothir, his sons and relatives, 12

29the twenty-second to Giddalti, his sons and relatives, 12

30the twenty-third to Mahazioth, his sons and relatives, 12

31the twenty-fourth to Romamti-Ezer, his sons and relatives, 12

26The divisions of the gatekeepers: From the Korahites: Meshelemiah son of Kore, one of the sons of Asaph.

2Meshelemiah had sons: Zechariah the firstborn, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth,

3Elam the fifth, Jehohanan the sixth and Eliehoenai the seventh.

4Obed-Edom also had sons: Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, Sacar the fourth, Nethanel the fifth,

5Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh and Peullethai the eighth. (For God had blessed Obed-Edom.)

6His son Shemaiah also had sons, who were leaders in their father’s family because they were very capable men.

7The sons of Shemaiah: Othni, Rephael, Obed and Elzabad; his relatives Elihu and Semakiah were also able men.

8All these were descendants of Obed- Edom; they and their sons and their relatives were capable men with the strength to do the work-descendants of Obed-Edom, 62 in all.

9Meshelemiah had sons and relatives, who were able men-18 in all.

10Hosah the Merarite had sons: Shimri the first (although he was not the firstborn, his father had appointed him the first),

11Hilkiah the second, Tabaliah the third and Zechariah the fourth. The sons and relatives of Hosah were 13 in all.

12These divisions of the gatekeepers, through their chief men, had duties for ministering in the temple of the Lord , just as their relatives had.

13Lots were cast for each gate, according to their families, young and old alike.

14The lot for the East Gate fell to Shelemiah. Then lots were cast for his son Zechariah, a wise counselor, and the lot for the North Gate fell to him.

15The lot for the South Gate fell to Obed- Edom, and the lot for the storehouse fell to his sons.

16The lots for the West Gate and the Shalleketh Gate on the upper road fell to Shuppim and Hosah. Guard was alongside of guard:

17There were six Levites a day on the east, four a day on the north, four a day on the south and two at a time at the storehouse.

18As for the court to the west, there were four at the road and two at the court itself.

19These were the divisions of the gatekeepers who were descendants of Korah and Merari.

20Their fellow Levites were in charge of the treasuries of the house of God and the treasuries for the dedicated things.

21The descendants of Ladan, who were Gershonites through Ladan and who

were heads of families belonging to Ladan the Gershonite, were Jehieli,

22the sons of Jehieli, Zetham and his brother Joel. They were in charge of the treasuries of the temple of the Lord .

23From the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites and the Uzzielites:

24Shubael, a descendant of Gershom son of Moses, was the officer in charge of the treasuries.

25His relatives through Eliezer: Rehabiah his son, Jeshaiah his son, Joram his son, Zicri his son and Shelomith his son.

26Shelomith and his relatives were in charge of all the treasuries for the things dedicated by King David, by the heads of families who were the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and by the other army commanders.

27Some of the plunder taken in battle they dedicated for the repair of the temple of the Lord .

28And everything dedicated by Samuel the seer and by Saul son of Kish, Abner son of Ner and Joab son of Zeruiah, and all the other dedicated things were in the care of Shelomith and his relatives.

29From the Izharites: Kenaniah and his sons were assigned duties away from the temple, as officials and judges over Israel.

30From the Hebronites: Hashabiah and his relatives-seventeen hundred able men-were responsible in Israel west of the Jordan for all the work of the Lord and for the king’s service.

31As for the Hebronites, Jeriah was their chief according to the genealogical records of their families. In the fortieth year of David’s reign a search was made in the records, and capable men among the Hebronites were found at Jazer in Gilead.

32Jeriah had twenty-seven hundred relatives, who were able men and heads of families, and King David put them in charge of the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh for every matter pertaining to God and for the affairs of the king.

27This is the list of the Israelites- heads of families, commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and their officers, who served the king in all that concerned the army divisions that were on duty month by month throughout the year. Each division consisted of 24,000 men.

2In charge of the first division, for the first month, was Jashobeam son of Zabdiel. There were 24,000 men in his division.

3He was a descendant of Perez and chief of all the army officers for the first month.

4In charge of the division for the second month was Dodai the Ahohite; Mikloth

was the leader of his division. There were 24,000 men in his division.

5The third army commander, for the third month, was Benaiah son of Jehoiada the priest. He was chief and there were 24,000 men in his division.

6This was the Benaiah who was a mighty man among the Thirty and was over the Thirty. His son Ammizabad was in charge of his division.

7The fourth, for the fourth month, was Asahel the brother of Joab; his son Zebadiah was his successor. There were 24,000 men in his division.

8The fifth, for the fifth month, was the commander Shamhuth the Izrahite. There were 24,000 men in his division.

9The sixth, for the sixth month, was Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite. There were 24,000 men in his division.

10The seventh, for the seventh month, was Helez the Pelonite, an Ephraimite. There were 24,000 men in his division.

11The eighth, for the eighth month, was Sibbecai the Hushathite, a Zerahite. There were 24,000 men in his division.

12The ninth, for the ninth month, was Abiezer the Anathothite, a Benjamite. There were 24,000 men in his division.

13The tenth, for the tenth month, was Maharai the Netophathite, a Zerahite. There were 24,000 men in his division.

14The eleventh, for the eleventh month, was Benaiah the Pirathonite, an Ephraimite. There were 24,000 men in his division.

15The twelfth, for the twelfth month, was Heldai the Netophathite, from the family of Othniel. There were 24,000 men in his division.

16The officers over the tribes of Israel: over the Reubenites: Eliezer son of Zicri; over the Simeonites: Shephatiah son of Maacah;

17over Levi: Hashabiah son of Kemuel; over Aaron: Zadok;

18over Judah: Elihu, a brother of David; over Issachar: Omri son of Michael;

19over Zebulun: Ishmaiah son of Obadiah; over Naphtali: Jerimoth son of Azriel;

20over the Ephraimites: Hoshea son of Azaziah; over half the tribe of Manasseh: Joel son of Pedaiah;

21over the half-tribe of Manasseh in Gilead: Iddo son of Zechariah; over Benjamin: Jaasiel son of Abner;

22over Dan: Azarel son of Jeroham. These were the officers over the tribes of Israel.

23David did not take the number of the men twenty years old or less, because the Lord had promised to make Israel as numerous as the stars in the sky.

24Joab son of Zeruiah began to count the men but did not finish. Wrath came on Israel on account of this numbering, and the number was not entered in the book of the annals of King David.

25Azmaveth son of Adiel was in charge of the royal storehouses. Jonathan son of Uzziah was in charge of the storehouses in the outlying districts, in the towns, the villages and the watchtowers.

26Ezri son of Kelub was in charge of the field workers who farmed the land.

27Shimei the Ramathite was in charge of the vineyards. Zabdi the Shiphmite was in charge of the produce of the vineyards for the wine vats.

28Baal-Hanan the Gederite was in charge of the olive and sycamore-fig trees in the western foothills. Joash was in charge of the supplies of olive oil.

29Shitrai the Sharonite was in charge of the herds grazing in Sharon. Shaphat son of Adlai was in charge of the herds in the valleys.

30Obil the Ishmaelite was in charge of the camels. Jehdeiah the Meronothite was in charge of the donkeys.

31Jaziz the Hagrite was in charge of the flocks. All these were the officials in charge of King David’s property.

32Jonathan, David’s uncle, was a counselor, a man of insight and a scribe. Jehiel son of Hacmoni took care of the king’s sons.

33Ahithophel was the king’s counselor. Hushai the Arkite was the king’s friend.

34Ahithophel was succeeded by Jehoiada son of Benaiah and by Abiathar. Joab was the commander of the royal army.

28David summoned all the officials of Israel to assemble at Jerusalem: the officers over the tribes, the commanders of the divisions in the service of the king, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of all the property and livestock belonging to the king and his sons, together with the palace officials, the mighty men and all the brave warriors.

2King David rose to his feet and said: “Listen to me, my brothers and my people. I had it in my heart to build a house as a place of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord , for the footstool of our God, and I made plans to build it.

3But God said to me, ‘You are not to build a house for my Name, because you are a warrior and have shed blood.’

4“Yet the Lord , the God of Israel, chose me from my whole family to be king over Israel forever. He chose Judah as leader, and from the house of Judah he chose my family, and from my father’s sons he was pleased to make me king over all Israel.

5Of all my sons-and the Lord has given me many-he has chosen my son

Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel.

6He said to me: ‘Solomon your son is the one who will build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.

7I will establish his kingdom forever if he is unswerving in carrying out my commands and laws, as is being done at this time.’

8“So now I charge you in the sight of all Israel and of the assembly of the Lord , and in the hearing of our God: Be careful to follow all the commands of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land and pass it on as an inheritance to your descendants forever.

9“And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.

10Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a temple as a sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.”

11Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the temple, its buildings, its storerooms, its upper parts, its inner rooms and the place of atonement.

12He gave him the plans of all that the Spirit had put in his mind for the courts

of the temple of the Lord and all the surrounding rooms, for the treasuries of the temple of God and for the treasuries for the dedicated things.

13He gave him instructions for the divisions of the priests and Levites, and for all the work of serving in the temple of the Lord , as well as for all the articles to be used in its service.

14He designated the weight of gold for all the gold articles to be used in various kinds of service, and the weight of silver for all the silver articles to be used in various kinds of service:

15the weight of gold for the gold lampstands and their lamps, with the weight for each lampstand and its lamps; and the weight of silver for each silver lampstand and its lamps, according to the use of each lampstand;

16the weight of gold for each table for consecrated bread; the weight of silver for the silver tables;

17the weight of pure gold for the forks, sprinkling bowls and pitchers; the weight of gold for each gold dish; the weight of silver for each silver dish;

18and the weight of the refined gold for the altar of incense. He also gave him the plan for the chariot, that is, the cherubim of gold that spread their wings and shelter the ark of the covenant of the Lord .

19“All this,” David said, “I have in writing from the hand of the Lord upon me, and

he gave me understanding in all the details of the plan.”

20David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished.

21The divisions of the priests and Levites are ready for all the work on the temple of God, and every willing man skilled in any craft will help you in all the work. The officials and all the people will obey your every command.”

29Then King David said to the whole assembly: “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. The task is great, because this palatial structure is not for man but for the Lord God.

2With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God-gold for the gold work, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise, stones of various colors, and all kinds of fine stone and marble-all of these in large quantities.

3Besides, in my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above everything I have provided for this holy temple:

4three thousand talents of gold (gold of Ophir) and seven thousand talents of refined silver, for the overlaying of the walls of the buildings,

5for the gold work and the silver work, and for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Now, who is willing to consecrate himself today to the Lord ?”

6Then the leaders of families, the officers of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king’s work gave willingly.

7They gave toward the work on the temple of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze and a hundred thousand talents of iron.

8Any who had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the temple of the Lord in the custody of Jehiel the Gershonite.

9The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord . David the king also rejoiced greatly.

10David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, “Praise be to you, O Lord , God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.

11Yours, O Lord , is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in

heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord , is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.

12Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.

13Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.

14“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.

15We are aliens and strangers in your sight, as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope.

16O Lord our God, as for all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name, it comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you.

17I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things have I given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you.

18O Lord , God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep this desire in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you.

19And give my son Solomon the wholehearted devotion to keep your

commands, requirements and decrees and to do everything to build the palatial structure for which I have provided.”

20Then David said to the whole assembly, “Praise the Lord your God.” So they all praised the Lord , the God of their fathers; they bowed low and fell prostrate before the Lord and the king.

21The next day they made sacrifices to the Lord and presented burnt offerings to him: a thousand bulls, a thousand rams and a thousand male lambs, together with their drink offerings, and other sacrifices in abundance for all Israel.

22They ate and drank with great joy in the presence of the Lord that day. Then they acknowledged Solomon son of David as king a second time, anointing him before the Lord to be ruler and Zadok to be priest.

23So Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king in place of his father David. He prospered and all Israel obeyed him.

24All the officers and mighty men, as well as all of King David’s sons, pledged their submission to King Solomon.

25The Lord highly exalted Solomon in the sight of all Israel and bestowed on him royal splendor such as no king over Israel ever had before.

26David son of Jesse was king over all Israel.

27He ruled over Israel forty years-seven in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem.

28He died at a good old age, having enjoyed long life, wealth and honor. His son Solomon succeeded him as king.

29As for the events of King David’s reign, from beginning to end, they are written in the records of Samuel the seer, the records of Nathan the prophet and the records of Gad the seer,

30together with the details of his reign and power, and the circumstances that surrounded him and Israel and the kingdoms of all the other lands.