Genesis 14 Cross References - LEB

¹ And it happened that in the days of Amraphel, the king of Shinar, Arioch, the king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer, the king of Elam, and Tidal, the king of Goiim, ² made war with Bera, the king of Sodom, and Birsha, the king of Gomorrah, Shinab, the king of Admah, and Shemeber, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). ³ All these joined forces at the valley of Siddim (that is, the sea of the salt). ⁴ Twelve years they had served Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled. ⁵ In the fourteenth year Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him came and defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth-Karnaim, and the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim in Shaveh-Kiriathaim, ⁶ And the Horites in their hill country of Seir, as far as El-Paran, which is at the wilderness. ⁷ Then* they turned back and came to En-Mishpat (that is, Kadesh). And they defeated the whole territory of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who were living in Hazazon-Tamar. ⁸ Then* the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out, and _⌊they took up battle position_⌋* in the Valley of Siddim ⁹ with Kedorlaomer, king of Elam, and Tidal, king of Goiim, and Amraphel, king of Shinar, and Arioch, king of Ellasar, four kings against five. ¹⁰ Now* the Valley of Siddim _⌊was full of tar pits_⌋.* And the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled and _⌊fell into them_⌋,* but the rest fled to the mountains. ¹¹ So* they* took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their provisions, and they left. ¹² And they* took Lot, the son of the brother of Abram, and his possessions, and left. (Now he had been living in Sodom.) ¹³ Then* one who escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew. And he was living at the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner. _⌊They were allies with Abram_⌋.* ¹⁴ When* Abram heard that his _⌊relative_⌋* was taken captive, he summoned his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen of them, and he went in pursuit up to Dan. ¹⁵ And he divided his trained men against them at night, he and his servants. And he defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, which is north of Damascus. ¹⁶ And he brought back all the possessions. And he also brought back Lot, his _⌊relative_⌋,* and his possessions, and the women and the people as well. ¹⁷ After his return from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the Valley of the King). ¹⁸ And Melchizedek, the king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. (He was the priest of God Most High). ¹⁹ And he blessed him and said,
"Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Maker of heaven and earth. ²⁰ And blessed be God Most High who delivered your enemies into your hand."
And he* gave to him a tenth of everything. ²¹ And the king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the people, but the possessions take for yourself." ²² And Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have raised my hand to Yahweh, God Most High, Maker of heaven and earth, ²³ _⌊that neither a thread nor_⌋* a thong of a sandal would I take from all that belongs to you, that you might not say, 'I made Abram rich.' ²⁴ _⌊Nothing besides what_⌋* the servants have eaten and the share of the men who went out with me will I take. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share."

¹⁰ Now,* the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Akkad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

²² The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.

² And as people migrated* from the east they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.

¹¹ And this shall happen on that day:
The Lord will again extend his hand a second time to acquire the remnant of his people that is left, from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and the coastlands of the sea,

² A hard revelation is told to me;
the treacherous deals treacherously, and the destroyer destroys. Go up, Elam; lay siege, Media!
I put an end to all of her sighing.

⁶ And Elam lifted up the quiver, with chariots* of men* and cavalry. And Kir uncovered the shield.

¹² Did the gods of the nations that my _⌊predecessors_⌋* destroyed deliver them—Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the sons of Eden who were in Telassar?

²⁵ and all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of Media;

³⁴ The word of Yahweh that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah the king of Judah, _⌊saying_⌋,* ³⁵ "Thus says Yahweh of hosts:
'Look, I am going to break the bow of Elam, the first and best of their might. ³⁶ And I will bring to Elam four winds, from the four corners of heaven, and I will scatter them to all these winds, and there will not be a nation where the scattered people of Elam will not go. ³⁷ So I will shatter Elam _⌊before_⌋* their enemies, and _⌊before_⌋* the seekers of their life. And I will bring disaster upon them, _⌊my burning anger_⌋,*' _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh. 'And I will send after them the sword until I have destroyed them. ³⁸ And I will set my throne in Elam and I will destroy from there king and officials,' _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh. ³⁹ '_⌊And then_⌋* in the last of the days I will restore the fortunes* of Elam,' _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh."

²⁴ Elam is there and all of its hordes, all around its grave, all of them dead who fell by the sword, those who went down uncircumcised to the depths of the underworld,* those who spread their terror to the land of the living, and now they bear their disgrace with the people going down to the grave.*

² And the Lord gave Jehoiakim the king of Judah into his hand and _⌊some of_⌋* of the utensils of the temple of God,* and he brought them to the land of Shinar to the temple of his gods, and he brought the utensils to _⌊the treasury_⌋* of his gods.

¹¹ And he said to me, "To build for it a house* in the land of Shinar,* and when it is put in place, it will be placed there on its site."

¹⁹ And the territory of the Canaanites was from Sidon _⌊in the direction of_⌋* Gerar as far as Gaza, and _⌊in the direction of_⌋* Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.

¹⁰ And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw the whole plain of the Jordan, that all of it was well-watered land—this was before Yahweh destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah—like the garden of Yahweh, like the land of Egypt _⌊in the direction of_⌋* Zoar.

²⁰ Behold, this city is near enough to flee there, and it is a little one. Please, let me flee there. Is it not a little one? Then my life shall be saved." ²¹ And he said to him, "Behold, _⌊I will grant this favor as well_⌋;* that I will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken. ²² Escape there quickly, for I cannot do this thing until you get there." Therefore, there name of the city was called Zoar. ²³ After the sun _⌊had risen_⌋* upon the earth and Lot had entered Zoar, ²⁴ Yahweh rained down from heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from Yahweh. ²⁵ And he overthrew those cities and the whole plain, and the inhabitants of the cities and the vegetation of the ground. ²⁶ But his* wife looked _⌊back_⌋,* and she became a pillar of salt. ²⁷ And Abraham arose early in the morning and went to the place where he had stood before Yahweh. ²⁸ And he looked down upon the surface of Sodom and Gomorrah, and upon the whole surface of the land, the plain. And he saw that,* behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a smelting furnace. ²⁹ So it was, when God destroyed the cities of the plain that God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out from the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in which Lot lived. ³⁰ And Lot went out from Zoar and settled in the hill country* with his two daughters, for he was afraid to stay in Zoar. So he lived in a cave, he and his two daughters.

²³ 'All its land is brimstone and salt left by fire, _⌊none of its land will be sown_⌋,* and it will not make plants sprout out and it will not grow any vegetation; it is as the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Adman and Zeboiim, which Yahweh overturned in his anger and in his wrath.'

³ and the Negev and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palms, on up to Zoar.

¹⁸ One division turned on the road* to Beth Horon, and one turned on the road* toward the border overlooking the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.

³⁴ Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat,

⁹ If Yahweh of hosts had not left us survivors,* we would have been as few as Sodom, we would have become like Gomorrah. ¹⁰ Hear the word of Yahweh, rulers of Sodom! Listen to the teaching of our God, people of Gomorrah!

⁵ My heart cries out for Moab; its fugitives flee up to Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah. For at the ascent of Luhith it goes up it with weeping; for on the road of Horonaim they raise up a cry of destruction.

³⁴ From the cry for help of Heshbon, up to Elealeh, up to Jahaz, they give their voice, from Zoar up to Horonaim, up to Eglath-shelishiyah, for even the waters of Nimrim have become as a desolation.

⁸ How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart is disturbed* within me; _⌊all_⌋* my compassions are aroused.

²⁴ Yahweh rained down from heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from Yahweh.

¹² The boundary will go down to the Jordan, and its limits will be at the Salt Sea.* This will be your land according to its boundaries all around.'"

¹⁷ And the _⌊Jordan Valley_⌋* with the Jordan River as its boundary, from Kinnereth* up to the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea,* with the slopes of Pisgah toward the east.

¹⁶ the waters flowing down from above stood still; they stood up in one heap very far from Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, while the waters flowing down to the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea,* _⌊were completely cut off_⌋;* and the people crossed over opposite Jericho.

³⁴ a fruitful land into a salty place, because of the evil of its inhabitants.

²⁵ And he said,
"Cursed be Canaan, a slave of slaves he shall be to his brothers." ²⁶ Then* he said,
"Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Shem, and let Canaan be a slave to them.

¹⁵ But he rebelled against him by sending his messengers to Egypt to give to him horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Will he escape doing these things, and can he break the covenant and escape?

²⁰ the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,

⁴ This happened _⌊after defeating_⌋* Sihon king of the Amorites, who was reigning* in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who was reigning* in Ashtaroth in Edrei.

¹⁰ (The Emim previously lived in it, a people large,* numerous, and tall, like the Anakites. ¹¹ They were reckoned also as Rephaim as the Anakites were; but the Moabites called them Emim.

²⁰ (It is also considered the land of Rephaim; Rephaim lived in it _⌊previously_⌋,* and the Ammonites called them Zamzummim, ²¹ a people great and numerous and as tall as the Anakites; Yahweh destroyed them from before them,* and they dispossessed them and settled in place of them, ²² just as he did for the descendants* of Esau, who live in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites from _⌊before them_⌋* and dispossessed them, and then they settled in their* place up to this day. ²³ And also the Avvites, who lived in villages as far as Gaza, and the Caphtorim, who came out from Caphtor, destroyed them and then settled in their place.

¹¹ (For only Og, king of Bashan, was left from the remnant of the Rephaim. Indeed, his bedstead—it was a bedstead of iron. It is in Rabbah of the _⌊Ammonites_⌋.* Nine cubits is its length, and four cubits is its width according to the cubit of a man.)

²⁰ until Yahweh shall give rest to your brothers as he did to you, and also they take possession of the land that Yahweh your God is giving to them beyond the Jordan; then they may return, each one to his possession that I have given to them.

²² You shall not fear them, for Yahweh your God is the one fighting for you.

⁴ the territory of Og king of Bashan, one of the last of the Rephaites, who lived at Ashtaroth and Edrei

¹² all the kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei—he was left over from the survivors* of the Rephaim; these Moses had defeated and driven out.

¹⁹ Kiriathaim, Sibmah, and Zereth Shahar on the hill of the valley;

³¹ and half of Gilead, with Ashtaroth, Edrei, and the cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan; these were allotted to the children of Makir son of Manasseh, for half of the children of Makir according to their families.

¹⁸ Now the Philistines had come, and they spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.

²² _⌊Once again_⌋* the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.

¹³ Then three* of the thirty leaders went down and came to David _⌊at the time of the harvest_⌋* to the cave of Adullam, while a group of the Philistines were camping in the valley of the Rephaim.

⁴⁰ And they found fertile and good pasture, and the land was very broad, quiet, and at ease, for the former inhabitants there were from Ham.

¹⁵ And three of the thirty chiefs went down toward the rock to David at the cave of Adullam when the army of the Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim.

⁹ Now the Philistines came and carried out a raid in the Valley of Rephaim.

⁵¹ And he struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, the first of their virility in the tents of Ham.

²³ Then Israel came to Egypt, and Jacob was a sojourner in the land of Ham.

²⁷ They set before them the words concerning his signs and portents in the land of Ham.

²² wonders in the land of Ham, awesome deeds by _⌊the Red Sea_⌋.*

⁵ And it shall be as _⌊when a reaper gathers_⌋* standing grain and he reaps grain with his arm, and it shall be like one who gathers ears of grain in the valley of Rephaim.

¹ Concerning Moab, thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel:
"Woe to Nebo, for it is devastated. It is ashamed, Kiriathaim is captured. Misgab is ashamed, and it is filled with terror.

²³ and on Kiriathaim, and on Beth-gamul, and on Beth-meon,

⁷ And the angel of Yahweh found her at a spring of water in the wilderness, at the spring by the road of Shur.

²¹ And he lived in the wilderness of Paran. And his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

⁸ So Esau dwelled in the hill country of Seir (Esau, that is Edom).

²⁰ These are the sons of Seir, the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, ²¹ Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These are the chiefs of the Horites, the sons of Seir in the land of Edom. ²² And the sons of Lotan were Hori and Hemam. And Lotan's sister was Timna. ²³ Now these are the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. ²⁴ Now these are the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah—he is Anah who found the hot springs in the desert while he pastured the donkeys of Zibeon his father. ²⁵ Now these are the sons of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah. ²⁶ Now these are the sons of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Keran. ²⁷ These are the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan. ²⁸ These are the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran. ²⁹ These are the chiefs of the Horites: the chiefs Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, ³⁰ Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These are the chiefs of the Horites, according to their chiefs in the land of Seir.

¹² And the _⌊Israelites_⌋* set out for their journey* from the desert of Sinai, and the cloud dwelled in the desert of Paran.

¹⁶ And afterward the people set out from Hazeroth, and they encamped in the desert of Paran.

³ So Moses sent them from the desert of Paran on the command of Yahweh; all of the men were _⌊leaders_⌋* of the _⌊Israelites_⌋.*

¹² The Horites previously lived in Seir, but the descendants* of Esau dispossessed them and destroyed them _⌊from among themselves_⌋,* as Israel did with respect to the land of their* possession that Yahweh gave to them.)

²² just as he did for the descendants* of Esau, who live in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites from _⌊before them_⌋* and dispossessed them, and then they settled in their* place up to this day.

³⁸ And the sons of Seir: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. ³⁹ And the sons of Lotan: Hori and Homam; and the sister of Lotan was Timna. ⁴⁰ The sons of Shobal: Alian, Manahath, Ebal, Shephi, and Onam. And the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah. ⁴¹ The sons of Anah: Dishon. And the sons of Dishon: Hamran, Eshban, Ithran, and Keran. ⁴² The sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Jaakan. The sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.

³ God came from Teman; the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah His splendor covers the heavens, and his praise fills the earth.

¹⁴ Therefore the well was called Beer-Lahai-Roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

¹ And Abraham journeyed from there to the land of the Negev, and he settled between Kadesh and Shur. And he dwelled as an alien in Gerar.

¹² (Now Timnah was the concubine of Eliphaz, the son of Esau. And she bore Amalek to Eliphaz.) These are the sons of Adah, the wife of Esau.

¹⁶ Korah, Gatam, and Amalek. These are the chiefs of Eliphaz in the land of Edom. These are the sons of Adah.

⁸ And Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. ⁹ And Moses said to Joshua, "Choose men for us, and go out, fight against Amalek tomorrow. I will be standing on the top of the hill, and the staff of God will be in my hand." ¹⁰ And Joshua did as Moses had said to him to fight with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. ¹¹ And* when Moses raised his hand, Israel would prevail, but when he rested his hand, Amalek would prevail. ¹² But the hands of Moses were heavy, and they took a stone and placed it under him, and he sat on it; Aaron and Hur supported his hands, _⌊one on each side_⌋,* and his hands were steady until _⌊sundown_⌋.* ¹³ And Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the _⌊edge of the sword_⌋.* ¹⁴ And Yahweh said to Moses, "Write this as a memorial in the scroll and _⌊recite it in the hearing of_⌋* Joshua, because I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under the heavens." ¹⁵ And Moses built an altar, and he called its name Yahweh Is My Banner. ¹⁶ And he said, "Because a hand was against the throne of Yah,* a war will be for Yahweh with Amalek from generation to generation."

²⁶ And they came* to Moses and Aaron and to the entire community of the _⌊Israelites_⌋* in the desert of Paran at Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the community, and they showed them the fruit of the land.

⁴³ because the Amalekites* and the Canaanites* are there _⌊before you_⌋,* and you will fall by the sword; because you have turned back from Yahweh, and Yahweh will not be with you."

⁴⁵ So the Amalekites* and the Canaanites* who were living on the mountain descended, and they beat them down, up to Hormah.

¹ Then the entire community of the _⌊Israelites_⌋* came to the desert of Zin on the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh; Miriam died and was buried there.

²⁰ And he looked at Amalek, _⌊uttered_⌋* his oracle, and said, "Amalek is first* of the nations, but his future will be forever ruin."

¹⁹ "Then we set out from Horeb, and we went through the whole of that great and terrible desert that you saw on the way to the hill country of the Amorites* as Yahweh our God had commanded us, and so we came up to Kadesh Barnea.

⁴⁶ You stayed in Kadesh many days; such were the days that you stayed there.

⁶² Nibshan, the city of Salt, and En Gedi; six cities and their villages.

¹ Then Samuel said to Saul, "Yahweh sent me to anoint you as king over his people Israel. So then, _⌊listen to the words_⌋* of Yahweh! ² Thus says Yahweh of hosts: 'I have observed what Amalek did to Israel, _⌊how he opposed him_⌋* when he went up from Egypt. ³ So then, go and attack Amalek and utterly destroy all that is his! You must not spare him, but kill both man and woman, both child and nursing infant, both ox and sheep, both camel and donkey.'" ⁴ Saul summoned the army and mustered them at Telaim; two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men of Judah. ⁵ Then Saul came up to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the wadi.* ⁶ Saul said to the Kenites, "Go, leave! Withdraw from among the Amalekites so that I do not destroy you with them. You have shown loyal love to all the _⌊Israelites_⌋* when they came up from Egypt." So the Kenites left from among the Amalekites. ⁷ Then Saul defeated the Amalekites from Havilah as one goes to Shur which is _⌊east of_⌋* Egypt. ⁸ He captured Agag the king of Amalek alive, but all the people he utterly destroyed with the _⌊edge_⌋* of the sword. ⁹ However, Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and the cattle and the second best of the young fatlings and _⌊all that was valuable_⌋;* they were not willing to utterly destroy them. But all the possessions that were despised or worthless, they utterly destroyed. ¹⁰ Then the word of Yahweh came to Samuel, saying, ¹¹ "I regret that I made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not kept my word." _⌊Samuel became angry_⌋,* and he cried out to Yahweh all night. ¹² Then Samuel got up early in the morning to meet Saul. Samuel was told, "Saul has gone to Carmel, and look, he is setting up a monument for himself." Then he turned around and crossed over and went down to Gilgal. ¹³ When Samuel came to Saul, Saul said to him, "May you be blessed by Yahweh! I have kept the word of Yahweh." ¹⁴ But Samuel said, "Then what is this bleating of the sheep that I hear in my ears and the lowing of the cattle that I am hearing?" ¹⁵ Saul said, "They have brought them from the Amalekites; the troops spared the best of the sheep and the cattle in order to sacrifice them to Yahweh your God. But the rest we have utterly destroyed." ¹⁶ Then Samuel said to Saul, "Stop and let me tell you what Yahweh said to me last night." So he said to him, "Speak." ¹⁷ Samuel said, "Even though you are small in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? Yahweh has anointed you as king over Israel. ¹⁸ When Yahweh sent you on your way, he said to you: 'Go! You must utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and you must fight against them until you* have destroyed them.' ¹⁹ Why did you not listen to the voice of Yahweh and fall with shouting on the plunder? You have done evil in the sight of Yahweh!" ²⁰ Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have listened to the voice of Yahweh, and I have gone on the way that Yahweh sent me! I brought Agag the king of Amalek, and the Amalekites I have utterly destroyed. ²¹ The troops took from the plunder, sheep and cattle, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to Yahweh your God at Gilgal." ²² Then Samuel said,
"Is there as much delight for Yahweh in burnt offerings and sacrifices as there is in _⌊obeying_⌋* Yahweh? Look! _⌊To obey_⌋* is better than sacrifice; to give heed than the fat of rams. ²³ For rebellion is like the sin of divination; arrogance is like iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of Yahweh, he has rejected you from being king!" ²⁴ Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned because I have transgressed _⌊the commandment of Yahweh_⌋* and your words, for I feared the troops and I listened to their voice. ²⁵ So then, please pardon my sin and return with me _⌊so that I can worship_⌋* Yahweh." ²⁶ But Samuel said to Saul, "I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of Yahweh, and he has rejected you from being king over Israel!" ²⁷ As Samuel turned around to go, he* caught hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore. ²⁸ Then Samuel said to him, "Yahweh has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor _⌊who is better than you_⌋.* ²⁹ Moreover, the Glory of Israel will not break faith and will not regret, for he is not a human that he should regret." ³⁰ Then he* said, "I have sinned! Now please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me _⌊so that I can worship_⌋* Yahweh your God." ³¹ So Samuel returned after Saul, and Saul _⌊worshiped_⌋* Yahweh. ³² Then Samuel said, "Bring Agag the king of Amalek out to me!" Agag came to him confidently,* for Agag thought, "Surely the bitterness of death _⌊is over_⌋."* ³³ Samuel said,
"Just as your sword bereaved women, so will your mother be bereaved among women!"
Then Samuel hacked Agag to pieces in the presence of Yahweh at Gilgal. ³⁴ Then Samuel went to Ramah and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul. ³⁵ Samuel _⌊did not see Saul again_⌋* until the day of his death, but Samuel mourned over Saul, and Yahweh regretted that he made Saul king over Israel.

¹ Then David _⌊thought to himself_⌋,* "Now I will perish one day by the hand of Saul! There is nothing better for me but that I must certainly escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will desist from searching for me further in all of the territories of Israel, and so I will escape from his hand." ² So David got up and crossed over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, the king of Gath. ³ David settled with Achish in Gath, he and his men, each with his household.* David took along his two wives Ahinoam _⌊from Jezreel_⌋* and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. ⁴ And it was reported to Saul that David had fled to Gath, so _⌊he no longer searched for him_⌋.* ⁵ Then David said to Achish, "Please, if I have found favor in your eyes, then let them give me a place in one of the _⌊country towns_⌋* that I can live there. Why should your servant live in _⌊the royal city_⌋* with you?" ⁶ So Achish gave him Ziklag on that day. (Therefore, Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah until this day.) ⁷ The number of days that David lived in the countryside of the Philistines was one year and four months. ⁸ Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites and the Girzites and the Amalekites, for they had been living in the land for a long time _⌊in the direction of_⌋* Shur and _⌊as far as_⌋* the land of Egypt. ⁹ So David struck the land and did not leave a man or a woman alive; he took the sheep,* the cattle, the donkeys, the camels, and the clothing. Then he returned and came to Achish. ¹⁰ And Achish said, "Against whom have you raided today?" David said, "Against the Negev of Judah and against the Negev of the Jerahmeelites and against the Negev of the Kenites." ¹¹ And David did not leave alive a man or a woman to bring them back to Gath, thinking,* "So that they will not report about us, saying, 'David did thus and so.'" Thus was his practice all the days that he lived in the countryside of the Philistines. ¹² And Achish trusted David, saying, "_⌊He has made himself utterly hated_⌋* among his people in Israel, and he will be my servant forever."

¹ _⌊Now_⌋* when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. When they attacked Ziklag, they burned it with fire. ² They took captive the women* who were in it, _⌊from the youngest to the oldest_⌋.* They did not kill anyone, but carried them off and went on their way. ³ When David and his men came to the city, _⌊they saw_⌋,* and it was burned with fire, and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. ⁴ Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until there was not enough strength in them to weep. ⁵ Two of David's wives had been taken captive. Ahinoam _⌊from Jezreel_⌋* and Abigail, the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. ⁶ And _⌊David was in a very precarious situation_⌋,* for the people spoke of stoning him, for the souls of all the people were bitter, each one over his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in Yahweh his God. ⁷ Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, "Please bring the ephod here for me." So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. ⁸ And David inquired of Yahweh, saying, "Should I pursue after this band of raiders? Will I overtake them?" He said to him, "Pursue them, for you will certainly overtake them, and you will certainly rescue them." ⁹ So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the Wadi* Besor, but the rest remained. ¹⁰ David pursued, he and four hundred men; but two hundred men stayed because they were too exhausted to pass over the Wadi Besor. ¹¹ Then they found an Egyptian man in the open country and brought him to David, and they gave him food and he ate; they also gave him water. ¹² They gave him a slice of fig cake and two raisin cakes; he ate and _⌊this revived him_⌋,* because he had not eaten food or drunk water for three days and three nights. ¹³ Then David said to him, "_⌊To whom do you belong_⌋,* and from where are you? The young man said, "I am an Egyptian young man, a servant of an Amalekite man, but my master abandoned me because I became ill three days ago. ¹⁴ We raided the Negev of the Kerethites and that which belongs to Judah and then the Negev of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire." ¹⁵ So David asked him, "Will you take me down to this band of raiders?" He said, "Swear to me by God that you will not kill me and that you will not deliver me into my master's hand! Then I will take you down to this band." ¹⁶ So he took him down, and _⌊there they were_⌋,* spread out over the surface of all the land, eating and drinking and dancing because of all of the abundant plunder which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. ¹⁷ Then David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped _⌊except_⌋* four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled. ¹⁸ So David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken; David also rescued his two wives. ¹⁹ None of theirs was missing _⌊from the smallest to the greatest_⌋,* even sons and daughters, from the plunder up to everything they had taken for themselves; David brought back everything. ²⁰ And David took all of the sheep,* and the cattle they drove along in front of that livestock, and they said, "This is David's plunder." ²¹ Then David came to the two hundred men _⌊who had been too exhausted to follow_⌋* David; they had left them behind at the Wadi* Besor. They went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. David came near with the people and _⌊asked them how they were doing_⌋.* ²² Then all the corrupt and useless men among the men who went with David reacted and said, "Because they did not go with us, we will not give them anything from the plunder which we recovered, _⌊except_⌋* each man may take his own wife and children. They must take them along and go!" ²³ But David said to them, "You should not do so, my brothers, with what Yahweh has given to us! He has preserved us and has given the raiding band that came against us into our hand. ²⁴ And who would listen to you regarding this matter? For as the share of the one who went down into the battle, so the share of the one who remained with the baggage will be. They will share alike." ²⁵ So* from that day and beyond, he made it a rule and a regulation for Israel until this day. ²⁶ Then David came to Ziklag, and he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, "_⌊Here is_⌋* a gift for you from the plunder of the enemies of Yahweh!" ²⁷ It was for those in Bethel, for those in Ramoth of the Negev, for those in Jattir, ²⁸ for those in Aroer, for those in Siphmoth, for those in Eshtemoa, ²⁹ for those in Racal, for those in the towns of the Jerahmeelites, for those in the towns of the Kenites, ³⁰ for those in Hormah, for those in Bor Ashan, for those in Athach, ³¹ for those in Hebron, and for all the places _⌊where David and his men had roamed_⌋.*

² And they came and reported it to Jehoshaphat, saying, "A great multitude from beyond the sea, from Aram,* is coming against you. Now behold, they are in Hazazon Tamar" (that is, En Gedi).

² made war with Bera, the king of Sodom, and Birsha, the king of Gomorrah, Shinab, the king of Admah, and Shemeber, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). ³ All these joined forces at the valley of Siddim (that is, the sea of the salt).

¹⁰ Now* the Valley of Siddim _⌊was full of tar pits_⌋.* And the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled and _⌊fell into them_⌋,* but the rest fled to the mountains.

²⁰ Behold, this city is near enough to flee there, and it is a little one. Please, let me flee there. Is it not a little one? Then my life shall be saved."

²² Escape there quickly, for I cannot do this thing until you get there." Therefore, there name of the city was called Zoar.

³ And they said _⌊to each other_⌋,* "Come, let us make bricks and _⌊burn them thoroughly_⌋."* And they had brick for stone and they had tar for mortar.

¹⁷ And after bringing them outside one said, "Flee for your life; do not look behind you, and do not stand anywhere in the plain. Flee to the mountains lest you be destroyed."

³⁰ And Lot went out from Zoar and settled in the hill country* with his two daughters, for he was afraid to stay in Zoar. So he lived in a cave, he and his two daughters.

²⁴ When Israel finished slaughtering all the inhabitants of Ai in the open field, in the wilderness where they pursued them, and when all of them had fallen by _⌊the edge of the sword_⌋* until they all had perished, all Israel returned to Ai and attacked it with _⌊the edge of the sword_⌋.*

¹⁰ They were destroyed at En-dor; they became dung for the ground.

¹⁸ And this shall happen:
The one who flees from the sound of the terror shall fall into the pit, and the one who goes up from _⌊inside the pit_⌋* shall be caught in the snare, for the windows from heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble.

⁴⁴ "He who flees _⌊before_⌋* the dread will fall into the pit, and the one who climbs up from the pit will be caught in the trapping net, for I will bring on Moab the year of their punishment," _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh.

⁵ And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot _⌊his nephew_⌋,* and all their possessions that they had gathered, and all the persons that they had acquired in Haran, and they went out to go to the land of Canaan. And they went to the land of Canaan.

¹⁶ And he brought back all the possessions. And he also brought back Lot, his _⌊relative_⌋,* and his possessions, and the women and the people as well.

²¹ And the king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the people, but the possessions take for yourself."

³¹ Your ox shall be slaughtered before your eyes, and you shall not eat it; your donkey shall be stolen right _⌊before you_⌋,* and it shall not be returned to you; your sheep and your goats shall be given to your enemies, and _⌊there shall not be anyone who rescues you_⌋.*

³⁵ Yahweh shall strike you with grievous boils on the knees and on the upper thighs from which _⌊you will not be able to be healed_⌋,* from the sole of your foot and up to your crown.

⁵¹ And it* shall consume the fruit of your livestock and the fruit of your ground _⌊until you are destroyed_⌋,* and who will not leave for you any grain, wine, and olive oil, _⌊calves of your herds_⌋,* and _⌊lambs of_⌋* your flock _⌊until it has destroyed you_⌋.*

²⁷ Now* these are the generations* of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran, and Haran fathered Lot.

¹² Abram settled in the land of Canaan, and Lot settled in the cities of the plain. And he pitched his tent toward Sodom. ¹³ Now the men of Sodom _⌊were extremely wicked sinners against Yahweh_⌋.*

²⁶ He said to the community, saying, "Please turn away from the tents of these wicked men, and do not touch anything _⌊that belongs to them_⌋,* or you will be destroyed with all their sins."

²³ When the whip* kills suddenly, he mocks at the despair of the innocent.

¹⁷ Did you not do this to yourself, by forsaking Yahweh, your God, at the time of your leading in the way? ¹⁸ And now _⌊why do you go_⌋* the way of Egypt to drink the waters of the Shihor? And _⌊why do you go_⌋* the way of Assyria to drink the waters of the _⌊Euphrates_⌋?* ¹⁹ Your wickedness will chastise you, and your apostasies will reprove you. Therefore know and see that it is evil and bitter, your forsaking of Yahweh, your God, and fear of me is not in you," _⌊declares_⌋* the Lord, Yahweh of hosts.

⁹ But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and a trap and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge those people into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all evil, by which some, because they* desire it, have gone astray from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains. ¹¹ But you, O man of God, flee from these things, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patient endurance, gentleness.

¹⁹ As many as I love, I reprove and discipline. Be zealous, therefore, and repent!

⁴ And I heard another voice from heaven saying,
"Come out from her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins, and so that you will not receive her plagues,

¹⁶ and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites,

¹⁸ So* Abram pitched his tent, and he came and settled at the oaks of Mamre, which were at Hebron. And there he built an altar to Yahweh.

²⁴ _⌊Nothing besides what_⌋* the servants have eaten and the share of the men who went out with me will I take. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share."

¹⁴ she called to the men of her house and said to them, "Look! He* brought a Hebrew man to us to mock us! He came to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice.

¹⁵ For I was surely kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me in this pit."

¹² And there with us was a young man, a Hebrew servant of the chief of the guard, and we told him the dream, and he interpreted our dreams for us, each according to his dream he interpreted.

³² And they served him* by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who were eating with him by themselves, for Egyptians _⌊could not dine_⌋* with Hebrews, because that was a detestable thing to Egyptians.

⁶ and opened it and saw him—the boy—and it was a lad weeping, and she had compassion for him and said, "This must be from the boys of the Hebrews."*

¹¹ _⌊And then_⌋* in those days when Moses had grown up, he went out to his brothers, and he saw their _⌊forced labor_⌋,* and he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man, one of his brothers.*

²¹ Israel sent messengers to Sihon, the king of the Amorites,* saying,

¹² A man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh that same day, and his clothes were torn and earth was on his head.

¹⁵ Then* the Sabeans _⌊attacked_⌋,* and they took them, and they slew the servants _⌊by the edge of the sword_⌋.* But* I escaped, even I alone, to tell you."

⁹ And he said to them, "I am a Hebrew, and I fear Yahweh, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land."

²² Are they Hebrews? I am also! Are they Israelites? I am also! Are they descendants of Abraham? I am also!

⁵ Think this in* yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,

²⁷ Now* these are the generations* of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran, and Haran fathered Lot. ²⁸ And Haran died in the presence of Terah his father in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans. ²⁹ And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of the wife of Abram was Sarai, and the name of the wife of Nahor was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and Iscah. ³⁰ And Sarai was barren; she had no child. ³¹ And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot, the son of Haran, _⌊his grandson_⌋,* and Sarai his daughter-in-law, the wife of Abram his son, and went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan. And they went to Haran, and they settled there.

¹⁶ And he dealt well with Abram on account of her, and he had sheep, cattle, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.

⁸ Then Abram said to Lot, "Please, let there not be quarreling between me and you, and between my shepherds and your shepherds, for we men are brothers.

³ And Abram said, "Look, you have not given me a descendant, and here, _⌊a member of my household_⌋* is _⌊my heir_⌋."*

¹² And _⌊at eight days of age_⌋* you shall yourselves circumcise every male belonging to your generations and _⌊the servant born in your house and the one bought from any foreigner_⌋* who is not from your offspring.

²⁷ And all the men of his house, _⌊those born in the house, and those acquired by money from a foreigner_⌋,* were circumcised with him.

¹⁹ For I have chosen* him, that he will command his children and his household after him that they will keep the way of Yahweh, to do righteousness and justice, so that Yahweh may bring upon Abraham that which he said to him."

⁶ "Hear us, my lord, you are a mighty prince* in our midst. Bury your dead in the choicest of our burial sites. None of us _⌊will withhold his burial site_⌋* from you for burying your dead."

¹ Then Moses went up from the desert plateau* of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, _⌊which is opposite_⌋* Jericho, and Yahweh showed him all of the land, Gilead all the way up to Dan,

²⁹ And they called the name of the city Dan, after Dan their ancestor,* who was born to Israel; but the former name of the city was Laish.

¹ All the _⌊Israelites_⌋* went out, from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, and they gathered as one body* to Yahweh at Mizpah.

³ Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your splendor and your majesty. ⁴ And in your majesty _⌊ride victoriously_⌋,* because of truth and humility and righteousness. And let your right hand teach you awesome deeds. ⁵ Your arrows are sharp; peoples fall under you in the midst of the king's enemies.

¹² "The kings of armies flee, they flee, and she who remains at home divides the spoil.

¹⁷ The friend loves at all times*, but a brother is born for adversity.

¹¹ Rescue those who are led away to the death and those who stagger to the slaughter. If you hold back, ¹² if you say, "Look, we do not know this," does not he who weighs hearts perceive it? And he who keeps your soul,* he knows and will repay humankind according to his deeds.

⁷ I acquired male slaves and female slaves, as well as children born in my house. I also had livestock, cattle, and flocks more than anyone who was before me in Jerusalem.

² Who has roused salvation from the east, summoned* him to his foot, gives nations _⌊in his presence_⌋,* and subjugates kings? He makes* them like the dust with his sword, like scattered stubble with his bow. ³ He pursues them and passes on in peace; he does not enter the path with his feet.

¹ Brothers, even if a person is caught in some trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a person in a spirit of humility, looking out for yourself, lest you also be tempted. ² Carry the burdens of one another, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

¹⁸ Children, it is the last hour, and just as you have heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen, by which we know that it is the last hour.

² And this is the manner of the remission of debt: every _⌊creditor_⌋* shall remit his claim that he holds against his neighbor, and he shall not exact payment from his brother because there* a remission of debt has been proclaimed unto* Yahweh.

¹⁸ Asa took all of the silver and gold remaining in the storerooms of the house of Yahweh and in the treasury rooms of the house of the king, and he gave them into the hand of his servants; so King Asa sent them to Ben-Hadad the son of Tabrimmon the son of Hezion, the king of Aram, who lived in Damascus, saying,

⁵ It goes well for a man who is gracious and lends, who conducts his _⌊business properly_⌋.*

² and* asked for letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, both men and women, he could bring them* tied up* to Jerusalem.

² And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great. And you will be a blessing.

¹¹ So* they* took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their provisions, and they left. ¹² And they* took Lot, the son of the brother of Abram, and his possessions, and left. (Now he had been living in Sodom.)

⁸ And David inquired of Yahweh, saying, "Should I pursue after this band of raiders? Will I overtake them?" He said to him, "Pursue them, for you will certainly overtake them, and you will certainly rescue them."

¹⁸ So David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken; David also rescued his two wives. ¹⁹ None of theirs was missing _⌊from the smallest to the greatest_⌋,* even sons and daughters, from the plunder up to everything they had taken for themselves; David brought back everything.

² Who has roused salvation from the east, summoned* him to his foot, gives nations _⌊in his presence_⌋,* and subjugates kings? He makes* them like the dust with his sword, like scattered stubble with his bow.

³⁴ Jephthah came to Mizpah, to his house, and behold his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and dancing. She was his only child; he did not have a son or daughter except her.

⁶ _⌊When they were coming back_⌋* after David had returned from striking down the Philistine, the women went out from all the cities of Israel singing and dancing to meet King Saul with tambourines, with joy, and with three-stringed instruments.

¹⁸ (Now Absalom had taken and set up for himself in his lifetime a stone pillar that is in the valley of the king, because he said, "I have no son in order to remember my name," and he called the stone pillar by his name. It is called the monument of Absalom until this day).

²⁰ The poor is disliked even by his neighbor, but the lovers of the rich are many.

⁴ Wealth adds many friends, but the poor will be left by his friends.

¹ For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham as he* was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,*

¹⁰ And he said, "You are blessed by Yahweh my daughter. You did better in this last kindness than the first by not going after young men, whether poor or rich.

⁵ So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-Gilead and said to them, "May you be blessed by Yahweh because you did this loyal love with your lord, with Saul, and you buried him.

¹⁷ I will thank Yahweh according to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of Yahweh, the Most High.

¹⁴ Offer to God a thank offering and pay your vows to the Most High.

² I will call to God Most High, to God who accomplishes things concerning me.

² His den* has been in Salem, his lair* in Zion.

⁴ Yahweh has sworn and he will not change his mind, "You are a priest forever according to the manner of Melchizedek."

⁶ With what shall I approach Yahweh, and bow down to God on high? Shall I approach him with burnt offerings, with bull calves a year old?

²⁶ Now while* they were eating Jesus took bread and, after* giving thanks, he broke it,* and giving it* to the disciples, he said, "Take, eat, this is my body." ²⁷ And after* taking the cup and giving thanks he gave it* to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you, ²⁸ for this is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. ²⁹ But I tell you, from now on I will never drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in the kingdom of my Father."

⁴⁸ But the Most High does not live in houses* made by human hands, just as the prophet says,

¹⁷ She followed Paul and us and* was crying out, saying, "These men are slaves of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation!"

¹⁰ So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who belong to the household of faith.

⁶ just as also in another place he says,
"You are a priest _⌊forever_⌋* according to the order of Melchizedek,"*

¹⁰ being designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

²⁰ where Jesus, the forerunner for us, entered, because he* became a high priest _⌊forever_⌋* according to the order of Melchizedek.

¹⁰ For he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him. ¹¹ Thus if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood, for on the basis of it the people received the law, what further need is there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek and not said to be according to the order of Aaron? ¹² For when* the priesthood changes, of necessity there is a change of the law also. ¹³ For the one about whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe from which no one has officiated at the altar. ¹⁴ For it is evident that our Lord is a descendant of Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses said nothing concerning priests. ¹⁵ And it is still more clear, if another priest according to the likeness of Melchizedek arises, ¹⁶ who has become a priest not according to a law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life. ¹⁷ For it is testified,
"You are a priest _⌊forever_⌋* according to the order of Melchizedek."* ¹⁸ For on the one hand a preceding commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness ¹⁹ (for the law made nothing perfect), but on the other hand there is the introduction of a better hope through which we draw near to God. ²⁰ And by as much as this was not without an oath (for these on the one hand _⌊have become priests_⌋* without an oath, ²¹ but he with an oath by the one who said to him,
"The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, 'You are a priest _⌊forever_⌋*'"*), ²² by so much more* Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.

²² And Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have raised my hand to Yahweh, God Most High, Maker of heaven and earth,

⁴ Then make for me tasty food like I love, and bring it to me. And I will eat it so that I* can bless you before I die.

²⁵ Then he said, "Bring it near to me that I may eat from the game of my son, so that I* may bless you." And he brought it to him, and he ate. And he brought wine to him, and he drank. ²⁶ Then his father Isaac said to him, "Come near and kiss me, my son." ²⁷ And he drew near and kissed him. And he* smelled the smell of his garments, and he blessed him and said,
"Look, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that Yahweh has blessed! ²⁸ May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth, and abundance of grain and new wine. ²⁹ Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you; Be lord of your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. Cursed be those cursing you, and blessed be those blessing you."

⁷ Then Joseph brought his father Jacob and presented him before Pharaoh. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh.

¹⁰ And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and he went out from the presence of Pharaoh.

⁹ Then Joseph said to his father, "They are my sons whom God has given me here." And he said, "Please bring them to me that I may bless them." ¹⁰ Now the eyes of Israel were dim* on account of old age; he was not able to see. So he brought them near to him, and he kissed them and embraced them. ¹¹ And Israel said to Joseph, "I did not expect to see your face and behold, God has also shown me your offspring." ¹² Then Joseph removed them from his knees and bowed down with his face to the ground. ¹³ And Joseph took the two of them, Ephraim at his right to the left of Israel, and Manasseh at his left to the right of Israel. And he brought them near to him. ¹⁴ And Israel stretched out his right hand and put it on the head of Ephraim (now he was the younger), and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands, for Manasseh was the firstborn. ¹⁵ And he blessed Joseph and said,
"The God before whom my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, walked, The God who shepherded me _⌊all my life_⌋* unto this day, ¹⁶ The angel who redeemed me from all evil, may he bless the boys. And through them let my name be perpetuated,* and the name of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac. And let them multiply into many in the midst of the earth.

²⁸ All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, each according to their blessing.

²³ "Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, 'You will bless the _⌊Israelites_⌋:* You will say to them: ²⁴ Yahweh will bless you and keep you; ²⁵ Yahweh will make shine his face on you and be gracious to you; ²⁶ Yahweh will lift up his face upon you, and he will give you peace.' ²⁷ And they will put my name on the _⌊Israelites_⌋,* and I will bless them."

¹ A psalm of David.*
The earth is Yahweh's, with its fullness, the world and those who live in it,

¹⁰ because every animal of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.

¹⁶ The heavens are Yahweh's heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of humankind.

²⁵ At that time Jesus answered and* said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and have revealed them to young children.*

¹⁶ And after* taking them* into his arms, he blessed them, placing his* hands on them.

²¹ At that same time he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to young children. Yes, Father, for this was pleasing before you.

³ Blessed is* the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

⁶ to the praise of the glory of his grace that he bestowed on us in the beloved,

⁶ But the one who did not trace his descent from them collected tithes from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises. ⁷ Now without any dispute the inferior is blessed by the more prominent.

²⁶ Then* he said,
"Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Shem, and let Canaan be a slave to them.

²⁷ And he said, "Blessed be Yahweh, God of my master Abraham, who has not withheld* his loyal love and his faithfulness from my master. I was on the way and Yahweh led me to the house of my master's brother."

²² And this stone that I have set up as a pillar shall be the house of God, and of all that you give to me I will certainly give a tenth to you."

³⁰ " 'And any tithe of the land from the land's seed or from the fruit of the trees is for Yahweh; it is a holy object for Yahweh. ³¹ And if a man indeed redeems from his tithe, he shall add a fifth of its value onto it. ³² As for* every tithe of cattle or* of the flock,* all which crosses under the rod, the tenth shall be a holy object for Yahweh.

²⁶ " 'And on the day of firstfruits, when you are presenting a new offering for Yahweh during your Festival of Weeks, you will have a holy convocation; _⌊you will not do any regular work_⌋.*

¹⁷ You are not allowed to eat in your _⌊towns_⌋* the tithe of your grain and your wine and your olive oil and the firstborn of your herd and your flock and all of your votive gifts that you vowed and your freewill offering and _⌊your donations_⌋.*

²³ And you shall eat _⌊before_⌋* Yahweh your God in the place that he will choose to make to dwell his name there the tithe of your grain, your wine and your olive oil and the firstling of your herd and your flock, so that you may learn to revere Yahweh your God _⌊always_⌋.*

²⁸ "At the end of three years you shall bring out all of the tithe of your yield for that year, and you shall store it in your _⌊towns_⌋.*

⁴² all of these kings and their land Joshua captured at one time, because Yahweh the God of Israel fought for Israel.

⁵ And the word spread. The Israelites gave abundantly from the firstfruits of grain, new wine, olive oil, honey, and all kinds of grains from the field. And they brought tithes of everything in abundance. ⁶ Then the people of Israel and Judah who were living in the cities of Judah, they also brought a tithe of cattle and sheep and a tithe of consecrated objects to Yahweh their God. And they gave heaps upon heaps.

¹² Then they brought the offerings and tithes and holy objects faithfully. And over them as leader was Conaniah the Levite. And Shimei his brother was second in rank.

³⁷ And we bring the best of our dough, our offerings, the fruit of every tree, new wine, and olive oil to the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and to bring the tithe of our soil to the Levites, for the Levites receive the tithes in all of our rural towns.

¹² So all of Judah brought the tithe of grain, new wine, and olive oil into the storehouses.

³ For not with their sword did they possess the land, and their arm did not give them victory. Rather it was your right hand and your arm and the light of your presence, because you delighted in them.

¹⁹ Blessed be the Lord. Daily he loads us with benefits,* the God of our salvation.* Selah

¹⁷ May his name endure forever. May his name increase _⌊as long as the sun shines_⌋,* and let them be blessed in him. Let all nations call him blessed. ¹⁸ Blessed be Yahweh God, the God of Israel, who alone does wonderful things. ¹⁹ And blessed be his glorious name forever, and may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen.

¹ Of David.*
Blessed be Yahweh, my rock, the one who trains my hands for battle, my fingers for war—

⁴ "Come to Bethel and transgress; to Gilgal and _⌊multiply transgression_⌋!* Bring your sacrifices in the morning and your tithes on the _⌊third day_⌋.*

⁸ Will a human dare to rob God? Yet you are robbing me! And you say, 'How have we robbed you?' In the tithes and the contributions!

¹⁰ Bring the whole tithe to _⌊the storehouse_⌋,* so that there will be food in my house, and test me please in this," says Yahweh of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour forth for you _⌊an overflowing blessing_⌋.*

¹² I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all that I get.'

¹⁶ with the result that I am a servant of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, serving the gospel of God as a priest, in order that the offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

⁴ But see how great this man was, to whom Abraham* the patriarch gave a tenth from the spoils! ⁵ And indeed those of the sons of Levi who receive the priesthood have a commandment to collect a tenth from the people according to the law, that is, from their brothers, although _⌊they are descended from Abraham_⌋*. ⁶ But the one who did not trace his descent from them collected tithes from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises. ⁷ Now without any dispute the inferior is blessed by the more prominent. ⁸ And in this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case it is testified that he lives. ⁹ And, _⌊so to speak_⌋*, even Levi, the one who receives tithes, has paid tithes through Abraham.

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ into an inheritance imperishable and undefiled and unfading, reserved in heaven for you

¹⁹ And he blessed him and said,
"Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Maker of heaven and earth. ²⁰ And blessed be God Most High who delivered your enemies into your hand."
And he* gave to him a tenth of everything.

¹ When* Abram was ninety-nine years old Yahweh appeared to Abram. And he said to him, "I am El-Shaddai;* walk before me and be blameless

²³ So now, swear to me here by God that you will not deal with me falsely, or with my descendants, or my posterity. According to the kindness that I have done to you, you shall pledge to do with me and with the land where you have dwelled as an alien." ²⁴ And Abraham said, "I swear." ²⁵ Then Abraham complained to Abimelech on account of the well of water that servants of Abimelech had seized. ²⁶ And Abimelech said, "I do not know who did this thing, neither did you tell me, nor have I heard of it except for today." ²⁷ And Abraham took sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech. And the two of them _⌊made_⌋* a covenant. ²⁸ Then Abraham set off seven ewe-lambs of the flock by themselves. ²⁹ And Abimelech said to Abraham, "What is the meaning of these seven ewe-lambs that you have set off by themselves?" ³⁰ And he said, "You shall take the seven ewe-lambs from my hand _⌊as proof on my behalf_⌋* that I dug this well." ³¹ Therefore that place is called Beersheba, because there the two of them swore an oath.

³³ And he* planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of Yahweh, _⌊the everlasting God_⌋.*

⁸ And I will bring you to the land _⌊that I swore_⌋* to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, and I will give it to you as a possession. I am Yahweh."

⁴⁰ For indeed I lift up my hand to heaven, And I promise _⌊as I live forever_⌋,*

³⁵ And the moment he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, "Ah! My daughter, you have caused me to bow down, and you have become my trouble. _⌊I made an oath_⌋* to Yahweh, and I cannot take it back."

¹⁸ that they may know that you, whose name is Yahweh, you alone, are the Most High over the whole earth.

¹⁵ For thus says the high and lofty one who resides forever, and whose name is holy:
"I reside in a high and holy place, and with the _⌊contrite_⌋* and humble of spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the _⌊contrite_⌋.*

³⁴ "But at the end of _⌊that period_⌋,* I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes to heaven, and then my reason returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and _⌊the one who lives forever_⌋* I praised and I honored.
"For his sovereignty is an everlasting sovereignty, and his kingdom continues from generation to generation.

⁷ And I heard the man who was clothed in linen who was above* the water of the stream,* and he raised his right hand and his left hand to heaven and he swore _⌊by the one who lives forever_⌋* that an appointed time, appointed times, and half an appointed time would pass when the shattering of _⌊the power of the holy people_⌋* _⌊would be completed_⌋;* then all these things will be accomplished.

⁸ 'The silver is mine and the gold is mine,' _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh of hosts.

⁵ And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven ⁶ and swore by the one who lives _⌊forever and ever_⌋*, who created heaven and the things in it, and the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, "There will be no more delay!

⁸ Then the man of God said to the king, "Even if you give to me half of your house I will not come with you, nor will I eat bread or drink water in this place,

¹⁶ And he said, "_⌊As Yahweh lives_⌋,* before whom I stand, I surely will not take it." Still he urged him to take it, but he refused.

²⁰ But Gehazi the servant of Elisha, the man of God, thought, "Look, my master has refrained from taking what this Aramean Naaman brought from his hand. _⌊As Yahweh lives_⌋,* I will certainly run after him, and I will accept something from him."

¹⁵ And the Jews were gathered who were in Susa, and on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and they killed in Susa three hundred men, but they did not _⌊touch_⌋* the plunder. ¹⁶ The rest of the Jews who were in the king's provinces gathered and _⌊defended their lives_⌋* and _⌊found repose_⌋* from their enemies. And they killed seventy-five thousand of those that hated them, but they did not _⌊touch_⌋* the plunder.

⁹ And when I* was present with you and was in need, I did not burden anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my need, and in everything I kept myself from being a burden to you, and will keep myself from being a burden. ¹⁰ As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting _⌊of mine_⌋* will not be stopped in the regions of Achaia. ¹¹ _⌊Why_⌋*? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! ¹² 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.

¹⁴ Behold, this third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be a burden to you. For I am not seeking your possessions, but you. For children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.

⁵ Your lifestyle must be free from the love of money, being content with what you have. For he himself has said, "I will never desert you, and I will never abandon you."*

¹³ Then* one who escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew. And he was living at the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner. _⌊They were allies with Abram_⌋.*

²⁷ Do not withhold good from its owner* when it is in the power of your hand to do.

¹² Therefore in all things, whatever you want that people should do to you, thus also you do to them. For this is the law and the prophets.

⁷ Pay to everyone what is owed: pay taxes to whom taxes are due; pay customs duties to whom customs duties are due; pay respect to whom respect is due; pay honor to whom honor is due.* ⁸ Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another, for the one who loves someone else has fulfilled the law.

¹⁴ In the same way also the Lord ordered those who proclaim the gospel to live from the gospel. ¹⁵ But I have not made use of any of these rights. And I am not writing these things in order that it may be thus with me. For it would be better to me rather to die than for anyone to deprive me of my reason for boasting.

¹⁸ For the scripture says, "You must not muzzle an ox while it* is threshing,"* and "The worker is worthy of his wages."*