Genesis 49 Cross References - LEB

¹ Then Jacob called his sons and said, "Gather together so that I can tell you what will happen with you in _⌊days to come_⌋.* ² Assemble and hear, O sons of Jacob! Listen to Israel your father! ³ Reuben, you are my firstborn, my strength, and the firstfruit of my vigor, excelling in rank and excelling in power. ⁴ Unstable* as water, you shall not excel any longer, for you went up upon the bed of your father, then defiled it. You went up upon my couch! ⁵ Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords. Let me* not come into their council. ⁶ Let not my person* be joined to their company. For in their anger they killed men, and at their pleasure they hamstrung cattle. ⁷ Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is cruel. I will divide them in Jacob, and I will scatter them in Israel. ⁸ Judah, as for you, your brothers shall praise you. Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies. The sons of your father shall bow down to you. ⁹ Judah is a lion's cub. From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bowed down; he crouched like a lion and as a lioness. Who shall rouse him? ¹⁰ The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff between his feet, until Shiloh comes. And to him shall be the obedience of nations. ¹¹ Binding his donkey to the vine and his donkey's colt to the choice vine, he washes his clothing in the wine and his garment in the blood of grapes. ¹² The eyes are darker than wine, and the teeth whiter than milk. ¹³ Zebulun shall settle by the shore of the sea. He shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall be at Sidon. ¹⁴ Issachar is a strong donkey, crouching between the sheepfolds. ¹⁵ He saw a resting place that was good, and land that was pleasant. So he bowed his shoulder to the burden and became a servant of forced labor. ¹⁶ Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. ¹⁷ Dan shall be a serpent on the way, a viper on the road that bites the heels of a horse, so that its rider falls backward. ¹⁸ I wait for your salvation, O Yahweh. ¹⁹ Bandits shall attack Gad, but he shall attack their heels. ²⁰ Asher's food is delicious, and he shall provide from the king's delicacies. ²¹ Naphtali is a doe running free that puts forth beautiful words. ²² Joseph is the bough* of a fruitful vine, a fruitful bough* by a spring. His branches climb over the wall. ²³ _⌊The archers_⌋* fiercely attacked him. They shot arrows at him and were hostile to him. ²⁴ But his bow remained in a steady position; _⌊his arms_⌋* were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob. From there is the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel. ²⁵ Because of the God of your father he will help you and by Shaddai* he will bless you with the blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that crouches beneath, blessings of the breasts and the womb. ²⁶ The blessings of your father are superior to the blessings of my ancestors, to the bounty of the everlasting hills. May they be on the head of Joseph, and on the forehead of the prince of his brothers. ²⁷ Benjamin is a devouring wolf, devouring the prey in the morning, and dividing the plunder in the evening. 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. ²⁹ Then he instructed them and said to them, "I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me among my ancestors* in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, ³⁰ in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah that is before* Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site. ³¹ There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife. And there I buried Leah— ³² the purchase of the field and the cave which was in it from the Hittites." ³³ When Jacob finished instructing his sons he drew his feet up to the bed. Then he took his last breath and was gathered to his people.

¹⁴ And now, look, I am about to go to my people; I will advise you what this people will do to your people _⌊in the following days_⌋."*

³⁰ _⌊In your distress_⌋* when* all these things have found you in the _⌊latter days_⌋,* then* you will return to Yahweh your God, and you will listen to his voice.

¹² Assemble the people, the men and the women and the little children and your aliens that are in your _⌊towns_⌋,* so that they may hear and so that they may learn and they may revere Yahweh your God, and _⌊they shall diligently observe_⌋* all the words of this law.

²⁸ Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officials, so that I may speak in their ears these words, and that I may call as witness against them heaven and earth. ²⁹ For I know that after my death you will certainly act corruptly, and you will turn aside from the way that I have commanded you, and the disaster in the future days will befall you, because you will do evil* in the eyes of Yahweh, _⌊provoking him with the work of your hands_⌋."*

¹ Now* this is the blessing with which Moses, the man of God, blessed the _⌊Israelites_⌋* _⌊before_⌋* his death. ² Then* he said,
"Yahweh came from Sinai, and he dawned upon them from Seir; he shone forth from Mount Paran, and he came with myriads of holy ones, at his right hand a fiery law for them.* ³ Moreover,* _⌊he loves his people_⌋,* all the holy ones were in your hand, and they bowed down to* your feet, _⌊each one accepted directions from you_⌋.* ⁴ A law Moses instructed for us, as a possession for the assembly of Jacob. ⁵ And then a king arose in Jeshurun, at the gathering of the leaders of the people, _⌊united were the tribes of Israel_⌋.* ⁶ "May Reuben live, and may he not die, _⌊and let his number not be few_⌋."* ⁷ _⌊And he said this of Judah_⌋,* "Hear, O Yahweh, the voice of Judah, and bring him to his people; his own hands strive* for him, and may you be a help _⌊against_⌋* his foes." ⁸ And of Levi he said, "Your Thummim and your Urim are for _⌊your faithful one_⌋,* _⌊whom you tested at Massah_⌋;* you contended with him at the waters of Meribah. ⁹ The one saying of his father and of his mother, 'I have not regarded them,' and his brothers he did not acknowledge, and his children* he did not know, but rather they observed your word, and your covenant they kept. ¹⁰ They taught* your regulations to Jacob, and your law to Israel; they placed incense smoke _⌊before you_⌋,* and whole burnt offerings on your altar. ¹¹ Bless, O Yahweh, his substance, and with the work of his hands you must be pleased; smite the loins of those who attack him, and those hating him, _⌊so that they cannot arise_⌋."* ¹² Of Benjamin he said, "The beloved of Yahweh dwells _⌊securely_⌋,* the Most High* shields all around him, all the day, and between his shoulders he dwells." ¹³ And of Joseph he said, "Blessed by Yahweh is his land, with* the choice things of heaven, with* dew, and with* the deep lying down beneath, ¹⁴ and with* the choice things of the fruits* of the the sun, and with the choice things of the yield of the _⌊seasons_⌋,* ¹⁵ and with* the finest things of the ancient mountains, and with* the choice things of the _⌊eternal hills_⌋,* ¹⁶ and with* the choice things of the earth and its fullness, and the favor of the one _⌊who dwelt_⌋* in the bush.* Let them come to the head of Joseph, and to the crown of the prince among his brothers. ¹⁷ As the firstborn of his ox, majesty _⌊belongs to him_⌋,* and his horns are the horns of a wild ox; with them he drives people together,* and they are the myriads of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh." ¹⁸ And of Zebulun he said, "Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, and rejoice, Issachar, in your tents; ¹⁹ They summon people to the mountains;* there they sacrifice the sacrifices of righteousness, because the affluence of the seas they suck out, and _⌊the most hidden treasures of the sand_⌋."* ²⁰ And of Gad he said, "Blessed be _⌊the one who enlarges Gad_⌋;* like a lion he dwells, and he tears an arm as well as a scalp. ²¹ And he selected* the best part for himself, * for there the portion of a ruler is included, and he came with the heads of the people;* he did* the righteousness of Yahweh, and his regulations for Israel." ²² And of Dan he said, "Dan is a cub of a lion; he leaps from Bashan."* ²³ And of Naphtali, he said, "Oh, Naphtali, sated of favor, and full of the blessing of Yahweh; take possession of the lake, and the land to the south." ²⁴ And of Asher he said, "Blessed _⌊more than sons_⌋* is Asher; _⌊may he be the favorite_⌋* of his brothers, _⌊dipping his feet in the oil_⌋.* ²⁵ Your bars are* iron and bronze, and as your days, so is* your strength." ²⁶ "There is no one like God, O, Jeshurun, who rides through the heavens to your help, and with his majesty through the skies. ²⁷ The God of _⌊ancient time_⌋* is a hiding place, and underneath are the arms of eternity,* and he drove out _⌊from before_⌋* you your enemy, and he said, 'Destroy them!' ²⁸ So Israel dwells alone and carefree, the spring of Jacob in a land of grain and wine; his heavens even drip dew. ²⁹ Blessed are you, O Israel. Who is like you, a people who is saved by Yahweh, the shield of your help, and who is the sword of your triumph, and your enemies, they shall fawn before you,* and you shall tread on their backs."

¹⁴ Intimate fellowship with Yahweh is for those who fear him, and he makes known his covenant to them.

¹⁵ "Do not touch my anointed ones, nor harm my prophets."

² And it shall happen in the future of the days the mountain of the house* of Yahweh shall be established; it will be among the highest* of the mountains, and it shall be raised from the hills. All of the nations shall travel to him;

¹⁴ And it was revealed in my ears by Yahweh of hosts:
"Surely this sin will not be atoned for you until you die!" says the Lord, Yahweh of hosts.

⁶ 'Look! days are coming, and all that is in your house and that which your ancestors* have stored up to this day shall be carried off to Babylon. Nothing shall be left,' says Yahweh.

¹ Who has believed our message, and to whom has the arm of Yahweh been revealed?

²⁰ The _⌊anger_⌋* of Yahweh will not turn back until his doing and until his keeping the plans of his _⌊mind_⌋.* _⌊In latter days_⌋* you will look closely at it with understanding.

²⁸ But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what it is that will be at the end of days. This is your dream and the visions of your head on your bed. ²⁹ "As for you, king,* your thoughts on your bed _⌊turned to_⌋* what it was that would be _⌊in the future_⌋,* and the revealer of mysteries has made known to you what that would be.

⁴⁷ The king answered Daniel and said, "_⌊Truly_⌋* your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings, and he reveals mysteries, for you are able to reveal this mystery."

¹ In the third year of Cyrus the king of the Persians, a word* was revealed to Daniel, who was called by his name Belteshazzar, and the word* was reliable and it concerned a great tribulation,* and he understood the word* and _⌊he received understanding_⌋.*

¹⁴ And I have come* to instruct you about what* will happen to your people _⌊in the future_⌋,* for there is a further vision here _⌊for the future_⌋.*

⁷ Surely my Lord does not do anything unless he has revealed his secret to his servants the prophets.

¹ And it will be that at the end of those days, the mountain of Yahweh will be established as the highest of the mountains, and it will be lifted up above the hills, and people will stream to it.

²⁶ And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he would see the Lord's Christ.*

¹⁷ 'And it will be in the last days,' God says, 'I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, and your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.

¹⁷ For the righteousness of God is revealed in it from faith to faith, just as it is written, "But the one who is righteous by faith will live."* ¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all impiety and unrighteousness of people, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

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,

¹ But know this, that in the last days difficult times will come,

² in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the world,*

²⁴ And let us think about _⌊how to stir one another up to love_⌋* and good works, ²⁵ not abandoning _⌊our meeting together_⌋*, as is the habit of some, but encouraging each other, and by so much more as you see the day drawing near.

¹ Brotherly love must continue.

¹ After these things I looked, and behold, an open door in heaven, and the former voice that I had heard like a trumpet speaking with me was saying, "Come up here and I will show you the things which must take place after these things."

¹¹ Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of Yahweh.

⁸ My child, may you keep* your father's instruction, and do not reject your mother's teachings, ⁹ for they are a garland of favor for your head, and pendants for your neck.

¹ Children, listen to the instruction of a father, and be attentive in order to know insight. ² For I have given you good instruction; do not forsake my teaching. ³ When I was a son to my father, tender and alone before my mother, ⁴ he taught me and said to me, "May your heart hold fast to my words; guard my commandments and live.

¹ My child, be attentive to my wisdom, and to my understanding incline your ear;

²⁰ My child, keep the commandment of your father, and do not disregard the instruction of your mother.

¹ My child, guard my sayings; store my commandments with you.

²⁴ And now, my children, listen to me, and be attentive to the sayings of my mouth.

³² "And now, children, listen to me; happy are those who will keep my ways.

²² Listen to your father—he who _⌊gave you life_⌋,* and do not despise your mother when* she is old.

²⁶ My child, may you give your heart* to me, and may your eyes delight in my ways.

³² Then Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, "Because Yahweh has noticed my misery, that I am unloved. Now my husband will love me."

⁸ Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons. Reuben, the firstborn of Jacob

¹⁸ And Joseph said to his father, "Not so, my father; because this one is the firstborn. Put your right hand upon his head."

²⁰ The descendants of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, their genealogies according to their clans, according to _⌊their families_⌋,* according to the number of names, every male individually from _⌊twenty years old_⌋* and above, everyone who is able to go to war:

⁵ Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, the descendants* of Reuben: of Hanoch, the clan of the Hanochites; of Pallu, the clan of the Palluites;*

¹⁷ But he shall acknowledge the firstborn son of the disliked wife _⌊by giving_⌋* him a double portion of _⌊all that he has_⌋,* for he is the firstfruit of his vigor;* to him is the legal claim of the birthright.*

¹ These are the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun,

¹ The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn, but when he defiled the couch of his father, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel, so that he was not enrolled in the genealogy as the firstborn,

³ The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel: Enoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

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

³⁶ And he struck down all the firstborn in their land, the first of all their virility.

²² And while Israel was living in that land Reuben went and had sexual relations with Bilhah, his father's concubine. And Israel heard about it.

¹ The descendants* of Reuben and the descendants* of Gad had a very large number of livestock. And they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, and behold it was a place for livestock. ² The descendants* of Gad and the descendants* of Reuben came, and they said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to the leaders of the community, saying, ³ "Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon, ⁴ the land that Yahweh struck before the community of Israel, is a land of livestock, and your servants have livestock." ⁵ They said, "If we have found favor in _⌊your sight_⌋,* let this land be given to your servants as property; do not lead us across the Jordan." ⁶ But Moses said to the descendants* of Gad and to the descendants* of Reuben, "Will your brothers go to war while you yourselves live here? ⁷ Why are you discouraging the hearts of the _⌊Israelites_⌋* from crossing into the land that Yahweh gave to them? ⁸ This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to see the land. ⁹ When they went up to the valley* of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the _⌊Israelites_⌋* so that they did not come to the land that Yahweh gave to them. ¹⁰ So _⌊Yahweh's anger burned_⌋* on that day, and he swore an oath, saying, ¹¹ 'The men who went up from Egypt, from _⌊those twenty years old_⌋* and above, will not see the land that I swore with an oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob because they have not wholly followed me, ¹² except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, because they followed Yahweh wholly.' ¹³ And _⌊Yahweh became angry_⌋,* and he made them wander in the desert forty years until the entire generation who did evil in the _⌊sight of Yahweh_⌋* _⌊had died_⌋.* ¹⁴ Behold, you stand in the place of your fathers, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more _⌊Yahweh's fierce anger_⌋* against Israel. ¹⁵ If you turn from following him, he will again abandon them* in the wilderness, and you would have destroyed all these people." ¹⁶ They came near to him and said, "We will build sheep pens here for the flock of our livestock and cities for our little children; ¹⁷ but we ourselves will become armed and ready before the _⌊Israelites_⌋* until we have brought them to their place, and our little children will live in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. ¹⁸ We will not return to our houses until the _⌊Israelites_⌋* each obtain their* inheritance for themselves. ¹⁹ For we will not take possession with them from across the Jordan and beyond because our inheritance has come to us from across the Jordan to the east." ²⁰ So Moses said to them, "If you do this thing, if you arm yourselves _⌊before_⌋* Yahweh for the war, ²¹ and everyone of you armed cross the Jordan _⌊before_⌋* Yahweh until he has driven out his enemies from before him, ²² and the land is subdued _⌊before_⌋* Yahweh, then afterward you will return and be free of obligation from Yahweh and from Israel, and this land will be your property _⌊before_⌋* Yahweh. ²³ But if you do not do so, behold, you have sinned against Yahweh, and know that your sin will find you. ²⁴ Build for yourselves cities for your little children and sheep pens for your flocks; what has gone out from your mouth you will do." ²⁵ So the descendants* of Gad and the descendants* of Reuben said to Moses, saying, "Your servants will do just as my lord commands. ²⁶ Our little children, our wives, our livestock, and all of our animals* _⌊will remain_⌋* in the cities of Gilead, ²⁷ but your servants, everyone who is armed for battle, will cross over _⌊before_⌋* Yahweh to the war, just as my lord says." ²⁸ So Moses commanded them, Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the _⌊families_⌋* of the tribes of the _⌊Israelites_⌋.* ²⁹ Moses said to them, "If the descendants* of Gad and the descendants* of Reuben, everyone who is armed for the war, cross over the Jordan _⌊before_⌋* Yahweh, and the land is subdued before you, you will give them the land of Gilead as property. ³⁰ But if they will not cross over with you armed, they will acquire land in your midst in Canaan." ³¹ The descendants* of Gad and the descendants of Reuben answered and said, "What Yahweh has commanded your servants, we will do. ³² We ourselves will cross over armed _⌊before_⌋* Yahweh to the land of Canaan, and the property of our inheritance will remain with us beyond the Jordan." ³³ So Moses gave to them, to the descendants* of Gad and the descendants* of Reuben, and to half of the tribe of Joseph's son Manasseh, the kingdom of Sihon the king of Amorites and the kingdom of Og the king of the Bashan, the land with its cities and their territories, the cities of the surrounding land. ³⁴ The descendants* of Gad rebuilt Dibon, Ataroth, and Aroer, ³⁵ and Atroth Shophan, Jazer, and Jogbehah, ³⁶ and Beth Nimrah and Beth Haran, the cities of Mibzar, and the sheep pens for flocks. ³⁷ The descendants* of Reuben rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh, and Kiriathaim, ³⁸ and Nebo, Baal Meon (their names* were changed), and Sibmah, and _⌊they renamed_⌋* the cities that they rebuilt. ³⁹ The descendants* of Makir son of Manasseh went to Gilead, and they captured it and drove out the Amorites* who were in it. ⁴⁰ So Moses gave Gilead to Makir son of Manasseh, and he lived in it. ⁴¹ And Jair son of Manasseh went and captured their unwalled villages, and he called them Havvoth Jair. ⁴² Nobah went and captured Kenath and its villages, and he called it Nobah after his own name.

²¹ 'And you shall not covet the wife of your neighbor, and you shall not crave the house of your neighbor, his field or his slave or his slave woman or his ox and his donkey or anything _⌊that belongs to your neighbor_⌋.'*

²⁰ 'Cursed be the one who lies with the wife of his father, because _⌊he has dishonored his father's bed_⌋.'* And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'

⁶ "May Reuben live, and may he not die, _⌊and let his number not be few_⌋."*

¹ It is reported everywhere that there is sexual immorality among you, and sexual immorality of such a kind which does not even exist among the Gentiles, so that someone has the wife of his father.

⁶ But let him ask for it in faith, without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed about. ⁷ For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸ he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

¹⁴ having eyes full of desire for an adulteress and unceasing from sin, enticing unstable persons, and* having hearts trained for greediness. Accursed children!

¹⁶ as he does also in all his** letters, speaking in them about these things, in which there are some things hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable distort to their own destruction, as they also do the rest of the scriptures.

³³ And she conceived again and gave birth to a son. And she said, "It is because Yahweh has heard that I am unloved that he gave me this son also." And she called his name Simeon. ³⁴ And she conceived again and gave birth to a son. Then she said, "Now this time my husband will be joined to me, for I have borne him three sons." Therefore, she called his name Levi.

²⁵ And it happened that on the third day, while they were in pain, two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, the brothers of Dinah, each took his sword and came against the unsuspecting city and killed all the males. ²⁶ They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the edge of the sword, and they took Dinah from the house of Shechem and went out. ²⁷ The other sons of Jacob came upon the slain and plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister. ²⁸ They took their flocks and their cattle and their donkeys, and whatever was in the field. ²⁹ They captured and plundered all that was in the houses—all their wealth, their little ones, and their women. ³⁰ Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have brought trouble on me, making me stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites! I am few in number! If they gather against me and attack me, I will be destroyed—I and my household!" ³¹ But they said, "Shall he treat our sister like a prostitute?"

¹⁰ The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. ¹¹ The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

⁹ Even he who is slack in his work, he is brother to a master* of destruction.

²⁵ And it happened that on the third day, while they were in pain, two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, the brothers of Dinah, each took his sword and came against the unsuspecting city and killed all the males. ²⁶ They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the edge of the sword, and they took Dinah from the house of Shechem and went out.

³⁰ Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have brought trouble on me, making me stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites! I am few in number! If they gather against me and attack me, I will be destroyed—I and my household!"

²⁴ 'Cursed be the one who strikes down his neighbor in secret.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'

²¹ The wadi* torrent of Kishon swept them away, the raging wadi torrent, the wadi torrent of Kishon. March on, my soul, with strength!

¹ Blessed is the man who does not walk in the advice of the wicked; nor does he stand in the way of sinners; nor does he sit in the assembly of mockers.

¹⁰ Treat them as guilty, O God; let them fall because of their plans. Because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you.

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices. Yes, my body will dwell in safety,

⁴ I do not sit with deceitful people, nor will I go about with hypocrites. ⁵ I hate the crowd of evildoers, and with the wicked I will not sit.

⁹ Do not destroy me* with the sinners, nor my life with men of bloodshed,

³ Do not drag me away with the wicked or with the workers of evil, who speak of peace with their neighbors, while evil is in their heart.

¹² so that _⌊I_⌋* may sing praises to you and not be quiet. O Yahweh, my God, I will give thanks to you forever.

⁵ Why are you _⌊in despair_⌋,* O my soul, and disturbed within me? Hope in God, because I will again praise him, for the salvation of his presence.

¹¹ Why are you _⌊in despair_⌋,* O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, because I shall again praise him, _⌊my salvation_⌋* and my God.

⁵ Why are you _⌊in despair_⌋,* O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, because I will again praise him, _⌊my salvation_⌋* and my God.

⁸ Awake, my glory; Awake, harp and lyre. I will awake the dawn.*

² Hide me from the secret plots* of evildoers, from the unrest of those who do iniquity,

²⁰ Can there be allied with you a throne of destruction, one that forms trouble based on statute? ²¹ They band together against the life of the righteous, and declare the blameless guilty of blood.*

¹ Of David.*
Bless Yahweh, O my soul, and all within me, bless his holy name.

¹⁹ If only you would kill the wicked, O God— so get away from me, you _⌊bloodthirsty men_⌋—*

¹¹ If they say, "Come with us! We shall lie in wait for blood; we shall ambush the innocent without cause.*

¹⁵ My child, do not walk in their way.* Keep your foot from their paths, ¹⁶ for their feet run to evil, and they hurry to shed blood,

⁵ The thoughts of the righteous are* just; the advice of the wicked is treacherous.

¹⁹ My bowels, my bowels! I writhe! The walls of my heart! My heart is restless within me, I cannot keep silent, for I hear in my inner self the sound of a horn, the alarm of war.

¹⁷ I sat not in the assembly of jokers, nor did I exult. Because of the _⌊presence_⌋* of your hand I sat alone, for you filled me with indignation.

¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many possessions stored up for many years. Relax, eat, drink, celebrate!" '

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?

¹ The second allotment _⌊fell_⌋* for Simeon, for the tribe of the descendants* of Simeon, according to their families. And their inheritance was in the midst of the inheritance of the descendants* of Judah. ² And they had as their inheritance Beersheba, Sheba, Moladah, ³ Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem, ⁴ Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah, ⁵ Ziklag, Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susah, ⁶ Beth Lebaoth, and Sharuhen; thirteen cities and their villages. ⁷ Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan; four cities and their villages, ⁸ and all the villages that were around these towns up to Baalat-Beor, Ramath of the Negev.* This was the inheritance of the tribe of the descendants* of Simeon according to their families. ⁹ Part of the portion allotted to the descendants* of Judah became the inheritance of the descendants* of Simeon because the portion for the descendants* of Judah was _⌊too large for them_⌋,* so the descendants* of Simeon inherited from their inheritance.

¹ Then the heads of the families of the Levites came to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua son of Nun, and to the heads of the families of the tribes of the _⌊Israelites_⌋.* ² And they spoke to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, "Yahweh commanded through the hand of Moses to give us cities to live in, with their pasturelands for our livestock." ³ So, _⌊by command of Yahweh_⌋,* the _⌊Israelites_⌋* gave the Levites these cities and their pasturelands from their inheritance. ⁴ The allotment _⌊fell_⌋* for the families of the Kohathites.* The descendants* of Aaron the priest, who were of the Levites, _⌊received_⌋* by lot thirteen towns from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. ⁵ The remaining descendants* of Kohath received by lot ten cities from the families of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. ⁶ The descendants* of Gershon received by lot thirteen cities from the families of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, and Naphtali and from the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan. ⁷ The descendants* of the Merarites* according to their families received twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun. ⁸ The _⌊Israelites_⌋* gave to the Levites these cities and their pastureland by lot, just as Yahweh commanded through the hand of Moses. ⁹ They gave these cities, which are here mentioned by name, from the tribe of the families of Judah and from the tribe of the families of Simeon; ¹⁰ and they were for the descendants* of Aaron, from the families of the Kohathites,* from the descendants* of Levi, because the first lot was theirs. ¹¹ And they gave to them Kiriath Arba,* Arba being the father of Anak (that is, Hebron), in the hill country of Judah and the pasturelands surrounding it. ¹² But the field of the city and its villages they gave to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his property. ¹³ To the descendants* of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron, the city of refuge for the killer, and its pasturelands, Libnah and its pasturelands, ¹⁴ Jattir and its pasturelands, Eshtemoa and its pasturelands, ¹⁵ Holon and its pasturelands, Debir and its pasturelands, ¹⁶ Ain and its pasturelands, Juttah and its pasturelands, and Beth Shemesh and its pasturelands; nine cities from these two tribes. ¹⁷ From the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon and its pasturelands, Geba and its pasturelands, ¹⁸ Anathoth and its pasturelands, Almon and its pasturelands; four cities. ¹⁹ All the cities of the descendants* of Aaron the priests, thirteen cities and their pasturelands. ²⁰ For the families of the descendants* of Kohath, the remaining Levites of the descendants* of Kohath, they received the cities of their lot from the tribe of Ephraim. ²¹ They gave them Shechem, the city of refuge for the killer, and its pasturelands in the hill country of Ephraim, Gezer and its pasturelands, ²² Kibzaim and its pasturelands, and Beth-horon and its pasturelands; four cities. ²³ From the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh and its pasturelands, Gibbethon and its pasturelands, ²⁴ Aijalon and its pasturelands, and Gath Rimmon and its pasturelands; four cities. ²⁵ From the half-tribe of Manasseh, Taanach and its pasturelands and Gath Rimmon with its pasturelands; two cities. ²⁶ All the cities and their pasturelands for the remaining families of the descendants* of Kohath were ten. ²⁷ To the descendants* of Gershon, one of the families of the Levites, from the half-tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan, a city of refuge for the killer, and its pasturelands, and Eshtarah and its pasturelands; two cities. ²⁸ From the tribe of Issachar, Kishion and its pasturelands, Daberath and its pasturelands, ²⁹ Jarmuth and its pasturelands, En Gannim and its pasturelands; four cities. ³⁰ From the tribe of Asher, Mishal and its pasturelands, Abdon and its pasturelands, ³¹ Helkath and its pasturelands, Rehob and its pasturelands; four cities. ³² From the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee, the city of refuge for the killer, and its pasturelands, Hammoth Dor and its pasturelands, and Kartan and its pasturelands; three cities. ³³ All the cities of the Gershonites* according to their families were thirteen cities and their pasturelands. ³⁴ To the families of the descendants* of Merarite, the remaining Levites, from the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam and its pasturelands, Kartah and its pasturelands, ³⁵ Dimnah and its pasturelands, and Nahalal and its pasturelands; four cities. ³⁶ From the tribe of Reuben, Bezer and its pasturelands, Jahaz and its pasturelands, ³⁷ Kedemoth and its pasturelands, and Mephaath and its pasturelands; four cities. ³⁸ From the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead, the city of refuge for the killer, and its pasturelands, Mahanaim and its pasturelands, ³⁹ Heshbon and its pasturelands, and Jazer and its pasturelands; four cities in all. ⁴⁰ All these were the cities of the descendants* of Merarite according to their families, the remaining families of the Levites; their allotment was twelve cities. ⁴¹ All the cities of the Levites among the property of the _⌊Israelites_⌋* were forty-eight cities and their pasturelands. ⁴² Each of these cities had pasturelands surrounding them; so it was for all of these cities. ⁴³ And Yahweh gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their ancestors,* and they took possession of it and _⌊settled in it_⌋.* ⁴⁴ Yahweh gave them rest on every side, according to all that he had sworn to their ancestors,* and nobody from all their enemies withstood them, for Yahweh had given all their enemies into their hand. ⁴⁵ And _⌊nothing failed from_⌋* all the good things* that Yahweh promised to the house of Israel; _⌊everything came to pass_⌋.*

¹⁵ Then Amnon hated her _⌊very deeply_⌋,* for the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. So Amnon said to her, "Get up and go."

²² Absalom did not speak with Amnon _⌊either bad or good_⌋,* for Absalom hated Amnon _⌊over the matter when_⌋* he raped Tamar his sister. ²³ _⌊About two full years later_⌋,* Absalom's shearers were in Baal Hazor, which is near Ephraim, and Absalom summoned all the sons of the king. ²⁴ Then Absalom went to the king and said, "Look, here are your servant's shearers; please let the king and his servants go with your servant. ²⁵ The king said to Absalom, "No my son, not all of us shall go, so that we not be a burden to you." And he urged him, but he was not willing to go, but he blessed him. ²⁶ So Absalom said, "But will you not let Amnon my brother go with us?" And the king said to him, "Why should he go with you?" ²⁷ But Absalom pressed him, so he sent Amnon with him and all of the sons of the king. ²⁸ Absalom commanded his servants, saying, "Please watch. At the moment the heart of Amnon is _⌊tipsy_⌋* with wine, then I shall say to you, 'Strike Amnon down,' and you shall kill him! Don't be afraid. Is it not I myself who has commanded you? Be courageous and be _⌊valiant!_⌋*

²⁴ The sons of Simeon: Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, Shaul. ²⁵ Shallum his son, Mibsam his son, Mishma his son. ²⁶ The sons of Mishma: Hammuel his son, Zaccur his son, Shimei his son. ²⁷ Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters, but his brothers did not have many children. But all their families did not multiply like the men of Judah. ²⁸ And they lived in Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar Shual, ²⁹ Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad, ³⁰ Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, ³¹ Beth-Marcaboth, Hazar-Susim, Beth-Biri, and Shaaraim. These were their cities until David reigned.

³⁹ And they went to the entrance of Gedor, up to the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks. 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.

⁶⁵ And they gave by lot out of the tribe of Judah, out of the tribe of Simeon, and out of the tribe of Benjamin these cities that are mentioned by name.

²⁴ On his lips, an enemy will pretend, but _⌊inside_⌋* he will harbor deceit. ²⁵ When he makes his voice gracious, do not believe him, for seven abominations are in his heart.

³ Heavy is a stone and weighty is sand, but the provocation of a fool is heavier than both of them.

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."

³⁵ And she conceived again and gave birth to a son. And she said, "This time I will praise Yahweh." Therefore she called his name Judah. And she ceased bearing children.

⁷ Now behold, we were binding sheaves in the midst of the field and, behold, my sheaf stood up and it remained standing. Then behold, your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf." ⁸ Then his brothers said to him, "Will you really rule over us?" And _⌊they hated him even more_⌋* on account of his dream and because of his words. ⁹ Then he dreamed yet another dream and told it to his brothers. And he said, "Behold, I dreamed a dream again, and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me." ¹⁰ And he told it to his father and to his brothers. And his father rebuked him and said to him, "What is this dream that you have dreamed? Will I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the ground to you?"

⁶ Now Joseph was the governor over the land. He was the one who sold food to all the people of the land. And the brothers of Joseph came and bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.

¹⁸ But Judah drew near to him and said, "Please my lord, let your servant speak a word in the ears of my lord, and _⌊let not your anger burn_⌋* against your servant, for _⌊you are like Pharaoh himself_⌋.* ¹⁹ My lord had asked his servants, saying, 'Do you have a father or a brother?' ²⁰ And we said to my lord, 'We have an aged father, and a younger brother, the child of his old age, and his brother died, and he alone remains from his mother, and his father loves him.' ²¹ Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me that I may set my eyes upon him.' ²² Then we said to my lord, 'The boy cannot leave his father; if he should leave his father, then he* would die.' ²³ Then you said to your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall not again see my face.' ²⁴ And it happened that we went up to your servant, my father, and told him the words of my lord. ²⁵ And when our father said, 'Buy a little food for us,' ²⁶ then we said, 'We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we shall go down. For we will not be able to see the face of the man unless our youngest brother is with us.' ²⁷ Then your servant, my father, said to us, 'You yourselves know that my wife bore two sons to me. ²⁸ One went out from me, and I said, "Surely he must have been torn to pieces," and I have never seen him since. ²⁹ And if you take this one also from me, and he encounters harm, you will bring down my gray head in sorrow to Sheol.' ³⁰ So now, when I come to your servant, my father, and the boy is not with us—now his life is bound up with his life— ³¹ it shall happen that when he sees that the boy is gone, he will die. And your servants will bring down the gray head of your servant, our father, to Sheol with sorrow. ³² For your servant is pledged as surety for the boy by my father, saying, If I do not bring him to you, then I shall be culpable to my father forever. ³³ So then, please let your servant remain in place of the boy as a slave to my lord, and let the boy go up with his brothers. ³⁴ For how can I go up to my father if the boy is not with me? _⌊I do not want to see_⌋* the misery which will find my father."

¹² The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan). And the sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.

²⁷ those who were counted from the tribe of Judah were seventy-four thousand six hundred.

¹⁴ The standard of the camp of the descendants* of Judah set out for the first time according to their divisions, with Nahshon son of Amminadab over its division.

²² These were the clans of Judah according to the ones counted of them, seventy-six thousand five hundred.

⁷ _⌊And he said this of Judah_⌋,* "Hear, O Yahweh, the voice of Judah, and bring him to his people; his own hands strive* for him, and may you be a help _⌊against_⌋* his foes."

²⁴ And when they brought these kings to Joshua, Joshua called all the men of Israel and said to the commanders of _⌊the fighting men_⌋* who had gone with him, "Come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings." So they came near and put their feet on their necks.

¹ After the death of Joshua, the _⌊Israelites_⌋* inquired of Yahweh, saying, "Who will go up first for us against the Canaanites* to fight against them?" ² And Yahweh said, "Judah will go up. I hereby give the land into his hand."

¹⁸ Then the _⌊Israelites_⌋* got up and went up to Bethel, and they inquired of God, saying, "Who will go up first for the battle against the descendants* of Benjamin?" And Yahweh said, "Judah will go first."

³ All the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David _⌊made a covenant_⌋* with them at Hebron in the presence of Yahweh; then they anointed David as king over Israel.

⁴¹ _⌊My enemies you cause to retreat from me_⌋;* I destroy those who hate me.

⁹ Then Joab gave the number of the counting of the people to the king. Israel was eight hundred thousand _⌊valiant warriors_⌋* wielding the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand.

¹ King Solomon was king over all Israel. ² Now these are the officials who were his: Azariah the son of Zadok was the priest. ³ Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, were the secretaries; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder. ⁴ Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the army, and Zadok and Abiathar were priests. ⁵ Azariah the son of Nathan was over the governors, and Zabud the son of Nathan was a priest, an advisor to the king. ⁶ Ahishar was over the palace, and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the forced labor. ⁷ Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel, and they sustained the king and his palace, _⌊each one was to sustain for each month of the year_⌋.* ⁸ These are their names: Ben-Hur was in the hill country of Ephraim. ⁹ Ben-Deker was in Makaz and in Shaalbim and in Beth-Shemesh and Elon of Beth-Hanan. ¹⁰ Ben-Hesed was in the Arubbot; Socoh and all the land of Hepher were his. ¹¹ Ben-Abinadab was in all of Naphat of Dor; Taphath the daughter of Solomon was his wife. ¹² Baanah the son of Ahilud was in Taanach and Megiddo and all Beth-Shean which is beside Zarethan below Jezreel, of Beth-Shean up to Abel-Meholah up to the other side of Jokmeam. 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. ¹⁴ Ahinadab the son of Iddo was in Mahanaim. ¹⁵ Ahimaaz was in Naphtali; he moreover also had taken Basemath the daughter of Solomon as wife. ¹⁶ Baanah the son of Hushai was in Asher and Bealoth. ¹⁷ Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah was in Issachar. ¹⁸ Shimei the son of Ela was in Benjamin. ¹⁹ Geber the son of Uri was in the land of Gilead, the land of Sihon, the king of the Amorites, and of Og, the king of Bashan; one governor which was over the land. ²⁰ Judah and Israel were as many as the sand which is on the seashore in abundance, eating and drinking and rejoicing! ²¹ * Now Solomon was ruling over all the kingdoms from the River* to the land of the Philistines, and up to the border of Egypt, who were bringing tribute and were serving Solomon all the days of his life. ²² The food of Solomon for one day was thirty dry measures of choice meal and sixty dry measures of flour; ²³ ten stall-fed oxen and twenty pasture-fed oxen and a hundred sheep, besides deer and buck gazelles and roebucks and well-fed fowls. ²⁴ For he was ruling over all the west of the River* from Tiphsah up to Gaza, over all the kings west of the River;* and he had peace from every side all around. ²⁵ Judah and Israel lived in security, each man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan as far as Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. ²⁶ Now Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his war chariots and twelve thousand horsemen. ²⁷ These governors sustained King Solomon and all who came near to the table of King Solomon, each in his month; they did not omit anything. ²⁸ The barley and the straw for the horses and for packhorses they brought to the place where they were, each according to his share. ²⁹ God gave wisdom to Solomon and very great discernment, as well as _⌊breadth of understanding_⌋,* as the sand which is on the edge of the seashore. ³⁰ The wisdom of Solomon was greater than the wisdom of all the people* of the east and more than all the wisdom of Egypt. ³¹ He was wiser than all the men: Ethan the Ezrahite; Heman, Calcol, and Darda the children of Mahol; and _⌊he was very well known_⌋.* ³² He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five. ³³ He spoke concerning the trees, from the cedar which is in Lebanon up to the hyssop which grows on the wall; he also spoke concerning the animals, concerning the birds, concerning the creeping things, and concerning the fish. ³⁴ They came from all the nations to hear the wisdom of Solomon; from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.

² though Judah became strong among his brothers and a chief came from him, but the birthright belonged to Joseph).

¹ Now these are the ones who came to David at Ziklag while he was still shut up because _⌊of Saul_⌋,* the son of Kish. And they were the mighty warriors helping with the war. ² They were armed with the bow, able to shoot right-handed or left-handed, slinging stones or shooting arrows with the bow; they were kinsmen of Saul from Benjamin. ³ The leader was Ahiezer, then Jehoash, sons of Shemaah the Gibeonite; Jeiel and Pelet, sons of Azmaveth; Beracah; Jehu the Anathothite; ⁴ Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty warrior among the thirty who was over the thirty;* Jeremiah; Jahaziel; Johanan; Jozabad the Gederathite; ⁵ * Eluzai; Jerimoth; Bealiah; Shemariah; Shephatiah the Hariphite; ⁶ Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam the Korahites; ⁷ Joelah and Zebadiah, sons of Jeroham from the Gedor. ⁸ And from the Gadites, valiant mighty warriors, _⌊soldiers fit for war_⌋,* expert with shield and spear, defected to David at the fortress toward the wilderness. And _⌊they had faces like lions_⌋* and were swift as gazelles upon the mountains. ⁹ Ezer the chief, Obadiah second, Eliab third, ¹⁰ Mishmannah fourth, Jeremiah fifth, ¹¹ Attai sixth, Eliel seventh, ¹² Jehonan eighth, Elzabad ninth, ¹³ Jeremiah tenth, Macbannai eleventh. ¹⁴ These were the sons of Gad, leaders of the army. The smallest one was as a hundred, and the greatest as a thousand. ¹⁵ These were they who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it was filled over its banks. And they put to flight all who were in the valley to the east and to the west. ¹⁶ And some of the sons of Benjamin and from Judah came to the fortress, to David. ¹⁷ And David went out _⌊to meet them_⌋* and answered and said to them, "If you come in peace to me, to help me, _⌊my heart will be joined with you_⌋,* but if you come to betray me to my adversaries, although there is no wrong on my hands, may the God of our fathers see and pass judgment." ¹⁸ Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the thirty who said:
"We are yours, O David! And we are with you, O son of Jesse! Peace! Peace to you, and peace to those who help you, for your God helps you."
So David appointed them as heads of the troops. ¹⁹ And some Manassites deserted to David when he came with the Philistines to the battle against Saul, but he did not help them, for the rulers of the Philistines sent him away upon counsel, saying, "He will desert to his master Saul at the cost of our heads." ²⁰ When he went to Ziklag some Manassites deserted to him: Adnah, Jehozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, heads of the thousands that were for Manasseh. ²¹ And they themselves helped David against the troops, for all of them were mighty men of strength and were commanders in the army. ²² _⌊Day in and day out_⌋* they came to David to help him until there was a great army, like the army of God. ²³ And these are the numbers of the chiefs of those prepared for the army who came to David at Hebron to turn the kingdom of Saul over to him according to the word of Yahweh. ²⁴ The sons of Judah bearing shield and spear: six thousand eight hundred armed troops. ²⁵ From the men of Simeon, mighty warriors of strength for war: seven thousand one hundred. ²⁶ From the Levites: four thousand six hundred. ²⁷ Jehoiada the chief officer of the house of Aaron, and with him, three thousand seven hundred. ²⁸ And Zadok, a young man, a mighty warrior of strength, and the house of his father: twenty-two commanders. ²⁹ From the men of Benjamin, kinsmen of Saul, three thousand, and _⌊even still_⌋* the majority of them _⌊remained loyal_⌋* to the house of Saul. ³⁰ And from the men of Ephraim: twenty thousand eight hundred mighty warriors of strength, famous men in the house of their fathers. ³¹ And from the half-tribe of Manasseh: eighteen thousand who were designated by name to come to make David king. ³² And from the men of Issachar: _⌊men who were skilled in understanding the times_⌋* to know what Israel should do. Their chiefs were two hundred, and all their kinsmen were under their command. ³³ From Zebulun, those who went out armed, equipped for battle with all the weapons of war: fifty thousand to help David _⌊with singleness of purpose_⌋.* ³⁴ From Naphtali: one thousand commanders; and those with them with shield and spear: thirty-seven thousand. ³⁵ From the Danites, those equipped for battle: twenty-eight thousand six hundred. ³⁶ And from Asher, those who went out armed and prepared for battle: forty thousand. ³⁷ And from beyond the Jordan, from the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, with all their weapons of war for battle: one hundred and twenty thousand. ³⁸ All these were men of war arrayed in battle line _⌊with a whole heart_⌋.* They came to Hebron to make David king over all Israel. Likewise, all the rest of Israel had one heart to make David king. ³⁹ And they were there with David three days, eating and drinking, for their kinsmen were prepared for them. ⁴⁰ And also their relatives, as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought food on donkeys, on camels, on mules, and on oxen—provisions of flour, cakes of figs, raisin cakes, wine and oil, cattle and sheep in abundance, for there was great joy in Israel.

¹² And in all the cities he put shields and spears, and he greatly strengthened them. So he had Judah and Benjamin. ¹³ Now the priests and the Levites who were throughout all Israel took their stand with him* from all their territories. ¹⁴ For the Levites left their pasturelands and their property and came to Judah and to Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them from serving as priests to Yahweh. ¹⁵ And he appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat idols and for the bull calves that he had made. ¹⁶ Then after them, from all the tribes of Israel, those who set their heart to seek Yahweh, the God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to offer to Yahweh, the God of their ancestors.* ¹⁷ And they strengthened the kingdom of Judah and made Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, secure for three years, for they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years.

⁸ And Asa had an army of three hundred thousand from Judah, bearing shields and spears, and two hundred and eighty thousand from Benjamin who carried shields and drew bows. All of these were mighty warriors of strength.

⁹ And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin and those sojourning with them, from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon, for many had deserted to him from Israel when they saw that Yahweh his God was with him.

² And he put troops in all the fortified cities of Judah, and put garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim that Asa his father had taken.

¹⁴ Now these were their enrollment by the house of their ancestors:* of Judah, the commanders of thousands: Adnah, the commander, and with him were three hundred thousand mighty armed warriors; ¹⁵ and at his side,* Jehohanan the commander, and with him were two hundred and eighty thousand; ¹⁶ and at his side,* Amasiah the son of Zicri, who had made a freewill offering to Yahweh, and with him were two hundred thousand mighty armed warriors.

¹¹ Only men from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.

⁴⁰ And you _⌊made my enemies turn their backs_⌋,* then I destroyed those who hated me. ⁴¹ They cried out but there was no rescuer, even to Yahweh, but he did not answer them. ⁴² And I ground them like dust _⌊in the wind_⌋,* I emptied them* out like mud of the streets. ⁴³ You rescued me from strife with people; you set me as head (over) nations. People I did not know served me;

¹ For the music director, with stringed instruments. A psalm of Asaph. A song.*
God is known in Judah. His name is great in Israel.

⁶⁸ but chose the tribe of Judah, _⌊Mount Zion_⌋* that he loved. ⁶⁹ And he built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth that he established forever. ⁷⁰ And he chose David his servant and took him from the sheepfolds. ⁷¹ He brought him from following nursing ewes to shepherd Jacob, his people, and Israel, his inheritance.

⁷ _⌊His dominion will grow continually, and to peace there will be no end_⌋* on* the throne of David and over* his kingdom, to establish it* and sustain it with justice and righteousness now and forever. The zeal of Yahweh of hosts will do this.

²⁹ when seeing a false vision for you in vain, when practicing divination for you falsely, to give* you on the neck of the profane ones of the wicked, _⌊whose day has come_⌋,* _⌊the time of final punishment_⌋.*

¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and of those on earth and of those under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

¹⁴ For it is evident that our Lord is a descendant of Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses said nothing concerning priests.

¹³ from now on waiting until his enemies are made a footstool for his feet.

⁵ And one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! Behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.

¹⁵ And the seventh angel blew the trumpet, and there was a loud voice in heaven saying,
"The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign _⌊forever and ever_⌋*."

²⁴ Look! the people will rise like the lion; he raises himself and will not lie down until he eats the prey and drinks the blood of the slain."

⁹ He crouches, he lies down like a lion, and like a lioness, who will rouse him? They who bless you will be blessed, and they who curse you will be cursed."

⁵ And she saw* that she was waiting in vain; her hope was destroyed, and she took one from her cubs, and she made him a fierce lion.

⁴ Their deeds do not permit them to return them to God. Because a spirit of whoredom is in their midst, they do not know Yahweh.

¹⁴ Because I will be like a lion to Ephraim and like a fierce strong lion to the house of Judah. I myself will tear and I will go; I will carry off, and there is no one who delivers.

⁸ And the remnant of Jacob will be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the wild animals of the forest, like a young lion among the herds of sheep which, when it passes through and treads down and tears in pieces, there is none who can deliver.

²⁴ then the end, when he hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when he has abolished all rule and all authority and power.

¹⁸ Well water that the princes dug, that the leaders of the people dug, with a staff and with their rods." And from the desert they continued to Mattanah,

¹⁷ I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near; a star will go out from Jacob, and a scepter will rise from Israel; it will crush the foreheads of Moab and destroy all the children of Seth.

⁵⁷ and even concerning her afterbirth _⌊that goes out_⌋* from between her feet and also concerning her children that she bears, because she eats them for lack of anything in secret _⌊during the siege and during the distress_⌋* that your enemy inflicts upon her in your _⌊towns_⌋.*

⁶ "But as for me, I have set my king on Zion, my holy mountain." ⁷ I will tell the decree; Yahweh said to me: "You are my son; today I have begotten you. ⁸ Ask from me and I will make the nations your heritage, and your possession the ends of the earth. ⁹ You will break them with an iron rod. Like a potter's vessel you will shatter them."

⁷ Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine, and Ephraim is the _⌊helmet for_⌋* my head; Judah is my scepter.*

⁸ And may he rule from sea up to sea, and from the River* to the edges of the land. ⁹ Let the desert dwellers bow down before him, and his enemies lick the dust. ¹⁰ Let the kings of Tarshish and the islands bring tribute. Let the kings of Sheba and Seba present gifts, ¹¹ and let all kings bow down to him. Let all nations serve him.

⁸ Gilead is mine. Manasseh is mine. And Ephraim is the _⌊helmet for_⌋* my head. Judah is my scepter;*

⁶ For a child has been born for us; a son has been given to us. And the dominion will be on his shoulder, and his name is called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

¹ And a shoot will come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from its roots will bear fruit. ² And the spirit of Yahweh shall rest on him— a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of counsel and might, a spirit of knowledge and the fear of Yahweh. ³ And his _⌊breath_⌋* is in the fear of Yahweh. And he shall judge not by his eyesight, and he shall rebuke not by _⌊what he hears with_⌋* his ears. ⁴ But he shall judge the poor with righteousness, and he shall decide for the needy of the earth with rectitude. And he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and he shall kill the wicked person with the breath of his lips. ⁵ And righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

¹⁰ And this shall happen on that day:
the nations shall inquire of the root of Jesse, which shall be standing as a signal to the peoples, and his resting place shall be glorious.

¹² and he will raise a signal for the nations. And he will gather the outcasts of Israel, and he will gather the scattered ones of Judah together from the four _⌊corners_⌋* of the earth. ¹³ And the jealousy of Ephraim shall depart, and the enemies of Judah shall be cut off. Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah, and Judah shall not be an enemy of Ephraim.

²² For Yahweh is our judge; Yahweh is our lawgiver. Yahweh is our king; he is the one who will save us.

¹ Look! here is my servant; I hold him, my chosen one, in whom my soul delights. I have _⌊put_⌋* my spirit on him; he will bring justice forth to the nations.

³ He will not break a broken reed, and he not will extinguish a dim wick. He will bring justice forth in* faithfulness. ⁴ He will not grow faint, and he will not be broken until he has established justice in the earth. And the coastlands wait for his teaching.

⁶ And he says, "It is trivial _⌊for you to be_⌋* a servant for me,
to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel. I will give you as a light to the nations, to be my salvation to the end of the earth." ⁷ Thus says Yahweh, the redeemer of Israel, his holy one,
to the one who despises* life, to the one who abhors the nation, to the slave of rulers: "Kings shall see and stand up; princes, and they shall bow down, for the sake of Yahweh, who is faithful, the holy one of Israel, and he has chosen you."

²² Thus says the Lord Yahweh:
"Look! I will lift my hand up to the nations, and I will raise my signal to the peoples, and they shall bring your sons in their bosom, and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.* ²³ And kings shall be your _⌊guardians_⌋,* and their queens your nurses. They shall bow down, _⌊faces_⌋* to the ground, to you, and they will lick up the dust of your feet. Then* you will know that I am Yahweh; those who await me shall not be ashamed.

⁴ Look! I made* him a witness to the peoples, a leader and a commander for the peoples. ⁵ Look! You shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that does not know you shall run to you, because of Yahweh your God, and the holy one of Israel, for he has glorified you."

¹ "Arise, shine! For your light has come, and the glory of Yahweh has risen on you.

³ And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the bright light of your sunrise. ⁴ Lift up your eyes all around and see! All of them gather; they come to you. Your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be looked after on the hip. ⁵ Then you shall see and you shall be radiant; and your heart shall tremble and open itself wide, because the abundance of the sea shall fall upon you; the wealth of the nations shall come to you.

¹¹ Look! Yahweh has proclaimed to the end of the earth:
Say to daughter Zion, "Look, your salvation is coming! Look, his reward is with him, and his reward before him.

⁵ "Look, days are coming," _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh, "when I will raise up for David a righteous branch, and he will reign as king, and he will achieve success, and he will do justice and righteousness in the land. ⁶ In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell _⌊in safety_⌋,* and this is his name by which he will be called: 'Yahweh is our righteousness.'

²¹ And their noble will be from them, and their ruler will come out from their midst. And I will bring him near and he will approach me. For who is he that would pledge his heart to approach me?' _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh.

¹¹ And _⌊she produced branches of strength_⌋* to* scepters of rulers; its height became tall between* thick foliage, and it was seen* because of its tallness among the abundance of its branches.

¹⁴ And so fire has gone out from the stem of its branches; its fruit it has consumed, and there was not in it _⌊a strong branch_⌋,* a scepter for ruling.'"
This is a lament, and _⌊it will be used as a lament_⌋.*

²⁷ A ruin, a ruin, a ruin I will make it! Also* this has not ever happened;* it will remain until the coming of the one to whom the judgment belongs and I have given it to him.'

²⁵ And you must know and you must understand* that from the time of the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem until an anointed* one—a leader—will be _⌊seven weeks and sixty-two weeks_⌋;* it will be restored and will be built with streets and a moat, but _⌊in a time of oppression_⌋.*

¹² * Ephraim has surrounded me with lies,* and the house of Israel with deceit; and Judah is still wandering with God and is faithful to the Holy One.

⁷ I will shake all the nations so that the treasure of all the nations will come, and I will fill this house* with glory,' says Yahweh of hosts.

¹¹ "Many nations will join themselves to Yahweh on that day, and they will be my people, and I will dwell in your midst. And you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me to you.

²⁰ Thus says Yahweh of hosts: 'It will happen again that nations and the inhabitants of many cities will come. ²¹ And the inhabitants of one city will go to another city, saying, "Let us go immediately to entreat _⌊the favor of_⌋* Yahweh, to seek Yahweh of hosts—I also will go!" ²² And many peoples and powerful* nations will come to seek Yahweh of hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat _⌊the favor of_⌋* Yahweh.' ²³ Thus says Yahweh of hosts: 'In those days ten men from _⌊all the nations of every language_⌋* will take hold of the hem of a Judean man,* saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you!" '"

¹¹ And he* will pass through the sea of distress, and he will strike the waves of the sea, and all the depths of the Nile will dry up. The pride of Assyria will be brought low, and the scepter of Egypt will depart.

²¹ And she will give birth to a son, and you will call his name 'Jesus,' because he will save his people from their sins."

⁵ While* he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him!"

⁹ And the crowds who went ahead of him and the ones who followed were shouting, saying,
"Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!* Hosanna in the highest heaven!"*

³² And all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them from one another like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

³² This one will be great, and he will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. ³³ And he will reign over the house of Jacob _⌊forever_⌋,* and of his kingdom there will be no end.

³⁰ For my eyes have seen your salvation ³¹ that you have prepared in the presence of all the peoples, ³² a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory to your people Israel."

⁷ And he said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated "sent"). So he went and washed and came back seeing.

³² And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself."

³¹ So Pilate said to them, "You take him and judge him according to your law!" The Jews said to him, "It is not permitted for us to kill anyone,"

¹² From this point on Pilate was seeking to release him, but the Jews shouted, saying, "If you release this man, you are not a friend of Caesar! Everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar!"

¹⁵ Then those shouted, "Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your king?" The chief priests replied, "We do not have a king except Caesar!"

¹² And again Isaiah says,
"The root of Jesse will come, even the one who rises to rule over the Gentiles; in him the Gentiles will put their hope."*

¹⁰ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, in order that each one may receive back the things through the body according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

²⁰ Judah and Israel were as many as the sand which is on the seashore in abundance, eating and drinking and rejoicing!

²⁵ Judah and Israel lived in security, each man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan as far as Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.

³² Until I come and take you to a land like your land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees, olive oil, and honey, that you may live and not die! You must not listen to Hezekiah, for he has misled you by saying, "Yahweh will deliver us!"

¹ Who is this, coming from Edom, from Bozrah in bright red garments? Who is this honored in his garment, lying down in his great strength? "It is I, speaking in justice, _⌊mighty_⌋* to save!" ² Why are your garments* red, and your garments like he who treads in the winepress? ³ "I have trodden the winepress alone, and there was no man from the peoples with me. And I trod them in my anger, and I trampled them in my wrath, and spattered their juice on my garments, and stained all my clothing,

¹⁸ And it will happen on that day; the mountains will drip new wine, and the hills will flow with milk, and all the channels of Judah will flow with water. A spring from the house of Yahweh will come forth, and it will water the valley of Acacia Trees.*

⁴ But they will sit, each under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the mouth of Yahweh of hosts has spoken.

¹⁴ And I said to him, "My lord, you know." And he said to me,
"These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation, and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

¹⁸ in order that you may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of military tribunes, and the flesh of the powerful, and the flesh of horses and those seated on them, and the flesh of all people, both free and slave, and small and great!"

²⁹ To whom is woe? To whom is sorrow? To whom are quarrels? To whom is complaint? To whom are wounds without cause? To whom is redness of the eyes?

²⁰ And Leah said, "God has endowed me with a good gift. This time my husband will acknowledge me, because I bore him six sons." And she called his name Zebulun.

¹⁸ And of Zebulun he said, "Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, and rejoice, Issachar, in your tents; ¹⁹ They summon people to the mountains;* there they sacrifice the sacrifices of righteousness, because the affluence of the seas they suck out, and _⌊the most hidden treasures of the sand_⌋."*

¹⁰ The third allotment came up for the descendants* of Zebulun according to their families. The border of their inheritance went up to Sarid. ¹¹ Their border goes up to the west, to Maralah; it touches* Dabbesheth, then the wadi* that is opposite Jokneam. ¹² It turns from Sarid to the east to the sunrise, to the border of Kislot-Tabor; it continues to Daberath and goes up to Japhia. ¹³ From there it passes along to the east toward the sunrise, to Gath Hepher and to Eth Kazin, and continuing to Rimmon, it turns to Neah; ¹⁴ it changes direction from the north of Hannathon, and _⌊it ends_⌋* at the valley of Yiptah-El; ¹⁵ Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem; twelve cities and their villages. ¹⁶ This is the inheritance of the descendants* of Zebulun according to their families, these cities and their villages.

¹⁸ Then Leah said, "God has given me my wage since I gave my servant girl to my husband." And she called his name Issachar.

¹⁸ And of Zebulun he said, "Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, and rejoice, Issachar, in your tents;

¹⁷ The fourth allotment _⌊fell_⌋* for Issachar, for the descendants* of Issachar, according to their families. ¹⁸ Their border went to Jezreel, Chesulloth, Shunem, ¹⁹ Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath, ²⁰ Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez, ²¹ Remeth, En Gannim, En Haddah, and Beth Pazzez; ²² and the border touches Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth Shemesh. _⌊Its border ends_⌋* at the Jordan; sixteen cities and their villages. ²³ This is the inheritance of the tribe of the descendants* of Issachar according to their families, the cities and their villages.

¹⁵ And the chiefs* in Issachar were with Deborah; and Issachar likewise was with Barak; into the valley _⌊he was sent to get him from behind_⌋.* Among the clans of Reuben were great _⌊decisions of the heart_⌋.* ¹⁶ Why do you sit among the sheepfolds, to hear the calling sounds of the herds? For the clans of Reuben, there were great searchings of the heart.

¹ After Abimelech, Tola son of Puah son of Dod, a man of Issachar, rose up to deliver Israel; and he was living at Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim.

³² And from the men of Issachar: _⌊men who were skilled in understanding the times_⌋* to know what Israel should do. Their chiefs were two hundred, and all their kinsmen were under their command.

¹⁵ And the name of Hebron formerly was Kiriath Arba;* Arba was the greatest person among the Anakites. And the land rested from war.

¹¹ So the land rested forty years. Then Othniel son of Kenaz died.

¹ It happened that the king settled in his house. (Now Yahweh had given rest to him from all his enemies all around.)

⁶ "I removed his shoulder from a burden. His hands were freed from the basket.

¹⁸ "Son of man,* Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, he made his army labor hard against Tyre. Every head was rubbed bare, and every shoulder was rubbed raw, but* a wage was not paid for him and for his army from Tyre for the labor that he did against it."

⁴ And they tie up heavy burdens* and put them* on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing with their finger to move them.

⁶ Then Rachel said, "God has judged me, and has also heard my voice, and has given me a son." Therefore she called his name Dan.

²⁵ Then the standard of the camp of the descendants* of Dan, who formed a rear guard for all the camps, set out according to their divisions; Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai was over its division.

²² And of Dan he said, "Dan is a cub of a lion; he leaps from Bashan."*

² There was a certain man from Zorah, from the tribe of the Danites, and his name was Manoah; his wife was infertile and did not bear children.

²⁴ The woman bore a son, and she called him Samson; the boy grew big, and Yahweh blessed him. ²⁵ And the Spirit of Yahweh began to stir him in the camp of Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

²⁰ And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.

¹ In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking territory for itself to live in, because until that day it had not been allotted territory among the tribes of Israel. ² The descendants* of Dan sent from the whole number of their clan five _⌊capable men_⌋* from Zorah and Eshtaol to spy out the land and to explore it. And they said to them, "Go, explore the land." And they went to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and they spent the night there.*

²⁶ And the descendants* of Dan went their way. When Micah saw that they were stronger than him, he turned to return to his house. ²⁷ And they took what Micah had made, and his priest, and they came to Laish, to a quiet and unsuspecting people, and _⌊they put them to the sword_⌋* and burned the city with fire.

¹ And Samson went down to Timnah, and he saw a woman in Timnah from the daughters of the Philistines. ² He went up and told his father and mother, and he said, "I saw a woman in Timnah from the daughters of the Philistines; so then, take her for me as a wife." ³ But his father and mother said to him, "Is there not a wife among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our* people, that you must take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?" But Samson said to his father, "Take her for me because _⌊she pleases me_⌋."* ⁴ His father and mother did not know that this was from Yahweh; he was seeking for an occasion against the Philistines. Now at that time the Philistines were ruling* in Israel. ⁵ And Samson and his father and mother went down to Timnah, and they came to the vineyards of Timnah, and suddenly a young lion came roaring to meet him. ⁶ And the Spirit of Yahweh rushed upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one might tear apart a male kid goat (_⌊he was bare-handed_⌋).* But he did not tell his father and mother what he had done. ⁷ Then he went down and talked to the woman, and _⌊she pleased Samson_⌋.* ⁸ And he returned after awhile _⌊to marry her_⌋,* and he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion, and there was a swarm of wild honey bees in the body of the lion, and honey. ⁹ He scraped it out into his hands, and he went on, eating it as he went. And he went to his father and mother and gave some to them, and they ate it. But he did not tell them that he had scraped the honey from the body of the lion. ¹⁰ His father went down to the woman, and Samson prepared there a feast, as young men were accustomed to doing this. ¹¹ When they saw him, they took thirty companions, and they were with him. ¹² And Samson said to them, "Let me tell you a riddle. If you can fully explain it to me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, I will give to you thirty linen garments and thirty festal garments. ¹³ But if you are unable to explain it to me, you must give me thirty linen garments and thirty festal garments." So they said to him, "Tell your riddle; let us hear it." ¹⁴ He said to them,
"From the eater came out food, From the strong came out sweet."
But they were unable to explain the riddle for three days. ¹⁵ When it was the fourth* day, they said to Samson's wife, "Entice your husband and tell us the riddle, or we will burn you and your father's house with fire. Have you invited us to rob us?"

²² But the hair of his head began to grow back after it had been shaved off. ²³ The rulers of the Philistines had gathered to sacrifice a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to rejoice. And they said, "Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hand." ²⁴ And the people saw him, and they praised their god, for they said, "Our god has given into our hand those who hate us, devastate our land, and have _⌊killed many of us_⌋."* ²⁵ After awhile, when their hearts* were merry, they said, "Call Samson and let him entertain us." And they called Samson _⌊from the prison_⌋,* and _⌊he entertained them_⌋.* And they made him stand between the pillars. ²⁶ Then Samson said to the servant who was holding him by his hand, "Position me so that I can touch the pillars on which the house* rests, so I can lean on them." ²⁷ And the house* was full of men and women, and all of the rulers of the Philistines were there—about three thousand men and women were on the roof watching the performance of Samson. ²⁸ And Samson called to Yahweh and said, "My Lord Yahweh, remember me! Please give me strength this one time, O God, so that I can repay with one act of revenge to the Philistines for my eyes." ²⁹ And Samson reached out and held two of the middle pillars on which the house* was resting, and he leaned on them, one on his right and one on his left. ³⁰ And Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines." And he pushed* with all his strength, and the house* fell on the rulers and all of the people who were with him. And the dead whom he killed in his death were more than those he killed in his life.

²² When they were at a distance from the house, Micah and the men who were in the houses that were near the house of Micah cried out, and they overtook the descendants* of Dan. ²³ And they called to the descendants* of Dan, who turned around to face them, and they said to Micah, "What is the matter with you that you assembled together?" ²⁴ He said, "You took away my gods that I had made, and the priest, and then you go away. What is now left for me? How can you say to me, 'What is the matter?'" ²⁵ And the descendants* of Dan said to him, "You should not let your voice be heard among us, so that _⌊ill-tempered men_⌋* _⌊will not attack you_⌋,* _⌊and take your life_⌋* and the lives of your household." ²⁶ And the descendants* of Dan went their way. When Micah saw that they were stronger than him, he turned to return to his house. ²⁷ And they took what Micah had made, and his priest, and they came to Laish, to a quiet and unsuspecting people, and _⌊they put them to the sword_⌋* and burned the city with fire. ²⁸ There was no deliverer, because it was far from Sidon, and _⌊they had had no dealings with anyone_⌋.* It was in the valley that belonged to Beth-rehob, and they rebuilt* the city and lived in it. 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. ³⁰ And the descendants* of Dan set up for themselves the carved divine image, and Jonathan son of Gershom, son of Manasseh,* he and his sons were priests for the tribe of the Danites until the time of the captivity of the land. ³¹ So they set up for themselves the carved divine image that Micah had made, all the days that the house of God was in Shiloh.

³⁵ From the Danites, those equipped for battle: twenty-eight thousand six hundred.

⁷ _⌊Oh that from Zion_⌋* would come salvation for Israel! When Yahweh returns the fortunes of his people, Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be happy.

⁵ Cause me to walk in your truth and teach me, because you are the God of my salvation. I await you _⌊all day long_⌋.* ⁶ Remember your compassion, O Yahweh, and your acts of loyal love, because they are from of old.

¹ For the music director. Of David. A psalm.*
I waited patiently for Yahweh, And he inclined to me and heard my cry for help.

¹ For the music director, on Jeduthun.* A psalm of David.*
Only for God my soul waits in silence. From him is my salvation.

⁵ Only for God wait in silence, O my soul, because my hope is from him.

⁷ Show us, O Yahweh, your loyal love, and grant us your salvation.

⁴¹ Let your acts of loyal love also come to me, O Yahweh, your salvation according to your word.*

¹⁶⁶ I hope for your salvation, O Yahweh, and do your commands.

¹⁷⁴ I long for your salvation, O Yahweh, and your law is my delight.

² Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master,* as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to Yahweh our God, until he is gracious to us.

⁵ I await Yahweh; my soul awaits, and I wait* for his word.

¹⁷ And I will wait for Yahweh, who hides his face from the house of Jacob, and I will await him.

⁹ And one will say, on that day,
"Look! This is our God! We have waited for him and he saved us! This is Yahweh; we waited for him! Let us be glad, and let us rejoice in his salvation."

¹⁸ Therefore Yahweh waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he will rise up to show you mercy, for Yahweh is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.

² Yahweh, be gracious to us, we wait for you. Be our* arm in the mornings, indeed our salvation in the time of trouble.

⁸ And now please make a wager with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, that is, if you are able _⌊put_⌋* riders for yourself on them!

²⁵ Yahweh is good to those who wait on him, to the person that seeks him.

⁷ But as for me, I will look to Yahweh; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.

⁴³ Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the council who was also himself looking forward to* the kingdom of God, came acting courageously and* went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

³⁰ And the angel said to her,
"Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

²⁵ And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem _⌊whose name was_⌋* Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

³⁰ For my eyes have seen your salvation

⁵¹ (this man was not consenting to their plan and deed), from Arimathea, _⌊a Judean town_⌋,* who was looking forward to the kingdom of God.

¹⁹ For the eagerly expecting creation awaits eagerly the revelation of the sons of God.

²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not see, we await it eagerly with patient endurance.

⁵ For through the Spirit by faith we eagerly await the hope of righteousness.

¹⁰ and to await his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus, the one who delivers us from the coming wrath.

¹¹ Then Leah said, "Good fortune!" And she called his name Gad.

¹⁶ The sons of Gad: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.

²⁰ And of Gad he said, "Blessed be _⌊the one who enlarges Gad_⌋;* like a lion he dwells, and he tears an arm as well as a scalp. ²¹ And he selected* the best part for himself, * for there the portion of a ruler is included, and he came with the heads of the people;* he did* the righteousness of Yahweh, and his regulations for Israel."

⁸ With it* the Reubenites,* and the Gadites* received their inheritance, which Moses gave them beyond the Jordan to the east, just as Moses Yahweh's servant gave to them:

¹ After Abimelech, Tola son of Puah son of Dod, a man of Issachar, rose up to deliver Israel; and he was living at Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim. ² And he judged Israel twenty-three years. And he died and was buried in Shamir. ³ After him Jair the Gileadite rose up, and he judged Israel twenty-two years. ⁴ And he had thirty sons who would ride on thirty donkeys, and they had thirty towns that are in the land of Gilead that they called Havvoth Jair until this day. ⁵ And Jair died and was buried in Kamon. ⁶ And again, the _⌊Israelites_⌋* did evil in the eyes of Yahweh. They served the Baals, the Ashtaroth, the gods of Aram, Sidon, Moab, and the gods of the _⌊Ammonites_⌋* and Philistines; they abandoned Yahweh and did not serve him. ⁷ And _⌊the anger of Yahweh burned_⌋* against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and the _⌊Ammonites_⌋.* ⁸ They crushed and oppressed the _⌊Israelites_⌋* in that year; for eighteen years they crushed all the _⌊Israelites_⌋* who were beyond the Jordan, in the land of the Amorites,* which is in Gilead. ⁹ The _⌊Ammonites_⌋* crossed the Jordan to fight also against Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim; and Israel was very distressed. ¹⁰ Then the _⌊Israelites_⌋* cried out to Yahweh, saying, "We have sinned against you; we have abandoned our God and served the Baals." ¹¹ And Yahweh said to the _⌊Israelites_⌋,* "Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians,* the Amorites,* from the _⌊Ammonites_⌋,* and from the Philistines?*

¹⁸ Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah. ¹⁹ And the sons of Pedaiah: Zerubbabel and Shimei. And the sons of Zerubbabel: Meshullam and Hananiah, and Shelomith their sister, ²⁰ and Hashubah, Ohel, Berekiah, Hasadiah, and Jushab-Hesed, five. ²¹ And the sons of Hananiah: Pelatiah and Jeshaiah. The sons of Rephaiah, the sons of Arnan, the sons of Obadiah, the sons of Shecaniah. ²² And the sons of Shecaniah: Shemaiah. And the sons of Shemaiah: Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah, and Shaphat, six.

¹¹ And the sons of Gad lived near to them in the land of Bashan as far as Salecah: ¹² Joel the chief, Shapham the second, Janai, and Shaphat in Bashan. ¹³ And their kinsmen according to their fathers' households: Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, and Eber, seven. ¹⁴ These were the sons of Abihail the son of Huri, son of Jaroah, son of Gilead, son of Michael, son of Jeshishai, son of Jahdo, son of Buz. ¹⁵ Ahi son of Abdiel, son of Guni, was chief in their fathers' households. ¹⁶ And they lived in Gilead, in Bashan, and in _⌊its towns_⌋,* and in all the pasturelands of Sharon to their limits. ¹⁷ All of them were enrolled in the genealogy in the days of Jotham, king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam, king of Israel. ¹⁸ The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had _⌊valiant_⌋* men who carried a shield and a sword, and archers, and who were expert in war, forty-four thousand seven hundred and sixty for going out as an army. ¹⁹ And they made war against the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab. ²⁰ And they were helped against them, and the Hagrites and all who were with them were given into their hand, for they cried out to God in the battle, and he responded to their prayer because they trusted in him. ²¹ And they captured their livestock: fifty thousand of their camels; two hundred and fifty thousand sheep; two thousand donkeys; and one hundred thousand men alive. ²² For many were slain because the war was of God. And they lived under them until the exile.

²⁶ So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul, king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tiglath-Pilneser, king of Assyria, and he took them into exile, namely, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. And he brought them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river Gozan, until this day.

¹³ Then Leah said, "How happy am I! For women have called me happy." So she called his name Asher.

¹⁷ The sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah, and their sister Serah. And the sons of Beriah: Heber and Malkiel.

²⁴ And of Asher he said, "Blessed _⌊more than sons_⌋* is Asher; _⌊may he be the favorite_⌋* of his brothers, _⌊dipping his feet in the oil_⌋.* ²⁵ Your bars are* iron and bronze, and as your days, so is* your strength."

²⁴ The fifth allotment _⌊fell_⌋* for the tribe of the descendants* of Asher according to their families. ²⁵ Their border was Helkath, Hali, Beten, Acshaph, ²⁶ Allamelech, Amad, and Mishal; it touches Carmel to the west, and Shihor-Libnat. ²⁷ Then it turns _⌊eastward_⌋* to Beth-dagon and touches Zebulun and the valley of Yiptah-El to the north* to Beth Emeck and Neiel; it continues to Cabul from the north, ²⁸ and Ebron, Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah up to Great Sidon; ²⁹ then the border turns to Ramah, and up to the fortified city of Tyre, where the border turns to Hosah; _⌊it ends_⌋* at the sea, from Hebel to Aczib. ³⁰ Included were Ummah, Aphek, and Rehob; twenty-two cities and their villages. ³¹ This is the inheritance of the tribe of the descendants* of Asher according to their families, these cities and their villages.

⁸ And Rachel said, "I have struggled a mighty struggle with my sister and have prevailed." And she called his name Naphtali.

²⁴ The sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.

²³ And of Naphtali, he said, "Oh, Naphtali, sated of favor, and full of the blessing of Yahweh; take possession of the lake, and the land to the south."

³² The sixth allotment _⌊fell_⌋* for the children of Naphtali, for the children of Naphtali according to their families. ³³ Their border was from Heleph, from the oak in Zaanannim, Adami Nekeb, Jabneel, up to Lakkum; _⌊it ends_⌋* at the Jordan; ³⁴ then the border turns to the west, to Aznoth Tabor, and continues from there to Hukok, and it touches* Zebulun on the south, Asher on the west, and Judah on _⌊the east_⌋* at the Jordan. ³⁵ _⌊The fortified cities_⌋* are Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Kinnereth, ³⁶ Adamah, Ramah, Hazor, ³⁷ Kedesh, Edrei, En Hazor, ³⁸ Yiron, Migdal El, Horem, Beth-anath, Beth Shemesh; nineteen cities and their villages. ³⁹ This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Naphtali according to their families, the cities and their villages.

⁶ She sent and called for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh Naphtali and said to him, "Has not Yahweh the God of Israel commanded you? 'Go, _⌊march to_⌋* Mount Tabor, and take ten thousand men from the descendants* of Naphtali and Zebulun.

¹⁰ Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and _⌊they went up behind him_⌋,* ten thousand men, and Deborah went up with him.

¹⁸ Zebulun is a people who scorned death, and Naphtali, on the heights of the field.

³³ he made my feet like the deer's, and on my high places he makes me stand. ³⁴ He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

¹⁵ "Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, _⌊toward the sea_⌋,* on the other side of the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles*— ¹⁶ the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, and the ones who sit in the land and shadow of death, a light has dawned on them."*

²² Then God remembered Rachel and listened to her, and God opened her womb. ²³ And she conceived and gave birth to a son. And she said, "God has taken away my disgrace." ²⁴ And she called his name Joseph, saying, "Yahweh has added to me another son."

⁵² And the name of the second he called Ephraim, for he said, "God has made me fruitful in the land of my misfortune."

²⁷ And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two persons. All the persons of the house of Jacob who came to Egypt were seventy.

¹ And it happened that after these things, it was said to Joseph, "Behold, your father is ill." And he took his two sons with him, Ephraim and Manasseh.

⁵ And now, your two sons who were born to you in the land of Egypt before my coming to you in Egypt, are mine. Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine as Reuben and Simeon are.

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.

¹⁹ But his father refused and said, "I know, my son; I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great, but his younger brother shall be greater than him, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations." ²⁰ So he blessed them that day, saying,
Through you Israel shall pronounce blessing, saying, 'May God make you like Ephraim and like Manasseh.'"
So he put Ephraim before Manasseh.

¹³ And of Joseph he said, "Blessed by Yahweh is his land, with* the choice things of heaven, with* dew, and with* the deep lying down beneath, ¹⁴ and with* the choice things of the fruits* of the the sun, and with the choice things of the yield of the _⌊seasons_⌋,* ¹⁵ and with* the finest things of the ancient mountains, and with* the choice things of the _⌊eternal hills_⌋,* ¹⁶ and with* the choice things of the earth and its fullness, and the favor of the one _⌊who dwelt_⌋* in the bush.* Let them come to the head of Joseph, and to the crown of the prince among his brothers. ¹⁷ As the firstborn of his ox, majesty _⌊belongs to him_⌋,* and his horns are the horns of a wild ox; with them he drives people together,* and they are the myriads of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh."

¹ The allotment of the descendants* of Joseph went from the Jordan by Jericho, at the waters of Jericho to the east, into the wilderness, going up from Jericho into the hill country to Bethel; ² it continues from Bethel to Luz, and it passes along to the territory of the Arkites* at Ataroth. ³ Then it goes down, to the west, to the territory of the Japhletites,* up to the territory of Lower Beth-horon, then to Gezer, and _⌊it ends_⌋* at the sea. ⁴ And the descendants* of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, received their inheritance. ⁵ This was the border of the descendants* of Ephraim according to their families: the border of their inheritance to the east was Ataroth Addar, up to Upper Beth-horon. ⁶ The border continues to the sea; from Micmethath to the north, the border turns to the east to Taanath Shiloh, and it passes along it from the east to Janoah. ⁷ Then it goes down from Janoah to Ataroth and to Naarah; it touches Jericho and ends at the Jordan; ⁸ from Tappuah the border goes to the west, to the wadi* of Kanah, and _⌊it ends_⌋* at the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the descendants* of Ephraim according to their families, ⁹ with the cities that were set apart for the descendants* of Ephraim in the midst of the inheritance of the descendants* of Manasseh, all the cities and their villages. ¹⁰ But they did not drive out the Canananites* who were dwelling in Gezer, and so the Canaanites* live in the midst of Ephraim to this day, but they became forced laborers.

¹⁴ The descendants* of Joseph spoke with Joshua, saying, "Why have you given us* one allotment and one share as an inheritance? We are many people, which Yahweh has blessed." ¹⁵ And Joshua said to them, "If you are many people, go up to the forest and clear a place there for yourselves in the land of the Perizzites* and Rephaim, since the hill country of Ephraim is too narrow for you." ¹⁶ And the descendants* of Joseph said, "The hill country is not enough for us, and all of the Canaanites* living in the land of the valley have chariots* of iron, those in Beth-shean and its villages, and those in the Jezreel Valley." ¹⁷ And Joshua said to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasseh, "You are many people and have great power; you will not have one allotment only;

¹ Blessed is the man who does not walk in the advice of the wicked; nor does he stand in the way of sinners; nor does he sit in the assembly of mockers. ² Instead, in the law of Yahweh is his delight, and on his law he meditates day and night. ³ And so, he is like a tree planted by streams of water that gives its fruit in its season; its leaf also does not wither. Therefore all that he does prospers.

¹ A song of ascents.*
Blessed is everyone who fears Yahweh, who walks in his ways.

³ Your wife will be like a fruitful vine _⌊within_⌋* your house. Your children* will be like olive shoots about your table.

⁴ When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and were not able to speak peaceably to him.

¹⁸ And they saw him from a distance. And before he drew near to them, they conspired against him to kill him.

²⁴ And they took him and threw him into the pit (the pit was empty; there was no water in it).

²⁸ Then Midianite traders passed by. And they* drew Joseph up and brought him up from the pit, and they sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they brought Joseph to Egypt.

⁷ And it happened that after these things his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph, and she said, "Lie with me." ⁸ But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Look, my master _⌊does not worry about_⌋* what is in the house, and everything he owns he has put in my hand. ⁹ He has no greater authority in this house than me, and he has not withheld anything from me except you, since you are his wife. Now how could I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" ¹⁰ And it happened that as she spoke to Joseph _⌊day after day_⌋,* he did not heed her to lie beside her or to be with her. ¹¹ _⌊But one particular day_⌋* he came into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house were there in the house, ¹² she seized him by his garment and said, "Lie with me!" And he left his garment in her hand and fled, and he went outside. ¹³ And it happened that when she saw that he left his garment in her hand and fled outside, 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 And when he heard me, that I raised my voice and called out, he left his garment beside me and fled, and he went outside." ¹⁶ Then she put his garment beside her until his master came to his house. ¹⁷ Then she spoke to him according to these words, saying, "The Hebrew slave that you brought to us came to me to make fun of me. ¹⁸ And it happened that as I raised my voice and called out, he left his garment beside me and fled outside." ¹⁹ And when his master heard the words of his wife that she spoke to him, "_⌊This is what your servant did to me_⌋,"* _⌊he became very angry_⌋.* ²⁰ And Joseph's master took him and put him into prison, the place that the king's prisoners were confined. And he was there in prison.

²¹ Then each said to his brother, "Surely we are guilty on account of our brother when we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded for mercy to us and we would not listen. Therefore this trouble has come to us."

³ who sharpen their tongue like a sword. They bend their bow to shoot their arrows—bitter words,

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

³³ I have said these things to you so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have affliction, but have courage! I have conquered the world."

²² strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them* to continue in the faith and saying,* "Through many persecutions* it is necessary for us to enter into the kingdom of God."

¹⁰ And God said to him, "Your name is Jacob. Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name." Then his name was called Israel. ¹¹ And God said to him, "I am El-Shaddai.* Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and an assemblage of nations shall be from you, and kings shall go out from your loins.

⁵ So now, do not be distressed and do not be angry _⌊with yourselves_⌋* that you sold me here, for God sent me as deliverance before you.

⁷ And God sent me before you all to preserve for you a remnant in the land and to keep alive among you many survivors.

¹¹ And I will provide for you there, because there are still five years of famine—lest you and your household and all that you have become destitute.'

¹² And Joseph provided his father and his brothers and all the household of his father with food, according to the number of their children.

²¹ So then, do not be afraid. I myself will provide for you and your little ones. And he consoled them and _⌊spoke kindly_⌋* to them.

⁶ And he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face because he was afraid of looking at God.

¹⁶ "Let Yahweh, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the community 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." ¹⁸ Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and place your hand on him.

⁴ The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are just; he is a faithful God, and _⌊without injustice_⌋;* righteous and upright is he.

⁹ Now* Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom because Moses had placed his hands on him, and the _⌊Israelites_⌋* listened to him, and they did as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

¹ After the death of Moses the servant of Yahweh, Yahweh said to Joshua son of Nun, the assistant* of Moses, saying, ² "My servant Moses is dead. Get up and cross the Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the _⌊Israelites_⌋.* ³ Every place that the soles of your feet will tread, I have given it to you, as I promised* to Moses. ⁴ From the wilderness _⌊and the Lebanon_⌋,* up to the great river, the river Euphrates, all of the land of the Hittites, and up to _⌊the great sea in the west_⌋,* will be your territory. ⁵ No one will stand before you* all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so will I be with you; I will not fail you, and I will not forsake you. ⁶ Be strong and courageous, for you will give the people this land as an inheritance that I swore to their ancestors* to give them. ⁷ Only be strong and very courageous _⌊to observe diligently the whole law_⌋* that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn aside from it, to the right or left, so that you may succeed _⌊wherever you go_⌋.* ⁸ The scroll of this law will not depart from your mouth; you will meditate on it day and night so that _⌊you may observe diligently all that is written_⌋* in it. For then you will succeed in your ways and prosper. ⁹ Did I not command you? Be strong and courageous! Do not fear or be dismayed, for Yahweh your God is with you _⌊wherever you go_⌋."*

¹ And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem; he summoned the elders of Israel, their heads, their judges, and their officials, and they presented themselves before God. ² And Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says Yahweh the God of Israel: '_⌊Long ago_⌋* your ancestors*—Terah the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor—lived beyond the river,* and they served other gods. ³ I took your ancestor* Abraham from beyond the river* and led him through all the land of Canaan, and I increased his offspring; I gave him Isaac, ⁴ and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I gave the hill country of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. ⁵ And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did in its midst; and afterward I brought you out. ⁶ When I brought out your ancestors* from Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued after your ancestors* with chariots* and horsemen to the _⌊Red Sea_⌋.* ⁷ They cried out to Yahweh, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and he brought the sea over them* and covered them; your own eyes saw what I did in Egypt. Then you lived in the wilderness for many days. ⁸ And I brought you to the land of the Amorites* who lived beyond the Jordan; they fought you, and I gave them into your hand; you took possession of their land, and I destroyed them _⌊before you_⌋.* ⁹ Then Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, set out and fought against Israel, and he sent and summoned Balaam son of Beor to curse you, ¹⁰ but I was not willing to listen to Balaam, and he richly blessed you. So I rescued you from his hand, ¹¹ and you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. And the citizens of Jericho, the Amorites,* the Perizzites,* the Canaanites,* the Hittites,* the Girgashites,* the Hivites,* and the Jebusites,* fought against you, and I gave them into your hand. ¹² I sent before you the hornet and they drove out before you two kings of the Amorites;* but not by your sword or bow. ¹³ I gave to you a land that you have not labored on, and cities that you have not built, and you live* in them; you eat from vineyards and olive groves that you have not planted.' ¹⁴ "So now, revere Yahweh and serve him in sincerity and faithfulness; remove the gods that your ancestors* served beyond the river* and in Egypt, and serve Yahweh. ¹⁵ But if it is bad in your eyes to serve Yahweh, choose for yourselves today whom you want to serve, whether it is the gods that your ancestors* served beyond the river,* or the gods of the Amorites* in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve Yahweh." ¹⁶ And the people answered and said, "Far be it from us that we would forsake Yahweh to serve other gods, ¹⁷ for Yahweh our God brought us and our ancestors* from the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery, and did these great signs before our eyes. He protected us along the entire way that we went, and among all the peoples through whose midst we passed. ¹⁸ And Yahweh drove out all the people before us, the Amorites* who live* in the land. We will serve Yahweh, for he is our God." ¹⁹ But Joshua said to the people, "You cannot serve Yahweh, for he is a holy and jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. ²⁰ If you forsake Yahweh and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster to you; he will destroy you after he has done good to you." ²¹ And the people said to Joshua, "No, we will serve Yahweh." ²² And Joshua said to the people, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen for yourselves to serve Yahweh." And they said, "We are witnesses." ²³ He said, "Remove the foreign gods that are in your midst, and incline your hearts to Yahweh the God of Israel." ²⁴ And the people said to Joshua, "We will serve Yahweh our God, and we will listen to his voice." ²⁵ So Joshua _⌊made a covenant_⌋* with the people on that day, and he established for them a statute and a judgment at Shechem. ²⁶ Then Joshua wrote these words in a scroll of the law of God, and he took a large stone and set it up there under a large tree, which is at the shrine of Yahweh. ²⁷ And Joshua said to all the people, "Look, this stone will be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of Yahweh that he spoke with us. It will be as a witness against you, so that you do not deny your God." ²⁸ Then Joshua sent the people away to their inheritance. ²⁹ After these things Joshua son of Nun servant of Yahweh died; _⌊he was one hundred and ten years old_⌋.* ³⁰ They buried him in the territory of his inheritance, at Timnath-Serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. ³¹ Israel served Yahweh all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who lived long after Joshua, and who had known all the work that Yahweh did for Israel.* ³² The bones of Jacob, which the _⌊Israelites_⌋* had brought out from Egypt, they buried at Shechem, in a piece of land that Jacob had bought from the children of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for one hundred pieces of money;* it became an inheritance for the descendants* of Joseph. ³³ And Eleazar son of Aaron died; and they buried him in Gibeah in the hill country of Ephraim, which had been given to his son Phinehas.

⁹ for all of them sought to frighten us, saying, "their hands will not do the work." And now, God, strengthen my hands.

²⁰ My glory was new with me, and _⌊I was revitalized regularly_⌋.'*

¹ For the music director. Of David, the servant of Yahweh, who spoke to Yahweh the words of this song _⌊when_⌋* Yahweh delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul.*
And he said: "I love you, O Yahweh, my strength."

³⁰ This* God—his way is blameless. The word of Yahweh is flawless.* He is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

³² The God who girded me with strength, and made safe* my way, ³³ he made my feet like the deer's, and on my high places he makes me stand. ³⁴ He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. ³⁵ You also gave me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your humility made me great.

¹ A psalm of David.*
Yahweh is my shepherd; I will not lack for anything.

¹⁴ Wait for Yahweh. Be strong and let your heart show strength, and wait for Yahweh.

⁸ Yahweh is their strength, and he is the refuge for the salvation of his anointed one.

¹⁴ The wicked have drawn the sword and have bent their bow to throw down the poor and the needy, to kill those upright in their way. ¹⁵ Their sword will enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.

⁷ Rather you have saved us from our enemies,* and have humiliated those who hate us.

¹ For the music director, according to The Lilies. A testimony. Of Asaph. A psalm.*
Give ear, O shepherd of Israel, who leads Joseph like a flock. Shine forth, you who sits enthroned above the cherubim.

¹ A maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.*
I will sing forever of Yahweh's acts of loyal love. _⌊From generation to generation_⌋* I will make known your faithfulness with my mouth.

²² The stone the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.

² How he swore to Yahweh, he vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob:

⁵ until I find a place for Yahweh, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob."

²⁴ Therefore, the declaration of the Lord Yahweh of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel: "Ah, I will be relieved of my enemies, and I will avenge myself on my foes.

¹⁶ Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this:
"Look! I am laying a stone in Zion, a _⌊tested_⌋* stone, a precious cornerstone, a founded foundation:
'The one who trusts will not _⌊panic_⌋.'*

²⁴ And those who err in spirit will _⌊acquire_⌋* understanding, and those who grumble will learn instruction.

¹⁰ You must not fear, for I am with you; you must not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, indeed I will help you, indeed I will take hold of you with the right hand of my salvation.

¹⁶ And you shall suck the milk of nations, and suck the breast of kings, and you shall know that I am Yahweh your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Strong One of Jacob.

⁹ For consider, the stone that _⌊I set before_⌋* Joshua, on one stone are seven eyes.* Look, _⌊I am going to engrave an inscription on it_⌋,'* _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh of hosts, 'and I will remove the guilt of that land in a single day.

¹² I will make them strong in Yahweh, and in his name they will walk, _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh.

⁴² Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the scriptures,
'The stone which the builders rejected, this has become _⌊the cornerstone_⌋.* This came about from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?*

¹⁰ Have you not read this scripture:
'The stone which the builders rejected, this has become _⌊the cornerstone_⌋.*

¹⁷ But he looked intently at them and* said, "What then is this that is written:
'The stone which the builders rejected, this has become _⌊the cornerstone_⌋.'*

¹¹ This one* is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, that has become _⌊the cornerstone_⌋.*

⁴ Who are you, who passes judgment on the domestic slave belonging to someone else? To his own master he stands or falls, and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

²⁰ built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,*

¹¹ enabled with all power, according to his glorious might, for all steadfastness and patience with joy,

¹⁷ But the Lord helped me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fulfilled and all the Gentiles might hear, and he rescued me from the lion's mouth.

⁴ to whom you are drawing near, a living stone rejected by men but chosen and precious in the sight of God. ⁵ And you yourselves, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ For it stands in scripture,
"Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame."* ⁷ Therefore the honor is for you who believe, but for those who refuse to believe,
"The stone that the builders rejected, this one has become _⌊the cornerstone_⌋*," ⁸ and
"A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense,"*
who stumble because they* disobey the word to which also they were consigned.

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

²⁸ May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth, and abundance of grain and new wine.

¹³ And behold, Yahweh was standing beside him,* and he said, "I am Yahweh, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. The ground on which you were sleeping I will give to you and to your descendants.

²¹ and if I return in peace to the house of my father, then Yahweh will become my God.

³ Then let us make ready and let us go up to Bethel, so that I can make an altar there to the God who answered me in the day of my trouble, and who has been with me on the way that I have gone."

¹¹ And God said to him, "I am El-Shaddai.* Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and an assemblage of nations shall be from you, and kings shall go out from your loins.

²³ And he said, "Peace to you; do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father must have given you a treasure in your sacks; your money came to me." And he brought Simeon out to them.

¹⁷ And you may think* in your heart, 'My strength and the might of my hand _⌊acquired this wealth for_⌋* me.'

² And all of these blessings shall come upon you, and _⌊they shall have an effect on you_⌋* if you listen to the voice of Yahweh your God: ³ "You will be blessed in the city, and you will be blessed in the field. ⁴ "Blessed will be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your livestock, _⌊the calf of your cattle and the lambs of your flock_⌋.* ⁵ "Blessed will be your basket and your kneading trough. ⁶ "Blessed will you be _⌊when you come in and blessed will you be when you go out_⌋.* ⁷ "Yahweh will cause your enemies _⌊who rise up against you to be defeated before you_⌋;* on one road* they shall come out against you, but on seven roads* they shall flee _⌊before you_⌋.* ⁸ Yahweh will command _⌊concerning you_⌋* the blessing to be in your barns and _⌊in all your endeavors_⌋;* and he will bless you in the land that Yahweh your God is giving to you. ⁹ Yahweh will establish you for _⌊himself_⌋* as a holy people as he has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of Yahweh your God and you walk in his ways. ¹⁰ And all of the peoples of the earth shall see that _⌊by the name of Yahweh you are called_⌋,* and _⌊they shall fear you_⌋.* ¹¹ And _⌊Yahweh will make you successful and prosperous_⌋,* in the fruit of your womb and on the land that Yahweh swore to your ancestors* to give to you. ¹² Yahweh shall open for you his _⌊rich_⌋* storehouse, even the heavens, to give the rain for* your land in its time and to bless all of the work of your hand, and you will lend to many nations; you will not borrow from them.

¹ Now* this is the blessing with which Moses, the man of God, blessed the _⌊Israelites_⌋* _⌊before_⌋* his death.

¹¹ Because Yahweh God is a sun and a shield; Yahweh gives grace and honor. He does not withhold good from those who walk blamelessly.

¹² Yes, Yahweh will give what is good, and our land will give its produce.

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

²¹ So then, let no one boast in people. For all things are yours, ²² whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come, all things are yours,

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,

¹⁹ And my God will fulfill your every need according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

⁸ For the training of the body is _⌊somewhat_⌋* profitable, but godliness is profitable for everything, because it* holds promise for the present life and for the life to come.

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."

³⁹ Then Isaac his father answered and said to him,
"Your home shall be from* the fatness of the land, and from the dew of heaven above. ⁴⁰ But by your sword you shall live, and you shall serve your brother. But it shall be that when free yourself you shall tear off his yoke from your neck.

³ Now, may El-Shaddai* bless you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, so that you become an assembly of peoples. ⁴ And may he give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your descendants with you, that you may take possession of the land of your sojourning, which God gave to Abraham."

² "Speak to the _⌊Israelites_⌋* and say to them, 'When a man or a woman takes a special vow, a vow of a _⌊Nazirite_⌋,* to keep separate for Yahweh,

¹⁵ and with* the finest things of the ancient mountains, and with* the choice things of the _⌊eternal hills_⌋,* ¹⁶ and with* the choice things of the earth and its fullness, and the favor of the one _⌊who dwelt_⌋* in the bush.* Let them come to the head of Joseph, and to the crown of the prince among his brothers.

³⁶ His offspring will endure* forever, and his throne as the sun before me.

¹⁷ He sent a man on ahead of them; Joseph was sold as a slave. ¹⁸ They clamped* his feet in fetters.* His neck* went into irons.* ¹⁹ Until the time his word came about, the word of Yahweh tested* him. ²⁰ The king sent and he freed him; the ruler of the peoples sent and let him loose. ²¹ He made him lord of his house and ruler of all his possessions, ²² to obligate* his officials _⌊as he saw fit_⌋* and teach his elders wisdom.

¹⁸ I will clothe his enemies with shame, but on him his crown will flourish."*

¹⁰ For the mountains may depart, and the hills may sway, but* my faithfulness shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not sway," says Yahweh, who has compassion on you,

⁵ Hear the word of Yahweh, you who are frightened at his word:
Your brothers who hate you, who exclude you for my name's sake have said, "Let Yahweh be honored so that* we may see your joy!" But* they themselves shall be ashamed.

²⁵ And they will dwell on the land that I gave to my servant, to Jacob, _⌊in which your ancestors dwelled_⌋,* and they will dwell on it, they and their children and the children of their children _⌊forever_⌋,* and my servant David will be a leader for them _⌊forever_⌋.* ²⁶ And I will make with them a covenant of peace; _⌊an everlasting covenant_⌋* it will be with them. And I will establish them, and I will cause them to increase, and I will put my sanctuary in the midst of them _⌊forever_⌋.*

⁶ I went down to the foundations of the mountains; the Underworld—its bars were around me forever. But you brought up my life from the pit, Yahweh my God.

⁶ He stood and measured the earth; he looked and made the nations tremble. Then the mountains of old were shattered; the hills of old collapsed. The ways of old belong to him.

⁹ And the patriarchs, because they* were jealous of Joseph, sold him* into Egypt. And God was with him,

¹⁸ And it happened that when her life was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-Oni.* But his father called him Benjamin.*

²¹ The sons of Benjamin: Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.

¹² Of Benjamin he said, "The beloved of Yahweh dwells _⌊securely_⌋,* the Most High* shields all around him, all the day, and between his shoulders he dwells."

¹⁵ And the _⌊Israelites_⌋* cried out to Yahweh, and Yahweh raised up for them a deliverer, Ehud son of Gera, a Benjaminite and _⌊a left-handed man_⌋.* And the _⌊Israelites_⌋* sent a tribute to Eglon king of Moab _⌊through him_⌋.* ¹⁶ Ehud made for himself a short, _⌊two-edged_⌋* sword (a cubit in length), and he fastened it under his clothes on his right thigh. ¹⁷ Then he presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man. ¹⁸ When Ehud* had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who carried the tribute. ¹⁹ But he turned back from the sculptured stones* that were near Gilgal, and he said, "I have _⌊a secret message_⌋* for you, O king." And he* said, "Silence!" So all those standing in his presence went out, ²⁰ and Ehud came to him while he was sitting alone in his cool upper room. And Ehud said, "I have a _⌊message from God_⌋* for you." So he got up from his seat. ²¹ Then Ehud reached with his left hand for the sword on his right thigh, and he thrust it into his* stomach. ²² And the handle also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade because he did not draw back the sword from his stomach; and it went protruding out the back.* ²³ And Ehud went out the vestibule, and he closed the doors of the upper room and locked them behind him. ²⁴ After he left, his servants returned. When they saw that the doors of the upper room were locked, _⌊they thought_⌋,* "Surely he is _⌊relieving himself_⌋* in the cool inner room." ²⁵ And they waited so long they became embarrassed because he did not open the doors of the upper room. So they took the key and opened the doors, and there their lord was lying on the ground dead. ²⁶ And Ehud escaped while they delayed. He passed by the sculptured stones* and escaped to Seirah. ²⁷ And when he arrived he sounded the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the _⌊Israelites_⌋* went down from the hill country with him leading them. ²⁸ And he said to them, "Follow after me! Yahweh has given Moab your enemies into your hand." So they went down after him, and they captured the fords of the Jordan toward Moab; and they did not allow anyone to cross over. ²⁹ And they struck Moab at that time, about ten thousand men, _⌊all strong and able men_⌋;* no one escaped.

²¹ The descendants* of Benjamin went out from Gibeah, and they struck down on that day twenty-two thousand men of Israel to the ground.

²⁵ And Benjamin went out from Gibeah to meet them on the second day, and they struck down the _⌊Israelites_⌋* again, eighteen thousand men to the ground; all of these were _⌊sword-wielding_⌋.*

⁴ When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul, _⌊they reported these things to_⌋* the people. Then all the people lifted up their voices and wept. ⁵ _⌊Just then_⌋,* Saul was coming from the field behind the cattle. Saul said, "What is the matter with the people, that they are weeping?" So they recounted to him the words of the men of Jabesh. ⁶ Then the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and _⌊he became very angry_⌋.* ⁷ So he took a yoke of oxen and cut them into pieces and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hand of the messengers, saying, "Whoever is not going out after Saul and after Samuel, so will it be done to his oxen." Then the fear of Yahweh fell on the people and they went out as one man. ⁸ He mustered them at Bezek; the _⌊Israelites_⌋* were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah were thirty thousand. ⁹ They said to the messengers who had come, "Thus you will say to the men of Jabesh Gilead: 'Tomorrow deliverance for you will come _⌊when the sun is hot_⌋.'"* When the messengers went and told the men of Jabesh, they rejoiced. ¹⁰ The men of Jabesh said, "Tomorrow we will come out to you and you may do to us _⌊whatever seems good to you_⌋."* ¹¹ _⌊And the_⌋* next day Saul placed the people in three divisions. Then they came into the middle of the camp _⌊at the early morning watch_⌋* and struck down _⌊the Ammonites_⌋* until the heat of the day. It happened that the remainder were scattered _⌊so that no two among them remained together_⌋.*

¹ _⌊One day_⌋* Jonathan the son of Saul said to _⌊his armor bearer_⌋,* "Come and let us go over to the garrison of the Philistines which is over there." But he did not tell his father. ² Now Saul was staying at the outskirts of Gibeah under the pomegranate tree that was in Migron, and the troops that were with him were about six hundred men. ³ Now Ahijah, the son of Ahitub (the brother of Ichabod), the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli the priest of Yahweh at Shiloh, was carrying an ephod. The troops did not know that Jonathan had gone. ⁴ Now between the passes where Jonathan sought to go over to the garrison of the Philistines there was a crag of rock _⌊on one side_⌋* and a crag of rock _⌊on the other_⌋.* The name of the one was Bozez and the name of the other was Seneh. ⁵ The one crag on the north was opposite Micmash and the other on the south was opposite Geba. ⁶ So Jonathan said to _⌊his armor bearer_⌋,* "Come, let us go over to the garrisons of these uncircumcised; perhaps Yahweh will act for us, for there is no hindrance for Yahweh to save by many or by few." ⁷ And _⌊his armor bearer_⌋* said, "Do all that is in your heart _⌊that you are inclined to do_⌋.* _⌊I am with you all of the way_⌋!* ⁸ Then Jonathan said, "Look, we are about to go over to the men; and we will show ourselves to them. ⁹ If they say to us: 'Wait until we reach you,' _⌊then we will stand as we are_⌋* and not go up to them. ¹⁰ But if they say, 'Come up to us,' then we will go up, for Yahweh has given them into our hand, and this will be the sign for us." ¹¹ So the two of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines, and the Philistines said, "The Hebrews are coming out from the holes in which they have hidden themselves." ¹² Then the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and _⌊his armor bearer_⌋,* "Come up to us and we will show you something!" Then Jonathan said to _⌊his armor bearer_⌋,* "Come up after me, for Yahweh has given them into the hand of Israel!" ¹³ So Jonathan went up on his hands and his feet, with _⌊his armor bearer_⌋* after him. They fell before Jonathan and then _⌊his armor bearer_⌋* would kill them after him. ¹⁴ So was the first attack in which Jonathan and _⌊his armor bearer_⌋* killed about twenty men within about half of a furrow in an acre of an open field. ¹⁵ Then there was terror* in the camp, in the open field, and among all the army of the garrison. Even the _⌊raiders_⌋* trembled. The earth shook, and it became _⌊a very great panic_⌋.*

¹ The Philistines gathered their camps* for battle and they were gathered at Socoh which belongs to Judah. They camped between Socoh and Azekah in Ephes Dammim. ² Then Saul and the men of Israel were gathered and encamped in the valley of Elah, and they formed ranks for the battle to meet the Philistines. ³ The Philistines were standing on the hill on one side and the army of Israel was standing on the hill on the other side with the valley between them. ⁴ Then _⌊a champion_⌋* went out from the camps of the Philistines, whose name was Goliath from Gath. His height was six cubits and a span.* ⁵ A bronze helmet was on his head, and he was clothed with scale body armor; the weight of the body armor was five thousand bronze shekels. ⁶ Bronze greaves* were on his legs,* and a bronze javelin was slung between his shoulders. ⁷ The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam and the point of his spear weighed six hundred iron shekels. _⌊His shield bearer_⌋* was walking in front of him. ⁸ He stood and called to the battle lines of Israel and said to them, "Why have you come out to form ranks for battle? Am I not the Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Commission for yourselves a man and let him come down to me. ⁹ If he is able to fight with me and he defeats me, then we will be your servants; but if I prevail over him and defeat him, then you will be our servants and you will serve us." ¹⁰ Then the Philistine said, "I hereby defy the battle lines of Israel today! Give me a man so that we may fight each other!" ¹¹ When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and very afraid. ¹² Now David was the son of an Ephrathite. This man was from Bethlehem of Judah, and his name was Jesse. _⌊He had_⌋* eight sons; in the days of Saul this man was old, yet he still walked among* the men. ¹³ The three oldest sons of Jesse had gone and _⌊followed_⌋* Saul to the battle. The names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, his second oldest was Abinadab, and the third was Shammah. ¹⁴ Now David was the youngest. The three oldest _⌊followed_⌋* Saul, ¹⁵ but David went _⌊back and forth_⌋* from Saul to feed the sheep of his father in Bethlehem. ¹⁶ Now the Philistine came forward early and late, and he took his stand for forty days. ¹⁷ Then Jesse said to his son David, "Please take for your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread, and bring them quickly to the camp for your brothers. ¹⁸ And these ten portions of cheese you will bring to the commander of the thousand; _⌊find out how your brothers are doing_⌋,* and take their pledge."* ¹⁹ Now Saul and they* and all the men of Israel were in the valley of Elah fighting the Philistines. ²⁰ David rose early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper, and he took the provisions and went as Jesse had commanded him. He came to the encampment while the troops were going to the battle line, and they raised the war cry. ²¹ Israel and the Philistines drew up in battle lines, _⌊one battle line against the other_⌋.* ²² David left the baggage he had with him in the _⌊care_⌋* of the baggage keeper, ran to the battle line, and came and _⌊asked how his brothers were doing_⌋.* ²³ While he was speaking to them, _⌊the champion_⌋,* whose name was Goliath the Philistine from Gath, was coming up from the caves* of the Philistines. He spoke _⌊just as he had previously_⌋,* and David heard his words. ²⁴ When all the men of Israel saw the man, they fled from his presence and were very afraid. ²⁵ And the men of Israel said, "Did you see this man who has come up? For he is going up to defy Israel! It will be that the man who defeats him, the king will make him* very rich with great wealth and will give him his daughter in marriage and will make his father's house free in Israel."* ²⁶ Now David had spoken to the men who were standing with him, saying, "What will be done for the man who defeats this Philistine and removes the disgrace from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he defies the battle lines of the living God?" ²⁷ And the troops had spoken to him according to this word, saying, "So it will be done for the man who defeats* him." ²⁸ His oldest brother Eliab heard while he was speaking to the men, _⌊and Eliab became very angry against David_⌋* and said, "Why have you come down today, and with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumptuousness and the evil of your heart! For you have come down in order to see the battle!" ²⁹ David replied, "What have I done now? _⌊I merely asked a question_⌋!* ³⁰ He turned around from him to another opposite him and _⌊he spoke to him in the same way_⌋,* and the people* _⌊answered him as before_⌋.* ³¹ Now the words which David had spoken were heard and they reported them _⌊to_⌋* Saul, and he summoned him. ³² David said to Saul, "Do not let anyone's heart fail concerning him! Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine." ³³ But Saul said to David, "You will not be able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, because you are only a boy, whereas he has been a man of war since his childhood!" ³⁴ And David said to Saul, "Your servant has been a shepherd of the flock for his father. If the lion or the bear would come and carry off a sheep from the group, ³⁵ I would go out after it and strike it down and rescue the sheep from its mouth. If it rose against me, I would grab it by its beard and strike it down and kill it. ³⁶ Your servant has struck down both the lion and the bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he defied the battle lines of the living God." ³⁷ And David said, "Yahweh, who rescued me from the hand of the lion and from the hand of the bear, will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine!" Then Saul said to David, "Go and may Yahweh be with you!" ³⁸ Then Saul clothed David with his own fighting attire and put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with body armor. ³⁹ Then David strapped on his sword over his fighting attire, but he tried in vain to walk around, for he was not trained to use them. So David said to Saul, "I am not able to walk with these, because I am not trained to use them." So David removed them. ⁴⁰ Then he took his staff in his hand, picked out for himself five smooth stones from the wadi,* and he put them in his shepherd's bag, in the pouch. And with his sling in his hand, he approached the Philistine. ⁴¹ Then the Philistine _⌊came on, getting nearer and nearer_⌋* to David, with _⌊his shield bearer_⌋* in front of him. ⁴² When the Philistine looked and saw David, he despised him, for he was only a boy and ruddy with a handsome appearance. ⁴³ So the Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you are coming to me with sticks?" Then the Philistine cursed David by his gods. ⁴⁴ The Philistine said to David, "Come to me so that I can give your flesh to the birds of heaven and to the wild animals of the field!" ⁴⁵ Then David said to the Philistine, "You are coming to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I am coming to you in the name of Yahweh of hosts, the God of the battle lines of Israel, whom you have defied! ⁴⁶ This day Yahweh will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down _⌊and cut off your head_⌋!* Then I will give the corpses of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of heaven and to the animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God who is for Israel. ⁴⁷ And all of this assembly will know that Yahweh does not rescue with sword or with spear, for the battle belongs to Yahweh, and he will give you into our hands!" ⁴⁸ _⌊When_⌋* the Philistine got up and came and drew near to meet David, David _⌊ran quickly_⌋* to the battle line to meet the Philistine. ⁴⁹ Then David put his hand into the bag and took a stone from it and slung it. He struck the Philistine on his forehead, and the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground. ⁵⁰ So David prevailed over the Philistine with the sling and with the stone, and he struck down the Philistine and killed him, but there was no sword in David's hand. ⁵¹ Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it from its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. ⁵² The men of Israel and Judah got up, raised the war cry, and pursued the Philistines _⌊as far as_⌋* the valley* and up to the gates of Ekron. So the slain of the Philistines fell on the way* to Shaaraim up to Gath and as far as Ekron. ⁵³ Then the _⌊Israelites_⌋* returned from pursuing the Philistines and plundered their camp. ⁵⁴ And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem and placed his weapons in his tent. ⁵⁵ Now when Saul saw David going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, "Whose son is this young man, Abner?" And Abner said, "As your soul lives, O king, I do not know." ⁵⁶ Then the king said, "You inquire whose son this young man is." ⁵⁷ So when David returned from striking down the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul. The head of the Philistine was in his hand. ⁵⁸ Then Saul said to him, "Whose son are you, young man?" And David said, "I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite."

⁶ Therefore a lion from the forest will kill them, A wolf from the desert plains* will devastate them. A leopard is watching their cities, everyone who goes out from there will be torn, because their transgressions are many, their apostasies are numerous.

²⁵ The conspiracy of its prophets in the midst of her is like a roaring lion that is tearing prey. They devour people, and they take wealth and treasure; they make its widows numerous in the midst of her.

²⁷ Its officials are like wolves tearing prey in its midst, to pour out blood, to destroy people, to make dishonest gain.

⁷ And I will be like a lion to them; I lie in wait beside the way, like a leopard. ⁸ I will attack them like a bear robbed of her offspring, and I will tear open the covering of their heart; there I will devour them like a lion, like an animal of the field would mutilate them.

³ Her officials in her midst are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they leave nothing until the morning.

¹⁵ "Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inside are ravenous wolves.

¹⁶ "Behold, I am sending you out like sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

³ But Saul was attempting to destroy the church. Entering _⌊house after house_⌋,* he dragged off both men and women and* delivered them* to prison.

¹ But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest

²⁹ I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.

⁵ _⌊circumcised on the eighth day_⌋*, from the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born from Hebrews, according to the law a Pharisee,

²¹ The stones will be according to the names of the _⌊Israelites_⌋,* twelve according to their names, with seal engravings, each according to its name they will be for the twelve tribes.

³¹ Elijah took twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of God came, saying, "Israel shall be your name."

⁷ And King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, "Look, I have given Haman's house to Esther, and they have hanged him on the gallows because he _⌊plotted against_⌋* the Jews.

⁹ And the secretaries of the king were summoned* at that time, in the third month, which is in the month of Sivan on the twenty-third day, and an edict was written according to all that Mordecai commanded, to the Jews and to the governors and satraps and officials of the provinces from India to Cush*—one hundred and twenty-seven provinces*—each province according to its own script and to every people in their own _⌊language_⌋,* and to the Jews in their own script and language.

¹¹ In them the king allowed the Jews who were in every city to assemble and _⌊defend their lives_⌋,* to destroy and kill and annihilate any army of any people or province attacking them, including women and children, and to plunder their spoil,

¹ In the twelfth month, that is the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day, on which the edict of the king arrived and his law was enacted, on the day in which the enemies of the Jews had hoped to gain power over them but was overturned, and the Jews gained power against their enemies, ² the Jews gathered in their cities in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus _⌊to strike against_⌋* those who sought their destruction, and no one could withstand them,* as the fear of them fell on all the people. ³ All the officials of the provinces, the satraps, governors, and _⌊those who did the work of the king_⌋* were supporting the Jews, because the fear of Mordecai had fallen on them. ⁴ For Mordecai was high-ranking in the _⌊king's palace_⌋* and his fame spread throughout all the provinces as _⌊Mordecai grew more and more powerful_⌋.* ⁵ The Jews struck down all their enemies with _⌊the sword_⌋,* killing and destroying them; and they did as they pleased with those that hated them. ⁶ And in the citadel of Susa the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men, ⁷ and Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, ⁸ Portha, Adalia, Aridatha, ⁹ Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha, ¹⁰ the ten sons of Haman, the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews; but they did not _⌊touch_⌋* the plunder.

⁸ Look! it is coming, and it will happen," _⌊declares_⌋* the Lord Yahweh. "It is the day _⌊about which I have spoken_⌋.* ⁹ "ʻ"And the inhabitants of the towns* of Israel will go out, and they will set ablaze, and they will kindle a fire with a weapon* and a small shield and a shield,* with a bow and with arrows, and with _⌊hand clubs_⌋* and with spears,* and so they will light a fire with them, _⌊a fire lasting seven years_⌋.* ¹⁰ And they will not carry trees from the field, and they will not chop wood from the forests, for with the weapons* they will light a fire; and they will plunder those plundering them, and they will plunder those plundering them," ' _⌊declares_⌋* the Lord Yahweh.

¹ Look! A day is coming for Yahweh, when your plunder will be divided in your midst. ² I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, and they will loot the houses, and the women will be raped; half of the city will go into exile, but the remainder of the people will not be cut off from the city. ³ Then Yahweh will go forth and fight against those nations, like _⌊when he fights_⌋* on a day of battle. ⁴ On that day his feet will stand on _⌊the Mount of Olives_⌋,* which faces Jerusalem on the east; and _⌊the Mount of Olives_⌋* will be split _⌊in half_⌋,* from east to west, by a very great valley; and half of the mountain will withdraw toward the north, and the other half toward the south. ⁵ And you will flee by the valley of my mountains, because the valley of the mountains will reach to Azal, and you will flee like you fled from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. And Yahweh my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.* ⁶ _⌊And then_⌋* on that day there will not be light,* the precious things will congeal.* ⁷ There shall be continuous day—it is known to Yahweh—not day and not night; and at evening time there will be light.

⁷ to which our twelve tribes hope to attain as they earnestly serve him* night and day. Concerning this hope I am being accused by the Jews, O king!

¹ James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the dispersion. Greetings!

⁴ And I heard the number of the ones who were sealed, one hundred forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

¹⁵ And as for you, you shall go to your ancestors* in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age.

⁸ And Abraham passed away and died in a good old age, old and full of years. And he was gathered to his people. ⁹ And Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron, son of Zohar the Hittite, that was east of Mamre, ¹⁰ the field that Abraham had bought from the Hittites.* There Abraham was buried and Sarah his wife. ¹¹ And it happened that after the death of Abraham God blessed Isaac his son, and Isaac settled at Beer-Lahai-Roi. ¹² Now these are the generations* of Ishmael, the son of Abraham, that Hagar the Egyptian, the maidservant of Sarah, bore to Abraham. ¹³ And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names according to their family records. The firstborn of Ishmael was Nebaioth, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, ¹⁴ Mishma, Dumah, Massa, ¹⁵ Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. ¹⁶ These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names by their villages and by their encampments—12 leaders according to their tribes. ¹⁷ Now these are the years of the life of Ishmael: 137 years. And he passed away and died, and was gathered to his people.

²⁹ And Isaac passed away and died, and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

³⁰ but let me lie with my ancestors.* Carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial site." And he said, "I will do according to your word."

¹³ And his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which field Abraham had bought as a burial site from Ephron the Hittite before* Mamre.

³⁷ Please let your servant return, and let me die in my city in the tomb of my father and my mother. Here is your servant Kimham; let him cross over with my lord the king, and do for him that which is good in your eyes."

⁶ but having different gifts according to the grace given to us: if it is prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; ⁷ if it is service, by service; if it is one who teaches, by teaching; ⁸ if it is one who exhorts, by exhortation; one who gives, with sincerity; one who leads, with diligence; one who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. ⁹ Love must be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; be attached to what is good, ¹⁰ being devoted to one another in brotherly love, esteeming one another more highly in honor, ¹¹ not lagging in diligence, being enthusiastic in spirit, serving the Lord, ¹² rejoicing in hope, enduring in affliction, being devoted to prayer, ¹³ contributing to the needs of the saints, pursuing hospitality. ¹⁴ Bless those who persecute,* bless and do not curse them. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. ¹⁶ Think the same thing toward one another; _⌊do not think arrogantly_⌋*, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise _⌊in your own sight_⌋*. ¹⁷ Pay back no one evil for evil. Take thought for what is good in the sight of all people. ¹⁸ If it is possible on your part, be at peace with all people. ¹⁹ Do not take revenge yourselves, dear friends, but give place to God's wrath, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay,"* says the Lord. ²⁰ But "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by* doing this, you will heap up coals of fire upon his head."* ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

²³ and assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of righteous people made perfect,

⁸ And he spoke with them, saying, "_⌊If you are willing_⌋* that I bury my dead from before me, hear me and intercede for me with Ephron the son of Zohar, ⁹ that he may sell* to me the cave of Machpelah which _⌊belongs to him_⌋,* which is at the end of his field. At full value let him sell* it to me in your midst as _⌊a burial site_⌋."*

¹⁶ Then Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed for Ephron the silver that he had named* in the hearing of the Hittites:* four hundred shekels of silver _⌊at the merchants' current rate_⌋.* ¹⁷ So the field of Ephron which was in the Machpelah, which was near Mamre—the field and the cave which was in it, with all the trees that were in the field, which were within all its surrounding boundaries—_⌊passed_⌋* ¹⁸ to Abraham as a property in the presence of the Hittites,* with respect to all who were entering the gate of his city.

²⁰ And the field and the cave which was in it _⌊passed_⌋* to Abraham as _⌊a burial site_⌋* from the Hittites.*

³ And Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. And Abraham rose up from his dead, and he spoke to the Hittites* and said,

¹⁶ Then Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed for Ephron the silver that he had named* in the hearing of the Hittites:* four hundred shekels of silver _⌊at the merchants' current rate_⌋.* ¹⁷ So the field of Ephron which was in the Machpelah, which was near Mamre—the field and the cave which was in it, with all the trees that were in the field, which were within all its surrounding boundaries—_⌊passed_⌋* ¹⁸ to Abraham as a property in the presence of the Hittites,* with respect to all who were entering the gate of his city. ¹⁹ And thus afterward Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah near Mamre; that is Hebron, in the land of Canaan. ²⁰ And the field and the cave which was in it _⌊passed_⌋* to Abraham as _⌊a burial site_⌋* from the Hittites.*

⁹ And Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron, son of Zohar the Hittite, that was east of Mamre,

¹⁶ And they were brought back to Shechem and buried in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

⁵ And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward the heavens and count the stars if you are able to count them." And he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."

⁸ And Abraham passed away and died in a good old age, old and full of years. And he was gathered to his people.

¹⁷ Now these are the years of the life of Ishmael: 137 years. And he passed away and died, and was gathered to his people.

¹ Then Jacob called his sons and said, "Gather together so that I can tell you what will happen with you in _⌊days to come_⌋.*

²⁴ But his bow remained in a steady position; _⌊his arms_⌋* were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob. From there is the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel. ²⁵ Because of the God of your father he will help you and by Shaddai* he will bless you with the blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that crouches beneath, blessings of the breasts and the womb. ²⁶ The blessings of your father are superior to the blessings of my ancestors, to the bounty of the everlasting hills. May they be on the head of Joseph, and on the forehead of the prince of his brothers.

²⁹ Then he instructed them and said to them, "I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me among my ancestors* in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

²⁷ And Joshua said to all the people, "Look, this stone will be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of Yahweh that he spoke with us. It will be as a witness against you, so that you do not deny your God." ²⁸ Then Joshua sent the people away to their inheritance. ²⁹ After these things Joshua son of Nun servant of Yahweh died; _⌊he was one hundred and ten years old_⌋.*

²⁶ You shall come in maturity to the grave, as the raising up of a stack of sheaves in its season.

¹⁰ "But* a man dies, and he dwindles away; thus* a human being passes away, and where is he?*

²³ Indeed, I know that you will bring me to death and to the house of assembly for all the living.

⁷ And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the breath returns to God who gave it.

¹ The righteous one perishes, and there is no one who takes* it to heart. And men of faithfulness are gathered, while there is no one who understands, for the righteous is gathered from the presence of wickedness. ² he enters into peace; they will rest on their beds, walking straight ahead of him.

²⁹ "Now dismiss your slave in peace, Lord, according to your word.

¹⁵ And Jacob went down to Egypt and died, he and our fathers.

¹³ These all died in faith without receiving the promises, but seeing them from a distance and welcoming them, and admitting that they were strangers and temporary residents on the earth. ¹⁴ For those who say such things make clear that they are seeking a homeland. ¹⁵ And if they remember* that land from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶ But now they aspire to a better land, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

²² By faith Joseph, as he* was dying, mentioned about the exodus of the sons of Israel and gave instructions about his bones.