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God created the great sea monsters and all kinds
of swimming creatures with which the water teems, and all kinds of
winged birds. God saw how good it was, and God blessed them,
saying, "Be fertile, multiply, and fill the water of the
seas; and let the birds multiply on the earth." Evening came,
and morning followed - the fifth day. [GEN 1:21-23]
The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not. Cain greatly resented this and was crestfallen.
[Taken from GEN 4:4-5]
Cain said to the LORD: "My punishment is
too great to bear." [GEN 4:13]
When the LORD saw how great was man's wickedness on earth, and how no desire that his heart conceived was ever anything but evil,
he regretted that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was grieved. [GEN 6:5-6]
In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the
second month, on the seventeenth day of the month: it was on that
day that All the fountains of the great abyss burst forth, and the
floodgates of the sky were opened. For forty days and forty nights
heavy rain poured down on the earth. On the precise day named,
Noah and his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah's wife, and the
three wives of Noah's sons had entered the ark, together with
every kind of wild beast, every kind of domestic animal, every
kind of creeping thing of the earth, and every kind of bird. Pairs
of all creatures in which there was the breath of life entered the
ark with Noah. Those that entered were male and female, and of all
species they came, as God had commanded Noah. Then the LORD shut
him in. The flood continued upon the earth for forty days. As the
waters increased, they lifted the ark, so that it rose above the
earth. The swelling waters increased greatly, but the ark floated
on the surface of the waters. [GEN 7:11-18]
The LORD said to Abram: "Go forth from the
land of your kinsfolk and from your father's house to a land that
I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will
bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a
blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who
curse you. All the communities of the earth shall find blessing in
you." [GEN 12:1-3]
Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, so that the land could not support them if they stayed together; their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together.
[GEN 13:5-6]
Some time after these events, this word of the
LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not, Abram! I am your
shield; I will make your reward very great." [GEN 15:1]
As the sun was about to set, a trance fell upon
Abram, and a deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him. Then the
LORD said to Abram: "Know for certain that your descendants
shall be aliens in a land not their own, where they shall be
enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years. But I will bring
judgment on the nation they must serve, and in the end they will
depart with great wealth. You, however, shall join your
forefathers in peace; you shall be buried at a contented old
age." [Taken from GEN 15:12-15]
As for Ishmael, I am heeding you: I hereby bless
him. I will make him fertile and will multiply him exceedingly. He
shall become the father of twelve chieftains, and I will make of
him a great nation. [GEN 17:20]
The LORD reflected: "Shall I hide from
Abraham what I am about to do, now that he is to become a great
and populous nation, and all the nations of the earth are to find
blessing in him? Indeed, I have singled him out that he may direct
his sons and his posterity to keep the way of the LORD by doing
what is right and just, so that the LORD may carry into effect for
Abraham the promises he made about him." [GEN 18:17-19]
Then the LORD said: "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great, and their sin so grave, that I must go down and see whether or not their actions fully correspond to the cry against them that comes to me. I mean to find out." [GEN 18:20-21]
Then the angels said to Lot: "Who else belongs to you here? Your sons (sons-in-law) and your daughters and all who belong to you in the
city - take them away from it! We are about to destroy this place, for the outcry reaching the LORD against those in the city is so great that he has sent us to destroy it."
[GEN 19:12-13]
As soon as they had been brought outside, he was
told: "Flee for your life! Don't look back or stop anywhere
on the Plain. Get off to the hills at once, or you will be swept
away." "Oh, no, my lord!" replied Lot. "You
have already thought enough of your servant to do me the great
kindness of intervening to save my life. But I cannot flee to the
hills to keep the disaster from overtaking me, and so I shall die.
Look, this town ahead is near enough to escape to. It's only a
small place. Let me flee there - it's a small place, isn't it? -
that my life may be saved." "Well, then," he
replied, "I will also grant you the favor you now ask. I will
not overthrow the town you speak of. Hurry, escape there! I cannot
do anything until you arrive there." That is why the town is
called Zoar. [GEN 19:17-22]
Isaac grew, and on the day of the child's
weaning, Abraham held a great feast. Sarah noticed the son whom
Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham playing with her son
Isaac; so she demanded of Abraham: "Drive out that slave and
her son! No son of that slave is going to share the inheritance
with my son Isaac!" Abraham was greatly distressed,
especially on account of his son Ishmael. But God said to Abraham:
"Do not be distressed about the boy or about your slave
woman. Heed the demands of Sarah, no matter what she is asking of
you; for it is through Isaac that descendants shall bear your
name. As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a great
nation of him also, since he too is your offspring." [GEN 21:8-13]
Then they departed from Bethel; but while they
still had some distance to go on the way to Ephrath, Rachel began
to be in labor and to suffer great distress. [GEN 35:16]
While Israel was encamped in that region, Reuben
went and lay with Bilhah, his father's concubine. When Israel
heard of it, he was greatly offended. The sons of Jacob were now
twelve. [GEN 35:22]
Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the members of his household, as well as his livestock comprising various animals and all the property he had acquired in the land of Canaan, and went to the land of Seir, out of the way of his brother Jacob. Their possessions had become too great for them to dwell together, and the land in which they were staying could not support them because of their livestock. [GEN 36:6-7]
But Er, Judah's first-born, greatly offended the
LORD; so the LORD took his life. Then Judah said to Onan,
"Unite with your brother's widow, in fulfillment of your duty
as brother-in-law, and thus preserve your brother's line."
Onan, however, knew that the descendants would not be counted as
his; so whenever he had relations with his brother's widow, he
wasted his seed on the ground, to avoid contributing offspring for
his brother. What he did greatly offended the LORD, and the LORD
took his life too. [GEN 38:7-10]
After a time, his master's wife began to look
fondly at him and said, "Lie with me." But he refused.
"As long as I am here," he told her, "my master
does not concern himself with anything in the house, but has
entrusted to me all he owns. He wields no more authority in this
house than I do, and he has withheld from me nothing but yourself,
since you are his wife. How, then, could I commit so great a wrong
and thus stand condemned before God?" [GEN 39:7-9]
It is just as I told Pharaoh: God has revealed
to Pharaoh what he is about to do. Seven years of great abundance
are now coming throughout the land of Egypt; but these will be
followed by seven years of famine, when all the abundance in the
land of Egypt will be forgotten. When the famine has ravaged the
land, no trace of the abundance will be found in the land because
of the famine that follows it - so utterly severe will that famine
be. [GEN 41:28-31]
There God, speaking to Israel in a vision by
night, called, "Jacob! Jacob!" "Here I am," he
answered. Then he said: "I am God, the God of your father. Do
not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you a
great nation. Not only will I go down to Egypt with you; I will
also bring you back here, after Joseph has closed your eyes."
[GEN 46:2-4]
When Joseph saw that his father had laid his
right hand on Ephraim's head, this seemed wrong to him; so he took
hold of his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head to
Manasseh's, saying, "That is not right, father; the other one
is the first-born; lay your right hand on his head!" But his
father resisted. "I know it, son," he said, "I
know. That one too shall become a tribe, and he too shall be
great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall surpass him, and
his descendants shall become a multitude of nations." [GEN
48:17-19]
When they arrived at Goren-ha-atad, which is
beyond the Jordan, they held there a very great and solemn
memorial service; and Joseph observed seven days of mourning for
his father. [GEN 50:10]
The LORD answered him, "See! I have made
you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall act as your
prophet. You shall tell him all that I command you. In turn, your
brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites leave his
land. Yet I will make Pharaoh so obstinate that, despite the many
signs and wonders that I will work in the land of Egypt, he will
not listen to you. Therefore I will lay my hand on Egypt and by
great acts of judgment I will bring the hosts of my people, the
Israelites, out of the land of Egypt, so that the Egyptians may
learn that I am the LORD, as I stretch out my hand against Egypt
and lead the Israelites out of their midst." [EX 7:1-5]
Pharaoh was already near when the Israelites
looked up and saw that the Egyptians were on the march in pursuit
of them. In great fright they cried out to the LORD. [EX 14:10]
Thus the LORD saved Israel on that day from the
power of the Egyptians. When Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead
on the seashore and beheld the great power that the LORD had shown
against the Egyptians, they feared the LORD and believed in him
and in his servant Moses. [EX 14:30-31]
Your right hand, O LORD, magnificent in power,
your right hand, O LORD, has shattered the enemy. In your great
majesty you overthrew your adversaries; you loosed your wrath to
consume them like stubble. [EX 15:6-7]
Jethro rejoiced over all the goodness that the
LORD had shown Israel in rescuing them from the hands of the
Egyptians. "Blessed be the LORD," he said, "who has
rescued his people from the hands of Pharaoh and the Egyptians.
Now I know that the LORD is a deity great beyond any other; for he
took occasion of their being dealt with insolently to deliver the
people from the power of the Egyptians." [EX 18:9-11]
"I see how stiff-necked this people
is," continued the LORD to Moses. "Let me alone, then,
that my wrath may blaze up against them to consume them. Then I
will make of you a great nation." But Moses implored the
LORD, his God, saying, "Why, O LORD, should your wrath blaze
up against your own people, whom you brought out of the land of
Egypt with such great power and with so strong a hand? Why should
the Egyptians say, 'With evil intent he brought them out, that he
might kill them in the mountains and exterminate them from the
face of the earth'? Let your blazing wrath die down; relent in
punishing your people. Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and
Israel, and how you swore to them by your own self, saying, 'I
will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky;
and all this land that I promised, I will give your descendants as
their perpetual heritage.'" So the LORD relented in the
punishment he had threatened to inflict on his people. [EX 32:9-14]
And the LORD said to Moses, "How long will
this people spurn me? How long will they refuse to believe in me,
despite all the signs I have performed among them? I will strike
them with pestilence and wipe them out. Then I will make of you a
nation greater and mightier than they." But Moses said to the
LORD: "Are the Egyptians to hear of this? For by your power
you brought out this people from among them. And are they to tell
of it to the inhabitants of this land? It has been heard that you,
O LORD, are in the midst of this people; you, LORD, who plainly
reveal yourself! Your cloud stands over them, and you go before
them by day in a column of cloud and by night in a column of fire.
If now you slay this whole people, the nations who have heard such
reports of you will say, 'The LORD was not able to bring this
people into the land he swore to give them; that is why he
slaughtered them in the desert.' Now then, let the power of my
Lord be displayed in its greatness, even as you have said, 'The
LORD is slow to anger and rich in kindness, forgiving wickedness
and crime; yet not declaring the guilty guiltless, but punishing
children to the third and fourth generation for their fathers'
wickedness.' Pardon, then, the wickedness of this people in
keeping with your great kindness, even as you have forgiven them
from Egypt until now." The LORD answered: "I pardon them
as you have asked. Yet, by my life and the LORD'S glory that fills
the whole earth, of all the men who have seen my glory and the
signs I worked in Egypt and in the desert, and who nevertheless
have put me to the test ten times already and have failed to heed
my voice, not one shall see the land which I promised on oath to
their fathers. None of these who have spurned me shall see it. But
because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me
unreservedly, I will bring him into the land where he has just
been, and his descendants shall possess it. But now, since the
Amalekites and Canaanites are living in the valleys, turn away
tomorrow and set out in the desert on the Red Sea road." [NUM
14:11-25]
When Moses repeated these words to all the
Israelites, the people felt great remorse. [NUM 14:39]
Indeed, Moab feared the Israelites greatly
because of their numbers, and detested them. [NUM 22:3]
But Balaam replied to Balak's officials,
"Even if Balak gave me his house full of silver and gold, I
could not do anything, small or great, contrary to the command of
the LORD, my God." [NUM 22:18]
I charged your judges at that time, 'Listen to complaints among your kinsmen, and administer true justice to both parties even if one of them is an alien.
In rendering judgment, do not consider who a person is; give ear to the lowly and to the great alike, fearing no man, for judgment is God's. Refer to me any case that is too hard for you and I will hear it.' [DEUT 1:16-17]
'O Lord GOD, you have begun to show to your
servant your greatness and might. For what god in heaven or on
earth can perform deeds as mighty as yours?' [DEUT 3:24]
Therefore, I teach you the statutes and decrees
as the LORD, my God, has commanded me, that you may observe them
in the land you are entering to occupy. Observe them carefully,
for thus will you give evidence of your wisdom and intelligence to
the nations, who will hear of all these statutes and say, 'This
great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people.' For what
great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the LORD,
our God, is to us whenever we call upon him? Or what great nation
has statutes and decrees that are as just as this whole law which
I am setting before you today? [DEUT 4:5-8]
"Ask now of the days of old, before your
time, ever since God created man upon the earth; ask from one end
of the sky to the other: Did anything so great ever happen before?
Was it ever heard of? Did a people ever hear the voice of God
speaking from the midst of fire, as you did, and live? Or did any
god venture to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of
another nation, by testings, by signs and wonders, by war, with
his strong hand and outstretched arm, and by great terrors, all of
which the LORD, your God, did for you in Egypt before your very
eyes? All this you were allowed to see that you might know the
LORD is God and there is no other. Out of the heavens he let you
hear his voice to discipline you; on earth he let you see his
great fire, and you heard him speaking out of the fire. For love
of your fathers he chose their descendants and personally led you
out of Egypt by his great power, driving out of your way nations
greater and mightier than you, so as to bring you in and to make
their land your heritage, as it is today. This is why you must now
know, and fix in your heart, that the LORD is God in the heavens
above and on earth below, and that there is no other. You must
keep his statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you today,
that you and your children after you may prosper, and that you may
have long life on the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you
forever." [DEUT 4:32-40]
"These words, and nothing more, the LORD
spoke with a loud voice to your entire assembly on the mountain
from the midst of the fire and the dense cloud. He wrote them upon
two tablets of stone and gave them to me. But when you heard the
voice from the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was
ablaze with fire, you came to me in the person of all your tribal
heads and elders, and said, 'The LORD, our God, has indeed let us
see his glory and his majesty! We have heard his voice from the
midst of the fire and have found out today that a man can still
live after God has spoken with him. But why should we die now?
Surely this great fire will consume us. If we hear the voice of
the LORD, our God, any more, we shall die. For what mortal has
heard, as we have, the voice of the living God speaking from the
midst of fire, and survived? Go closer, you, and hear all that the
LORD, our God, will say, and then tell us what the LORD, our God,
tells you; we will listen and obey.' The LORD heard your words as
you were speaking to me and said to me, 'I have heard the words
these people have spoken to you, which are all well said. Would
that they might always be of such a mind, to fear me and to keep
all my commandments! Then they and their descendants would prosper
forever.'" [DEUT 5:22-29]
Perhaps you will say to yourselves, 'These
nations are greater than we. How can we dispossess them?' But do
not be afraid of them. Rather, call to mind what the LORD, your
God, did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt: the great testings which
your own eyes have seen, the signs and wonders, his strong hand
and outstretched arm with which the LORD, your God, brought you
out. The same also will he do to all the nations of whom you are
now afraid. Moreover, the LORD, your God, will send hornets among
them, until the survivors who have hidden from you are destroyed.
Therefore, do not be terrified by them, for the LORD, your God,
who is in your midst, is a great and awesome God. [DEUT 7:17-21]
Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and be no
longer stiff-necked. For the LORD, your God, is the God of gods,
the LORD of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who has no
favorites, accepts no bribes; who executes justice for the orphan
and the widow, and befriends the alien, feeding and clothing him.
So you too must befriend the alien, for you were once aliens
yourselves in the land of Egypt. The LORD, your God, shall you
fear, and him shall you serve; hold fast to him and swear by his
name. He is your glory, he, your God, who has done for you those
great and terrible things which your own eyes have seen. Your
ancestors went down to Egypt seventy strong, and now the LORD,
your God, has made you as numerous as the stars of the sky. [DEUT
10:16-22]
With your own eyes you have seen all these great
deeds that the LORD has done. [DEUT 11:7]
"For if you are careful to observe all
these commandments I enjoin on you, loving the LORD, your God, and
following his ways exactly, and holding fast to him, the LORD will
drive all these nations out of your way, and you will dispossess
nations greater and mightier than yourselves. Every place where
you set foot shall be yours: from the desert and from Lebanon,
from the Euphrates River to the Western Sea, shall be your
territory. None shall stand up against you; the LORD, your God,
will spread the fear and dread of you through any land where you
set foot, as he promised you." [DEUT 11:22-25]
"A prophet like me will the LORD, your God,
raise up for you from among your own kinsmen; to him you shall
listen. This is exactly what you requested of the LORD, your God,
at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, 'Let us not
again hear the voice of the LORD, our God, nor see this great fire
any more, lest we die.' And the LORD said to me, 'This was well
said. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their
kinsmen, and will put my words into his mouth; he shall tell them
all that I command him. If any man will not listen to my words
which he speaks in my name, I myself will make him answer for it.
But if a prophet presumes to speak in my name an oracle that I
have not commanded him to speak, or speaks in the name of other
gods, he shall die.'" [DEUT 18:15-20]
For I will sing the LORD'S renown. Oh, proclaim
the greatness of our God! The Rock - how faultless are his deeds,
how right all his ways! A faithful God, without deceit, how just
and upright he is! Yet basely has he been treated by his
degenerate children, a perverse and crooked race! [DEUT 32:3-5]
"Alas, O Lord GOD," Joshua prayed,
"why did you ever allow this people to pass over the Jordan,
delivering us into the power of the Amorites, that they might
destroy us? Would that we had been content to dwell on the other
side of the Jordan. Pray, Lord, what can I say, now that Israel
has turned its back to its enemies? When the Canaanites and the
other inhabitants of the land hear of it, they will close in
around us and efface our name from the earth. What will you do for
your great name?" The LORD replied to Joshua: "Stand up.
Why are you lying prostrate? Israel has sinned: they have violated
the covenant which I enjoined on them. They have stealthily taken
goods subject to the ban, and have deceitfully put them in their
baggage. If the Israelites cannot stand up to their enemies, but
must turn their back to them, it is because they are under the
ban. I will not remain with you unless you remove from among you
whoever has incurred the ban." [Taken from JOSH 7:7-12]
Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and said to them,
"Why did you lie to us and say that you lived at a great
distance from us, when you will be living in our very midst? For
this are you accursed: every one of you shall always be a slave
(hewers of wood and drawers of water) for the house of my
God." They answered Joshua, "Your servants were fully
informed of how the LORD, your God, commanded his servant Moses
that you be given the entire land and that all its inhabitants be
destroyed before you. Since, therefore, at your advance, we were
in great fear for our lives, we acted as we did. And now that we
are in your power, do with us what you think fit and right." [JOSH
9:22-25]
Hebron was formerly called Kiriath-arba, for
Arba, the greatest among the Anakim. And the land enjoyed peace.
[JOSH 14:15]
Take great care, however, to love the LORD, your
God. [JOSH 23:11]
For it was the LORD, our God, who brought us and
our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, out of a state of
slavery. He performed those great miracles before our very eyes
and protected us along our entire journey and among all the
peoples through whom we passed. [JOSH 24:17]
The people served the LORD during the entire
lifetime of Joshua, and of those elders who outlived Joshua and
who had seen all the great work which the LORD had done for
Israel. [JUDG 2:7]
Because they had thus abandoned him and served
Baal and the Ashtaroth, the anger of the LORD flared up against
Israel, and he delivered them over to plunderers who despoiled
them. He allowed them to fall into the power of their enemies
round about whom they were no longer able to withstand. Whatever
they undertook, the LORD turned into disaster for them, as in his
warning he had sworn he would do, till they were in great
distress. [JUDG 2:13-15]
With Deborah were the princes of Issachar; Barak,
too, was in the valley, his course unchecked. Among the clans of
Reuben great were the searchings of heart. [JUDG 5:15]
The Ammonites also crossed the Jordan to fight
against Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim, so that Israel
was in great distress. [JUDG 10:9]
Being very thirsty, he cried to the LORD and said, "You have granted this great victory by the hand of your servant. Must I now die of thirst or fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?" Then God split the cavity in Lehi, and water issued from it, which Samson drank till his spirit returned and he revived. Hence that spring in Lehi is called En-hakkore to this day. [JUDG 15:18-19]
After that he fell in love with a woman in the Wadi Sorek whose name was Delilah. The lords of the Philistines came to her and said, "Beguile him and find out the secret of his great strength, and how we may overcome and bind him so as to keep him helpless. We will each give you eleven hundred shekels of silver." So Delilah said to Samson, "Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you may be bound so as to be kept helpless."
[JUDG 16:4-6]
"You shall next take the ark of the LORD and place it on the cart, putting in a box beside it the golden articles that you are offering, as amends for your guilt. Start it on its way, and let it go. Then watch! If it goes to Beth-shemesh along the route to his own territory, he has brought this great calamity upon us; if not, we will know it was not he who struck us, but that an accident happened to us." [1SAM 6:8-9]
The descendants of Jeconiah did not join in the
celebration with the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh when they greeted
the ark of the LORD, and seventy of them were struck down. The
people went into mourning at this great calamity with which the
LORD had afflicted them. [1SAM 6:19]
"Now you have the king you want, a king the
LORD has given you. If you fear the LORD and worship him, if you
are obedient to him and do not rebel against the LORD'S command,
if both you and the king who rules you follow the LORD your God -
well and good. But if you do not obey the LORD and if you rebel
against his command, the LORD will deal severely with you and your
king, and destroy you. Now then, stand ready to witness the great
marvel the LORD is about to accomplish before your eyes. Are we
not in the harvest time for wheat? Yet I shall call to the LORD,
and he will send thunder and rain. Thus you will see and
understand how greatly the LORD is displeased that you have asked
for a king." Samuel then called to the LORD, and the LORD
sent thunder and rain that day. As a result, all the people
dreaded the LORD and Samuel. They said to Samuel, "Pray to
the LORD your God for us, your servants, that we may not die for
having added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a
king." "Do not fear," Samuel answered them.
"It is true you have committed all this evil; still, you must
not turn from the LORD, but must worship him with your whole
heart. Do not turn to meaningless idols which can neither profit
nor save; they are nothing. For the sake of his own great name the
LORD will not abandon his people, since the LORD himself chose to
make you his people. As for me, far be it from me to sin against
the LORD by ceasing to pray for you and to teach you the good and
right way. But you must fear the LORD and worship him faithfully
with your whole heart; keep in mind the great things he has done
among you. If instead you continue to do evil, both you and your
king shall perish." [1SAM 12:13-25]
But the army said to Saul: "Is Jonathan to
die, though it was he who brought Israel this great victory? This
must not be! As the LORD lives, not a single hair of his head
shall fall to the ground, for God was with him in what he did
today!" Thus the soldiers were able to rescue Jonathan from
death. [1SAM 14:45]
Jonathan then spoke well of David to his father Saul, saying to him: "Let not your majesty sin against his servant David, for he has committed no offense against you, but has helped you very much by his deeds.
When he took his life in his hands and slew the Philistine, and the LORD brought about a great victory for all Israel through him, you were glad to see it. Why, then, should you become guilty of shedding innocent blood by killing David without cause?"
Saul heeded Jonathan's plea and swore, "As the LORD lives, he shall not be killed." [1SAM 19:4-6]
Jonathan answered him: "Heaven forbid that you should die! My father does nothing, great or small, without disclosing it to me. Why, then, should my father conceal this from me? This cannot be so!"
But David replied: "Your father is well aware that I am favored with your friendship, so he has decided, 'Jonathan must not know of this lest he be grieved.' Nevertheless, as the LORD lives and as you live, there is but a step between me and death."
[1SAM 20:2-3]
Jonathan sprang up from the table in great anger
and took no food that second day of the month, for he was grieved
on David's account, since his father had railed against him. [1SAM
20:34]
Saul then said to David: "You are in the right rather than I; you have treated me generously, while I have done you harm. Great is the generosity you showed me today, when the LORD delivered me into your grasp and you did not kill me.
For if a man meets his enemy, does he send him away unharmed? May the LORD reward you generously for what you have done this day." [1SAM 24:18-20]
Now David found himself in great difficulty, for the men spoke of stoning him, so bitter were they over the fate of their sons and daughters. But with renewed trust in the LORD his God, David said to
Abiathar, the priest, son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the ephod!" When Abiathar brought him the ephod,
David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I pursue these raiders? Can I overtake them?" The LORD answered him, "Go in pursuit, for you shall surely overtake them and effect a rescue." [1SAM 30:6-8]
Nothing was missing, small or great, booty or
sons or daughters, of all that the Amalekites had taken. David
brought back everything. [1SAM 30:19]
The king then said to his servants: "You must recognize that a great general has fallen today in Israel. Although I am the anointed king, I am weak this day, and these men, the sons of
Zeruiah, are too ruthless for me. May the LORD requite the evildoer in accordance with his evil deed." [2SAM 3:38-39]
"Now then, speak thus to my servant David,
'The LORD of hosts has this to say: It was I who took you from the
pasture and from the care of the flock to be commander of my
people Israel. I have been with you wherever you went, and I have
destroyed all your enemies before you. And I will make you famous
like the great ones of the earth. I will fix a place for my people
Israel; I will plant them so that they may dwell in their place
without further disturbance. Neither shall the wicked continue to
afflict them as they did of old, since the time I first appointed
judges over my people Israel. I will give you rest from all your
enemies. The LORD also reveals to you that he will establish a
house for you. And when your time comes and you rest with your
ancestors, I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your
loins, and I will make his kingdom firm. It is he who shall build
a house for my name. And I will make his royal throne firm
forever. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me.
And if he does wrong, I will correct him with the rod of men and
with human chastisements; but I will not withdraw my favor from
him as I withdrew it from your predecessor Saul, whom I removed
from my presence. Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever
before me; your throne shall stand firm forever.'" [2SAM 7:8-16]
And so - "Great are you, Lord GOD! There is
none like you and there is no God but you, just as we have heard
it told. What other nation on earth is there like your people
Israel, which God has led, redeeming it as his people; so that you
have made yourself renowned by doing this magnificent deed, and by
doing awe-inspiring things as you cleared nations and their gods
out of the way of your people, which you redeemed for yourself
from Egypt? You have established for yourself your people Israel
as yours forever, and you, LORD, have become their God. And now,
LORD God, confirm for all time the prophecy you have made
concerning your servant and his house, and do as you have
promised. Your name will be forever great, when men say, 'The LORD
of hosts is God of Israel,' and the house of your servant David
stands firm before you. It is you, LORD of hosts, God of Israel,
who said in a revelation to your servant, 'I will build a house
for you.' Therefore your servant now finds the courage to make
this prayer to you. And now, Lord GOD, you are God and your words
are truth; you have made this generous promise to your servant.
Do, then, bless the house of your servant that it may be before
you forever; for you, Lord GOD, have promised, and by your
blessing the house of your servant shall be blessed forever." [2SAM 7:22-29]
"Now then, get up! Go out and speak kindly to
your servants. I swear by the LORD that if you do not go out, not
a single man will remain with you overnight, and this will be a
far greater disaster for you than any that has afflicted you from
your youth until now." [2SAM 19:8]
"You have given me your saving shield, and
your help has made me great." [2SAM 22:36]
"The LORD live! And blessed be my Rock!
Extolled be my God, rock of my salvation. O God, who granted me
vengeance, who made peoples subject to me and helped me escape
from my enemies, Above my adversaries you exalt me and from the
violent man you rescue me. Therefore will I proclaim you, O LORD,
among the nations, and I will sing praise to your name, You who
gave great victories to your king and showed kindness to your
anointed, to David and his posterity forever." [2SAM 22:47-51]
Solomon answered: "You have shown great
favor to your servant, my father David, because he behaved
faithfully toward you, with justice and an upright heart; and you
have continued this great favor toward him, even today, seating a
son of his on his throne. O LORD, my God, you have made me, your
servant, king to succeed my father David; but I am a mere youth,
not knowing at all how to act. I serve you in the midst of the
people whom you have chosen, a people so vast that it cannot be
numbered or counted. Give your servant, therefore, an
understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right
from wrong. For who is able to govern this vast people of
yours?" The LORD was pleased that Solomon made this request.
So God said to him: "Because you have asked for this - not
for a long life for yourself, nor for riches, nor for the life of
your enemies, but for understanding so that you may know what is
right - I do as you requested. I give you a heart so wise and
understanding that there has never been anyone like you up to now,
and after you there will come no one to equal you. In addition, I
give you what you have not asked for, such riches and glory that
among kings there is not your like. And if you follow me by
keeping my statutes and commandments, as your father David did, I
will give you a long life." [1KGS 3:6-14]
The great court was enclosed by three courses of
hewn stones and a bonding course of cedar beams. So also were the
inner court of the temple of the LORD and the temple porch. [1KGS
7:12]
"To the foreigner, likewise, who is not of
your people Israel, but comes from a distant land to honor you
(since men will learn of your great name and your mighty hand and
your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this
temple, listen from your heavenly dwelling. Do all that the
foreigner asks of you, that all the peoples of the earth may know
your name, may fear you as do your people Israel, and may
acknowledge that this temple which I have built is dedicated to
your honor." [1KGS 8:41-43]
When the king of Israel saw them, he asked,
"Shall I kill them, my father?" "You must not kill
them," replied Elisha. "Do you slay those whom you have
taken captive with your sword or bow? Serve them bread and water.
Let them eat and drink, and then go back to their master."
The king spread a great feast for them. When they had eaten and
drunk he sent them away, and they went back to their master. No
more Aramean raiders came into the land of Israel. [2KGS 6:21-23]
The king was talking with Gehazi, the servant of
the man of God. "Tell me," he said, "all the great
things that Elisha has done." Just as he was relating to the
king how his master had restored a dead person to life, the very
woman whose son Elisha had restored to life came to the king to
claim her house and field. "My lord king," Gehazi said,
"this is the woman, and this is that son of hers whom Elisha
restored to life." The king questioned the woman, and she
told him her story. With that the king placed an official at her
disposal, saying, "Restore all her property to her, with all
that the field produced from the day she left the land until
now." [2KGS 8:4-6]
In his great anger against Israel, the LORD put
them away out of his sight. Only the tribe of Judah was left. Even
the people of Judah, however, did not keep the commandments of the
LORD, their God, but followed the rites practiced by Israel. So
the LORD rejected the whole race of Israel. He afflicted them and
delivered them over to plunderers, finally casting them out from
before him. When he tore Israel away from the house of David, they
made Jeroboam, son of Nebat, king; he drove the Israelites away
from the LORD, causing them to commit a great sin. The Israelites
imitated Jeroboam in all the sins he committed, nor would they
desist from them. [Taken from 2KGS 17:18-22]
The Asherah idol he had made, he set up in the
temple, of which the LORD had said to David and to his son
Solomon: "In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have
chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I shall place my name
forever. I will not in future allow Israel to be driven off the
land I gave their fathers, provided that they are careful to
observe all I have commanded them, the entire law which my servant
Moses enjoined upon them." But they did not listen, and
Manasseh misled them into doing even greater evil than the nations
whom the LORD had destroyed at the coming of the Israelites. Then
the LORD spoke through his servants the prophets: "Because
Manasseh, king of Judah, has practiced these abominations and has
done greater evil than all that was done by the Amorites before
him, and has led Judah into sin by his idols, therefore thus says
the LORD, the God of Israel: 'I will bring such evil on Jerusalem
and Judah that, whenever anyone hears of it, his ears shall
ring.'" [Taken from 2KGS 21:7-12]
The king went up to the temple of the LORD with all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem: priests, prophets, and all the people, small and great. He had the entire contents of the book of the covenant that had been found in the temple of the LORD, read out to them. Standing by the column, the king made a covenant before the LORD that they would follow him and observe his ordinances, statutes and decrees with their whole hearts and souls, thus reviving the terms of the covenant which were written in this book. And all the people stood as participants in the covenant. [2KGS 23:2-3]
They transported the ark of God on a new cart from the house of Abinadab; Uzzah and Ahio were guiding the cart, while David and all Israel danced before God with great enthusiasm, amid songs and music on lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets. [1CHRON 13:7-8]
Hiram, king of Tyre, sent envoys to David along with masons and carpenters, and cedar wood to build him a house. David now understood that the LORD had truly confirmed him as king over Israel, for his kingdom was greatly exalted for the sake of his people Israel. [1CHRON 14:1-2]
For great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
and awesome is he, beyond all gods. For all the gods of the
nations are things of nought, but the LORD made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty go before him; praise and joy are in his holy
place. Give to the LORD, you families of nations, give to the LORD
glory and praise; Give to the LORD the glory due his name! Bring
gifts, and enter his presence; worship the LORD in holy attire.
Tremble before him, all the earth; he has made the world firm, not
to be moved. [1CHRON 16:25-30]
Then David came in and sat in the LORD'S
presence, saying: "Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my
family, that you should have brought me as far as I have come? And
yet, even this you now consider too little, O God! For you have
made a promise regarding your servant's family reaching into the
distant future, and you have looked on me as henceforth the most
notable of men, O LORD God. What more can David say to you? You
know your servant. O LORD, for your servant's sake and in keeping
with your purpose, you have done this great thing. O LORD, there
is no one like you and there is no God but you, just as we have
always understood. Is there, like your people Israel, whom you
redeemed from Egypt, another nation on earth whom a god went to
redeem as his people? You won for yourself a name for great and
awesome deeds by driving out the nations before your people. You
made your people Israel your own forever, and you, O LORD, became
their God. Therefore, O LORD, may the promise that you have
uttered concerning your servant and his house remain firm forever.
Bring about what you have promised, that your renown as LORD of
hosts, God of Israel, may be great and abide forever, while the
house of David, your servant, is established in your presence.
Because you, O my God, have revealed to your servant that you will
build him a house, your servant has made bold to pray before you.
Since you, O LORD, are truly God and have promised this good thing
to your servant, and since you have deigned to bless the house of
your servant, so that it will remain forever - since it is you, O
LORD, who blessed it, it is blessed forever." [1CHRON 17:16-27]
Afterward Nahash, king of the Ammonites, died
and his son succeeded him as king. David said, "I will show
kindness to Hanun, the son of Nahash, for his father treated me
with kindness." Therefore he sent envoys to him to comfort
him over the death of his father. But when David's servants had
entered the land of the Ammonites to comfort Hanun, the Ammonite
princes said to Hanun, "Do you think David is doing this -
sending you these consolers - to honor your father? Have not his
servants rather come to you to explore the land, spying it out for
its overthrow?" Thereupon Hanun seized David's servants and
had them shaved and their garments cut off half-way at the hips.
Then he sent them away. When David was informed of what had
happened to his men, he sent messengers to meet them, for the men
had been greatly disgraced. "Remain at Jericho," the
king told them, "until your beards have grown again; and then
you may come back here." [1CHRON 19:1-5]
Then David said to God, "I have sinned
greatly in doing this thing. Take away your servant's guilt, for I
have acted very foolishly." Then the LORD spoke to Gad,
David's seer, in these words: "Go, tell David: Thus says the
LORD: I offer you three alternatives; choose one of them, and I
will inflict it on you." Accordingly, Gad went to David and
said to him; "Thus says the LORD: Decide now - will it be
three years of famine; or three months of fleeing your enemies,
with the sword of your foes ever at your back; or three days of
the LORD'S own sword, a pestilence in the land, with the LORD'S
destroying angel in every part of Israel? Therefore choose: What
answer am I to give him who sent me?" Then David said to Gad:
"I am in dire straits. But I prefer to fall into the hand of
the LORD, whose mercy is very great, than into the hands of
men." [1CHRON 21:8-13]
David said to Solomon: "My son, it was my
purpose to build a house myself for the honor of the LORD, my God.
But this word of the LORD came to me: 'You have shed much blood,
and you have waged great wars. You may not build a house in my
honor, because you have shed too much blood upon the earth in my
sight. However, a son is to be born to you. He will be a peaceful
man, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side.
For Solomon shall be his name, and in his time I will bestow peace
and tranquility on Israel. It is he who shall build a house in my
honor; he shall be a son to me, and I will be a father to him, and
I will establish the throne of his kingship over Israel forever.'
Now, my son, the LORD be with you, and may you succeed in building
the house of the LORD your God, as he has said you shall. May the
LORD give you prudence and discernment when he brings you to rule
over Israel, so that you keep the law of the LORD, your God. Only
then shall you succeed, if you are careful to observe the precepts
and decrees which the LORD gave Moses for Israel. Be brave and
steadfast; do not fear or lose heart. See, with great effort I
have laid up for the house of the LORD a hundred thousand talents
of gold, a million talents of silver, and bronze and iron in such
great quantities that they cannot be weighed. I have also stored
up wood and stones, to which you must add. Moreover, you have
available an unlimited supply of workmen, stonecutters, masons,
carpenters, and every kind of craftsman skilled in gold, silver,
bronze, and iron. Set to work, therefore, and the LORD be with
you!" [1CHRON 22:7-16]
King David then said to the whole assembly:
"My son Solomon, whom alone God has chosen, is still young
and immature; the work, however, is great, for this castle is not
intended for man, but for the LORD God. For this reason I have
stored up for the house of my God, as far as I was able, gold for
what will be made of gold, silver for what will be made of silver,
bronze for what will be made of bronze, iron for what will be made
of iron, wood for what will be made of wood, onyx stones and
settings for them, carnelian and mosaic stones, every other kind
of precious stone, and great quantities of marble. But now,
because of the delight I take in the house of my God, in addition
to all that I stored up for the holy house, I give to the house of
my God my personal fortune in gold and silver: three thousand
talents of Ophir gold, and seven thousand talents of refined
silver, for overlaying the walls of the rooms, for the various
utensils to be made of gold and silver, and for every work that is
to be done by artisans. Now, who else is willing to contribute
generously this day to the LORD?" Then the heads of the
families, the leaders of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of
thousands and of hundreds, and the overseers of the king's affairs
came forward willingly and contributed for the service of the
house of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of
gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of
bronze, and one hundred thousand talents of iron. Those who had
precious stones gave them into the keeping of Jehiel the
Gershonite for the treasury of the house of the LORD. The people
rejoiced over these free-will offerings, which had been
contributed to the LORD wholeheartedly. King David also rejoiced
greatly. [1CHRON 29:1-9]
And on that day they ate and drank in the LORD'S
presence with great rejoicing. Then for a second time they
proclaimed David's son Solomon king, and they anointed him as the
LORD'S prince, and Zadok as priest. Thereafter Solomon sat on the
throne of the LORD as king in place of his father David; he
prospered, and all Israel obeyed him. All the leaders and
warriors, and also all the other sons of King David, swore
allegiance to King Solomon. And the LORD exalted Solomon greatly
in the eyes of all Israel, giving him a glorious reign such as had
not been enjoyed by any king over Israel before him. [Taken from
1CHRON 29:22-25]
That night God appeared to Solomon and said to
him, "Make a request of me, and I will grant it to you."
Solomon answered God: "You have shown great favor to my
father David, and you have allowed me to succeed him as king. Now,
LORD God, may your promise to my father David be fulfilled, for
you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the
earth. Give me, therefore, wisdom and knowledge to lead this
people, for otherwise who could rule this great people of
yours?" God then replied to Solomon: "Since this has
been your wish and you have not asked for riches, treasures and
glory, nor for the life of those who hate you, nor even for a long
life for yourself, but have asked for wisdom and knowledge in
order to rule my people over whom I have made you king, wisdom and
knowledge are given you; but I will also give you riches,
treasures and glory, such as kings before you never had, nor will
those have them who come after you." [2CHRON 1:7-12]
And the house I intend to build must be large, for our God is greater than all other gods.
Yet who is really able to build him a house, since the heavens and even the highest heavens cannot contain him? And who am I that I should build him a house, unless it be to offer incense in his presence?
[2CHRON 2:4-5]
"For the foreigner, too, who is not of your people Israel, when he comes from a distant land to honor your great name, your mighty power, and your outstretched arm, when they come in prayer to this temple, listen from your heavenly dwelling place, and do whatever the foreigner entreats you, that all the peoples of the earth may
know your name, fearing you as do your people Israel, and knowing that this house which I have built is dedicated to your honor."
[2CHRON 6:32-33]
[The queen of Sheba said to Solomon,] "The account I heard in my country about your deeds and your wisdom is true," she told the king. "Yet I did not believe the report until I came and saw with my own eyes. I have discovered that they did not tell me the half of your great wisdom; you have surpassed the stories I heard." [Taken from 2CHRON 9:5-6]
At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa, king
of Judah, and said to him: "Because you relied on the king of
Aram and did not rely on the LORD, your God, the army of the king
of Aram has escaped your hand. Were not the Ethiopians and Libyans
a vast army, with great numbers of chariots and drivers? And yet,
because you relied on the LORD, he delivered them into your power.
The eyes of the LORD roam over the whole earth, to encourage those
who are devoted to him wholeheartedly. You have acted foolishly in
this matter, for from now on you will have wars." But Asa
became angry with the seer and imprisoned him in the stocks, so
greatly was he enraged at him over this. Asa also oppressed some
of his people at this time. [2CHRON 16:7-10]
The LORD was with Jehoshaphat, for he walked in
the ways his father had pursued in the beginning, and he did not
consult the Baals. Rather, he sought the God of his father and
observed his commands, and not the practices of Israel. As a
result, the LORD made his kingdom secure, and all Judah gave
Jehoshaphat gifts, so that he enjoyed great wealth and glory. Thus
he was encouraged to follow the LORD'S ways, and again he removed
the high places and the sacred poles from Judah. [2CHRON 17:3-6]
The message was brought to Jehoshaphat: "A
great multitude is coming against you from across the sea, from
Edom; they are already in Hazazon-tamar" (which is En-gedi).
Jehoshaphat was frightened, and he hastened to consult the LORD.
He proclaimed a fast for all Judah. Then Judah gathered to seek
help from the LORD; from every one of the cities of Judah they
came to seek the LORD. [2CHRON 20:2-4]
At this, some of the Ephraimite leaders, Azariah, son of
Johanan, Berechiah, son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah, son of Shallum, and
Amasa, son of Hadlai, themselves
stood up in opposition to those who had returned from the war.
They said to them: "Do not bring the captives here, for what
you propose will make us guilty before the LORD and increase our
sins and our guilt. Our guilt is already great, and there is a
burning anger upon Israel." Therefore the soldiers left their
captives and the plunder before the princes and the whole
assembly. Then the men just named proceeded to help the captives.
All of them who were naked they clothed from the booty; they
clothed them, put sandals on their feet, gave them food and drink,
anointed them, and all who were weak they set on asses. They
brought them to Jericho, the city of palms, to their brethren.
Then they returned to Samaria. [2CHRON 28:12-15]
In Judah, however, the power of God brought it about that the people were of one mind to carry out the command of the king and the princes in accordance with the word of the LORD. Thus many people gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month; it was a very great assembly.
[2CHRON 30:12-13]
The greater part of the people, in fact, chiefly
from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, had not cleansed
themselves. Nevertheless they ate the Passover, contrary to the
prescription; for Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, "May the
LORD, who is good, grant pardon to everyone who has resolved to
seek God, the LORD, the God of his fathers, though he be not clean
as holiness requires." The LORD heard Hezekiah and spared the
people. Thus the Israelites who were in Jerusalem celebrated the
feast of Unleavened Bread with great rejoicing for seven days, and
the Levites and the priests sang the praises of the LORD day after
day with all their strength. [2CHRON 30:18-21]
There was great rejoicing in Jerusalem, for since the days of
Solomon, son of David, king of Israel, there had not been the like in the city.
Then the levitical priests rose and blessed the people; their voice was heard and their prayer reached heaven, God's holy dwelling.
[2CHRON 30:26-27]
As soon as the order was promulgated, the
Israelites brought, in great quantities, the best of their grain,
wine, oil and honey, and all the produce of the fields; they gave
a generous tithe of everything. [2CHRON 31:5]
Hezekiah possessed very great wealth and glory.
He had treasuries made for his silver, gold, precious stones,
spices, jewels, and other precious things of all kinds [Taken from
2CHRON
32:27]
Manasseh misled Judah and the inhabitants of
Jerusalem into doing even greater evil than the nations which the
LORD had destroyed at the coming of the Israelites. [2CHRON 33:9]
When the builders had laid the foundation of the LORD'S temple, the vested priests with the trumpets and the Levites, sons of Asaph, were stationed there with the cymbals to praise the LORD in the manner laid down by David, king of Israel. They alternated in songs of praise and thanksgiving to the LORD, "for he is good, for his kindness to Israel endures forever"; and all the people raised a great shout of joy, praising the LORD because the foundation of the LORD'S house had been laid.
[EZRA 3:10-11]
Let it be known to the king that we have visited
the province of Judah and the house of the great God: it is being
rebuilt of cut stone and the walls are being reinforced with
timber; the work is being carried on diligently and is making good
progress under their hands. We then questioned the elders,
addressing to them the following words: 'Who issued the decree for
you to build this house and raise this edifice?' We also asked
them their names, to report them to you in a list of the men who
are their leaders. This was their answer to us: 'We are the
servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the
house built here long years ago, which a great king of Israel
built and finished. But because our fathers provoked the wrath of
the God of heaven, he delivered them into the power of the
Chaldean, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, who destroyed this
house and led the people captive to Babylon. However, in the first
year of Cyrus, king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree for the
rebuilding of this house of God.' [Taken from EZRA 5:8-13]
I said: "My God, I am too ashamed and
confounded to raise my face to you, O my God, for our wicked deeds
are heaped up above our heads and our guilt reaches up to heaven.
From the time of our fathers even to this day great has been our
guilt, and for our wicked deeds we have been delivered over, we
and our kings and our priests, to the will of the kings of foreign
lands, to the sword, to captivity, to pillage, and to disgrace, as
is the case today. And now, but a short time ago, mercy came to us
from the LORD, our God, who left us a remnant and gave us a stake
in his holy place; thus our God has brightened our eyes and given
us relief in our servitude. For slaves we are, but in our
servitude our God has not abandoned us; rather, he has turned the
good will of the kings of Persia toward us. Thus he has given us
new life to raise again the house of our God and restore its
ruins, and has granted us a fence in Judah and Jerusalem. But now,
O our God, what can we say after all this? For we have abandoned
your commandments, which you gave through your servants the
prophets: the land which you are entering to take as your
possession is a land unclean with the filth of the peoples of the
land, with the abominations with which they have filled it from
one end to the other in their uncleanness. Do not, then, give your
daughters to their sons in marriage, and do not take their
daughters for your sons. Never promote their peace and prosperity;
thus you will grow strong, enjoy the produce of the land, and
leave it as an inheritance to your children forever. After all
that has come upon us for our evil deeds and our great
guilt-though you, our God, have made less of our sinfulness than
it deserved and have allowed us to survive as we do - shall we
again violate your commandments by intermarrying with these
abominable peoples? Would you not become so angered with us as to
destroy us without remnant or survivor? O LORD, God of Israel, you
are just; yet we have been spared, the remnant we are today. Here
we are before you in our sins. Because of all this, we can no
longer stand in your presence." [EZRA 9:6-15]
The words of Nehemiah, the son of Hacaliah. In
the month Chislev of the twentieth year, I was in the citadel of
Susa when Hanani, one of my brothers, came with other men from
Judah. I asked them about the Jews, the remnant preserved after
the captivity, and about Jerusalem, and they answered me:
"The survivors of the captivity there in the province are in
great distress and under reproach. Also, the wall of Jerusalem
lies breached, and its gates have been gutted with fire."
When I heard this report, I began to weep and continued mourning
for several days; I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. I
prayed: "O LORD, God of heaven, great and awesome God, you
who preserve your covenant of mercy toward those who love you and
keep your commandments, may your ear be attentive, and your eyes
open, to heed the prayer which I, your servant, now offer in your
presence day and night for your servants the Israelites,
confessing the sins which we of Israel have committed against you,
I and my father's house included. Grievously have we offended you,
not keeping the commandments, the statutes, and the ordinances
which you committed to your servant Moses. But remember, I pray,
the promise which you gave through Moses, your servant, when you
said: 'Should you prove faithless, I will scatter you among the
nations; but should you return to me and carefully keep my
commandments, even though your outcasts have been driven to the
farthest corner of the world, I will gather them from there, and
bring them back to the place which I have chosen as the dwelling
place for my name.' They are your servants, your people, whom you
freed by your great might and your strong hand. O Lord, may your
ear be attentive to my prayer and that of all your willing
servants who revere your name. Grant success to your servant this
day, and let him find favor with this man"-for I was
cupbearer to the king. [NEH 1:1-11]
I made an inspection, then addressed these words
to the nobles, the magistrates, and the rest of the people:
"Have no fear of them! Keep in mind the LORD, who is great
and to be feared, and fight for your brethren, your sons and
daughters, your wives and your homes." [NEH 4:8]
Then there rose a great outcry of the common
people and their wives against certain of their fellow Jews. [NEH
5:1]
Ezra opened the scroll so that all the people might see it (for he was standing higher up than any of the people); and, as he opened it, all the people rose.
Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people, their hands raised high, answered, "Amen, amen!" Then they bowed down and prostrated themselves before the LORD, their faces to the ground.
[NEH 8:5-6]
Then all the people went to eat and drink, to
distribute portions, and to celebrate with great joy, for they
understood the words that had been expounded to them. [NEH 8:12]
Thus the entire assembly of the returned exiles
made booths and dwelt in them. Now the Israelites had done nothing
of this sort from the days of Jeshua, son of Nun, until this
occasion; therefore there was very great joy. [NEH 8:17]
Though they made for themselves a molten calf,
and proclaimed, 'Here is your God who brought you up out of
Egypt,' and were guilty of great effronteries, yet in your great mercy you did not forsake them
in the desert. The column of cloud did not cease to lead them by
day on their journey, nor did the column of fire by night cease to
light for them the way by which they were to travel. [NEH 9:18-19]
"But they were contemptuous and rebellious:
they cast your law behind their backs, they slew your prophets who
bore witness against them in order to bring them back to you, and
they were guilty of great effronteries. Therefore you delivered
them into the power of their enemies, who oppressed them. But in
the time of their oppression they would cry out to you, and you
would hear them from heaven, and according to your great mercy
give them saviors to deliver them from the power of their enemies.
As soon as they had relief, they would go back to doing evil in
your sight. Then again you abandoned them to the power of their
enemies, who crushed them. Then they cried out to you, and you
heard them from heaven and delivered them according to your mercy,
many times over. You bore witness against them, in order to bring
them back to your law. But they were insolent and would not obey
your commandments; they sinned against your ordinances, from which
men draw life when they practice them. They turned stubborn backs,
stiffened their necks, and would not obey. You were patient with
them for many years, bearing witness against them through your
spirit, by means of your prophets; still they would not listen.
Thus you delivered them over into the power of the peoples of the
lands. Yet in your great mercy you did not completely destroy them
and you did not forsake them, for you are a kind and merciful God.
Now, therefore, O our God, great, mighty, and awesome God, you who
in your mercy preserve the covenant, take into account all the
disasters that have befallen us, our kings, our princes, our
priests, our prophets, our fathers, and your entire people, from
the time of the kings of Assyria until this day! In all that has
come upon us you have been just, for you kept faith while we have
done evil. Yes, our kings, our princes, our priests, and our
fathers have not kept your law; they paid no attention to your
commandments and the obligations of which you reminded them. While
they were yet in their kingdom, in the midst of the many good
things that you had given them and in the wide and fertile land
that you had spread out before them, they did not serve you nor
did they turn away from their evil deeds. But, see, we today are
slaves; and as for the land which you gave our fathers that they
might eat its fruits and good things - see, we have become slaves
upon it!" [NEH 9:26-36]
Then I ordered the Levites to purify themselves
and to go and watch the gates, so that the sabbath day might be
kept holy. This, too, remember in my favor, O my God, and have
mercy on me in accordance with your great mercy! [NEH 13:22]
"Did not Solomon, the king of Israel, sin because of them? Though among the many nations there was no king like him, and though he was beloved of his God and God had made him king over all Israel, yet even he was made to sin by foreign women. Must it also be heard of you that you have done this same very great evil, betraying our God by marrying foreign women?"
[NEH 13:26-27]
Son, give alms in proportion to what you own. If
you have great wealth, give alms out of your abundance; if you
have but little, distribute even some of that. But do not hesitate
to give alms; you will be storing up a goodly treasure for
yourself against the day of adversity. Almsgiving frees one from
death, and keeps one from going into the dark abode. Alms are a
worthy offering in the sight of the Most High for all who give
them. [TOBIT 4:8-11]
Therefore, my son, love your kinsmen. Do not be
so proudhearted toward your kinsmen, the sons and daughters of
your people, as to refuse to take a wife for yourself from among
them. For in such arrogance there is ruin and great disorder.
Likewise, in worthlessness there is decay and dire poverty, for
worthlessness is the mother of famine. [TOBIT 4:13]
"And now, son, I wish to inform you that I have deposited a great sum of money with Gabri's son Gabael at Rages in Media.
Do not be discouraged, my child, because of our poverty. You will be a rich man if you fear God, avoid all sin, and do what is right before the Lord your God."
[TOBIT 4:20-21]
Then Raguel praised the God of heaven in these
words: "Blessed are you, O God, with every holy and pure
blessing! Let all your chosen ones praise you; let them bless you
forever! Blessed are you, who have made me glad; what I feared did
not happen. Rather you have dealt with us according to your great
mercy. Blessed are you, for you were merciful toward two only
children. Grant them, Master, mercy and deliverance, and bring
their lives to fulfillment with happiness and mercy." [TOBIT
8:15-17]
Next he smeared the medicine on his eyes, and it
made them smart. Then, beginning at the corners of Tobit's eyes,
Tobiah used both hands to peel off the cataracts. When Tobit saw
his son, he threw his arms around him and wept. He exclaimed,
"I can see you, son, the light of my eyes!" Then he
said: "Blessed be God, and praised be his great name, and
blessed be all his holy angels. May his holy name be praised
throughout all the ages, Because it was he who scourged me, and it
is he who has had mercy on me. Behold, I now see my son
Tobiah!" Then Tobit went back in, rejoicing and praising God
with full voice. [Taken from TOBIT 11:12-15]
Then Tobit composed this joyful prayer: Blessed
be God who lives forever, because his kingdom lasts for all ages.
For he scourges and then has mercy; he casts down to the depths of
the nether world, and he brings up from the great abyss. No one
can escape his hand. Praise him, you Israelites, before the
Gentiles, for though he has scattered you among them, he has shown
you his greatness even there. Exalt him before every living being,
because he is the Lord our God, our Father and God forever. He
scourged you for your iniquities, but will again have mercy on you
all. He will gather you from all the Gentiles among whom you have
been scattered. When you turn back to him with all your heart, to
do what is right before him, Then he will turn back to you, and no
longer hide his face from you. So now consider what he has done
for you, and praise him with full voice. Bless the Lord of
righteousness, and exalt the King of the ages. In the land of my
exile I praise him, and show his power and majesty to a sinful
nation. "Turn back, you sinners! do the right before him:
perhaps he may look with favor upon you and show you mercy."
[TOBIT 13:1-6]
When the Israelites who dwelt in Judea heard of all that Holofernes, commander-in-chief of Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Assyrians, had done to the nations, and how he had despoiled all their temples and destroyed them, they were in extreme dread of him, and greatly alarmed for Jerusalem and the temple of the Lord, their God. [JDTH 4:1-2]
All the men of Israel cried to God with great
fervor and did penance - they, along with their wives, and
children, and domestic animals. All their resident aliens, hired
laborers, and slaves also girded themselves with sackcloth. And
all the Israelite men, women and children who lived in Jerusalem
prostrated themselves in front of the temple building, with ashes
strewn on their heads, displaying their sackcloth covering before
the Lord. The altar, too, they draped in sackcloth; and with one
accord they cried out fervently to the God of Israel not to allow
their children to be seized, their wives to be taken captive, the
cities of their inheritance to be ruined, or the sanctuary to be
profaned and mocked for the nations to gloat over. The Lord heard
their cry and had regard for their distress. For the people
observed a fast of many days' duration throughout Judea, and
before the sanctuary of the Lord Almighty in Jerusalem. [JDTH 4:9-13]
All in the assembly with one accord broke into
shrill wailing and loud cries to the Lord their God. But Uzziah
said to them, "Courage, my brothers! Let us wait five days
more for the Lord our God, to show his mercy toward us; he will
not utterly forsake us. But if those days pass without help coming
to us, I will do as you say." Then he dispersed the men to
their posts, and they returned to the walls and towers of the
city; the women and children he sent to their homes. Throughout
the city they were in great misery. [JDTH 7:29-32]
Holofernes, charmed by her, drank a great
quantity of wine, more than he had ever drunk on one single day in
his life. [JDTH 12:20]
"As the Lord lives, who has protected me in the path I have
followed, I swear that it was my face that seduced Holofernes to his ruin, and that he did not sin with me to my defilement or disgrace." All the people were greatly astonished. They bowed down and worshiped God, saying with one accord, "Blessed are you, our God, who today have brought to nought the enemies of your people." [Taken from JDTH 13:16-17]
"A new hymn I will sing to my God. O Lord,
great are you and glorious, wonderful in power and unsurpassable.
Let your every creature serve you; for you spoke, and they were
made, You sent forth your spirit, and they were created; no one
can resist your word. The mountains to their bases, and the seas,
are shaken; the rocks, like wax, melt before your glance. But to
those who fear you, you are very merciful." [Taken from JDTH
16:13-15]
One who fears the Lord is forever great. [Taken
from JDTH 16:16]
At the end of this time the king gave a feast of
seven days in the garden court of the royal palace for all the
people, great and small, who were in the stronghold of Susa. [ESTH
1:5]
"If it please the king, let an irrevocable
royal decree be issued by him and inscribed among the laws of the
Persians and Medes, forbidding Vashti to come into the presence of
King Ahasuerus and authorizing the king to give her royal dignity
to one more worthy than she. Thus, when the decree which the king
will issue is published throughout his realm, vast as it is, all
wives will honor their husbands, from the greatest to the
least." This proposal found acceptance with the king and the
officials, and the king acted on the advice of Memucan. [ESTH 1:19-21]
Then the king gave a great feast in honor of
Esther to all his officials and ministers, granting a holiday to
the provinces and bestowing gifts with royal bounty. [ESTH 2:18]
She glowed with the perfection of her beauty and her countenance was as joyous as it was lovely, though her heart was shrunk with fear. She passed through all the portals till she stood face to face with the king, who was seated on his royal throne, clothed in full robes of state, and covered with gold and precious stones, so that he inspired great awe. As he looked up, his features ablaze with the height of majestic anger, the queen staggered, changed color, and leaned weakly against the head of the maid in front of her. But God changed the king's anger to gentleness. In great anxiety he sprang from his throne, held her in his arms until she recovered, and comforted her with reassuring words. [ESTH D:5-8]
That day Haman left happy and in good spirits.
But when he saw that Mordecai at the royal gate did not rise, and
showed no fear of him, he was filled with anger toward him. Haman
restrained himself, however, and went home, where he summoned his
friends and his wife Zeresh. He recounted the greatness of his
riches, the large number of his sons, and just how the king had
promoted him and placed him above the officials and royal
servants. "Moreover," Haman added, "Queen Esther
invited no one but me to the banquet with the king; again tomorrow
I am to be her guest, with the king. Yet none of this satisfies me
as long as I continue to see the Jew Mordecai sitting at the royal
gate." [ESTH 5:9-13]
After Antiochus had defeated Egypt in the year
one hundred and forty-three, he returned and went up to Israel and
to Jerusalem with a strong force. He insolently invaded the
sanctuary and took away the golden altar, the lampstand for the
light with all its fixtures, the offering table, the cups and the
bowls, the golden censers, the curtain, the crowns, and the golden
ornament on the facade of the temple. He stripped off everything,
and took away the gold and silver and the precious vessels; he
also took all the hidden treasures he could find. Taking all this,
he went back to his own country, after he had spoken with great
arrogance and shed much blood. And there was great mourning for
Israel, in every place where they dwelt, and the rulers and the
elders groaned. Virgins and young men languished, and the beauty
of the women was disfigured. Every bridegroom took up lamentation,
she who sat in the bridal chamber mourned, And the land was shaken
on account of its inhabitants, and all the house of Jacob was
covered with shame. [1MACC 1:20-28]
Then they built up the City of David with a
high, massive wall and strong towers, and it became their citadel.
There they installed a sinful race, perverse men, who fortified
themselves inside it, storing up weapons and provisions, and
depositing there the plunder they had collected from Jerusalem.
And they became a great threat. The citadel became an ambush
against the sanctuary, and a wicked adversary to Israel at all
times. And they shed innocent blood around the sanctuary; they
defiled the sanctuary. Because of them the inhabitants of
Jerusalem fled away, and she became the abode of strangers. She
became a stranger to her own offspring, and her children forsook
her. Her sanctuary was as desolate as a wilderness; her feasts
were turned into mourning, Her sabbaths to shame, her honor to
contempt. Her dishonor was as great as her glory had been, and her
exaltation was turned into mourning. [1MACC 1:33-40]
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