Offer, Opposition, Oppression, and Opportunity

OFFER, OPPOSITION, OPPRESION, AND OPORTUNITY
OFFER,
OPPOSITION,
OPPRESION, AND
OPORTUNITY
The call of God to his Servants
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Preface
The offer from God to be his servant and serve in his Kingdom.
God is a gentle god who calls his ministers personally into the
ministry, priesthood, Offices of the apostle, prophets,
evangelist, pastors, and teachers. John 15:12-17 says, “12 this
is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved
you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down
one's life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do
whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants,
for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I
have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My
Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me,
but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and
bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever
you ask the Father in My name He may give you. 17 These
things I command you, that you love one another.
John 15:12-17 (NKJV)
7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the

measure of Christ's gift. 8 Therefore He says:
"When He ascended on high,
He led captivity captive,
And gave gifts to men."
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9 (Now this, "He ascended"--what does it mean but that He

also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He
who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the
heavens, that He might fill all things.) 11 And He Himself gave
some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and
some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints
for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure
of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no
longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with
every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning
craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in
love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--
Christ-- 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit
together by what every joint supplies, according to the
effective working by which every part does its share, causes
growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Eph 4:7-16 (NKJV)
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Introduction
Offer, Opposition, Oppression, and Opportunity

“On this day choose who will you serve?”
God has many ways he calls his servants and he has patience
when preparing his servants for their divine assignment, this
is the four principles of God’s called servants and they are:
The Offer- The offer of God is his call upon the life of human
intervention. When God has plans in the earth he calls out
humans to complete his divine task of intervention. Many are
called but few are chosen. No one knows how many the Lord
has called and have refused the call of God on their lives. As
you read the stories in this book you will see how many of
God’s servants endured much spiritual and human Opposition
and once the servants of God overcome the opposition the
opposition may become Oppression of a deeper spiritual
attacks from the enemy of God. Many will not endure this
strong oppression and they may just walk away from God or
they may compromise the word of God for their own personal
gain as we see in the modern churches today. Preachers
striving for power, money and sex who have diluted the word
of God for their own glory. But after all of the rejections,
disappointments, pain, loss, and failures the true servant God
will prevail as an overcomer and receive great opportunities it
please God in complete servitude and joy! Seeking eternal
rewards and not temporal rewards.
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Throughout Human history God reached forth his offer for a

human to serve his divine will as a messenger, prophet, and
priest, Apostle, Judge, King or Messiah. Even today God is
sending forth his Offer for those called to serve him and
complete his divine will. IT IS God who makes the offer
through many ways to reach his servant and it up to us to
accept this Offer from the Lord our Creator by activating out
free will. As you read about the servants of God you will see
the many ways God initiate his offer to his servants. The Lord
may use dreams, visions, and an audible voice, Angels,
Prophets or even an animal to speak to his chosen one.
When Jesus received the offer from God he went into the
Wilderness for forty days:
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be

tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and
forty nights, afterward He was hungry
Matt 4:1-2 (NKJV)
Opposition – The Kingdom of darkness has many ways

to identify the servants of God even before they are born
as he did against Moses and Jesus when the King and
Pharaoh had every first born killed to try and eliminate
the Deliver and the Anointed Messiah. Many are called
but few are chosen, because many do not out last the
testing and trials of being a servant of God, and many will
accept the counter-offer from the Kingdom of Darkness?
What is the counter-offer power, money, sex, pleasure,
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fame and fortune! The counter offer says, “Please the

flesh, do what feels good, ignore the will of God, time has
changed, etc., etc., etc...
Many servants of God have compromise the word and
ministry of the Lord for vain-glory and pride. Some of the
Televangelist on TV are the most egotistical, arrogant self-
anointed, self-appointed people you have ever witness. These
people believe they are God’s gift to the church and above
reproach.
After forty days in the wilderness opposition came upon

Jesus:
“Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the
Son of God, command that these stones become bread." 4 But
He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by
bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth
of God.' “5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set
Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, "If You
are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written:
'He shall give His angels charge over you,'
And,
'In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.' "
7 Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt
the Lord your God.'
6
Matt 4:3-7 (NKJV)
Oppression – Oppression can come in many, any forms

from spiritual oppression, family rejection, cast out of the
religious community, mental conditions, and constant
thoughts of quitting or compromising the word of God so that
you can be accepted by men and become a people pleaser
teaching and preaching what the people want to hear and not
what they have to hear. Paraphrase” What good is it for a man
to gain the whole world but loose his soul?’ resist the devil and
he will flee!
After opposition failed then the spirit of oppression fell upon

the lord and greater temptation:
“Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high

mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and
their glory. 9 And he said to Him, "All these things I will give
you if you will fall down and worship me." 10 Then Jesus said
to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall
worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.' “11
Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and
ministered to Him. “
Matt 4:8-11 (NKJV)
Opportunity – After the season of oppression or the storm

has passed there will come one of two opportunities for the
servant to face. The first opportunity will be from the Lord God
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that when you submit to will and do the work there will be
great rewards but many of these great rewards may come in
Heaven and not so much in the temporal realm. The second
opportunity will come through a compromise of your faith,
beliefs and morals. This opportunity will be totally temporal
and will be a counterfeit to the word of God. This compromise
will take advantage of the children of God, and fleece the
people of God for personal gain. This offer is for those
traveling on the wide road to destruction were many will be
upon it.
After Jesus passes all of the test of opposition, oppression,

hunger, and temptation for power, then the opportunity for
ministry was available for him:
“12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison,
He departed to Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth, He came and
dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of
Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 that it might be fulfilled which was
spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
15 "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles:
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16 The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light,
And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death
Light has dawned."
17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent,

for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers,

Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into
the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them,
"Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." 20 They
immediately left their nets and followed Him. 21 Going on from
there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee,
and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father,
mending their nets. He called them, 22 and immediately they
left the boat and their father, and followed Him.
23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their

synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing
all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.
24 Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought
to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases
and torments, and those who were demon-possessed,
epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. 25 Great
multitudes followed Him--from Galilee, and from Decapolis,
Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.
Matt 4:12-25 (NKJV)
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Note: Can you not see where you are in your ministry and call
of God? The problem is that “Many are called but few are
chosen? Why? Because the ones that fail do not understand
where they are in the process of they offer and because the
storm appeared to be so great and they have not fully trusted
in God they have fell to the way side by the fiery darts of the
enemy?
When the Devil attacked our Lord he used the scriptures to

confuse the Lord so that the Lord faith in God would be
defeated, but Jesus was not defeated and he counter attacked
with the word of God and stood unmoving in his faith in God.
Beloved you must follow the example of the Master and hold
unto the word of God even unto the grave, because in the end
God will never let you down. In the parable of the seeds is the
same principle. Jesus was teaching the disciples how many will
not make it, but then those who overcome the opposition, and
oppression of the enemy will be “Good fruit planed in good
ground and will produce a harvest of 30, 60, or a 100 fold.”
36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the
house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the
parable of the tares of the field." 37 He answered and said to
them: "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 the
field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom,
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but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 The enemy
who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age,
and the reapers are the angels. 40 Therefore as the tares are
gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this
age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will
gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those
who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the
furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43
Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom
of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him here!
44 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a

field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes
and sells all that he has and buys that field.
45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking

beautiful pearls, 46 who, when he had found one pearl of great
price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was

cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, 48 which,
when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and
gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. 49 So
it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth,
separate the wicked from among the just, 50 and cast them
into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of
teeth." 51 Jesus said to them, "Have you understood all these
things?" They said to Him, "Yes, Lord." 52 Then He said to
them, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the
kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his
treasure things new and old."
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53 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these

parables that He departed from there. 54 And when He had
come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue,
so that they were astonished and said, "Where did this Man
get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 Is this not the
carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His
brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? 56 And His sisters,
are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these
things?" 57 So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to
them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own
country and in his own house." 58 Now He did not do many
mighty works there because of their unbelief.
Matt 13:36-58 (NKJV)
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Table of contents
1 Noah / 9
2 Abraham
3 Joseph
4 Moses
5 Joshua
6 Samuel
7 David
8 Solomon
9 Elijah
10 Nehemiah
11 Esther
12 Job
13 Jeremiah
14 Jesus
15 Jesus Disciples
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Chapter One
Noah
God Offer to a Boat Maker
“5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in
the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart
was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord was sorry that He had
made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 So
the Lord said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from
the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and
birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them." 8 But
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
9 This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect

in his generations. Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah begot
three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was
filled with violence. 12 So God looked upon the earth, and
indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on
the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has
come before me, for the earth is filled with violence through
them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
14 "Make yourself an ark of gopher wood; make rooms in the

ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. 15 And this is
how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three
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hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty
cubits. 16 You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall
finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in
its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks.
17 And behold, I myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth,
to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath
of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. 18 But I will
establish my covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark-
-you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you. 19
And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every
sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be
male and female. 20 Of the birds after their kind, of animals
after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after
its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive.
21 And you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and
you shall gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and
for them."
22 Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him,

so he did.
Gen 6:5-22 (NKJV)
Then the Lord said to Noah, "Come into the ark, you and all
your household, because I have seen that you are righteous
before me in this generation. 2 You shall take with you seven
each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each
of animals that are unclean, a male and his female; 3 also
seven each of birds of the air, male and female, to keep the
species alive on the face of all the earth. 4 For after seven
more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and
forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all
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living things that I have made." 5 And Noah did according to

all that the Lord commanded him. 6 Noah was six hundred
years old when the floodwaters were on the earth.
7 So Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives, went
into the ark because of the waters of the flood. 8 Of clean
animals, of animals that are unclean, of birds, and of
everything that creeps on the earth, 9 two by two they went
into the ark to Noah, male and female, as God had
commanded Noah. 10 And it came to pass after seven days
that the waters of the flood were on the earth. 11 In the six
hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the
seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of
the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven
were opened. 12 And the rain was on the earth forty days and
forty nights.
13 On the very same day Noah and Noah's sons, Shem, Ham,
and Japheth, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons
with them, entered the ark-- 14 they and every beast after its
kind, all cattle after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps
on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every
bird of every sort. 15 And they went into the ark to Noah, two
by two, of all flesh in which is the breath of life. 16 So those
that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had
commanded him; and the Lord shut him in.
17 Now the flood was on the earth forty days. The waters
increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the
earth. 18 The waters prevailed and greatly increased on the
earth, and the ark moved about on the surface of the waters.
19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all
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the high hills under the whole heaven were covered. 20 The
waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains
were covered. 21 And all flesh died that moved on the earth:
birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that
creeps on the earth, and every man. 22 All in whose nostrils
was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land,
died. 23 So He destroyed all living things which were on the
face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and
bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah
and those who were with him in the ark remained alive. 24
And the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty
days.
Gen 7:1-24 (NKJV)
Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all
the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a
wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. 2 The
fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were also
stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained. 3 And the
waters receded continually from the earth. At the end of the
hundred and fifty days the waters decreased. 4 Then the ark
rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the
month, on the mountains of Ararat. 5 And the waters
decreased continually until the tenth month. In the tenth
month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the
mountains were seen.
6 So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah

opened the window of the ark which he had made. 7 Then he
sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters
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had dried up from the earth. 8 He also sent out from himself a
dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the
ground. 9 But the dove found no resting place for the sole of
her foot, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters
were on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand
and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself. 10 And he
waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out
from the ark. 11 Then the dove came to him in the evening,
and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and
Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. 12 So
he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove,
which did not return again to him anymore.
13 And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year, in the
first month, the first day of the month that the waters were
dried up from the earth; and Noah removed the covering of
the ark and looked, and indeed the surface of the ground was
dry. 14 And in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day
of the month, the earth was dried.
15 Then God spoke to Noah, saying, 16 "Go out of the ark, you
and your wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you.
17 bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with
you: birds and cattle and every creeping thing that creeps on
the earth, so that they may abound on the earth, and be
fruitful and multiply on the earth." 18 So Noah went out, and
his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him. 19 Every
animal, every creeping thing, every bird, and whatever creeps
on the earth, according to their families, went out of the ark.
20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every

clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt
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offerings on the altar. 21 And the Lord smelled a soothing

aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, "I will never again curse
the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's
heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living
thing as I have done.
22 "While the earth remains,
Seedtime and harvest,
Cold and heat,
Winter and summer,
And day and night
Shall not cease."
Gen 8:1-22 (NKJV)
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Chapter Two
Abraham
God offer to the Father of many Nations
“Now the Lord had said to Abram:
"Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father's house,
To a land that I will show you.
2 I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
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And you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."
4 So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot

went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when
he departed from Haran. 5 Then Abram took Sarai his wife and
Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had
gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran,
and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came
to the land of Canaan. 6 Abram passed through the land to the
place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And
the Canaanites were then in the land. 7 Then the Lord
appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give
this land." And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had
appeared to him. 8 And he moved from there to the mountain
east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west
and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called
on the name of the Lord. 9 So Abram journeyed, going on still
toward the South.
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10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down
to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land.
11 And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt,
that he said to Sarai his wife, "Indeed I know that you are a
woman of beautiful countenance. 12 Therefore it will happen,
when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, 'This is his wife';
and they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 please say
you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake,
and that I may live because of you."
14 So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians

saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. 15 The princes of
Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And
the woman was taken to Pharaoh's house. 16 He treated
Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys,
male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels. 17 But
the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues
because of Sarai, Abram's wife. 18 And Pharaoh called Abram
and said, "What is this you have done to me? Why did you not
tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, 'She is my
sister'? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here
is your wife; take her and go your way." 20 So Pharaoh
commanded his men concerning him; and they sent him away,
with his wife and all that he had.”
Gen 12:1-20 (NKJV)
Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that
he had, and Lot with him, to the South. 2 Abram was very rich
in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he went on his journey
from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent
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had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the

place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there
Abram called on the name of the Lord.
5 Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and
tents. 6 Now the land was not able to support them that they
might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that
they could not dwell together. 7 And there was strife between
the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's
livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the
land. 8 So Abram said to Lot, "Please let there be no strife
between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your
herdsmen; for we are brethren. 9 Is not the whole land before
you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will
go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the
left." 10 And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan,
that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord
destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the Lord,
like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. 11 Then Lot chose
for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And
they separated from each other. 12 Abram dwelt in the land
of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched
his tent even as far as Sodom. 13 But the men of Sodom were
exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord.
14 And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from
him: "Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you
are--northward, southward, eastward, and westward; 15 for
all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants
forever. 16 And I will make your descendants as the dust of
the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth,
then your descendants also could be numbered. 17 Arise, walk
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in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you."
18 Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the
terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an
altar there to the Lord.
Gen 13:1-18 (NKJV)
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a

vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your
exceedingly great reward." 2 But Abram said, "Lord God, what
will you give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house
is Eliezer of Damascus?" 3 Then Abram said, "Look, You have
given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my
heir!" 4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying,
"This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from
your own body shall be your heir." 5 Then He brought him
outside and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the
stars if you are able to number them." And He said to him, "So
shall your descendants be." 6 And he believed in the Lord, and
He accounted it to him for righteousness.
7 Then He said to him, "I am the Lord, who brought you out of
Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it." 8 And
he said, "Lord God, how shall I know that I will inherit it?" 9 So
He said to him, "Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-
year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and
a young pigeon." 10 Then he brought all these to Him and cut
them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite
the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. 11 And when
the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them
away.
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12 Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon
Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him.
13 Then He said to Abram: "Know certainly that your
descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and
will serve them, and they will afflict those four hundred years.
14 And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward
they shall come out with great possessions. 15 Now as for you,
you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a
good old age. 16 But in the fourth generation they shall return
here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete."
17 And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was
dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a
burning torch that passed between those pieces. 18 On the
same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying: "To
your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt
to the great river, the River Euphrates-- 19 the Kenites, the
Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the
Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites,
and the Jebusites."
Gen 15:1-21 (NKJV)
And the Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for
Sarah as He had spoken. 2 For Sarah conceived and bore
Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had
spoken to him. 3 And Abraham called the name of his son who
was born to him--whom Sarah bore to him--Isaac. 4 Then
Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days
old, as God had commanded him. 5 Now Abraham was one
hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6 And
Sarah said, "God has made me laugh, and all who hear will
29
laugh with me." 7 She also said, "Who would have said to
Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne
him a son in his old age."
8 So the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a

great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned. 9 And
Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne
to Abraham, scoffing. 10 Therefore she said to Abraham, "Cast
out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this
bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac."
11 And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham's sight
because of his son. 12 But God said to Abraham, "Do not let it
be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of
your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to
her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called? 13 Yet I will
also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he
is your seed." 14 So Abraham rose early in the morning, and
took bread and a skin of water; and putting it on her shoulder,
he gave it and the boy to Hagar, and sent her away. Then she
departed and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba.
15 And the water in the skin was used up, and she placed the
boy under one of the shrubs. 16 Then she went and sat down
across from him at a distance of about a bowshot; for she said
to herself, "Let me not see the death of the boy." So she sat
opposite him, and lifted her voice and wept. 17 And God heard
the voice of the lad. Then the angel of God called to Hagar out
of heaven, and said to her, "What ails you, Hagar? Fear not,
for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18 Arise,
lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for I will make him
a great nation." 19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a
well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water, and
30
gave the lad a drink. 20 So God was with the lad; and he grew
and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. 21 He
dwelt in the Wilderness of Paran; and his mother took a wife
for him from the land of Egypt.
22 And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech and

Phichol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham,
saying, "God is with you in all that you do. 23 Now therefore,
swear to me by God that you will not deal falsely with me, with
my offspring, or with my posterity; but that according to the
kindness that I have done to you, you will do to me and to the
land in which you have dwelt." 24 And Abraham said, "I will
swear."
Gen 21:1-24 (NKJV)
1 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested

Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I
am." 2 Then He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac,
whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him
there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I
shall tell you."
3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his

donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his
son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose
and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 Then on
the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar
off. 5 And Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the
donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will
come back to you." 6 So Abraham took the wood of the burnt
offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his
hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. 7 But
31
Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And
he said, "Here I am, my son." Then he said, "Look, the fire and
the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" 8 And
Abraham said, "My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb
for a burnt offering." So the two of them went together.
9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And
Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order;
and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the
wood. 10 And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the
knife to slay his son. 11 But the Angel of the Lord called to him
from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" So he said, "Here
I am." 12 And He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do
anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you
have not withheld your son, your only son, from me." 13 Then
Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was
a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and
took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of
his son. 14 And Abraham called the name of the place, The-
Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, "In the Mount of The
Lord it shall be provided."
Gen 22:1-14 (NKJV)
32
33
Chapter Three
Joseph
God offer to the Savior of two Nations
Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an

officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought
him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. 2
The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and
he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 3 And his
master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made
all he did to prosper in his hand. 4 So Joseph found favor in his
sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his
house, and all that he had he put under his authority. 5 So it
was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his
house and all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian's
house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the Lord was on
all that he had in the house and in the field. 6 Thus he left all
that he had in Joseph's hand, and he did not know what he
had except for the bread which he ate. Now Joseph was
handsome in form and appearance.
7 And it came to pass after these things that his master's wife
cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, "Lie with me." 8 But
he refused and said to his master's wife, "Look, my master
does not know what is with me in the house, and he has
committed all that he has to my hand. 9 There is no one
greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything
from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do
this great wickedness, and sin against God?" 10 So it was, as
she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to
34
lie with her or to be with her. 11 But it happened about this

time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and
none of the men of the house was inside,
Gen 39:1-11 (NKJV)
It came to pass after these things that the butler and the baker
of the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt. 2
And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief butler
and the chief baker. 3 So he put them in custody in the house
of the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where
Joseph was confined. 4 And the captain of the guard charged
Joseph with them, and he served them; so they were in
custody for a while.
5 Then the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were
confined in the prison, had a dream, both of them, each man's
dream in one night and each man's dream with its own
interpretation. 6 And Joseph came in to them in the morning
and looked at them, and saw that they were sad. 7 So he asked
Pharaoh's officers who were with him in the custody of his
lord's house, saying, "Why do you look so sad today?" 8 And
they said to him, "We each have had a dream, and there is no
interpreter of it." So Joseph said to them, "Do not
interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, please."
9 Then the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to
him, "Behold, in my dream a vine was before me, 10 and in the
vine were three branches; it was as though it budded, its
blossoms shot forth, and its clusters brought forth ripe grapes.
11 Then Pharaoh's cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes
35
and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and placed the cup in
Pharaoh's hand." 12 And Joseph said to him, "This is the
interpretation of it: The three branches are three days. 13
Now within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and
restore you to your place, and you will put Pharaoh's cup in his
hand according to the former manner, when you were his
butler. 14 But remember me when it is well with you, and
please show kindness to me; make mention of me to Pharaoh,
and get me out of this house. 15 For indeed I was stolen away
from the land of the Hebrews; and also I have done nothing
here that they should put me into the dungeon."
16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good,
he said to Joseph, "I also was in my dream, and there were
three white baskets on my head. 17 In the uppermost basket
were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, and the birds ate
them out of the basket on my head." 18 So Joseph answered
and said, "This is the interpretation of it: The three baskets are
three days. 19 Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head
from you and hang you on a tree; and the birds will eat your
flesh from you."
20 Now it came to pass on the third day, which was Pharaoh's

birthday that he made a feast for all his servants; and he lifted
up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among
his servants. 21 Then he restored the chief butler to his
butlership again, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand. 22
But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to
them. 23 Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but
forgot him.
Gen 40:1-23 (NKJV)
36
Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him
quickly out of the dungeon; and he shaved, changed his
clothing, and came to Pharaoh. 15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph,
"I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it.
But I have heard it said of you that you can understand a
dream, to interpret it." 16 So Joseph answered Pharaoh,
saying, "It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of
peace." 17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph: "Behold, in my dream
I stood on the bank of the river. 18 Suddenly seven cows came
up out of the river, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the
meadow. 19 Then behold, seven other cows came up after
them, poor and very ugly and gaunt, such ugliness as I have
never seen in all the land of Egypt. 20 And the gaunt and ugly
cows ate up the first seven, the fat cows. 21 When they had
eaten them up, no one would have known that they had eaten
them, for they were just as ugly as at the beginning. So I
awoke. 22 Also I saw in my dream, and suddenly seven heads
came up on one stalk, full and good. 23 Then behold, seven
heads, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprang
up after them. 24 And the thin heads devoured the seven good
heads. So I told this to the magicians, but there was no one
who could explain it to me."
25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are

one; God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do: 26 the
seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads
are seven years; the dreams are one. 27 And the seven thin
and ugly cows which came up after them are seven years, and
the seven empty heads blighted by the east wind are seven
years of famine. 28 This is the thing which I have spoken to
Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do. 29
37
Indeed seven years of great plenty will come throughout all

the land of Egypt; 30 but after them seven years of famine will
arise, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt;
and the famine will deplete the land. 31 So the plenty will not
be known in the land because of the famine following, for it
will be very severe. 32 And the dream was repeated to
Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and
God will shortly bring it to pass. 33 Now therefore, let Pharaoh
select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of
Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over
the land, to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of
Egypt in the seven plentiful years. 35 And let them gather all
the food of those good years that are coming, and store up
grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food
in the cities. 36 Then that food shall be as a reserve for the
land for the seven years of famine which shall be in the land
of Egypt that the land may not perish during the famine."
37 So the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the

eyes of all his servants. 38 And Pharaoh said to his servants,
"Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of
God?" 39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Inasmuch as God has
shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as
you. 40 You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be
ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will
I be greater than you." 41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See, I
have set you over all the land of Egypt." 42 Then Pharaoh took
his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph's hand; and he
clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain
around his neck. 43 And he had him ride in the second chariot
which he had; and they cried out before him, "Bow the knee!"
38
So he set him over all the land of Egypt. 44 Pharaoh also said
to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no man
may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt." 45 And
Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnath-Paaneah. And he
gave him as a wife Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest
of on. So Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.
46 Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh

King of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of
Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. 47 Now
in the seven plentiful years the ground brought forth
abundantly. 48 So he gathered up all the food of the seven
years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in
the cities; he laid up in every city the food of the fields which
surrounded them. 49 Joseph gathered very much grain, as the
sand of the sea, until he stopped counting, for it was
immeasurable.
Gen 41:14-49 (NKJV)
Then Joseph went and told Pharaoh, and said, "My father and
my brothers, their flocks and their herds and all that they
possess, have come from the land of Canaan; and indeed they
are in the land of Goshen." 2 And he took five men from
among his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh. 3 Then
Pharaoh said to his brothers, "What is your occupation?" And
they said to Pharaoh, "Your servants are shepherds, both we
and also our fathers." 4 And they said to Pharaoh, "We have
come to dwell in the land, because your servants have no
pasture for their flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of
Canaan. Now therefore, please let your servants dwell in the
land of Goshen." 5 Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying,
39
"Your father and your brothers have come to you. 6 The land
of Egypt is before you. Have your father and brothers dwell in
the best of the land; let them dwell in the land of Goshen. And
if you know any competent men among them, then make
them chief herdsmen over my livestock."
7 Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and set him before
Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8 Pharaoh said to Jacob,
"How old are you?" 9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, "The days of
the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty years;
few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and
they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of
my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage." 10 So Jacob blessed
Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.
11 And Joseph situated his father and his brothers, and gave
them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land,
in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. 12 Then
Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father's
household with bread, according to the number in their
families.
13 Now there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was
very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan
languished because of the famine. 14 And Joseph gathered up
all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the
land of Canaan, for the grain which they bought; and Joseph
brought the money into Pharaoh's house. 15 So when the
money failed in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all
the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, "Give us bread, for why
we should die in your presence? For the money has failed." 16
Then Joseph said, "Give your livestock, and I will give you
40
bread for your livestock, if the money is gone." 17 So they

brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread
in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the cattle of the herds,
and for the donkeys. Thus he fed them with bread in exchange
for all their livestock that year. 18 When that year had ended,
they came to him the next year and said to him, "We will not
hide from my lord that our money is gone; my lord also has
our herds of livestock. There is nothing left in the sight of my
lord but our bodies and our lands. 19 Why should we die
before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land
for bread, and we and our land will be servants of Pharaoh;
give us seed, that we may live and not die, that the land may
not be desolate."
20 Then Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for
every man of the Egyptians sold his field, because the famine
was severe upon them. So the land became Pharaoh's. 21 And
as for the people, he moved them into the cities, from one end
of the borders of Egypt to the other end. 22 Only the land of
the priests he did not buy; for the priests had rations allotted
to them by Pharaoh, and they ate their rations which Pharaoh
gave them; therefore they did not sell their lands. 23 Then
Joseph said to the people, "Indeed I have bought you and your
land this day for Pharaoh. Look, here is seed for you, and you
shall sow the land. 24 And it shall come to pass in the harvest
that you shall give one-fifth to Pharaoh. Four-fifths shall be
your own, as seed for the field and for your food, for those of
your households and as food for your little ones." 25 So they
said, "You have saved our lives; let us find favor in the sight of
my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants." 26 And Joseph
made it a law over the land of Egypt to this day, that Pharaoh
41
should have one-fifth, except for the land of the priests only,
which did not become Pharaoh's.
27 So Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of

Goshen; and they had possessions there and grew and
multiplied exceedingly. 28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt
seventeen years. So the length of Jacob's life was one hundred
and forty-seven years. 29 When the time drew near that Israel
must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, "Now if I
have found favor in your sight, please put your hand under my
thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me. Please do not bury
me in Egypt, 30 but let me lie with my fathers; you shall carry
me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place." And he said,
"I will do as you have said." 31 Then he said, "Swear to me."
And he swore to him. So Israel bowed himself on the head of
the bed.
Gen 47:1-31 (NKJV)
42
Chapter Four
Moses
God offer to the Prophet to deliver his people from
Pharaoh
And a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a

daughter of Levi. 2 So the woman conceived and bore a son.
And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him
three months. 3 But when she could no longer hide him, she
took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and
pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river's
bank. 4 And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be
done to him.
43
5 Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the

river. And her maidens walked along the riverside; and when
she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it.
6 And when she had opened it, she saw the child, and behold,
the baby wept. So she had compassion on him, and said, "This
is one of the Hebrews' children." 7 Then his sister said to
Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and call a nurse for you from
the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?" 8
And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go." So the maiden went
and called the child's mother. 9 Then Pharaoh's daughter said
to her, "Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will
give you your wages." So the woman took the child and nursed
him. 10 And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's
daughter, and he became her son. So she called his name
Moses, saying, "Because I drew him out of the water."
11 Now it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown,

that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens.
And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren.
12 So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no
one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13
Ex 2:1-13 (NKJV)
Then he said, "Who made you a prince and a judge over us?
Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" So Moses
feared and said, "Surely this thing is known!" 15 When
Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But
Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of
Median; and he sat down by a well.
44
16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. And they

came and drew water, and they filled the troughs to water
their father's flock. 17 Then the shepherds came and drove
them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and
watered their flock. 18 When they came to Reuel their father,
he said, "How is it that you have come so soon today?" 19 And
they said, "An Egyptian delivered us from the hand of the
shepherds, and he also drew enough water for us and watered
the flock." 20 So he said to his daughters, "And where is he?
Why is it that you have left the man? Call him, that he may eat
bread." 21 Then Moses was content to live with the man, and
he gave Zipporah his daughter to Moses. 22 And she bore him
a son, and he called his name Gershom; for he said, "I have
been a stranger in a foreign land."
23 Now it happened in the process of time that the king of

Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the
bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God
because of the bondage. 24 So God heard their groaning, and
God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and
with Jacob. 25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and
God acknowledged them.
Ex 2:14-25 (NKJV)
Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law,

the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the
desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the
Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the
midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was
burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 3 Then
45
Moses said, "I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why
the bush does not burn." 4 So when the Lord saw that he
turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the
bush and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." 5
Then He said, "Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals
off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground." 6
Moreover He said, "I am the God of your father--the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses
hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.
7 And the Lord said: "I have surely seen the oppression of my
people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of
their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. 8 So I have come
down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to
bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a
land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the
Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the
Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. 9 Now therefore,
behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to me, and I
have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians
oppress them. 10 come now, therefore, and I will send you to
Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel,
out of Egypt." 11 But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I
should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of
Israel out of Egypt?" 12 So He said, "I will certainly be with you.
And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you
have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on
this mountain."
13 Then Moses said to God, "Indeed, when I come to the

children of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has
sent me to you,' and they say to me, 'What is His name?' what
46
shall I say to them?" 14 And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I

AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel,
'I AM has sent me to you.' " 15 Moreover God said to Moses,
"Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: 'The Lord God of
your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the
God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is my name forever, and
this is my memorial to all generations.' 16 Go and gather the
elders of Israel together, and say to them, 'The Lord God of
your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob,
appeared to me, saying, "I have surely visited you and seen
what is done to you in Egypt; 17 and I have said I will bring you
up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites
and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the
Hivites and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and
honey." ' 18 Then they will heed your voice; and you shall
come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt; and
you shall say to him, 'The Lord God of the Hebrews has met
with us; and now, please, let us go three days' journey into the
wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.' 19 But
I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even
by a mighty hand. 20 So I will stretch out my hand and strike
Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in its midst; and after
that he will let you go. 21 And I will give this people favor in
the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that
you shall not go empty-handed. 22 But every woman shall ask
of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house,
articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall
put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall
plunder the Egyptians."
Ex 3:1-22 (NKJV)
47
1 Then Moses answered and said, "But suppose they will not
believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, 'The Lord
has not appeared to you.' “2 So the Lord said to him, "What is
that in your hand?" He said, "A rod." 3 And He said, "Cast it on
the ground." So he cast it on the ground, and it became a
serpent; and Moses fled from it. 4 Then the Lord said to
Moses, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail" (and he
reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his
hand), 5 "that they may believe that the Lord God of their
fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of
Jacob, has appeared to you." 6 Furthermore the Lord said to
him, "Now put your hand in your bosom." And he put his hand
in his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was
leprous, like snow. 7 And He said, "Put your hand in your
bosom again." So he put his hand in his bosom again, and drew
it out of his bosom, and behold, it was restored like his other
flesh. 8 "Then it will be, if they do not believe you, nor heed
the message of the first sign, that they may believe the
message of the latter sign. 9 And it shall be, if they do not
believe even these two signs, or listen to your voice, that you
shall take water from the river and pour it on the dry land. And
the water which you take from the river will become blood on
the dry land."
10 Then Moses said to the Lord, "O my Lord, I am not eloquent,

neither before nor since you have spoken to your servant; but
I am slow of speech and slow of tongue." 11 So the Lord said
to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes the
mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord?
12 now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach
you what you shall say." 13 But he said, "O my Lord, please
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send by the hand of whomever else you may send." 14 So the

anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and He said: "Is
not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak
well. And look, he is also coming out to meet you. When he
sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 15 Now you shall speak
to him and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your
mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall
do. 16 So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he
himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as
God. 17 And you shall take this rod in your hand, with which
you shall do the signs."
Ex 4:1-17 (NKJV)
So the Lord said to Moses: "See, I have made you as God to

Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet. 2 You
shall speak all that I command you. And Aaron your brother
shall speak to Pharaoh to send the children of Israel out of his
land. 3 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my
signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. 4 But Pharaoh will
not heed you, so that I may lay my hand on Egypt and bring
my armies and my people, the children of Israel, out of the
land of Egypt by great judgments. 5 And the Egyptians shall
know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand on Egypt
and bring out the children of Israel from among them." 6 Then
Moses and Aaron did so; just as the Lord commanded them,
so they did. 7 And Moses was eighty years old and Aaron
eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.
Ex 7:1-7 (NKJV)
4 Then Moses said, "Thus says the Lord: 'About midnight I will
go out into the midst of Egypt; 5 and all the firstborn in the
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land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits
on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who
is behind the hand mill, and all the firstborn of the animals. 6
Then there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt,
such as was not like it before, nor shall be like it again. 7 But
against none of the children of Israel shall a dog move its
tongue, against man or beast that you may know that the Lord
does make a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.' 8
And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow
down to me, saying, 'Get out, and all the people who follow
you!' After that I will go out." Then he went out from Pharaoh
in great anger.
9 But the Lord said to Moses, "Pharaoh will not heed you, so
that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt." 10
So Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh;
and the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the
children of Israel go out of his land.
Ex 11:4-10 (NKJV)
43 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "This is the

ordinance of the Passover: No foreigner shall eat it. 44 But
every man's servant who is bought for money, when you have
circumcised him, then he may eat it. 45 A sojourner and a
hired servant shall not eat it. 46 In one house it shall be eaten;
you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall
you break one of its bones. 47 All the congregation of Israel
shall keep it. 48 And when a stranger dwells with you and
wants to keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be
circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he
shall be as a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person
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shall eat it. 49 One law shall be for the native-born and for the
stranger who dwells among you."
50 Thus all the children of Israel did; as the Lord commanded

Moses and Aaron, so they did. 51 And it came to pass, on that
very same day, that the Lord brought the children of Israel out
of the land of Egypt according to their armies.
Ex 12:43-51 (NKJV)
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Chapter Five
Joshua
God’s offer to a Warrior to take the Promise Land
After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to

pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses'
assistant, saying: 2 "Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore,
arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land
which I am giving to them--the children of Israel. 3 Every place
that the sole of your foot will tread upon me have given you,
as I said to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as
far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the
Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the
sun, shall be your territory. 5 No man shall be able to stand
before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I
will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be
strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide
as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give
them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may
observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant
commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to
the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. 8 This Book
of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall
meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do
according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your
way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have
I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not
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be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you
wherever you go."
10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying,

11 "Pass through the camp and command the people, saying,
'Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you
will cross over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which
the Lord your God is giving you to possess.' "
Josh 1:1-11 (NKJV)
And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of

Manasseh Joshua spoke, saying, 13 "Remember the word
which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying,
'The Lord your God is giving you rest and is giving you this
land.' 14 Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall
remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side of the
Jordan. But you shall pass before your brethren armed, all
your mighty men of valor, and help them, 15 until the Lord has
given your brethren rest, as He gave you, and they also have
taken possession of the land which the Lord your God is giving
them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and
enjoy it, which Moses the Lord's servant gave you on this side
of the Jordan toward the sunrise."
16 So they answered Joshua, saying, "All that you command

us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. 17 Just as
we heeded Moses in all things, so we will heed you. Only the
Lord your God be with you, as He was with Moses. 18 Whoever
rebels against your command and does not heed your words,
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in all that you command him, shall be put to death. Only be

strong and of good courage."
Josh 1:12-18 (NKJV)
Then Joshua rose early in the morning; and they set out from
Acacia Grove and came to the Jordan, he and all the children
of Israel, and lodged there before they crossed over. 2 So it
was, after three days that the officers went through the camp;
3 and they commanded the people, saying, "When you see the
ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests, the
Levites, bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and
go after it. 4 Yet there shall be a space between you and it,
about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it
that you may know the way by which you must go, for you
have not passed this way before." 5 And Joshua said to the
people, "Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do
wonders among you." 6 Then Joshua spoke to the priests,
saying, "Take up the Ark of the Covenant and cross over before
the people." So they took up the Ark of the Covenant and went
before the people.
7 And the Lord said to Joshua, "This day I will begin to exalt
you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was
with Moses, so I will be with you. 8 You shall command the
priests who bear the Ark of the Covenant, saying, 'When you
have come to the edge of the water of the Jordan, you shall
stand in the Jordan.' "
9 So Joshua said to the children of Israel, "Come here, and hear

the words of the Lord your God." 10 And Joshua said, "By this
you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He
will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites and
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the Hittites and the Hivites and the Perizzites and the
Girgashites and the Amorites and the Jebusites: 11 Behold, the
ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over
before you into the Jordan. 12 Now therefore, take for
yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from
every tribe. 13 And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles
of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord
of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the
waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come
down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap."
14 So it was, when the people set out from their camp to cross
over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the
covenant before the people, 15 and as those who bore the ark
came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the
ark dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows
all its banks during the whole time of harvest), 16 that the
waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose
in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside
Zaretan. So the waters that went down into the Sea of the
Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people
crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 Then the priests who bore
the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground
in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry
ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the
Jordan.
Josh 3:1-17 (NKJV)
And it came to pass, when all the people had completely

crossed over the Jordan, that the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying:
2 "Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man
55
from every tribe, 3 and command them, saying, 'Take for

yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the
Jordan, from the place where the priests' feet stood firm. You
shall carry them over with you and leave them in the lodging
place where you lodge tonight.' " 4 Then Joshua called the
twelve men whom he had appointed from the children of
Israel, one man from every tribe; 5 and Joshua said to them:
"Cross over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst
of the Jordan, and each one of you take up a stone on his
shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children
of Israel, 6 that this may be a sign among you when your
children ask in time to come, saying, 'What do these stones
mean to you?' 7 Then you shall answer them that the waters
of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of
the Lord; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the
Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial
to the children of Israel forever."
8 And the children of Israel did so, just as Joshua commanded,

and took up twelve stones from the midst of the Jordan, as the
Lord had spoken to Joshua, according to the number of the
tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with
them to the place where they lodged, and laid them down
there. 9 Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the
Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests who bore the
Ark of the Covenant stood; and they are there to this day.
10 So the priests who bore the ark stood in the midst of the
Jordan until everything was finished that the Lord had
commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all
that Moses had commanded Joshua; and the people hurried
and crossed over. 11 Then it came to pass, when all the people
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had completely crossed over, that the ark of the Lord and the
priests crossed over in the presence of the people. 12 And the
men of Reuben, the men of Gad, and half the tribe of
Manasseh crossed over armed before the children of Israel, as
Moses had spoken to them. 13 About forty thousand prepared
for war crossed over before the Lord for battle, to the plains
of Jericho. 14 On that day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight
of all Israel; and they feared him, as they had feared Moses, all
the days of his life.
15 Then the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying, 16 "Command the

priests who bear the ark of the Testimony to come up from
the Jordan." 17 Joshua therefore commanded the priests,
saying, "Come up from the Jordan." 18 And it came to pass,
when the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord
had come from the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the
priests' feet touched the dry land, that the waters of the
Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks as
before.
19 Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day
of the first month, and they camped in Gilgal on the east
border of Jericho. 20 And those twelve stones which they took
out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal. 21 Then he spoke to
the children of Israel, saying: "When your children ask their
fathers in time to come, saying, 'What are these stones?' 22
then you shall let your children know, saying, 'Israel crossed
over this Jordan on dry land'; 23 for the Lord your God dried
up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed
over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried
up before us until we had crossed over, 24 that all the peoples
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of the earth may know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty,
that you may fear the Lord your God forever."
Josh 4:1-24 (NKJV)
Now the Lord said to Joshua: "Do not be afraid, nor be

dismayed; take all the people of war with you, and arise, go up
to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people,
his city, and his land. 2 And you shall do to Ai and its king as
you did to Jericho and its king. Only its spoil and its cattle you
shall take as booty for yourselves. Lay an ambush for the city
behind it."
3 So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against

Ai; and Joshua chose thirty thousand mighty men of valor and
sent them away by night. 4 And he commanded them, saying:
"Behold, you shall lie in ambush against the city, behind the
city. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready. 5
Then I and all the people who are with me will approach the
city; and it will come about, when they come out against us as
at the first, that we shall flee before them. 6 For they will come
out after us till we have drawn them from the city, for they will
say, 'They are fleeing before us as at the first.' Therefore we
will flee before them. 7 Then you shall rise from the ambush
and seize the city, for the Lord your God will deliver it into your
hand. 8 And it will be, when you have taken the city, that you
shall set the city on fire. According to the commandment of
the Lord you shall do. See, I have commanded you."
9 Joshua therefore sent them out; and they went to lie in

ambush, and stayed between Bethel and Ai, on the west side
of Ai; but Joshua lodged that night among the people. 10 Then
Joshua rose up early in the morning and mustered the people,
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and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to
Ai. 11 And all the people of war who were with him went up
and drew near; and they came before the city and camped on
the north side of Ai. Now a valley lay between them and Ai. 12
So he took about five thousand men and set them in ambush
between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city. 13 And
when they had set the people, all the army that was on the
north of the city, and its rear guard on the west of the city,
Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley.
14 Now it happened, when the king of Ai saw it, that the men
of the city hurried and rose early and went out against Israel
to battle, he and all his people, at an appointed place before
the plain. But he did not know that there was an ambush
against him behind the city. 15 And Joshua and all Israel made
as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the
wilderness. 16 So all the people who were in Ai were called
together to pursue them. And they pursued Joshua and were
drawn away from the city. 17 There was not a man left in Ai or
Bethel who did not go out after Israel. So they left the city
open and pursued Israel.
18 Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Stretch out the spear that is
in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand." And
Joshua stretched out the spear that was in his hand toward
the city. 19 So those in ambush arose quickly out of their place;
they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand, and they
entered the city and took it, and hurried to set the city on fire.
20 And when the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw, and
behold, the smoke of the city ascended to heaven. So they had
no power to flee this way or that way, and the people who had
fled to the wilderness turned back on the pursuers. 21 Now
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when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the
city and that the smoke of the city ascended, they turned back
and struck down the men of Ai. 22 Then the others came out
of the city against them; so they were caught in the midst of
Israel, some on this side and some on that side. And they
struck them down, so that they let none of them remain or
escape. 23 But the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him
to Joshua.
24 And it came to pass when Israel had made an end of slaying

all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness where
they pursued them, and when they all had fallen by the edge
of the sword until they were consumed, that all the Israelites
returned to Ai and struck it with the edge of the sword. 25 So
it was that all who fell that day, both men and women, were
twelve thousand--all the people of Ai
Josh 8:1-25 (NKJV)
1 Now it came to pass, a long time after the Lord had given
rest to Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua
was old, advanced in age. 2 And Joshua called for all Israel, for
their elders, for their heads, for their judges, and for their
officers, and said to them: "I am old, advanced in age. 3 You
have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these
nations because of you, for the Lord your God is He who has
fought for you. 4 See, I have divided to you by lot these nations
that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from the
Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, as far as the
Great Sea westward. 5 And the Lord your God will expel them
from before you and drive them out of your sight. So you shall
possess their land, as the Lord your God promised you. 6
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Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is

written in the Book of the Law of Moses, lest you turn aside
from it to the right hand or to the left, 7 and lest you go among
these nations, these who remain among you. You shall not
make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause anyone to
swear by them; you shall not serve them nor bow down to
them, 8 but you shall hold fast to the Lord your God, as you
have done to this day. 9 For the Lord has driven out from
before you great and strong nations; but as for you, no one
has been able to stand against you to this day. 10 One man of
you shall chase a thousand, for the Lord your God is He who
fights for you, as He promised you. 11 Therefore take careful
heed to yourselves, that you love the Lord your God. 12 Or
else, if indeed you do go back, and cling to the remnant of
these nations--these that remain among you--and make
marriages with them, and go in to them and they to you, 13
know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive
out these nations from before you. But they shall be snares
and traps to you, and scourges on your sides and thorns in
your eyes, until you perish from this good land which the Lord
your God has given you.
14 "Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth. And
you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one
thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God
spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one
word of them has failed. 15 Therefore it shall come to pass,
that as all the good things have come upon you which the Lord
your God promised you, so the Lord will bring upon you all
harmful things, until He has destroyed you from this good land
which the Lord your God has given you. 16 When you have
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transgressed the covenant of the Lord your God, which He

commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and
bowed down to them, then the anger of the Lord will burn
against you, and you shall perish quickly from the good land
which He has given you."
Josh 23:1-16 (NKJV)
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Chapter Six
Samuel
God offer to his Prophet/Judge
Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her
voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk. 14
So Eli said to her, "How long will you be drunk? Put your wine
away from you!" 15 And Hannah answered and said, "No, my
lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither
wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul
before the Lord. 16 Do not consider your maidservant a
wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and
grief I have spoken until now." 17 Then Eli answered and said,
"Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which
you have asked of Him." 18 And she said, "Let your
maidservant find favor in your sight." So the woman went her
way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.
19 Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before

the Lord, and returned and came to their house at Ramah. And
Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her.
20 So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah
conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel, saying,
"Because I have asked for him from the Lord." 21 Now the man
Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the Lord the
yearly sacrifice and his vow. 22 But Hannah did not go up, for
she said to her husband, "Not until the child is weaned; then I
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will take him that he may appear before the Lord and remain
there forever." 23 And Elkanah her husband said to her, "Do
what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him. Only
let the Lord establish His word." So the woman stayed and
nursed her son until she had weaned him.
24 Now when she had weaned him, she took him up with her,
with three bulls, one ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and
brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh. And the child
was young. 25 Then they slaughtered a bull, and brought the
child to Eli. 26 And she said, "O my lord! As your soul lives, my
lord, I am the woman who stood by you here, praying to the
Lord. 27 For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me
my petition which I asked of Him. 28 Therefore I also have lent
him to the Lord; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord."
So they worshiped the Lord there.
1 Sam 1:13-28 (NKJV)
Then the boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. And
the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no
widespread revelation. 2 And it came to pass at that time,
while Eli was lying down in his place, and when his eyes had
begun to grow so dim that he could not see, 3 and before the
lamp of God went out in the tabernacle of the Lord where the
ark of God was, and while Samuel was lying down, 4 that the
Lord called Samuel. And he answered, "Here I am!" 5 So he ran
to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." And he said, "I
did not call; lie down again." And he went and lay down. 6
Then the Lord called yet again, "Samuel!" So Samuel arose and
went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." He
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answered, "I did not call, my son; lie down again." 7 (Now
Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor was the word of the
Lord yet revealed to him.) 8 And the Lord called Samuel again
the third time. Then he arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here
I am, for you did call me." Then Eli perceived that the Lord had
called the boy. 9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down;
and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, 'Speak, Lord,
for your servant hears.' “So Samuel went and lay down in his
place.
10 Now the Lord came and stood and called as at other times,
"Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel answered, "Speak, for your
servant hears." 11 Then the Lord said to Samuel: "Behold, I will
do something in Israel at which both ears of everyone who
hears it will tingle. 12 In that day I will perform against Eli all
that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to
end. 13 For I have told him that I will judge his house forever
for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made
themselves vile, and he did not restrain them. 14 And
therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of
Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering
forever."
15 So Samuel lay down until morning, and opened the doors

of the house of the Lord. And Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the
vision. 16 Then Eli called Samuel and said, "Samuel, my son!"
And he answered, "Here I am." 17 And he said, "What is the
word that the Lord spoke to you? Please do not hide it from
me. God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from
me of all the things that He said to you." 18 Then Samuel told
him everything, and hid nothing from him. And he said, "It is
the Lord. Let Him do what seems good to Him."
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19 So Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of
his words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan to
Beersheba knew that Samuel had been established as a
prophet of the Lord. 21 Then the Lord appeared again in
Shiloh. For the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by
the word of the Lord.
1 Sam 3:1-21 (NKJV)
Now the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines
seven months. 2 And the Philistines called for the priests and
the diviners, saying, "What shall we do with the ark of the
Lord? Tell us how we should send it to its place." 3 So they
said, "If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send
it empty; but by all means return it to Him with a trespass
offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you
why His hand is not removed from you." 4 Then they said,
"What is the trespass offering which we shall return to Him?"
They answered, "Five golden tumors and five golden rats,
according to the number of the lords of the Philistines. For the
same plague was on all of you and on your lords. 5 Therefore
you shall make images of your tumors and images of your rats
that ravage the land, and you shall give glory to the God of
Israel; perhaps He will lighten His hand from you, from your
gods, and from your land. 6 Why then do you harden your
hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts?
When He did mighty things among them, did they not let the
people go, that they might depart? 7 Now therefore, make a
new cart, take two milk cows which have never been yoked,
and hitch the cows to the cart; and take their calf’s home,
away from them. 8 Then take the ark of the Lord and set it on
the cart; and put the articles of gold which you are returning
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to Him as a trespass offering in a chest by its side. Then send

it away, and let it go. 9 And watch: if it goes up the road to its
own territory, to Beth Shemesh, then He has done us this great
evil. But if not, then we shall know that it is not His hand that
struck us--it happened to us by chance."
10 Then the men did so; they took two milk cows and hitched
them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home. 11 And
they set the ark of the Lord on the cart, and the chest with the
gold rats and the images of their tumors. 12 Then the cows
headed straight for the road to Beth Shemesh, and went along
the highway, lowing as they went, and did not turn aside to
the right hand or the left. And the lords of the Philistines went
after them to the border of Beth Shemesh. 13 Now the people
of Beth Shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the
valley; and they lifted their eyes and saw the ark, and rejoiced
to see it. 14 Then the cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth
Shemesh, and stood there; a large stone was there. So they
split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt
offering to the Lord. 15 The Levites took down the ark of the
Lord and the chest that was with it, in which were the articles
of gold, and put them on the large stone. Then the men of Beth
Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices the same
day to the Lord. 16 So when the five lords of the Philistines had
seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.
17 These are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned

as a trespass offering to the Lord: one for Ashdod, one for
Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron; 18 and
the golden rats, according to the number of all the cities of the
Philistines belonging to the five lords, both fortified cities and
country villages, even as far as the large stone of Abel on which
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they set the ark of the Lord, which stone remains to this day in
the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh. 19 Then He struck the
men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into the ark
of the Lord. He struck fifty thousand and seventy men of the
people, and the people lamented because the Lord had struck
the people with a great slaughter.
20 And the men of Beth Shemesh said, "Who is able to stand

before this holy Lord God? And to whom shall it go up from
us?" 21 So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath
Jearim, saying, "The Philistines have brought back the ark of
the Lord; come down and take it up with you."
1 Sam 6:1-21 (NKJV)
Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his
sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel,
and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in
Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned
aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to
Samuel at Ramah, 5 and said to him, "Look, you are old, and
your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to
judge us like all the nations."
6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a

king to judge us." So Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord
said to Samuel, "Heed the voice of the people in all that they
say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have
rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. 8 According to
all the works which they have done since the day that I
brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day--with which
they have forsaken me and served other gods--so they are
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doing to you also. 9 Now therefore, heed their voice. However,

you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the
behavior of the king who will reign over them."
10 So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who
asked him for a king. 11 And he said, "This will be the behavior
of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and
appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and
some will run before his chariots. 12 He will appoint captains
over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some
to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his
weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take
your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. 14 And he
will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive
groves, and give them to his servants. 15 He will take a tenth
of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and
servants. 16 And he will take your male servants, your female
servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put
them to his work. 17 He will take a tenth of your sheep. And
you will be his servants. 18 And you will cry out in that day
because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves,
and the Lord will not hear you in that day."
19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of

Samuel; and they said, "No, but we will have a king over us, 20
that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may
judge us and go out before us and fight our battles." 21 And
Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated
them in the hearing of the Lord. 22 So the Lord said to Samuel,
"Heed their voice, and make them a king." And Samuel said to
the men of Israel, "Every man go to his city."
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1 Sam 8:1-22 (NKJV)
15 Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear the day before Saul
came, saying, 16 "Tomorrow about this time I will send you a
man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him
commander over My people Israel, that he may save My
people from the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked upon
My people, because their cry has come to me." 17 And when
Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, "There he is, the man
of whom I spoke to you. This one shall reign over my people."
18 Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said,
"Please tell me, where is the seer's house?" 19 And Samuel
answered Saul and said, "I am the seer. Go up before me to
the high place, for you shall eat with me today; and tomorrow
I will let you go and will tell you all that is in your heart. 20 But
as for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not be
anxious about them, for they have been found. And on whom
is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on you and on all your
father's house?" 21 And Saul answered and said, "Am I not a
Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family
the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then
do you speak like this to me?" 22 Now Samuel took Saul and
his servant and brought them into the hall, and had them sit
in the place of honor among those who were invited; there
were about thirty persons. 23 And Samuel said to the cook,
"Bring the portion which I gave you, of which I said to you, 'Set
it apart.' “24 So the cook took up the thigh with its upper part
and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, "Here it is, what was
kept back. It was set apart for you. Eat; for until this time it has
been kept for you, since I said I invited the people." So Saul ate
with Samuel that day.
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25 When they had come down from the high place into the
city, Samuel spoke with Saul on the top of the house. 26 They
arose early; and it was about the dawning of the day that
Samuel called to Saul on the top of the house, saying, and “Get
up, that I may send you on your way." And Saul arose, and
both of them went outside, he and Samuel.
27 As they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel

said to Saul, "Tell the servant to go on ahead of us." And he
went on. "But you stand here awhile, that I may announce to
you the word of God."
1 Sam 9:15-27 (NKJV)
Now Samuel said to all Israel: "Indeed I have heeded your

voice in all that you said to me, and have made a king over you.
2 And now here is the king, walking before you; and I am old
and gray headed, and look, my sons are with you. I have
walked before you from my childhood to this day. 3 Here I am.
Witness against me before the Lord and before His anointed:
Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or
whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed, or from
whose hand have I received any bribe with which to blind my
eyes? I will restore it to you." 4 And they said, "You have not
cheated us or oppressed us, nor have you taken anything from
any man's hand." 5 Then he said to them, "The Lord is witness
against you, and His anointed is witness this day, that you have
not found anything in my hand." And they answered, "He is
witness."
1 Sam 12:1-5 (NKJV)
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And Saul attacked the Amalekites, from Havilah all the way to
Shur, which is east of Egypt. 8 He also took Agag king of the
Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the
edge of the sword. 9 But Saul and the people spared Agag and
the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all
that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But
everything despised and worthless, that they utterly
destroyed.
10 Now the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying, 11 "I

greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned
back from following Me, and has not performed My
commandments." And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to
the Lord all night. 12 So when Samuel rose early in the
morning to meet Saul, it was told Samuel, saying, "Saul went
to Carmel, and indeed, he set up a monument for himself; and
he has gone on around, passed by, and gone down to Gilgal."
13 Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, "Blessed
are you of the Lord! I have performed the commandment of
the Lord." 14 But Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of
the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I
hear?" 15 And Saul said, "They have brought them from the
Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and
the oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; and the rest we
have utterly destroyed." 16 Then Samuel said to Saul, "Be
quiet! And I will tell you what the Lord said to me last night."
And he said to him, "Speak on."
17 So Samuel said, "When you were little in your own eyes,

were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the Lord
anoint you king over Israel? 18 Now the Lord sent you on a
mission, and said, 'Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the
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Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.'

19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did
you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the
Lord?" 20 And Saul said to Samuel, "But I have obeyed the
voice of the Lord, and gone on the mission on which the Lord
sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly
destroyed the Amalekites. 21 But the people took of the
plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should
have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God
in Gilgal." 22 So Samuel said:
"Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
As in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,
And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
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He also has rejected you from being king."
24 Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned, for I have

transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words,
because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. 25 Now
therefore, please pardon my sin, and return with me, that I
may worship the Lord." 26 But Samuel said to Saul, "I will not
return with you, for you have rejected the word of the Lord,
and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel." 27
And as Samuel turned around to go away, Saul seized the edge
of his robe, and it tore. 28 So Samuel said to him, "The Lord
has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given
it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you. 29 And also
the Strength of Israel will not lie nor relent. For He is not a man
that He should relent." 30 Then he said, "I have sinned; yet
honor me now, please, before the elders of my people and
before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the Lord
your God." 31 So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul
worshiped the Lord.
32 Then Samuel said, "Bring Agag king of the Amalekites here

to me." So Agag came to him cautiously. And Agag said,
"Surely the bitterness of death is past." 33 But Samuel said,
"As your sword has made women childless, so shall your
mother be childless among women." And Samuel hacked Agag
in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.
34 Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house

at Gibeah of Saul. 35 And Samuel went no more to see Saul
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until the day of his death. Nevertheless Samuel mourned for

Saul, and the Lord regretted that He had made Saul king over
Israel.
1 Sam 15:7-35 (NKJV)
Now the Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for
Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill
your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the
Bethlehemite. For I have provided myself a king among his
sons." 2 And Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears it, he
will kill me." And the Lord said, "Take a heifer with you, and
say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.' 3 then invite Jesse
to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; you shall
anoint for me the one I name to you." 4 So Samuel did what
the Lord said, and went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the
town trembled at his coming, and said, "Do you come
peaceably?" 5 And he said, "Peaceably; I have come to
sacrifice to the Lord. Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to
the sacrifice." Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and
invited them to the sacrifice.
6 So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said,

"Surely the Lord's anointed is before Him." 7 But the Lord said
to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of
his stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not
see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance,
but the Lord looks at the heart." 8 So Jesse called Abinadab,
and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, "Neither has
the Lord chosen this one." 9 Then Jesse made Shammah pass
by. And he said, "Neither has the Lord chosen this one." 10
Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And
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Samuel said to Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen these." 11 And
Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all the young men here?" Then he
said, "There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping
the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him. For
we will not sit down till he comes here." 12 So he sent and
brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-
looking. And the Lord said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is the
one!" 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him
in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came
upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went
to Ramah.
14 But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a

distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him. 15 And Saul's
servants said to him, "Surely, a distressing spirit from God is
troubling you. 16 Let our master now command your servants,
who are before you, to seek out a man who is a skillful player
on the harp; and it shall be that he will play it with his hand
when the distressing spirit from God is upon you, and you shall
be well." 17 So Saul said to his servants, "Provide me now a
man who can play well, and bring him to me." 18 Then one of
the servants answered and said, "Look, I have seen a son of
Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty man
of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome
person; and the Lord is with him."
19 Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said, "Send

me your son David, who is with the sheep." 20 And Jesse took
a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine, and a young goat,
and sent them by his son David to Saul. 21 So David came to
Saul and stood before him. And he loved him greatly, and he
became his armorbearer. 22 Then Saul sent to Jesse, saying,
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"Please let David stand before me, for he has found favor in
my sight." 23 And so it was, whenever the spirit from God was
upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his
hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the
distressing spirit would depart from him.
1 Sam 16:1-23 (NKJV)
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78
Chapter Seven
David
God’s offer to a Shepherd boy to be a King
Now the Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for
Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill
your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the
Bethlehemite. For I have provided myself a king among his
sons." 2 And Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears it, he
will kill me." And the Lord said, "Take a heifer with you, and
say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.' 3 then invite Jesse
to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; you shall
anoint for me the one I name to you." 4 So Samuel did what
the Lord said, and went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the
town trembled at his coming, and said, "Do you come
peaceably?" 5 And he said, "Peaceably; I have come to
sacrifice to the Lord. Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to
the sacrifice." Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and
invited them to the sacrifice.
6 So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said,

"Surely the Lord's anointed is before Him." 7 But the Lord said
to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of
his stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not
see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance,
but the Lord looks at the heart." 8 So Jesse called Abinadab,
and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, "Neither has
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the Lord chosen this one." 9 Then Jesse made Shammah pass
by. And he said, "Neither has the Lord chosen this one." 10
Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And
Samuel said to Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen these." 11 And
Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all the young men here?" Then he
said, "There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping
the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him. For
we will not sit down till he comes here." 12 So he sent and
brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-
looking. And the Lord said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is the
one!" 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him
in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came
upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went
to Ramah.
14 But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a

distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him. 15 And Saul's
servants said to him, "Surely, a distressing spirit from God is
troubling you. 16 Let our master now command your servants,
who are before you, to seek out a man who is a skillful player
on the harp; and it shall be that he will play it with his hand
when the distressing spirit from God is upon you, and you shall
be well." 17 So Saul said to his servants, "Provide me now a
man who can play well, and bring him to me." 18 Then one of
the servants answered and said, "Look, I have seen a son of
Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty man
of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome
person; and the Lord is with him."
19 Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said, "Send

me your son David, who is with the sheep." 20 And Jesse took
a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine, and a young goat,
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and sent them by his son David to Saul. 21 So David came to

Saul and stood before him. And he loved him greatly, and he
became his armorbearer. 22 Then Saul sent to Jesse, saying,
"Please let David stand before me, for he has found favor in
my sight." 23 And so it was, whenever the spirit from God was
upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his
hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the
distressing spirit would depart from him.
1 Sam 16:1-23 (NKJV)
Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of

Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him
as his own soul. 2 Saul took him that day, and would not let
him go home to his father's house anymore. 3 Then Jonathan
and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own
soul. 4 And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and
gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow
and his belt.
5 So David went out wherever Saul sent him, and behaved

wisely. And Saul set him over the men of war, and he was
accepted in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of
Saul's servants. 6 Now it had happened as they were coming
home, when David was returning from the slaughter of the
Philistine, that the women had come out of all the cities of
Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with
tambourines, with joy, and with musical instruments. 7 So the
women sang as they danced, and said:
"Saul has slain his thousands,
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And David his ten thousands."
8 Then Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him;
and he said, "They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and
to me they have ascribed only thousands. Now what more can
he have but the kingdom?" 9 So Saul eyed David from that day
forward.
10 And it happened on the next day that the distressing spirit

from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the
house. So David played music with his hand, as at other times;
but there was a spear in Saul's hand. 11 And Saul cast the
spear, for he said, "I will pin David to the wall!" But David
escaped his presence twice.
12 Now Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with
him, but had departed from Saul. 13 Therefore Saul removed
him from his presence, and made him his captain over a
thousand; and he went out and came in before the people. 14
And David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the Lord was
with him. 15 Therefore, when Saul saw that he behaved very
wisely, he was afraid of him. 16 But all Israel and Judah loved
David, because he went out and came in before them.
17 Then Saul said to David, "Here is my older daughter Merab;

I will give her to you as a wife. Only be valiant for me, and fight
the Lord's battles." For Saul thought, "Let my hand not be
against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him."
18 So David said to Saul, "Who am I, and what is my life or my
father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the
king?" 19 But it happened at the time when Merab, Saul's
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daughter, should have been given to David, that she was given
to Adriel the Meholathite as a wife. 20 Now Michal, Saul's
daughter, loved David. And they told Saul, and the thing
pleased him. 21 So Saul said, "I will give her to him, that she
may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may
be against him." Therefore Saul said to David a second time,
"You shall be my son-in-law today."
22 And Saul commanded his servants, "Communicate with

David secretly, and say, 'Look, the king has delight in you, and
all his servants love you. Now therefore, become the king's
son-in-law.' “23 So Saul's servants spoke those words in the
hearing of David. And David said, "Does it seem to you a light
thing to be a king's son-in-law, seeing I am a poor and lightly
esteemed man?" 24 And the servants of Saul told him, saying,
"In this manner David spoke." 25 Then Saul said, "Thus you
shall say to David: 'The king does not desire any dowry but one
hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to take vengeance on the
king's enemies.' “But Saul thought to make David fall by the
hand of the Philistines. 26 So when his servants told David
these words, it pleased David well to become the king's son-
in-law. Now the days had not expired; 27 therefore David
arose and went, he and his men, and killed two hundred men
of the Philistines. And David brought their foreskins, and they
gave them in full count to the king, that he might become the
king's son-in-law. Then Saul gave him Michal his daughter as a
wife.
28 Thus Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David, and
that Michal, Saul's daughter, loved him; 29 and Saul was still
more afraid of David. So Saul became David's enemy
continually. 30 Then the princes of the Philistines went out to
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war. And so it was, whenever they went out, that David

behaved more wisely than all the servants of Saul, so that his
name became highly esteemed.
1 Sam 18:1-30 (NKJV)
Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David had
returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had
stayed two days in Zillah, 2 on the third day, behold, it
happened that a man came from Saul's camp with his clothes
torn and dust on his head. So it was, when he came to David,
that he fell to the ground and prostrated himself. 3 And David
said to him, "Where have you come from?" So he said to him,
"I have escaped from the camp of Israel." 4 Then David said to
him, "How did the matter go? Please tell me." And he
answered, "The people have fled from the battle, many of the
people are fallen and dead, and Saul and Jonathan his son are
dead also." 5 So David said to the young man who told him,
"How do you know that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?"
6 Then the young man who told him said, "As I happened by
chance to be on Mount Gilboa, there was Saul, leaning on his
spear; and indeed the chariots and horsemen followed hard
after him. 7 Now when he looked behind him, he saw me and
called to me. And I answered, 'Here I am.' 8 And he said to me,
'Who are you?' So I answered him, 'I am an Amalekite.' 9 He
said to me again, 'Please stand over me and kill me, for anguish
has come upon me, but my life still remains in me.' 10 So I
stood over him and killed him, because I was sure that he
could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that
was on his head and the bracelet that was on his arm, and
have brought them here to my lord." 11 Therefore David took
hold of his own clothes and tore them, and so did all the men
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who were with him. 12 And they mourned and wept and
fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son, for the
people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they
had fallen by the sword. 13 Then David said to the young man
who told him, "Where are you from?" And he answered, "I am
the son of an alien, an Amalekite." 14 So David said to him,
"How was it you were not afraid to put forth your hand to
destroy the Lord's anointed?" 15 Then David called one of the
young men and said, "Go near, and execute him!" And he
struck him so that he died. 16 So David said to him, "Your
blood is on your own head, for your own mouth has testified
against you, saying, 'I have killed the Lord's anointed.' "
17 Then David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and

over Jonathan his son, 18 and he told them to teach the
children of Judah the song of the Bow; indeed it is written in
the Book of Jasher:
19 "The beauty of Israel is slain on your high places!
How the mighty have fallen!
20 Tell it not in Gath,
Proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon--
Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,
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Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.
21 "O mountains of Gilboa,
Let there be no dew nor rain upon you,
Nor fields of offerings.
For the shield of the mighty is cast away there!
The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.
22 From the blood of the slain,
From the fat of the mighty,
The bow of Jonathan did not turn back,
And the sword of Saul did not return empty.
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23 "Saul and Jonathan were beloved and pleasant in their

lives,
And in their death they were not divided;
They were swifter than eagles,
They were stronger than lions.
24 "O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
Who clothed you in scarlet, with luxury?
Who put ornaments of gold on your apparel?
25 "How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle!
Jonathan was slain in your high places.
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26 I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;
You have been very pleasant to me;
Your love to me was wonderful,
Surpassing the love of women.
27 "How the mighty have fallen,
And the weapons of war perished!"
2 Sam 1:1-27 (NKJV)
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89
Chapter Eight
Solomon
God’s offer to his anointed King to build his house
Go immediately to King David and say to him, 'did you not, my

lord, O king, swear to your maidservant, saying, "Assuredly
your son Solomon shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my
throne"? Why then has Adonijah become king?' 14 Then,
while you are still talking there with the king, I also will come
in after you and confirm your words."
15 So Bathsheba went into the chamber to the king. (Now the

king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was serving
the king.) 16 And Bathsheba bowed and did homage to the
king. Then the king said, "What is your wish?" 17 Then she said
to him, "My lord, you swore by the Lord your God to your
maidservant, saying, 'Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign
after me, and he shall sit on my throne.' 18 So now, look!
Adonijah has become king; and now, my lord the king, you do
not know about it. 19 He has sacrificed oxen and fattened
cattle and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of
the king, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the
army; but Solomon your servant he has not invited. 20 And as
for you, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, that
you should tell them who will sit on the throne of my lord the
king after him. 21 Otherwise it will happen, when my lord the
king rests with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be
counted as offenders."
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22 And just then, while she was still talking with the king,
Nathan the prophet also came in. 23 so they told the king,
saying, "Here is Nathan the prophet." And when he came in
before the king, he bowed down before the king with his face
to the ground. 24 And Nathan said, "My lord, O king, have you
said, 'Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my
throne'? 25 For he has gone down today, and has sacrificed
oxen and fattened cattle and sheep in abundance, and has
invited all the king's sons, and the commanders of the army,
and Abiathar the priest; and look! They are eating and drinking
before him; and they say, 'Long live King Adonijah!' 26 But he
has not invited me--me your servant--nor Zadok the priest, nor
Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, nor your servant Solomon. 27
Has this thing been done by my lord the king, and you have
not told your servant who should sit on the throne of my lord
the king after him?"
28 Then King David answered and said, "Call Bathsheba to

me." So she came into the king's presence and stood before
the king. 29 And the king took an oath and said, "As the Lord
lives, who has redeemed my life from every distress, 30 just as
I swore to you by the Lord God of Israel, saying, 'Assuredly
Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my
throne in my place,' so I certainly will do this day." 31 Then
Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and paid homage
to the king, and said, "Let my lord King David live forever!"
32 And King David said, "Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan

the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada." So they came
before the king. 33 The king also said to them, "Take with you
the servants of your lord, and have Solomon my son ride on
my own mule, and take him down to Gihon. 34 There let Zadok
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the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king over Israel;
and blow the horn, and say, 'Long live King Solomon!' 35 Then
you shall come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my
throne, and he shall be king in my place. For I have appointed
him to be ruler over Israel and Judah." 36 Benaiah the son of
Jehoiada answered the king and said, "Amen! May the Lord
God of my lord the king say so too? 37 As the Lord has been
with my lord the king, even so may He be with Solomon, and
make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King
David."
38 So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son

of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites went down
and had Solomon ride on King David's mule, and took him to
Gihon. 39 Then Zadok the priest took a horn of oil from the
tabernacle and anointed Solomon. And they blew the horn,
and all the people said, "Long live King Solomon!" 40 And all
the people went up after him; and the people played the flutes
and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth seemed to split
with their sound.
41 Now Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard
it as they finished eating. And when Joab heard the sound of
the horn, he said, "Why is the city in such a noisy uproar?" 42
While he was still speaking, there came Jonathan, the son of
Abiathar the priest. And Adonijah said to him, "Come in, for
you are a prominent man, and bring good news." 43 Then
Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, "No! Our lord King
David has made Solomon king. 44 The king has sent with him
Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of
Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites; and they have
made him ride on the king's mule. 45 So Zadok the priest and
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Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon; and they
have gone up from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an
uproar. This is the noise that you have heard. 46 Also Solomon
sits on the throne of the kingdom. 47 And moreover the king's
servants have gone to bless our lord King David, saying, 'May
God make the name of Solomon better than your name, and
May He make his throne greater than your throne.' Then the
king bowed himself on the bed. 48 Also the king said thus,
'Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who has given one to sit on
my throne this day, while my eyes see it!' " 49 So all the guests
who were with Adonijah were afraid, and arose, and each one
went his way.
1 Kings 1:13-49 (NKJV)
Now the days of David drew near that he should die, and he
charged Solomon his son, saying: 2 "I go the way of all the
earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man. 3 And
keep the charge of the Lord your God: to walk in His ways, to
keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His
testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may
prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn; 4 that the
Lord may fulfill His word which He spoke concerning me,
saying, 'If your sons take heed to their way, to walk before Me
in truth with all their heart and with all their soul,' He said, 'you
shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.' 5 Moreover you
know also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what
he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner
the son of Ner and Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed.
And he shed the blood of war in peacetime, and put the blood
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of war on his belt that was around his waist, and on his sandals
that were on his feet. 6 Therefore do according to your
wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to the grave in
peace. 7 But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the
Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table,
for so they came to me when I fled from Absalom your
brother. 8 And see, you have with you Shimei the son of Gera,
a Benjamite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a malicious
curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim. But he came down
to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by the Lord,
saying, and ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.' 9 Now
therefore, do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man
and know what you ought to do to him; but bring his gray hair
down to the grave with blood."
10 So David rested with his fathers, and was buried in the City
of David. 11 The period that David reigned over Israel was
forty years; seven years he reigned in Hebron, and in
Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years. 12 Then Solomon sat
on the throne of his father David; and his kingdom was firmly
established.
13 Now Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the

mother of Solomon. So she said, "Do you come peaceably?"
And he said, "Peaceably." 14 Moreover he said, "I have
something to say to you." And she said, "Say it." 15 Then he
said, "You know that the kingdom was mine, and all Israel had
set their expectations on me, that I should reign. However, the
kingdom has been turned over, and has become my brother's;
for it was his from the Lord. 16 Now I ask one petition of you;
do not deny me." And she said to him, "Say it." 17 Then he
said, "Please speak to King Solomon, for he will not refuse you,
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that he may give me Abishag the Shunammite as wife." 18 So

Bathsheba said, "Very well, I will speak for you to the king."
19 Bathsheba therefore went to King Solomon, to speak to him

for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her and bowed
down to her, and sat down on his throne and had a throne set
for the king's mother; so she sat at his right hand. 20 Then she
said, "I desire one small petition of you; do not refuse me."
And the king said to her, "Ask it, my mother, for I will not
refuse you." 21 So she said, "Let Abishag the Shunammite be
given to Adonijah your brother as wife." 22 And King Solomon
answered and said to his mother, "Now why do you ask
Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the
kingdom also--for he is my older brother--for him, and for
Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah." 23 Then
King Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, "May God do so to
me, and more also, if Adonijah has not spoken this word
against his own life! 24 Now therefore, as the Lord lives, who
has confirmed me and set me on the throne of David my
father, and who has established a house for me, as He
promised, Adonijah shall be put to death today!" 25 So King
Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and
he struck him down, and he died.
26 And to Abiathar the priest the king said, "Go to Anathoth,

to your own fields, for you are deserving of death; but I will
not put you to death at this time, because you carried the ark
of the Lord God before my father David, and because you were
afflicted every time my father was afflicted." 27 So Solomon
removed Abiathar from being priest to the Lord that he might
fulfill the word of the Lord which He spoke concerning the
house of Eli at Shiloh.
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Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was
the great high place: Solomon offered a thousand burnt
offerings on that altar. 5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to
Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, "Ask! What shall I
give you?" 6 And Solomon said: "You have shown great mercy
to your servant David my father, because he walked before
you in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with
you; you have continued this great kindness for him, and you
have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 7
Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead
of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how
to go out or come in. 8 And Your servant is in the midst of Your
people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous
to be numbered or counted. 9 Therefore give to your servant
an understanding heart to judge your people that I may
discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this
great people of yours?"
10 The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this
thing. 11 Then God said to him: "Because you have asked this
thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked
riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies,
but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice,
12 behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have
given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has
not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you
arise after you. 13 And I have also given you what you have
not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be
anyone like you among the kings all your days. 14 So if you
walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments,
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as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days."

15 Then Solomon awoke; and indeed it had been a dream. And
he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the
covenant of the Lord, offered up burnt offerings, offered
peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.
16 Now two women who were harlots came to the king, and
stood before him. 17 And one woman said, "O my lord, this
woman and I dwell in the same house; and I gave birth while
she was in the house. 18 Then it happened, the third day after
I had given birth, that this woman also gave birth. And we were
together; no one was with us in the house, except the two of
us in the house. 19 And this woman's son died in the night,
because she lay on him. 20 So she arose in the middle of the
night and took my son from my side, while your maidservant
slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my
bosom. 21 And when I rose in the morning to nurse my son,
there he was, dead. But when I had examined him in the
morning, indeed, he was not my son whom I had borne." 22
Then the other woman said, "No! But the living one is my son,
and the dead one is your son." And the first woman said, "No!
But the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son."
Thus they spoke before the king.
23 And the king said, "The one says, 'This is my son, who lives,
and your son is the dead one'; and the other says, 'No! But
your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.' “24
Then the king said, "Bring me a sword." So they brought a
sword before the king. 25 And the king said, "Divide the living
child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other." 26
Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for
she yearned with compassion for her son; and she said, "O my
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lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!" But
the other said, "Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide
him." 27 So the king answered and said, "Give the first woman
the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother."
28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had
rendered; and they feared the king, for they saw that the
wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.
And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great

understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the
seashore. 30 Thus Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of
all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For he
was wiser than all men--than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman,
Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all
the surrounding nations. 32 He spoke three thousand
proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five. 33 Also
he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon even to the
hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals,
of birds, of creeping things, and of fish. 34 And men of all
nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his
wisdom, came to hear the Wisdom of Solomon.
10 And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy
place that the cloud filled the house of the Lord, 11 so that the
priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud;
for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord. 12 Then
Solomon spoke:
"The Lord said He would dwell in the dark cloud.
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13 I have surely built you an exalted house,
And a place for you to dwell in forever."
14 Then the king turned around and blessed the whole

assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was
standing. 15 And he said: "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
who spoke with His mouth to my father David, and with His
hand has fulfilled it, saying, 16 'Since the day that I brought My
people Israel out of Egypt, I have chosen no city from any tribe
of Israel in which to build a house, that My name might be
there; but I chose David to be over My people Israel.' 17 Now
it was in the heart of my father David to build a temple for the
name of the Lord God of Israel. 18 But the Lord said to my
father David, 'Whereas it was in your heart to build a temple
for my name, you did well that it was in your heart. 19
Nevertheless you shall not build the temple, but your son who
will come from your body, he shall build the temple for my
name.' 20 So the Lord has fulfilled His word which He spoke;
and I have filled the position of my father David, and sit on the
throne of Israel, as the Lord promised; and I have built a
temple for the name of the Lord God of Israel. 21 And there I
have made a place for the ark, in which is the covenant of the
Lord which He made with our fathers, when He brought them
out of the land of Egypt."
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22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the

presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands
toward heaven; 23 and he said: "Lord God of Israel, there is no
God in heaven above or on earth below like You, who keep
Your covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before
You with all their hearts. 24 You have kept what you promised
your servant David my father; you have both spoken with your
mouth and fulfilled it with your hand, as it is this day. 25
Therefore, Lord God of Israel, now keep what You promised
Your servant David my father, saying, 'You shall not fail to have
a man sit before Me on the throne of Israel, only if your sons
take heed to their way, that they walk before Me as you have
walked before Me.' 26 And now I pray, O God of Israel, let Your
word come true, which You have spoken to Your servant David
my father. 27 But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold,
heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain you. How
much less this temple which I have built! 28 Yet regard the
prayer of Your servant and his supplication, O Lord my God,
and listen to the cry and the prayer which Your servant is
praying before You today: 29 that Your eyes may be open
toward this temple night and day, toward the place of which
You said, 'My name shall be there,' that You may hear the
prayer which Your servant makes toward this place. 30 And
may you hear the supplication of your servant and of your
people Israel, when they pray toward this place. Hear in
heaven your dwelling place; and when you hear, forgive.
31 "When anyone sins against his neighbor, and is forced to

take an oath, and comes and takes an oath before Your altar
in this temple, 32 then hear in heaven, and act, and judge Your
servants, condemning the wicked, bringing his way on his
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head, and justifying the righteous by giving him according to

his righteousness.
33 "When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy

because they have sinned against You, and when they turn
back to You and confess Your name, and pray and make
supplication to You in this temple, 34 then hear in heaven, and
forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to
the land which You gave to their fathers.
35 "When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain

because they have sinned against You, when they pray toward
this place and confess Your name, and turn from their sin
because You afflict them, 36 then hear in heaven, and forgive
the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, that You may
teach them the good way in which they should walk; and send
rain on Your land which You have given to Your people as an
inheritance.
37 "When there is famine in the land, pestilence or blight or

mildew, locusts or grasshoppers; when their enemy besieges
them in the land of their cities; whatever plague or whatever
sickness there is; 38 whatever prayer, whatever supplication
is made by anyone, or by all Your people Israel, when each one
knows the plague of his own heart, and spreads out his hands
toward this temple: 39 then hear in heaven Your dwelling
place, and forgive, and act, and give to everyone according to
all his ways, whose heart You know (for You alone know the
hearts of all the sons of men), 40 that they may fear You all
the days that they live in the land which You gave to our
fathers.
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41 "Moreover, concerning a foreigner, who is not of Your

people Israel, but has come from a far country for Your name's
sake 42 (for they will hear of Your great name and Your strong
hand and Your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays
toward this temple, 43 hear in heaven Your dwelling place,
and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You,
that all peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear
You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that
this temple which I have built is called by Your name.
44 "When Your people go out to battle against their enemy,

wherever You send them, and when they pray to the Lord
toward the city which You have chosen and the temple which
I have built for Your name, 45 then hear in heaven their prayer
and their supplication, and maintain their cause.
And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished building the

house of the Lord and the king's house, and all Solomon's
desire which he wanted to do, 2 that the Lord appeared to
Solomon the second time, as He had appeared to him at
Gibeon. 3 And the Lord said to him: "I have heard your prayer
and your supplication that you have made before me; I have
consecrated this house which you have built to put my name
there forever, and my eyes and my heart will be there
perpetually. 4 Now if you walk before Me as your father David
walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do
according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep
My statutes and My judgments, 5 then I will establish the
throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised
David your father, saying, 'You shall not fail to have a man on
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the throne of Israel.' 6 But if you or your sons at all turn from
following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My
statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other
gods and worship them, 7 then I will cut off Israel from the
land which I have given them; and this house which I have
consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight. Israel will
be a proverb and a byword among all peoples. 8 And as for this
house, which is exalted, everyone who passes by it will be
astonished and will hiss, and say, 'Why has the Lord done thus
to this land and to this house?' 9 Then they will answer,
'Because they forsook the Lord their God, who brought their
fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have embraced other
gods, and worshiped them and served them; therefore the
Lord has brought all this calamity on them.' "
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104
Chapter Nine
Elijah
God’s Offer to his Prophet to destroy False Priest
And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to

Ahab, "As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand,
there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my
word." 2 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 3 "Get
away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook
Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. 4 And it will be that you
shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens
to feed you there." 5 So he went and did according to the word
of the Lord, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith,
which flows into the Jordan. 6 The ravens brought him bread
and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening;
and he drank from the brook. 7 And it happened after a while
that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the
land.
8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 9 "Arise, go

to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I
have commanded a widow there to provide for you." 10 So he
arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate
of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he
called to her and said, "Please bring me a little water in a cup
that I may drink." 11 And as she was going to get it, he called
to her and said, "Please bring me a morsel of bread in your
hand." 12 So she said, "As the Lord your God lives, I do not
have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a
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jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in

and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and
die." 13 And Elijah said to her, "Do not fear; go and do as you
have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it
to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. 14
For thus says the Lord God of Israel: 'The bin of flour shall not
be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the
Lord sends rain on the earth.' “15 So she went away and did
according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her
household ate for many days. 16 The bin of flour was not used
up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the
Lord which He spoke by Elijah.
17 Now it happened after these things that the son of the

woman who owned the house became sick. And his sickness
was so serious that there was no breath left in him. 18 So she
said to Elijah, "What have I to do with you, O man of God?
Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to
kill my son?" 19 And he said to her, "Give me your son." So he
took him out of her arms and carried him to the upper room
where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed. 20 Then
he cried out to the Lord and said, "O Lord my God, have you
also brought tragedy on the widow with whom I lodge, by
killing her son?" 21 And he stretched himself out on the child
three times, and cried out to the Lord and said, "O Lord my
God, I pray, let this child's soul come back to him." 22 Then the
Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came
back to him, and he revived. 23 And Elijah took the child and
brought him down from the upper room into the house, and
gave him to his mother. And Elijah said, "See, your son lives!"
24 Then the woman said to Elijah, "Now by this I know that
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you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your
mouth is the truth."
And it came to pass after many days that the word of the Lord
came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, "Go, present yourself
to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth." 2 So Elijah went to
present himself to Ahab; and there was a severe famine in
Samaria. 3 And Ahab had called Obadiah, who was in charge
of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly. 4 For so it
was, while Jezebel massacred the prophets of the Lord, that
Obadiah had taken one hundred prophets and hidden them,
fifty to a cave, and had fed them with bread and water.) 5 And
Ahab had said to Obadiah, "Go into the land to all the springs
of water and to all the brooks; perhaps we may find grass to
keep the horses and mules alive, so that we will not have to
kill any livestock." 6 So they divided the land between them to
explore it; Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went
another way by himself.
7 Now as Obadiah was on his way, suddenly Elijah met him;

and he recognized him, and fell on his face, and said, "Is that
you, my lord Elijah?" 8 And he answered him, "It is I. Go, tell
your master, 'Elijah is here.' “9 So he said, "How I have sinned,
that you are delivering your servant into the hand of Ahab, to
kill me? 10 As the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or
kingdom where my master has not sent someone to hunt for
you; and when they said, 'He is not here,' he took an oath from
the kingdom or nation that they could not find you. 11 And
now you say, 'Go, tell your master, "Elijah is here" '! 12 And it
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shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from you that the

Spirit of the Lord will carry you to a place I do not know; so
when I go and tell Ahab, and he cannot find you, he will kill
me. But I your servant have feared the Lord from my youth. 13
Was it not reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel killed
the prophets of the Lord, how I hid one hundred men of the
Lord's prophets, fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and
water? 14 And now you say, 'Go, tell your master, "Elijah is
here." ‘He will kill me!" 15 Then Elijah said, "As the Lord of
hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely present myself
to him today." 16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told
him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
17 Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah that Ahab said to

him "Is that you, O troubler of Israel?" 18 And he answered, "I
have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house have,
in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and
have followed the Baals. 19 Now therefore, send and gather
all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty
prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of Asherah,
who eat at Jezebel's table."
20 So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the
prophets together on Mount Carmel. 21 And Elijah came to all
the people, and said, "How long will you falter between two
opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow
him." But the people answered him not a word. 22 Then Elijah
said to the people, "I alone am left a prophet of the Lord; but
Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. 23 Therefore
let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for
themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no
fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the
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wood, but put no fire under it. 24 Then you call on the name
of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the
God who answers by fire, He is God." So all the people
answered and said, "It is well spoken."
25 Now Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one bull

for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many; and call
on the name of your god, but put no fire under it." 26 So they
took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and
called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon,
saying, "O Baal, hear us!" But there was no voice; no one
answered. Then they leaped about the altar which they had
made. 27 And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and
said, "Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he
is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and
must be awakened." 28 So they cried aloud, and cut
themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances, until
the blood gushed out on them. 29 And when midday was past,
they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening
sacrifice. But there was no voice; no one answered, no one
paid attention.
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come near to me." So all
the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the
Lord that was broken down. 31 And Elijah took twelve stones,
according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to
whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, "Israel shall be
your name." 32 Then with the stones he built an altar in the
name of the Lord; and he made a trench around the altar large
enough to hold two seahs of seed. 33 And he put the wood in
order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said,
"Fill four waterpots with water, and pour it on the burnt
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sacrifice and on the wood." 34 Then he said, "Do it a second

time," and they did it a second time; and he said, "Do it a third
time," and they did it a third time. 35 So the water ran all
around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water. 36
And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening
sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, "Lord
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that
You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have
done all these things at Your word. 37 hear me, O Lord, hear
me, that this people may know that you are the Lord God, and
that you have turned their hearts back to you again." 38 Then
the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and
the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the
water that was in the trench. 39 Now when all the people saw
it, they fell on their faces; and they said, "The Lord, He is God!
The Lord, He is God!" 40 And Elijah said to them, "Seize the
prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape?" So they
seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook
Kishon and executed them there.
41 Then Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink; for there is
the sound of abundance of rain." 42 So Ahab went up to eat
and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he
bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his
knees, 43 and said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the
sea." So he went up and looked, and said, "There is nothing."
And seven times he said, "Go again." 44 Then it came to pass
the seventh time, that he said, "There is a cloud, as small as a
man's hand, rising out of the sea!" So he said, "Go up, say to
Ahab, 'prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain
stops you.' “45 Now it happened in the meantime that the sky
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became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy
rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jerel. 46 Then the hand
of the Lord came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and
ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jerel.
And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had
executed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent
a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So let the gods do to me, and
more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them
by tomorrow about this time." 3 And when he saw that, he
arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which
belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.
4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and

came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that
he might die, and said, "It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life,
for I am no better than my fathers!" 5 Then as he lay and slept
under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said
to him, "Arise and eat." 6 Then he looked, and there by his
head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate
and drank, and lay down again. 7 And the angel of the Lord
came back the second time, and touched him, and said, "Arise
and eat, because the journey is too great for you." 8 So he
arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that
food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain
of God.
9 And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that
place; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He
said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 10 So he said,
"I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the
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children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, torn down

your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone
am left; and they seek to take my life."
11 Then He said, "Go out, and stand on the mountain before

the Lord." And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and
strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in
pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and
after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the
earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord
was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. 13 So
it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his
mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave.
Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, "What are you doing
here, Elijah?" 14 And he said, "I have been very zealous for the
Lord God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken
your covenant, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets
with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life."
15 Then the Lord said to him: "Go, return on your way to the
Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael
as king over Syria. 16 Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of
Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of
Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. 17 It
shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will
kill; and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill. 18
Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees
have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed
him."
19 So he departed from there, and found Elisha the son of

Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before
him, and he was with the twelfth. Then Elijah passed by him
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and threw his mantle on him. 20 And he left the oxen and ran
after Elijah, and said, "Please let me kiss my father and my
mother, and then I will follow you." And he said to him, "Go
back again, for what I have done to you?" 21 So Elisha turned
back from him, and took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered them
and boiled their flesh, using the oxen's equipment, and gave it
to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah,
and became his servant.
And it came to pass, when the Lord was about to take up Elijah
into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from
Gilgal. 2 Then Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here, please, for the
Lord has sent me on to Bethel." But Elisha said, "As the Lord
lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!" So they went
down to Bethel. 3 Now the sons of the prophets who were at
Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, "Do you know that
the Lord will take away your master from over you today?"
And he said, "Yes, I know; keep silent!"
4 Then Elijah said to him, "Elisha, stay here, please, for the
Lord has sent me on to Jericho." But he said, "As the Lord lives,
and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!" So they came to
Jericho. 5 Now the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho
came to Elisha and said to him, "Do you know that the Lord
will take away your master from over you today?" So he
answered, "Yes, I know; keep silent!" 6 Then Elijah said to him,
"Stay here, please, for the Lord has sent me on to the Jordan."
But he said, "As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not
leave you!" So the two of them went on. 7 And fifty men of
the sons of the prophets went and stood facing them at a
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distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan. 8 Now

Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water; and
it was divided this way and that, so that the two of them
crossed over on dry ground.
9 And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said
to Elisha, "Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away
from you?" Elisha said, "Please let a double portion of your
spirit be upon me." 10 So he said, you have asked a hard thing.
Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall
be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so." 11 Then it
happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a
chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the
two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, "My father, my father,
the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!" So he saw him no
more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into
two pieces. 13 He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had
fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the
Jordan. 14 Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen
from him, and struck the water, and said, "Where is the Lord
God of Elijah?" And when he also had struck the water, it was
divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over. 15 Now
when the sons of the prophets who were from Jericho saw
him, they said, "The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha." And they
came to meet him, and bowed to the ground before him.
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Chapter Ten
Nehemiah
God’s offer to a King’s cup Bearer
The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. It came to pass

in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in
Shushan the citadel, 2 that Hanani one of my brethren came
with men from Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews
who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and
concerning Jerusalem. 3 And they said to me, "The survivors
who are left from the captivity in the province are there in
great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also
broken down, and its gates are burned with fire."
4 So it was, when I heard these words that I sat down and

wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying
before the God of heaven. 5 And I said: "I pray, Lord God of
heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your
covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe
Your commandments, 6 please let Your ear be attentive and
Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant
which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children
of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of
Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father's
house and I have sinned. 7 We have acted very corruptly
against you, and have not kept the commandments, the
statutes, nor the ordinances which you commanded your
servant Moses. 8 Remember, I pray, the word that You
commanded Your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful,
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I will scatter you among the nations; 9 but if you return to Me,
and keep My commandments and do them, though some of
you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will
gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I
have chosen as a dwelling for My name.' 10 Now these are
your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by
your great power, and by your strong hand. 11 O Lord, I pray,
please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant,
and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your
name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant
him mercy in the sight of this man." For I was the king's
cupbearer.
Neh 1:1-11 (NKJV)
1 And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth

year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I took
the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in
his presence before. 2 Therefore the king said to me, "Why is
your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but
sorrow of heart." So I became dreadfully afraid, 3 and said to
the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not
be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies
waste, and its gates are burned with fire?" 4 Then the king said
to me, "What do you request?" So I prayed to the God of
heaven. 5 And I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, and if
your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send
me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' tombs, that I may
rebuild it." 6 Then the king said to me (the queen also sitting
beside him), "How long will your journey be? And when will
you return?" So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a
time. 7 Furthermore I said to the king, "If it pleases the king,
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let letters be given to me for the governors of the region

beyond the River, that they must permit me to pass through
till I come to Judah, 8 and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the
king's forest, that he must give me timber to make beams for
the gates of the citadel which pertains to the temple, for the
city wall, and for the house that I will occupy." And the king
granted them to me according to the good hand of my God
upon me.
9 Then I went to the governors in the region beyond the River,

and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent
captains of the army and horsemen with me. 10 When
Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official
heard of it, they were deeply disturbed that a man had come
to seek the well-being of the children of Israel.
11 So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days. 12 Then

I arose in the night, I and a few men with me; I told no one
what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem; nor was
there any animal with me, except the one on which I rode. 13
And I went out by night through the Valley Gate to the Serpent
Well and the Refuse Gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem
which were broken down and its gates which were burned
with fire. 14 Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the
King's Pool, but there was no room for the animal under me to
pass. 15 So I went up in the night by the valley, and viewed the
wall; then I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and
so returned. 16 And the officials did not know where I had
gone or what I had done; I had not yet told the Jews, the
priests, the nobles, the officials, or the others who did the
work.
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17 Then I said to them, "You see the distress that we are in,
how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire.
Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no
longer be a reproach." 18 And I told them of the hand of my
God which had been good upon me, and also of the king's
words that he had spoken to me. So they said, "Let us rise up
and build." Then they set their hands to this good work. 19 But
when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official,
and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they laughed at us and
despised us, and said, "What is this thing that you are doing?
Will you rebel against the king?" 20 So I answered them, and
said to them, "The God of heaven Himself will prosper us;
therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no
heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem."
Neh 2:1-20 (NKJV)
1 Now it happened when Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab,

and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall,
and that there were no breaks left in it (though at that time I
had not hung the doors in the gates), 2 that Sanballat and
Geshem sent to me, saying, "Come, let us meet together
among the villages in the plain of Ono." But they thought to
do me harm. 3 So I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am
doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should
the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?" 4 But
they sent me this message four times, and I answered them in
the same manner. 5 Then Sanballat sent his servant to me as
before, the fifth time, with an open letter in his hand. 6 In it
was written:
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It is reported among the nations, and Geshem says, that you

and the Jews plan to rebel; therefore, according to these
rumors, you are rebuilding the wall, that you may be their
king. 7 And you have also appointed prophets to proclaim
concerning you at Jerusalem, saying, "There is a king in Judah!"
Now these matters will be reported to the king. So come,
therefore, and let us consult together.
8 Then I sent to him, saying, "No such things as you say are
being done, but you invent them in your own heart." 9 For
they all were trying to make us afraid, saying, "Their hands will
be weakened in the work, and it will not be done."
Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.
10 Afterward I came to the house of Shemaiah the son of

Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was a secret informer; and
he said, "Let us meet together in the house of God, within the
temple, and let us close the doors of the temple, for they are
coming to kill you; indeed, at night they will come to kill you."
11 And I said, "Should such a man as I flee? And who is there
such as I who would go into the temple to save his life? I will
not go in!" 12 Then I perceived that God had not sent him at
all, but that he pronounced this prophecy against me because
Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 For this reason he was
hired, that I should be afraid and act that way and sin, so that
they might have cause for an evil report, that they might
reproach me.
14 My God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat, according to

these their works, and the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of
the prophets who would have made me afraid.
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15 So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in

fifty-two days. 16 And it happened, when all our enemies
heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that
they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they
perceived that this work was done by our God.
17 Also in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to

Tobiah, and the letters of Tobiah came to them. 18 For many
in Judah were pledged to him, because he was the son-in-law
of Shechaniah the son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had
married the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah. 19
Also they reported his good deeds before me, and reported
my words to him. Tobiah sent letters to frighten me.
Neh 6:1-19 (NKJV)
On that day they read from the Book of Moses in the hearing
of the people, and in it was found written that no Ammonite
or Moabite should ever come into the assembly of God, 2
because they had not met the children of Israel with bread and
water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them.
However, our God turned the curse into a blessing. 3 So it was,
when they had heard the Law, that they separated all the
mixed multitude from Israel.
4 Now before this, Eliashib the priest, having authority over

the storerooms of the house of our God, was allied with
Tobiah. 5 And he had prepared for him a large room, where
previously they had stored the grain offerings, the
frankincense, the articles, the tithes of grain, the new wine
and oil, which were commanded to be given to the Levites and
singers and gatekeepers, and the offerings for the priests. 6
But during all this I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-
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second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had returned to

the king. Then after certain days I obtained leave from the
king, 7 and I came to Jerusalem and discovered the evil that
Eliashib had done for Tobiah, in preparing a room for him in
the courts of the house of God. 8 And it grieved me bitterly;
therefore I threw all the household goods of Tobiah out of the
room. 9 Then I commanded them to cleanse the rooms; and I
brought back into them the articles of the house of God, with
the grain offering and the frankincense.
10 I also realized that the portions for the Levites had not been
given them; for each of the Levites and the singers who did the
work had gone back to his field. 11 So I contended with the
rulers, and said, "Why is the house of God forsaken?" And I
gathered them together and set them in their place. 12 Then
all Judah brought the tithe of the grain and the new wine and
the oil to the storehouse. 13 And I appointed as treasurers
over the storehouse Shelemiah the priest and Zadok the
scribe, and of the Levites, Pedaiah; and next to them was
Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah; for they were
considered faithful, and their task was to distribute to their
brethren.
14 Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe

out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God,
and for its services!
15 In those days I saw people in Judah treading wine presses

on the Sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and loading donkeys
with wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of burdens, which they
brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I warned
them about the day on which they were selling provisions. 16
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Men of Tyre dwelt there also, who brought in fish and all kinds
of goods, and sold them on the Sabbath to the children of
Judah, and in Jerusalem. 17 Then I contended with the nobles
of Judah, and said to them, "What evil thing is this that you do,
by which you profane the Sabbath day? 18 Did not your
fathers do thus, and did not our God bring all this disaster on
us and on this city? Yet you bring added wrath on Israel by
profaning the Sabbath."
19 So it was, at the gates of Jerusalem, as it began to be dark

before the Sabbath, that I commanded the gates to be shut,
and charged that they must not be opened till after the
Sabbath. Then I posted some of my servants at the gates, so
that no burdens would be brought in on the Sabbath day. 20
Now the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged
outside Jerusalem once or twice. 21 Then I warned them, and
said to them, "Why do you spend the night around the wall? If
you do so again, I will lay hands on you!" From that time on
they came no more on the Sabbath. 22 And I commanded the
Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they
should go and guard the gates, to sanctify the Sabbath day.
Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me
according to the greatness of Your mercy!
23 In those days I also saw Jews who had married women of

Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. 24 And half of their children
spoke the language of Ashdod, and could not speak the
language of Judah, but spoke according to the language of one
or the other people. 25 So I contended with them and cursed
them, struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and made
them swear by God, saying, "You shall not give your daughters
as wives to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons
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or yourselves. 26 Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these

things? Yet among many nations there was no king like him,
who was beloved of his God; and God made him king over all
Israel. Nevertheless pagan women caused even him to sin. 27
Should we then hear of your doing all this great evil,
transgressing against our God by marrying pagan women?"
28 And one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high
priest, was a son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite; therefore I
drove him from me.
29 Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the

priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the
Levites.
30 Thus I cleansed them of everything pagan. I also assigned

duties to the priests and the Levites, each to his service, 31
and to bringing the wood offering and the firstfruits at
appointed times.
Remember me, O my God, for good!
Neh 13:1-31 (NKJV)
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Chapter Eleven
Esther
God’s offer to a Queen
5 In Shushan the citadel there was a certain Jew whose name

was Mordecai the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of
Kish, a Benjamite. 6 Kish had been carried away from
Jerusalem with the captives who had been captured with
Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of
Babylon had carried away. 7 And Mordecai had brought up
Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter, for she had
neither father nor mother. The young woman was lovely and
beautiful. When her father and mother died, Mordecai took
her as his own daughter.
8 So it was, when the king's command and decree were heard,

and when many young women were gathered at Shushan the
citadel, under the custody of Hegai, that Esther also was taken
to the king's palace, into the care of Hegai the custodian of the
women. 9 Now the young woman pleased him, and she
obtained his favor; so he readily gave beauty preparations to
her, besides her allowance. Then seven choice maidservants
were provided for her from the king's palace, and he moved
her and her maidservants to the best place in the house of the
women. 10 Esther had not revealed her people or family, for
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Mordecai had charged her not to reveal it. 11 And every day
Mordecai paced in front of the court of the women's quarters,
to learn of Esther's welfare and what was happening to her.
12 Each young woman's turn came to go in to King Ahasuerus

after she had completed twelve months' preparation,
according to the regulations for the women, for thus were the
days of their preparation apportioned: six months with oil of
myrrh, and six months with perfumes and preparations for
beautifying women. 13 Thus prepared, each young woman
went to the king, and she was given whatever she desired to
take with her from the women's quarters to the king's palace.
14 In the evening she went, and in the morning she returned
to the second house of the women, to the custody of
Shaashgaz, the king's eunuch who kept the concubines. She
would not go in to the king again unless the king delighted in
her and called for her by name.
15 Now when the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail
the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his daughter, to
go in to the king, she requested nothing but what Hegai the
king's eunuch, the custodian of the women, advised. And
Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her. 16 So
Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in
the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh
year of his reign. 17 The king loved Esther more than all the
other women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight
more than all the virgins; so he set the royal crown upon her
head and made her queen instead of Vashti. 18 Then the king
made a great feast, the Feast of Esther, for all his officials and
servants; and he proclaimed a holiday in the provinces and
gave gifts according to the generosity of a king.
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19 When virgins were gathered together a second time,

Mordecai sat within the king's gate. 20 Now Esther had not
revealed her family and her people, just as Mordecai had
charged her, for Esther obeyed the command of Mordecai as
when she was brought up by him.
21 In those days, while Mordecai sat within the king's gate,

two of the king's eunuchs, Bigthan and Teresh, doorkeepers,
became furious and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. 22
So the matter became known to Mordecai, who told Queen
Esther, and Esther informed the king in Mordecai's name. 23
And when an inquiry was made into the matter, it was
confirmed, and both were hanged on a gallows; and it was
written in the book of the chronicles in the presence of the
king.
Esth 2:5-23 (NKJV)
1 When Mordecai learned all that had happened, he tore his

clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the
midst of the city. He cried out with a loud and bitter cry. 2 He
went as far as the front of the king's gate, for no one might
enter the king's gate clothed with sackcloth. 3 And in every
province where the king's command and decree arrived, there
was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping,
and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.
4 So Esther's maids and eunuchs came and told her, and the
queen was deeply distressed. Then she sent garments to
clothe Mordecai and take his sackcloth away from him, but he
would not accept them. 5 Then Esther called Hathach, one of
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the king's eunuchs whom he had appointed to attend her, and

she gave him a command concerning Mordecai, to learn what
and why this was. 6 So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the
city square that was in front of the king's gate. 7 And Mordecai
told him all that had happened to him, and the sum of money
that Haman had promised to pay into the king's treasuries to
destroy the Jews. 8 He also gave him a copy of the written
decree for their destruction, which was given at Shushan, that
he might show it to Esther and explain it to her, and that he
might command her to go in to the king to make supplication
to him and plead before him for her people. 9 So Hathach
returned and told Esther the words of Mordecai.
10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a command

for Mordecai: 11 "All the king's servants and the people of the
king's provinces know that any man or woman who goes into
the inner court to the king, who has not been called, he has
but one law: put all to death, except the one to whom the king
holds out the golden scepter, that he may live. Yet I myself
have not been called to go in to the king these thirty days." 12
So they told Mordecai Esther's words.
13 And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: "Do not think in

your heart that you will escape in the king's palace any more
than all the other Jews. 14 For if you remain completely silent
at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from
another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet
who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a
time as this?" 15 Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai:
16 "Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and
fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day.
My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king,
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which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!" 17 So

Mordecai went his way and did according to all that Esther
commanded him.
Esth 4:1-17 (NKJV)
1 Now it happened on the third day that Esther put on her

royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king's palace,
across from the king's house, while the king sat on his royal
throne in the royal house, facing the entrance of the house. 2
So it was, when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the
court, that she found favor in his sight, and the king held out
to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther
went near and touched the top of the scepter. 3 And the king
said to her, "What do you wish, Queen Esther? What is your
request? It shall be given to you--up to half the kingdom!" 4 So
Esther answered, "If it pleases the king, let the king and Haman
come today to the banquet that I have prepared for him." 5
Then the king said, "Bring Haman quickly, that he may do as
Esther has said." So the king and Haman went to the banquet
that Esther had prepared.
6 At the banquet of wine the king said to Esther, "What is your

petition? It shall be granted you. What is your request, up to
half the kingdom? It shall be done!" 7 Then Esther answered
and said, "My petition and request is this: 8 If I have found
favor in the sight of the king, and if it pleases the king to grant
my petition and fulfill my request, then let the king and Haman
come to the banquet which I will prepare for them, and
tomorrow I will do as the king has said."
9 So Haman went out that day joyful and with a glad heart; but
when Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, and that he did
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not stand or tremble before him, he was filled with indignation

against Mordecai. 10 Nevertheless Haman restrained himself
and went home, and he sent and called for his friends and his
wife Zeresh. 11 Then Haman told them of his great riches, the
multitude of his children, everything in which the king had
promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the
officials and servants of the king. 12 Moreover Haman said,
"Besides, Queen Esther invited no one but me to come in with
the king to the banquet that she prepared; and tomorrow I am
again invited by her, along with the king. 13 Yet all this avails
me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the
king's gate." 14 Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to
him, "Let a gallows be made, fifty cubits high, and in the
morning suggest to the king that Mordecai be hanged on it;
then go merrily with the king to the banquet." And the thing
pleased Haman; so he had the gallows made.
Esth 5:1-14 (NKJV)
So the king and Haman went to dine with Queen Esther. 2 And
on the second day, at the banquet of wine, the king again said
to Esther, "What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be
granted you. And what is your request, up to half the
kingdom? It shall be done!" 3 Then Queen Esther answered
and said, "If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it
pleases the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and
my people at my request. 4 For we have been sold, my people
and I, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. Had
we been sold as male and female slaves, I would have held my
tongue, although the enemy could never compensate for the
king's loss."
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5 So King Ahasuerus answered and said to Queen Esther,

"Who is he, and where is he, who would dare presume in his
heart to do such a thing?" 6 And Esther said, "The adversary
and enemy is this wicked Haman!" So Haman was terrified
before the king and queen.
7 Then the king arose in his wrath from the banquet of wine
and went into the palace garden; but Haman stood before
Queen Esther, pleading for his life, for he saw that evil was
determined against him by the king. 8 When the king returned
from the palace garden to the place of the banquet of wine,
Haman had fallen across the couch where Esther was. Then
the king said, "Will he also assault the queen while I am in the
house?" As the word left the king's mouth, they covered
Haman's face. 9 Now Harbonah, one of the eunuchs, said to
the king, "Look! The gallows, fifty cubits high, which Haman
made for Mordecai, who spoke good on the king's behalf, is
standing at the house of Haman." Then the king said, "Hang
him on it!" 10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he
had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king's wrath subsided.
Esth 7:1-10 (NKJV)
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Chapter Twelve
Job
God’s offer to Satan to defeat his Servant
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There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and
that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God
and shunned evil. 2 And seven sons and three daughters were
born to him. 3 Also, his possessions were seven thousand
sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five
hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that
this man was the greatest of all the people of the East.
4 And his sons would go and feast in their houses, each on his
appointed day, and would send and invite their three sisters
to eat and drink with them. 5 So it was, when the days of
feasting had run their course that Job would send and sanctify
them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt
offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, "It
may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their
hearts." Thus Job did regularly.
6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present
themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among
them. 7 And the Lord said to Satan, "From where do you
come?" So Satan answered the Lord and said, "From going to
and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it."
8 Then the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered my
servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a
blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns
evil?" 9 So Satan answered the Lord and said, "Does Job fear
God for nothing? 10 Have you not made a hedge around him,
around his household, and around all that he has on every
side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his
possessions have increased in the land. 11 But now, stretch
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out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely
curse you to your face!" 12 And the Lord said to Satan,
"Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand
on his person." So Satan went out from the presence of the
Lord.
13 Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were
eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house; 14
and a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were
plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, 15 when the
Sabeans raided them and took them away--indeed they have
killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone
have escaped to tell you!" 16 While he was still speaking,
another also came and said, "The fire of God fell from heaven
and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed
them; and I alone have escaped to tell you!" 17 While he was
still speaking, another also came and said, "The Chaldeans
formed three bands, raided the camels and took them away,
yes, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I
alone have escaped to tell you!" 18 While he was still speaking,
another also came and said, "Your sons and daughters were
eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, 19
and suddenly a great wind came from across the wilderness
and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the
young people, and they are dead; and I alone have escaped to
tell you!"
20 Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he
fell to the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said:
"Naked I came from my mother's womb,
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And naked shall I return there.
The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;
Blessed be the name of the Lord."
22 In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.
Job 1:1-22 (NKJV)
Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present
themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them
to present himself before the Lord. 2 And the Lord said to
Satan, "From where do you come?" So Satan answered the
Lord and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from
walking back and forth on it." 3 Then the Lord said to Satan,
"Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like
him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears
God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity,
although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without
cause." 4 So Satan answered the Lord and said, "Skin for skin!
Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. 5 But stretch out
Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will
surely curse You to Your face!" 6 And the Lord said to Satan,
"Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life."
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7 So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and struck
Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of
his head. 8 And he took for himself a potsherd with which to
scrape himself while he sat in the midst of the ashes.
9 Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast to your
integrity? Curse God and die!" 10 But he said to her, "You
speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed
accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?" In
all this Job did not sin with his lips.
11 Now when Job's three friends heard of all this adversity

that had come upon him, each one came from his own place-
-Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the
Naamathite. For they had made an appointment together to
come and mourn with him, and to comfort him. 12 And when
they raised their eyes from afar, and did not recognize him,
they lifted their voices and wept; and each one tore his robe
and sprinkled dust on his head toward heaven. 13 So they sat
down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights,
and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief
was very great.
Job 2:1-13 (NKJV)
After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his
birth. 2 And Job spoke, and said:
3 "May the day perish on which I was born,
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And the night in which it was said,
'A male child is conceived.'
4 May that day be darkness;
May God above not seek it,
Nor the light shine upon it.
5 May darkness and the shadow of death claim it;
May a cloud settle on it;
May the blackness of the day terrify it.
6 As for that night, may darkness seize it;
May it not rejoice among the days of the year,
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May it not come into the number of the months.
7 Oh, may that night be barren!
May no joyful shout come into it!
8 May those curse it who curse the day,
Those who are ready to arouse Leviathan.
9 May the stars of its morning be dark;
May it look for light, but have none,
And not see the dawning of the day;
10 Because it did not shut up the doors of my mother's womb,
Nor hide sorrow from my eyes.
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11 "Why did I not die at birth?
Why did I not perish when I came from the womb?
12 Why did the knees receive me?
Or why the breasts, that I should nurse?
13 For now I would have lain still and been quiet,
I would have been asleep;
Then I would have been at rest
14 With kings and counselors of the earth,
Who built ruins for themselves,
15 Or with princes who had gold,
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Who filled their houses with silver;
16 Or why was I not hidden like a stillborn child,
Like infants who never saw light?
17 There the wicked cease from troubling,
And there the weary are at rest.
18 There the prisoners rest together;
They do not hear the voice of the oppressor.
19 The small and great are there,
And the servant is free from his master.
20 "Why is light given to him who is in misery,
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And life to the bitter of soul,
21 Who long for death, but it does not come,
And search for it more than hidden treasures;
22 Who rejoice exceedingly,
And are glad when they can find the grave?
23 Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden,
And whom God has hedged in?
24 For my sighing comes before I eat,
And my groanings pour out like water.
25 For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me,
And what I dreaded has happened to me.
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26 I am not at ease, nor am I quiet;
I have no rest, for trouble comes."
Job 3:1-26 (NKJV)
Then Job answered the Lord and said:
2 "I know that You can do everything,
And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.
3 You asked, 'Who is this who hides counsel without

knowledge?'
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
4 Listen, please, and let me speak;
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You said, 'I will question you, and you shall answer Me.'
5 "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear,
But now my eye sees You.
6 Therefore I abhor myself,
And repent in dust and ashes."
7 And so it was, after the Lord had spoken these words to Job,
that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "My wrath is
aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not
spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has. 8 Now
therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, go
to My servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering;
and My servant Job shall pray for you. For I will accept him,
lest I deal with you according to your folly; because you have
not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has." 9 So
Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the
Naamathite went and did as the Lord commanded them; for
the Lord had accepted Job. 10 And the Lord restored Job's
losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave
Job twice as much as he had before. 11 Then all his brothers,
all his sisters, and all those who had been his acquaintances
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before, came to him and ate food with him in his house; and
they consoled him and comforted him for all the adversity that
the Lord had brought upon him. Each one gave him a piece of
silver and each a ring of gold. 12 Now the Lord blessed the
latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen
thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of
oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. 13 He also had seven
sons and three daughters. 14 And he called the name of the
first Jemimah, the name of the second Keziah, and the name
of the third Keren-Happuch. 15 In all the land were found no
women so beautiful as the daughters of Job; and their father
gave them an inheritance among their brothers. 16 After this
Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children
and grandchildren for four generations. 17 So Job died, old
and full of days.
Job 42:1-17 (NKJV)
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Chapter Thirteen
Jeremiah
God’s offer to his Prophet
The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who

were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the word
of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king
of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in
the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the
end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of
Judah, until the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth
month.
4 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;
Before you were born I sanctified you;
I ordained you a prophet to the nations."
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6 Then said I:
"Ah, Lord God!
Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth."
7 But the Lord said to me:
"Do not say, 'I am a youth,'
For you shall go to all to whom I send you,
And whatever I command you, you shall speak.
8 Do not be afraid of their faces,
For I am with you to deliver you," says the Lord.
9 Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth,
and the Lord said to me:
"Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.
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10 See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the
kingdoms,
To root out and to pull down,
To destroy and to throw down,
To build and to plant."
11 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

"Jeremiah, what do you see?" And I said, "I see a branch of an
almond tree." 12 Then the Lord said to me, "You have seen
well, for I am ready to perform my word."
13 And the word of the Lord came to me the second time,

saying, "What do you see?" And I said, "I see a boiling pot, and
it is facing away from the north." 14 Then the Lord said to me:
"Out of the north calamity shall break forth
On all the inhabitants of the land.
15 For behold, I am calling
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All the families of the kingdoms of the north," says the Lord;
"They shall come and each one set his throne
At the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem,
Against all its walls all around,
And against all the cities of Judah.
16 I will utter my judgments
Against them concerning all their wickedness,
Because they have forsaken me,
Burned incense to other gods,
And worshiped the works of their own hands.
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17 "Therefore prepare yourself and arise,
And speak to them all that I command you.
Do not be dismayed before their faces,
Lest I dismay you before them.
18 For behold, I have made you this day
A fortified city and an iron pillar,
And bronze walls against the whole land--
Against the kings of Judah,
Against its princes,
Against its priests,
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And against the people of the land.
19 They will fight against you,
But they shall not prevail against you.
For I am with you," says the Lord, "to deliver you."
Jeer 1:1-19 (NKJV)
"If you will return, O Israel," says the Lord,
"Return to Me;
And if you will put away your abominations out of My sight,
Then you shall not be moved.
2 And you shall swear, 'The Lord lives,'
In truth, in judgment, and in righteousness;
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The nations shall bless themselves in Him,
And in Him they shall glory."
3 For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem:
"Break up your fallow ground,
And do not sow among thorns.
4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord,
And take away the foreskins of your hearts,
You men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
Lest My fury come forth like fire,
And burn so that no one can quench it,
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Because of the evil of your doings."
5 Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say:
"Blow the trumpet in the land;
Cry, 'Gather together,'
And say, 'Assemble yourselves,
And let us go into the fortified cities.'
6 Set up the standard toward Zion.
Take refuge! Do not delay!
For I will bring disaster from the north,
And great destruction."
7 The lion has come up from his thicket,
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And the destroyer of nations is on his way.
He has gone forth from his place
To make your land desolate.
Your cities will be laid waste,
Without inhabitant.
8 For this, clothe yourself with sackcloth,
Lament and wail.
For the fierce anger of the Lord
Has not turned back from us.
9 "And it shall come to pass in that day," says the Lord,
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"That the heart of the king shall perish,
And the heart of the princes;
The priests shall be astonished,
And the prophets shall wonder."
10 Then I said, "Ah, Lord God!
Surely You have greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem,
Saying, 'You shall have peace,'
Whereas the sword reaches to the heart."
11 At that time it will be said
To this people and to Jerusalem,
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"A dry wind of the desolate heights blows in the wilderness
Toward the daughter of My people--
Not to fan or to cleanse--
12 A wind too strong for these will come for Me;
Now I will also speak judgment against them."
13 "Behold, he shall come up like clouds,
And his chariots like a whirlwind.
His horses are swifter than eagles.
Woe to us, for we are plundered!"
14 O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness,
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That you may be saved.
How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you?
15 For a voice declares from Dan
And proclaims affliction from Mount Ephraim:
16 "Make mention to the nations,
Yes, proclaim against Jerusalem,
That watchers come from a far country
And raise their voice against the cities of Judah.
17 Like keepers of a field they are against her all around,
Because she has been rebellious against Me," says the Lord.
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18 "Your ways and your doings
Have procured these things for you.
This is your wickedness,
Because it is bitter,
Because it reaches to your heart."
19 O my soul, my soul!
I am pained in my very heart!
My heart makes a noise in me;
I cannot hold my peace,
Because you have heard, O my soul,
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The sound of the trumpet,
The alarm of war.
20 Destruction upon destruction is cried,
For the whole land is plundered.
Suddenly my tents are plundered,
And my curtains in a moment.
21 How long will I see the standard,
And hear the sound of the trumpet?
22 "For My people are foolish,
They have not known Me.
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They are silly children,
And they have no understanding.
They are wise to do evil,
But to do good they have no knowledge."
23 I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form, and

void;
And the heavens, they had no light.
24 I beheld the mountains, and indeed they trembled,
And all the hills moved back and forth.
25 I beheld, and indeed there was no man,
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And all the birds of the heavens had fled.
26 I beheld, and indeed the fruitful land was a wilderness,
And all its cities were broken down
At the presence of the Lord,
By His fierce anger.
27 For thus says the Lord:
"The whole land shall be desolate;
Yet I will not make a full end.
28 For this shall the earth mourn,
And the heavens above be black,
Because I have spoken.
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I have purposed and will not relent,
Nor will I turn back from it.
29 The whole city shall flee from the noise of the horsemen
and bowmen.
They shall go into thickets and climb up on the rocks.
Every city shall be forsaken,
And not a man shall dwell in it.
30 "And when you are plundered,
What will you do?
Though you clothe yourself with crimson,
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Though you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold,
Though you enlarge your eyes with paint,
In vain you will make yourself fair;
Your lovers will despise you;
They will seek your life.
31 "For I have heard a voice as of a woman in labor,
The anguish as of her who brings forth her first child,
The voice of the daughter of Zion bewailing herself;
She spreads her hands, saying,
'Woe is me now, for my soul is weary
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Because of murderers!'
Jer 4:1-31 (NKJV)
The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2

"Stand in the gate of the Lord's house, and proclaim there this
word, and say, 'Hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah who
enter in at these gates to worship the Lord!' " 3 Thus says the
Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: "Amend your ways and your
doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. 4 Do not trust
in these lying words, saying, 'The temple of the Lord, the
temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are these.' 5 For if
you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings, if you
thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his
neighbor, 6 if you do not oppress the stranger, the fatherless,
and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place,
or walk after other gods to your hurt, 7 then I will cause you
to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers
forever and ever.
8 "Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit. 9 Will

you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn
incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not
know, 10 and then come and stand before Me in this house
which is called by My name, and say, 'We are delivered to do
all these abominations'? 11 Has this house, which is called by
My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I,
even I, have seen it," says the Lord.
12 "But go now to My place which was in Shiloh, where I set

My name at the first, and see what I did to it because of the
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wickedness of My people Israel. 13 And now, because you

have done all these works," says the Lord, "and I spoke to you,
rising up early and speaking, but you did not hear, and I called
you, but you did not answer, 14 therefore I will do to the house
which is called by My name, in which you trust, and to this
place which I gave to you and your fathers, as I have done to
Shiloh. 15 And I will cast you out of My sight, as I have cast out
all your brethren--the whole posterity of Ephraim.
16 "Therefore do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or

prayer for them, nor make intercession to Me; for I will not
hear you. 17 Do you not see what they do in the cities of Judah
and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The children gather wood,
the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough, to
make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink
offerings to other gods, that they may provoke Me to anger.
19 Do they provoke Me to anger?" says the Lord. "Do they not
provoke themselves, to the shame of their own faces?" 20
Therefore thus says the Lord God: "Behold, My anger and My
fury will be poured out on this place--on man and on beast, on
the trees of the field and on the fruit of the ground. And it will
burn and not be quenched."
Jer 7:1-20 (NKJV)
1 "Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep

of My pasture!" says the Lord. 2 Therefore thus says the Lord
God of Israel against the shepherds who feed My people: "You
have scattered My flock, driven them away, and not attended
to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your
doings," says the Lord. 3 "But I will gather the remnant of My
flock out of all countries where I have driven them, and bring
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them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and

increase. 4 I will set up shepherds over them who will feed
them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall
they be lacking," says the Lord.
5 "Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord,
"That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness;
A King shall reign and prosper,
And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.
6 In His days Judah will be saved,
And Israel will dwell safely;
Now this is His name by which He will be called:
THE LORD OUR
RIGHTEOUSNESS.
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7 "Therefore, behold, the days are coming," says the Lord,

"that they shall no longer say, 'As the Lord lives who brought
up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt,' 8 but, 'As the
Lord lives who brought up and led the descendants of the
house of Israel from the north country and from all the
countries where I had driven them.' And they shall dwell in
their own land."
9 My heart within me is broken
Because of the prophets;
All my bones shake.
I am like a drunken man,
And like a man whom wine has overcome,
Because of the Lord,
And because of His holy words.
10 For the land is full of adulterers;
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For because of a curse the land mourns.
The pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up.
Their course of life is evil,
And their might is not right.
11 "For both prophet and priest are profane;
Yes, in My house I have found their wickedness," says the Lord.
12 "Therefore their way shall be to them
Like slippery ways;
In the darkness they shall be driven on
And fall in them;
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For I will bring disaster on them,
The year of their punishment," says the Lord.
13 "And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria:
They prophesied by Baal
And caused My people Israel to err.
14 Also I have seen a horrible thing in the prophets of

Jerusalem:
They commit adultery and walk in lies;
They also strengthen the hands of evildoers,
So that no one turns back from his wickedness.
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All of them are like Sodom to Me,
And her inhabitants like Gomorrah.
15 "Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the

prophets:
'Behold, I will feed them with wormwood,
And make them drink the water of gall;
For from the prophets of Jerusalem
Profaneness has gone out into all the land.' "
16 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
"Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to

you.
They make you worthless;
They speak a vision of their own heart,
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Not from the mouth of the Lord.
17 They continually say to those who despise Me,
'The Lord has said, "You shall have peace" ';
And to everyone who walks according to the dictates of his

own heart, they say,
'No evil shall come upon you.' "
18 For who has stood in the counsel of the Lord,
And has perceived and heard His word?
Who has marked His word and heard it?
19 Behold, a whirlwind of the Lord has gone forth in fury--
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A violent whirlwind!
It will fall violently on the head of the wicked.
20 The anger of the Lord will not turn back
Until He has executed and performed the thoughts of His

heart.
In the latter days you will understand it perfectly.
21 "I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran.
I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.
22 But if they had stood in My counsel,
And had caused My people to hear My words,
Then they would have turned them from their evil way
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And from the evil of their doings.
23 "Am I a God near at hand," says the Lord,
"And not a God afar off?
24 Can anyone hide himself in secret places,
So I shall not see him?" says the Lord;
"Do I not fill heaven and earth?" says the Lord.
25 "I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy
lies in My name, saying, 'I have dreamed, I have dreamed!'
26 How long will this be in the heart of the prophets who

prophesy lies? Indeed they are prophets of the deceit of their
own heart, 27 who try to make My people forget My name by
their dreams which everyone tells his neighbor, as their
fathers forgot My name for Baal.
28 "The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream;
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And he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully.
What is the chaff to the wheat?" says the Lord.
29 "Is not My word like a fire?" says the Lord,
"And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?
30 "Therefore behold, I am against the prophets," says the

Lord, "who steal My words every one from his neighbor. 31
Behold, I am against the prophets," says the Lord, "who use
their tongues and say, 'He says.' 32 Behold, I am against those
who prophesy false dreams," says the Lord, "and tell them,
and cause My people to err by their lies and by their
recklessness. Yet I did not send them or command them;
therefore they shall not profit this people at all," says the Lord.
33 "So when these people or the prophet or the priest ask you,
saying, 'What is the oracle of the Lord?' you shall then say to
them, 'What oracle?' I will even forsake you," says the Lord. 34
And as for the prophet and the priest and the people who say,
'The oracle of the Lord!' I will even punish that man and his
house. 35 Thus every one of you shall say to his neighbor, and
every one to his brother, 'What has the Lord answered?' and,
'What has the Lord spoken?' 36 And the oracle of the Lord you
shall mention no more. For every man's word will be his
oracle, for you have perverted the words of the living God, the
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Lord of hosts, our God. 37 Thus you shall say to the prophet,
'What has the Lord answered you?' and, 'What has the Lord
spoken?' 38 But since you say, 'The oracle of the Lord!'
therefore thus says the Lord: 'Because you say this word, "The
oracle of the Lord!" and I have sent to you, saying, "Do not say,
'The oracle of the Lord!' " 39 therefore behold, I, even I, will
utterly forget you and forsake you, and the city that I gave you
and your fathers, and will cast you out of My presence. 40 And
I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual
shame, which shall not be forgotten.' "
Jer 23:1-40 (NKJV)
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178
Chapter Fourteen
Jesus
God’s offer to his Son of glory and Savior of the World
1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days

of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to
Jerusalem, 2 saying, "Where is He who has been born King of
the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come
to worship Him." 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was
troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had
gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people
together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
5 So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is
written by the prophet:
6 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd my people Israel.' "
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7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men,

determined from them what time the star appeared.
8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search

carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him,
bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him
also." 9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold,
the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till
it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When
they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11
And when they had come into the house, they saw the young
Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him.
And when they had opened their treasures, they presented
gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 Then, being
divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to
Herod, they departed for their own country another way.
13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord

appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, take the young
Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring
you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him."
14 When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by
night and departed for Egypt, 15 and was there until the death
of Herod that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the
Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called My
Son."
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise

men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to
death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all
its districts, from two years old and under, according to the
time which he had determined from the wise men. 17 Then
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was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet,

saying:
18 "A voice was heard in Ramah,
Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted,
Because they are no more."
19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord

appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, "Arise, take
the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel,
for those who sought the young Child's life are dead." 21 Then
he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into
the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was
reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid
to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned
aside into the region of Galilee. 23 And he came and dwelt in
a city called Nazareth that it might be fulfilled which was
spoken by the prophets, "He shall be called a Nazarene."
Matt 2:1-23 (NKJV)
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In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the

wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand!" 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the
prophet Isaiah, saying:
"The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
'Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.' "
4 And John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather

belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.
5 Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the
Jordan went out to him 6 and were baptized by him in the
Jordan, confessing their sins. 7 But when he saw many of the
Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to
them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the
wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,
9 and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as
our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children
to Abraham from these stones. 10 And even now the ax is laid
to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not
bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 I
indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who
is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not
worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and
fire. 12 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will
thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat
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into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable
fire."
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be

baptized by him. 14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I
need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?" 15
But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now,
for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he
allowed Him. 16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up
immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were
opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like
a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 And suddenly a voice came
from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am
well pleased."
Matt 3:1-17 (NKJV)
1 And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave

them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal
all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. 2 Now the names
of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called
Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and
John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and
Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and
Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the
Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.
5 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying:

"Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city
of the Samaritans. 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the
house of Israel. 7 And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom
of heaven is at hand.' 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise
the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely
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give. 9 Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your

money belts, 10 nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor
sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food. 11 Now
whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy,
and stay there till you go out. 12 And when you go into a
household, greet it. 13 If the household is worthy, let your
peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace
return to you. 14 And whoever will not receive you nor hear
your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake
off the dust from your feet. 15 Assuredly, I say to you, it will
be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the
day of judgment than for that city!
16 "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.

Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. 17 But
beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and
scourge you in their synagogues. 18 You will be brought before
governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and
to the Gentiles. 19 But when they deliver you up, do not worry
about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to
you in that hour what you should speak; 20 for it is not you
who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. 21
Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his
child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them
to be put to death. 22 And you will be hated by all for My
name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. 23
When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For
assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the
cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. 24 A disciple is
not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is
enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant
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like his master. If they have called the master of the house
Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his
household! 26 Therefore do not fear them. For there is
nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will
not be known.
27 "Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what
you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. 28 And do not
fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather
fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29
Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of
them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. 30 But
the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Do not fear
therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
32 "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will

also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But
whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before
My Father who is in heaven.
34 "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not
come to bring peace but a sword. 35 For I have come to 'set a
man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a
daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; 36 and 'a man's
enemies will be those of his own household.' 37 He who loves
father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he
who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is
not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he
who loses his life for My sake will find it.
40 "He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me

receives Him who sent Me. 41 He who receives a prophet in
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the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward. And

he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous
man shall receive a righteous man's reward. 42 And whoever
gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the
name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means
lose his reward."
Matt 10:1-42 (NKJV)
When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the
people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death. 2 And when
they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to
Pontius Pilate the governor.
3 Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been

condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty
pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, "I have
sinned by betraying innocent blood." And they said, "What is
that to us? You see to it!" 5 Then he threw down the pieces of
silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged
himself. 6 But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said,
"It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they
are the price of blood." 7 And they consulted together and
bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in. 8
Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this
day. 9 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the
prophet, saying, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the
value of Him who was priced, whom they of the children of
Israel priced, 10 and gave them for the potter's field, as the
Lord directed me."
11 Now Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor

asked Him, saying, "Are You the King of the Jews?" So Jesus
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said to him, "It is as you say." 12 And while He was being

accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing.
13 Then Pilate said to Him, "Do You not hear how many things
they testify against You?" 14 But He answered him not one
word, so that the governor marveled greatly.
15 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing

to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished.* 16 And at
that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. 17
Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to
them, "Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas,
or Jesus who is called Christ?" 18 For he knew that they had
handed Him over because of envy. 19 While he was sitting on
the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, "Have nothing
to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today
in a dream because of Him." 20 But the chief priests and elders
persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas
and destroy Jesus. 21 The governor answered and said to
them, "Which of the two do you want me to release to you?"
They said, "Barabbas!" 22 Pilate said to them, "What then shall
I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" They all said to him, "Let
Him be crucified!" 23 Then the governor said, "Why, what evil
has He done?" But they cried out all the more, saying, "Let Him
be crucified!" 24 When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at
all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and
washed his hands before the multitude, saying, "I am innocent
of the blood of this just Person. You see to it." 25 And all the
people answered and said, "His blood be on us and on our
children." 26 Then he released Barabbas to them; and when
he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.
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27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the

Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him. 28
And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. 29 When
they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head,
and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before
Him and mocked Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" 30 Then
they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the
head. 31 And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe
off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be
crucified.
32 Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon

by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross. 33 And when
they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place
of a Skull, 34 they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to
drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink. 35 Then
they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that
it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet:
"They divided My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots."
36 Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. 37 And they
put up over His head the accusation written against Him:
THIS IS JESUS
THE KING OF THE JEWS.
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38 Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right
and another on the left. 39 And those who passed by
blasphemed Him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, "You
who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save
Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the
cross." 41 Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the
scribes and elders, said, 42 "He saved others; Himself He
cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down
from the cross, and we will believe Him. 43 He trusted in God;
let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, 'I am
the Son of God.' " 44 Even the robbers who were crucified with
Him reviled Him with the same thing.
45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was
darkness over all the land. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus
cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?"
that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" 47
Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said,
"This Man is calling for Elijah!" 48 Immediately one of them
ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a
reed, and offered it to Him to drink. 49 The rest said, "Let Him
alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him." 50 And Jesus
cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. 51
Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top
to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, 52
and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints
who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the
graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and
appeared to many. 54 So when the centurion and those with
him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the
things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, "Truly
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this was the Son of God!" 55 And many women who followed
Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on
from afar, 56 among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the
mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.
57 Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from
Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a
disciple of Jesus. 58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the
body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given
to him. 59 When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in
a clean linen cloth, 60 and laid it in his new tomb which he had
hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the
door of the tomb, and departed. 61 And Mary Magdalene was
there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.
62 On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation,

the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, 63
saying, "Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that
deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise.' 64 Therefore
command that the tomb be made secure until the third day,
lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to
the people, 'He has risen from the dead.' So the last deception
will be worse than the first." 65 Pilate said to them, "You have
a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how." 66
So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and
setting the guard.
Matt 27:1-66 (NKJV)
Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to
dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the
tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an
angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and
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rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. 3 His
countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as
snow. 4 And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like
dead men. 5 But the angel answered and said to the women,
"Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was
crucified. 6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come,
see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly and tell His
disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going
before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have
told you." 8 So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear
and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.
9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met

them, saying, "Rejoice!" So they came and held Him by the
feet and worshiped Him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not
be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there
they will see Me."
11 Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard

came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the
things that had happened. 12 When they had assembled with
the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of
money to the soldiers, 13 saying, "Tell them, 'His disciples
came at night and stole Him away while we slept.' 14 And if
this comes to the governor's ears, we will appease him and
make you secure." 15 So they took the money and did as they
were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among
the Jews until this day.
16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the

mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. 17 When they
saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. 18 And
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Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been
given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make
disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them
to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am
with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
Matt 28:1-20 (NKJV)
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Chapter Fifteen
Jesus offer to his Disciples
And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and

Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were
fishermen. 17 Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will
make you become fishers of men." 18 They immediately left
their nets and followed Him. 19 When He had gone a little
farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and
John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their
nets. 20 And immediately He called them, and they left their
father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went
after Him.
21 Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the

Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught. 22 And they
were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one
having authority, and not as the scribes. 23 Now there was a
man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried
out, 24 saying, "Let us alone! What have we to do with You,
Jesus of Nazareth? Did you come to destroy us? I know who
you are--the Holy One of God!" 25 But Jesus rebuked him,
saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!" 26 And when the
unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud
voice, he came out of him. 27 Then they were all amazed, so
that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is
this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He
commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him." 28
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And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region

around Galilee.
29 Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they

entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and
John. 30 But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and
they told Him about her at once. 31 So He came and took her
by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left
her. And she served them.
32 At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all
who were sick and those who were demon-possessed. 33 And
the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34 Then He
healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out
many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak,
because they knew Him.
35 Now in the morning, having risen a long while before

daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and
there He prayed. 36 And Simon and those who were with Him
searched for Him. 37 When they found Him, they said to Him,
"Everyone is looking for you." 38 But He said to them, "Let us
go into the next towns that I may preach there also, because
for this purpose I have come forth." 39 And He was preaching
in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out
demons.
40 Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to

Him and saying to Him, "If you are willing, you can make me
clean." 41 Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out
His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be
cleansed." 42 As soon as He had spoken, immediately the
leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. 43 And He strictly
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warned him and sent him away at once, 44 and said to him,
"See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show
yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things
which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them." 45
However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to
spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter
the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to
Him from every direction.
Mark 1:16-45 (NKJV)
And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there

who had a withered hand. 2 So they watched Him closely,
whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might
accuse Him. 3 And He said to the man who had the withered
hand, "Step forward." 4 Then He said to them, "Is it lawful on
the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But
they kept silent. 5 And when He had looked around at them
with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He
said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it
out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. 6 Then
the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the
Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.
7 But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. And a great
multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea 8 and
Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from
Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many
things He was doing, came to Him. 9 So He told His disciples
that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the
multitude, lest they should crush Him. 10 For He healed many,
so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch
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Him. 11 And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell
down before Him and cried out, saying, "You are the Son of
God." 12 But He sternly warned them that they should not
make Him known.
13 And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those

He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. 14 Then He
appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He
might send them out to preach, 15 and to have power to heal
sicknesses and to cast out demons: 16 Simon, to whom He
gave the name Peter; 17 James the son of Zebedee and John
the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges,
that is, "Sons of Thunder"; 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew,
Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus,
Simon the Cananite; 19 and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed
Him. And they went into a house.
20 Then the multitude came together again, so that they could

not so much as eat bread. 21 But when His own people heard
about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He
is out of His mind." 22 And the scribes who came down from
Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the
demons He casts out demons." 23 So He called them to
Himself and said to them in parables: "How can Satan cast out
Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom
cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that
house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against
himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end. 27 No
one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods,
unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder
his house.
196
28 "Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of

men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; 29 but he
who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness,
but is subject to eternal condemnation"-- 30 because they
said, "He has an unclean spirit."
31 Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing

outside they sent to Him, calling Him. 32 And a multitude was
sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother
and Your brothers are outside seeking You." 33 But He
answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?"
34 And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about
Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers! 35 For
whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and
mother."
Mark 3:1-35 (NKJV)
Then He went out from there and came to His own country,
and His disciples followed Him. 2 And when the Sabbath had
come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing
Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these
things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that
such mighty works are performed by His hands! 3 Is this not
the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses,
Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?" And
they were offended at Him. 4 But Jesus said to them, "A
prophet is not without honor except in his own country,
among his own relatives, and in his own house." 5 Now He
could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands
on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And He marveled
197
because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in

a circuit, teaching.
7 And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them

out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits. 8
He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a
staff--no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts-- 9 but
to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics. 10 Also He said
to them, "In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till
you depart from that place. 11 And whoever will not receive
you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the
dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I
say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah
in the day of judgment than for that city!" 12 So they went out
and preached that people should repent. 13 And they cast out
many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and
healed them.
14 Now King Herod heard of Him, for His name had become
well known. And he said, "John the Baptist is risen from the
dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him." 15
Others said, "It is Elijah." And others said, "It is the Prophet, or
like one of the prophets." 16 But when Herod heard, he said,
"This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the
dead!" 17 For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John,
and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother
Philip's wife; for he had married her. 18 For John had said to
Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." 19
Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him,
but she could not; 20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he
was a just and holy man, and he protected him. And when he
heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. 21 Then
198
an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday gave a

feast for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of
Galilee. 22 And when Herodias' daughter herself came in and
danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the
king said to the girl, "Ask me whatever you want, and I will give
it to you." 23 He also swore to her, "Whatever you ask me, I
will give you, up to half of my kingdom." 24 So she went out
and said to her mother, "What shall I ask?" And she said, "The
head of John the Baptist!" 25 Immediately she came in with
haste to the king and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at
once the head of John the Baptist on a platter." 26 And the
king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and
because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse
her. 27 Immediately the king sent an executioner and
commanded his head to be brought. And he went and
beheaded him in prison, 28 brought his head on a platter, and
gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When
his disciples heard of it, they came and took away his corpse
and laid it in a tomb.
30 Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things,
both what they had done and what they had taught. 31 And
He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted
place and rest a while." For there were many coming and
going, and they did not even have time to eat. 32 So they
departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves. 33 But
the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and
ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them
and came together to Him. 34 And Jesus, when He came out,
saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for
them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So
199
He began to teach them many things. 35 When the day was

now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, "This is a
deserted place, and already the hour is late. 36 Send them
away, that they may go into the surrounding country and
villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to
eat." 37 But He answered and said to them, "You give them
something to eat." And they said to Him, "Shall we go and buy
two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something
to eat?" 38 But He said to them, "How many loaves do you
have? Go and see." And when they found out they said, "Five,
and two fish." 39 Then He commanded them to make them all
sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in
ranks, in hundreds and in fifties. 41 And when He had taken
the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven,
blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples
to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them
all. 42 So they all ate and were filled. 43 And they took up
twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish. 44 Now those
who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men.
45 Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go

before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the
multitude away. 46 And when He had sent them away, He
departed to the mountain to pray. 47 Now when evening
came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone
on the land. 48 Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the
wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the
night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have
passed them by. 49 And when they saw Him walking on the
sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; 50 for they
all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked
200
with them and said to them, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not

be afraid." 51 Then He went up into the boat to them, and the
wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves
beyond measure, and marveled. 52 For they had not
understood about the loaves, because their heart was
hardened.
53 When they had crossed over, they came to the land of

Gennesaret and anchored there. 54 And when they came out
of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, 55 ran
through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry
about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He
was. 56 Wherever He entered into villages, cities, or in the
country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged
Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment. And
as many as touched Him were made well.
Mark 6:1-56 (NKJV)
201
202
In conclusion
1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first
heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no
more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride
adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from
heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men,
and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God
Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will
wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more
death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for
the former things have passed away." 5 Then He who sat on
the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said
to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful." 6 And He
said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the
Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water
of life freely to him who thirsts. 7 He who overcomes shall
inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.
8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers,
sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have
their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone,
which is the second death."
9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled
with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me,
saying, "Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife." 10
And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high
mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem,
descending out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of
God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper
203
stone, clear as crystal. 12 Also she had a great and high wall
with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names
written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of
the children of Israel: 13 three gates on the east, three gates
on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the
west. 14 Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and
on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the
city, its gates, and its wall. 16 The city is laid out as a square;
its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city
with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth,
and height are equal. 17 Then he measured its wall: one
hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a
man, that is, of an angel. 18 The construction of its wall was of
jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. 19 The
foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds
of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second
sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20 the
fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the
eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the
eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve
gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one
pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent
glass.
22 But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the
Lamb are its temple. 23 The city had no need of the sun or of
the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The
Lamb is its light. 24 And the nations of those who are saved
shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their
glory and honor into it. 25 Its gates shall not be shut at all by
204
day (there shall be no night there). 26 And they shall bring the
glory and the honor of the nations into it. 27 But there shall by
no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an
abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the
Lamb's Book of Life.
Rev 21:1-27 (NKJV)
And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal,

proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the
middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the
tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit
every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the
nations. 3 And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of
God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve
Him. 4 They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their
foreheads. 5 There shall be no night there: They need no lamp
nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they
shall reign forever and ever.
6 Then he said to me, "These words are faithful and true." And
the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His
servants the things which must shortly take place. 7 "Behold,
I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the
prophecy of this book." 8 Now I, John, saw and heard these
things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship
before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. 9
Then he said to me, "See that you do not do that. For I am your
fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of
those who keep the words of this book. Worship God." 10 And
he said to me, "Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this
book, for the time is at hand. 11 He who is unjust, let him be
205
unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is

righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be
holy still."
12 "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with

Me, to give to every one according to his work. 13 I am the
Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and
the Last." 14 Blessed are those who do His commandments,
that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter
through the gates into the city. 15 But outside are dogs and
sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters,
and whoever loves and practices a lie. 16 "I, Jesus, have sent
My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am
the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning
Star." 17 And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him
who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come.
Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.
18 For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the

prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will
add to him the plagues that are written in this book; 19 and if
anyone takes away from the words of the book of this
prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life,
from the holy city, and from the things which are written in
this book.
20 He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming

quickly." Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! 21 The grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Rev 22:1-21 (NKJV)
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Offer, Opposition, Oppression, and Opportunity

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OFFER, OPPOSITION, OPPRESION, AND OPORTUNITY

John 15:12-17 (NKJV)

7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the

"When He ascended on high,

He led captivity captive,

And gave gifts to men."

9 (Now this, "He ascended"--what does it mean but that He

Eph 4:7-16 (NKJV)

Offer, Opposition, Oppression, and Opportunity

Throughout Human history God reached forth his offer for a

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be

Matt 4:1-2 (NKJV)

Opposition – The Kingdom of darkness has many ways

fame and fortune! The counter offer says, “Please the

After forty days in the wilderness opposition came upon

'He shall give His angels charge over you,'

'In their hands they shall bear you up,

Lest you dash your foot against a stone.' "

Matt 4:3-7 (NKJV)

Oppression – Oppression can come in many, any forms

After opposition failed then the spirit of oppression fell upon

“Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high

Matt 4:8-11 (NKJV)

Opportunity – After the season of oppression or the storm

After Jesus passes all of the test of opposition, oppression,

15 "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,

By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,

Galilee of the Gentiles:

16 The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light,

Light has dawned."

17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent,

18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers,

23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their

Matt 4:12-25 (NKJV)

When the Devil attacked our Lord he used the scriptures to

44 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a

45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking

47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was

53 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these

Matt 13:36-58 (NKJV)

9 This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect

14 "Make yourself an ark of gopher wood; make rooms in the

22 Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him,

Gen 6:5-22 (NKJV)

living things that I have made." 5 And Noah did according to

Gen 7:1-24 (NKJV)

6 So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah

20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every

offerings on the altar. 21 And the Lord smelled a soothing

22 "While the earth remains,

Seedtime and harvest,

Cold and heat,

Winter and summer,

And day and night

Shall not cease."

Gen 8:1-22 (NKJV)

“Now the Lord had said to Abram:

"Get out of your country,

From your family