LXX Concordance for εἰ

“Since you are banishing me today from the face of the earth, and I must hide from your presence and become a restless wanderer on the earth, whoever finds me will kill me.”

and he sent out a raven. It went back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth.

“Isn't the whole land before you? Separate from me: if you go to the left, I will go to the right; if you go to the right, I will go to the left.”

“I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust of the earth, then your offspring could be counted.

“that I will not take a thread or sandal strap or anything that belongs to you, so you can never say, ‘I made Abram rich.'

He took him outside and said, “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “Your offspring will be that numerous.”

Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed and said to himself, “Can a child be born to a hundred-year-old man? Can Sarah, a ninety-year-old woman, give birth? ”

and said, “My lord, if I have found favor with you, please do not go on past your servant.

“I will go down to see if what they have done justifies the cry that has come up to me. If not, I will find out.”

“Now return the man's wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, know that you will certainly die, you and all who are yours.”

He said to them, “If you are willing for me to bury my dead, listen to me and ask Ephron son of Zohar on my behalf

while the man silently watched her to see whether or not the LORD had made his journey a success.

“Whose daughter are you? ” he asked. “Please tell me, is there room in your father's house for us to spend the night? ”

“Today when I came to the spring, I prayed: LORD, God of my master Abraham, if only you will make my journey successful!

“Now, if you are going to show kindness and faithfulness to my master, tell me; if not, tell me, and I will go elsewhere.”[fn]

But the children inside her struggled with each other, and she said, “Why is this happening to me? ”[fn] So she went to inquire of the LORD.

Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come closer so I can touch you, my son. Are you really my son Esau or not? ”

But Isaac answered Esau, “Look, I have made him a master over you, have given him all of his relatives as his servants, and have sustained him with grain and new wine. What then can I do for you, my son? ”

So Rebekah said to Isaac, “I'm sick of my life because of these Hethite girls. If Jacob marries someone from around here,[fn] like these Hethite girls, what good is my life? ”

When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she envied her sister. “Give me sons, or I will die! ” she said to Jacob.

But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor with you, stay. I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you.”

“Why did you secretly flee from me, deceive me, and not tell me? I would have sent you away with joy and singing, with tambourines and lyres,

“If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, certainly now you would have sent me off empty-handed. But God has seen my affliction and my hard work,[fn] and he issued his verdict last night.”

“If you mistreat my daughters or take other wives, though no one is with us, understand that God will be a witness between you and me.”

But Jacob said, “No, please! If I have found favor with you, take this gift from me. For indeed, I have seen your face, and it is like seeing God's face, since you have accepted me.

Then Israel said to him, “Go and see how your brothers and the flocks are doing, and bring word back to me.” So he sent him from the Hebron Valley, and he went to Shechem.

They sent the long-sleeved robe to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it. Is it your son's robe or not? ”

But he refused. “Look,” he said to his master's wife, “with me here my master does not concern himself with anything in his house, and he has put all that he owns under my authority.[fn]

“Send one from among you to get your brother. The rest of you will be imprisoned so that your words can be tested to see if they are true. If they are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies! ”

“If you are honest, let one of you[fn] be confined to the guardhouse, while the rest of you go and take grain to relieve the hunger of your households.

“If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy food for you.

“If we had not delayed, we could have come back twice by now.”

He asked if they were well, and he said, “How is your elderly father that you told me about? Is he still alive? ”

“We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found at the top of our bags. How could we steal silver or gold from your master's house?

“My lord asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother? '

“We told him, ‘We cannot go down unless our younger brother goes with us. If our younger brother isn't with us, we cannot see the man.'

Then Israel said, “Enough! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go to see him before I die.”

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Now that your father and brothers have come to you,

But Joseph said, “Give me your livestock. Since the silver is gone, I will give you food in exchange for your livestock.”

When that year was over, they came the next year and said to him, “We cannot hide from our lord that the silver is gone and that all our livestock belongs to our lord. There is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land.

When the time approached for him to die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have found favor with you, put your hand under my thigh and promise me that you will deal with me in kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt.

When the days of mourning were over, Joseph said to Pharaoh's household, “If I have found favor with you, please tell Pharaoh that

“Who made you a commander and judge over us? ” the man replied. “Are you planning to kill me as you killed the Egyptian? ”

Then Moses became afraid and thought, “What I did is certainly known.”

Then Moses went back to his father-in-law, Jethro, and said to him, “Please let me return to my relatives in Egypt and see if they are still living.”

Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”

“I told you: Let my son go so that he may worship me, but you refused to let him go. Look, I am about to kill your firstborn son! ”

“But if you refuse to let them go, then I will plague all your territory with frogs.

“But if you refuse to let them go and keep holding them,

Then the LORD said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. This way I will test them to see whether or not they will follow my instructions.

He named the place Massah[fn] and Meribah[fn] because the Israelites complained, and because they tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us or not? ”

“Now if you would only forgive their sin. But if not, please erase me from the book you have written.”

“Now if I have indeed found favor with you, please teach me your ways, and I will know you, so that I may find favor with you. Now consider that this nation is your people.”

“If your presence does not go,” Moses responded to him, “don't make us go up from here.

Then he said, “My Lord, if I have indeed found favor with you, my Lord, please go with us (even though this is a stiff-necked people), forgive our iniquity and our sin, and accept us as your own possession.”

If the cloud was not taken up, they did not set out until the day it was taken up.

But Aaron replied to Moses, “See, today they presented their sin offering and their burnt offering before the LORD. Since these things have happened to me, if I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been acceptable in the LORD's sight? ”

“the priest is to come and examine it. If the contamination has spread in the house, it is harmful mildew; the house is unclean.

“The priest will require the woman to take an oath and will say to her, ‘If no man has slept with you, if you have not gone astray and become defiled while under your husband's authority, be unaffected by this bitter water that brings a curse.

“If you are going to treat me like this, please kill me right now if I have found favor with you, and don't let me see my misery[fn] anymore.”

The LORD answered Moses, “Is the LORD's arm weak?[fn] Now you will see whether or not what I have promised will happen to you.”

The LORD answered Moses, “If her father had merely spit in her face, wouldn't she remain in disgrace for seven days? Let her be confined outside the camp for seven days; after that she may be brought back in.”

“See what the land is like, and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many.

All the Israelites complained about Moses and Aaron, and the whole community told them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wilderness!

“If the LORD is pleased with us, he will bring us into this land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and give it to us.

“I swear that none of you will enter the land I promised[fn] to settle you in, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

“and you make a food offering to the LORD from the herd or flock ​— ​either a burnt offering or a sacrifice, to fulfill a vow, or as a freewill offering, or at your appointed festivals ​— ​to produce a pleasing aroma for the LORD,

“Furthermore, you didn't bring us to a land flowing with milk and honey or give us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you gouge out the eyes of these men? We will not come! ”

But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and said, “God, God who gives breath to all,[fn] when one man sins, will you vent your wrath on the whole community? ”

“If these men die naturally as all people would, and suffer the fate of all, then the LORD has not sent me.

But Edom answered him, “You will not travel through our land, or we will come out and confront you with the sword.”

“‘Look, a people has come out of Egypt, and they cover the surface of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. I may be able to fight against them and drive them away.' ”

God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “Since these men have come to summon you, get up and go with them, but you must only do what I tell you.”

Balaam answered the donkey, “You made me look like a fool. If I had a sword in my hand, I'd kill you now! ”

“The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away from me, I would have killed you by now and let her live.”

Again Balak said to Balaam, “Please come. I will take you to another place. Maybe it will be agreeable to God that you can put a curse on them for me there.”

They said, “If we have found favor with you, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Don't make us cross the Jordan.”

“‘Because they did not remain loyal to me, none of the men twenty years old or more who came up from Egypt will see the land I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ​— ​

“‘None of these men in this evil generation will see the good land I swore to give your ancestors,

“Then the Amorites who lived there came out against you and chased you like a swarm of bees. They routed you from Seir as far as Hormah.

“Indeed, ask about the earlier days that preceded you, from the day God created mankind[fn] on the earth and from one end of the heavens to the other: Has anything like this great event ever happened, or has anything like it been heard of?

“Remember that the LORD your God led you on the entire journey these forty years in the wilderness, so that he might humble you and test you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.

“do not listen to that prophet's words or to that dreamer. For the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and all your soul.

“if I had not feared provocation from the enemy,

or feared that these foes might misunderstand

and say, ‘Our own hand has prevailed;

it wasn't the LORD who did all this.' ”

How could one pursue a thousand,

or two put ten thousand to flight,

unless their Rock had sold them,

unless the LORD had given them up?

“At nightfall, when the city gate was about to close, the men went out, and I don't know where they were going. Chase after them quickly, and you can catch up with them! ”

“Oh, Lord GOD,” Joshua said, “why did you ever bring these people across the Jordan to hand us over to the Amorites for our destruction? If only we had been content to remain on the other side of the Jordan!

“If you have so many people,” Joshua replied to them, “go to the forest and clear an area for yourselves there in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim, because Ephraim's hill country is too small for you.”

So Joshua replied to Joseph's family (that is, Ephraim and Manasseh), “You have many people and great strength. You will not have just one allotment,

“But if the land you possess is defiled, cross over to the land the LORD possesses where the LORD's tabernacle stands, and take possession of it among us. But don't rebel against the LORD or against us by building for yourselves an altar other than the altar of the LORD our God.

“The Mighty One, God, the LORD! The Mighty One, God, the LORD![fn] He knows, and may Israel also know. Do not spare us today, if it was in rebellion or treachery against the LORD

“But if it doesn't please you to worship the LORD, choose for yourselves today: Which will you worship ​— ​the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living? As for me and my family, we will worship the LORD.”

“I did this to test Israel and to see whether or not they would keep the LORD's way by walking in it, as their ancestors had.”

The LORD left them to test Israel, to determine if they would keep the LORD's commands he had given their ancestors through Moses.

Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened? And where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about? They said, ‘Hasn't the LORD brought us out of Egypt? ' But now the LORD has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.”

Then he said to him, “If I have found favor with you, give me a sign that you are speaking with me.

But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Would you plead Baal's case for him? Would you save him? Whoever pleads his case will be put to death by morning! If he is a god, let him plead his own case because someone tore down his altar.”

Then Gideon said to God, “If you will deliver Israel by me, as you said,

“But if you are afraid to attack the camp, go down with Purah your servant.

So he said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother! As the LORD lives, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.”

The bramble said to the trees,

“If you really are anointing me

as king over you,

come and find refuge in my shade.

But if not,

may fire come out from the bramble

and consume the cedars of Lebanon.”

“so if you have acted faithfully and honestly with Jerubbaal and his house this day, rejoice in Abimelech and may he also rejoice in you.

So Jephthah said to them, “If you are bringing me back to fight the Ammonites and the LORD gives them to me, I will be your leader.”

Then she said to him, “My father, you have given your word to the LORD. Do to me as you have said, for the LORD brought vengeance on your enemies, the Ammonites.”

So Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he asked, “Are you the man who spoke to my wife? ”

“I am,” he said.

But his wife said to him, “If the LORD had intended to kill us, he wouldn't have accepted the burnt offering and the grain offering from us, and he would not have shown us all these things or spoken to us like this.”

On the seventh day, before sunset, the men of the city said to him:

What is sweeter than honey?

What is stronger than a lion?

So he said to them:

If you hadn't plowed with my young cow,

you wouldn't know my riddle now!

Then they said to him, “Please inquire of God for us to determine if we will have a successful journey.”

The five men who had gone to scout out the land of Laish told their brothers, “Did you know that there are an ephod, household gods, and a carved image and a silver idol[fn] in these houses? Now think about what you should do.”

Everyone who saw it said, “Nothing like this has ever happened or has been seen since the day the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt until now.[fn] Think it over, discuss it, and speak up! ”

They went up, wept before the LORD until evening, and inquired of him, “Should we again attack our brothers the Benjaminites? ”

And the LORD answered, “Fight against them.”

and Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, was serving before it. The Israelites asked, “Should we again fight against our brothers the Benjaminites or should we stop? ”

The LORD answered, “Fight, because I will hand them over to you tomorrow.”

“I thought I should inform you: Buy it back in the presence of those seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you want to redeem it, do it. But if you do[fn] not want to redeem it, tell me so that I will know, because there isn't anyone other than you to redeem it, and I am next after you.”

“I want to redeem it,” he answered.

“I went after it, struck it down, and rescued the lamb from its mouth. If it reared up against me, I would grab it by its fur,[fn] strike it down, and kill it.

Saul's servants reported these words directly to David, but he replied, “Is it trivial in your sight to become the king's son-in-law? I am a poor commoner.”

Saul listened to Jonathan's advice and swore an oath: “As surely as the LORD lives, David will not be killed.”

Saul asked Michal, “Why did you deceive me like this? You sent my enemy away, and he has escaped! ”

She answered him, “He said to me, ‘Let me go! Why should I kill you? ' ”

Saul then removed his clothes and also prophesied before Samuel; he collapsed and lay naked all that day and all that night. That is why they say, “Is Saul also among the prophets? ”

“Deal kindly with[fn] your servant, for you have brought me into a covenant with you before the LORD. If I have done anything wrong, then kill me yourself; why take me to your father? ”

“don't ever withdraw your kindness from my household ​— ​not even when the LORD cuts off every one of David's enemies from the face of the earth.”

“He said, ‘Please let me go because our clan is holding a sacrifice in the town, and my brother has told me to be there. So now, if I have found favor with you, let me go so I can see my brothers.' That's why he didn't come to the king's table.”

“Now what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread or whatever can be found.”

David said to Ahimelech, “Do you have a spear or sword on hand? I didn't even bring my sword or my weapons since the king's mission was urgent.”

Saul said to his servants, “Listen, men of Benjamin: Is Jesse's son going to give all of you fields and vineyards? Do you think he'll make all of you commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds?

So David inquired of the LORD: “Should I launch an attack against these Philistines? ”

The LORD answered David, “Launch an attack against the Philistines and rescue Keilah.”

“Will the citizens of Keilah hand me over to him? Will Saul come down as your servant has heard? LORD God of Israel, please tell your servant.”

The LORD answered, “He will come down.”

“Investigate[fn] all the places where he hides. Then come back to me with accurate information, and I'll go with you. If it turns out he really is in the region, I'll search for him among all the clans[fn] of Judah.”

He said to his men, “As the LORD is my witness, I would never do such a thing to my lord, the LORD's anointed. I will never lift my hand against him, since he is the LORD's anointed.”

“When a man finds his enemy, does he let him go unharmed?[fn] May the LORD repay you with good for what you've done for me today.

“May God punish me[fn] and do so severely if I let any of his males[fn] survive until morning.”

“Otherwise, as surely as the LORD God of Israel lives, who prevented me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, Nabal wouldn't have had any males[fn] left by morning light.”

“Now, may my lord the king please hear the words of his servant: If it is the LORD who has incited you against me, then may he accept an offering. But if it is people, may they be cursed in the presence of the LORD, for today they have banished me from sharing in the inheritance of the LORD, saying, ‘Go and worship other gods.'

Now David said to Achish, “If I have found favor with you, let me be given a place in one of the outlying towns, so I can live there. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you? ”

Then Saul swore to her by the LORD: “As surely as the LORD lives, no punishment will come to you[fn] from this.”

and David asked the LORD, “Should I pursue these raiders? Will I overtake them? ”

The LORD replied to him, “Pursue them, for you will certainly overtake them and rescue the people.”

David then asked him, “Will you lead me to these raiders? ”

He said, “Swear to me by God that you won't kill me or turn me over to my master, and I will lead you to them.”

Some time later, David inquired of the LORD: “Should I go to one of the towns of Judah? ”

The LORD answered him, “Go.”

Then David asked, “Where should I go? ”

“To Hebron,” the LORD replied.

“As God lives,” Joab replied, “if you had not spoken up, the troops wouldn't have stopped pursuing their brothers until morning.”

and the king sang a lament for Abner:

Should Abner die as a fool dies?

Then David inquired of the LORD: “Should I attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me? ”

The LORD replied to David, “Attack, for I will certainly hand the Philistines over to you.”

“In all my journeys with all the Israelites, have I ever spoken a word to one of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, asking: Why haven't you built me a house of cedar? '

David asked, “Is there anyone remaining from the family of Saul I can show kindness to for Jonathan's sake? ”

Uriah answered David, “The ark, Israel, and Judah are dwelling in tents, and my master Joab and his soldiers[fn] are camping in the open field. How can I enter my house to eat and drink and sleep with my wife? As surely as you live and by your life, I will not do this! ”

“I gave your master's house to you and your master's wives into your arms,[fn] and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah, and if that was not enough, I would have given you even more.

He answered, “While the baby was alive, I fasted and wept because I thought, ‘Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let him live.'

“If not,” Absalom said, “please let my brother Amnon go with us.”

The king asked him, “Why should he go with you? ”

She replied, “Please, may the king invoke the LORD your God, so that the avenger of blood will not increase the loss, and they will not eliminate my son! ”

“As the LORD lives,” he vowed, “not a hair of your son will fall to the ground.”

The king asked, “Did Joab put you up to[fn] all this? ”

The woman answered. “As you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or left from all my lord the king says. Yes, your servant Joab is the one who gave orders to me; he told your servant exactly what to say.[fn]

“Look,” Absalom explained to Joab, “I sent for you and said, ‘Come here. I want to send you to the king to ask: Why have I come back from Geshur? I'd be better off if I were still there.' So now, let me see the king. If I am guilty, let him kill me.”

“Besides, you only arrived yesterday; should I make you wander around with us today while I go wherever I can? Go back and take your brothers with you. May the LORD show you[fn] kindness and faithfulness.”

So Hushai came to Absalom, and Absalom told him, “Ahithophel offered this proposal. Should we carry out his proposal? If not, what do you say? ”

He called out and told the king.

The king said, “If he's alone, he bears good news.”

As the first runner came closer,

The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom all right? ”

The Cushite replied, “I wish that the enemies of my lord the king, along with all who rise up against you with evil intent, would become like that young man.”

“by loving your enemies and hating those who love you! Today you have made it clear that the commanders and soldiers mean nothing to you. In fact, today I know that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead, it would be fine with you![fn]

“And tell Amasa, ‘Aren't you my flesh and blood?[fn] May God punish me and do so severely if you don't become commander of my army from now on instead of Joab! ' ”

David answered, “Sons of Zeruiah, do we agree on anything? Have you become my adversary today? Should any man be killed in Israel today? Am I not aware that today I'm king over Israel? ”

Joab asked Amasa, “Are you well, my brother? ” Then with his right hand Joab grabbed Amasa by the beard to kiss him.

When he had come near her, the woman asked, “Are you Joab? ”

“I am,” he replied.

“Listen to the words of your servant,” she said to him.

He answered, “I'm listening.”

Joab protested: “Never! I would never devour or demolish!

David said, “LORD, I would never do such a thing! Is this not the blood of men who risked their lives? ” So he refused to drink it. Such were the exploits of the three warriors.

So Gad went to David, told him the choices, and asked him, “Do you want three[fn] years of famine to come on your land, to flee from your foes three months while they pursue you, or to have a plague in your land three days? Now, consider carefully[fn] what answer I should take back to the one who sent me.”

“I'm certain my lord the king would not have let this happen without letting your servant[fn] know who will sit on my lord the king's throne after him.”

It was reported to Solomon, “Look, Adonijah fears King Solomon, and he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon first[fn] swear to me that he will not kill his servant with the sword.' ”

“Keep an eye on Shimei son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim who is with you. He uttered malicious curses against me the day I went to Mahanaim. But he came down to meet me at the Jordan River, and I swore to him by the LORD, ‘I will never kill you with the sword.'

But will God indeed live on earth?

Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain you,

much less this temple I have built.

They replied, “Today if you will be a servant to this people and serve them, and if you respond to them by speaking kind words to them, they will be your servants forever.”

He followed the man of God and found him sitting under an oak tree. He asked him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah? ”

“I am,” he said.

Now Elijah the Tishbite, from the Gilead settlers,[fn] said to Ahab, “As the LORD God of Israel lives, in whose presence I stand, there will be no dew or rain during these years except by my command! ”

But she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I don't have anything baked ​— ​only a handful of flour in the jar and a bit of oil in the jug. Just now, I am gathering a couple of sticks in order to go prepare it for myself and my son so we can eat it and die.”

While Obadiah was walking along the road, Elijah suddenly met him. When Obadiah recognized him, he fell facedown and said, “Is it you, my lord Elijah? ”

“As the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent someone to search for you. When they said, ‘He is not here,' he made that kingdom or nation swear they had not found you.

When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is that you, the one ruining Israel? ”

Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions?[fn] If the LORD is God, follow him. But if Baal, follow him.” But the people didn't answer him a word.

So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “May the gods punish me and do so severely if I don't make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow! ”

Then Ben-hadad sent messengers to him and said, “May the gods punish me and do so severely if Samaria's dust amounts to a handful for each of the people who follow me.”

A prophet approached King Ahab of Israel and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Do you see this whole huge army? Watch, I am handing it over to you today so that you may know that I am the LORD.' ”

So he said, “If they have marched out in peace, take them alive, and if they have marched out for battle, take them alive.”

Now the king of Aram's servants said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hill country. That's why they were stronger than we were. Instead, we should fight with them on the plain; then we will certainly be stronger than they are.

So they dressed with sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, went to the king of Israel, and said, “Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please spare my life.' ”

So he said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”

So Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “Give me your vineyard so I can have it for a vegetable garden, since it is right next to my palace. I will give you a better vineyard in its place, or if you prefer, I will give you its value in silver.”

“Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite,” he replied. “I told him, ‘Give me your vineyard for silver, or if you wish, I will give you a vineyard in its place.' But he said, ‘I won't give you my vineyard! ' ”

Ahab said to Elijah, “So, my enemy, you've found me, have you? ”

He replied, “I have found you because you devoted yourself to do what is evil in the LORD's sight.

The king of Israel had said to his servants, “Don't you know that Ramoth-gilead is ours, but we're doing nothing to take it from the king of Aram? ”

So the king of Israel gathered the prophets, about four hundred men, and asked them, “Should I go against Ramoth-gilead for war or should I refrain? ”

They replied, “March up, and the Lord will hand it over to the king.”

So he went to the king, and the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to Ramoth-gilead for war, or should we refrain? ”

Micaiah told him, “March up and succeed. The LORD will hand it over to the king.”

Ahaziah had fallen through the latticed window of his upstairs room in Samaria and was injured. So he sent messengers, instructing them, “Go inquire of Baal-zebub,[fn] the god of Ekron, whether I will recover from this injury.”

Elijah responded to the captain, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men.

Elijah responded, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” So a divine fire[fn] came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men.

and Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the LORD is sending me on to Bethel.”

But Elisha replied, “As the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.

Then he sent a message to King Jehoshaphat of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab? ”

Jehoshaphat said, “I will go. I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”

Elisha responded, “By the life of the LORD of Armies, before whom I stand: If I did not have respect for King Jehoshaphat of Judah, I wouldn't look at you; I would not take notice of you.

Then he said to Gehazi, “Say to her, ‘Look, you've gone to all this trouble for us. What can we do for you? Can we speak on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army? ' ”

She answered, “I am living among my own people.”

“Run out to meet her and ask, ‘Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is your son all right? ' ”

And she answered, “It's all right.”

The boy's mother said to Elisha, “As the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So he got up and followed her.

But Elisha said, “As the LORD lives, in whose presence I stand, I will not accept it.” Naaman urged him to accept it, but he refused.

Gehazi, the attendant of Elisha the man of God, thought, “My master has let this Aramean Naaman off lightly by not accepting from him what he brought. As the LORD lives, I will run after him and get something from him.”

When the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, “Should I kill them, should I kill them, my father? ”

He announced, “May God punish me and do so severely if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today.”

The diseased men came and called to the city's gatekeepers and told them, “We went to the Aramean camp and no one was there ​— ​no human sounds. There was nothing but tethered horses and donkeys, and the tents were intact.”

So the king said to Hazael, “Take a gift with you and go meet the man of God. Inquire of the LORD through him, ‘Will I recover from this sickness? ' ”

When Jehu came out to his master's servants, they asked, “Is everything all right? Why did this crazy person come to you? ”

Then he said to them, “You know the sort and their ranting.”

But King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds that the Arameans had inflicted on him when he fought against Aram's King Hazael. Jehu said, “If you commanders wish to make me king,[fn] then don't let anyone escape from the city to go tell about it in Jezreel.”

Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel. He saw Jehu's mob approaching and shouted, “I see a mob! ”

Joram responded, “Choose a rider and send him to meet them and have him ask, ‘Do you come in peace? ' ”

When Joram saw Jehu he asked, “Do you come in peace, Jehu? ”

He answered, “What peace can there be as long as there is so much prostitution and sorcery from your mother Jezebel? ”

“‘As surely as I saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons yesterday' ​— ​this is the LORD's declaration ​— ​‘so will I repay you on this plot of land' ​— ​this is the LORD's declaration. So now, according to the word of the LORD, pick him up and throw him on the plot of land.”

As Jehu entered the city gate, she said, “Do you come in peace, Zimri, killer of your master? ”

Then Jehu wrote them a second letter, saying:

If you are on my side, and if you will obey me, bring me the heads of your master's sons[fn] at this time tomorrow at Jezreel.

All seventy of the king's sons were being cared for by the city's prominent men.

When he left there, he found Jehonadab son of Rechab coming to meet him. He greeted him and then asked, “Is your heart one with mine? ”[fn]

“It is,” Jehonadab replied.

Jehu said, “If it is,[fn] give me your hand.”

So he gave him his hand, and Jehu pulled him up into the chariot with him.

Then Jehu and Jehonadab son of Rechab entered the temple of Baal, and Jehu said to the servants of Baal, “Look carefully to see that there are no servants of the LORD here among you ​— ​only servants of Baal.”

The man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times. Then you would have struck down Aram until you had put an end to them, but now you will strike down Aram only three times.”

“So now, make a bargain with my master the king of Assyria. I'll give you two thousand horses if you're able to supply riders for them!

The priests of the high places, however, did not come up to the altar of the LORD in Jerusalem; instead, they ate unleavened bread with their fellow priests.

David said, “I would never do such a thing in the presence of my God! How can I drink the blood of these men who risked their lives? ” For they brought it at the risk of their lives. So he would not drink it. Such were the exploits of the three warriors.

David went out to meet them and said to them, “If you have come in peace to help me, my heart will be united with you, but if you have come to betray me to my enemies even though my hands have done no wrong, may the God of our ancestors look on it and judge.”

Then he said to the whole assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you, and if this is from the LORD our God, let's spread out and send the message to the rest of our relatives in all the districts of Israel, including the priests and Levites in their cities with pasturelands, that they should gather together with us.

so David inquired of God, “Should I attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me? ”

The LORD replied, “Attack, and I will hand them over to you.”

“In all my journeys throughout Israel, have I ever spoken a word to even one of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people, asking: Why haven't you built me a house of cedar? '

But will God indeed live on earth with humans?

Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain you,

much less this temple I have built.

So the king of Israel gathered the prophets, four hundred men, and asked them, “Should we go to Ramoth-gilead for war or should I refrain? ”

They replied, “March up, and God will hand it over to the king.”

So he went to the king, and the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to Ramoth-gilead for war, or should I[fn] refrain? ”

Micaiah said, “March up and succeed, for they will be handed over to you.”

Then Jehu son of the seer Hanani went out to confront him[fn] and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Do you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, the LORD's wrath is on you.

The following are those who came from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer but were unable to prove that their ancestral families[fn] and their lineage were Israelite:

So if it pleases the king, let a search of the royal archives[fn] in Babylon be conducted to see if it is true that a decree was issued by King Cyrus to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. Let the king's decision regarding this matter be sent to us.

so the king said to me, “Why do you look so sad, when you aren't sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart.”

I was overwhelmed with fear

and answered the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor with you, send me to Judah and to the city where my ancestors are buried,[fn] so that I may rebuild it.”

I also said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let me have letters written to the governors of the region west of the Euphrates River, so that they will grant me safe passage until I reach Judah.

I got up at night and took a few men with me. I didn't tell anyone what my God had laid on my heart to do for Jerusalem. The only animal I took[fn] was the one I was riding.

The following are those who came from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer, but were unable to prove that their ancestral families[fn] and their lineage were Israelite:

“If it meets the king's approval, he should personally issue a royal decree. Let it be recorded in the laws of the Persians and the Medes, so that it cannot be revoked: Vashti is not to enter King Ahasuerus's presence, and her royal position is to be given to another woman who is more worthy than she.

“If the king approves, let an order be drawn up authorizing their destruction, and I will pay 375 tons of silver to[fn] the officials for deposit in the royal treasury.”

“If you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will come to the Jewish people from another place, but you and your father's family will be destroyed. Who knows, perhaps you have come to your royal position for such a time as this.”

“If it pleases the king,” Esther replied, “may the king and Haman come today to the banquet I have prepared for them.”

“If I have found favor in the eyes of the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and perform my request, may the king and Haman come to the banquet I will prepare for them. Tomorrow I will do what the king has asked.”

Haman entered, and the king asked him, “What should be done for the man the king wants to honor? ”

Haman thought to himself, “Who is it the king would want to honor more than me? ”

Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had happened. His advisers and his wife Zeresh said to him, “Since Mordecai is Jewish, and you have begun to fall before him, you won't overcome him, because your downfall is certain.”

Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor with you, Your Majesty, and if the king is pleased, spare my life; this is my request. And spare my people; this is my desire.

She said, “If it pleases the king and I have found favor with him, if the matter seems right to the king and I am pleasing in his eyes, let a royal edict be written. Let it revoke the documents the scheming Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the king's provinces.

King Ahasuerus said to Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, “Look, I have given Haman's estate to Esther, and he was hanged on the gallows because he attacked[fn] the Jews.

“But stretch out your hand and strike everything he owns, and he will surely curse you to your face.”

“But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.”

“You speak as a foolish woman speaks,” he told her. “Should we accept only good from God and not adversity? ” Throughout all this Job did not sin in what he said.[fn]

Indeed, you have instructed many

and have strengthened weak hands.

A word was brought to me in secret;

my ears caught a whisper of it.

If God puts no trust in his servants

and he charges his angels with foolishness,[fn]

If only my grief could be weighed

and my devastation placed with it on the scales.

Does a wild donkey bray over fresh grass

or an ox low over its fodder?

If only my request would be granted

and God would provide what I hope for:

If I have sinned, what have I done to you,

Watcher of humanity?

Why have you made me your target,

so that I have become a burden to you?[fn]

Since your children sinned against him,

he gave them over to their rebellion.

if you are pure and upright,

then he will move even now on your behalf

and restore the home where your righteousness dwells.

The earth[fn] is handed over to the wicked;

he blindfolds[fn] its judges.

If it isn't he, then who is it?

As for you, if you redirect your heart

and spread out your hands to him in prayer —

The life of every living thing is in his hand,

as well as the breath of all humanity.

Would it go well if he examined you?

Could you deceive him as you would deceive a man?

If only you would hide me in Sheol

and conceal me until your anger passes.

If only you would appoint a time for me

and then remember me.

If God puts no trust in his holy ones

and the heavens are not pure in his sight,

If you were in my place I could also talk like you.

I could string words together against you

and shake my head at you.

If you say, “How will we pursue him,

since the root of the problem lies with him? ”[fn]

“Surely our opponents are destroyed,

and fire has consumed what they left behind.”

Would he prosecute me forcefully?

No, he would certainly pay attention to me.

But he is unchangeable; who can oppose him?

He does what he desires.

If this is not true, then who can prove me a liar

and show that my speech is worthless?

If even the moon does not shine

and the stars are not pure in his sight,

Yet no one would stretch out his hand

against a ruined person[fn]

when he cries out to him for help

because of his distress.

If I have walked in falsehood

or my foot has rushed to deceit,

If my step has turned from the way,

my heart has followed my eyes,

or impurity has stained my hands,

If my heart has gone astray over a woman

or I have lurked at my neighbor's door,

If I have dismissed the case of my male or female servants

when they made a complaint against me,

if I have eaten my few crumbs alone

without letting the fatherless eat any of it —

if I have seen anyone dying for lack of clothing

or a needy person without a cloak,

If I placed my confidence in gold

or called fine gold my trust,

so that my heart was secretly enticed

and I threw them a kiss,[fn]

Have I rejoiced over my enemy's distress,

or become excited when trouble came his way?

Haven't the members of my household said,

“Who is there who has not had enough to eat at Job's table? ”

Have I covered my transgressions as others do[fn]

by hiding my iniquity in my heart

I would give him an account of all my steps;

I would approach him like a prince.

For I do not know how to give such titles;

otherwise, my Maker would remove me in an instant.

But if you have something to say,[fn] answer me;

speak, for I would like to justify you.

If he put his mind to it

and withdrew the spirit and breath he gave,

If you have understanding, hear this;

listen to what I have to say.

“Teach me what I cannot see;

if I have done wrong, I won't do it again.”

If you sin, how does it affect God?

If you multiply your transgressions, what does it do to him?

how much less when[fn] you complain[fn]

that you do not see him,

that your case is before him

and you are waiting for him.

If people are bound with chains

and trapped by the cords of affliction,

Where were you when I established the earth?

Tell me, if you have[fn] understanding.

so you can lead it back to its border?

Are you familiar with the paths to its home?

Do you know when mountain goats give birth?

Have you watched the deer in labor?

Can you put a cord[fn] through his nose

or pierce his jaw with a hook?

Who confronted me, that I should repay him?

Everything under heaven belongs to me.

“Now take seven bulls and seven rams, go to my servant Job, and offer a burnt offering for yourselves. Then my servant Job will pray for you. I will surely accept his prayer and not deal with you as your folly deserves. For you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.”

LORD my God, if I have done this,

if there is injustice on my hands,

The LORD looks down from heaven on the human race[fn]

to see if there is one who is wise,

one who seeks God.

When one of them comes to visit, he speaks deceitfully;

he stores up evil in his heart;

he goes out and talks.

If we had forgotten the name of our God

and spread out our hands to a foreign god,

“When you see a thief,

you make friends with him,

and you associate with adulterers.

You do not want a sacrifice, or I would give it;

you are not pleased with a burnt offering.

God looks down from heaven on the human race[fn]

to see if there is one who is wise,

one who seeks God.

Now it is not an enemy who insults me —

otherwise I could bear it;

it is not a foe who rises up against me —

otherwise I could hide from him.

Do you really speak righteously, you mighty ones?[fn]

Do you judge people fairly?

Then people will say,

“Yes, there is a reward for the righteous!

There is a God who judges on earth! ”

When I think of you as I lie on my bed,

I meditate on you during the night watches

If I had been aware of malice in my heart,

the Lord would not have listened.

The wicked say, “How can God know?

Does the Most High know everything? ”

If I had decided to say these things aloud,

I would have betrayed your people.[fn]

“If only my people would listen to me

and Israel would follow my ways,

As fire burns a forest,

as a flame blazes through mountains,

“Once and for all

I have sworn an oath by my holiness;

I will not lie to David.

If the LORD had not been my helper,

I would soon rest in the silence of death.

So I swore in my anger,

“They will not enter my rest.”

So he said he would have destroyed them —

if Moses his chosen one

had not stood before him in the breach

to turn his wrath away from destroying them.

If your instruction had not been my delight,

I would have died in my affliction.

If the LORD had not been on our side —

let Israel say —

Instead, I have calmed and quieted my soul

like a weaned child with its mother;

my soul is like a weaned child.

“I will not enter my house

or get into my bed,

See if there is any offensive[fn] way in me;

lead me in the everlasting way.

So follow the way of the good,

and keep to the paths of the righteous.

If the righteous will be repaid on earth,

how much more the wicked and sinful.

don't desire his choice food,

for that food is deceptive.

And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will take over all my work that I labored at skillfully under the sun. This too is futile.

I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and enjoy the[fn] good life.

Who knows if the spirits of the children of Adam go upward and the spirits of animals go downward to the earth?

The sleep of the worker is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich permits him no sleep.

And if a person lives a thousand years twice, but does not experience happiness, do not both go to the same place?

So I commended enjoyment because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat, drink, and enjoy himself, for this will accompany him in his labor during the days of his life that God gives him under the sun.

I came down to the walnut grove

to see the blossoms of the valley,

to see if the vines were budding

and the pomegranates blooming.

Let's go early to the vineyards;

let's see if the vine has budded,

if the blossom has opened,

if the pomegranates are in bloom.

There I will give you my caresses.

If she is a wall,

we will build a silver barricade on her.

If she is a door,

we will enclose her with cedar planks.

If the LORD of Armies

had not left us a few survivors,

we would be like Sodom,

we would resemble Gomorrah.

For every trampling boot of battle

and the bloodied garments of war

will be burned as fuel for the fire.

“Suppose you say to me, ‘We rely on the LORD our God.' Isn't he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You are to worship at this altar'?

Look, the nations are like a drop in a bucket;

they are considered as a speck of dust on the scales;

he lifts up the islands like fine dust.

Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

The LORD is the everlasting God,

the Creator of the whole earth.

He never becomes faint or weary;

there is no limit to his understanding.

Do not be startled or afraid.

Have I not told you and declared it long ago?

You are my witnesses!

Is there any God but me?

There is no other Rock; I do not know any.

If only you had paid attention to my commands.

Then your peace would have been like a river,

and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.

“Can a woman forget her nursing child,

or lack compassion for the child of her womb?

Even if these forget,

yet I will not forget you.

“You fast with contention and strife

to strike viciously with your fist.

You cannot fast as you do today,

hoping to make your voice heard on high.

The LORD has sworn with his right hand

and his strong arm:

I will no longer give your grain

to your enemies for food,

and foreigners will not drink the new wine

for which you have labored.

Cross over to the coasts of Cyprus[fn] and take a look.

Send someone to Kedar and consider carefully;

see if there has ever been anything like this:

But where are your gods you made for yourself?

Let them rise up and save you

in your time of disaster if they can,

for your gods are as numerous as your cities, Judah.

Roam through the streets of Jerusalem.

Investigate;[fn]

search in her squares.

If you find one person,

any who acts justly,

who pursues faithfulness,

then I will forgive her.

But look, you keep trusting in deceitful words that cannot help.

Therefore, here is what the LORD says concerning the people of Anathoth who intend to take your life. They warn, “Do not prophesy in the name of the LORD, or you will certainly die at our hand.”

Can the Cushite change his skin,

or a leopard his spots?

If so, you might be able to do what is good,

you who are instructed in evil.

Though our iniquities testify against us,

LORD, act for your name's sake.

Indeed, our rebellions are many;

we have sinned against you.

Can any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain?

Or can the skies alone give showers?

Are you not the LORD our God?

We therefore put our hope in you,

for you have done all these things.

The LORD said:

Haven't I set you loose for your good?

Haven't I punished you

in a time of trouble,

in a time of distress with the enemy?[fn]

Can one make gods for himself?

But they are not gods.

“House of Israel, can I not treat you as this potter treats his clay? ” ​— ​this is the LORD's declaration. “Just like clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, house of Israel.

For I have heard the gossip of many people,

“Terror is on every side!

Report him; let's report him! ”

Everyone I trusted[fn] watches for my fall.

“Perhaps he will be deceived

so that we might prevail against him

and take our vengeance on him.”

“Inquire of the LORD on our behalf, since King Nebuchadnezzar[fn] of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the LORD will perform for us something like all his past wondrous works so that Nebuchadnezzar will withdraw from us.”

If they had really stood in my council,

they would have enabled my people to hear my words

and would have turned them from their evil ways

and their evil deeds.

“Can a person hide in secret places where I cannot see him? ” ​— ​the LORD's declaration. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth? ” ​— ​the LORD's declaration.

“But know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood on yourselves, on this city, and on its residents, for it is certain the LORD has sent me to speak all these things directly to you.”

If they are indeed prophets and if the word of the LORD is with them, let them intercede with the LORD of Armies not to let the articles that remain in the LORD's temple, in the palace of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem go to Babylon.'

Ask and see

whether a male can give birth.

Why then do I see every man

with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor

and every face turned pale?

King Zedekiah later sent for him and received him, and in his house privately asked him, “Is there a word from the LORD? ”

“There is,” Jeremiah responded. He continued, “You will be handed over to the king of Babylon.”

King Zedekiah swore to Jeremiah in private, “As the LORD lives, who has given us this life, I will not kill you or hand you over to these men who intend to take your life.”

“But if you refuse to surrender, this is the verdict[fn] that the LORD has shown me:

“Now pay attention: Today I am setting you free from the chains that were on your hands. If it pleases you to come with me to Babylon, come, and I will take care of you. But if it seems wrong to you to come with me to Babylon, go no farther.[fn] Look ​— ​the whole land is in front of you. Wherever it seems good and right for you to go, go there.”

and warned him, “Don't you realize that Baalis, king of the Ammonites, has sent Ishmael son of Nethaniah to kill you? ” But Gedaliah son of Ahikam would not believe them.

And they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we don't act according to every word the LORD your God sends you to tell us.

“But if you say, ‘We will not stay in this land,' in order to disobey the LORD your God,

“Wasn't Israel a laughingstock to you? Was he ever found among thieves? For whenever you speak of him you shake your head.”

Is this nothing to you, all you who pass by?

Look and see!

Is there any pain like mine,

which was dealt out to me,

which the LORD made me suffer

on the day of his burning anger?

LORD, look and consider

to whom you have done this.

Should women eat their own children,

the infants they have nurtured?[fn]

Should priests and prophets

be killed in the Lord's sanctuary?

“not to the many peoples of unintelligible speech or a difficult language, whose words you cannot understand. No doubt, if I sent you to them, they would listen to you.

“Therefore, as I live” ​— ​this is the declaration of the Lord GOD ​— ​“I will withdraw and show you no pity, because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your abhorrent acts and detestable practices. Yes, I will not spare you.

Here is the day! Here it comes!

Doom is on its way.

The rod has blossomed;

arrogance has bloomed.

“ ‘Since they have led my people astray by saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace, and since when a flimsy wall is being built, they plaster it with whitewash,

“Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and have put their sinful stumbling blocks in front of themselves. Should I actually let them inquire of me?

“Even if these three men were in it, as I live” ​— ​the declaration of the Lord GOD ​— ​“they could not rescue their sons or daughters. They alone would be rescued, but the land would be desolate.

“Can wood be taken from it to make something useful? Or can anyone make a peg from it to hang things on?

“Even when it was whole it could not be made into a useful object. How much less can it ever be made into anything useful when the fire has devoured it and it is charred! ”

“ ‘As I live ​— ​the declaration of the Lord GOD ​— ​your sister Sodom and her daughters have not behaved as you and your daughters have.

“Didn't you treat your sister Sodom as an object of scorn when you were proud,

“You are to say, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: Will it flourish? Will he not tear out its roots and strip off its fruit so that it shrivels? All its fresh leaves will wither! Great strength and many people will not be needed to pull it from its roots.

“However, this king revolted against him by sending his ambassadors to Egypt so they might give him horses and a large army. Will he flourish? Will the one who does such things escape? Can he break a covenant and still escape?

“Son of man, speak with the elders of Israel and tell them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: Are you coming to inquire of me? As I live, I will not let you inquire of me. This is the declaration of the Lord GOD.'

“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: Are you defiling yourselves the way your ancestors did, and prostituting yourselves with their abhorrent things?

“ ‘As for you, house of Israel, this is what the Lord GOD says: Go and serve your idols, each of you. But afterward you will surely listen to me, and you will no longer defile my holy name with your gifts and idols.

“Surely it will be a trial! And what if the sword despises even the scepter? The scepter will not continue.”[fn] This is the declaration of the Lord GOD.

“As for you, son of man, will you pass judgment? Will you pass judgment against the city of blood? Then explain all her detestable practices to her.

“Will your courage endure or your hands be strong in the days when I deal with you? I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will act.

“Tell them this: ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: As surely as I live, those who are in the ruins will fall by the sword, those in the open field I have given to wild animals to be devoured, and those in the strongholds and caves will die by plague.

“As I live ​— ​this is the declaration of the Lord GOD ​— ​because my flock, lacking a shepherd, has become prey and food for every wild animal, and because my shepherds do not search for my flock, and because the shepherds feed themselves rather than my flock,

“therefore, as I live ​— ​this is the declaration of the Lord GOD ​— ​I will destine you for bloodshed, and it will pursue you. Since you did not hate bloodshed, it will pursue you.

“ ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: Certainly in my burning zeal I speak against the rest of the nations and all of Edom, who took[fn] my land as their own possession with wholehearted rejoicing and utter contempt so that its pastureland became[fn] plunder.

Then he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live? ”

I replied, “Lord GOD, only you know.”

“I swear in my zeal and fiery wrath: On that day there will be a great earthquake in the land of Israel.

He asked me, “Do you see this, son of man? ” Then he led me back to the bank of the river.

The king said in reply to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to tell me the dream I had and its interpretation? ”

Nebuchadnezzar asked them, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, is it true that you don't serve my gods or worship the gold statue I have set up?

Then these men said, “We will never find any charge against this Daniel unless we find something against him concerning the law of his God.”

When he reached the den, he cried out in anguish to Daniel. “Daniel, servant of the living God,” the king said,[fn] “has your God, whom you continually serve, been able to rescue you from the lions? ”

He said, “Do you know why I've come to you? I must return at once to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I leave, the prince of Greece will come.

Since Gilead is full of evil,

they will certainly come to nothing.

They sacrifice bulls in Gilgal;

even their altars will be like piles of rocks

on the furrows of a field.

Hear this, you elders;

listen, all you inhabitants of the land.

Has anything like this ever happened in your days

or in the days of your ancestors?

Who knows? He may turn and relent

and leave a blessing behind him,

so you can offer a grain offering and a drink offering

to the LORD your God.

Can two walk together

without agreeing to meet?

Cross over to Calneh and see;

go from there to great Hamath;

then go down to Gath of the Philistines.

Are you better than these kingdoms?

Is their territory larger than yours?

A close relative[fn] and burner[fn] will remove his corpse[fn] from the house. He will call to someone in the inner recesses of the house, “Any more with you? ”

That person will reply, “None.”

Then he will say, “Silence, because the LORD's name must not be invoked.”

Do horses gallop on the cliffs?

Does anyone plow there with oxen?[fn]

Yet you have turned justice into poison

and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood —

The LORD has sworn by the Pride of Jacob:[fn]

I will never forget all their deeds.

If thieves came to you,

if marauders by night —

how ravaged you would be! —

wouldn't they steal only what they wanted?

If grape harvesters came to you,

wouldn't they leave a few grapes?

Who knows? God may turn and relent; he may turn from his burning anger so that we will not perish.

The LORD asked, “Is it right for you to be angry? ”

Then God asked Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant? ”

“Yes, it's right! ” he replied. “I'm angry enough to die! ”

House of Jacob, should it be asked,

“Is the Spirit of the LORD impatient?

Are these the things he does? ”

Don't my words bring good

to the one who walks uprightly?

What should I bring before the LORD

when I come to bow before God on high?

Should I come before him with burnt offerings,

with year-old calves?

“Can I excuse wicked scales

or bags of deceptive weights?

“Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house[fn] lies in ruins? ”

“If a man is carrying consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and it touches bread, stew, wine, oil, or any other food, does it become holy? ”

The priests answered, “No.”

“Is there still seed left in the granary? The vine, the fig, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yet produced. But from this day on I will bless you.”

The LORD of Armies says this: “Though it may seem impossible to the remnant of this people in those days, should it also seem impossible to me? ” ​— ​this is the declaration of the LORD of Armies.

Then I said to them, “If it seems right to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” So they weighed my wages, thirty pieces of silver.

“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. But if I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is your fear of me? says the LORD of Armies to you priests, who despise my name.”

Yet you ask, “How have we despised your name? ”

“When you present a blind animal for sacrifice, is it not wrong? And when you present a lame or sick animal, is it not wrong? Bring it to your governor! Would he be pleased with you or show you favor? ” asks the LORD of Armies.

“You also say, ‘Look, what a nuisance! ' And you scorn[fn] it,”[fn] says the LORD of Armies. “You bring stolen,[fn] lame, or sick animals. You bring this as an offering! Am I to accept that from your hands? ” asks the LORD.

“Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing me! ”

“How do we rob you? ” you ask.

“By not making the payments of the tenth and the contributions.

“Therefore, I have sworn to Eli's family: The iniquity of Eli's family will never be wiped out by either sacrifice or offering.”

They replied, “If you send the ark of Israel's God away, do not send it without an offering. Send back a guilt offering to him, and you will be healed. Then the reason his hand hasn't been removed from you will be revealed.”[fn]

“Then watch: If it goes up the road to its homeland toward Beth-shemesh, it is the LORD who has made this terrible trouble for us. However, if it doesn't, we will know that it was not his hand that punished us ​— ​it was just something that happened to us by chance.”

Samuel told them, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, get rid of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths that are among you, set your hearts on the LORD, and worship only him. Then he will rescue you from the Philistines.”