2 Chronicles 18 Cross References - LEB

¹ Now Jehoshaphat had much wealth and honor, and he became son-in-law to Ahab. ² And _⌊after some years_⌋* he went down to Ahab in Samaria. And Ahab slaughtered many sheep and cattle for him and for the people who were with him, and urged him to go up against Ramoth-Gilead. ³ And Ahab the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, "Will you go up with me to Ramoth-Gilead?" And he answered him, "I am as you are, and my people are as your people with you in war." ⁴ Then Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Seek _⌊first of all_⌋* the word of Yahweh." ⁵ Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets, four hundred men. And he said to them, "Shall we go to Ramoth-Gilead to battle, or shall we cease?" And they said, "Go up, since God will give it into the hand of the king." ⁶ Then Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not here another prophet of Yahweh that we might inquire of him?" ⁷ Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is yet one man by whom to seek Yahweh, but I hate him, because he never prophesies good concerning me, but _⌊always_⌋* disaster. He is Micaiah the son of Imlah." Then Jehoshaphat said, "Let not the king say thus." ⁸ Then the king of Israel called to a eunuch and said, "Quickly bring Micaiah the son of Imlah." ⁹ Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were each sitting on his throne, clothed in robes. And they were sitting at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. ¹⁰ And Zedekiah the son of Kenaanah made for himself horns of iron, and he said, "Thus says Yahweh: 'With these you will gore Aram* to their destruction.'" ¹¹ And all the prophets prophesied thus, saying, "Go up to Ramoth-Gilead and triumph! Yahweh will give it into the hand of the king." ¹² Then the messenger who went to call Micaiah said to him, "Behold, the words of the prophets are good with one voice to the king. Please let your word be as one with them and speak good." ¹³ But Micaiah said, "As Yahweh lives, only what my God has said, that will I speak." ¹⁴ And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-Gilead to war or shall I cease?" And he said, "Go up and triumph! They shall be given into your hand." ¹⁵ But the king said to him, "How many times shall I make you swear that you speak nothing except the truth in the name of Yahweh?" ¹⁶ Then he said, "I saw all Israel scattered upon the mountains like sheep that had no shepherd. And Yahweh said, 'These have no masters; let them return to his own house in peace.'" ¹⁷ Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not say to you he would not prophesy good concerning me, but only disaster?" ¹⁸ Then Micaiah said, "Therefore hear the word of Yahweh: I saw Yahweh sitting upon his throne with all the host of heaven standing on his right and on his left. ¹⁹ And Yahweh said, 'Who will entice Ahab the king of Israel that he would go up and fall at Ramoth-Gilead?' And one said this, and another said that. ²⁰ Then a spirit came forth and stood before Yahweh and said, 'I will entice him.' Then Yahweh said to him, 'By what means?' ²¹ Then he said, 'I will go forth and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' And he said, 'You will entice him and will also succeed. Go out and do so.' ²² So now, behold, Yahweh has put a spirit of deception into the mouths of these your prophets. Yahweh has spoken disaster against you." ²³ Then Zedekiah the son of Kenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, "_⌊Which way_⌋* did the Spirit of Yahweh come from me to speak to you?" ²⁴ Then Micaiah said, "Behold, you will see on that day when you go into a private room to hide yourself." ²⁵ Then the king of Israel said, "Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the commander of the city and to Jehoash the son of the king, ²⁶ and say, 'Thus says the king: "Put this one into the prison house, and let him eat _⌊a meager ration of bread and water_⌋* until I return in peace." '" ²⁷ And Micaiah said, "If you surely return in peace Yahweh has not spoken with me." Then he said, "Hear, peoples, all of them!" ²⁸ Then the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth-Gilead. ²⁹ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you, wear your garments." So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went to war. ³⁰ Now the king of Aram* had commanded the commanders of his chariots,* saying, "Do not fight with the small or the great, but only with the king of Israel." ³¹ And it happened that when the commanders of the chariots* saw Jehoshaphat, then they said, "It is the king of Israel!" And they turned against him to fight. Then Jehoshaphat cried out and Yahweh helped him. God drove them away from him. ³² And it happened that when the commanders of the chariots* saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from following him. ³³ Now a certain man drew the bow _⌊at random_⌋* and struck the king of Israel between the soldering of his breastplate armor. Then he said to the chariot driver, "_⌊Turn around_⌋;* get me away from the war camp, for I am wounded." ³⁴ And the battle went on that day, and the king of Israel was propped up in the chariot facing Aram* until the evening. And he died at the time of the going down of the sun.

³¹ _⌊If it wasn't enough that he went_⌋* after the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he also took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal the king of the Sidonians. He went and served Baal and bowed down to him. ³² And he built an altar to Baal in the house of Baal which he had built in Samaria. ³³ Ahab also made the sacred pole, and _⌊he continued to provoke_⌋* Yahweh the God of Israel more than all the kings of Israel who were before him.

²⁵ Truly, there was no one like Ahab who had sold himself by doing evil in the eyes of Yahweh, whose wife Jezebel urged him on.

¹⁸ He walked in the way of the kings of Israel as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab became his wife, and he did evil in the eyes of Yahweh.

²⁶ Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. The name of his mother was Athaliah daughter of Omri, king of Israel. ²⁷ He walked in the way of the house of Ahab and did evil in the eyes of Yahweh, as the house of Ahab; for he was the son-in-law of the house of Ahab.

¹ Now Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, so she prepared to destroy all of the offspring of the royal family.

¹¹ Then God said to Solomon, "Because this was with your heart and you did not ask for wealth, possessions, honor, and the lives of your enemies, and also did not ask for _⌊long life_⌋,* but have asked for wisdom and knowledge that you might judge my people over whom I have made you king, ¹² wisdom and knowledge is given to you. And I will also give to you wealth, possessions, and honor, the like of which was not had by the kings who were before you, nor will there be the like after you." ¹³ So Solomon went from the high place which was at Gibeon to Jerusalem before the tent of assembly.* And he reigned over Israel. ¹⁴ And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen. And he had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, and he placed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. ¹⁵ And the king made silver and gold in Jerusalem like the stones. And he made cedar as abundant as the sycamore fig trees that were in the Shephelah.

⁵ So Yahweh established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah gave tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had much wealth and honor.

¹² And Jehoshaphat _⌊grew greater and greater_⌋,* and he built fortresses and storage cities in Judah.

³¹ And it happened that when the commanders of the chariots* saw Jehoshaphat, then they said, "It is the king of Israel!" And they turned against him to fight. Then Jehoshaphat cried out and Yahweh helped him. God drove them away from him.

² And Jehu son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him. And he said to King Jehoshaphat, "Should you be a help to the wicked and love those who hate Yahweh? On account of this, wrath has come against you from Yahweh.

⁶ And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did evil in the sight of Yahweh.

² Ahaziah was forty-two* years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Athaliah, the daughter* of Omri. ³ He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor for doing wickedness.

³³ But seek first his kingdom and righteousness,* and all these things will be added to you.

¹⁴ Do not become unevenly yoked with unbelievers, for what participation is there between righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness?

⁴³ He set apart Bezer in the wilderness* in the land of the plateau of the Reubenites;* Ramoth in Gilead of the Gadites,* and Golan in Bashan of the Manassites.*

⁸ Beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, they appointed Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau, from the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead, from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in the Bashan, from the tribe of Manasseh.

⁹ And Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fattened animals near the stone of Zoheleth, which is beside En Rogel. He invited all of his brothers, the sons of the king, and all the men of Judah, the servants of the king.

¹³ Ben-Geber was in Ramoth-Gilead; the villages of Jair, the son of Manasseh which are in the Gilead were his, and the region of Argob which is in the Bashan, sixty great cities, with walls having crossbars of bronze, were his.

⁷ It happened _⌊after a while_⌋* that the wadi* dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

² It happened in the third year, Jehoshaphat king of Judah went down to the king of Israel, ³ and the king of Israel said to his servants, "Do you know Ramoth-Gilead belongs to us, and we are doing nothing about taking it from the hand of the king of Aram?" ⁴ Then he said to Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to the battle for Ramoth-Gilead?" Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "_⌊I am like you_⌋;* _⌊my people are like your people_⌋;* _⌊my horses are like your horses_⌋."* ⁵ Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, "Please inquire for the word of Yahweh today." ⁶ Then the king of Israel assembled the prophets, about four hundred men, and he said to them, "Shall I go against Ramoth-Gilead for the battle, or should I refrain?" Then they said, "Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king." ⁷ So Jehoshaphat said, "Is there no prophet of Yahweh here that we might still inquire from him?" ⁸ Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is still one man to inquire from Yahweh, but I despise him, for he never prophesies anything good concerning me, but only bad: Micaiah the son of Imlah." Then Jehoshaphat said, "The king should not say so." ⁹ The king of Israel summoned a certain court official, and he said, "Quickly fetch Micaiah son of Imlah." ¹⁰ The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were each sitting on his throne, dressed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them. ¹¹ Zedekiah son of Kenaanah made horns of iron for himself and said, "Thus says Yahweh: 'With these you shall gore the Arameans until finishing them.'" ¹² All of the prophets were likewise prophesying, saying, "Go up to Ramoth-Gilead and triumph, and Yahweh will give it into the hand of the king." ¹³ Then the messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, "Please now, the words of the prophet are _⌊unanimously_⌋* favorable to the king. Please let your words be as one word with them, and speak favorably." ¹⁴ Then Micaiah said, "_⌊As Yahweh lives_⌋,* surely only as Yahweh speaks to me, that will I speak." ¹⁵ When he came to the king, the king asked him, "Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-Gilead to the battle, or shall we refrain?" He said to him, "Go up and triumph, and Yahweh will give it into the hand of the king." ¹⁶ Then the king said to him, "How many times must I make you swear that you shall not tell me anything but truth in the name of Yahweh?" ¹⁷ So he said, "I saw all of Israel scattering to the mountains, like the sheep without a shepherd. Yahweh also said, 'There are no masters for these, let them return in peace, each to his house.'" ¹⁸ Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not say to you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but disaster?" ¹⁹ And he* said, "Therefore, hear the word of Yahweh. I saw Yahweh sitting on his throne with all the hosts of heaven standing beside him from his right hand and from his left hand. ²⁰ And Yahweh said, 'Who will entice Ahab so that he will go up and fall at Ramoth-Gilead?' Then _⌊this one was saying one thing and the other one was saying another_⌋.* ²¹ Then a spirit came out and stood before Yahweh and said, 'I will entice him,' and Yahweh said to him, 'How?' ²² He said, 'I will go out and I will be a false spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' And he* said, 'You shall entice and succeed, go out and do so.' ²³ So then, see that Yahweh has placed a false spirit in the mouth of all of these your prophets, and Yahweh has spoken disaster concerning you." ²⁴ Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah came near and slapped Micaiah on the cheek and said, "When did the Spirit of Yahweh pass from me to speak with you?" ²⁵ Then Micaiah said, "Behold, you are about to see on that day when you go _⌊from room to room_⌋* to hide." ²⁶ The king of Israel said, "Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the commander of the city and to Jehoash the son of the king; ²⁷ and say, 'Thus says the king: "Put this fellow in the house of imprisonment and feed him reduced rations of food and water until I come in peace." '" ²⁸ Then Micaiah said, "If you indeed return in peace, then Yahweh has not spoken with me." Then he said, "Let all the peoples hear!" ²⁹ Then the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth-Gilead. ³⁰ Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself and go into the battle, but you wear your robes." So the king of Israel disguised himself, and he went into the battle. ³¹ The king of Aram commanded his thirty-two chariot commanders, saying, "You shall not fight with small or great, but only against the king of Israel, him alone!" ³² When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, "Surely he is the king of Israel," and they turned to fight against him, so Jehoshaphat called out. ³³ When the chariot commanders saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned away from him. ³⁴ But another man drew his bow fully and struck the king of Israel between the armor scales and the breastplate; so he said to his chariot driver, "Turn _⌊the chariot_⌋* and bring me out from the camp, for I am wounded." ³⁵ The battle intensified on that day, and the king was being propped up in the chariot opposite Aram, but he died in the evening, and the blood of the wound ran out to the floor of the chariot.

¹ Now Elisha the prophet called for one of the sons of the prophets, and he said to him, "Gird your loins, and take this flask of olive oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth-Gilead.

⁶ During all of this, I was not in Jerusalem because in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went to the king. At the end of some days I asked permission from the king to leave.

¹² And the Lord, Yahweh of hosts, called on that day
for weeping and mourning, and for baldness and girding _⌊with_⌋* sackcloth. ¹³ But look! Joy and gladness, the killing of oxen* and the slaughtering of sheep, the eating of meat and the drinking of wine! "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!"

²⁷ they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. ²⁸ Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building. ²⁹ But on the day that Lot went out from Sodom, it rained fire and sulphur from heaven and destroyed them all.

⁴ Then he said to Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to the battle for Ramoth-Gilead?" Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "_⌊I am like you_⌋;* _⌊my people are like your people_⌋;* _⌊my horses are like your horses_⌋."*

⁷ He went and sent a message to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, saying, "The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me against Moab for the battle?" And he said, "I will go up. _⌊I am like you_⌋;* _⌊my people are like your people_⌋;* _⌊my horses are like your horses_⌋."*

²¹ Do I not hate those who hate you, O Yahweh? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?

¹¹ And do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather even expose them.

¹⁰ If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house and do not speak a greeting to him, ¹¹ because the one who speaks a greeting to him shares in his evil deeds.

² So David inquired of Yahweh, saying, "Shall I go and attack these Philistines?" And Yahweh said to David, "Go and attack the Philistines and save* Keilah."

⁴ So David again inquired of Yahweh, and Yahweh answered him and said, "Get up, go down to Keilah, for I am giving the Philistines into your hand."

⁹ When David learned that Saul was plotting evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring the ephod here." ¹⁰ And David said, "O Yahweh, God of Israel, your servant has clearly heard that Saul is seeking to come to Keilah to destroy the city because of me. ¹¹ Will the rulers of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down as your servant has heard? O Yahweh, God of Israel, please tell your servant!" And Yahweh said, "He will come down." ¹² Then David said, "Will the rulers of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?" And Yahweh said, "They will deliver you."

¹ It happened after this that David inquired of Yahweh, saying, "Shall I go up into one of the cities of Judah?" And Yahweh said to him, "Go up." David asked, "Where shall I go up?" And he said, "To Hebron."

¹⁹ And David inquired of Yahweh, saying, "Shall I go up to the Philistines? Will you give them into my hands?" Yahweh said to David, "Go up, for _⌊I will certainly give_⌋* the Philistines into your hand."

²³ So David inquired of Yahweh, but he said, "You shall not go up. Rather, go around to their rear and come to them from opposite the balsam trees.

⁵ Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, "Please inquire for the word of Yahweh today." ⁶ Then the king of Israel assembled the prophets, about four hundred men, and he said to them, "Shall I go against Ramoth-Gilead for the battle, or should I refrain?" Then they said, "Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king."

²⁶ But to the king of Judah who sent you to seek Yahweh, thus shall you say to him: 'Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: As for the words which you heard,

⁴ One thing I have asked from Yahweh; it I will seek: that I may dwell in the house* of Yahweh all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of Yahweh, and to consider* his temple.

² "Please inquire of Yahweh on behalf of us, for Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon is fighting against us. Perhaps Yahweh will do with us according to all his miraculous acts, so that he may go up from against us."

³ "Son of man,* speak with the elders of Israel, and you must say to them, 'Thus says the Lord Yahweh: "Are you coming to consult me? _⌊As I live_⌋,* I will surely not allow myself* to be consulted by you!" ' _⌊declares_⌋* the Lord Yahweh.

¹⁹ So then, send word and assemble all of Israel to me on Mount Carmel, with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at the table of Jezebel."

¹³ Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, "_⌊What do we have in common_⌋?* Go to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother." Then the king of Israel said to him, "No, for Yahweh has called for these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab."

¹⁴ And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-Gilead to war or shall I cease?" And he said, "Go up and triumph! They shall be given into your hand."

²⁰ Then a spirit came forth and stood before Yahweh and said, 'I will entice him.' Then Yahweh said to him, 'By what means?' ²¹ Then he said, 'I will go forth and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' And he said, 'You will entice him and will also succeed. Go out and do so.'

¹⁰ Therefore I will give their wives to others, their fields to conquerors, because from the smallest to the greatest, all of them make profit for unlawful gain, from prophet to priest, all of them practice deceit. ¹¹ And they have treated the wound of the daughter of my people lightly, _⌊saying_⌋,* 'Peace, peace,' but there is no peace.

¹⁴ And in the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen something horrible. They commit adultery, and they walk in lies,* and they make strong the hands of evildoers, so that they have not turned back each from his wickedness. All of them have become to me like Sodom, and its inhabitants like Gomorrah."

¹⁷ They are* continually saying to those who disregard the word of Yahweh, 'Peace it will be to you,' and to _⌊each one_⌋* who walks in the stubbornness of his heart they say, 'Calamity will not come upon you.'

¹ And it was in that same year, at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah, the king of Judah, in the fourth year, in the fifth month, that Hananiah, the son of Azzur, the prophet who was from Gibeon, said to me in the house of Yahweh before the eyes of the priests and all the people, _⌊saying_⌋,* ² "Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, _⌊saying_⌋,* 'I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. ³ _⌊Within two years_⌋* I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the house of Yahweh which Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon took away from this place and brought to Babylon. ⁴ And Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, and all the exiles* from Judah who went to Babylon, I will bring back to this place,' _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh, 'For I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.'" ⁵ Then Jeremiah the prophet said to Hananiah the prophet before the eyes of the priests and before the eyes of all the people who were standing in the house of Yahweh, ⁶ and Jeremiah the prophet said, "Amen! May Yahweh do so; may Yahweh fulfill your words that you have prophesied, to bring back the vessels of the house of Yahweh and all the exiles* from Babylon to this place. ⁷ Nevertheless listen please to this word that I am speaking in your _⌊hearing_⌋* and in the _⌊hearing_⌋* of all the people, ⁸ The prophets who were _⌊before_⌋* me and _⌊before_⌋* you from ancient times prophesied against many countries and against great kingdoms of war, and of disaster, and of plague. ⁹ The prophet who prophesies peace, at the coming of the word of the prophet, will become known as the prophet that Yahweh has _⌊truly_⌋* sent." ¹⁰ Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet and broke it. ¹¹ Then Hananiah said before the eyes of all the people, _⌊saying_⌋,* "Thus says Yahweh, 'This is how I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, _⌊within two years_⌋,* from the neck of all the nations.'" And Jeremiah the prophet went on his way. ¹² And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah after Hananiah the prophet broke the yoke from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet, _⌊saying_⌋,* ¹³ "Go, and you must say to Hananiah, _⌊saying_⌋,* 'Thus says Yahweh, "You have broken yoke bars of wood, but you have made in place of them yoke bars of iron." ¹⁴ For thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, "I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, to serve Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, and they will serve him, and I have even given the animals* of the open field to him." '" ¹⁵ Then Jeremiah the prophet said to Hananiah the prophet, "Please listen, Hananiah, Yahweh has not sent you, and you have made this people trust in a lie. ¹⁶ _⌊Therefore_⌋* thus says Yahweh, 'Look, I am going to send you from the face of the earth. This year you will die because you have spoken rebellion against Yahweh.'" ¹⁷ And Hananiah the prophet died in that same year in the seventh month.

¹⁴ And Zedekiah the king sent and made someone bring Jeremiah the prophet to him, to the third entrance that was at the _⌊temple_⌋* of Yahweh. And the king said to Jeremiah, "I am asking you _⌊something_⌋,* you must not hide _⌊anything_⌋* from me." ¹⁵ And Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "If I tell you, will you not surely kill me? _⌊Besides_⌋,* if I advise you, you will not listen to me. ¹⁶ So Zedekiah the king swore to Jeremiah in secret, _⌊saying_⌋,* "_⌊As Yahweh lives_⌋,* who has made for us this life, I will not kill you and I will not give you into the hand of these men who are seeking your life." ¹⁷ Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "Thus says Yahweh, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, 'If only you will go surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then _⌊you_⌋* will live, and this city will not be burned with fire, and you will live, you and your house. ¹⁸ But if you do not go surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then this city will be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they will burn it with fire, and you will not escape from their hand.'" ¹⁹ And Zedekiah the king said to Jeremiah, "I am afraid of the Judeans who have deserted to the Chaldeans, lest they give me into their hand and they abuse me." ²⁰ And Jeremiah said, "They will not give you over. Please obey the voice of Yahweh with regard to what I am saying to you, and it will go well with you, and _⌊you_⌋* will live. ²¹ But if you are refusing to surrender, this is the thing that Yahweh has shown me. ²² Now look, all the women who remain in the house of the king of Judah are being led out to the officials of the king of Babylon. And look, they are saying,
'_⌊Your trusted friends_⌋* have misled you, and they have prevailed against you. Your feet are stuck in the mud, so they turned backward.' ²³ And all your wives and your children will be led out to the Chaldeans, and you will not escape from their hand, but by the hand of the king of Babylon you will be seized, and this city will burn with fire." ²⁴ And Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "No man must know about these words so that you will not die. ²⁵ And if the officials hear that I have spoken with you, and they come to you and say to you, 'Please tell us what you said to the king. You must not conceal it from us so that we will not kill you. And what did the king say to you?' ²⁶ Then you shall say to them, 'I was presenting my plea _⌊before_⌋* the king, to not cause me to return to the house of Jonathan to die there.'" ²⁷ And all the officials came to Jeremiah and questioned him, and he informed them like all these words that the king commanded. So they fell silent, for the _⌊conversation_⌋* was not heard. ²⁸ And Jeremiah stayed in the courtyard of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was captured. And it happened that Jerusalem was captured.*

² and said to Jeremiah the prophet, "May our plea please fall _⌊before you_⌋,* and pray for us to Yahweh your God, for all this remnant, for we are left but a few of many, as your eyes are seeing us. ³ And let Yahweh your God inform us the way in which we should go and the thing that we should do."

²⁰ that _⌊you have made a fatal mistake_⌋,* for you sent me to Yahweh your God, _⌊saying_⌋,* 'Pray for us to Yahweh our God, and all that Yahweh our God says, so tell us and we will do it.'*

³ Thus says the Lord Yahweh: 'Alas, for the foolish prophets who are going after their own spirit, _⌊and they did not see anything_⌋!* ⁴ Your prophets have been like foxes* among ruins. ⁵ You did not go up into* the breaches and repair a wall for the house of Israel to stand firm in the battle on the day of Yahweh. ⁶ They saw falseness and _⌊a lying divination_⌋,* the ones saying, 'Declaration of Yahweh!' and Yahweh did not send them, and they wait _⌊for the confirmation of their word_⌋.* ⁷ Have you not seen _⌊a false vision_⌋* and spoken a _⌊lying divination_⌋,* and you said, 'Declaration of Yahweh!' but _⌊I myself did not speak_⌋.* ⁸ Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: 'Because of your speaking falseness and because you envisioned a lie, therefore, look! I am against you!" _⌊declares_⌋* the Lord Yahweh. ⁹ "And it will be my hand against the prophets who are seeing falseness and who are practicing lying divination. They will not be in the council of my people, and they will not be written down in the record book of the house of Israel, and into* the land of Israel they will not come, and then you will know that I am the Lord Yahweh. ¹⁰ Because, yes, because they led my people astray, _⌊saying_⌋* 'Peace!' And there is not peace. And when anyone* builds a flimsy wall, look, they coat it with whitewash. ¹¹ Say to those covering it with whitewash that it will fall; there will be _⌊a torrent of rain_⌋,* and I will give stones of hail; they will fall! * And a _⌊windstorm_⌋* will burst forth! ¹² And look! When the wall falls, will it not be said to you, 'Where is the whitewash with which you covered it?' ¹³ Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: 'And so I will let burst forth a _⌊windstorm_⌋* in my rage, and _⌊there will be a torrent of rain_⌋* in my anger, and hailstones in my rage _⌊for complete destruction_⌋.* ¹⁴ And I will break down the wall that you covered with whitewash, and I will knock it to the ground, and its foundation will be revealed, and it will fall, and you will come to an end in the midst of it, and you will know that I am Yahweh! ¹⁵ And I will fully vent my rage against the wall and against those covering it with whitewash, and I will say to you, "_⌊The wall is no more_⌋,* and _⌊the people covering it are no more_⌋,* ¹⁶ that is, the prophets of Israel, the ones prophesying concerning Jerusalem and the ones seeing visions of peace, and there is not peace!'" " _⌊declares_⌋* the Lord Yahweh.

²² Because you disheartened the heart of the righteous by deception, and I have not* caused him pain, and strengthened the hands of the wicked so that he did not turn* from his wicked way to save his life.

¹¹ If a man walks about in a spirit of deception and lies, saying "I will preach to you of wine and strong drink," then he would be a preacher for this people!

¹¹ Its rulers judge for a bribe; its priests teach for a price; its prophets practice divination for money. But they lean on Yahweh, saying, "Is not Yahweh in our midst? Disaster will not come upon us."

³ For there will be a time when they will not put up with sound teaching, but in accordance with their own desires, they will accumulate for themselves teachers, _⌊because they have an insatiable curiosity_⌋*,

²⁰ And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs before him, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who had worshiped his image. The two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur.

⁷ So Jehoshaphat said, "Is there no prophet of Yahweh here that we might still inquire from him?" ⁸ Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is still one man to inquire from Yahweh, but I despise him, for he never prophesies anything good concerning me, but only bad: Micaiah the son of Imlah." Then Jehoshaphat said, "The king should not say so." ⁹ The king of Israel summoned a certain court official, and he said, "Quickly fetch Micaiah son of Imlah."

¹¹ Then Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there no prophet of Yahweh here that we might inquire guidance from Yahweh?" One of the servants of the king of Israel answered and said, "Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah."* ¹² Jehoshaphat said, "The word of Yahweh is with him." So the king of Israel, Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom went down to him. ¹³ Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, "_⌊What do we have in common_⌋?* Go to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother." Then the king of Israel said to him, "No, for Yahweh has called for these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab."

⁴ It had happened that when Jezebel killed the prophets of Yahweh, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them _⌊by fifties_⌋* in the cave and sustained them with food and water.)

¹⁷ When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, "Is this you who throws Israel into confusion?"

¹⁰ Then he said, "I have been very zealous for Yahweh the God of hosts, for the _⌊Israelites_⌋* have forsaken your covenant. They have demolished your altars, and they have killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left over, and they seek to take my life.

⁴² He said to him, "Thus says Yahweh: 'Because you have let the man I devoted for destruction go from your hand, your life shall be in place of his life and your people in place of his people.'" ⁴³ Then the king of Israel went to his house, sullen and angry, and he came to Samaria.

²⁰ Then Ahab said to Elijah, "Have you found me, my enemy?" He said, "I have found you because you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of Yahweh.

²² When Joram saw Jehu, he asked, "Is it peace?" And he said, "What peace is there while the prostitutions of your mother Jezebel and her sorceries are numerous?"

¹³ But Micaiah said, "As Yahweh lives, only what my God has said, that will I speak."

²¹ Evil will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will incur guilt.

³ because of the voice of an enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked, because they bring down evil on me, and in anger they hold a grudge against me.

¹⁴ Deliver me from the mud and do not let me sink. Let me be delivered from those who hate me and from the watery depths.

⁸ Do not rebuke a scoffer, lest he hate you; rebuke the wise and he will love you.

¹² A ring of gold and an ornament of fine gold is a rebuke of the wise to the ear of a listener.

¹⁰ Men of blood hate the blameless, and they seek the life of the upright.*

¹⁰ who say to those who do see, "You must not see!" and to the seers, "You must not see truth for us; speak smooth things to us, see illusions,

¹⁸ Then they said, "Come and let us plan plans against Jeremiah, for instruction will not be lost from the priest, nor advice from the wise man, nor the word from the prophet. Come and _⌊let us bring charges against him_⌋,* and let us not listen attentively to any of his words."

⁴ Then the officials said to the king, "Please, this man must be killed, _⌊because_⌋* he is making slack the hands of _⌊the soldiers_⌋* who are left in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking to them words like these, for this man is not seeking for welfare* to this people, _⌊but only_⌋* for harm."

¹⁷ "Son of man,* I have appointed you as a watchman for the house of Israel. When you hear a word from my mouth, then you must warn them from me. ¹⁸ _⌊When I say_⌋* to the wicked, 'Surely you will die,' and you do not warn him and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way _⌊so that he may live_⌋,* that wicked person will die because of his guilt, and from your hand I will seek his blood. ¹⁹ And you, if you do warn the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness and from his wicked way, on account of his guilt he will die, and you yourself will have saved your life.*

¹⁰ They hate the one who reproves in the gate and they abhor the one who speaks honestly.

⁷ Should this be said, O house of Jacob? Is the patience* of Yahweh shortened? Are these his deeds? Are my words not pleasing to him who walks upright?

¹⁸ For John had been saying to Herod, "It is not permitted for you to have your brother's wife." ¹⁹ So Herodias held a grudge against him and was wanting to kill him, and was not able to do so.

²⁷ And immediately the king sent an executioner and* ordered him* to bring his head. And he went and* beheaded him in the prison.

²² Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil on account of the Son of Man.

⁷ The world cannot hate you, but it hates me, because I am testifying about it, that its deeds are evil.

¹⁸ If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated* you. ¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, for this reason the world hates you.

²⁴ If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not have sin. But now they have both seen and hated both me and my Father.

²⁶ Therefore I testify to you on this very day that I am guiltless of the blood of all of you,* ²⁷ for I did not shrink from proclaiming to you the whole purpose of God.

¹⁶ So then, have I become your enemy by* being truthful to you?

¹⁵ He will take a tenth of your seed and your vineyards and give it to his high officials and to his servants.

⁹ The king of Israel summoned a certain court official, and he said, "Quickly fetch Micaiah son of Imlah."

¹ Then David assembled all the commanders of Israel, the commanders of the tribes and the commanders of working groups who served the king, and the commanders of thousands, the commanders of hundreds, and the commanders over all the property of the king and his sons, with the court officials and mighty warriors, and all the mighty warriors of ability, at Jerusalem.

²⁵ Then the king of Israel said, "Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the commander of the city and to Jehoash the son of the king, ²⁶ and say, 'Thus says the king: "Put this one into the prison house, and let him eat _⌊a meager ration of bread and water_⌋* until I return in peace." '"

⁷ 'And some of your sons who go out from you, whom you fathered, shall be taken, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.'"

³ And the king _⌊ordered_⌋* Ashpenaz, the commander of his court officials, to bring _⌊some of the Israelites_⌋* from _⌊the royal family_⌋* and from the lords,*

⁷ And the commander of the court officials gave them names, and he called Daniel, Belteshazzar; and Hananiah, Shadrach; and Mishael, Meshach; and Azariah, Abednego. ⁸ Now _⌊Daniel resolved_⌋* that he would not defile himself with the fine food of the king, and with _⌊the wine that he drank_⌋,* and so he requested from the commander of the court officials permission so that he would not defile himself.

¹ And Boaz had gone up to the city gate and sat there. And look, the redeemer of whom Boaz had spoken was passing by. And he said, "Come over here to sit, _⌊friend_⌋."* And he came over and sat.

¹⁰ The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were each sitting on his throne, dressed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them. ¹¹ Zedekiah son of Kenaanah made horns of iron for himself and said, "Thus says Yahweh: 'With these you shall gore the Arameans until finishing them.'" ¹² All of the prophets were likewise prophesying, saying, "Go up to Ramoth-Gilead and triumph, and Yahweh will give it into the hand of the king."

²⁹ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you, wear your garments." So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went to war.

⁹ Sheol below is getting excited over you, to meet _⌊you when you come_⌋;* it arouses the dead spirits for you, all of the leaders of the earth. It raises all of the kings of the nations from their thrones.

¹⁴ And you must not listen to the words of the prophets who are speaking to you, _⌊saying_⌋,* 'You must not serve the king of Babylon,' for they are prophesying a lie to you. ¹⁵ For I have not sent them," _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh, "but they are prophesying in my name _⌊falsely_⌋,* so that I will drive them away. And you will perish—you and the prophets who are prophesying to you." ¹⁶ Then I spoke to the priests and to all this people, _⌊saying_⌋,* "Thus says Yahweh, 'You must not listen to the words of your prophets who are prophesying to you, _⌊saying_⌋,* "Look, the vessels of the house of Yahweh are about to be quickly brought back from Babylon", for they are prophesying a lie to you.

¹⁶ And all the princes of the sea will go down from their thrones, and they will remove their robes, and their _⌊beautiful garments_⌋* of finished cloth they will take off. With terror they will be clothed, and on the ground they will sit, and they will tremble _⌊continually_⌋,* and they will be appalled over you.

⁹ "_⌊I continued watching_⌋* until thrones were placed and an Ancient of Days sat; his clothing was like white snow and the hair of his head was like pure wool and his throne was a flame* of fire and its wheels* were burning fire.

²⁹ but I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory was dressed like one of these.

⁸ But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in the houses of kings.

²⁸ And Jesus said to them, "Truly I say to you that in the renewal of the world,* when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me—you also will sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

²¹ I have not sent the prophets, yet they ran. I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.

²⁵ "I have heard what the prophets who prophesy lies* have said in my name, _⌊saying_⌋,* 'I have dreamed! I have dreamed!'

³¹ Look, I am against the prophets," _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh, "who take their tongues* and declare as prophets, 'Yahweh _⌊declares_⌋.'*

² thus said Yahweh to me—"Make for yourself fetters and yokes and put them on your neck,

² "Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, _⌊saying_⌋,* 'I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. ³ _⌊Within two years_⌋* I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the house of Yahweh which Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon took away from this place and brought to Babylon.

¹⁰ Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet and broke it. ¹¹ Then Hananiah said before the eyes of all the people, _⌊saying_⌋,* "Thus says Yahweh, 'This is how I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, _⌊within two years_⌋,* from the neck of all the nations.'" And Jeremiah the prophet went on his way. ¹² And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah after Hananiah the prophet broke the yoke from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet, _⌊saying_⌋,* ¹³ "Go, and you must say to Hananiah, _⌊saying_⌋,* 'Thus says Yahweh, "You have broken yoke bars of wood, but you have made in place of them yoke bars of iron." ¹⁴ For thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, "I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, to serve Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, and they will serve him, and I have even given the animals* of the open field to him." '"

²¹ Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab, the son of Kolaiah, and concerning Zedekiah, the son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying to you in my name a lie, 'Look, I am going to give them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and he will strike them before your eyes.

⁷ Have you not seen _⌊a false vision_⌋* and spoken a _⌊lying divination_⌋,* and you said, 'Declaration of Yahweh!' but _⌊I myself did not speak_⌋.*

²⁸ And for them its prophets plaster whitewash; they are seeing falseness and are practicing divination for them by lying, saying, 'Thus says the Lord Yahweh,' and Yahweh has not spoken.

¹⁸ * And I _⌊looked up_⌋* and I saw, and look, there were four horns! ¹⁹ And I said to the angel who was talking with me, "What are these?" And he said to me, "These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem." ²⁰ Then Yahweh showed me four skilled craftsmen, ²¹ and I asked, "What are these coming to do?" And he answered, saying, "These are the horns that scattered Judah, _⌊so that no man_⌋* lifted up his head; but these have come to frighten them, to strike down the horns of the nations that lifted a horn against the land of Judah to scatter it."

⁸ And _⌊just as_⌋* Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these oppose the truth, people corrupted in mind, disqualified concerning the faith.

⁵ Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets, four hundred men. And he said to them, "Shall we go to Ramoth-Gilead to battle, or shall we cease?" And they said, "Go up, since God will give it into the hand of the king."

¹² Then the messenger who went to call Micaiah said to him, "Behold, the words of the prophets are good with one voice to the king. Please let your word be as one with them and speak good."

³³ Now a certain man drew the bow _⌊at random_⌋* and struck the king of Israel between the soldering of his breastplate armor. Then he said to the chariot driver, "_⌊Turn around_⌋;* get me away from the war camp, for I am wounded." ³⁴ And the battle went on that day, and the king of Israel was propped up in the chariot facing Aram* until the evening. And he died at the time of the going down of the sun.

²⁴ Whoever says to the guilty, "You are righteous," the people will curse him; the nations will abhor him. ²⁵ But they who rebuke will have delight, and upon them blessings of goodness will come.

⁵ Thus says Yahweh concerning the prophets who are leading my people astray, who are biting with their teeth and proclaim, "Peace," but whoever puts nothing into their mouths they declare war against.

¹ But there were also false prophets among the people, as there will be false teachers among you also, who will bring in _⌊destructive heresies_⌋*, even denying the Master who bought them, thus* bringing on themselves swift destruction. ² And many will follow their licentious ways, because of whom the way of truth will be reviled. ³ And in greediness they will exploit you with false words, whose condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

¹⁶ These people are grumblers, discontented, proceeding according to their* desires, and their mouths speaking pompous words, _⌊showing partiality to gain an advantage_⌋*.

¹³ And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet three unclean spirits like frogs. ¹⁴ For they are the spirits of demons performing signs that go out to the kings of the whole inhabited world, to gather them for the battle of the great day of God the All-Powerful.

² they gathered themselves together to fight with one accord against* Joshua and Israel.

¹³ And you ask, 'What does God know? Can he judge through deep gloom?

¹¹ He says in his heart, "God has forgotten. He has hidden his face. He never sees."

³ By their wickedness they make the king glad, and the officials by their treacheries.

¹³ But do not prophesy again at Bethel, because this is a sanctuary of a king and this is a temple of a kingdom."

⁶ "Do not preach!" they are preaching. They should not preach to these; disgrace will not overtake us.

¹⁴ But the natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he is not able to understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. ¹⁵ Now the spiritual person discerns all things, but he himself is judged by no one. ¹⁶ "For who has known the mind of the Lord; who has advised him?"* But we have the mind of Christ.

¹⁸ Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, "Even though Balak gives to me his house full of silver and gold, I am not able to go beyond _⌊the command of Yahweh_⌋* my God to do a little or a lot. ¹⁹ And now please, _⌊you also stay here_⌋* the night, and _⌊let me find out_⌋* again what Yahweh will say with me." ²⁰ And God came to Balaam at night, and he said to him, "If the men have come to call you, get up and go with them; but only the word that I will speak to you, you will do."

³⁵ The angel of Yahweh said to Balaam, "Go with the men, but speak only the word that I will speak to you." So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.

¹² He answered and said, "_⌊Should I not speak_⌋* what Yahweh puts in my mouth?"

²⁶ But Balaam answered and said to Balak, "Did I not speak to you, saying, 'Whatever Yahweh speaks I will do'?"

¹³ 'If Balak gave to me the fullness of his house full of silver and gold, I am not able to go beyond _⌊the command of Yahweh_⌋* to do good or evil, from my heart; what Yahweh speaks, I will speak'?*

¹⁴ Then Micaiah said, "_⌊As Yahweh lives_⌋,* surely only as Yahweh speaks to me, that will I speak."

²⁸ The prophet who has with him a dream, let him tell the dream. But the prophet* who has my word with him, let him speak my word faithfully. _⌊What is straw compared to wheat_⌋?"* _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh.

⁴ And Jeremiah the prophet said to them, "I have heard. Look, I am going to pray to Yahweh your God according to your words, _⌊and then_⌋* all the words* that Yahweh answers you I will tell you; I will not withhold from you a word."

⁷ And you must speak my words to them whether they listen or whether they fail to listen, for they are rebellious.

⁶ "Do not preach!" they are preaching. They should not preach to these; disgrace will not overtake us. ⁷ Should this be said, O house of Jacob? Is the patience* of Yahweh shortened? Are these his deeds? Are my words not pleasing to him who walks upright?

²⁷ for I did not shrink from proclaiming to you the whole purpose of God.

²³ For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night in which he was betrayed, took bread,

¹⁷ For we are not like the majority who peddle the word of God, but as from pure motives—but as from God—we speak before God in Christ.

¹⁰ For am I now making an appeal to people or to God? Or am I seeking to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a slave of Christ.

⁴ but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, thus we speak, not as pleasing people but God, who examines our hearts.

²⁷ It happened at noon that Elijah mocked them and said, "Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god! Perhaps he is meditating, or _⌊is using the bathroom_⌋,* or is on a journey. Perhaps he is asleep and must wake up!"

¹⁵ When he came to the king, the king asked him, "Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-Gilead to the battle, or shall we refrain?" He said to him, "Go up and triumph, and Yahweh will give it into the hand of the king."

¹ Send out your bread on the water, for in many days you will find it.

²¹ Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, you who dwell in the land of Uz; but to you also the cup will pass, you will become drunk and strip yourself bare.

⁴ "Come to Bethel and transgress; to Gilgal and _⌊multiply transgression_⌋!* Bring your sacrifices in the morning and your tithes on the _⌊third day_⌋.* ⁵ And bring a thank offering of unleavened bread, and proclaim freewill offerings, pronounce them, for so you love to do, O _⌊people_⌋* of Israel," is the declaration of my Lord Yahweh.

⁴⁵ Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.

²⁴ Now the men of Israel were hard pressed on that day, because Saul had made the army take an oath, saying, "Cursed be the man who eats any food until evening, when I will have avenged myself on my enemies!" So none of the army tasted any food.

¹⁶ Then the king said to him, "How many times must I make you swear that you shall not tell me anything but truth in the name of Yahweh?"

⁶³ But Jesus was silent. And the high priest said to him, "I put you under oath by the living God, that you tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God!"

⁷ And crying out with a loud voice he said, "_⌊What have I to do with you_⌋*, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore you by God, do not torment me!"

¹³ But some itinerant Jewish exorcists also attempted to pronounce the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, "I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches!"

¹⁷ who will go out before them and will come in before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in, so the community of Yahweh will not be like a flock that does not have a shepherd."

⁷ So then, let your hands be strong and _⌊be valiant_⌋,* for your lord Saul is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me as king over them."

² _⌊For some time_⌋,* when Saul was king over us, _⌊you were leading Israel in and out_⌋.* Yahweh had said to you, 'You shall be the shepherd of my people Israel, and you will be the leader over Israel.'"

¹⁷ So he said, "I saw all of Israel scattering to the mountains, like the sheep without a shepherd. Yahweh also said, 'There are no masters for these, let them return in peace, each to his house.'"

³⁴ But another man drew his bow fully and struck the king of Israel between the armor scales and the breastplate; so he said to his chariot driver, "Turn _⌊the chariot_⌋* and bring me out from the camp, for I am wounded." ³⁵ The battle intensified on that day, and the king was being propped up in the chariot opposite Aram, but he died in the evening, and the blood of the wound ran out to the floor of the chariot. ³⁶ Then the shout passed through the camp about sunset, saying, "Each man to his city and each to his land!"

³ then you must select the best and the most suitable from the sons of your master, and you must place him on the throne of his father, and they must fight for the house of your masters."

¹ "Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the flock of my pasture," _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh. ² _⌊Therefore_⌋* thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people, "You yourselves have scattered my flock, and you have driven them away, and you do not attend to them. Look, I will punish you for the evil of your deeds," _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh.

⁵ And they were scattered _⌊without_⌋* a shepherd, and they were* as food for all the animals* of the field when they were scattered. ⁶ My flock went astray upon all of the mountains and on every high hill, and so upon all the surface of the world* my flock were scattered, and _⌊there was no one seeking them_⌋,* and _⌊there was no one searching for them_⌋."*

⁸ "_⌊As I live_⌋,"* _⌊declares_⌋* the Lord Yahweh, "_⌊Surely_⌋* because my flock have become as plunder, and my flock became as food to* all the animals* of the field, since there was not a shepherd, since my shepherds have not sought my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and they fed not my flock,'"

² Because the household gods* speak deceit, and those who practice divination see a lie, and the dreamers of vanity speak in vain. Therefore the people wander like sheep;* they are afflicted because there is no shepherd.

⁷ "O sword, awake against my shepherd, against the man who is my associate," _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh of hosts. "Strike the shepherd, so that the sheep* may be scattered, and I will turn my hand against the small ones.

³⁶ And when he* saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were weary and dejected, like sheep that did not have a shepherd.

⁶⁴ Jesus said to him, "You have said it.* But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power* and coming on the clouds of heaven."

³⁴ And getting out of the boat* he saw the large crowd and had compassion on them, because they were like sheep _⌊without_⌋* a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things.

¹⁸ Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not say to you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but disaster?"

⁷ Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is yet one man by whom to seek Yahweh, but I hate him, because he never prophesies good concerning me, but _⌊always_⌋* disaster. He is Micaiah the son of Imlah." Then Jehoshaphat said, "Let not the king say thus."

¹ A man who is reproved, being stubborn of neck— suddenly he will be broken, and there will not be healing.

² Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the insolent men spoke,* saying to Jeremiah, "You are telling a lie! Yahweh our God did not send you, _⌊saying_⌋,* 'You must not go to Egypt to dwell as aliens there.' ³ But Baruch the son of Neriah is inciting you against us in order to give us into the hand of the Chaldeans, to kill us and to deport us to Babylon."

² And when he saw them, Jacob said, "This is the camp of God!" And he called the name of that place Mahanaim.

¹⁹ And he* said, "Therefore, hear the word of Yahweh. I saw Yahweh sitting on his throne with all the hosts of heaven standing beside him from his right hand and from his left hand. ²⁰ And Yahweh said, 'Who will entice Ahab so that he will go up and fall at Ramoth-Gilead?' Then _⌊this one was saying one thing and the other one was saying another_⌋.* ²¹ Then a spirit came out and stood before Yahweh and said, 'I will entice him,' and Yahweh said to him, 'How?' ²² He said, 'I will go out and I will be a false spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' And he* said, 'You shall entice and succeed, go out and do so.' ²³ So then, see that Yahweh has placed a false spirit in the mouth of all of these your prophets, and Yahweh has spoken disaster concerning you."

²⁰ Bless Yahweh, you his angels, you mighty heroes who do his word by _⌊obeying_⌋* the sound of his word. ²¹ Bless Yahweh, all you his hosts, you his attendants who do his will.

¹⁰ Hear the word of Yahweh, rulers of Sodom! Listen to the teaching of our God, people of Gomorrah!

¹ In the year of the death of Uzziah the king, I saw the Lord sitting on a high and raised throne, and the hem of his robe was filling the temple. ² Seraphs were standing above him. _⌊Each had six wings_⌋:* with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. ³ And the one called to the other and said,
"Holy, holy, holy is Yahweh of hosts! The _⌊whole earth is full of his glory_⌋."* ⁴ And the pivots of the thresholds shook from the sound of those who called, and the house* was filled with smoke. ⁵ And I said, "Woe to me! For I am destroyed!* For I am a man _⌊of unclean lips_⌋,* and I am living among* a people _⌊of unclean lips_⌋,* for my eyes have seen the king, Yahweh of hosts!"

¹⁴ Therefore hear the word of Yahweh, men of mockery, rulers of these people in Jerusalem:

⁵ And Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Hear the word of Yahweh of hosts:

⁴ Hear the word of Yahweh, O house of Jacob, and all the clans* of the house of Israel.

³ And you shall say, 'Hear the word of Yahweh, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel: "Look, I am about to bring disaster upon this place so that _⌊everyone who hears it_⌋,* his ears will ring.

⁴ However, hear the word of Yahweh, O Zedekiah, the king of Judah. Thus says Yahweh concerning you: 'You will not die by the sword.

¹⁶ And so then, hear the word of Yahweh! You are saying, 'You must not prophesy against Israel and you must not preach against the house of Isaac!'

¹⁰ And the man standing between the myrtle shrubs answered and said, "These are those whom Yahweh has sent to patrol* the earth."

⁵⁵ But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently into heaven and* saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ⁵⁶ And he said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!"

²⁰ And Yahweh said, 'Who will entice Ahab so that he will go up and fall at Ramoth-Gilead?' Then _⌊this one was saying one thing and the other one was saying another_⌋.*

⁸ But even still, you yourself go, do! Be strong for the battle else God will make you stumble before the enemy! For there is power with God to help and to cause stumbling."

¹⁹ Look, you say that you have struck Edom, and your heart has lifted you up to boast. Now remain at your home. Why stir up disaster that you fall, you and Judah with you?"

¹⁶ "Strength and sound wisdom are with him; the deceived and the deceiver are his.*

⁵ The righteousness of the blameless will keep his ways straight, but the wicked will fall by his wickedness.

⁹ And he said, "Go and say to this people,
'Keep on listening and do not comprehend! And keep on looking and do not understand!' ¹⁰ Make the heart of this people insensitive, and make its ears unresponsive, and shut its eyes so that it may not look with its eyes and listen with its ears and comprehend with its mind and turn back, and it may be healed for him."

¹⁶ Look! I myself have created the craftsman who blows* the fire of coals, and who produces* a weapon for his work; also* I myself have created the destroyer to destroy.

⁹ And the prophet, if he is deceived and he speaks a word, I Yahweh, I have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him, and I will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.

¹¹ And because of this, God sends them _⌊a powerful delusion_⌋* so that they will believe the lie, ¹² in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth, but delighted in unrighteousness.

¹³ No one who is being tempted should say, "I am being tempted by God," for God _⌊cannot be tempted_⌋* by evil, and he himself tempts no one. ¹⁴ But each one is tempted when he* is dragged away and enticed by his own desires.

⁶ And it happened _⌊one day_⌋* _⌊that_⌋* the sons of God* came to present themselves before Yahweh, and Satan* also came into their midst.

¹ _⌊And then_⌋* one day the sons of God* came to present themselves before Yahweh, and Satan* also came into their midst to present himself before Yahweh.

³ But I am afraid lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds may be led astray from the sincerity and the purity of devotion to Christ.

¹³ For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. ¹⁴ And no wonder, for Satan himself disguises himself as an angel of light. ¹⁵ Therefore it is not a great thing if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.

⁴ But the serpent said to the woman, "You shall not surely die. ⁵ For God knows that on the day you both eat from it, then your eyes will be opened and you both shall be like gods,* knowing good and evil."

²³ And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the lords of Shechem, and the lords of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech,

²¹ Then a spirit came out and stood before Yahweh and said, 'I will entice him,' and Yahweh said to him, 'How?' ²² He said, 'I will go out and I will be a false spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' And he* said, 'You shall entice and succeed, go out and do so.'

¹⁹ And Yahweh said, 'Who will entice Ahab the king of Israel that he would go up and fall at Ramoth-Gilead?' And one said this, and another said that.

²² So now, behold, Yahweh has put a spirit of deception into the mouths of these your prophets. Yahweh has spoken disaster against you."

¹² So* Yahweh said to Satan,* "Look, _⌊all that belongs to him_⌋* is in your _⌊power_⌋.* Only do not stretch out your hand _⌊against_⌋* him." So* Satan* went out from Yahweh's _⌊presence_⌋.*

⁶ So* Yahweh said to Satan,* "_⌊All right_⌋,* he is in your _⌊power_⌋.* Only spare his life."

¹⁷ Because he loved cursing, let it come upon him. Because he did not delight in blessing, let it be far from him.

⁴⁴ You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father! That one was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand firm in the truth, because truth is not in him. Whenever he speaks the lie, he speaks from his own nature,* because he is a liar and the father _⌊of lies_⌋.*

⁶ We are from God. The one who knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deceit.

⁹ And the great dragon was thrown down, the ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

¹⁴ And he deceives those who live on the earth because of the signs that it has been granted to him to perform on behalf of the beast, telling those who live on the earth to make an image to the beast who has the wound of the sword and yet lived.

⁸ and he will go out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to assemble them for battle, _⌊whose number_⌋* is like the sand of the sea.

²¹ And Yahweh said to Moses, "When you go to return to Egypt, see all of the wonders that I have put in your hand, and do them before Pharaoh, and I myself will harden his heart, and he will not release the people.

¹⁷ Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not say to you he would not prophesy good concerning me, but only disaster?"

¹⁸ And Joash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, "The thorn bush that is in Lebanon has sent to the cedar which is in Lebanon, saying, 'Give your daughter to my son as wife.' But a wild animal of the field that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thorn bush.

¹¹ Woe to the wicked!* It is bad! For what is done by his hands will be done to him.

¹⁴ Yahweh has mixed a spirit of confusion into her midst, and they have caused Egypt to stagger in all of its doings, as _⌊when a drunkard staggers_⌋* in his vomit.

¹¹ "So now then, say, please, to the _⌊people_⌋* of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, _⌊saying_⌋,* 'Thus says Yahweh, "Look, I am preparing evil against you, and I am planning a plan against you. Please turn back, each one from his evil way, and walk rightly in your ways and your deeds." '

³ "Son of man,* these men took up their idols into their heart and _⌊they placed before themselves_⌋* a stumbling block of their guilt.* _⌊Should I really let myself be consulted by them_⌋?* ⁴ Therefore speak with them, and you must say to them, 'Thus says the Lord Yahweh: "Every person from the house of Israel who brings up his idols into his heart and _⌊places before himself_⌋* a stumbling block of his guilt* and yet he comes to the prophet, I Yahweh, I will respond to him through this act* with respect to the multitude* of his idols, ⁵ so that I may take hold of the house of Israel by their heart, those who are estranged from me, all of them, through their idols.'

³ Therefore, thus says Yahweh: Look! I am planning disaster against this family from which you will not be able to remove your necks. You will not walk proudly, for it is a time of disaster.

²⁴ For false messiahs and false prophets will appear, and will produce great signs and wonders in order to deceive, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵ Behold, I have told you ahead of time!

²⁴ The Son of Man is going just as it is written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for him if that man had not been born." ²⁵ And Judas, the one who was betraying him, answered and* said, "_⌊Surely I am not he, am I_⌋,* Rabbi?" He said to him, "You have said it."*

²⁰ But he said to them, "It is one of the twelve—the one who is dipping bread* into the bowl with me. ²¹ For the Son of Man is going just as it is written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for him if that man had not been born."

¹¹ _⌊Why_⌋*? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! ¹² But what I am doing, I will also do, in order that I may remove the opportunity of those who want an opportunity, that they may be found just as also we are in what they are boasting about. ¹³ For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.

⁹ whose coming is in accordance with the working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders, ¹⁰ and with every unrighteous deception against those who are perishing, in place of which they did not accept the love of the truth, so that they would be saved. ¹¹ And because of this, God sends them _⌊a powerful delusion_⌋* so that they will believe the lie,

¹ Now the Spirit explicitly says that in the last times some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, ² by the hypocrisy of liars, who are seared in their own conscience,

²³ So then, see that Yahweh has placed a false spirit in the mouth of all of these your prophets, and Yahweh has spoken disaster concerning you." ²⁴ Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah came near and slapped Micaiah on the cheek and said, "When did the Spirit of Yahweh pass from me to speak with you?" ²⁵ Then Micaiah said, "Behold, you are about to see on that day when you go _⌊from room to room_⌋* to hide."

¹⁰ And Zedekiah the son of Kenaanah made for himself horns of iron, and he said, "Thus says Yahweh: 'With these you will gore Aram* to their destruction.'"

⁵ The Lord Yahweh has opened an ear for me, and I, I was not rebellious. I did not turn backwards; ⁶ I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out my _⌊beard_⌋;* I did not hide my face from insults and spittle.

² Then Pashhur struck Jeremiah the prophet and put him in the stocks that were in the upper Gate of Benjamin, which was by the temple of Yahweh.

²⁶ "Yahweh made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, so that there are overseers in the house of Yahweh over any mad man who exhibits the behavior of a prophet, and you must put him into the stocks and into the neck iron, ²⁷ and so then why have you not rebuked Jeremiah the Anathothite who exhibits the behavior of a prophet for you?

³⁰ Let him give a cheek to his smiter, let him be filled with disgrace.

¹ * Now muster troops, O daughter of troops; a siege he puts against us. They strike the ruler of Israel with a rod on the cheek.

⁶⁷ Then they spat in his face and struck him with their fists, and they slapped him,* ⁶⁸ saying, "Prophesy for us, you Christ! Who is it who hit you?"

⁶⁵ And some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to strike him with their fists, and to say to him "Prophesy!" And the officers received him with slaps in the face.*

⁴⁰ Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things and said to him, "We are not also blind, are we?"* ⁴¹ Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now you say, 'We see,' your sin remains.

²² Now when* he had said these things, one of the officers who was standing by gave a slap in the face to Jesus, saying, "Do you reply to the high priest in this way?" ²³ Jesus replied to him, "If I have spoken wrongly, testify about what is wrong! But if I have spoken* correctly, why do you strike me?"

² So the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near him to strike his mouth. ³ Then Paul said to him, "God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! And are you sitting there judging me according to the law, and acting contrary to the law do you order me to be struck?"

³⁰ Then those who remained fled to Aphek, to the city, and the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand men who had remained, so Ben-Hadad fled and went to the innermost rooms of the city.

¹¹ Yahweh, though your hand reaches high, they do not see it.
Let them see, and let them be ashamed of the zeal of people. Indeed, let the fire of your enemies consume them.

²⁰ Go, my people, enter into your chambers and shut your doors* behind you; hide for _⌊a very little_⌋* while, until the wrath has passed over.

²¹ Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab, the son of Kolaiah, and concerning Zedekiah, the son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying to you in my name a lie, 'Look, I am going to give them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and he will strike them before your eyes. ²² And a curse will be taken up because of them by all the exiles* of Judah who are in Babylon, _⌊saying_⌋,* "May Yahweh make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire,"

³² _⌊therefore_⌋* thus says Yahweh, "Look, I am going to punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his offspring. There will not be for him a man who lives in the midst of this people, and he will not see the good that I am going to do to my people," _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh, "For he has spoken rebellion against Yahweh." '"

⁸ Then the king of Israel called to a eunuch and said, "Quickly bring Micaiah the son of Imlah."

⁸ Now in the eighteenth year of his reign after he purged the land and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the commander of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz, the recorder, to repair the house of Yahweh his God.

¹⁵ And the officials were angry at Jeremiah and they struck him. And they put him in _⌊prison_⌋,* in the house of Jonathan the secretary, for they had converted it to the _⌊prison_⌋*. ¹⁶ So Jeremiah came to the _⌊dungeon_⌋*, even to the vaulted cells, and Jeremiah stayed there many days. ¹⁷ Then King Zedekiah sent and fetched him. And the king questioned him in secrecy in his house, and he said, "Is there a word from Yahweh?" And Jeremiah said, "There is." And he said, "You will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon." ¹⁸ Then Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, "What did I do wrong to you, or to your servants, or to this people, that you have put me in _⌊prison_⌋?* ¹⁹ And where are your prophets who prophesied to you, _⌊saying_⌋,* 'The king of Babylon will not come against you and against this land'? ²⁰ Now then, my lord the king, please let my plea fall _⌊before you_⌋.* You must not send me back to the house of Jonathan the secretary, so that I will not die there." ²¹ So King Zedekiah commanded, and they handed Jeremiah over in the courtyard of the guard, and they gave to him a round loaf of bread from the street of the bakers _⌊every day_⌋* until the finishing of all the bread from the city. And Jeremiah stayed in the courtyard of the guard.

⁶ So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the pit* of Malchiah, the son of the king, which was in the courtyard of the guard. And they let Jeremiah down by ropes. Now in the pit* there was no water,* _⌊but only_⌋* mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud. ⁷ When Ebed-melech the Cushite, _⌊a eunuch_⌋* who was in the house of the king, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the pit*—now the king was sitting at the Gate of Benjamin—

²⁵ And while* he was discussing about righteousness and self control and the judgment that is to come, Felix became afraid and* replied, "Go away for the present, and when I* have an opportunity, I will summon you." ²⁶ At the same time he was also hoping that money would be given to him by Paul. For this reason also he sent for him as often as possible and* talked with him. ²⁷ And when* two years had passed, Felix received as successor Porcius Festus. And because he* wanted to do a favor for the Jews, Felix left Paul behind _⌊as a prisoner_⌋.*

¹⁹ And then when he hears the words of this oath, then* _⌊he will assure himself_⌋* in his heart, _⌊saying_⌋,* '_⌊Safety shall be mine even though I go in the stubbornness of my heart_⌋,'* thereby destroying the well-watered land along with the parched.*

²¹ Now David had said, "Surely _⌊in vain_⌋* I guarded all that this fellow had in the desert. And nothing was missed of all that was his, but he returned evil against me in place of good!

²⁶ The king of Israel said, "Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the commander of the city and to Jehoash the son of the king; ²⁷ and say, 'Thus says the king: "Put this fellow in the house of imprisonment and feed him reduced rations of food and water until I come in peace." '" ²⁸ Then Micaiah said, "If you indeed return in peace, then Yahweh has not spoken with me." Then he said, "Let all the peoples hear!"

¹⁰ Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in _⌊the prison_⌋,* for he was enraged with him concerning this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at that time.

¹⁵ But the king said to him, "How many times shall I make you swear that you speak nothing except the truth in the name of Yahweh?"

⁵ His ways* endure at all times.* Your judgments are aloof from him. As for all his enemies, he scoffs at them.

⁵ You have fed them the bread of tears; you have given them tears to drink in full measure.*

⁹ Indeed, I eat ashes like bread and mix my drink with tears*

¹⁶ The wise is cautious and turns from evil, but the fool throws off restraint and is confident.

²⁰ And the Lord will give you the bread of distress and the water of oppression, but* your teachers will not hide themselves* any longer. And your eyes _⌊shall see_⌋* your teachers.

² Then Pashhur struck Jeremiah the prophet and put him in the stocks that were in the upper Gate of Benjamin, which was by the temple of Yahweh. ³ _⌊And then_⌋* on the next day, when Pashhur brought Jeremiah out from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, "Yahweh will not call your name Pashhur, _⌊but_⌋* Terror From All Around.

¹² Rejoice and be glad, because your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.

²⁴ But the Pharisees, when they* heard it,* said, "This man does not expel demons except by Beelzebul the ruler of demons!"

¹⁹ But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him concerning Herodias, his brother's wife, and concerning all the evil deeds that Herod had done, ²⁰ added this also to them all: he also locked up John in prison.

² And they began to accuse him, saying, "We have found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us* to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying he himself is Christ, a king!"

¹⁸ And they laid hands on the apostles and put them in the public prison.

²² Now they were listening to him until this word, and they raised their voices, saying, "Away with such a man from the earth! For it is not fitting for him to live!"

²³ Are they servants of Christ?—I am speaking as though I were beside myself—I am more so, with far greater labors, with far more imprisonments, with beatings to a much greater degree, in danger of death many times.

² for you yourselves well know that the day of the Lord is coming in the same way as a thief in the night. ³ Whenever they say "Peace and security," then sudden destruction will overtake them like the birth pains of _⌊a pregnant woman_⌋*, and they will not possibly escape.

¹⁰ And those who live on the earth will rejoice over them, and will celebrate and will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who live on the earth.

²⁹ _⌊If they die a natural death_⌋* or _⌊if a natural fate is visited upon them_⌋,* Yahweh has not sent me.

¹⁰ All the sinners of my people will die by the sword, who say, 'Evil will not overtake or confront us.'

² Hear, all you peoples; give heed, O earth and its fullness. And let the Lord Yahweh be against you as a witness, the Lord from _⌊his holy temple_⌋.*

⁹ The one who has ears, let him hear!"

¹⁰ And summoning the crowd, he said to them, "Hear and understand:

¹⁴ And summoning the crowd again, he said to them, "Listen to me, all of you, and understand:

⁴⁵ And while* all the people were listening, he said to the disciples,* ⁴⁶ "Beware of the scribes, who like walking around in long robes and who love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets,

¹⁰ and* said, "O you who are full of all deceit and of all unscrupulousness, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness! Will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord! ¹¹ And now behold, the hand of the Lord is against you, and you will be blind, not seeing the sun _⌊for a while_⌋.* And immediately mist and darkness fell over him, and he was going around looking for people* to lead him* by the hand.

²⁹ Then the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth-Gilead. ³⁰ Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself and go into the battle, but you wear your robes." So the king of Israel disguised himself, and he went into the battle. ³¹ The king of Aram commanded his thirty-two chariot commanders, saying, "You shall not fight with small or great, but only against the king of Israel, him alone!" ³² When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, "Surely he is the king of Israel," and they turned to fight against him, so Jehoshaphat called out. ³³ When the chariot commanders saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned away from him.

⁸ So Saul disguised himself and put on other clothes, and he went _⌊with two of his men_⌋.* And they came to the woman by night and he said, "Please consult a spirit for me through _⌊the ritual pit_⌋,* and bring up for me the one whom I tell you."

² Jeroboam said to his wife, "Please get up and disguise yourself so that they will not know that you are the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh. Look, Ahijah the prophet is there, and he spoke concerning me before I became king over this people. ³ You must take ten loaves of bread in your hand and cakes and a jar of honey, and you must go to him. He shall tell you what will happen to the boy." ⁴ The wife of Jeroboam did so. She got up, went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. Now Ahijah was not able to see, for _⌊his eyes were fixed_⌋* because of his old age. ⁵ Then Yahweh said to Ahijah, "Look, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to seek a word from you about her son, for he is ill. _⌊Thus and so_⌋* you shall say to her. When she comes, she will be disguising herself." ⁶ It happened at the moment Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps coming through the doorway, he said, "Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why are you making yourself unrecognizable? I have been sent a hard message for you:

³⁸ Then the prophet went and _⌊waited_⌋* for the king along the road and disguised himself with a* headband over his eyes.

²² But Josiah did not turn his face from him, but he disguised himself to fight with him. He did not listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God, and he went out to fight in the plain of Megiddo. ²³ And the archers shot King Josiah, and the king said to his servants, "Take me away, for I am badly wounded."

¹⁵ And the eye of the adulterer waits for dusk, saying, _⌊'No eye will see me,'_⌋* and he places a covering on his face.

² They speak falseness _⌊to each other_⌋.* With flattering lips, with _⌊a double heart_⌋* they speak.

²⁵ When he makes his voice gracious, do not believe him, for seven abominations are in his heart.

²⁴ Or can a person hide himself in secret places and I cannot see him?" _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh. "Do I not fill up the heaven and the earth?" _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh.

¹¹ And the men who were at the entrance of the house they struck with blindness, both small and great, and they were unable to find the entrance.

¹⁷ You must not _⌊be partial_⌋* _⌊in your judgment_⌋; * hear out the small person as also the great person; _⌊do not be intimidated by any person_⌋,* because the judgment is God's; and the case that is too difficult* for you, bring it to me, and I will hear it out.'

³³ The men took this as a good omen and they quickly accepted it as true from him, and they said, "Your brother Ben-Hadad lives." So he said, "Go, get him." Ben-Hadad came out to him, and Ahab pulled him up on the chariot. ³⁴ Ben-Hadad said to him, "The cities which my father took from your father I shall return. You may set up streets with stalls for yourself in Damascus just as my father set up in Samaria." Then Ahab said, "_⌊On these terms_⌋* I will let you go," So he made a covenant with him and let him go.

⁴² He said to him, "Thus says Yahweh: 'Because you have let the man I devoted for destruction go from your hand, your life shall be in place of his life and your people in place of his people.'"

¹³ but all who will not seek Yahweh the God of Israel should be killed, from young to old, from men to women.

¹⁰ And Pharaoh approached, and the _⌊Israelites_⌋* lifted their eyes, and there were the Egyptians traveling after them! And they were very afraid, and the _⌊Israelites_⌋* cried out to Yahweh.

¹⁴ When Judah turned, then behold, the battle against them was in front and behind, and they cried to Yahweh, and the priests blew on the trumpets.

¹¹ Then Asa cried out to Yahweh his God. And he said, "O Yahweh, there is none with you to help between the great and the powerless. Help us, O Yahweh our God, for we rely upon you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O Yahweh, you are our God! Let no man prevail against you!"

⁷ And God helped him against the Philistines and against the Arabs who were living in Gur-Baal and Meunim.

¹ In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to accomplish the word of Yahweh by the mouth of Jeremiah, Yahweh stirred the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia and he sent a message to all of his kingdom and also put the message in writing:

²⁷ Blessed be Yahweh the God of our ancestors,* who put this in the heart of the king to glorify the house of Yahweh in Jerusalem

¹¹ O Lord, please let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight to revere in your name. Please, let your servant be successful this day and give him compassion before this man."
I was cupbearer for the king.

⁷ The angel of Yahweh encamps around those who fear him, and he rescues them.

¹ For the music director. Of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A song.*
God is our refuge and strength, a very sufficient help in troubles.

¹¹ Yahweh of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our high stronghold.

¹⁷ If Yahweh had not been my help, my soul would soon have dwelt in silence.

¹ I love him, because Yahweh has heard _⌊the voice of my supplications_⌋.* ² Because he has inclined his ear to me, I will call _⌊all my days_⌋.*

¹³ You pushed me hard* to make me fall, but Yahweh helped me.

⁷ When the ways of a man are pleasing to Yahweh, even his enemies he will cause to make peace with him.

¹ Streams of water are the heart* of a king in the hand of Yahweh; _⌊wherever_⌋* he will desire, he will turn.

⁹ But we ourselves had the sentence of death in ourselves, so that we would not be putting confidence in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead, ¹⁰ who delivered us from so great a risk of death, and will deliver us, in whom we have put our hope that he will also deliver us again,

³³ When the chariot commanders saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned away from him.

¹¹ Two hundred men from Jerusalem went with Absalom as invited guests, going in their innocence as they did not know anything.

²³ And the archers shot King Josiah, and the king said to his servants, "Take me away, for I am badly wounded."

²³ But if you do not do so, behold, you have sinned against Yahweh, and know that your sin will find you.

¹⁶ Then he said, "I saw all Israel scattered upon the mountains like sheep that had no shepherd. And Yahweh said, 'These have no masters; let them return to his own house in peace.'"

²⁷ And Micaiah said, "If you surely return in peace Yahweh has not spoken with me." Then he said, "Hear, peoples, all of them!"

²¹ Misfortune will pursue sinners, but the righteous _⌊will be rewarded with prosperity_⌋.*

¹⁷ A person who is burdened with the blood of _⌊another_⌋,* until death he will flee; do not take hold of him.