Hosea 6 Cross References - ISV

¹ A Call for Israel to Repent “Come, let us return to the LORD; even though he has torn us, he will heal us. Even though he has wounded us, he will bind our wounds. ² After two days, he will restore us to life, on the third day he will raise us up, and we will live in his presence. ³ Let us know, let us pursue knowledge of the LORD; his coming is as certain as the dawn. He will come to us like the rain, like the autumn and spring rains come on the earth. ⁴ “What am I to do with you, Ephraim? What am I to do with you, Judah? Your love is like a morning rain cloud— it passes away like the morning dew. ⁵ Therefore I cut them to pieces by the prophets, killing them by the words from my mouth. The verdict against you shines like a beacon. ⁶ For it is love that I seek, and not sacrifice; knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. ⁷ “But like Adam, they broke the covenant; in this they have acted deceitfully against me. ⁸ Gilead is a lawless town; it is polluted by bloodshed. ⁹ Like a gang of thieves that stalk a man, priests commit murder along the road to Shechem, committing shameful crimes. ¹⁰ I have seen a horrible evil in the house of Israel— Ephraim’s promiscuity. Israel is defiled. ¹¹ “So, Judah, a harvest has been appointed for you when I restore my people from captivity.”

³⁹ “Look now! I AM, and there is no other god besides me. I myself cause death and I sustain life; I wound severely and I also heal; from my power no one can deliver.

⁶ The LORD kills and gives life, he brings people down to where the dead are and he raises them up.

¹⁸ because though he wounds, but then applies bandages; though he strikes, his hands still heal.

²⁹ “If he remains silent, who will condemn him? If he conceals his face, who can see him? He watches over both nation and individual alike,

⁷ By your favor, LORD, you established me as a strong mountain; Then you hid your face, and I was dismayed.

³ Many groups of people will come, commenting, “Come! Let’s go up to the Temple of the God of Jacob, that they may teach us his ways. Then let’s walk in his paths.”
The Rule of God from Jerusalem “Instruction will proceed from Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

²² Then you will defile your carved idols that are overlaid with silver and your images plated with gold. You’ll throw them away like disgusting objects and say to them, “Away with you!”

²⁶ Moreover, the light of the moon will be like the light of the sun, and the sun’s light will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days, when the LORD binds up the bruises of his people and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow.

⁷ Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous person his thoughts. Let him return to the LORD, So he’ll have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he’ll pardon abundantly.

²² God Calls for Repentance“Turn back, unfaithful people, and I’ll heal your unfaithfulness.”
Israel Replies “Look, we’re coming to you because you are the LORD our God.

¹² The Healing of Zion’s Wounds“For this is what the LORD says: ‘Your injury won’t heal; your wound is severe.

¹⁷ Indeed, I’ll bring you healing, and I’ll heal you of your wounds,’ declares the LORD, ‘because they have called you an outcast and have said, “It is Zion, no one cares for her!”’”

⁵ ‘The Chaldeans are coming to fight and to fill those houses with the dead bodies of the people that I’ve struck down in my anger and wrath, for I’ve hidden my face from this city because of all their wickedness.

⁴ In those days, and at that time,” declares the LORD, “the people of Israel will come together with the people of Judah. They’ll be weeping as they travel along, and they’ll be seeking the LORD their God.

³² though he causes grief, his compassion abounds according to his gracious love. ³³ For he does not deliberately hurt or grieve human beings.

⁴⁰ Let us examine our lifestyles, putting them to the test, and turn back to the LORD. ⁴¹ Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in heaven.

¹² Therefore I will consume Ephraim like a moth, and the house of Judah as rottenness consumes. ¹³ When Ephraim examined his illness and Judah his injury, then Ephraim went to Assyria, and inquired of the great king; but he could not cure you nor heal your injury. ¹⁴ Therefore I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I—even I—will tear them to pieces, and then I will leave. I will take them away, and there will be no rescue. ¹⁵ “I will leave and go back to my place until they admit their offense and seek my face. When affliction comes to them, they will eagerly seek me.”

⁷ “So I will be like a lion to them. Like a leopard I will stalk them along the road. ⁸ I will confront them like a bear deprived of her cubs; I will tear open their ribs. I will devour them like a lion— the wild beasts will rip them apart. ⁹ “You have destroyed yourself, Israel, although I remain your help.

¹ A Call to Repentance “Return, Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have fallen due to your own iniquity.

⁴ “I will correct their apostasy, loving them freely, since my anger will have turned away from them.

¹ A Plea for Repentance to the People “Gather together! Yes, indeed, gather together, you shameless nation!

¹⁸ So Abraham responded to God, “If only Ishmael would live in constant awareness that you’re always with him!”

⁵ “Return to Hezekiah,” he said, “and tell the Commander-in-Chief of my people: ‘This is what the LORD, the God of your ancestor David, says: “I’ve heard your prayer and I’ve observed your tears. Look! I’m healing you. Three days from now, you’ll go visit the LORD’s Temple.

⁴ You, his godly ones, sing to the LORD, give thanks at the mention of his holiness. ⁵ For his wrath is only momentary; yet his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may lodge for the night, but shouts of joy will come in the morning.

⁷ May he be enthroned before God forever; Appoint your gracious love and truth to guard him.

¹⁹ The Resurrection of the Dead“But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. Those who live in the dust will wake up and shout for joy! For your dew is like the dew of dawn, and the earth will give birth to the dead.

¹¹ The Vision is Interpreted for Ezekiel“These bones represent the entire house of Israel,” the LORD explained to me. “Look how they keep saying, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our future is lost. We’ve been completely eliminated!’ ¹² “Therefore prophesy to them, and tell them, ‘Watch me! I’m going to open your graves, lift you out of those graves, and bring my people back into the land of Israel. ¹³ Then you’ll learn that I am the LORD, when I’ve opened your graves and caused you to come up out of them, my people.

¹⁴ “From the power of Sheol I will rescue them, from death I will redeem them. Death, where are your plagues? Sheol, where is your destruction? My eyes will remain closed to your pleas for compassion.

¹⁹ “In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Because I live, you will live also.

⁸ If we live, we live to honor the Lord; and if we die, we die to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

⁴ he was buried, he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures—and is still alive!—

² May my instructions descend like rain and may my words flow like dew, as light rain upon the grass, and as showers upon new plants.

⁴ He is like dawn’s first light, like bright sun blazing on a cloudless morning, glistening on grassland that flourishes after a rain shower.

²³ They waited for me as one waits for rain, as one opens his mouth to drink in a spring rain shower.

⁴ yet their message goes out into all the world, and their words to the ends of the earth. He has set up a tent for the sun in the heavens,

⁹ You take care of the earth, you water it, and you enrich it greatly with the river of God that overflows with water. You provide grain for them, for you have ordained it this way.

⁶ May he be like the rain that descends on mown grass, like showers sprinkling on the ground.

¹ The Benefits of Embracing Wisdom My son, if you accept my words, and treasure my instructions— ² making your ear attentive to wisdom, and turning your heart to understanding— ³ if, indeed, you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, ⁴ if you seek it like silver and search for it like hidden treasure, ⁵ then you will understand the fear of the LORD and learn to know God.

¹⁸ The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn that grows brighter until the full light of day.

⁶ I’ll make it a wasteland, and it won’t be pruned or cultivated. Instead, briers and thorns will grow up. I’ll also issue commands to the clouds, that they drop no rain upon it.”

¹⁵ until the Spirit from on high is poured upon us, and the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest.”

³ For I’ll pour water upon thirsty ground and streams on parched land. So will I pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing upon your descendants.

¹³ Then all your children will be taught by the LORD, and great will be your children’s prosperity.

⁷ I’ll give them the ability to know me, for I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God when they return to me with all their heart.

²⁵ I’ll sprinkle pure water on you all, and you’ll be cleansed from your impurity and from all of your idols.”

²⁰ I will make you my wife because of my faithfulness, and you will know the LORD.

¹² Sow in righteousness in your own interest, reap in gracious love, break up your own unprepared ground; It is now time to inquire of the LORD, until he comes to pour out righteousness for you.

⁵ I will be like the dew to Israel; Israel will blossom like a lily, growing roots like the cedars of Lebanon.

²³ And so be glad, children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God, because he has given you the right amount of early rain, and he will cause the rain to fall for you, both the early rain and the later rain as before. ²⁴ The threshing floors will be smothered in grain, and the vats will overflow with wine and oil.

² Many nations will approach and say, ‘Come, let’s go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the Temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us about his ways, and we will walk according to his directions.’ “Indeed, the Law will proceed from Zion, and the message of the LORD from Jerusalem.

² The Ruler from Bethlehem“As for you, Bethlehem of Ephrathah, even though you remain least among the clans of Judah, nevertheless, the one who rules in Israel for me will emerge from you. His existence has been from antiquity, even from eternity.

⁷ The survivors of Jacob will live among many peoples, as dew from the LORD, as showers upon the grass. They will look to no one, and will place no hope in human beings.

¹ The LORD’s Care for Judah “Ask the LORD for rain in the spring— the LORD who fashions lightning thunderstorms, giving rain showers to mankind along with grain in the fields.

² But the Sun of Righteousness will arise with healing in its light for those who fear my name. You will go out and leap like calves released from their stalls

¹¹ He answered them, “You have been given knowledge about the secrets of the kingdom from heaven, but it hasn’t been given to them,

⁷⁸ Because of the tender mercy of our God, his light from on high has visited us,

¹⁷ If anyone wants to do his will, he’ll know whether this teaching is from God or whether I’m speaking on my own.

³ And this is eternal life: to know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent—Jesus the Messiah.

¹¹ These people were more receptive than those in Thessalonica. They were very willing to receive the message, and every day they carefully examined the Scriptures to see if those things were so.

¹³ Brothers, I do not consider myself to have embraced it yet. But this one thing I do: Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I keep pursuing the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly call in the Messiah Jesus.
¹⁵ Therefore, those of us who are mature should think this way. And if you think differently about anything, God will show you how to think.

¹⁴ because we are the Messiah’s partners only if we hold on to our original confidence to the end.

¹⁹ Therefore we regard the message of the prophets as confirmed beyond doubt, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp that is shining in a gloomy place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

¹⁶ “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give this testimony to you for the churches. I am the root and descendent of David, the bright morning star.”

¹⁸ As a result, whenever the LORD raised up leaders for them, the LORD remained present with their leader, delivering Israel from the control of their enemies during the lifetime of that leader. The LORD was moved with compassion by their groaning that had been caused by those who were oppressing and persecuting them. ¹⁹ However, after the leader had died, they would relapse to a condition more corrupt than their ancestors, following other gods, serving them, and worshiping them. They would not abandon their activities or their obstinate lifestyles.

³⁴ When he struck them, they sought him; they repented, and eagerly sought God. ³⁵ Then they remembered that God was their rock, and the Most High God was their deliverer. ³⁶ But they deceived him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues. ³⁷ For their hearts weren’t committed to him, and they weren’t faithful to his covenant.

¹² Then they believed his word and sung his praise. ¹³ But they quickly forgot his deeds and did not wait for his counsel.

³ “So now, you inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, won’t you please, between me and my vineyard. ⁴ What more could I do in my vineyard, that I haven’t already done? When I expected it to produce good grapes, why did it yield wild ones?

¹⁰ Yet in all this her treacherous sister Judah didn’t return to me with her whole heart, but rather deceptively,” declares the LORD.

¹⁹ God’s Desire for His People“I said, ‘How I wanted to treat you like children, and give you a pleasant land, the most beautiful inheritance of the nations.’ I said, ‘You will call me, my father, and won’t turn back from following me.’

⁷ Why should I forgive you? Your sons have forsaken me, and you have sworn by those who aren’t gods. When I gave them enough food to satisfy them, they committed adultery and marched to the prostitute’s house.

⁹ “Should I not punish them for these things?” asks the LORD, “And on a nation like this, should I not seek retribution?”

²³ But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned aside and have gone away.

⁷ Therefore, this is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: “Look, I’m about to refine and test them. Because they’re my people, what else can I do?

¹⁵ You recently repented and did what was right in my eyes by proclaiming release for one another, and you made a covenant before me in the house that is called by my name.

¹ God Accuses Israel “When I was healing Israel, Ephraim’s sin was uncovered, along with Samaria’s wickedness. While they craft lying schemes, the thief invades, and the gang of thieves plunders outside.

⁸ “How can I give up on you, Ephraim? I will deliver you, will I not, Israel? How can I treat you like Admah? I can’t make you like Zeboim, can I? My heart stirs within me; my compassion also fans into flame!

³ Therefore they will be like morning clouds, like early morning dew that evaporates, like chaff blown away from the threshing floor, or like smoke from a chimney.”

²¹ but since he doesn’t have any root in himself, he lasts for only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes along because of the word, he immediately falls away.

⁷ So he told the gardener, ‘Look here! For three years I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this tree but I haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it waste the soil?’ ⁸ But the gardener replied, ‘Sir, leave it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and fertilize it. ⁹ Maybe next year it will bear fruit. If not, then cut it down.’”

⁴¹ When he came closer and saw the city, he began to grieve over it: ⁴² “If you had only known today what could have brought you peace! But now it is hidden from your sight,

²⁰ For if, after escaping the world’s corruptions through a full knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Messiah, they are again entangled and conquered by those corruptions, then their last condition is worse than their former one. ²¹ It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than to know it and turn their backs on the holy commandment that was committed to them. ²² The proverb is true that describes what has happened to them: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and “A pig that is washed goes back to wallow in the mud.”

²⁵ Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous along with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike! The Judge of all the earth will do what is right, won’t he?”

¹³ Then Samuel told Saul, “You have acted foolishly. You haven’t obeyed the commandment of the LORD your God, which he commanded you. For then the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever,

²² Samuel said, “Does the LORD delight as much in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the LORD? Surely, to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of rams.

⁶ When she arrived, Ahijah heard the sound of her feet as she came through the doorway. He said this to her: “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. What is this pretension at being someone else? I have some harsh news.

¹ Elijah Calls for a DroughtElijah the foreigner, who was an alien resident from Gilead, told Ahab, “As the LORD God of Israel lives, in whose presence I’m standing, there will be neither dew nor rain these next several years, except when I say so.”

¹⁷ When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab asked him, “Is it really you, you destroyer of Israel?”

¹⁷ Whoever escapes from Hazael’s sword Jehu will execute, and whoever escapes from Jehu’s sword Elisha will put to death.

¹⁶ Then Elijah spoke to the king, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Since you sent messengers to consult with Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron—is it because there is no God in Israel with whom to consult regarding his word?—therefore you’re not getting up from the bed on which you’re lying. You certainly will die!’”

¹² Elijah Writes a LetterAfter this, a letter arrived from Elijah the prophet. It said: “This is what the LORD God of your ancestor David says: ‘You haven’t lived like your father Jehoshaphat and like King Asa of Judah.

¹⁰ God is Just“Therefore you men of understanding, listen to me! Far be it for God to practice wickedness, or the Almighty to do what is wrong,

⁶ He will bring forth your righteousness as a light, and your justice as the noonday sun.

¹²⁰ My flesh trembles out of fear of you, and I am in awe of your judgments.

⁴ but with righteousness he will judge the needy, and decide with equity for earth’s poor. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and the wicked will be killed with the breath of his lips.

¹ False and True Worship “Shout aloud! Don’t hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Declare to my people their rebellions, and to the house of Jacob their sins.

¹⁰ See, today I’ve appointed you to prophesy about nations and kingdoms, to pull up and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”

¹⁸ “As for me, today I’m making you a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, against its princes, against its priests, and against the people of the land.

¹⁴ Therefore, this is what the LORD God of the Heavenly Armies says: “Because you people have said this, my words in your mouth will become a fire and these people the wood. The fire will destroy them.

¹³ then say to them, ‘This is what the LORD says: “I’m about to make all the inhabitants of this land drunk—the kings who sit on David’s throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the residents of Jerusalem.

²⁹ “My message is like fire or like a hammer that shatters rock, is it not?” declares the LORD.

⁹ I’m making you harder than flint—like diamond! So you are not to fear them or be intimidated by how they look at you, since they’re a rebellious group.”

³ His appearance in the vision that I was having was similar to what I observed in the vision where he had come to destroy the city, and also like the visions that I saw by the Chebar River. I fell flat on my face

⁵ The righteous LORD who lives within her will do no wrong; he will bring justice to light morning by morning. He never fails, but the unjust are shameless.
The Integrity of God’s Justice

³¹ When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and when he approached the bush to look at it, the voice of the Lord said,

⁵ But because of your stubborn and unrepentant heart you are reserving wrath for yourself on the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.

¹² For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul and spirit, joints and marrow, as it judges the thoughts and purposes of the heart.

¹⁶ In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword. His face was like the sun when it shines with full force.

¹⁶ So repent. If you don’t, I will come to you quickly and wage war against them with the sword of my mouth.

¹⁵ So the four angels who were ready for that hour, day, month, and year were released to kill one-third of humanity.

²¹ They did not repent from their murders, their witchcraft, their sexual immorality, or their thefts.

⁹ David Addresses Solomon Directly“Now as for you, my son Solomon, get to know the God of your father. Serve him with a sound heart and a devoted soul, because the LORD is searching every heart, every plan and thought. He will be found by you, assuming you are seeking him, but if you abandon him, he will abandon you forever.

⁸ I do not rebuke you because of your sacrifices; indeed, your burnt offerings are continuously before me.

³ To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

¹ Advice in WorshipWatch your step whenever you visit God’s house, and come more ready to listen than to offer a fool’s sacrifice, since fools never think they’re doing evil.

¹¹ “How do your voluminous sacrifices benefit me?” the LORD is asking. “I’ve had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts. I don’t enjoy the blood of bulls, lambs, or goats.

⁶ Isn’t this the fast that I have been choosing: to loose the bonds of injustice, and to untie the cords of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?

²² Indeed, when I brought your ancestors out of the land of Egypt, I didn’t speak or command them about burnt offering and sacrifice,

¹⁶ He judged the case of the poor and needy. And then it went well for him. Isn’t this what it means to know me?

²⁷ Therefore, your majesty, may my advice be acceptable to you: Stop your sinning, do what’s right, and put a stop to your wickedness by showing kindness to the oppressed. Perhaps your tranquility will continue.”

¹ God Accuses Israel “Hear this message from the LORD, people of Israel. Indeed, the LORD brings a charge against the people who live in the land— for there is no truth and no gracious love or knowledge of God in the land.

²¹ Let Justice Roll On“I hate—I despise—your festival days, and your solemn convocations stink.

⁶ The Nature of True RighteousnessHow am I to present myself in the LORD’s presence and bow in the presence of the High God? Should I present myself with burnt offerings, with year-old calves?

⁷ “How blessed are those who are merciful, because it is they who will receive mercy!

¹³ Go and learn what this means: ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice,’ because I did not come to call righteous people, but sinners.”

⁷ If you had known what ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice’ means, you would not have condemned the innocent,

³ This is how we can be sure that we have come to know him: if we continually keep his commandments.

⁶ No one who remains in union with him keeps on sinning. The one who keeps on sinning hasn’t seen him or known him.

⁶ When the woman saw that the tree produced good food, was attractive in appearance, and was desirable for making one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate it. Then she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate some, too.

¹¹ “Who told you that you are naked?” God asked. “Did you eat fruit from the tree that I commanded you not to eat?”

¹⁵ They rejected the LORD’s statutes, the covenant that he had made with their ancestors, and his warnings that he gave them. They pursued meaninglessness—and became meaningless themselves—as they followed the lifestyles of the nations that surrounded them, a practice that the LORD had warned them not to do.

³³ No Secret Sins“Have I covered my transgression like other people, to conceal iniquity within myself?

⁵ The earth lies defiled beneath its inhabitants; because they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, and broken the everlasting covenant.

¹⁶ From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise: ‘Glory to the Righteous One!’ “But I say, ‘I am pining away, I’m pining away. How terrible things are for me! For treacherous people betray— treacherous people are betraying with treachery!’”

⁸ And neither had you heard, nor did you understand, nor did you open your ear long ago. Indeed, I knew that you would act very deceitfully, and they would call you a rebel from birth.

⁷ I thought, ‘After she has done all these things, she will return to me.’ But she didn’t return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw this.

¹¹ For both the house of Israel and the house of Judah have been utterly unfaithful to me,” declares the LORD.

⁶ You yourself live in the midst of deception, and because they are deceived they do not know me,” declares the LORD.

³² It won’t be like the covenant I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. They broke my covenant, although I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD.

⁵⁹ “since the Lord GOD says, ‘I’ll deal with you according to what you’ve done, when you despised your oath by breaking the covenant.
⁶⁰ “‘Meanwhile, as for me, I’ll remember my covenant with you from when you were young, because I’ll establish an eternal covenant with you. ⁶¹ Then you’ll remember your behavior and be ashamed when you greet your sisters—your elder sister and your younger sister. I’ll give them to you as daughters, but not on account of my covenant with you.

⁷ They have been unfaithful to the LORD, having raised unbelieving children. In the coming month they will be devoured, along with their fields.

¹ Reaping the Wind Storm “Sound the ram’s horn! Like a vulture the enemy will come against the Temple of the LORD, because Israel violated my covenant, transgressing my Law.

⁹ It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors at the time when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. Because they did not remain loyal to my covenant, I ignored them, declares the Lord.

³⁸ From the tribe of Gad were allocated Ramoth in Gilead with its pasture lands, to serve as a city of refuge for the unintentional killer, Mahanaim with its pasture lands,

²⁷ When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab brought him aside within the gateway to talk to him alone and then stabbed him in the abdomen. So he died for shedding the blood of Joab’s brother Asahel.

⁸ Joab Murders AmasaWhen they arrived at the great stone that is in Gibeon, Amasa came out to meet them. Joab was dressed in a soldier’s uniform, over which was a belt that fastened a sword sheath to his thigh. As he walked forward, the sword was exposed.

⁵ “Furthermore, you’re aware of what Zeruiah’s son Joab did to me and to those two commanders of the armies of Israel, Ner’s son Abner and Jether’s son Amasa, whom he killed, and how he shed the blood of wartime during times of peace, staining the very belt he wears around his waist and the sandals he wears on his feet.

⁸ They wait in ambush in the villages, they kill the innocent in secret.

² Save me from those who practice evil; deliver me from bloodthirsty men.

⁶ Their cobwebs cannot become clothing, they cannot cover themselves with what they make. Their deeds are deeds of iniquity, and acts of violence fill their hands.

¹⁹ I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. I didn’t know that they had devised schemes against me. They told themselves, “Let’s destroy the tree with its fruit. Let’s eliminate him from the land of the living, so his name won’t be remembered again.”

² Swearing, lying, murder, theft, and adultery are rampant, and blood mingles with blood.

¹ Judgment against Israel “Hear this, priests, pay attention, house of Israel, listen, royal family! For judgment is coming your way, because you have been a trap to Mizpah, a snare spread out on Mount Tabor.

¹¹ “There’s iniquity in Gilead, isn’t there? They have become truly vain. They sacrifice bulls in Gilgal; their altars are like piles of stone in furrowed fields.

² The faithful have died off, and there is not one upright human being in the land. They all stalk one another with lethal intent, a man will even hunt his own brother with a net.

¹⁵ and inquired, “What are you willing to give me if I betray Jesus to you?” They offered him 30 pieces of silver, ¹⁶ and from then on he began to look for an opportunity to betray Jesus.

¹² Some Jews Plot to Kill PaulIn the morning, the Jewish leaders formed a conspiracy and took an oath not to eat or drink anything before they had killed Paul. ¹³ More than 40 men formed this conspiracy. ¹⁴ They went to the high priests and elders and said, “We have taken a solemn oath not to taste any food before we have killed Paul. ¹⁵ Now then, you and the Council must notify the tribune to bring him down to you on the pretext that you want to look into his case more carefully, but before he arrives we’ll be ready to kill him.”

³ and asking Festus to have Paul brought to Jerusalem as a favor. They were laying an ambush to kill him on the road.

²⁵ Jeroboam’s IdolatryLater on, Jeroboam fortified Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. He also expanded from there and built Penuel.

³¹ Then we left the Ahava River for Jerusalem on the twelfth day of the first month. Our God’s protection was with us, and he delivered us from the enemy’s power and from ambush along the way.

¹⁵ when the Sabeans attacked, captured the servants, and killed them with swords. I alone escaped to tell you!”
¹⁶ While this messenger was still speaking, another came and announced, “A lightning storm struck and incinerated the flock and the servants while they were eating. I alone escaped to tell you!”
¹⁷ While this messenger was still speaking, another came and announced, “The Chaldeans formed three companies, raided the camels, captured the servants, and killed them with swords. Only I alone escaped to tell you.”

¹¹ If they say, “Come with us! Let’s lie in wait for blood; let’s ambush some innocent person for no reason at all. ¹² Let’s swallow them alive like Sheol, and whole like those who go down into the Pit. ¹³ We’ll find all kinds of valuable wealth, and we’ll fill our houses with spoil. ¹⁴ Throw your lot in with us, and all of us will have one purse.” ¹⁵ My son, do not go along with them, and keep your feet away from their paths! ¹⁶ For they run toward evil; these enticers shed blood without hesitation. ¹⁷ Look, it is useless to spread a net in full view of all the birds, ¹⁸ but these people lie in wait for their own blood. They ambush only themselves. ¹⁹ Such is the way of all those who seek illicit gain— it takes away the lives of those who possess it.

⁹ Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear by false gods, burn incense to Baal, follow other gods that you don’t know, ¹⁰ and then come to stand before me in this house that is called by my name and say, ‘We’re delivered’ so we can continue to do all these things that are repugnant to God?

⁹ The LORD told me, “Conspiracy has been found among the people of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem.

⁹ Slanderous men live among you, intent on shedding blood. They’ve eaten at the top of mountain shrines. They’ve crafted plans to do evil things among you.

²⁷ Her princes within her are like wolves tearing their prey apart. They shed blood, destroying souls, and make unjust gain.

⁹ Please listen to this, you leaders of the house of Jacob, you officials of the house of Israel, you who hate administering justice, who pervert the very meaning of equity,

³ Its national officials are roaring lions; its judges are like wolves of the night that don’t leave the bones for the morning.

¹ The Plot to Kill Jesus
Now it was two days before the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The high priests and the scribes were looking for a way to arrest Jesus secretly and to have him put to death,

² So the high priests and the scribes were looking for a way to put him to death, because they were afraid of the crowd.
³ But Satan went into Judas called Iscariot, who belonged to the circle of the Twelve. ⁴ So he went off and discussed with the high priests and the Temple police how he could betray Jesus to them. ⁵ They were delighted, and agreed to give him money. ⁶ Judas accepted their offer and began to look for a good opportunity to betray Jesus to them when no crowd was present.

⁴⁷ So the high priests and the Pharisees assembled the Council and said, “What are we going to do? This man is performing many signs.

²⁴ When they heard this, they all raised their voices to God and said, “Master, you made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them.

⁸ But Rehoboam ignored the counsel that his elder advisors had given him. Instead, he consulted the younger men who had grown up with him and who worked for him.

³⁰ because of the sins that Jeroboam had committed, and because he led Israel into sin, provoking the LORD God of Israel to become angry.

⁷ The Idolatry of the Northern KingdomThis happened because the Israelis had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt and from the domination of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, because they were fearing other gods,

¹² Heavens, be appalled at this, be shocked, be utterly devastated,” declares the LORD. ¹³ “Indeed, my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and they have dug cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.”

⁶ The Example of SamariaIn the time of King Josiah the LORD told me, “Have you seen what unfaithful Israel did? She went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and she committed fornication there.

³⁰ “An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: ³¹ The prophets prophesy falsely, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end?”

¹³ “Therefore, this is what the LORD says: ‘Ask the nations. Who has ever heard of anything like this? You have done a most horrible thing, virgin Israel.

¹⁴ Among the prophets of Jerusalem I saw a horrible thing, for they commit adultery and live a lie. They strengthen the hands of those who do evil, so that no one repents of his evil. All of them are like Sodom to me, and her residents like Gomorrah.”

⁵ The Sins of Samaria“Oholah committed sexual immorality while she belonged to me. She lusted for Assyria’s warriors,

¹¹ “Sexual immorality, wine, and fresh wine seduce the heart of my people.

¹⁷ Ephraim has become entwined with idols; leave him alone!

³ I know Ephraim, and Israel cannot hide from me, since you, Ephraim, have been acting like a prostitute, defiling Israel.

¹⁰ Job’s Prosperity ReturnsThe LORD restored Job’s prosperity after he prayed for his friends. The LORD doubled everything that Job had once possessed.

¹ A Song of Ascents
The Exiles Restored When the LORD brought back Zion’s exiles, we were like dreamers.

³³ For this is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, says: “The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor at the time when it’s pounded down. In just a little while, the time of her harvest will come.”

¹³ Put in the sickle, because the harvest is ripe. Come and go down, because the winepress is full. The wine vats are overflowing, because their evil is great!

¹² But they don’t know the thoughts of the LORD, and they don’t understand his tactics, for he will gather them like harvested grain to his threshing floor.

⁷ The survivors of Judah will find pasture on it; at twilight they will lie down in the houses of Ashkelon, for the LORD their God will visit them, restoring their prosperity.”
The Lord’s Rebuke to Moab and Ammon

¹⁵ Another angel came out of the Temple, crying out in a loud voice to the one who sat on the cloud, “Swing your sickle, and gather the harvest, for the hour has come to gather it, because the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.”